mommy + me lunch box

Last year, I started out with only a couple boxes and cookie cutters. My first lunch looked kinda plain. As the year progressed, our lunch/bento collection started growing. I started following other bloggers and gave me ideas on what other products are out there. Then I found All Things For Sale ... like a kid in a candy store... Q (s) : What do you use for packing lunches? How do you organize/where do you store them?   A: At first, our lunch supplies fit into a little cupboard in our kitchen. Then our collection just grew astronomically that I used one of those big Sterilite plastic tubs. Last weekend, my husband put together this cabinet/drawer combo specifically for our lunch stuff! (I love that guy!)  The pictures on the left show most of the lunch boxes we have.  As for the tools I use, I pretty much use anything in my kitchen. I use sandwich cutter, my cookie and fondant cutters from my cake decorating supplies, molds, chopsticks, toothpicks,...

Miss C is going back to school in 10 more sleeps. How can it be possible that my baby is 5 and going to Kindergarten... to the "big kid" school... on a "big kid" yellow bus. (Did you notice though that school buses are orange?)  Anyway, I thought I’d write a couple posts this week on how to get started, my favorite bento/lunch boxes and tools, and other tips. Today, I’ll focus on food.  In a couple days, I will show you my supplies and my favorite lunch making tools. Hello Kitty lunch box Q:   What kinds of food do you pack? A: Anything! From sandwiches to leftovers, I pack pretty much whatever is on hand.  I use the USDA’s Choose MyPlate as a guideline on what to pack. I try to pack the 4 major nutrition blocks: protein, vegetables/fruits, carb/grains.  Sometimes, I add a treat like fruit snacks or candy. My child pretty much eats a variety of food, so I try to pack food that she has already tried and I know she likes. I don’t put something she has...