Bentos for the last week of school.

Just because school's out doesn't mean I'm done with bento-packing.  I'm hypothesizing that our bentos will come along on many picnics and beach days, and that I'll often pack lunches ahead at night so that there are fewer things to do during the day.  There's nothing worse to kids than swimming and having to come in, shivering in the A/C and waiting while Mom preps lunch.  Hopefully a grab-and-go lunch packed the night before means that I can be a more fun Mom this summer (you know, hypothetically).

For now, I'm sharing the lunches from the last week of school.  Elliott is beside herself enthusiastic that school is no longer in session.  Monday alone, we swam 3 different times.  Need I explain her enthusiasm?

Muenster, honeydew, crackers, ham, Biscoff cookie.
Grilled turkey and cheese, carrot sticks, carrot sticks, kiwi, cheese stick.
Salami and ham, muenster, grapes, crackers.
Cole slaw, cucumber chunk, raspberries, hot dog (mother of the year, I know, I know).

Worth noting is that I try to make sure all of our deli meats are free of sodium nitrates/nitrites.  All of the meats you see in this photo are exactly that, even the hot dog.  Yeah, I realize that it's still a hot dog, but hopefully the lack of additives makes it more of a win. ; )

Last week in Bento.

The Goodbyn small meal containers have definitely surpassed the Goodbyn Bynto as my favorite.  I like that I can pack them to the brim and they come home empty, as if it contains exactly the right amount of food for my hungry 5-year-old.

Cheese stick, ham chunks, pretzels, honeydew.
Egg salad, Triscuits, hummus-stuffed pepper, kiwi, blackberries.
Blackberries, chips, homemade Catalina dressing and taco salad leftovers.

My kiddos have been enjoying berries and nuts a lot for snack lately, and I count it a huge snacking success.  The Goodbyn snack containers (and small meal containers) are on clearance on the company website, so stock up before they're gone--I promise you won't regret it.  (And no, Goodbyn doesn't sponsor my posts, I really just love their colorful and functional containers.)

Pictured in the snack containers is:
Pepitas & blackberries.
Raspberries and sunflower seeds.

Boring Bentos.

I know that bloggers are supposed to come up with super-exciting titles for their posts, and they're also supposed to post regularly and do everything cute-to-the-max.  Well, welcome to my real world.  Things are done with love, not necessarily cuteness, and definitely not perfection.  But done is better than not done, and anything done with love is worth mentioning.  In other words, please forgive the post title.  ; )

Here are the lunch deets:

1. Homemade naan, ham, cucumbers, cheese wedge, honeydew. 
2. Carrots, peanut butter, apples, ham sandwich, green olives, boiled eggs.

3. Plain yogurt with homemade jam, grapes, cheese wedge, Triscuits, ham, green olive.

4. Grapes, carrots, hummus, chicken potstickers.