of grateful praise

Right now, I am totally obsessing over lunch boxes. There are so many adorable lunch boxes available now, I cannot decide which to order. Nor can my son. We both ooooh and aaaah over them and change our minds each time we gaze upon their goodness.

I am also obsessing over bento boxes. I am completely in awe at the insane cuteness of this method of fooding. (apparently, I just made up my own word... but I'm stickin' with it!) The habit of taking such care in food preparation + presentation is inspiring. Just look at this:
















What kid wouldn't want to mow down every morsel of this adorable food? Go visit THIS blog for more bento foodie inspiration.

And take a look at these adorable, and totally inexpensive bento box accessories:

little sauce containers:

special cookware to make these insanely adorable eggs:

adorable animal aluminum foil:

molds for separating foods:







and tiny animal picks for skewering foods:

Seriously. So cute. The Japanese truly take their food seriously. And, not so seriously with all the little Japanamation!

Mostly, I just truly respect the time that is put into creating such sweet treasures for these kiddos to open up and enjoy. It speaks volumes to the importance and respect for healthy eating. There are no easy to throw in, individualized packages of highly processed foods. These are pure, whole foods being served in a playful and inviting manner. I am convicted. And encouraged. And hope to offer my children some of these sweet bento offerings.

And if you are saying to yourself, I have no Japanese in me... and my kids don't eat rice balls and fish cake... stop now. And go to the Americanized version of bento-ing, HERE.

It's all about taking a few extra moments to present a healthful, attractive meal to your little ones. Be encouraged. And get bento-ing!

{All the sweet little bento accessories can be found HERE}