Nothing too creative today for lunch.  I can't create spectcular lunches for him every day, right?  He might come to expect it  =)  Let's talk about some essentials you need to create these "bento" lunches for your kiddos.

1. I would say the #1 item would be 3-4 sectioned food containers.  It doesn't have to be actual "bento" containers, just cool looking food containers to make your food look more interesting.  I LOVE food containers and get them whenever I see one I like.  I don't own any actual "bento" boxes.
2. The next would be an insulated lunch bag that lays your container FLAT so your creation isn't ruined by lunchtime.  Check out EasyLunchBoxes.com
3. Cookie cutters.  I got a huge box of plastic cookies cutters at Michaels for about $10.  They usually have the 40% off coupons too!  These are great for cutting different shape sandwiches, cheese, pancakes, waffles, etc.
4. Food picks.  I would say get a good variety of these.  Again, they don't have to be the ones made specifically for "bentos".  I find them in the party section of stores where one would use for appetizers at parties.
5. Silicone cupcake liners in different colors and perhaps different sizes.  These are great for separating food.

Once you have the basic items, it's easy to build on to what you have.  I hear a lot from people how time consuming it is to create bento type lunches.  I say boooo!  If you're already making a lunch for your kiddo, this won't add but a few extra minutes to the time you're already spending making their regular lunch.  It's all in how your arrange the food and not necessarily the creativeness of the kind of food.  So, have fun and experiment!  I would LOVE to hear about your ideas and what you've created so do share.

For lunch today I made him a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with Laughing Cow cheese.  I tried to get creative and use a tiny frog punch and punched out some nori to create the 'A'.  You can use your regular paper punches to punch out edible nori (make a happy face or different animals).  Greek yogurt with sprinkles.  The color of the sprinkles will desolve and get into the yogurt which he thinks looks like a "rainbow".  Nectarine and strawberry mix.  And for dessert, 2 chocolate coins. 

The contain I used is the Sassy food container in the baby section of retailers.  Works perfect for preschooler portions!  I love it because it has 3 removable containers within the big container so you can mix and match.  They all come with separate lids too!  And what the Little Man loves best is the spoon attached to the main lid.