Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Kids

My favorite bento box treat… Octopus hot dogs!  Hot dog octopuses create the most clever sea-themed lunch!  Of course, I had to include goldfish with the octopuses.  Edamame steamed with a little sea salt gives your kids healthy options in their lunches.  My children love edamame, and I’ll bet yours would too!

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Why Bento Boxes are so great:

• Kids are more likely to eat foods that are fun and creative.
• You can reuse the containers instead of buying new bags.
• Bento boxes are more eco-friendly than disposable lunch containers.
• Picky eaters will be more willing to try healthier foods.

Select your bento box container

These happen to be the bento boxes I use for my boys (and even myself).  I’ve had luck finding bento boxes on Amazon and at Pottery Barn Kids.

Supplies for bento boxes

Cookie cutters are a great way to shape sandwiches, cheese, or other foods into fun shapes the kids will love!

Silicone muffin liners are wonderful for packing anything from goldfish to edamame!  The green fish and car are egg molds that will turn a hard boiled egg into the shape of the mold.

I love these labels from Etsy that you can place on your cups and lunch boxes here.  Put them on the cups and then right into the dishwasher for up to 40-50 cycles!

Octopus how to

Cut the hot dog in half.

Cut slits into the halves 2/3 the way up the hot dog.

Cut another slit 2/3 the way up so that you make a pie.

Cut in between those quarter slits to make eight “tentacles.”

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Place your hot dog halves into the boiling water for 1 minute.  After a minute, you’ll be amazed that all the tentacles curl up just like an octopus!!

Add your sprinkle eyes and– viola– two of the cutest hot dogs that you’ve ever seen!

Other Ideas… a train bento box

Use the train cutter to cut out the sandwich and cheese.  Your reusable muffin liner becomes a container for raisins that serve as coal for the train.

Use the letter cutters to cut out the letters COAL.  We use fruit by the foot to make the letters for our bento boxes.

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