Let me tell you about one of my favorite new bento books, Everyday Bento by Wendy Thorpe Copely.
Wendy, who's the owner/writer of the blog Wendelonia, has written a pretty comprehensive book that is perfect for people who are new to the idea of bento, and want to make their lunches using more "american" ingredients.
Event though I'm not new to bento, I found many ideas and tips in this book that I wanted to incorporate in my lunches right away. Actually, that's the real beauty of this book- it's filled with practical, easy ideas that immediately make you think " I could do that!"
Two of my favorite sections in Everyday Bento are two simple lists: "Bento Box idea List" and "Bento Foods by Color". I turn to those lists frequently when the lunches I'm packing just need a little something but I just can't put my finger on it. Looking at those lists help me put together just what I need, and quickly too!
Here is a lunch I made, inspired by Everyday Bento. It was for my son, who still appreciates legos... especially if they're made of food!
This lunch was made with Glutino gluten free crackers, ham, sugar snap peas, and cheese in the top tier of our Goodbyn Bynto box.
I decided to add a little message on the top cheese slice by using this fun tool:
In the middle tier of the box, there's cucumbers, dip ( in the blue lego container) and edible legos made from carrots and more cheese.
Anyone can make food into legos using the instructions in Everyday Bento, a knife, and a straw. It was easy, and everyone who saw it loved it!
The bottom tier of this bento box is filled with grapes and strawberries to round out this simple, fun lunch.
What is that cute little cloth napkin that is to the right of the bento box, you ask? Well, you can find those right here in my Etsy shop: Beneficial Bento 🙂
Here are more of the things used in this lunch, and where to buy them:
Wendy says
Thanks for the nice review, Kristie!
Kristie says
Thank you for creating such a useful book! 😀