Lunches

For years I have been looking forward to packing Joseph's lunch.  But preschool was only in the morning, and I was glad to have my big boy back with me in the afternoon, and make him some lunch at home.  Even though at some days lunch was 'popcorn'.  He never has been a big eater.
This year though, Joseph transferred to 'big boy school'.  He becomes five in late September, so he is still one year away from Kindergarten.  Though we may be talking about that a bit further into the school year. He is already reading, he does math, I can not imagine him having an extra year in kindergarten AFTER this year.   Oh well, back to lunches.
I have a love for bento style lunches, and a desire to pack Joseph a healthy lunch that still makes him feel happy when other children might have chicken nuggets...

So.. here are a few of the lunches I have made so far, in no particular order:

Small bento with left over meat balls and fried rice and a cucumber/ lettuce salad, with flowers cut from, and out of the cucumber, and a few flower food picks, hazelnut raspberry dressing in the small bottle.

Joseph requested some chips with his meal. I filled the small compartment up with kettle cooked rosemary/ feta chips, made 'cucumber/ turkey' sandwiches with diverse food picks.  There was a lettuce leaf salad with hazelnut/ raspberry vinaigrette and some corn, and some unsweetened apple sauce.

Cucumber bars on a bed of lettuce with asian dipping sauce.  Pretzel chips, Brussels sprouts with cheese, and organic, nitrate free hotdogs, with unsweetened apple sauce, per request.

Homemade spaghetti and sauce in the big thermos, an apple with a face in it, and the unsweetened apple sauce.  Joseph was on an apple sauce kick.

Ditched the apple sauce in favor of a homemade smoothie: coconut milk, frozen berries and orange juice.  A grilled cheese sandwich on flax seed/ whole wheat bread, with avocado.  Mini turkey rolls (both rolls together are only one half slice, with kitty and doggy foodpicks and left over broccoli.)

The home made alternative to lunchables: crackers, fresh cut, no starch or icky stuff added Turkey, swiss cheese, a cucumber and cauliflower salad, some blueberries and the unsweetened apple sauce.

I will readily admit that his boxed lunches are quite a step up from the lunches at home!  Not certain why I didn't manage to get it together for regular lunches like this.  And I am curious if I will manage on the bento path for the rest of the year!  The little details are appreciated though, especially the face in the apple was a big hit.