I have always been a big fan of bento boxed lunches. People get very creative in designing and crafting these lunch boxes that are such personalized pieces of art. Check out Another Lunch or Bento Mama to see some inspiring food creations.

Maybe someday, many, many years from now I will have the time and develop the skill to create a few of these, but for now, time is something we struggle with. So much so that we find ourselves eating breakfast in the car most weekday mornings. The whole family, each with a handful of little sandwich baggies filled with fruit or cereal and the like. Such a bad idea to eat on the go, but we really don't have much of a choice right now given our extremely long commutes.

Another problem with this routine is that the girls pick at the food in the bags, sometimes taking the entire drive to daycare to finish a couple of grapes, so they never get to the other items that make their breakfast more well-rounded and nutritious.

So, one day, I whipped out some plastic lock-top containers (they need to be light enough that Kayleigh won't have trouble holding them in her lap, easy enough to open, non-breakable, and easy to wash) plus some silicone baking cups. I put small servings of various cut-up fruit, sandwiches, and sprinking of craisins into each box. They were a hit! The girls ate everything. Plus, no waste!

I can't do cutesy right now. (Although, I have been known to use a cookie cutter on a sandwich before to create bite-sized flower-shaped snacks for Abby and Kayleigh.) However, the concept of having all of your food laid out in front of you, giving your kid control to choose how and when they eat each item, works.

The time it takes to pack my super-simple, not too pretty, breakfast boxes is actually quicker than trying to struggle with the little Ziploc sandwich bags and making sure we grab each one. It also gives me a great visual to all the food I pack and allows me to determine if I've put in enough nutritious items.

So, I think we will continue to do Breakfast Boxes, but I am in search for better boxes to use. They must be dishwasher safe, easy open, lightweight, and preferrably something that will allow different configurations with dividers/containers. If anyone (particularly my overseas family/friends) can recommend some good boxes, give me a holler!