I know there are people who spend hours on Pinterest, pinning dozens and dozens of ideas that they hope to one day put into action. I would venture a guess that at least 99% of those pins go completely untouched later and definitely uncreated. They’re great ideas! But frankly, most of them are time consuming…and most of us don’t have hours every day to spend in the kitchen, attempting to create masterpieces instead of a 20 minute halfway healthy meal.
But I don’t think it always has to be overly complicated to have some fun. Sometimes, it can be as simple as drawing on a plastic bag or on a brown paper bag. If you have even the tiniest bit of artistic talent (unlike me), then you can doodle something quick and away the lunch goes, creating a smile later in the day with only minimal time involved.
And if you can’t draw, then you can write a funny message instead, showing your child or spouse that you were thinking of them that morning before they rushed off to school or work.
Or if you really, really shouldn’t be wielding a messy permanent marker that is bound to explode all over the kitchen….. then invest in some cute stickers instead. ;)
To see a bunch of other sandwich art sketches, check out this Flickr account. It claims he’s been drawing on his kids’ sandwich bags since 2008! Some of them are simple and others are quite clever and complex!
Even as an adult, taking your lunch to work doesn’t have to be boring. And being quirky, doesn’t mean it should be impractical either.
Of the 18
amazing lunch boxes that
Emily (hi Emily! I didn’t forget…I’m just slow!) pointed out to me a couple months ago, I think the above might be my favorite. I’m pretty sure it even trumps the NES box below.
It’s not because it’s that strange…or even that it’s the most practical. Realistically, it’s only good for sandwiches and I have no idea how it’s supposed to be cleaned regularly. I think it’s cool that I wouldn’t have to try to find the right size ziplock bag to squish my sandwich into and then later, try to wiggle it back out of without losing all my fillings. If it actually holds it in place like it appears to, then it’s perfect for tossing a sandwich in your bag and not wondering if it’ll still look like a sandwich by lunchtime, ha!
This one is also a mix of quirky but practical. I’m a little concerned about using those utensils and how that outside would get cleaned easily after using it as a tray every day, but that’s probably because I’m a messy either and others wouldn’t have to worry about it.
I’m not nearly as eco-friendly as I probably should be, but I fully support others who take the time, energy, and money to clean up their footprint. I’ve seen these metal cases a few times already now and the reviews are great. You skip the plastic and the pieces stack nicely without being overly inconvenient. I don’t think any kid is going to get teased for taking these to school either, which is a nice bonus for most school-aged kids. And the different sizes makes them easy to work with for
bento boxes, too.
And then of course this one is going to get a few points from me, just because I’m still a bit nostalgic for my old NESes. The only thing it’s missing is the butterknife sticking out of the front to make sure the game (or lunch?) stays in place.
I first posted about these delicious little pork rolls more than 2 years ago and since then, I’ve made them several times. They’re quick, taste good, and are great for using in lunches the next day.
It’s not uncommon for me to use colored toothpicks and you can see that all of them here even have multicolored sticks:
It wasn’t until the last time I made them, though, with a different brand of toothpicks, that I ran into issues. Check out these:
Oops!
So if you’re the type that’s worried about the chemicals and dyes in our food, beware that some of those toothpicks will bleed colors. I doubt the tiny amount is harmful, but it’s still worth noting, especially if the kids have any sensitivities.
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