Special Food for Special People, or, It's Only Good If They Eat It

Rice with sprinkles, teriyaki shrimp, deviled egg, marinated gigandes, cucumber, carrots and apple

Okay my special ones, here is an example of a Lock & Lock container with dividers. It has a leak-proof lid that snaps on. La Segunda can drop kick this thing across the elementary school gym, and as long as it doesn't break, her lunch items will remain separate. Cool, huh? This is one way I appease her--give her a lunch box that is "special."

This lunch is a good example of another strategy for helping a lunch that's different from everyone else's seem different in a good way: Include a small luxury item. Nothing says "don't you wish this was your lunch?" like a few shrimp. Seriously, a bag of frozen shrimp is a good investment when you only serve three at a time, and it's a great stash item. Also note the sprinkles on the rice--the sesame seeds add extra calcium and there are loads of minerals in the nori, but mainly my kids think it tastes good and makes them "cool."

The luxury item should be whatever the recipient of this box of edible love perceives as a treat: strawberries, or snap peas, or a tofu-dog cut to look like an octopus and served with catsup. The main thing to remember is that the people sitting next to your diner often influence their perception of what they are eating. Are their table mates envious, or are they grossed out? The corollary to the luxury item is NEVER pack anything that smells funny or looks like puke. Ever. It is irrelevant whether they loved it for dinner: If someone at their table says, "Eeewww!" that lunch is going in the trash, and your diner will be offered something from one of their friends' lunches. This leads to having a child come home in a funk from eating the wrong thing, or nothing at all. There are many temptations in the lunchroom, and an awesome bento makes that easier to handle.  (Case in point: See the deviled egg in the picture? My kids used to get teased because hard-boiled eggs "stink," so they threw them away. If the eggs are deviled, everyone at the table wants a piece. Go figure. And if they're deviled and shaped like a flower, well, that's a luxury item for sure!)

This lunch took about 10 minutes using stash food: leftover rice, frozen shrimp, pre-made teriyaki sauce, and fruits and veggies from the fridge. The egg was already made the night before as well. Just warm the rice and simmer shrimp in the sauce for about 3 minutes. While the rice and shrimp cool back to room temp, cut up the fruits and veggies, and assemble it all in the bento. Toss a couple cookies and a little container of applesauce into the lunch bag, and you're good to go.