{Bento Lunches} Tricks Of The Trade

Recently I've had a few questions about how I keep my girl's lunches fresh enough for them to eat. Since it is my goal to convert every willing sucker over to the bento side, I decided a how-to blog was in order. Bawahahaha!

Traditionally I pack my bento boxes the night before camp, class or a play date; basically when there is a time crunch involved, I prepack.  In order to keep it fresh, I snap the lids on some of my containers and stick it in the fridge over night.  The only item I found that doesn't stay crunchy in the fridge are Cheese Puffs, I never prepack those crispy jewels.

The next morning I add my built in freezer pack,

pull out a Pro-Pack ice pack,

slide it into the ice pouch of our Vera Bradley lunch boxes,

add because I'm extra paranoid about bacteria growing on my kids food, I include this Rubbermaid Monkey ice pack for added protection.  Come on, he's too cute to leave in the freezer!

However, if a lunch boxes doesn't have a built in ice pouch, I add a thick plastic Freeze-Pak for longer lasting freshness.

Sometimes when my lunches return home, they're still ice cold.  Just the way I like it!  And that's saying something in South Texas!