What are the basic items you need for Bento?

You know that I have started making bento snack box for my son’s baon at school a few weeks ago .  I am not a Pro and I am still learning and researching online for ideas and inspirations.  I got lots of praises for my simple and healthy styles, and it inspires me more.

Honestly, compared to other moms who has lots of Bento tools, I only have few of them (the reason why my style is simple).  I am quite frugal, and I don’t want to break my bank for that hahaha. If you also want try out bento for yourself, here are some items that will help you create a good looking Bento.

• Bento Box–  or baonan in Tagalog.  Of course, you can’t create a lunch box without a container. So this is the first thing that you should look for.  I prefer a container with a built in separator since it is easier to decorate.
• Silicone Cups– I bought mine from a Bookstore (surprisingly they sell one) for only P170.00.  It comes with different sizes and colors.  I love using this because it makes my simple bento, eye catchy.  I also use it as a separator to make the portions regulated.
• Decorative Picks– I only have a few of these as of the moment. I bought mine at Japan Home for P88 for a set.  I use this usually for grapes and small slices of fruits.
• Sharp knife and scissors– I use these to cut and design nori and cheese. They are usually a part of my bento as of the moment.
• Cutters – Again I only have a few of these.  I use them to cut fruits like apples, pears and watermelons.

That’s it.  Those are just the basic items you need.

If you can spare some money, you can also look for rice molders, sauce bottles, nori punchers etc.  Just check Japan Home or Saizen or any Japanese stores out there, maybe you can see some things that you can use to make your bento.

My simple advise is that, don’t stress yourself in creating a complicated bento that will take much of your time.  Just make sure that you put a balanced diet on your bento boxes that consists of foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins.  I am sure your kids will love it more.