• Simple food fun with British piccolo tomatoes
    Bento - Family Life

    Fun ways to enjoy British piccolo tomatoes

    September 25, 2019 - By 

    I don’t know about you but sometimes it can be hard to make sure my children have a balanced diet. Now my youngest has started Junior School we decided she could join her brother in having packed lunches every day, so I feel under more pressure than ever to give them a healthy lunch. Like most schools, theirs promotes a healthy lunch and we are allowed to send a healthy snack for morning break time too. Little Sis has totally embraced her packed lunches and loves nothing more than helping to make and pack it every morning! As a working…

  • How to make Teddy Bear Toast
    Bento - Crafts for adults - Crafts for kids

    How to make Teddy Bear Toast

    February 24, 2019 - By 

    My children just love helping in the kitchen. We’ve made quite a few things over half term which has been a lot of fun, and just a bit messy too. Sometimes it’s the simplest recipes that are the most fun. We’ve made Teddy Bear Toast a few times and I thought it was worth sharing as it’s so easy to make that the kids can make it too! Teddy Bear Toast ingredients: Wholemeal bread Peanut Butter Banana Blueberries How to make Teddy Bear Toast Take a banana. Peel it and cut it into thin slices. Next take your toast or…

  • Celebrating National Sandwich Week {Num Noms inspired bento lunch}
    Bento - Crafts for kids

    Celebrating National Sandwich Week {Num Noms inspired bento lunch}

    May 15, 2018 - By 

    Did you know that National Sandwich Week is celebrated between May 20th and May 26th? We were challenged to celebrate it with Num Noms, those cute little scented food-related collectibles. My daughter loves to collect them so it was pretty easy to ask her to help create a lunch around her favourites. Celebrating National Sandwich Week with Num Noms We were sent a bundle of Num Noms products to help us create our Num Noms inspired bento lunch. My children love a themed lunch and the weather was lovely and sunny over the weekend which meant it was perfect for packing…

  • EASTER BENTO LUNCH for kids
    Bento - Easter - Family Life

    Easter themed bento lunch

    April 5, 2018 - By 

    Our Easter weekend passed in a bit of a blur thanks to a house full of family. We had Easter Egg Hunts (indoors due to the weather) but it just felt so busy with little time to relax. Thankfully the children have a 2 week break from school which gives us plenty of time to enjoy Easter treats. We have plastic Easter eggs everywhere. They’ve been used in our Nom Nums Easter Egg Hunt, in our usual Easter Egg hunt (filled with chocolate eggs) as well as covered in washi tape. They also make the perfect container for an Easter…

  • Creating the perfect packed lunch for happy tummies
    Bento - Happy By Nature - parenting - school

    Creating the perfect packed lunch for happy tummies

    October 13, 2016 - By 

    We’re a family who love being outdoors and often take a picnic out with us. I like to know exactly what my children are eating and the whole family seem to enjoy the way I make lunch! My youngest started school last month and has been taking a packed lunch every day. She loves having a lunch break with all her friends and thankfully her lunch box is always empty at the end of the day. I’ve had a few years’ practice perfecting the art of the packed lunch and have become quite quick at whipping up a healthy packed…

  • #HartleysYourLunch Challenge
    Bento - Star Wars crafts

    Star Wars bento lunch

    August 12, 2016 - By 

    I never used to think my 6 year old was a fussy eater. He is active and therefore hungry and used to eat anything I put before him. Over the last 12 months I have noticed him becoming fussier, especially with his school lunch. I’ve ended up making a packed lunch for him on Wednesday’s as he refuses to eat the food at school. Star Wars bento lunch I think my son would happily eat the same lunch every Wednesday if it was up to him but I like to try and make it interesting and memorable. I love the…

  • Bento - Friends of Sylvanian Families

    Sylvanian Families bento lunch

    October 2, 2015 - By 

    I have one very tired 3 year old at the moment. This is her second week of pre-school and as much as she loves going, she is also tired and grumpy after each session. To cheer her up at the end of the week I thought I would make her a bento lunch inspired by her favourite Sylvanian friends. She has to have an early lunch for her afternoon sessions so bento is perfect for filling her up and making lunch time fun.  Sylvanian Families bento lunch My daughter’s favourite Sylvanian, Freya Chocolate Bunny, helped me decide what to include.…

  • baking - Bento

    Unicorn bento

    June 27, 2015 - By 

    My 3 year is becoming a fussy little eater which is a shame as the rest of us really enjoy our food. Sometimes a fun little bento lunch helps, but not always. She loves to help me prepare lunch so I’m hopeful that this is just another stage that she will eventually grow out of. I’m always on the look out for a theme she will like. Now she loves minions and the Despicable Me films. She even has her own unicorn, just like Agnes. She enjoyed the minions themed bento I made recently so I thought I would try…

  • Bento

    Minion bento with sweetcorn fritter

    June 14, 2015 - By 

    It’s been a while since I’ve put together a fun bento lunchbox. However this weekend we planned a fun day out and I wanted to make the children a special lunch.  We’re all excited about the new new Minions film and I thought this would make a brilliant theme for lunch. So today I’m sharing our Minion bento. Sweetcorn fritter The main component to our Minion bento was a yummy sweetcorn fritter. Sweetcorn fritter is a family favourite and I often make a few for dinner but they are just as good cold. I made ours with  Green Giant sweetcorn.…