The Bento Stash

One more Bento post and then I'll go onto different topics for awhile. I just wanted to get all the information I have so far out there right away for anyone interested.

As I said in my other post, my EasyLunchboxes haven't arrived yet. But I was so excited to get started that I set out to try to find some other supplies.

I've been told that silicone muffin cups are great for holding food in the lunchboxes. They're bright, cute, but also great to make barriers between foods. And of course they can also be used for their intended purpose - muffins and cupcakes. So I ordered a pack of 6 off of Amazon, to start, to see how I liked them. I used a giftcard that I had earned through Swagbucks to purchase them.



I also read that having dip containers are really handy. I found (again on Amazon) a Tupperware set. They should hold dips and sauces (like ketchup, mayo, ranch, etc) fairly well.



Not wanting to spend a fortune on accessories online, even if they were beyond adorable, I decided to see what was local to me. I started at Target. I didn't find much at all, but did find a nice storage container for all the Bento bits and pieces.

Then I went to 50-50 Factory Outlet in Fond du Lac. I thought since they carried party supplies they might have what I was looking for. Boy, was I right!

Clockwise from top left, there are flag picks (picks are for holding together rolls or just for decor), bunny picks, assorted fish theme picks, silicone muffin cups, and stir sticks (used to make kebobs, like fruit kebobs). This is the top layer of my handy organizer from Target.

Here's a closeup of the plastic picks I got (I prefer the plastic since they can be washed and reused):

Next layer:

This layer contains cocktail forks (just cute to give kids to use to eat chunks of cheese, fruit, etc), Halloween plastic cookie cutters (can be used to cut sandwiches possibly, or to hold food in lunchbox - they were so cheap I had to grab them), and the tiny Tupperware containers I mentioned earlier.

The final layer:

On the top I have picks topped with stars (they kind of look like magic wands). Next to them are another type of food pick sort of thing, kind of like the cocktail forks. The baskets - I'm kind of iffy on. I grabbed them because I got them all for 75 cents, but I just don't know if I want to put food in them. I've included them for now, but just may end up throwing them into the craft bin. ;) I'm thinking I could use them for Easter by putting a bit of grass in them with a candy in wrapper as a treat after lunch. I don't really want food to come in contact with them since I don't know if they're food-safe and they're made in China.

Here's a closeup of the iridescent picks. I thought they were pretty cool.

So, that's my stash so far! I can't wait to try it out. I'm already coming up with ideas of other possible places to check for supplies (party supply stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and dollar stores just to name a few!); but I figure I should actually try it out with the new lunchboxes before I get too much more invested. I do want to buy a Lunch Punch set soon though. I think I'll use that either way.