Toddlers and meal time, it’s a tumultuous relationship! Some weeks we hit our stride and meal times go like clockwork, and other weeks I have to try just about every trick up my sleeve to get Jane to eat anything at all. One of my very best tricks though, is giving her a few options. I love giving her bento box style lunches with a variety of ingredients to keep her engaged at mealtime. It’s been something that’s worked really well for us at lunchtime, and I even assemble a bento box style dinner for eating outside on the patio or on a summer picnic. Since this has been such a success for us at other meal times, I thought I’d try a breakfast bento box to get us out of a morning rut, using some of my favorite Cascadian Farm organic granolas and cereals.I totally understand why Jane loves a good bento box! The options make things interesting, you get to play with your food by combining different ingredients, and it all looks cute and fun in the organized little compartments. Here’s why parents will love this idea too — it’s easy to prep in advance which makes it a great solution for hectic mornings when everyone’s trying to get fed and out the door. For the breakfast edition of these bento boxes, I used three main elements to put together a variety of pairings. The three elements I use are: 1) Yogurt, 2) Fruits, 3) Cascadian Farm organic granolas and cereals. I love that Cascadian Farm sources their ingredients from certified organic farms throughout the country and world to make their delicious products. You can mix and match these ingredients to your family’s preferences and make combinations like greek yogurt with honey, sliced bananas, and Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch Cereal or mixed berries with vanilla yogurt and Cascadian Farms Oats N Honey Granola.To prep the boxes in advance to make for an easier morning routine, I pre-slice the fruits and portion out the yogurt and then pop the bento containers in the fridge. When we wake up in the morning just pull out the box and add in your favorite Cascadian Farm organic granolas and cereals and breakfast is ready — what’s easier than that? It’s an easy solution to make mornings go a little bit smoother!PS: Catch Cascadian Farm on tour around the Boston area to sample new products — check out their tour schedule and pop by (I’ll be visiting some stops too!)
Please note: This post was created in partnership with Cascadian Farm and The Feedfeed. All opinions, images and content are my own; thank you for supporting brands that support this site!