I'm all about treating the kids to a silly, unexpectedly festive lunch full of St. Patrick's Day spirit, but to be totally honest, I'm just really ready for Spring Break to get here. Mama doesn't have it in her to go full-out bento this year. That's why I love these 5 simple St. Patrick's Day bento box ideas for school lunch. They're totally do-able, but still totally fun.
There's the luck of the Irish for you.
Top: Easy St. Patrick's Day Bento | CBC Parents
Related: The ultimate last minute St. Patrick's Day recipe guide with over 50 ideas for all day!
Decorate with shamrocks
Shamrock Bento Box | Creative Food
I love this simple Shamrock Bento Box that we found at Creative Food a while back while looking for other adorable St. Patrick's Day lunch ideas. Notice that Michelle doesn't even use a shamrock cookie cutter for the sandwich. And check out her tips for making that fun shamrock yogurt. You've got this one, parents.Fill it with rainbows.
Of course, it wouldn't be St. Paddy's Day without rainbows and pots of gold, and this Rainbow bento box at Jewelmaker21 on Flickr is one that my kids would actually (mostly) eat, because fruit, veggies and rice. If coloring rice is just too involved, though, grab a few colorful bell peppers and use them to create a rainbow like in the Easy St. Patrick's Day Bento at CBC Parents (very top). That, anyone can handle.Related: Copycat Oreo Shamrock Shake recipe for a treat you'll be making way beyond St. Patrick's Day.
Go all green.
You can just skip the rainbow and go all green instead. My kids would love this St. Patrick's Day bento box at Stuffed Suitcase, and I love that there are no crazy knife skills required. If you don't have time to dye an egg green, maybe get those green (spinach) sandwich wraps and create a pinwheel instead?
Use the Irish flag.
I love the idea of arranging green, white, and orange veggies to look like the Irish Flag like in this bento box at Eclectic Lamb. So simple, but still festive enough for the holiday. Maybe add a couple of chocolate coins in one of the compartments to give lunch even more St. Patrick's Day feels.Related: 6 easy St. Patrick's Day crafts you can do with the kids.
Include leprechauns -- not real ones, of course.
Leprechaun Bento Box | Meet the Dubiens
I couldn't resist adding a Leprechaun Bento Box, and this one that we found at Meet the Dubiens for another round up of St. Patrick's Day bento box ideas is pretty straight forward, even for those of us who aren't master bento-boxers. Just, where to get that hat? I think I'll skip it and, though it won't be quite the same, I'm feeling sure that this will make my kids smile.
