Minecraft Bento Box Ideas

I am not one of those moms who packs her kid an amazing lunch every day. It’s a struggle, every single day.

I feel like I need to say that, in case you think these super-cool Minecraft bento box creations are the norm around here.

But every now and again, I like to surprise my favorite gamer with a special lunch or after-school treat.

Today’s post is in partnership with Gameband, the wearable tech that is a must-have for every Minecraft player. (More on Gameband later.) Twice a month, I share new Minecraft crafts, recipes, DIYs and party ideas. You can find them all here.

Be sure to come back in three weeks when I’ll be sharing a yummy Minecraft party punch recipe, plus showing you how to make a creeper punch bowl!

Some parents create elaborate bento box lunches for their kids every day. They’re truly sandwich artists, but I’m just an amateur. If I can make Steve out of sandwich meats and cheese, then so can you!

Trust me, the time you invest in the kitchen making these meals is worth it when your kid tells you you’re the coolest mom ever and puts in a request for another lunchbox surprise!

And I’m convinced that kids — even picky ones like my son — are more likely to eat foods when they look cool. It’s all about the presentation!

If I just send a cheese stick to school in Jackson’s lunchbox, it comes home every day.

Every. Single. Day.

But cut it into pixel-style cubes, and he eats every bite and asks for more.

Let’s break down these bento boxes, OK?

The Steve face, above, is made from a flour tortilla, trimmed to a square. It’s topped with a slice of thin deli ham; salami for the hair, nose and mouth; and white cheddar cheese and raisins for the eyes. Pretzel sticks double as TNT and green grapes are slime balls. The blocks are made from cheese sticks, cut into squares. And for dessert, a brownie topped with green icing for grass.

Finally, I printed out some pixels onto a plain sheet of paper and wrapped it around a milk box.

This particular bento box makes a great after-school snack. When kids come home from school, they need fuel, but nothing that is going to ruin their dinner.

I made this fun bento box by layering white cheddar and American cheeses, deli ham and salami on square Saltine crackers to create a sheep, a custom Jackson Minecraft skin, a pig and Steve.

I recommend using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the tiny squares of food. Raisin bits or fruit leather work great as eyes. Cucumbers cut into cubes continue the Minecraft theme. Wrap a juice box or a milk box in pixelated paper and it’s snack time!

Once your kid is fueled up, he can move on to homework, and then fun and free time, which ought to be essential parts of every kids’ day.

For my kid, the fun and free time are the best parts of the day. It’s a great day when he gets to hang out with his friends, spend time outside playing Four Square, build with Legos and play on the computer using Gameband.

Gameband is a wearable USB-style bracelet that lets you take your Minecraft worlds with you and play anytime, anywhere on any computer. It also includes a cool app, called PixelFurnace, that kids can use to create custom LED animations for their bracelets. (Jackson and I demoed the PixelFurnace app last month; check out our how-to video for more on how it works.)

You’ll definitely earn cool mom or dad points with your kid if you buy them one of these!

One of the things I like about Gameband is that it’s plug-and-play; there’s no complicated installation or setup required each time Jackson connects. There’s no loading of discs or waiting for an hourglass to stop spinning or waiting for a system to initialize or searching the couch cushions to find a controller… We’ve all been there, right? You’re pulling your hair out and the kid is asking when he can play.

With Gameband, kids can jump on the computer for 15 or 20 minutes to build in Minecraft or use their creativity to make animations using the PixelFurnace app.

Then, when screen time is up, they can move on to homework, reading, chores or playing.

If you’re looking for more ways to tally up cool parent points, you may want to check out these other video game inspired bento box ideas on Pinterest.

Follow Amy Buchanan | AttaGirlSays.com’s board Video Game Bento Boxes on Pinterest.

And check out our Minecraft party for other snack and bento box ideas.

Don’t miss out on any Minecraft posts at AttaGirlSays. Twice a month, in partnership with Gameband, I share Minecraft party ideas, kid-friendly craft projects, Minecraft party games, recipes, Minecraft printables, chore charts, giveaways and more. You can find all my Minecraft posts here.

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