After a summer filled with pool parties, Power Rangers play dates and lots of quality family time, it’s always an adjustment for kids to get back in the swing of school. With a new teacher, new curriculum and new classmates, it’s hard to replace the easy breezy days of summer with the structure of a classroom.

Sending your children to school with a healthy homemade lunch can help ease the transition, offering them a little taste of home during the day. With summer produce still in season, it’s a great time to take advantage of all the fresh fruits and vegetables available at the store and local farmers markets to create a rainbow-colored Back-to-School Bento Box that packs in all the nutrients necessary to keep energy levels high for that spelling lesson in the afternoon.

To make things fun, enlist the help of your little Power Ranger to pick out the items that go into the box, making sure to note that Bento Boxes come from Japan – just like the Power Rangers! Take a trip to the store or farmers market together and make a game out of finding red, orange, yellow, green, and blue items for their lunches that week. Kids are always more open to eating new and different foods if they are involved in the process.

To assemble the Bento Box, place six disposable cupcake liners or reusable cupcake molds in a flat container. Fill each cup with the rainbow/Power Rangers-colored items you picked out together, and tuck whole wheat crackers between each cup. For a treat, place chocolate gold coins in the last cup – the “treasure” at the end of the rainbow! 

The contents of the Bento Box are completely customizable, but aim for a mix of both fruits and vegetables; at least one source of protein, which will keep tummies from rumbling later in the day; and one nutritious dip that can be used for dunking crackers and veggies. In this Bento Box, we included strawberries, baby carrots, hummus with yellow bell peppers, shelled edamame, blueberries, and, of course, gold coins. The different combinations are endless, but here are a few suggestions to get you started! (Starred items indicate a protein source.)

Red/Pink

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Apple slices
• Cherry tomatoes
• *Sun-dried tomato hummus
• Red bell peppers
• Dried cranberries
• Red grapes
• Salsa
• Grapefruit
• *Low-salt ham cubes/slices

Orange

• Carrots
• Orange/Tangerine/”Cutie” segments
• Sweet potato cubes (toss w/ olive oil, salt, pepper and roast at 400 degrees until tender)
• Orange bell pepper
• Peach/Nectarine slices
• Apricots/dried apricots
• *Peanut butter
• *Cheddar cheese

Yellow

• *Hummus
• Yellow bell peppers
• Yellow squash
• Mango
• Half a banana (w/ the peel still on)
• *Hard-boiled egg (slice in half so the yellow yolk shows)
• Corn

Green

• *Shelled/unshelled edamame
• *Pistachios
• Kale chips
• Raw broccoli
• Celery sticks
• Cucumber
• Green bell peppers
• Green grapes
• Guacamole
• *Ranch yogurt dip (mix plain yogurt w/ lemon juice and lots of green, fresh herbs or Ranch seasoning)
• *Edamame dip (puree shelled edamame w/ lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper)

Blue/Purple

• Blueberries/dried blueberries (Bonus prize for anyone who can find alternative blue foods!)
• Plum slices
• Figs/dried figs