most of the meals dont seem subsantital enough to fill me up!

So cute...but so tiny! Are those kids' lunches?

"Pinterest stays sensible." That IS headline-worthy. ;)

ohshellsbells, Haha, I agree with you but they sure do look pretty.

I rely on leftovers for my lunch, but as long as I include a little fun treat, I don't feel deprived. Today I've got leftover Spanish rice and beans, leftover cabbage and lime salad and CHIPS! and a few squares of ginger dark CHOCOLATE!

I find that the ones on Pinterest that are geared towards kids (the cutesy ones) are very wasteful. I don't know why kids have to be constantly entertained just so they will eat. Maybe it is because I don't have kids, but I was never like that...nor were any of my classmates. We didn't need heart or star shaped sandwiches, fruit or vegetables. We just ate (for the most part) what was in our bag or lunch box.

I also have a very hard time believing that the cutesy lunches look the same way at lunch time that they did when they were prepared. The way kids handle their bags I would be willing to bet that most of it look like a hot mess by the time they eat. LOL

Alison6971 - agreed, any of these lunches would be mush by lunchtime in my kid's hands. Also she is 10 now and won't tolerate cutesy lunches (too babyish) nor is she interested in much variety. A thermos of soup, a piece of fruit, crackers, yogurt, Luna bar, juice box. Every single day for five years now. That's what she wants. Having said that, personally I would love a lunch like any of these! Assuming of course I could have twice as much.. those are small portions.

I love these lunch ideas! I pack lunches everyday for my kids, so I will have to pin this so I can keep their lunches yummy, healthy and interesting! - Lauren @MomHomeGuide

People commenting on the portion sizes have obviously never been on Weight Watchers. LOL Those portion sizes look normal to me now. Some of these gave me some good ideas for lunch since I've been getting kind of repetitive lately.

I'm not certain why this subject has seemed to bring out the curmudgeons. It is proven that we "eat with our eyes" first and I don't think it is indulgent or necessarily wasteful to make our and our children's food look good. The whole idea behind the series on lunch boxes, food in jars, etc. is to make taking food from home more accessible and creative, and the container size is a good guide to portion control. I think these lunches look healthy and appetizing.

Those portions all look plenty large to me, but then again, I'm a small person. I also always pack a snack for later in the afternoon. I find that a huge lunch just makes me sleepy afterward, even if it's healthy. But to each their own!

I don't rely on cuteness to get my kid to eat; she likes good food and I pack healthy, well-rounded meals for her. Cute comes from the notes I include.

Alison6971, I'm right there with you. I keep reminding myself that these lunches have been created by the sort of people who photograph their lunches. The rest of us get on without such fanfare.
ThriftatHome, I'm in favor of leftovers too. My spouse brings leftovers for 95% of lunches and actually COMPLAINS when there isn't a leftover-lunch to bring. He also gets compliments from his colleagues about the delicious stuff he's got. The best part? No "lunch-packing" effort necessary.

It's not the size per se for me but rather the fact that some of these llunches are composed of 90% fruit and veg. I'd be starving less than an hour after eating one of those. I need protein and a little whole grain to keep me going 'til dinner. 2.5 cups of veg don't cut it.

Thank you so much for the nice mention of my lunch! I can see this post has certainly inspired an interesting conversation around portion sizes. My lunch contains 7 meatballs served on white rice, popcorn chips, carrots, blood oranges slices and green grapes. This lunch was packed for myself so I know that it was indeed filling enough for me. The meatballs were leftovers actually and I packed them right into lunch containers after dinner (dinner had a veggie too but we ate it all lol). The meatballs are in a silicone container that I can remove to microwave at my office. For my husband I increased the amount of meatballs and chips because obviously he will eat more. I have 4 children and work full time but this is a system of packing lunch that works for me. I would not argue if you have a different system that works for you! I just hope to inspire people to try packing lunch by sharing photographs of my lunches and also motivate myself to stay on the healthy lunch train! :)

These lunches all look tasty and sensibly portioned to me. And I am an adult.

Oh, people. It's so cute that you think anyone's impressed by how your kid eats.

I find it really odd that people are commenting on the "type of people that photograph their lunches" because if no one photographed their food, then there'd hardly be any content in this site... nothing for you to read.

Zing!

P.S. love to see what people are eating for lunch!

I pack leftovers or we always have arugula and cooked chicken or egg on hand for a salad. Boring but tasty!

How can leftovers for lunch not be exciting if you made something delicious for dinner the night before? I could eat seconds and thirds of my cilantro yogurt chicken, but I don't because I know it's bad for me in both the short term and long term. So getting to have it for lunch the next day is like getting to have those second helpings, just on a delayed schedule.

Anyway, who makes triangular quiches? or cooks up a cup of that pea and rice dish? I think most of these contain at least one thing that *is* a leftover.

Love these bento-style lunches. The symmetry of the placement adds to the eye appeal as much as the color and texture combinations. Even a small lunch is more satisfying when it's this lovely. :)