According to the CDC, kids today aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables in their diet. This isn’t really surprising, is it?But as a parent, you have the ability to send your kid to school (or work) with a delicious lunch that incorporates healthy food and a good dose of funky fabulous fun as well. Even working parents who are strapped for time can pull together an interesting meal for their kids to enjoy by creating a bento-style meal.

So just what is a bento? It’s a Japanese way of preparing a meal that incorporates a balance of a variety of foods. In its Americanized form, it usually involves a container with several smaller sections within (either part of the container or created with accessories) that are filled with small (or not-so-small) portions of food. A bento can be decorative and cute or it can simply include a variety of foods in their natural state — it’s up to what you and your family want and what you have time for.

Pam Galenkamp, an Oakhurst-based mom who chronicles her son’s bento lunches in the blog Cooking for Monkeys (www.cookingformonkeys.com) and who runs the online store of the same name, started making bentos for her son following a trip with family during which he ate a great deal of “junk” food while expressing a “disdain for anything green.” She found that by making her lunches cute and fun, her son was more open to eating vegetables or new foods.

“He’s sometimes more willing to try a cucumber or a carrot if it’s part of an airplane propeller or if there’s something else he likes as well,” Galenkamp says. “I started with the idea that I wanted to include vegetables and some sort of fruit every day.”

She found the bento-style lunch appealing because it offered an easy way to include small portions of things that wouldn’t be intimidating to a wary child. She also was determined to cut back on processed food, explaining, “It’s turned into a way to serve these real foods in ways that [are] pleasing and I felt like even if there’s something he might not be excited about eating, he might be willing to try it.”

To get started, you first need to pick a box in which to pack your child’s bento. If you want a traditional Japanese-style bento box, you can check local Asian markets like Super H-Mart or the Buford Highway Farmers Market, or you can surf the Web for vendors that import Japanese goods like J-Box (www.jbox.com). And of course there’s always eBay — type “bento” into the search box and you might feel a bit overwhelmed at all of the colors, designs and characters from which you can choose.

On the other hand, you may want to investigate some of the many vendors who are creating Americanized bento boxes in fun, colorful colors and safe lead-free BPA-free plastics or metals.

Laptop Lunchboxes come with a large outer container and several colorful smaller inner containers that you can mix and match to create the combination you want to use for the day. You can buy Laptop Lunchboxes online at www.laptoplunches.com (use the coupon code “tiarasaves” for 10 percent off your purchase) or at several local stores, from Rainbow Grocery in Decatur to most Whole Foods Markets in and around Atlanta.

The Goodbyn is a molded plastic box in the shape of an otherworldly creature that comes with stickers to decorate the outside and several divided sections on the outside. Goodbyns are available online at www.goodbyn.com or at Heliotrope in Decatur.

Kids Konserve containers, which are stainless steel (for those who have concerns about plastic or simply prefer the durability of metal) come in a range of shapes and sizes — and some even stack together for easy carrying. They’re available online at www.kidskonserve.com.

And if you’re searching for a money-saving option? Galenkamp suggests going to a store like Target — there are many types of plasticware that will work just fine for packing a bento lunch without breaking the bank. They may not start out quite as cute, but with a little crafty creativity, they can be dressed up. Look for the “Fit N Fresh” line, which comes with built-in ice packs.

Now that you have your box (or boxes), you can also shop for accessories. Again, you can check online stores for cute little Japanese accessories — everything from soy sauce containers with faces to toothpicks with animal shapes. But again you can also use easy-to-find items like cookie cutters, which can shape sandwiches and vegetables, and silicone cupcake cups, which can divide your larger box and keep smaller items from rolling around. Galenkamp suggests checking out a craft store like Michael’s for accessories as well.

Now you just have to decide what to pack for lunch. To save time, plan ahead and freeze small batches of interesting items to pack. Pam says she spends about 10 minutes per lunch on an average day, with more time spent only if it’s something unusual or special. “If you think ahead,” she says, “[a bento lunch] doesn’t take a long time to prepare.” She also suggests keeping your pantry stocked with healthy (and fun) food so that you’re not staring down the individual-sized chips and cookies every morning instead.

For ideas about what to pack in your child’s lunch, check out inspirational cookbooks like the recently released Vegan Lunchbox Around the World by bento blogger Jennifer McCann (www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com), or The Manga Cookbook, which is full of manga-style art and recipes for vegetarians and omnivores alike. There are also many active bento blogs, such as www.lunchinabox.net, www.bentotv.com (a video blog), and the aforementioned Cooking for Monkeys, that feature tips and tricks.

And you don’t have to get fancy or complicated with a bento lunch right away. Try substituting sunflower seed butter for peanut butter. Add fresh grapes in a side dish. Instead of potato chips, roast small red potatoes in the oven the night before and give your kid a fun reusable fork to eat them. Cut vegetables into fun shapes and include a light salad dressing as “dip.”

Then you can move on, if you want, to including rabbit-shaped apple slices or even complete scenes made out of food like the ones Galenkamp creates for her son. She also occasionally replaces the basic bread in a sandwich with a healthier, yet still delicious and appealing, option such as homemade zucchini bread made with flax seed, oats and a touch of cocoa (find the recipe on her blog).

Above all, keep your kids involved in the packing of their lunches. Make it fun and exciting. Bring them to the grocery store and let them choose new vegetables and fruits to include in the box. Talk about food and nutrition. Talk about shapes and colors. And hopefully you’ll be able to establish a pattern of good eating that will follow your kid into adulthood.