3 Easy Meals For Bento Lunch Boxes

With a Bento lunch boxes, packing a healthy lunch that stays fresh and clean all morning has never been easier. Whether you are packing a lunch for yourself or for your kids, a Bento lunch box saves you time, saves you money, and keeps you on track for a healthier lifestyle.

What Are Bento Lunch Boxes?

The word “bento” is derived from a Chinese word that means convenient. And a bento box is certainly convenient. It is a reusable lunch box that typically holds a meal consisting of a main dish along with some side items that fit within beautifully designed, fitted compartments.
Due to the smart designs and convenience of bento lunch boxes, they have become very popular in the United States. You can pack a variety of foods into a small space. A true bento box meal includes four types of foods: carbs, protein, vegetables and fruits. Carbs are usually the greatest proportion, and fruits and vegetables being the least. If you are into the bento box tradition, your bento box meal should include at least one dish in the following colors: red or orange, yellow, green, white and black.

Benefits Of A Bento Lunch Box

Once you use a bento lunch box, you will appreciate all of the benefits it offers over traditional lunch boxes or the brown bag. First, the compartments in a bento box are specially designed to keep the food completely separate. You can toss some crispy chips in one compartment, nestle some juicy fruit slices in another compartment, and fill another compartment with noodles, dipping yogurt, or applesauce. Nothing will get soggy or mushy. When you finish, the bento box compartments are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

With the compartments, you never have to use single-use plastic and paper products that end up in the landfill. The compartments are BPA-free and completely safe.
The bento box compartments help you stick to your sensible diet. Each compartment holds a single serving of food. The compartments make it so easy to limit the amount of food you can pack into your bento box.
The bento box not only liberates you from having to bag or wrap your food choices, but its durable sides also protect your food from being squashed.

Bento boxes come in all sorts of colors and designs that will elevate the entire experience. You can please your own sense of style by finding a bento box in your favorite color or special design. For your children, bento boxes are available with kid-friendly animal designs, sports themes, and popular fictional characters.

Three Easy Meal Recipes For Bento Lunch Boxes

Below are some easy, healthy lunch box meals you can pack in your bento box the night before and have fresh and ready to eat the next day.

Clean-Eating Bento (380 calories) (stay on a healthy diet with this clean and light lunch)

• ½ cup snap peas
• ¼ cup blueberries
• ½ medium apple, sliced
• 1 ounce Cheddar cheese, sliced
• 2 tablespoons hummus
• 8 seeded whole-grain crackers, such as Mary’s Gone Crackers

Directions:
Pack snap peas, blueberries, apple, cheese, hummus and crackers in a divided bento-style lunch box. Seal the lids to each container and refrigerate until morning.

Mediterranean Bento (497 calories) (enjoy a healthy fresh Greek salad and protein lunch)

• ¼ cup chickpeas, rinsed
• ¼ cup diced cucumber
• ¼ cup diced tomato
• 1 tablespoon diced olives
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
• 3 ounces grilled turkey breast tenderloin or chicken breast
• 1 cup grapes
• 1 whole-wheat pita bread, quartered
• 2 tablespoons hummus

Directions:
Toss chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta, parsley, oil and vinegar together in a medium bowl. Pack in a medium-sized container.
Place turkey (or chicken) in a medium container.
Pack grapes and pita in small containers and hummus in a dip-size container.
Refrigerate overnight.

Rainbow Bento (405 calories) (your kids will love the colorful food in this bento box recipe)

• 2 ounces sliced low-sodium deli ham
• 1 part-skim mozzarella string cheese (1 ounce)
• ½ cup reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon blueberry jam
• ¼ cup raspberries
• ¼ cup sliced strawberries
• ¼ cup blueberries
• ½ cup rainbow carrot matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons guacamole

Directions:
Roll ham around the cheese. Cut crosswise into 4 to 6 pinwheels. Pack in a medium container.
Swirl yogurt and jam in a medium container.
Toss berries together in a medium container.
Pack carrots in a medium container and the guacamole in a dip-size container.
Refrigerate overnight.

Reach Out To The Bento Lunch Box Experts at Kangovou About Bento Lunch Boxes

Kangovou products are made of high-quality food-grade materials, free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead and melamine, and ethically manufactured and reasonably priced. Contact the experts at Kangovou for more information about their bento boxes and help to choose the perfect lunch box for you and your family.