Using Bento Boxes for lunches.

First bento lunch! Have been a lurker for a while!

I have just got into the bento habit!

I'm not sure if I should even call them bentos, mind you, as there's nothing very Japanese about them, but there's something about the Japanese approach to packed lunches that's inspiring - the idea that you can pack *anything* in your lunch, not just "portable" food, and that you should arrange it in an appealing way.

So I'm really just making pretty packed lunches that are "outside the box"! Even my box isn't Japanese, it's a lunch cube from Poundland with an integral spork, but it's doing great for me. And I love the phrase "integral spork" quite a lot.

I'll try and upload some photos. I find these lunches brilliant because they're fun to make, they're so appealing that I don't find myself tempted to buy extra snacks, and they let me tweak the ratios. A sandwich lunch is mostly carbs - there's only so much filling you can put in there before it collapses - and while I'm not a low-carber by any definition, it is much easier to eat well and lose weight if you can tweak the carbs down a bit and up the protein and veg - especially veg, I genuinely enjoy it when it's laid out in a compartment, all cut up nicely, rather than being squashed and wilty in a sandwich.

It's much easier to play with ratios when you can include any food you like in any arrangement you fancy. And I can have any kind of carb. I love bread, but you can have too much of a good thing. Potatoes in particular I enjoy in my lunch box.

Hooray for bentos!

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Here's today's lunch, a hearty salad with boiled honey ham, boiled egg, potato salad, little bits of 5 Counties cheese and some peppers and tomatoes. Pudding is a kiwi and a bit of baklava (the biscuits are to share with mini-me on our long journey home).

The spork is not fully integrated as I decided to lay out the salad in the big single compartment, so the spork has to go in the other side to stop it being covered in mayo (it usually clips into the divider on the big side).

I love this lunchbox. They're still selling them if anyone wants one.

This looks amazing! I think you definitely nailed it, and I also love "integral spork".

Ooh, that's pretty and sounds yummy. I think salmon is great for this because it's oily so it doesn't dry out when it cools down , it stays juicy. I got some hot smoked salmon last week and that was lovely in the lunch box. Mackerel would be good, too.

Back on the bento wagon! Today's lunch is leftover sesame chicken from last night's dinner, jasmine rice, tri-color carrots and some kind of mochi thing (packaging is in Japanese ) Calories are kinda unknown as I did not make the sesame chicken. My guess is around 560 cals.

Veggies and dip, nectarine, Turkey, roast beef, cheese, and some crackers.

I had a bento yesterday, and even got a picture, but I didn't upload it and left my phone at home V.V I'll post it tomorrow.

So, random question, would you guys recommend bento-ing even for us now SAHM's (aka stay at home moms)? I'm really big on planning, especially with meals, since we're on a really tight budget, but I don't know if it would work to do bentos for a week at a time. Would they go bad before we got around to eating them, or do y'all have any tips to prevent that?

raelynnsmama52512 wrote: »

So, random question, would you guys recommend bento-ing even for us now SAHM's (aka stay at home moms)? I'm really big on planning, especially with meals, since we're on a really tight budget, but I don't know if it would work to do bentos for a week at a time. Would they go bad before we got around to eating them, or do y'all have any tips to prevent that?

Depends on what's in them. Today's lunch for example was frozen this morning, but I put it my box frozen and by lunch it was thawed. I wouldn't keep shrimp hanging out in the fridge for multiple days. But I also make one out of chicken, rice & black beans that would easily hold for a week (I've done it!). Most of your veggies if raw should make it a week, but cooked ones won't. I'd recommend grabbing some tupperware/gladware and giving it a go. It's what I started with since I originally felt the need to microwave my food.

There's no reason a SAHM shouldn't get to have a pretty, organized lunch too. The kiddos would probably enjoy it as well.

brrrrito wrote: »

Is a PlanetBox considered Bento? I love mine!! I always post my lunches to my instagram - Brrrrito

Absolutely! Bento is simply a home packed lunch. @mangrothian can explain it better than I can. Awesome cats on your IG btw.

My bento from the other day, finally! Leftover Chinese (shrimp, rice, veggies) and a salad. No bentos yesterday or today.

Sunmaid - Raisins Mini Box, 1 mini box 45
Sunny Meadow - Jumbo Egg, 1 egg 90
Tomatoes - Cherry Tomatoes - Heritage, 12 tomatoes 36
Chop't - Chicken, 92 g 150
Prunes - Prunes, 0.25 cup or 5 pieces 100
Cranberries - Dried, sweetened, 1 tbsp(s) 23
total 444

brrrrito
what are those round cracker things and how many calories?

thanks

Natural peanut butter Great Value - Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp 95
Nature's Best - Apricots, Dried, 6 pieces 100
Naturipe - Strawberries, 65 gram 15
sun maid raisins - Mini Raisins, 1 box 45
Kraft - Macaroni & Cheese Deluxe, 0.5 cup 155 2
Nature's Own - Bread - 100% Whole Wheat, 2 Slice (26g/0.9oz) 120
Tomatoes - Cherry Tomatoes - Heritage, 9 tomatoes 27
total 557

i've been inspired by this thread to do some bento-ing I want to get this one: https://en.bentoandco.com/collections/bento-boxes-newest-oldest/products/kotoritachi-bento?variant=1166800441

will it hold enough food? my lunches typically stay around 500 calories. if anyone has the same type of box, could you post pics with food in them? thanks!