Brainy Bento!
You’ve seen it. The perfectly julienned carrots, animal-shaped sandwiches, and delicate pinwheels. Aesthetically pleasing, bento lunches are all the rage with pinterest parents – expressing their love with creativity and attention to detail.
Bento boxes don’t have to be tedious and time consuming, they can also be a quick and convenient option for work or lunch on the go! Bentos make it easy to nourish your body between meetings, in the car, or on a picnic outing/field trip. It’s easy to quickly include all the food groups and make sure you have energy to tackle the day. So the first step is to find your bento box. You can spend as much or as little as you want when bento box shopping. Make your own out of a series of baggies or splurge on a sturdy box that will last you years. Below are our recs based off of your budget and needs:
Best Baggie Bento:
Pros: Reusable, affordable, space-saving
Cons: Not temperature controlled, may not last as long as traditional box
Best Bento for Kids
Omie Box Bento for Kids $44.95
Pros: Keeps hot items hot and cold items cold, easy to clean
Cons: On the pricier side
Best Splurge
Monbento Original Set $80.00
Pros: Compact, easy to cary, easy to clean, customizable
Cons: Several pieces, expensive
Now that you’ve got your bento, you want to decide on what you want in your box. As a dietitian, I always think about two things: food groups and flexible ingredients. See some general ideas for ingredients below. You want to pick ingredients that can be used in different ways throughout the week. This saves you space in the fridge and also helps to manage your grocery budget.
-
-Deli meat
-Chickpeas
-Nut/Seed butter
-
-Crackers
-Bread
-Pasta
-Rice
-
-Seasonal ingredients
-Raw or cookedf
-
-Dips
-Nut/Seed butter
-Butter/margarine
-Oil
-
-Dips
-Cheese
-Fortified milk (dairy or non-dairyF)f
-Leafy Greens
*Check out CO-OP Wellness meal plans that let us do the planning for you. Meal plans come with a measurement “cheat sheet”, grocery list, and estimated cost of ingredients. We work with your food preferences, dietary needs, and budget to make your week as easy as possible.
