April 11, 2015
Matthew Mead/AP
A Japanese bento box and Indian Tiffin shown here offer a multinational version of the traditional brown bag lunch.
Tired of making the same boring sandwich for lunch everyday? Or maybe you want to try some healthier lunchtime options.
Try making a homemade bento box.
Bento boxes are common in Japanese cuisine. A bento meal is a compact, balanced, visually appealing meal packed in a box that allows you to control your portions. In other words, it's an adult version of Lunchables. Who wouldn't like that?
They are often elaborately arranged in a style called "kyaraben" ("character bento"), in which the meal is decorated to look like popular characters from Japanese culture.
This bento box talk got me awfully hungry 😓 look at these rice pandas tho how could u possible destroy it pic.twitter.com/e8Ne7DkSFU
— Humaira (@Hotstepper__) March 27, 2015
I found a photo of my Fail Brothers Trio Bento Box!! (´,,•ω•,,)♡🍱 pic.twitter.com/P83gMNGs66
— Puri (@PuriPuddingChan) April 1, 2015
Not quite so artistic? No problem.
Your bento lunch should contain a protein, fruit and/or vegetables, so there will be plenty of color in your meal. You can add in a homemade treat for dessert.
You can easily buy already divided containers, or create your own makeshift box using a large Tupperware container and tin foil or cupcake liners as dividers.
Packing your bento box throughout the week is easy too, especially if you make large portions over the weekend and divide them up for each day.
Why not try making your lunch more fun, while also keeping it healthy along the way?
