It can be hard to find healthy eat-out options sometimes, and there’s only so many salads or wraps you can eat in a week before getting bored. Why not pack some food from home? DIY bento boxes can save you from many a dreary lunch thanks to how customisable they are, which also makes them a great way of tracking your macros and sticking to your diet plans!

Bento boxes make it so easy for you to achieve a balanced diet because that’s what they were made for. This traditional Japanese dish is all about adding small portions of various food from a variety of food groups – protein, dietary fibre, carbs and even legumes. Don’t know where to start? Here are some tasty yet nutritionally balanced recipes you can try.

Yakisoba bento

Ingredients

• 2 packets of yakisoba noodles
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup yakisoba sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 100g ground pork
• ½ cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 3 green onions, sliced into 2-inch portions
• Salt and black pepper
• Dried seaweed flakes
• Pickled red ginger

Instructions:

1. Fry the ground pork in a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil for about a minute.
2. Add the bean sprouts, shredded carrot and green onions to the skillet and stir-fry for a few seconds.
3. Add the noodles and water in, cover the skillet and let the mixture steam for a minute.
4. Separate the noodles so it doesn’t clump together and season with some salt and pepper.
5. Add the yakisoba sauce and stir-fry for about half a minute or until all the liquid is gone.
6. Transfer the mixture to your lunchbox and garnish with seaweed and pickled ginger.

Cauliflower fried rice bento

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped cauliflower
• ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 large eggs
• 2 green onions sliced thinly
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 150g ground pork
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Heat up the oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook the ground pork until it’s brown.
2. Add the chopped cauliflower and stir-fry for a few minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
3. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for a minute.
4. Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture.
5. Once the eggs are cooked, season with salt, pepper, soy sauce and green onions.
6. After a few more stirs, the rice is ready to go into the lunchbox.

Quinoa salad bento

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried quinoa
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 10 green beans
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoon coarsely chopped pistachios
• 3 tablespoon dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Wash the quinoa thoroughly and boil it in a saucepan with the chicken broth. Leave to simmer over medium heat for ten minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
2. Blanch the green beans for two minutes in a separate pot and slice into half-inch slices.
3. Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper into a small bowl.
4. Assemble all ingredients together in your lunchbox.

Bento boxes may seem troublesome when you look at the wide assortment of ingredients but as you can see, most of them can be cooked together for a simple, fuss-free yet delicious meal. Half an hour is all it takes to put together a wholesome healthy lunch for yourself!

References

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/bento-box-ideas/