10 Irresistible Healthy Bento Box Lunch Ideas That Make Mealtime Fun!

Bento boxes are a fantastic way to pack nutritious and appealing lunches, especially for kids. These divided lunch containers make it easy to create balanced meals with variety and visual appeal. Whether you're packing for preschool, kindergarten, or even yourself, bento boxes can transform lunchtime from a chore into a fun and creative activity.

What is a Bento Box?

A traditional Japanese bento box typically includes rice, a protein source like chicken, fish, or egg, and cooked or pickled vegetables. However, the modern bento box has evolved to encompass a wide range of culinary possibilities. The key is to utilize the divided compartments to offer a diverse selection of foods from different food groups.

Benefits of Using Bento Boxes

Balanced Meals: The compartments encourage you to think about including a protein, vegetable, fruit, and a healthy carbohydrate in each meal.
Portion Control: The defined spaces help with portioning, preventing overeating and promoting mindful consumption.
Variety and Appeal: Bento boxes allow you to pack a variety of foods, keeping things interesting and preventing boredom with repetitive lunches.
Organization: Separate compartments prevent foods from mixing and becoming soggy, ensuring each item stays fresh and appealing.
Waste Reduction: By packing only what you need, bento boxes can help reduce food waste.
Fun and Creativity: Packing a bento box can be a fun and creative outlet, especially when using shaped cutters and colorful ingredients.

Essential Bento Box Supplies

Bento Box: Choose a durable bento box with multiple compartments and a secure lid. Brands like Bentgo offer well-insulated and easy-to-open options, specifically designed for kids.
Small Thermos: A small thermos, like a Kids Thermos Funtainer, is perfect for packing warm items like soups, pasta, or leftovers.
Dip Containers: Small, leak-proof dip containers with silicone lids are essential for sauces, dips, and condiments.
Crinkle Cutter Knife: A crinkle cutter knife adds visual appeal to veggies, cheese, and other ingredients.
Mini Shape Cutters: Use mini shape cutters to create fun shapes from cheese, fruit, and sandwiches.
Sandwich Cutter & Sealer: A sandwich cutter and sealer can be used to create fun, crustless sandwiches.
Freezable Snack Pouch: A freezable snack pouch helps keep snacks like applesauce, fruit, and cheese chilled.
Heart Shaped Sticky Notes: Adding a small, heart-shaped sticky note with a message can brighten your child's day.

Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Kids

Here are some bento box lunch ideas to inspire you:

Sandwich-Based Bentos

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich: A classic choice made with whole-grain bread, paired with carrot sticks, apple slices, and a small treat. Cut the sandwich into cubes or strips as needed so easy to chew.
Hummus Sandwich: Spread hummus on whole-grain bread and pack with diced mango, shredded carrots, and an energy bite or a cookie. Cut the sandwich into cubes or strips as needed so easy to chew.
Jam Sandwich: If your child is tired of peanut butter and jelly, try a jam sandwich with fruit and yogurt. Cut the sandwich into cubes or strips as needed so easy to chew.

Muffin-Based Bentos

Blueberry Muffin Lunch: Pack a homemade or store-bought blueberry muffin with baby carrots and an applesauce pouch. Pack a spoon with the applesauce or use an applesauce pouch.
Spinach Muffin Lunch: Sneak in some greens with iron-rich spinach muffins, paired with cantaloupe and cucumbers.
Veggie or Pizza Muffin Lunch: Use a bento box with an insulated compartment (like the Omiebox) and pack warm, savory Veggie Muffins or Pizza Muffins for lunch. Muffin lunches are so darn easy since you can make them ahead and simply throw them into a bento lunch box right before leaving in the morning. Shred or thinly slice the carrots for younger eaters. These are slightly sweet from the banana and store really well in the fridge or freezer.

Protein-Packed Bentos

Egg Muffin Lunch: Warm the egg muffins and pack in a bento with a thermos or pack to eat at room temp or cold. Making a batch of Spinach Egg Muffins ahead and packing them in lunches through the week (including your own!) is an easy way to get ahead. It’s also a great way to pack vegetarian protein and iron in a kid-friendly form. Pair with cantaloupe, cucumbers, and cereal.
Hard-Cooked Egg Lunch: Pair a hard-cooked egg with a mini bagel, sliced cheese, and berries for a simple breakfast-for-lunch idea that kids of any age can enjoy.
Falafel Lunch: Pick up some pre-made falafel at the store (in the prepared foods aisle or frozen) and add a side of cucumber sauce for a fun lunch option. Easy sides like pretzel sticks, blueberries, stored fresh apple slices, and snap peas round it out.
Rotisserie Chicken Salad Lunch: pack in a bento with an ice box. Rely on a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or just a prepared breast or thigh) to make quick work of lunch.
Hummus and Crackers Lunch: If you have a kiddo who loves to dip, consider homemade hummus and crackers. (You might need to try a few different brands to find one that the kids like best). Pair with crackers, cheddar cheese, and watermelon.

Snack-Style Bentos

Cheese and Crackers: Keep things simple with cheese (such as mozzarella cheese or cheddar) and crackers, plus simple fruit and veggie sides like bell pepper, clementine, sliced cucumber slices, and/or peas. Quick and fun for the kids!
Snack Assortment: Any assortment of snacks can become a healthy lunch if you mix nutrients from each food group. Pretzels, yogurt, strawberries, and snap peas; crackers, cereal for kids, smoothies, applesauce pouches, pepperoni, tomatoes, other easy raw vegetables, cherries…you see how to do it!
Bean Dip and Crackers Lunch: Combine compartment of black or pinto beans, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado with a little lime juice, and corn. Freeze the yogurt tube as an extra ice pack and it will thaw by lunch time.

Themed Bento Boxes

Breakfast for Lunch: Include mini pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and fruit.
Rainbow Bento: Pack a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, orange slices, yellow bell peppers, green grapes, blueberries, and purple carrots.
Mediterranean Bento: Include hummus, pita bread, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese.
Mexican Bento: Combine cooked rice, quinoa, or pasta along with black beans, corn, tomatoes, chopped romaine lettuce, and salsa. You can also add cubed or sliced avocado or guacamole.

Tips for Packing Bento Boxes

Plan Ahead: Decide on the "mains" at the beginning of the week to save time and money.
Prep in Advance: Chop vegetables, cook grains, and prepare proteins ahead of time to streamline the packing process.
Use Leftovers: Repurpose dinner leftovers into creative bento box lunches.
Involve Your Child: Let your child help choose and pack their lunch to encourage them to eat it.
Keep it Cool: Pack the bento box in an insulated lunch bag with at least two ice packs to keep the food safe until lunchtime. Freeze the yogurt tube as an extra ice pack and it will thaw by lunch time.
Cut Food into Fun Shapes: Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches, cheese, and fruits more appealing.
Add a Note: A small note or drawing can brighten your child's day and make them feel loved.

Creative Bento Box Ideas

Banana Roll-Ups: Spread nut or seed butter onto a tortilla, add banana, roll it up, and slice! For an extra nutritional boost, try adding grated carrots and zucchini.
Rice Balls: Rice balls are portable, easy to pack, and can be enjoyed without utensils.
Broccoli Bites: These broccoli bites are easy to make, nutritious, and a great source of protein. They also freeze well, so I recommend making a batch in advance.
Mini Pancakes: These mini pancakes are adorable and delicious! You can pack them plain or with a side of maple syrup or jam. I like to freeze a batch and simply thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Chickpea Patties with Quinoa: Feel free to add any homemade or store-bought protein-packed patties.
Broccoli Sprinkles: Simply shave off the ends of the broccoli (can be raw or cooked) tops with a knife. And just like that you have broccoli sprinkles!
Savory Muffins: These savory muffins are an easy and delicious way to get extra veggies into your child’s diet! Homemade muffins are a fantastic way to pack a lot of nutrition into a fun and easy-to-eat form for kids.
Chicken Nuggets with Veggies: They’re easy to prepare and delicious, especially when served with your child’s favorite dip.
Roasted Vegetables: Roast a large batch of broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and potatoes with cumin, paprika, and garlic powder to enjoy throughout the week. Add leftovers to lunch box (delicious cold so no need to reheat) along with black beans, avocado, cheese, and sliced bread or tortilla.
Pasta with Homemade Sauces: Add cooked pasta (vary the shape for fun and variety) along with cheese, protein, and vegetables. Here are some EASY homemade sauces and dips to help bring everything together. You can certainly use store-bought for convenience for days when you just can’t!
Meatballs: The next time you make meatballs, double the recipe and freeze for a quick, hearty lunch. Or you can add straight from the refrigerator to enjoy cold (thaw in the fridge overnight if frozen). Pair with some type of carbohydrate, like pasta, and fruits/veggies.
Spinach Muffins: These spinach muffins are super fluffy, moist in texture, and packed with nutrition.
Hummus with Crackers, Pretzels, or Bread: You can’t go wrong with this combination!
Mini Pizzas: A super fun and delicious way to encourage even the pickiest eater to eat their vegetables. You can add these mini pizzas straight from the freezer into the lunch box the night before or microwave for 30 seconds or so in the morning if you forget. Again, if your child has never had cold pizza before then try it at home first. Pair with some simple fruit and veggie sides.
Scrambled Egg Sandwich: Slice in half or bite-sized pieces for toddlers.

Making it Your Own

The bento box is a canvas for culinary creativity. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations of foods and flavors to find what your child enjoys. Consider their preferences, dietary needs, and any allergies when planning your bento box lunches. Remember, the goal is to create a healthy, balanced, and appealing meal that your child will look forward to eating.

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