Tips & Recipes for Making Bento Box Lunches

It’s back to school time and I’ve got the perfect solution to your packed lunch woes. Toss out the idea of a boring peanut butter and jelly and let me show you how easy it is to send your little ones off with a healthy and creative lunch.

One of my most requested kid-friendly lunch ideas is the bento box. This is a cool and simple way of creatively packing up a well-balanced meal that has already been portioned out for use. Some of my combos include veggie sushi, banana and almond butter rolls, cut up apples with air-popped popcorn, egg salad with pita chips, plain yogurt with frozen raspberries, and cheese triangles with red grapes. I usually place about 3 to 4 items in each bento box but I’m always sure there is a balance of fruits, proteins, veggies, and fiber to keep the kids alert and full throughout the day.

Here are a few recipes that I have created that can be easily portioned out in a container. Make this lunch complete by serving it with a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts (if no allergies are present), and a bottle of water.

One Ingredient Mango Fruit Roll-Ups

Ingredients:
4 cups frozen mango, thawed

Directions: Puree the mango in a Kenmore food processor until smooth. Pour out onto a sheet tray lined with a silicone mat. Spread out into a thin layer and bake at *175 for 2 hours or until dehydrated. Let cool and flip onto wax paper. Roll and cut with the wax paper on it so your kids can pull it off as they eat it.