Bento Boxes Made Easy

Nearly every resource I have found on Bento Boxes has a set of rules, and not one of them match up 100% with what the others say. Apparently, there are hard-and-fast rules that are higher priorities, but there are a few that are more flexible in nature according to your dietary desires/needs/etc. The rules listed below are examples of the more concrete rules that were located on nearly every list available.

• Bento boxes should be designed to be healthy and well-balanced among the food groups with no junk-food in them (although proportions of each food group is debatable).
  
• Bento boxes should be colorful and appetizing.
  
• Food safety is a high priority in packing a Bento box. Consideration of moisture levels, optimum temperatures, etc. is highly important to preserving the taste and safety of the food the Bento box contains.
  
• Bento's are designed to save money without costing an excessive amount of time. This requires a planning and prepping lifestyle.
  
• There are no steadfast rules about what can go IN the box, make sure it's tasty to the one who will be eating it, somewhat healthy, and preferably fresh and colorful.
  
  In conclusion, Bento Boxes are an art form. You can be as creative as you'd like, but the ultimate goal is increasing appetites for healthy foods. And as more Americans are finding themselves overweight, it's an art form we could all afford to learn.

Picture courtesy of Sakurako Kitsa, Flickr

Deciding on Your Formula
A Bento box is traditionally made of 3 parts carbohydrates, 1 part protein and two parts fruit/vegetable. The carbohydrates are expected to be, of course, good carbs like brown rice or whole wheat pasta, etc. Some of today's Bento boxers prefer different ratios, some cutting out protein to make it a vegetarian meal or cutting down on the carbs to increase vegetable intake, etc. Which ever your preference, the first step to formulating a Bento box is to decide on the ratio you want to include. This can even vary from day to day, but it's a great starting point for the planning process.

Selecting Foods to Fill in the Formula
Now that you have decided how much of what you would like to have, consider each category and the types of foods you like in each category. Make a list of these types of foods in each category. I suggest starting with the protein as it's often the strongest flavor in the Bento box and other pieces of the meal may be used to enhance the meal. Then select your carbs and fruits/vegetables. Don't be afraid to mix them up as long as the general formula is about what you were desiring. For example, rice with vegetable medley is completely appropriate! Also, use a variety of textures and color- a small amount of 4 or more different fruits/veggies is in general more visually appealing than a cup of carrots by themselves.

Consider Moisture
Packing the Bento box is just as important as preparing it, so be careful to use barriers for foods that should not mix. This can be done with edible barriers such as lettuce or re-usable items such as individual silicone muffin cups. When you plan out a Bento box, consider how you will package it to preserve the food and keep it tasting fresh and yummy!

Bento Box Planning Tools
If you want some extra help to plan out your Bento box meal, here is a link to Just Bento's Bento planners:
Weekly Bento Planner
Weekly Meal Planner, with Bento Box Lunches

Gathering Supplies
Of course, the first stop is the grocery store to pick up all those yummy good-for-you foods. But the other stop may need to be to pick up a Bento box, which can be anything from super simple containers like the plastic Gladware ones to a beautiful genuine Japanese Bento Box. This page has several links where you can explore further the boxes available to use. I would suggest starting small and building up because you'll develop your own preferences over time and there's no need to spend a ton of money just yet before you know you'll stick with it! Remember, also to consider things such as food dividers. It is completely okay to use edible food dividers (carrots, grapes, cheeses, etc. make wonderful dividers!), but you can also look into re-usable ones as well. The more you look, the more creative you will become. Long-time bento boxers often have stashes of bento box materials so their boxes can be individualized daily! Hint: you can also find many great items at your local Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and the like.

Consider the Amount
In the Japanese culture, calories contained is equated with the volume of the container. Therefore, the volume of the container should be about how many calories you will consume. Here is a Guide to choosing the right size Bento box. This is especially important if you are trying the Bento lifestyle to lose weight!

Dive into the kitchen
Now that you have everything you need, get to it! Remember that this is an art form so you can make it up as you go or try to follow a recipe (available in cookbooks from Amazon as listed below or on several of the linked websites). Remember that one of the goals is to make it quick, so think about how to multitask during the process and save yourself some headaches later. As you streamline your process, it will take less time and energy to pull everything together.

Share your Results
Okay, I know you can't physically share your bento box with the world, but you can certainly take a picture! Upload it to your Flickr account (if you have one) and submit a link in the Guestbook below. We all want to celebrate new Bento-boxers!

Picture courtesy of guccibear2005, Flickr