Packed Bento Box Examples
Here are some examples of packed bento boxes. Use them as a starting point to create your own bentos!
Last time, I mentioned how I thought the Fit & Fresh™ Breakfast Chiller, which is decidedly not a bento box in the traditional sense, could serve as a bento box. I put this into practice with some leftovers. It doesn't look that photogenic so I'm putting it in the also-ran category of bentos, but it's here since I thought it might be useful to see how to use a container like this.
Bento contents:
- 3/4 cup (1 cup = 220ml) brown rice, 170 cal
- 4 Tbs. Vegan dry curry made with soybeans, 200 cal
- Cucumber and cherry tomato salad with yogurt sauce, 40 cal
- Broccoli, 10 cal
Total calories (approx): 420 (how calories are calculated)
Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning
Type: Japanese-yohshoku, vegan (soybeans or tempeh)
Whenever I post a complete bento how-to I try to pick ones that have something unique or noteworthy about them. Of course I actually make a lot more bentos than I post about. Here are few that didn't make the cut - the 'also-ran' bentos, with an explanation of why they didn't make it to star status.
Bento contents:
- 1 cup vegan potato salad with extra tofu 'mayonnaise', 220 cal
- Mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes, 30 cal
- 1 medium apple, 60 cal
Total calories (approx): 310 (how calories are calculated)
Time needed: 5 minutes in the morning
Type: Salad, vegan, gluten-free
(click on image for a bigger view)
Bento contents:
- 1 cup cooked sprouted brown rice (220cal)
- 1/2 Tbs. homemade _gomashio_ (sesame salt) (45cal)
- About 1 cup total of stewed hijiki with carrots and fried tofu (130cal)
- 1 umeboshi (5 cal)
Total calories (approx): 400 (how calories are calculated)
Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning, a bit of this and that previously
Type: Japanese, vegan, gluten-free
Bento contents:
- 1 small piece of shiozake or salted salmon (about 150 cal)
- 1 cup brown rice (220 cal)
- A few bibb lettuce leaves (3 cal)
- _Konnyaku no tosani_, salty-sweet konnyaku with bonito flakes (about 30 cal)
- Homemade 'instant' miso soup ball (see how-to) (about 30 cal)
Total calories (approx): 435 (how calories are calculated)
Time needed: 5 to 10 minutes
Type: Japanese