LUNCH IDEAS | Bento Box

Here we go with round two of bento box meal ideas, today’s theme is lunch now.

You don’t need bento boxes to make these, any lunch containers will do just fine.

These are just ideas, for me, it was enough for both lunches as well as my afternoon snack. But everyone’s so individual when it comes to how much they can eat.

So portion it out in any way that feels right to you. Let’s just dive right in shall we?

All right, here we go with lunch.

Lunch #1

We’re gonna start off by making this hummus and avocado sandwich.

It’s just so easy and so delicious I start off by cutting up some veggies. I choose to use cucumbers cherry tomatoes and some green olives and about half of a very ripe avocado that I then sliced thinly. Then on two pieces of whole-grain toast I spread on this roasted garlic and red pepper hummus that I batch make on weekends.

But you can use any store-bought hummus, I topped this with some fresh chives and basil. But you can use any herbs you have or just skip it if you don’t have any.

Then I added the veggies that I just prepared. And I sprinkled on some freshly cracked black pepper, which I feel goes really well with the avocado and finally some arugula. But you can use any greens you’d like.

On the side I included two chocolate fudge brownie bites, these are so good and ridiculously easy to make. All I do is blend together some nuts and cocoa powder until a fudge-like consistency is formed.

Now on to making this raspberry and almond salad. I just thinly sliced a quarter of red onion and coarsely chopped some roasted almonds. I place some mixed greens into the bento box and added some fresh raspberries as well as the almonds and onions just prepared.

Now to make the dressing I just added equal parts of olive oil and red wine vinegar. But any vinegar like balsamic will do some pepper and a touch a garlic powder and then mixed it to combine.

You really don’t need much dressing at all because the raspberries themselves act like dressing that releases their flavor when bitten into. And so that’s the completion of lunch box number one.

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Lunch #2

For lunch box number two, we begin by making this brown rice and green bean miso salad. I always soak my brown rice overnight first which cuts down the cooking time by half.

When cooking this 1/2 cup of rice, I also crush in half of a vegetable bouillon cube to give it some extra flavor. Then when it comes to a boil, I reduced to a simmer and partially cover with a lid while the rice is cooking.

I make the dressing. Here I added 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar. But you can use any vinegar you’d like two teaspoons of miso paste. You can find this from any Asian supermarket and it adds a real depth of flavor a chunk of fresh ginger.

Some black pepper and half of a freshly squeezed lemon, it works really well with this recipe too and Now blends it on high until it’s completely well combined and set it aside while you prepare the veggies.

For this, I diced 2 medium red bell peppers and chopped about ten long green beans, although any beans will work here and half of the red onion.

After this, the rice should be done cooking add the rice and veggies to a large bowl and drizzle on the dressing and toss it all to combine.

I should mention this entire recipe makes about two servings so enough for two days worth of lunch. Enjoy it warm or cold. It’s super delicious.

For my afternoon snack. I enjoyed this fruit salad and trail mix. I just started off with some fruits I had at home a plum a Kiwi orange and some fresh raspberries that I prepared and made ready to eat. But feel free to use any fruits you have on hand the amount I made here was also enough for two servings, so I’ve included half of what I just prepared in this bento box.

Then on the side, I served it with his homemade trail mix which was just almonds dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. I also included a couple of squares of dairy-free dark chocolate because well chocolate and then I sprinkled on some chia seeds for the healthy Omega fats and extra protein that this offers a super simple and incredibly filling snack. This was actually enough for both my morning and afternoon snacks on this day.

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Lunch #3

Finally lunch box number three, we’ll start by making this Mediterranean roasted veggie and mashed lentil wrap to begin.

I prepare the vegetables to be roasted which are three red bell peppers cored and sliced, two red onions sliced and one zucchini that I cut into cubes.

Then add these vegetables to an oven-safe baking dish lined with baking paper and drizzle on about half a tablespoon of olive oil.

Toss until the vegetables are coated and then add about half a teaspoon of garlic powder, half a teaspoon of onion powder and some black pepper or use any herbs you’d like. They would be delicious either way. Toss it again and then bake it at 350 Fahrenheit or 180 Celsius.

Now while the veggies roast we prepare the lentil mash for this we’ll need one and a half cups of cooked lentils two heaping tablespoons, half of a lemon that’s freshly squeezed and one teaspoon of ground cumin 1/2 a teaspoon of paprika powder and a sprinkle of salt because I made my own lentils from scratch.

But if you use canned that you can omit the salt if you’d like then mash it until you get the desired consistency and set it aside. Now the veggies should be done after about 30 to 40 minutes depending on how roasted you like them.

To make the wrap I first added some garlic chili hot sauce. And then the lentil mash followed by the veggies that we just roasted. I also like to add a few green olives and some baby spinach.

Now these roasted veggies and lentil mash make enough for about four wraps altogether, so enough for two people to enjoy over two days, on the side I included these one bowl peanut butter and chocolate oatmeal cookies.

You won’t believe how healthy these are based on their taste. There’s no added oil or sugar in this recipe and it takes only 15 minutes to make from start to finish. You can enjoy it as a dessert after lunch or as a snack I batch to make it on the weekend and freeze to enjoy throughout the week. So the wrap is delicious just as it is, but I like to serve it with a little bit more of this garlic-chili hot sauce on the side. And most Asian supermarkets carry this or you can use any hot sauce you like if you like it spicy.

Now let’s move on to making the afternoon snack.

This is just a veggie and hummus dip. No rocket signs here, just use any veggies you have on hand or any veggies that you enjoy. Chop it up and add it to your lunchbox. Now, this again was enough for two lunchboxes. I served it with his homemade classic garlic and lemon hummus that I also batch make on weekends to enjoy throughout the week. Any store-bought hummus will work too. I also added some cherry tomatoes and that’s a wrap for a lunchbox number three.

Ref: Pike up limes