By: Natasha Archary
Make back-to-school snacks fun for the kids with a Bento lunchbox.
A Bento or Bento box is a Japanese lunchbox and the trend is becoming increasingly popular amongst moms.
Each Bento is creatively thought out to include different food groups, prioritising taste and texture.
Typically the Bento lunchbox includes a protein, starch and healthy treats and snacks.
The concept of the lunchbox is to utilise every last bit of space. Most Bento boxes have tiers and are neatly compartmentalised to prevent soggy sandwiches.
There a number of retailers who stock these storage containers and the boxes come in a variety of sizes.
Here’s a quick guide for how to assemble your Bento:
Also read: Three healthy lunch ideas for work
Say goodbye to the basic cheese sandwiches
Not that there is anything wrong with a good old-fashioned cheese or ham sandwich. But the Bento is re-inventing how parents and kids eat.
Because the lunchboxes are designed to contain so many different items, it means boring lunches are a thing of the past.
Also, portion control is a breeze as each compartment is perfect to measure the amount of sugar, fats, dairy and fruit your child consumes.
What’s more is that the Bento can help adults monitor their calories for the day to help lose weight.
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Have fun with your Bento
- To get creative with the kiddies lunches, parents can cut sandwiches and fruit into fun shapes.
- Cut up fruit to make fruit skewers instead of packing a whole fruit.
- Add different flavours and textures such as sweet and sour chicken strips or crunchy meatballs
- Roll up cold cuts of meat into flowers.
- Use cupcake holders to add colour to the boxes
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