Low Calorie Tips and Recipes for Healthy Bento Boxes on Back to School or Work Lunches
Jordyn King BS, MS Nutrtion
Looking for a creative way to pack your lunches?
Bento box lunches are a great way to pack for lunch on-the-go and have low-calorie snack options through your work. A bento box is a single portion meal that you can buy at a restaurant or make at home. You can customize anything you want into your bento box and can be adjusted to the correct serving size to meet your nutritional needs. Choose your healthy small high protein snacks and add it to your bento box. There are so many combinations you can choose from when you are creating your bento box.
6 tips of how to Create your own Healthy Bento box (low calorie, High protein and Low Carb):
Including High Protein sources can promote a sense of fullness because it signals the release of your appetite-suppressing hormones in the body which can slow down digestion and stabilize your blood sugar levels. The key is consuming high protein snacks throughout the day to maintain your energy levels. Items to include in your bento box could be beef jerky, trail mix, turkey roll ups, greek yogurt parfait, veggies and yogurt dip. Tuna, hard-boiled eggs, no bake energy bites, cheese slices, almonds, roasted chickpeas hummus and veggies, cottage cheese, apple with peanut butter, beef sticks, and protein bars are other great ideas.
Include Fruits and Vegetables in your bento box to add more fiber to your day. Whether they are cooked or raw, pack them in people! We suggest using what you have in your fridge what’s in season or what’s at home.
When packing up your bento box include Healthy Fats. This can include an avocado, olive oil-based dressing, or even nuts, dark chocolate, cheese and seeds.
Make sure to add Fiber rich foods in your bento box such as nuts, beans or more veggies.
Add some CRUNCH! When I consume a meal, I always need something crunchy to get me through the day to satisfy my cravings. This can include crunchy tortillas chips, croutons, veggie straws, gluten free crackers, nuts, almonds or cashews. Remember, it’s okay also to add 1 “unhealthy”crunchy item to your bento box and still be low in calories in your box, just make sure its only 1 serving size.
Add a low calorie dip. Whether it’s a creamy dip or a light dressing, include a dip to add some flavor to your box. Bento boxes are perfect for incorporating dips into your lunches because the containers keep them neatly separate from the rest of the elements of your bento box. This can include hummus, cream cheese, salsa, queso, balsamic dressing or a light ranch.
Remember, you can mix and match with your bento boxes of what you like and what you don’t like while keeping an open mind of what kind of healthy food you want to add to your bento box. Keep in mind, check the amount of calories you are consuming in your bento boxes so you are conscious of how much calorie intake you are consuming. Thus, always look at your nutrition label content.
Here are 5 Themed Bento Boxes you can make right at home that is low calorie, low carb and w/ high protein content:
Bento Bagel Breakfast Box
This is a great bento breakfast meal prep way to in your nutritional needs for lunch. this include cucumbers, 1 boiled egg, 1 whole grain bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon. This is a great breakfast or lunch meal prep idea that is packed with protein and low carb.
Calories 306, Protein 26g, Carbohydrates 24g
This is a Mediterranean healthy bento box idea that combines Greek salad, grapes, chicken, chickpea salad, hummus, pita and more herbs for a satisfying work lunch. This bento box specifically will keep you full throughout your work day while being low calories. Plus, this meal is loaded with fiber!
497 calories; Protein 36.7g; Carbohydrates 60.5g; Fiber 7.9g
DIY STARBUCKS PROTEIN BISTRO BOX
Have you heard of the Starbuck’s Bistro Protein Box? This is a great idea for an easy meal prep box to through in some easy foods from your refrigerator and at home. Two cage-free hardboiled eggs, sliced tart apples, grapes and white Cheddar cheese come together with multigrain muesli bread and honey peanut butter in this protein-packed lover's dream.These all include individualized high protein food that will keep you full and focused throughout the day.
470 calories; Protein 23g; Carbohydrates 40g; Fiber 5g;
This is an extremely healthy low calorie bento box with no bread included. Collard greens is a great option to sub out bread when making a heafty high protein wrap. You can switch out cabbage for any lettuce of your choosing and still will be similar calories. Remember, you dont have to follow each recipe as they are, you can mix and match as you make your own boxes and include more protein of your choosing.
Nutrition Content Unavailable
Spring Strawberry Bento Lunch Boxes
This Spring strawberry bento lunch boxes are easy to whip up in under 15 minutes. This includes fresh strawberries, maple cinnamon pecans, balsamic reduction and more. With this recipe however, add a certain protein to this box to add more protein content in this meal such as chicken, beans or nuts.
Calories 288, Protein 6, Carbohydrates 28g
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