Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Kids

Bento boxes help you to think beyond sandwiches and make it easier to pack a nutritious and fun lunch for your children. Bento box lunches encourage diversity and color to entice little eaters and prevent brown bag boredom. Balance the box by focusing on a variety of colors and incorporate food from different categories, such as fruit, vegetables, proteins and starch. Use these simple suggestions to inspire your own creativity!

Bento Box 1

• Roasted asparagus
• Apple slice sandwich with almond butter (nut-free: sub with sunflower seed butter or tahini)
• Mixed quinoa salad

Bento Box 2

• Carrot sticks
• Sliced avocado & chicken on nori sheets
• Sprouted grain & seed crackers

Bento Box 3

• Grape skewers
• Scrambled eggs & roasted peppers
• Watermelon & blueberries

Turkey Wrap

Sliced turkey with lettuce, tomato & hummus rolled in gluten-free wraps.

Veggie Rolls

Shredded carrots, beets, peas, sliced radishes & hummus wrapped in rice paper rolls.

Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer or mandolin, topped with pesto & roasted tomatoes.

Bento Ingredients

Bento Box options are limitless! Here are a few more ingredient ideas to get you started!

Fruit

• apple
• berries
• fresh figs
• grapes
• kiwi
• pomegranate seeds
• citrus: orange or grapefruit
• stone fruit: cherries, apricot, peach, nectarine, plum
• tropical fruit: pineapple, mango, papaya
• melon: cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon
• dried fruit or trail mix

Vegetables

• avocado
• cherry tomatoes
• radish
• sugar snap peas
• seaweed snacks
• kale chips
• raw slices: carrot, celery, cucumber, bell pepper
• roasted: asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini

Protein 

• natural sausage with no additives
• tempeh sticks
• canned or smoked salmon
• hard boiled egg
• organic yogurt or cheese
• sliced meat

Starches

• roasted potato
• homemade yam fries
• mixed rice
• grilled squash
• quinoa salad
• mix bean or lentil salad
• crunchy roasted chickpeas