Finally it’s time for a round-up of bento boxes! I’ve been packing bento boxes daily for the last 8 months, and I’ve come up with a lot of ideas of what works and what doesn’t. I posted 5 last week, but since I keep saying they’re puzzles (add whatever fits!), I thought I would show you exactly what I mean.

Obviously what you can put in your bento box depends on what kind of lunch box & bag combo you’ve got. I have a bag that keeps my lunch sitting upright, so things never spill, which is why I can pack salsa and such. Zac’s bag goes vertically into his backpack, so he can’t have liquids. We just use regular containers with various silicon muffin liners. You can get crazy with the various lunch boxes, but that’s just not up our alley right now. We have three flat “bentos” and about 20 silicon muffin cups. The black one also has a sliding divider you’ll see in some pictures. Simple!Hopefully this will help you get ideas for planning you & your kids’ lunches. Any additional ideas in the comments would be greatly appreciated. :)

Real Food Round Up: 20 Real Food Bento Boxes!

First, the 5 bento boxes from last week!

Above: Soba & Sesame Green Beans. Soba, Miso Meatballs, Sesame-Steamed Green Beans, and half an orange. (Oranges are a traditional dessert here in Japan.)

Above: Hummus & Dippers. Red bell pepper slices, snap or snow peas, carrot slices, almond-crusted chicken nuggets, homemade hummus, and pizza dough slices.

Above: Stuffed Tomatoes & Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Cucumber-feta-basil-balsamic stuffed tomatoes, almond-crusted chicken nuggets, carrot slices, roasted sweet potatoes, grapes.

Above: Chicken Avocado Lettuce Wraps. Shredded chicken & mashed avocado in lettuce cups, whole wheat banana bread, peanut butter-banana oat cookies, and pineapple.

Above: Salmon-Avocado Onigiri Rolls. Salmon onigiri rolls, prosciutto-wrapped spinach frittata, watermelon & pineapple kebabs, peanut butter banana oat cookies.

Above: Canned salmon mixed with mashed avocado, a hardboiled egg sliced in half with mustard and bacon, banana bread, kiwi, carrot & apple slices.

Above: Modified Spicy Tuna Cakes (from Nom Nom Paleo), carrot & apple slices, a dark chocolate peanut butter cup (Trader Joe’s), and Whole Wheat Cheddar Jalapeño Scone.

Above: Spicy Tuna Cakes with sesame steamed broccoli, carrot-banana muffin, apple slices, and a banana “sandwich” with peanut butter in the middle.

Above: Spicy Tuna Cakes with sesame steamed broccoli, grapes, carrot-banana muffin, peanut butter-chocolate-coconut bite, and carrot slices.

Above: Cheddar Quesadillas made with Whole Wheat Tortillas (try this recipe, or Roti), Best Refried Beans, salsa, carrots, trail mix, and dark chocolate.

Above: Whole wheat pasta with Sun-Dried-Tomato-Feta-Yogurt Dip, mixed with zucchini and shredded chicken (or rice cooker version). Yellow bell pepper & cucumber slices, peanut butter-chocolate-coconut bite.

Above: Paleo Egg Muffin with Chicken & Avocado on Homemade Whole Wheat Bread, carrot slices, and peanut butter-chocolate-coconut bite. 

Above: Salmon Avocado Rolls, red bell pepper slices, carrot slices, Paleo Egg Muffin, Carrot-Banana Muffin.

Above: Whole Wheat Banana Muffin, Sesame Steamed Green Beans, Chicken-Avocado Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, apple slices, peanut butter-banana “sandwich.”

Above: Black bean & guacamole-salsa lettuce wraps, carrot-banana bread, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, and a hard-boiled egg.

Above: Salad with shredded chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and mixed greens; carrot-banana muffin with cream cheese frosting, grapes, peanut butter-chocolate-coconut bite.

Above: Whole Wheat Mini Pizza, homemade hummus, peanuts, carrot slices, and a dark chocolate Kit Kat.

These next few are some of the earlier bento box attempts, which you can tell from my crater-faced hard-boiled eggs! Although they’re not as pretty, they’ve still got some great ideas – dark chocolate brownies, anyone? It’s always good motivation to show the pretty & the not-so-pretty, right? It’s still good food!

Above: Cabbage & cherry tomato salad, carrot slices, apple slices, hard boiled eggs, and dark chocolate brownies. (Using prune paste in place of the sugar.)

Above: Whole Wheat Blueberry Yogurt Muffins, cherry tomatoes, Sesame Steamed Green Beans, salmon onigiri rolls.

Above: Dark chocolate, apple slices, roasted sweet potatoes, sesame steamed broccoli, banana bread, carrot slices. 

That’s it! I hope you can find something delicious & helpful for packing your healthy real food lunches.