Healthy Lunch To Go

I've made the jump back into the "real world" and I've been test-driving my new bento boxes, with moderate success. It does require extra effort to pack and carry your lunch from home, but it's manageable. Since my going to work means that the Bug has to go to daycare, I'm already required to pack her lunch, so it's only a tiny bit more work to make a larger version for myself.

I've been keeping the bentos on the counter and ready to fill while I make dinner. As each dinner dish becomes ready I take a small portion and place it in Bug's or my bento. Of course, some dinner dishes aren't easily ported to lunch the next day, such as tonight's Japanese noodle soup. But I have enough scraps around the house to piece together a lunch menu for the two of us. I'll be giving us bread and cheese, whole wheat crackers, some Barbara's Blueberry Fig Newton's, leftover broccoli, avocado, grapes, oranges, tofu, and a tin of fish spread just for me.

My biggest challenge has been remembering to buy enough food for 6 meals, instead of the regular 4 (for me, husband, Bug and her sister). Although I'm sure each week will take an extra shot of effort in planning my menus, grocery shopping strategically and cooking and storing, it's become easier with the help of this lovely blogger, Biggie and her Lunch in a Box website. I suspect she's one of those women with time management skills coming out the ying-yang, but I must politely envy her cook's skills.

Blissful Bento Box Beneficiary

Today a dear friend who knows I'm returning to work soon gifted me with the cutest, sweetest, little bento box, above. Apparently, there is a growing movement of folks who are taking homemade lunches to work in these tidy containers, thereby ensuring they have a healthy lunch to eat each day.

Being a Japanese phenomenon originally, the contents are supposed to be aesthetically-pleasing and small, and I'm not sure I'll be able to equal some folks out there. However, the concept of last night's healthy dinner repackaged in a cute and cheerful lunchbox sounds like a great way to get inspired about eating leftovers. There's not much inspiration in sitting down to a scratchy old Tupperware container that holds day-old sloppy pasta.

Many folks find that taking a "bagged" lunch to work is a cheaper way to get through the week, but it can also be a way to ensure you're eating the type of food you'd prefer to ingest each day. My workplace has a cafeteria which while subsidised, tends to offer food that's mostly processed, frozen, breaded, or fried. If only I could eat at Electronic Arts' lovely EA Cafe where my husband gets to eat healthy, delicious food each day. Yep, I'm soooo happy for him.

So this cute little bento is going to be an attractive and very practical kitchen accessory. I want to thank my dear friend for this wonderful and encouraging gift, and I pledge to fill my pretty bento with an array of delicious and nutritious goodies in the weeks to come. I'll keep you updated on the results, especially if it might help others spice up their own workday lunches.