Bento Box Essentials

Bento is a simple concept that originated in Japan but has been a growing trend here in the states for awhile now.  Essentially, bento is single serving meals composed of a variety of foods in a compact, portable box or bowl.  Bento boxes are great for kids and adults and can be as simple or fancy as you like.  Lots of people use cutters, picks and even food-safe markers to get creative with their lunch.  Bento box styling ranges from super cute to extremely elegant to very clean.

There are some awesome bento blogs out there that feature their daily box.  Some of my favorites are Happy Little Bento, Bento Bliss and Just Bento.  The Bento Subreddit and Pinterest also have tons of inspiration.

You can start to make your own bento boxes for as little as $20.  There is a wide variety of bento boxes in all shapes, sizes, styles and prices.  If you want to dress your lunch up, there are tons of inexpensive tools and embellishments that can jazz up your box.

1. The Just Bento Cookbook by Makiko Itoh - $11.27
2. CuteZCute Bento Picks - $7.71
3. Freshware Rectangular Silicone Cups - $6.99
4. Ten-Minute Bento by Megumi Fujii - $11.95
5. Animal Veggie Cutters - $7.99
6. Non-Stick Sushi Knife - $12.49
7. Monbento Sauce Cups - $7.31
8. CuteZCute Bento Cutters - $9.62
9. Kitchie Silicone Baking Cups - $8.37
10. Two Tier Japanese Bento Bowl with Carrying Bag - $22.39
11. Bentogo All-in-One Stackable Lunchbox - $19.99

Do you bento?  What kind of box do you use?