Sac Bee Bento Boxes

I know of a couple of readers of this blog that are very interested in the Bento box lunch idea. This Sacramento Bee article lists some pretty low cost on-line sources for that interest.

Bento-box lunch guidelines
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Published: Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 2D

• Try to abide by the color rule: Have at least five colors of food in each box.

• Food should be tightly packed inside a bento box. Use reusable muffin cups as dividers and fill gaps with foods like cherry tomatoes and grapes. This not only gets the portion right but also keeps food from moving around.

• Generally a 600-milliliter bento will hold 600 calories if it is packed with about three parts carbohydrates, one part protein and two parts fruits and vegetables.

• An easy way to keep bento packing simple is to keep three bins – one in the refrigerator with grapes, blueberries, single-serving cheeses and hard-boiled eggs; another in the freezer with leftovers frozen into reusable muffin cups such as frittatas, dumplings, rice balls and mini-hamburgers; and a third in the pantry with portioned-out nuts, crackers and puddings.

Sources: www.lunchinabox.net; www.globalgourmet.com;

REUSABLE GEAR

Regular Tupperware can be used to carry lunches, and two online companies sell lunch gear: • www.ichibankanusa.com (items cost from $1-8.50)

• www.laptoplunches.com (the basic lunch box with containers that fit inside costs $22.99)