Okay as you all know, I’ve been working on being an adult aka leaving my student diet of ramen and take out behind. This month, I worked on figuring out how to make myself meals without breaking the bank and burning down the kitchen! So lets see how I did! Here are some super easy bento box lunches that you can prep beforehand.
Chicken Breast w/Potatoes, Mushroom, and Edamame Beans
This one was my first and was easy peasy!
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast (I used Blue Goose)
Thyme
Lemon
Salt
Pepper
Mushroom
Olive Oil
Potato (I used Little Potato Company)
Edamame Beans
Instructions:
1. Marinate the chicken breast with thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for an hour before baking it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350
2. Cut up the potatoes, cover that with olive oil, salt, pepper, toss in some mushrooms then pop it into the oven to bake at 400 for around 30 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes
3. Boil the edamame beans
4. Into the bento box it goes!
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast (I used Blue Goose)
Salt
Pepper
Spinach
Olive Oil
Bacon
Pasta
Pesto
Instructions:
1. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper before baking it at 350 for 30 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil before tossing in your pasta with some olive oil to prevent the pasta sticking and some salt.
3. While the chicken is baking, cook your bacon – I choose to put it inside the oven with the chicken but you can always just cook it on a pan.
4. Mix in your pesto with your pasta then into the bento box it all goes!
My 3rd bento box, I built off my previous one. I threw in the left over chicken breast, some leftover steak from my dinner, then roasted my potatoes just like I did previously but with oregano added to it.
New England Clam Bake
This one was a tad bit more complicated with the amount of ingredients but it was for a special occasion so why not? Plus it was very much “throw this all in the pot and hope for the best” type of recipe that I do really well with!
- Potatoes (I used Little Potato Company)
- Clams
- Mussels
- Shrimp
- Vermouth
- Chicken Broth
- Butter
- Put the potatoes in a layer in the bottom of a large pot then cover with a layer of clams, mussels, and finally the shrimp.
- Pour in the vermouth and enough chicken broth to fill the pot halfway.
- Cut a half cup of the butter into cubes and place on top of the seafood.
- Cover with a lid, and seal tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer.
- Remove from the heat, and carefully remove the foil and lid.
So I think I did pretty good for my first month of me meal prepping ahead of time for my bento box! I can’t wait to see what October holds for me as I got an awesome new slow cooker so that is a game changer! Anyways – some exciting news, after I posted photos of my bento boxes, Blue Goose saw and were super kind and offered to team up with me to host a giveaway of their product! This will unfortunately be Canadian only due to the logistics and the kind of product they are giving away.
A little bit about Blue Goose and why I chose to buy their product to begin with: they are certified humane, their poultry is certified organic, and they are proudly raised by a Canadian family farm! As I mentioned in my post last week about organic week, I have decided to be more conscious of what I am purchasing and will be aiming to be more socially responsible by switching out for organic when I am able to.
Once again, thank you to Blue Goose for making this giveaway possible!
QOTD: what is your go to easy meal?
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: http://instagram.com/runcarmyrun
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runcarmyrun
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: runcarmyrun@gmail.com
I’ve never taken a bento box for lunch, but these really do sound delicious and easy! I may have to give them a try, especially the chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, and edamame!
A bento box lunch is a great idea! Anything to make it easier to get out the door in the morning!
Mmm! I love the idea of a bento box lunch! Eating a variety of little tidbits of protein and carbs. YUM. I always forget about edamame as shelled unless I am using them IN something. They would be a great side.
I just got some bento containers from Ikea and it’s been fun packing my lunch that way! It’s funny how those little compartments make it more fun!
Right?! And it makes it so much easier to make sure you hit all the food groups!
Love this idea! I only eat fish for animal protein, but if I did eat poultry this would be a great way to go about it! I like the certified humane part 🙂
I’m dying for a bento lunchbox! Mostly because they make me feel like a lil kid again. Haha
Quinoa bowls are my go to
With roasted veggies and Avocado
We by Bluegoose for the same reason. Being certified humane makes me feel better eating meat. Must look into getting bento boxs… they see, perfect for lunches.
Slow cookers are amazing! I’ve never heard of Bluegose or Bento boxes before!
So cute! I love this idea!
Great ideas and suggestions on meals! I assume each recipe gives you multiple servings, so you could eat a meal and have leftovers for lunch the next day (?). Convenient!
Those little boxes are too cute! Great for so many options. Good luck with the adulting 🙂
These lunches all look great! I am going to pin this and make some next week.
Thanks pal <3
Those boxes always make me think of little kids who don’t like their food to touch! LOL!
Hahahahaha. It is so perfect for when I want to keep the fruit from touching my carb!
i used to have a bento box when i was little..and its so fun to see it back.
My easy go to recipe is a very large salad I make on Sunday and it lasts me all week. All I have to do is add a protein.
I love this idea! I’ve heard of Bento boxes before, but never knew much about them. I love it though because it’s like a healthy Lunchable for adults that you get to be creative with!!
These are all so cute and look so delicious!! Great job! <3
What a cute idea! Love bento box lunches!
My easy go to recipe is omelettes. 😀 Thanks!
Love making my own boxed lunches, especially for the kids because they happen to love the (gross) options from the store! Thanks for the ideas!
Great post! I love bento boxes, they are so much fun to put together. My go to recipe is pasta salad. Easy, delicious and I can add any protein I want!
A large salad to last all week. Grilled chicken cooked ahead.
These all look delicious! And those little boxes are so cute!
Absolutely LOVE the clam bake idea! We use a bento box for little man’s lunch and it’s great – we can add a variety of items to it, while keeping an eye on portions.
A bento box sounds like a great idea for making easy lunches. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of that before!
My easy go-to recipe would be Beefy macaroni and cheese. I pop all the ingredients in the slow cooker and it does the work for me!
My easy go to recipe is for french toast.
My easy go to recipe is breakfast. French toast or omelettes.
Chicken and rice is my go-to meal
All of those potatoes are making me drool. Especially the one with the mushrooms! These would be so easy to pack for a day at University
My go to meal has to be wraps! I love that we can throw them together quickly and easily.
My easy go to meal is teriyaki chicken, rice and steamed broccoli!
chicken with chili chicken sauce, rice and peppers
Chicken with caesar salad is my go-to!
Chicken and rice are my go to meal
I love these cute little boxes and my go to lunch is a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich with a salad.
Grilled cheese is my go-to!
I love green salads!
I too make lunches at home.Often they are leftovers or protein added to salad.I make a huge container of unseasoned salad and each day take a portion with some protein