One area where my desire to lose weight and save money comes together in beautiful harmony (Like apples and bananas! Sorry...can't get this song out of my head, it will be a relief when Baby Blubba's musical tastes are more advanced) is taking my lunch to work. In particular, I take bentos to work. For those not in the know, I spent about five years living in Japan, which is where I picked up my love of bentos. Bentos are small lunch boxes with several small compartments for different foods. Traditional Japanese bentos typically have a rice section, a fish/meat section, one or two veggie sections and a 'dessert' section (dessert being a 'loose' term in the land of the Rising Sun). Here is why bento boxing it is the way to go:
It saves a ton of money. Before Mrs. Blubba and I got serious about taking lunch to work every day, we were generally buying our lunch at the local cafeteria. This generally cost us somewhere between $60 and $75 a week. Running the numbers on taking lunch to work, we save around $50/week - that's around $2600 a year in savings. Sweeeet.
It's healthier. It's really hard to be unhealthy when you're making your own lunch. Fruit is always a part of the lunch. Our sandwiches are double-blasts of whole wheat and super fiberlicious. Compared to what our cafeteria usually offers (a main course of grease with a side of grease and a sprig of mint), our lunches are fantastically healthy. Thanks to the handy dandy compartments, bento boxes make it easy to balance your meals. This box for some veggies, this box for some grains, this box for some fruit; it's easy!
It's great for losing weight. Bento boxes are fantastic for controlling portion sizes. There's only so much room in each little compartment. When trying to diet, it's a very effective tool for making sure you don't overeat.
My bentos are nothing special. But there is an art to them. Check out these blogs if you are interested in seeing some beautifully put together lunches:
Lunch Bucket Bento
2 comments:
I LOVE bento boxes. I asked for (and got) two sets of them at the office gift exchange last year. They are SO great. Just the right size and they 'fool the eye and appetite' just like a small plate does.
Thanks for dropping by! I'm so glad you also share the love and joy that is a bento!
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