Why is a bento box better than the rest?

If you haven’t found the perfect lunchbox yet, have you ever tried out a bento box? Bento boxes originate from Japan and are designed to hold a single serving of rice as well as several side dishes. It is rumoured that the box was named from a slang word which means ‘convenient’ which is very apparent.

Due to their design, they have become a very popular style of lunch box as they offer single-size portions that are easy and convenient for you to take to work or to pack for your children at school. One of our favourite lunches to add into our bento boxes is a deconstructed poke bowl – which contains all the vital nutrients we need to have a healthy balanced diet. Having a balanced diet is so important because the food that you put into your body will also affect how you feel. For example if you have a diet high in fats and sugar, you may notice you feel sluggish and fatigued on a regular basis. Whereas if you eat a balanced diet that contains a range of food types to give you and your body the energy it needs, you will be left feeling more productive and energetic throughout the day. 

Why is a bento box better than the rest?

Like most people, it can often be hard to gauge how much food is too much food or too little when it comes to making up your lunch for work or for your child. Neither eating too much or too little is good for the body as it can cause both developmental issues in children as well as problems with adult health.

A healthy person not only needs to exercise regularly, but also needs to eat a balanced meal and that is where the bento box comes in handy. Citron bento boxes allow you to easily portion out your lunch and the different compartments allow you to add a variety of foods to help you hit your carbohydrate, protein, fats, and vitamins goals for the day. Remember life is all about balance which is why it’s still very important to enjoy everything in moderation, we always like adding a tasty treat to our bento lunch box like chocolate or some crisps.

One of key features of a bento box that is loved by everyone is the ability to be versatile with what you’re putting in your box. A bento lunch box allows you to mix and match with different flavours as well as mixing up both sweet and savoury food in one convenient box. Bento boxes are also great for children or even adults who are a little picky – with the separate compartments you can deconstruct meals in the way you like. 

At Citron, our bento boxes come in three different colours for you to choose from, and we designed with 3 individually sealed compartments, so you can enjoy a variety of different foods separate but in one space. Citron has created the bento box in mind, not only is it made from BPA-free material, it is also leakproof, microwavable and dishwasher safe when you take the lid off – every parent can now release a sign of relief. Now onto the good stuff, here is one of our favourite recipes to add to our bento boxes!

Poke bowl recipe

There are 101 different recipes you can make to add to your Citron bento box. As the bento box was created in Japan, here is one of the top poke bowl recipes for you to try out today. 

Prep time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Fillings:

• 6 tbsp crispy onions
• 2 spring onions chopped
• 3 radishes slices
• 2 carrots grated
• 240g sushi rice 

Salmon marinade: 

• 450g of salmon cut into bite size cubes
• 60ml soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar 
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (we recommend sriracha sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Pickled cucumbers:

• 1 cucumber
• 60ml rice wine vinegar
• 115ml water
• 5 tbsp honey
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp chilli flakes

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp sriracha 
• 2 tbsp low fat Greek yoghurt

Method:

1. Either buy ready-cooked sushi rice or cook your rice for 10 minutes with the lid on. Once it has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and leave it to steam with the lid on for another 15 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, add in your sliced salmon and your salmon marinade and let it sit in the fridge.
3. For the pickled cucumber, add your rice wine vinegar, water, honey, salt and chilli flakes in a saucepan. Heat up until it comes to the boil - once boiled add in your slices of cucumber. 
4. In a small bowl whisk your sriracha sauce and Greek yoghurt
5. To serve, add your rice to the larger part of your Citron bento box, add your salmon to one of the compartments and arrange the prepared vegetables into the other compartment. Enjoy!