This is the main content.


Published August 1, 2024

We’ve enjoyed summer vacations, camps, and activities with family and friends. Now as we return to schooltime routines, the transition to coordinating work schedules, new hobbies, and school sports can be overwhelming for everyone. That’s why we’re here: to help make life a little easier with simplified lunch ideas for you and the family!

Recipes.

Mini Cuban Sandwich Skewers with Honey Mustard Dip

Mini Cuban Sandwich Skewers with Honey Mustard Dip

Build a back-to-school bento box with these skewers as the main course. Add GreenWise wheat crackers, berries, and tomato and cucumber slices.
Mini Chicken Quesadillas

Mini Chicken Quesadillas

Create a grown-up bento box featuring delicious chicken quesadillas, watermelon pieces, and raw broccoli florets.

Let’s walk through the importance of a balanced meal and the easy, breezy deliciousness of a bento box–style lunch.

What does a balanced meal look like?

A balanced meal includes correctly portioned servings from various food groups. According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, meeting the nutritional guidelines for an inclusive diet1 consists of consuming foods and beverages from the food groups listed below. Learn how to make a balanced plate to tailored to your needs at myplate.gov.*

*By clicking the link above, you will leave publix.com and enter U.S. Department of Agriculture's website that they operate and control.

Mix and match foods from each group to build your own quick, delicious bento box–style lunch.

  • Protein: chicken, fish, mixed seeds and nuts, hummus, hard-boiled eggs, lean beef, ham, turkey, pork, or tofu. Protein choices should be lean or low-fat, like 93% ground beef, pork loin, and skinless chicken breast.2
  • Fruit: apples, berries, bananas, oranges, watermelon, pineapple
  • Vegetables: carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, bell peppers, salads, broccoli
  • Grains: whole wheat crackers, pita bread, bagels, wheat tortillas, granola
  • Dairy: low-fat or fat-free dairy milk, yogurt, low-fat cheeses

To start your bento box prep, let’s look at the most important food group: protein. Once you pick your protein, it will be easier to choose your sides, like a complementary fruit, vegetable, and/or dairy product.

Bento boxes are a unique way to mix a variety of ingredients and make lunch more fun for you and the family. Don’t be shy—include yogurt dips, nut butters, light ranch, or salsa to add flavors to your box!

For the love of you.

Choosing how you eat is uniquely personal. It’s about your needs, your preferences, and your goals. As your wellness ally, we’re in your corner with fresh ideas, recipes, and wellness icons that make it easier to shift toward wiser food choices. It’s all about you, at your very best.

Sources.

1U.S. Department of Agriculture & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, 9th ed. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

2U.S. Department of Agriculture. Protein Foods. MyPlate. Accessed March 19, 2024.