Have you heard about bento boxes? If not you really need to start using them. They are great for lunch and even dinner on the go. They also make organizing your food and carrying only one container a lot easier. Here are some of my favorite gluten free and dairy free bento box recipes. One of the best videos I’ve found as an introduction to bento boxes is here. Not all of the recipes shown in that video are necessarily gluten free but you get the idea of how you can use a bento box. You can get some great ones on Amazon such as these: 6 Pack – SimpleHouseware 3-Compartment Heavy Duty Bento Lunch Container Boxes, 36 ounces, 4 Color. Tupperware also has some great ones.

So let’s get started with the bento box gluten free and dairy free recipes.

The basic idea behind using a bento box for your lunch (or dinner if you are working on not home during dinner) is that you can use the bento box to organize your food into different compartments. Therefore making it easier to plan out what you will eat and to avoid the usage of multiple containers.

The standard bento box has 1 larger space and 2 smaller spaces.

For the larger space here are some of my favorite ideas for gluten free and dairy free bento boxes.

1. Make a sandwich with gluten free bread. (Canyon Bake House is my favorite of the widely available brands). You can either do peanut butter and jelly or make a turkey or ham sandwich with lettuce, tomato and avocado. Avocado is my favorite way to add some flavor without dairy.

2. Put a piece of fruit in there. Obviously certain fruits won’t fit but you could also use berries, an apple, an orange or some grapes. Usually these should fit just fine.

3. Put a small salad in there with some lettuce, tuna and olives.

4. Put in some leftover chicken, potatoes, gluten free and dairy free macaroni, soup or whatever you have leftover from a previous meal that needs a larger space.

5. Make some quinoa and put it in there with some olive oil, and a few veggies.

6. Make a gluten free and dairy free muffin and put it in there. Usually these won’t fit in the small space in a bento box.

For the 2 smaller spaces on your bento box, the options are endless but here are a few of my gluten free and dairy free favorites.

1. Some nuts. These don’t take up a lot of space and fit in quite easily.

2. A few grapes, raspberries or other smaller fruit.

3. Some raisins.

4. Some fruit snacks. (Just make sure they are gluten free and dairy free, although most are)

5. Some olives.

6. Some carrot or celery sticks. You usually can fit 2-3 depending upon the size.

7. Some hummus.

8. Some dairy free yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt is my favorite.

9. Some gluten free crackers.

10. Some veggie straws. I’ve usually gotten these at Costco but you can usually find them at other stores as well. Costco just has the best deal on a huge bag.

Got other ideas? Share with me in the comments below your other ideas for gluten free and dairy free bento box recipes.