HEALTHY BENTO BOX RECIPES FOR KIDS

Just in time for back to school, this post contains 3 healthy bento box lunch recipe ideas for kids. Perfect easy recipes for back to school, even for picky eaters. These also work great as snack ideas for adults too. Enjoy!

HEALTHY BENTO BOX #1

Black Salt Mashed Avocado Cucumber Sandwich

Fresh Fruit

Date Treats

HEALTHY BENTO BOX #2

Zucchini Muffin

Air Popped Popcorn

Oil Free Hummus with Veggies

HEALTHY BENTO BOX #3

Steamed Corn on the Cob with Edamame

Leftover Vegan Mac & Cheese

Strawberry Balls

You can watch the video for easy assembly instructions, and below are the more in depth recipes:

ZUCHINI MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour of your choice (all purpose, whole wheat, split, or gluten free oat flour ½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup monk fruit sweetener

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

flax egg: (4 ½ teaspoons ground flaxseed plus ¼ cup water whisked together, set for 5 mins)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plant based milk (I used organic soy milk)

1 ¼ cups grated zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place muffin liners into a standard 12 muffin pan. Set aside.

2. Make the flax egg and set aside for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and monk fruit sweetener. Then add in the maple syrup, applesauce, flax egg, vanilla, and plant based milk.

4. Whisk together until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain.

5. Fold in zucchini, until zucchini is incorporated well.

6. Using a large tablespoon, scoop and drop batter evenly into the muffin pan, fill the cups ¾ of the way.

7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness—once it comes out fairly clean, it’s done.

8. Allow muffins to cool in the muffin pan for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

NOTE: because these muffins are oil free, you may find they stick to the muffin liners a bit. But honestly it is a small price to pay for such a healthy oil free muffin :)

STRAWBERRY BALLS

INGREDIENTS

10–12 pitted medjool dates

1 cup of raw cashews

3/4 cup of freeze dried strawberries

1/4 cup of rolled oats

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of raw almond butter

1. Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a dough begins to form and mixture pulls away from the sides of the unit (this took me a few minutes). If the mixture feels dry, add additional nut butter, and if the mixture feels too wet, add additional oats.

2. Form the dough into tablespoon sized balls and refrigerate in a glass container with lid. They store well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

OIL FREE HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans - about 2.5 cups (drained and rinsed)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove

4 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp water

salt and garlic salt to taste

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a bit more lemon juice or water to reach desired consistency if needed.

Tag me in your creations on Instagram @vegan_michele