Bento contents:

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread with dried cranberries and walnuts (approx. 240cal)
• Brebis cheese, about 60 g / 2 oz (approx. 100cal)
• Sweet pepper and onion confit, 3/4 cup (approx. 90 cal)
• Cut up mango and orange, 3/4 cup (approx. 50 cal)

Total calories (approx): 470 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning

Type: Bread based, vegetarian (uses cheese)

Bento contents:

• Parsley and shiso leaves in lemon-flavored sushi with 1 cup white rice cooked with white zakkoku mix (approx: 200cal)
• Lotus root slices (approx. 20 cal)
• Salted salmon, about 50 g / 1 3/4 oz (approx. 80 cal)
• Usuyaki tamago (thin egg omelette) (approx. 80 cal)

Total calories (approx): 380 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 20 minutes in the morning, 10-15 the night before

__Type: Japanese, sushi, fish based, gluten-free

Bento contents:

• Savory lotus root mini-cakes (approx. 150 cal)
• Pan-roasted red pepper and leek with peanut sauce (approx: 200 cal)
• Sweet chili jam (30 cal)
• Cucumber wedges (5 cal)
• Naval orange wedge (30 cal)

Total calories (approx): 415 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 20-30 minutes total

Type: Asian-fusion, vegan, gluten-free

Bento contents:

• Bite size chicken kijiyaki (or teriyaki) made with 90g of thigh meat with the skin (210 cal)
• Blanched bean sprouts with umeboshi (5 cal)
• Blanched spinach (10 cal)
• Haiga-mai, or germ rice 150g or about 1 cup (170 cal)
• 1/2 of a tamagoyaki made from 1 egg (50 cal)

Total calories (approx): 445 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15 minutes in the morning, 20 the night before

Type: Japanese

This is the 'skinny bento' featured in Skinny Bento vs. Not So Skinny Bento.

Bento contents:

• 3/4 cup (about 160ml) white rice with sushi vinegar (180cal)
• 5 peeled shrimp cooked with sake (90cal)
• 1/2 chikuwa (80cal)
• Cucumber with seasoning (10cal)
• 1/4 carrot (30cal)
• 1 T. edamame (20cal)

Total calories (approx): 400 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning, 5 the night before

Type: Japanese, sushi

Chirashizushi is just a bed of sushi rice with toppings of your choice. Here I have used peeled frozen shrimp that is steam-cooked with a little salt and sake in a dry pan, half of a chikuwa (a fish paste produce that looks like a bamboo branch), plus cucumber, edamame and carrots. If you cut the carrots in decorative shapes, allow a little more time. It will be pretty anyway with the colorful toppings. Since the protein components of this bento are quite low fat and low calorie, the whole bento is under 400 calories. This bento was inspired by one in Yaseru Obento Recipes.

Bento contents:

• 1 cup (about 220ml) sprouted brown rice (220cal)
• 2 Tbs. salmon furikake or flakes, 1sp. gomashio (60cal)
• Tofu nuggets made from about 2/3rds block (200g) of soft tofu (160cal)
• Carrots and celery cooked in bouillon (30cal)
• Steamed asparagus spears (20cal)

Total calories (approx): 490 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning, 20-30 previously

Bento contents:

• 1 cup (about 220ml) brown rice (220cal)
• 2 Tbs. beef sorobo (80cal)
• 2 Tbs. iri tamago (70cal)
• Blanced Swiss chard leaves (5cal)
• Swiss chard stalks sautéed in butter (30cal)
• Hijiki with bean curd (50cal)
• 3 fresh lichees or litchi (15cal)

Total calories (approx): 475 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning, 20-30 previously

Type: Japanese

Bento contents:

• 3 potato oyaki filled with beef soboro (300 cal)
• Cucumber and wakame sunomono (20cal)
• Lettuce garnish (negligible)

Total calories (approx): 320 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning, 20-30 previously

Type: Japanese, Potato based, gluten-free