About a week ago, I got this neat set of containers for my lunch — it’s an Americanized bento box made in the US by a company called Obentec. They sell this and other products at Laptop Lunches.

What I like most about the set is the way the containers all nestle efficiently together. It’s small, but it holds a lot. The tiny yellow container holds about 1/3 of a cup and has a lid. The two medium containers hold about 3/4 of a cup. The two larger containers hold about 1-1/2 cups, and one of them (the green one) has a lid. You can put about 4-1/2 cups of food in the set total, which is more than enough for me. The fork and spoon are smaller-than-normal, but they work just fine and fit neatly into the slot to the right of the inner containers.

I also bought a sleeve and ice pack for the set. The sleeve is not insulated, but my lunch stays cold for about 5 hours in spite of that. The sleeve doesn’t fit tightly, so there’s room to slide a cereal bar in with the ice pack, on days when my lunch doesn’t seem very substantial. I’m on the lookout for a small snack container that I can slide into the sleeve, something about 2×2x1, to put a small amount of nuts or dried fruit in.

I bought the set for several reasons that all just came together. First, we have an active lunch thief operating at my workplace, and I wanted to stop putting my lunch in the communal fridge. Second, I wanted to find a way to reduce the waste I generate with my lunch — the plastic baggies and disposable containers and whatnot. And third, I wanted to find a way to easily control the portion sizes of my home-packed lunches. Here’s a picture of yesterday’s lunch, in all its glory:

I made the cloth lobster napkin — it’s small, about 6.5 by 12 inches — but it fits nicely under the fork and spoon, and it’s more than enough for lunch. So far, it’s one of a kind, but I plan to make some others out of fun fabrics. I like getting my lunch ready using this system — when each little container is full, you’re done! It adds a structure to lunch prep that I find really helpful.

I liked this set so much that I ordered one for my husband too!