My New Years Resolution was to eat less sugar, meal prep and eat more balanced. Since we’ve started “counting macros” and “calories”, I’ve been a lot more conscious of my protein, carb and fat intake. I realized that I needed to incorporate a better balance of each category into my everyday meals. To motivate myself, I ordered these cute Japanese bento boxes right after New Years. I love the beautiful textured wood lid and the cute little dividers. This bento box is seriously the best thing I’ve every brought. You can even put it in the microwave, its dishwasher safe and its easy to clean!
I’ve been so motivated to meal prep every week because of these beautiful boxes. I love that its not too big so its great for portion control!
Every time lunchtime comes around I get so excited when I pull these boxes out. Zoe and I text each other with pictures and can’t stop gushing about our lunches.
After making this for 2 weeks straight just to get the proportions right, we are sharing 2 incredible pasta recipes today that fit perfectly in these Japanese bento boxes. I used to think that eating pasta was unhealthy since its all “white carbs”, but I changed my mind after BANZA sent us a sample of their pasta. BANZA pasta is made out of chickpeas and contain double the fibre and protein; and less carbs than regular pasta. They come in all shapes and sizes – so they are super fun to cook with! Rotini pasta worked really well with the 2 sauces we are sharing today, because all the knooks and crannies hold the sauce really well.
I’ve never been a fan of super “saucy” pasta, because it makes my pasta soggy. SO, we have 2 incredible pastas for you – one created by Zoe and one by me (Mia). We couldn’t decide what we wanted so Zoe went for a chili tomato and mushroom pasta, and I went for a creamy mushroom and basil pasta. They are both gluten free, dairy free and vegan – and they take less than 20 minutes to make. Best part is that they are both under 240 calories!
Hope you enjoy these 2 beautiful recipes! xoxo
- 2 oz Chickpea (Banza) Pasta
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅛ white onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp coconut yogurt
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6-7 basil leaves, finely chopped
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instruction (I would slightly undercook it). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a pan, stir-fry garlic and onions until slightly softened (1 minute).
- Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 1 minute.
- Toss in the pasta, yogurt and salt.
- 2 oz Chickpea (Banza) Pasta
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp GF marinara sauce (low sodium)
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup spinach, chopped
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ⅛ tsp chili flakes
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instruction (I would slightly undercook it). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a pan, saute garlic and then add mushrooms. Stir-fry until soft.
- Add in spinach until wilted.
- Add in marinara sauce, pasta and seasonings.
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