Using Bento Boxes for lunches.
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mangrothian wrote: »I got home late last night, so I didn't get a chance to make my Bento, but I got the next best thing. I can get a sashi-don box which is pretty close to a bento. Its what I usually get if I forget or didn't have time to make my bento, and I keep meaning to take a pic, but usually demolish most of it before I remember.
It has salmon sashimi, a small amount of salad, pickled ginger, pickled cucumber (the red stuff in the bottom right corner), wasabi, tofu, aburaage (fried tofu skin), and rice with some shredded wakame. I add some soy or ponzu sauce and oui la! Mock bento lunch!
So yummy looking! And again not making lunches for hubby >.< However he has been sick so that is why
Love the bentos everyone is posting!!!!
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Yeay! I'm glad that worked out on the salad. I like that idea with the bananas and yogurt, practical and delicious! I'm excited to see the new bento box too!
For a frame of reference, I put very little yogurt with my banana. This was half a medium banana (44 grams - the rest of the banana went on my cereal this morning) and only 29g of vanilla Greek yogurt.
Also also, just a tip for whoever is interested: I put my container on a scale and weigh everything as I put it in the box. For example, I put the bananas in, they weighed 44g; then I zeroed out the scale with everything still on it; then I added the yogurt, which weighed 29g; then I zeroed out the scale with all of that still on it; etc etc... Until the box is full. I also have a magnetic dry erase board hanging on the fridge, and I write down the weights of everything as I add it to the box so that I can just log it into MFP all at once.0 -
Yay, bento today!! Dirty rice and enchilada pie in the big tier. Apple slices, grapes, almonds, and gruyere in the small tier. (And I'm going to have the same small tier every day this week b/c the grocery store didn't have much that I wanted to eat and wanted to pay for)
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PixieGoddess wrote: »Yay, bento today!! Dirty rice and enchilada pie in the big tier. Apple slices, grapes, almonds, and gruyere in the small tier. (And I'm going to have the same small tier every day this week b/c the grocery store didn't have much that I wanted to eat and wanted to pay for)
What is enchilada pie? I'm intrigued...0 -
Narcissora wrote: »PixieGoddess wrote: »Yay, bento today!! Dirty rice and enchilada pie in the big tier. Apple slices, grapes, almonds, and gruyere in the small tier. (And I'm going to have the same small tier every day this week b/c the grocery store didn't have much that I wanted to eat and wanted to pay for)
What is enchilada pie? I'm intrigued...
It's what I'm calling my "Mile-High Enchilada Pie" after my small crockpot cooked it too much and the tortillas disintegrated, so it came out as more of a dip than a casserole-esque entree. So, it's no longer "Mile-High" just enchilada pie... >.>
For Mile-High Enchilada Pie:
1. Put long strips of folded aluminum foil in the bottom of a crock pot. You'll use these to lift the dish out once it's done cooking.
2. Layer the following: corn tortillas, beans (canned or otherwise hydrated – not dry), shredded or chopped meat (cooked), salsa, and shredded cheese. I like to use rotisserie chicken or leftover Thanksgiving turkey as the meat - which is actually when my family most often makes this dish! Helps balance out all those turkey sammiches!
3. Continue layering the ingredients to the top of your crock pot, using the tortilla layer to smoosh (technical term) down so that it's packed tightly - like a bento!
The last layer should have a little extra salsa and then end with cheese.
4. Cook on low during the day, then pull it out in the evening and enjoy! (Edit: you cut it like a cake to serve it out, but beware, it will fall apart a bit as you cut it)
What I found out is that if you have a very small crock pot like mine, you cannot cook it all day. The tortillas disintegrate and the foil gets stuck to the sides, and it's just a big delicious mess. Thankfully, I had plenty more tortillas, so we just dipped it out of the crock pot into bowls and ate it with non-disintegrated tortillas.
In the future, I'll probably just plan to make it as a dip and omit the foil, maybe add some extra salsa to each layer for a little more moisture. It was still really good, and I had leftovers for lunch this weekend and a couple for bentos this week.
Another Edit: found an online recipe with picture of what it's supposed to come out like:
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/chicken/mile-high-enchilada-pie-in-crock-pot.html0 -
I had a super tasty looking bento today, but then I spent all afternoon out at a client (unplanned!) so I didn't get to eat it, I scarfed my snack bento for lunch as I ran out the door. Back in the fridge it went.
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I had a super tasty looking bento today, but then I spent all afternoon out at a client (unplanned!) so I didn't get to eat it, I scarfed my snack bento for lunch as I ran out the door. Back in the fridge it went.
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mangrothian wrote: »@satansees @narcissora food like this is one of the reasons I love living in Melbourne. The quality and variety of the food is fantastic here. That box is from a little japanese restaurant called dondons. They have about 9 things on the menu, you can't change anything, and once you order your food, you're walking away with it in under a minute. It's also cheaper and nicer then the standard soggy salad and fried food that the cafe in my office building has.
We have awesome food here as well, just not a lot of variety. My town is heavily Hispanic so we have some EPIC Mexican restaurants around. Not too much in the way of Asian stuff. Some Japanese steakhouses, but I've been told they are super pricey and only okay from the few people I know that acually like Asain food.
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SpecialKitty7 wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »@satansees @narcissora food like this is one of the reasons I love living in Melbourne. The quality and variety of the food is fantastic here. That box is from a little japanese restaurant called dondons. They have about 9 things on the menu, you can't change anything, and once you order your food, you're walking away with it in under a minute. It's also cheaper and nicer then the standard soggy salad and fried food that the cafe in my office building has.
We have awesome food here as well, just not a lot of variety. My town is heavily Hispanic so we have some EPIC Mexican restaurants around. Not too much in the way of Asian stuff. Some Japanese steakhouses, but I've been told they are super pricey and only okay from the few people I know that acually like Asain food.
Actually, Mexican/texmex food is about the only thing I can think of that isn't well represented here. There's one pretty horrible chain restaurant and a couple of semi-decent places. The only good one I know of has lines out the door nearly every night, so I've never been. All different types of Asian food on the other hand, are everywhere. Turkish and middle eastern food is getting really popular at the moment as well.0 -
mangrothian wrote: »SpecialKitty7 wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »@satansees @narcissora food like this is one of the reasons I love living in Melbourne. The quality and variety of the food is fantastic here. That box is from a little japanese restaurant called dondons. They have about 9 things on the menu, you can't change anything, and once you order your food, you're walking away with it in under a minute. It's also cheaper and nicer then the standard soggy salad and fried food that the cafe in my office building has.
We have awesome food here as well, just not a lot of variety. My town is heavily Hispanic so we have some EPIC Mexican restaurants around. Not too much in the way of Asian stuff. Some Japanese steakhouses, but I've been told they are super pricey and only okay from the few people I know that acually like Asain food.
Actually, Mexican/texmex food is about the only thing I can think of that isn't well represented here. There's one pretty horrible chain restaurant and a couple of semi-decent places. The only good one I know of has lines out the door nearly every night, so I've never been. All different types of Asian food on the other hand, are everywhere. Turkish and middle eastern food is getting really popular at the moment as well.
If I were willing to go into the city (Chicago is only about 25 miles away) I'd find a lot more variety, but I'm pretty well uninterested in going there (Suburban kid 4 life!) but I have noticed a few middle eastern places popping up that I've been dying to try. In my mom's town (about 15 mins away) there's a bunch of really great Indian and Pakistani places. It's weird how populations congregate.
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This is my new bento box and a sneak peek at today's lunch! It's on the lighter side - under 400 calories - because it's date night tonight! My husband and I are heading to a steakhouse and then we are going to see Kinky Boots. Super excited!!!
Chicken and vegetable gyoza from Trader Joe's; kale and spinach bites also from Trader Joe's; boiled egg; tomato; pineapple. Not pictured is a tiny little fish-shaped squeeze bottle of soy sauce. I forgot to put it in the box before I snapped a photo.0 -
One day later, here's my bento! Top tier, pork, vegetable and black mushroom gyoza and a green tea chocolate "thing" (dunno what it is the package is in Japanese), top tier edamame, rice with furikake seasoning and stir fried sugar snap peas. Total haul 514 cals.
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Ha! Just noticed my ceiling light is burned out
@Narcissora I've not seen the Trader Joe's gyoza, I'm going to have to check next time I'm there, I love their stuff, and your bento looks tasty, the box is adorable!0 -
So, as stated before, the small tier is the same as yesterday: apple slices, grapes, almonds, and gruyere. The big tier is chicken, mixed veggies, and rice. The big tier is messier than usual b/c I took the picture after nuking it, and so I'd already tossed around the food a bit to make sure it all heated evenly.
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Everyone's bentos are looking so delish! It's food porn for my eyes on my morning train ride.
Today's bento has pretty much everything for my day except dinner and my copious amounts of coffee. An instant oats pot ( impulse shopping ftw), laughing cow cheese & crackers thing, strawberries & a protein bar are the extras.
The main tier is rice with furikake and umeboshi, veg (broccoli, brussel sprouts, snow peas, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum) and a delicious slab of fresh salmon grilled with some yuzu green pepper paste rubbed into it. Fish is stupidly overpriced here, so fresh salmon is a rare purchase. Total Cals for the main tier is about 520.
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I saw this thread and said to myself, 'I've always wanted to do a bento to control my eating!' Honestly, I've been kind of scared to do so! I have no clue where to start or what bento container to buy!
I would love to start, any tips and tricks for a person who wants to start?0 -
srschaffer1 wrote: »I saw this thread and said to myself, 'I've always wanted to do a bento to control my eating!' Honestly, I've been kind of scared to do so! I have no clue where to start or what bento container to buy!
I would love to start, any tips and tricks for a person who wants to start?
I didn't photo mine today- just a sammich, apples, grapes and some cheese. But basically you can start off in ziplock containers. You can get real bento boxes (I love mine) at an Asian grocery store- generally I pick up mine from the Korean store not too far away. Also you can find boxes at your local grocery store. Some people special make food for their lunches that they freeze ahead. Some people just put in left overs. I'm no expert. But it's been fun and it keeps me from going through a drive through on a busy day.0 -
@srschaffer1 A lot of people here mention a site called Just Bento (I googled it and found it the other day). I thought that site was very helpful, especially since her focus is on getting it packed right and pretty in 30 minutes or less.0
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@kramrn77 The nearest local Asian grocer is downtown. I do shop Amazon however so if you srr any on there if you could post the link that'd be great! I find that the containers I have seen at the normal grocery store are just too big to fit in my lunch bag. Also, I had already bought the book Just Bento a while back I just loaned it out. I can surely get it back.
@kinmoratree ^. I'm thinking the prep time will start to help me get on track as well.0 -
@mangrothian You should turn this into a Bento group so people can share their pictures of their bentos and talk about them!0
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Ugh, late night last night. I put together something I can much on little by little today when and if I feel like eating.
Hangover bento: kale and spinach balls; mukimame; peas; almonds; babybel light; bananas with Greek yogurt and cinnamon; pineapple; unsweetened applesauce; ibuprofen0 -
Amazon has a lot of stuff. I like the justBento site as well- I need to look into getting the book! We have a Container Store near by. That place is lethal! So I try to avoid it. But it does have some neat boxes that I am dying to get.
I personally like the metal boxes, but there are a lot of super cute boxes out there.0 -
@kramrn77 I'm going to end up looking on Amazob later so I can see whats available.0
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I spent a good four hours studying tonight since my night classes start up again this week. My wind down before going to bed was making my bento more prettified than normal. My mum always said not to play with my food, but I'm a grown up now and I'll bloody well do it if I want to ^_^
Friday's Bento: chicken mini dumplings with veg, a boiled egg and rice with shiso furikake, mirin, and an umeboshi. Totalling a whopping 415 Cal, and I had to squish the lid down hard (it's still a 500ml box like I normally use). There's also a container of strawberries and some yoghurt with frozen raspberries there. Excuse the crappy photo tonight, my iPhone was flat, and my old iPad tried its hardest.
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Narcissora wrote: »
Hangover bento: kale and spinach balls; mukimame; peas; almonds; babybel light; bananas with Greek yogurt and cinnamon; pineapple; unsweetened applesauce; ibuprofen
Giggles at Hangover bento. No bento for me today, long unexpected night last night.
@srschaffer1 I got nearly all of my stuff on Amazon (the rest from Aliexpress and Jlist). The only thing that's tough is a lot of times they don't list the size of the box so I've gotten surprised a few times. Just go to Amazon and search Bento, you'll find tons of stuff.
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@SpecialKitty7 Thanks. When I get on my lunch I'm going to look.0
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Here is mine for today:
First layer: Black plum, Blueberries, strawberries, almonds, broccoli, tomato, green chile pork sausage.
Bottom layer: Radish, mushrooms, kale salad with sunflower seeds, mushrooms, goat cheese and egg flowers. Served with honey mustard dressing.
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Narcissora wrote: »This is my new bento box and a sneak peek at today's lunch! It's on the lighter side - under 400 calories - because it's date night tonight! My husband and I are heading to a steakhouse and then we are going to see Kinky Boots. Super excited!!!
Chicken and vegetable gyoza from Trader Joe's; kale and spinach bites also from Trader Joe's; boiled egg; tomato; pineapple. Not pictured is a tiny little fish-shaped squeeze bottle of soy sauce. I forgot to put it in the box before I snapped a photo.
We have the same box! (Different lid but the same box!) Very nice! I love the little dividers that come with them; they make it so easy to portion everything. Where did you get the little blue rectangular cup you have?0 -
We have the same box! (Different lid but the same box!) Very nice! I love the little dividers that come with them; they make it so easy to portion everything. Where did you get the little blue rectangular cup you have?
I like the little dividers too! I used them in today's bento. Did you get a weird curvy divider? Do you know what it is for?
The blue cup is a square silicon cupcake liner (I have green cups too). I can't remember where I found them, but I'm pretty sure these on Amazon are the same ones: http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Square-Silicone-Baking-Count/dp/B000NBNHHE0
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