Using Bento Boxes for lunches.
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mangrothian wrote: »LilSweet2015 wrote: »My office is in an organic grocery store (not Whole Paycheck
)so I can literally just eat all day if I want (mixed blessing). Since I joined mfp I'm sticking to what I pack for lunch plus I have a stash of healthy bars like you suggested. I do 4 meals of about 400 calories each - I eat between 1600-1800 calories per day. I don't eat back exercise calories or the calories my Fitbit gives me back. I know some people eat much less, but my work and performance suffer when I drop to 1200 calories. I'm okay with going slow and steady.
About a week ago, I just lost the taste for meat. I don't know how to describe it, except that I was eating some yummy stuff off the grill and it just tasted "dead" to me. I just didn't enjoy it, which is strange because I've been a joyful meat eater all my life. Maybe it's just a phase. I'm not digging dairy right now either, but I didn't want to waste my cottage cheese so I dumped a bunch of pineapple on it. I have noticed in the past week that I stopped eating meat, I haven't had even one sugar craving. Fruit has been enough for once. No ice cream, no chocolate, no cookies - nada. Weird, huh?
I think the body just wants what it wants - it's good that you're listening to it. Because of my exercise goals, I don't think I could eat the amount of non-animal protein I would need to meet my requirements. It's probably the only thing I truly struggle with when it comes to bentos; getting as much protein someone as tall as me needs (since my LBM is quite high), whilst trying to eat the smaller volume lunches is hard sometimes.
I struggle with that as well. If I want to put more protein-rich food in my box I tend to crowd out veggies or fruit which makes me a rather sad panda. Today's box isn't bad but I've also been trying to put another protein on top of my salad. Once it gets cold I foresee salads disappearing and denser cooked/blanched veggies taking their place. That might make it a bit more roomy for proteins.
I got the bigger box to help with this problem but I just end up full before finishing that box. It seems like I must choose between protein and veggies which is just strange from a nutrition standpoint. Meh...0 -
Narcissora wrote: »aSearch4Me wrote: »@Narcissora Great, the ratios above will help get me started! Thank you!! Adding the lime juice is a smart idea, nothing worse than opening your lunch to find an oxidized/brown avocado. Blech.
Haha, I'm not from Buffalo, but I don't refer to Franks as Buffalo sauce, either. For this recipe, I would probably use the Mexican hot sauce, Cholula, that I buy in bulk at Costco (I could seriously drink that stuff...love it).
Ahhhh, ok. Frank's is what everyone here uses on wings. I just assumed the world called it Buffalo sauce or something. We just refer to it as hot sauce. Sort of like wings - we call them just wings or hot wings, medium wings, mild wings, etc. We would never call them Buffalo wings. On a similar note, I always wonder if people in Philadelphia call a Philly cheesesteak just a "cheesesteak" or if they keep the "Philly" on it.
Yeah, we call it Frank's here too.
I've been to Philly, and they just call it "cheesesteak" and it's Amazing! We found this hole in the wall place that was under a parking garage or something. There was no one in there, and we (pack of idiots we are) told them we're from Chicago and had never had a "real" Philly Cheesesteak. The owner made our food himself, and didn't even charge us for them as he was thrilled we came in hunt of the "good stuff". He said he made them the way a Real Philadelphian would, I have no idea if they were, but they were fantastic.
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alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Our first serious bentoing man? Your food looks incredible
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alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Can you come cook for me for....at least a few years? Those look so nummy!! #_#0 -
SpecialKitty7 wrote: »alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Our first serious bentoing man? Your food looks incredible
Cheers. They are pretty quick to be honest and damn tasty. Need to get stuck back in them next week, been a bit lazy of late haha
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PixieGoddess wrote: »alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Can you come cook for me for....at least a few years? Those look so nummy!! #_#
Cheers. It'll cost you haha.0 -
SpecialKitty7 wrote: »alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Our first serious bentoing man? Your food looks incredible
Bahaha, I'm glad I'm not the one who made that comment.
@alantaylor1985 the boxes look aweosme and seriously delish.. I love the traditional style of box, but find them too bulky to deal with taking them to work on a dialy basis. I'm assuming you drive in?0 -
Lunch or maybe dinner for tomorrow - Rice with scallions and a touch of Ssamjang, mushrooms, & miso ball (will heat these together in the microwave), sesame marinated asparagus, spinach salad - not pictured sesame dressing for the salad. A little low on protein, but the day should balance fine.
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Lunch or maybe dinner for tomorrow - Rice with scallions and a touch of Ssamjang, mushrooms, & miso ball (will heat these together in the microwave), sesame marinated asparagus, spinach salad - not pictured sesame dressing for the salad. A little low on protein, but the day should balance fine.
looks yum! Ssamjang is a mixed spice paste isn't it?
I have an unagi bento today! Marinated eel is kinda expensive, so I don't buy it very often, but I splurged when I last went to the supermarket. The additionals: rice with wasabi furikake, marinated eggs (I left them in the fridge an extra day, and it went black >.<), and veg.
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@mangrothian the yolk on that egg looks perfect & delicious! (No matter what color the outside is... Lol)
My Thursday lunch bento: spinach, olive oil (bottle), raspberry balsamic (fish), dried fig, brie, & bacon for the spinach, & a side of tamago.
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aSearch4Me wrote: »@mangrothian the yolk on that egg looks perfect & delicious! (No matter what color the outside is... Lol)
My Thursday lunch bento: spinach, olive oil (bottle), raspberry balsamic (fish), dried fig, brie, & bacon for the spinach, & a side of tamago.
I love your box! It is sooooo cute! How do ypu get your tamago so perfect?? 0 -
I feel like my bento today needs quite a bit of explaining. My office is catering Salsarita's (Mexican food) late this afternoon for a co-worker's baby shower, and I just can't help myself - I am going to PIG OUT. But to top that off, I am completely un-hungry for breakfast this morning. I decided at the last minute that it would be a good idea to bring something to graze on throughout the morning instead of just eating one big meal around lunchtime.
My continental breakfast bento includes Trader Joe's Multigrain O's cereal topped with gummy vitamins (I take two vitamins every morning, and the only reason for the unusual garnish is that they have to be taken with food, and I haven't eaten yet... I normally don't garnish my cereal with vitamins... Or candy...), raisin bran muffin, strawberries.
My super light lunch to save room for ridiculous amount of tacos, nacho cheese, and guacamole is just a small salad with avocado and tomato.
I'm not too worried about the lack of protein in this bento because... Tacos... It will balance out in the end.
Edit: yes, I will be eating the cereal without milk and with my fingers like a toddler would. Don't judge
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@madiao Thank you re: the box, it's one of my favorites (it has a matching carrying bag too...cuteness overload)! Regarding the tamago: I honestly have no clue. lol. Beginners luck? This was my 3rd time making it. If I had known one of my favorite things at sushi restaurants was basically made with ingredients I already regularly stock in my fridge or pantry, I would have started making it years ago! lol The only thing I think *might* be different, is that I use a really heavy-duty nonstick pan that doesn't need oil, it works awesomely for all sorts of eggs, and I cook it slowly over medium heat. The only other thing I might do differently, is that I pass the beaten egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve before cooking, to get out any stringy bits from the eggs (just habit from working with other custard'y things in the past). I think that makes it stick to itself better without the lumpy bits?
@Narcissora Topping cereal with candy is the American tradition of kids cereal, i.e. Lucky Charms. lol Those vita-gummies are probably more healthful than mallow bits. And I eat all of my cereal without milk too...so I think cereal in a bento sounds amazing!0 -
@Narcissora @aSearch4Me I second the dry cereal thing. I generally eat my cereal without milk. Putting milk in it just mooshes the flavors together and makes everything soggy. Never considered putting it in a bento though...0
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@mangrothian Ssamjang is a fermented soybean and chili paste (that often has other ingredients and other spices). Apparently, saying "ssamjang" is about as useful as saying "curry" since there are many different versions ranging from sweet and mild to salty and very hot, from a thin almost liquid paste to a thick almost solid paste. The one I got from my Asian grocery is thick and slightly spicy.
While traditionally used in Korean cuisine as a condiment for meat, I've been using a small amount in my miso to counteract the fact that I'm making it with water rather than broth and in other recipes that call for chili/garlic sauce to moderate the spice level.0 -
Where does that adorable fox bento come from? All these bentos are looking gorgeous today. I'm eating yesterday's bento today because I went home sick and didn't eat lunch at work yesterday.0
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@LilSweet2015 I think they are actually red pandas but they do look very fox-like, and it is one of the Monbento boxes. I snagged it in a sale they had on their website a few months back. It's a little bigger than my other boxes, but I love it. I smile every time I see it, lol.
[editing to add] I hope you feel better today!0 -
Here's today's bento. Rice with smoked sesame seeds, straw mushrooms, shrimp and edamae. All in my new box, and since it came with chopsticks, I'm going to give them a go again. This ought to be entertaining.
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Decided to bring soup today so here is my modular bentoish lunch (which is apparently floating upside-down):
Italian potato soup, salad with spring mix, tomato, ham and romano cheese, coffee yogurt. Served with ranch dressing I swipe from the cafeteria (it's cool, I work in food services ). 0 -
Ainesilver wrote: »While I do own a Bento, I never really used it. I do use a website to get ideas on things to make to eat and it has some interesting Bento ideas. Here is the link to some of her Bento ideas: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/59118514268/paleo-lunchbox-roundup
I've never seen this website before! Thanks!0 -
mangrothian wrote: »SpecialKitty7 wrote: »alantaylor1985 wrote: »Been using Bentos occasionally for both lunches and mains with a lot of Japanese inspired food. I bought a few Bento related and Japanese food related books. Not done any for a few days though
Our first serious bentoing man? Your food looks incredible
Bahaha, I'm glad I'm not the one who made that comment.
@alantaylor1985 the boxes look aweosme and seriously delish.. I love the traditional style of box, but find them too bulky to deal with taking them to work on a dialy basis. I'm assuming you drive in?
Yep. They are quite bulky. Plan on buying something a bit smaller for transportation though. Preferably something with a seal.
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@aSearch4Me I never thought of straining the egg before, definitely going to give that a try!
I thought the pictures on your bento were foxes too haha.
Bento for today, rice w furikake, chicken with teriyaki sauce, pickled cucumber, kimchi, tomatoes and lettuce
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Today's bento: rotisserie chicken, large elbow mac (I think there's a little shredded cheese left somewhere in there...), and mixed vegetables with a side salad
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No bento for me today as I have the day off. Woot! So needed it after not having a break for 11 days. Enjoy your boxes friends 0
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We are headed to a nature park for some hiking today, so I packed us some picnic bentos! [ It will be the hubster's first bento]. I went with a charcuterie board themed bento. Mine is on the right and is lower-carb (ie white bean crackers and extra nuts instead of standard crackers and dried fruit).
Contents: Top tier- carrot sticks & crackers. Bottom tier- prosciutto, good parmesan, dried fig and apricots (his), macadamia nuts, maple-glazed pecans, brie, Delaware fireball salame, and instead of a traditional mustard, I put in some Thai curry hummus.. Not super healthy, but within our calorie perimeter for the day. Can't wait to dig in after our hike!!
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Narcissora wrote: »Not really bento, but you guys inspired me... I made homemade miso ramen for dinner!
mmmmm, raaaaaaaaamen. nom nom nom I should put pictures of my okayu on here when I make it come to think of it.0 -
I stir fried the leftovers for a bento today... And I threw it in Tupperware instead of a bento box. Classy
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Today's bentos:
Layer one: chipotle chicken roll ups and dilled egg salad
Layer two: Celery sticks with a spring greens salad containing bell pepper from my garden and red onion
Stacked pocket monster bento: all three layers have cherries because cherries are awesome! Super cherry bento! Bwahahahaha!
Happy Monday!0
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