Using Bento Boxes for lunches.
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mangrothian wrote: »madeleadele wrote: »Lunch for tomorrow!
Leftovers of ground turkey and vegetables with some guacamole on top of some spinach, with a poorly boiled egg, cheese stick, and snap pea crisps for snacks!
Snap pea crisps? Now that's new to me. And don't worry about the egg; most of mine are horribly peeled, but I put the nicest looking side to the surface for the picture
Snap pea crisps are 7 shades of amazing!
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mangrothian wrote: »Snap pea crisps? Now that's new to me. And don't worry about the egg; most of mine are horribly peeled, but I put the nicest looking side to the surface for the picture
I don't have a pot so I boiled it in the microwave...not the prettiest results haha
@SpecialKitty7 that's the brand I buy, too! One of my favorite snacks0 -
Next time I am at the store I'll grab a tub of vanilla yogurt. Thank you for the suggestion. I can eat the plain stuff, but it's a bit tart for my tastes. I might try it with honey some time.0
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madeleadele wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »Snap pea crisps? Now that's new to me. And don't worry about the egg; most of mine are horribly peeled, but I put the nicest looking side to the surface for the picture
I don't have a pot so I boiled it in the microwave...not the prettiest results haha
@SpecialKitty7 that's the brand I buy, too! One of my favorite snacks
I've just found out I can get snow pea crisps by some other brand here. They're flavoured with a whole range of crap (natural seafood flavouring? vitamin c? why?) which probably makes them taste nothing like snow peas at all...0 -
Thursday's bento. Salmon burger patties (new recipe I've tried that's totally delish!) on rice with veg, a marinated egg and a small pot of garlic aioli. About 630cal; its higher than normal but I need to last through until the end of my night class
The crab cakes post from earlier made me notice the recipe
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Today's bento:
Layer one: BBQ salmon with green beans, asparagus and smokey paprika garlic tartar sauce
Layer two: kale salad with mushrooms, carrots and avocado with pitted cherries. The avocado isn't pictured, I added it quickly this morning rather than last night when i made this
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mangrothian wrote: »Thursday's bento. Salmon burger patties (new recipe I've tried that's totally delish!) on rice with veg, a marinated egg and a small pot of garlic aioli. About 630cal; its higher than normal but I need to last through until the end of my night class
The crab cakes post from earlier made me notice the recipe
What's the salmon burger recipe? Those look delish!0 -
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My significant others lunch for today. Jasmine rice, french green beans, hard boiled egg, and lightly breaded chicken chunks. Plus the fruits. Mine was similar, I just couldn't get a pic of it.
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mangrothian wrote: »Thursday's bento. Salmon burger patties (new recipe I've tried that's totally delish!) on rice with veg, a marinated egg and a small pot of garlic aioli. About 630cal; its higher than normal but I need to last through until the end of my night class
The crab cakes post from earlier made me notice the recipe
How exactly do you marinate a boiled egg? That sounds awesome.0 -
MOAR ONIGIRI! And what's that hiding under the edamame, you ask? Why yes, it IS a leftover buffalo wing! More pear slices - starting to brown a little - and kiwi stars/pieces in the small tier
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madeleadele wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »Thursday's bento. Salmon burger patties (new recipe I've tried that's totally delish!) on rice with veg, a marinated egg and a small pot of garlic aioli. About 630cal; its higher than normal but I need to last through until the end of my night class
The crab cakes post from earlier made me notice the recipe
What's the salmon burger recipe? Those look delish!
Got the recipe through the mfp blog on burgers yesterday. The recipe is from a blog called 'Mantitlement' (I may have giggled a few times). Linky linky.
I replaced the parsley with dill (because parsley is the butt of all herbs to me) and splurged on red tinned salmon for the patties (they were on special). I'm sure normal pink salmon would be fine. Make sure the salmon is drained well otherwise the mix is soft and gooey, and if you want to do mini-patties (the recipe is for 4, I made 8 and they're still pretty big), maybe add an extra egg + a bit more panko for binding.LifeInTheBikeLane wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »Thursday's bento. Salmon burger patties (new recipe I've tried that's totally delish!) on rice with veg, a marinated egg and a small pot of garlic aioli. About 630cal; its higher than normal but I need to last through until the end of my night class
The crab cakes post from earlier made me notice the recipe
How exactly do you marinate a boiled egg? That sounds awesome.
Boil egg, peel off shell. Stick in a ziplock bag or a small container and top up with whatever your preferred mix of soy, black tea, miso, mirin, sake that you prefer. Here's a basic recipe. And here's another, even lazier one!0 -
This may sound silly, but you can use panko for binding things like burgers? I never even thought of that. What does it taste like (any different from normal bread crumbs)?mangrothian wrote: »0 -
I'm going to experiment for tomorrow's bento [which will be leftovers from tonight]. I'm making oyakodon, but I'm going to make enough to stuff some onigiri with the yummy chicken/egg combo! Let's hope it holds well enough together [using minimal nori], because that'll be just DELICIOUS. I need to order some veggie cutters, all those fruit and veg look delish on your pictures.0
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bunnyxhime wrote: »
This may sound silly, but you can use panko for binding things like burgers? I never even thought of that. What does it taste like (any different from normal bread crumbs)?mangrothian wrote: »
Panko is a breadcrumb that already has some fried qualities to it and has been seasoned. It can be used in place of any recipe that asks for breadcrumbs; I just think its a more popular ingredient to use at the moment.I'm going to experiment for tomorrow's bento [which will be leftovers from tonight]. I'm making oyakodon, but I'm going to make enough to stuff some onigiri with the yummy chicken/egg combo! Let's hope it holds well enough together [using minimal nori], because that'll be just DELICIOUS. I need to order some veggie cutters, all those fruit and veg look delish on your pictures.
As long as the rice layer of your onigiri isn't too thin it shouldn't break apart, providing that you add more of the egg than chicken mix. Oily fillings give your onigiri more chance to break apart.0 -
You're so knowledgeable (๑>◡<๑) thanks for the info!mangrothian wrote: »
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Onigiri is holding up well. Here is hoping it is super yummy tomorrow!0
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bunnyxhime wrote: »
You're so knowledgeable (๑>◡<๑) thanks for the info!mangrothian wrote: »
I guess it's what happens when you love food, and cooking it yourself. These days, its just more veg and lunches when before it was cupcakes and macarons.0 -
Well your love shows through your pics for sure (your fitting of foods in the bento always looks so nice)! Another question for you if you don't mind, do you prefer to heat up your bentos, eat at room temp, or cold?mangrothian wrote: »0 -
bunnyxhime wrote: »
Well your love shows through your pics for sure (your fitting of foods in the bento always looks so nice)! Another question for you if you don't mind, do you prefer to heat up your bentos, eat at room temp, or cold?mangrothian wrote: »
From a traditional standpoint, a bento should be designed to be eaten at room temperature (that's also the reason that most bento boxes aren't overly microwave friendly), which is why it's suggested that you don't have any rare meats, softboiled eggs, etc.
Personally, I plan 99% mine for room temperature, just because I'm lazy. I don't need to microwave it, nor do I need to put it in the fridge (I just dump my bento bag on my desk in the morning). On occasion I'll have curry rice or something similar in cold weather, and then I use a microwave safe click bowl.
The neat placement of veg in the box is actually strategic, with the exception of the one or two pieces I place on the surface of the box for the pretties. There are bits of brussell sprout keeping the salmon patties from moving about in the box, the sauce cup is placed on top of capsicum and surrounded by broccoli to stop it moving, and a similar scenario with the egg to stop it getting squished.
A much earlier poster in this thread (I can't remember when, and am not going through 60 pages of posts lol) showed the best way to see if your box is packed tightly and properly. If you're confident, stand your box on it's side without the lid on. If nothing falls out, it's packed properly. Pretty much means that if you had to jog to work/school/wherever, if you open your box when you get there, it'll look the same as when you packed it.
Once again, this doesn't apply to everyone. I tend to lean towards the more traditional Japanese recipes (just because it's what my tastebuds prefer), which work very well with room temp and tightly packed meals. I also use tiny boxes, so if I want enough food, I have to pack them properly.0 -
Mmmm all that onigiri makes me drool!
Tomorrows lunch is steamed salmon, rice, gyoza, carrot and broccoli. In the small yellow bottle is some dumpling sauce
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I like the sound of the strategic approach. Before I began doing research and merely saw bento (in real life but also a lot of anime lol), people would be pretty rough with the bento in their bags, and some boxes were unharmed (as if they carried it in their hands), others were pretty destroyed. So veggies and other items serving so many purposes in bento is neat to me!mangrothian wrote: »
I was reading an article and it brought up how many people eat their bentos at room temperature, including meats and the like, it's just so many people are used to things (at least in the US) being either very hot or very cold that they don't appreciate a meal can be good at room temperature. And I realized I was brought up with this same mindset. I am the cook in my house, and whenever I cook, one of my main concerns is starting dishes at different times to try and make them done around the same time and thus as hot as they can be. Now I'm wondering if that isn't as important.0 -
bunnyxhime wrote: »
I like the sound of the strategic approach. Before I began doing research and merely saw bento (in real life but also a lot of anime lol), people would be pretty rough with the bento in their bags, and some boxes were unharmed (as if they carried it in their hands), others were pretty destroyed. So veggies and other items serving so many purposes in bento is neat to me!mangrothian wrote: »
I was reading an article and it brought up how many people eat their bentos at room temperature, including meats and the like, it's just so many people are used to things (at least in the US) being either very hot or very cold that they don't appreciate a meal can be good at room temperature. And I realized I was brought up with this same mindset. I am the cook in my house, and whenever I cook, one of my main concerns is starting dishes at different times to try and make them done around the same time and thus as hot as they can be. Now I'm wondering if that isn't as important.
It depends on the food, its prep, and your personal preferences, which will be influenced by your culture to a degree. There are some foods I can eat at any temp (shrimp, hot dogs, and pizza come quickly to mind) but others that I can't stomach at the "wrong" temp, like chicken, couscous, or beef. Preparation also matters: rice prepared as onigiri or sushi-style I can eat at any temp; if it's cooked with spices and oil, it has to be hot for me to get it down. And personal preferences are huge too: my own mother can nom cold chicken like nothing (which I think is gross) but cannot stomach cold pizza. If you want to try bentos at room temperature, start with foods you know you'll eat without heating. A good line of thought is, "What would I take on a picnic/hike/boat?"0 -
Funnily enough, when I was putting the strap on one of my boxes tumbled to the floor! No spillage but ruined the semi-pretty
Squash and zucchini fritters with snap peas on a bed of spinach, tuna salad, and red pepper slices. Not pictured: quest bar and apple. All inclusive (the not pictured items) it comes to 753 calories, with the lunch portion being 487. A little heavier than I normally eat but I had a killer workout this morning (otherwise I would have nixed the quest bar).
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What a wonderful explanation/outlook on it! Thank you ^__^PixieGoddess wrote: »bunnyxhime wrote: »
I like the sound of the strategic approach. Before I began doing research and merely saw bento (in real life but also a lot of anime lol), people would be pretty rough with the bento in their bags, and some boxes were unharmed (as if they carried it in their hands), others were pretty destroyed. So veggies and other items serving so many purposes in bento is neat to me!mangrothian wrote: »
I was reading an article and it brought up how many people eat their bentos at room temperature, including meats and the like, it's just so many people are used to things (at least in the US) being either very hot or very cold that they don't appreciate a meal can be good at room temperature. And I realized I was brought up with this same mindset. I am the cook in my house, and whenever I cook, one of my main concerns is starting dishes at different times to try and make them done around the same time and thus as hot as they can be. Now I'm wondering if that isn't as important.
It depends on the food, its prep, and your personal preferences, which will be influenced by your culture to a degree. There are some foods I can eat at any temp (shrimp, hot dogs, and pizza come quickly to mind) but others that I can't stomach at the "wrong" temp, like chicken, couscous, or beef. Preparation also matters: rice prepared as onigiri or sushi-style I can eat at any temp; if it's cooked with spices and oil, it has to be hot for me to get it down. And personal preferences are huge too: my own mother can nom cold chicken like nothing (which I think is gross) but cannot stomach cold pizza. If you want to try bentos at room temperature, start with foods you know you'll eat without heating. A good line of thought is, "What would I take on a picnic/hike/boat?"
I really like the picnic style food idea as a beginner myself. I think I'll start there (since they are similar to normal lunches with sandwiches and stuff), and work my way around trying out different things to see which foods I enjoy that I can pack in my bento.0 -
Lunch today was chicken and sugar snap peas with soy sauce; steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots; cottage cheese; and a grilled onigiri roll. When I took everything out of the fridge today I noticed my onigiri was still a bit frozen, so I thought I would finally try out grilling one. It was so tasty, I think that will end up doing more often now. The nori did not want to stick, but I put it on anyways because the onigiri felt a little oily to the touch (even though I only used a little bit of cooking spray).
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Grilled onigiri sounds really good! I feel silly because I don't think of simple little changes like grilling onigiri instead of eating it plain although I make fried rice all the time >.<;PinkDeerBoy wrote: »0 -
Today's bento:
Layer one: Sushi! (ham, carrots, and basil goat cheese roll ups ) and blanched broccoli and carrots
Layer two: arugula and spinach salad with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and gorgonzola. Also pitted cherries and a coffee yogurt that is not pictured.0 -
Made my first attempt at a bento box today, even though I was eating at home. XD It all just looks so cute in the little box! I found it easy enough to fill the width and length of the box, but failed miserably at filling it to the top. That just seems like too much food in a 650ml box
Theres basmati rice, tuna with a soy sauce coating/glaze/idk, half an avocado, carrots (that really should have been blanched for longer, a quarter of an apple and some blueberries. Came out to 407 calories.0 -
I forgot to take a picture before I started eating, so there's just one lone little shrimp tucked in there next to the onigiri; I had more around the buffalo wings to keep them from moving. Salad in the small tier with balsamic vinaigrette (not pictured) for a total of 480 calories.
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