Using Bento Boxes for lunches.

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Replies

  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    I really want to post a Shokugeki no Soma gif of people tasting food so good that their clothing explodes off (tastefully of course), but I'm sure that wouldn't be good for people who look at this thread when they're at work. So instead, a gif of what I imagine said magical soboro would look like...
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    ETA I did leave the other gif attached at the bottom of the post though ;)

    Crunchyroll advertises that one I think every other commercial! I was thinking of watching it, then I saw the commercial, and I was like, hmm, not so sure on this one :blush:

    lol, when buying bento boxes, rarely does one stop at buying just two....

    .... you've had fair warning :D

    Two or 10, whatevs.

  • moribunny
    moribunny Posts: 417 Member
    It's a currently airing series (available on Crunchyroll as Food Wars!), but make sure you eat dinner whilst you watch it, or you'll start nibbling on your own fingers. Although you may end up spitting your food everywhere as well.
    Thanks for the advice o.o noms always look so delicious in anime.
  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
    I have a bento box or two at home, actually! I was pretty good about packing them for... a very short time. I liked how simple it made portion control, and you don't feel deprived when you're eating something pretty!

    My excuse has been "oh, I don't have time," which is... not entirely true. It's laziness... my boyfriend likes things like pizza and Chinese take-out (as do we all!) and immediately suggests eating out if I don't go out of my way to cook something myself :neutral:
  • Sandyslosenit
    Sandyslosenit Posts: 322 Member
    edited July 2015
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    My Bento for tomorrow ! Biscuits and some of the grapes for breakfast, 1st snack a cheese stick, lunch is Honey Chicken with fried Quinoa and sautéed veggies, 2nd snack sushi with the rest if the grapes. Plus a bottle of Kombucha. 950 cals.
    Side note : a few people at work have noticed the change in my lunches. One fella ask about it today , so I was explaining about how it helps me with portion control and slowing down while eating. Yup , he said he was going to get some boxes at the dollar tree when he got off work !!! Love it , lol ! I can't wait to see what he comes in with.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    edited July 2015
    No bento for me tomorrow. I have tomorrow and the next week off work. I have too much leave stored up, and get forced to take holidays where I'm not going anywhere =S
    I have a bento box or two at home, actually! I was pretty good about packing them for... a very short time. I liked how simple it made portion control, and you don't feel deprived when you're eating something pretty!

    My excuse has been "oh, I don't have time," which is... not entirely true. It's laziness... my boyfriend likes things like pizza and Chinese take-out (as do we all!) and immediately suggests eating out if I don't go out of my way to cook something myself :neutral:

    Same issue with my husband, but he's slowly learning that takeout isn't an option. In the end he can have takeout, you have home cooked. Make enough dinner for lunch the next day, and you kill two birds with one stone.
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    edited July 2015
    Side note : a few people at work have noticed the change in my lunches. One fella ask about it today , so I was explaining about how it helps me with portion control and slowing down while eating. Yup , he said he was going to get some boxes at the dollar tree when he got off work !!! Love it , lol ! I can't wait to see what he comes in with.

    Goood, goooood......
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  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    I am back with bento, yay!! I apologize if the picture is fuzzy - everything is still fuzzy to me, so I can't tell. Steak, mixed veggies, and rice, with a pickle and some trail mix. Still need to grocery shop, as my husband seems incapable of doing so, even when I'm recovering from surgery -_-
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  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    Lunch for today. Butternut squash stuffed with hamburger, brussel's sprouts and mushrooms along with some minute jasmine rice. Snack is a rice crunch and fruit/nut bar. Calories are about 650 and 29 grams of protein (I focus on protein often, like today since I lifted weights at the gym earlier). Plus, need lots of food for freight day.

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  • caroldavison332
    caroldavison332 Posts: 864 Member
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!

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  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 902 Member
    edited July 2015
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!

    Making your food look more scrumptious and appealing instead of just thrown and all jumbled together helps to whet the appetite... Making you feel more sated when you've eaten it. Versus, "Ohgod, why did I just eat that slop of leftovers... D: I need something to offset this weirdness".
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!
    I'm not sure where any of the pictures we have of our food insinuate the dog dish or feed bag reference. Honestly, I find it extremely insulting. If this thread ain't your thing, then please move along elsewhere and learn some manners ^_^

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  • Sandyslosenit
    Sandyslosenit Posts: 322 Member
    No Bento for today, tomorrow, or Sunday, I'm off !!!! WooHoo! BUT I'm going to miss my pack lunches, so we might go on a pic-nic Sunday, if we do I'll pack Bento style and post it.
  • LetrellC
    LetrellC Posts: 20 Member
    Love the Bento-style meals. Been making them for some 30 years. I created a Bento board on my pinterest account a while back. Seeing this thread has inspired me to take...cough cough...a few minutes to pin some more Bintos to my board.

    Y'all are welcome to visit, take, copy, repin, as many of them as you want...if you want any of them.

    Excellent thread. Thanks so much.

    And Carol....it's called....TUPPERWARE. And I do indeed enjoy it. I'm just sayin...... :D
  • Narcissora
    Narcissora Posts: 197 Member
    edited July 2015
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!

    Let's educate you on bento. It is a style of meal found commonly in Japan, and it has become popular in countries all over the world. In Japan, kids bring bento to school for lunch, and parents take classes on how to design and create elaborate bento for their children. You can also purchase prepared bento at stores. Here in the U.S., I often find bento lunches on menus as Japanese restaurants. They usually come in trays with separate compartments for different foods - a compartment for rice, one for protein, one for veggie, sometimes a dumpling or some sushi in another. I actually went out and bought a bento for lunch today - I'm regretting not taking a picture. It had a little compartment of kimchi in it - delicious!

    Those of us participating in this thread found the bento style to be inspiring. Some of us stick with traditional Japanese foods, some incorporate cuisine from our own country's traditions.

    And in the end, I find referring to the bento style as a "feed bag" or "dog dish" very insulting to not just me but to an entire nation's tradition. If nothing else, I hope this thread at least opens you up to traditions of a culture that you may not necessarily be very familiar with.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    *plots for purchases after rent is paid* hehehe

    Today's is just over 600 calories as I had my long jog this morning (4 miles) so have a little room to play with though about half of it is in the rice. Rice, pork slices, snow peas, a small container with a serving of artichoke/spinach hummus and korean rice cakes. I've wanted silicone liners for years so maybe one of these days I will actually buy them, though the paper grass cupcake liners are cute and I purchased them years ago but this is the first time I've used one.

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  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    @DawnEmbers your lunches look awesome! That pork looks so tasty!
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    edited August 2015
    Narcissora wrote: »
    That looks lovely! BUt if packing your lunch directly into a feed bag or dog dish motivate you to eat better-do it!

    Let's educate you on bento. It is a style of meal found commonly in Japan, and it has become popular in countries all over the world. In Japan, kids bring bento to school for lunch, and parents take classes on how to design and create elaborate bento for their children. You can also purchase prepared bento at stores. Here in the U.S., I often find bento lunches on menus as Japanese restaurants. They usually come in trays with separate compartments for different foods - a compartment for rice, one for protein, one for veggie, sometimes a dumpling or some sushi in another. I actually went out and bought a bento for lunch today - I'm regretting not taking a picture. It had a little compartment of kimchi in it - delicious!

    Those of us participating in this thread found the bento style to be inspiring. Some of us stick with traditional Japanese foods, some incorporate cuisine from our own country's traditions.

    And in the end, I find referring to the bento style as a "feed bag" or "dog dish" very insulting to not just me but to an entire nation's tradition. If nothing else, I hope this thread at least opens you up to traditions of a culture that you may not necessarily be very familiar with.

    I really like your explanation of what we're doing here!
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    @madiao - Thank you. The pork is actually from a grocery store deli. I only get it on occasion but it's nice to have and pretty decent for chain store deli food.
  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    @DawnEmbers it sure looks tasty! I wish delis around here sold food like that.

    Yay! First bento in a while, dumplings, rice and salad. So looking forward to chowing down on this tomorrow!

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  • amelialoveshersnacks
    amelialoveshersnacks Posts: 205 Member
    I been wanting a laptop lunchbox for some time, so I bought a 'sistema lunch cube - 1.4L' for $4.50 from my local supermarket (in Australia). I'm looking forward to using it in the summer months.

  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    @madiao - Nice one. The dumplings look great.

    More squash. Today is acorn stuffed squash on brown&wild rice with quinoa plus some rice crunch rolls. Tomorrow's is in the purple one since I work earlier than usual, which has acorn squash and the same rice. So, today I had to use my well worn tupperware. Just over 550 calories this time. Wish I could get the pictures a little smaller. Doesn't help the lighting in apartment is terrible too.

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  • Sandyslosenit
    Sandyslosenit Posts: 322 Member
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    Yummmmm, I can't wait till tomorrow ! Breakfast is a soy egg with sweet/heat feta fruit salad. 1st snack is 3 California rolls, lunch is stuff mini sweet peppers with qiunoa salad, 2nd snack is the 3 potstickers. Bottle of Kombucha. All for 770 cals.
  • Sandyslosenit
    Sandyslosenit Posts: 322 Member
    @DawnEmbers
    What are the crunchy rice rolls ? Is that something you made or bought? They look good !
  • piheart
    piheart Posts: 122 Member
    edited August 2015
    Been way too long since I've posted... bentoing for months and got too busy! Anyways, here's breakfast and lunch from yesterday:

    Sautéed spinach, hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt with pb, cinnamon, and honey, banana and strawberries (327 cal)

    Turkey and laughing cow roll-ups, mini caprese salad (only 100 cal!!), mini spinach-tomato-feta quiche, celery and some Caesar dressing in the container for dipping (392 cal)

    Happy bentoing everyone!!

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  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    @DawnEmbers
    What are the crunchy rice rolls ? Is that something you made or bought? They look good !

    I bought it from an asian grocery store that we have in the area. It's actually rather tasty. Reminds me of rice puff cereal that I had when I was younger as it has a very light sweetness to it. Most of the package isn't in English but it does give the name "rice crunch rolls" and calorie count. They are about 146 calories per serving, 2 servings in the bag and about 9/10 rolls total (10 but one was crushed so it's all at the bottom of the bag). So, less than 30 calories per roll.

    I don't know what is in the sweet/heat feta fruit salad but it looks delicious.
  • Sandyslosenit
    Sandyslosenit Posts: 322 Member
    DawnEmbers wrote: »
    I don't know what is in the sweet/heat feta fruit salad but it looks delicious.

    I take -a 4oz container of Sweet heat feta cheese, 1lbs of strawberries , two mangos, and 1lbs of grapes - mix all together an chill.
    The "Sweet Heat Feta" came from Aldi's. It's a special buy, they don't have it all the time, so when they do I stock up!
    The combination was a accident. I was mixing my fruit salad, while my husband was making a Greek pasta salad for dinner. As he was trying to open the inter plastic seal on the Feta container it slipped out of his hand, dumping in my fruit salad. We picked out what we could and I just left the rest. Once I had a few bites, it became my thing !!! Lol ! Love it, happy accident !
  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    Drooooool! Made home made tonkotsu tonight.. Really just wanted to share with someone cause it was amazing!

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  • Narcissora
    Narcissora Posts: 197 Member
    piheart wrote: »
    Been way too long since I've posted... bentoing for months and got too busy! Anyways, here's breakfast and lunch from yesterday:

    Sautéed spinach, hard boiled egg, Greek yogurt with pb, cinnamon, and honey, banana and strawberries (327 cal)

    Turkey and laughing cow roll-ups, mini caprese salad (only 100 cal!!), mini spinach-tomato-feta quiche, celery and some Caesar dressing in the container for dipping (392 cal)

    Happy bentoing everyone!!

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    I love the mini quiche! I'm totally going to make those when I can start bento-ing again.
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Today's Fun With Bentos! Box:

    Layer one: black grapes, strawberries and ranch dressing

    Layer two: Big salad (in my big 800 ml total box ;) ) of kale, arugula, cucumber, tomato, smoked gouda and roasted chicken

    I also have a lemon yogurt.