Using Bento Boxes for lunches.

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Replies

  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    How do the scrambled eggs hold up? I would have thought that they'd dry out and go rubbery.
  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
    Nope. They hold up really well- I scramble two eggs without milk or other fillers mixed with diced ham and a small amount of shredded cheddar and pop it into the bento warm. I usually have a systema container of salsa to mix in when I eat it, and so far it's worked well every time. It might go manky if you do it ahead of time and put it in the fridge, though.
  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
    odh3j8n0kjmc.jpg
    The lunch bento is scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, salsa for the eggs, 1/2c blueberries and some strawberries for color. The other is a grapefruit and an orange. The lunch is 394 calories and the fruit snack is 194.

    Not exactly pretty, but def yum!
  • LizN63
    LizN63 Posts: 129 Member
    edited March 2015
    I had my balsamic sesame chicken again, with rice, some crackers and babybel gouda and cheddar, and a boiled egg - so not picture worthy, although the egg did come out very nicely in the shape of a fish.

    I have to go and eat it in a corner of the break room though because it really smells.

    Looking at the above (which looks lovely), I really should have included more veggies/fruit... :|

    NB I'm not a food safety expert but be careful about packing warm eggs in a sealed container then keeping them til lunch. :)
  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
    I generally let them cool down before closing everything up.
  • LizN63
    LizN63 Posts: 129 Member
    OK that's cool. :)
  • franola12
    franola12 Posts: 45 Member
    I love the idea of these things and learning something helpful! <3
  • jessjess210
    jessjess210 Posts: 91 Member
    Ok nowhere near as picture or even post worthy on this amazing thread, but you all inspired me to start doing this for my VERY picky preschoolers lunch. Ordered just a few cutters and muffin liners for now. This was my very first attempt at a cute lunch...and guess what? He ate it all! Even cucumber which he won't touch. So now waiting on some bento lunch boxes to arrive in the mail so I can pack everything up nice and tight (and cute) Thank you all so much :)dggdjserzwwy.jpg
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    This is a super awesome thread. I purchased this one and have been enjoying it very much.

    The bottom is expandable. And middle stays cool.

    http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Gear-Ez-freeze®-Collapsible-Bento/dp/B00BSZJGII/ref=br_lf_m_1001084891_1_2_ttl?ie=UTF8&amp;s=kitchen&amp;pf_rd_p=1879404422&amp;pf_rd_s=center-3&amp;pf_rd_t=1401&amp;pf_rd_i=1001084891&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_r=0N6FFQYPHQXRJXPHHP0D
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
    @Steph38878 I have that one too, and it's great! Salad or something large in the bottom, and toppings or sides in the top, tons of room! And the freezer gel pack keeps everything cold for a long time even if you're not near a fridge.
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    Ok nowhere near as picture or even post worthy on this amazing thread, but you all inspired me to start doing this for my VERY picky preschoolers lunch. Ordered just a few cutters and muffin liners for now. This was my very first attempt at a cute lunch...and guess what? He ate it all! Even cucumber which he won't touch. So now waiting on some bento lunch boxes to arrive in the mail so I can pack everything up nice and tight (and cute) Thank you all so much :)

    Totally postworthy! Anything that gets a preschooler to eat when he's supposed to is a win!
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    SpecialKitty7 wrote: »
    Ok nowhere near as picture or even post worthy on this amazing thread, but you all inspired me to start doing this for my VERY picky preschoolers lunch. Ordered just a few cutters and muffin liners for now. This was my very first attempt at a cute lunch...and guess what? He ate it all! Even cucumber which he won't touch. So now waiting on some bento lunch boxes to arrive in the mail so I can pack everything up nice and tight (and cute) Thank you all so much :)

    Totally postworthy! Anything that gets a preschooler to eat when he's supposed to is a win!

    Totally. There are so many websites dedicated to children's Bento's as well, so you'll certainly never run out of ideas ^_^
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    kramrn77 wrote: »
    I generally let them cool down before closing everything up.

    That's a standard thing you should do for any bento. If you've cooked hot food, you should let it get to room temp before sealing it up to 1) prevent condensation from ruining (visually at least) your food and 2) preventing a higher chance of bacterial contamination.

    I didn't get a chance to post my today's bento last night (too much study and work, not enough time!), so I'll post it today! I was so hungry yesterday (totally an empty day), even though I had the same amount of food as I normally do. So I made a mega bento today to prevent me from gnawing my own arm off at 3:30 like I was tempted to do yesterday. I managed to fill up a 1.1L two tier bento with just lunch :s

    4lhs1egqxqqn.jpg

    My lunch tiers today have a double serving of rice (260grams), 2 cups of blanched vegetables, 6 pork and chive dumplings, pickles and pickled ginger, totalling just over 700cal. I've also packed 2 marinated boiled eggs (125cal), yoghurt with raspberries (160cal). I actually didn't take the cheeses with me today, but I did take an apple & oats chia pod with me for breakfast. It has a slightly odd texture, but tastes ok.

    I don't know if I'll eat it all, but I guess I'll find out.
  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    kramrn77 wrote: »
    The lunch bento is scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, salsa for the eggs, 1/2c blueberries and some strawberries for color. The other is a grapefruit and an orange. The lunch is 394 calories and the fruit snack is 194.

    Not exactly pretty, but def yum!

    Mmm those scrambled eggs look delicious!!
  • rentrikin
    rentrikin Posts: 104 Member
    I have been 'bento-ing' for years. I have several bento boxes as well as some divided boxes I got from walmart. I usually use leftovers from dinner, which is a huge money saver, as well as keeping some foods on hand just for my bento box.
  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    @rentrikin‌ what sort of things do you keep on hand just for bentos?
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    rentrikin wrote: »
    I have been 'bento-ing' for years. I have several bento boxes as well as some divided boxes I got from walmart. I usually use leftovers from dinner, which is a huge money saver, as well as keeping some foods on hand just for my bento box.

    Pictures or it didn't happen :p

  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    SpecialKitty7 wrote: »
    rentrikin wrote: »
    I have been 'bento-ing' for years. I have several bento boxes as well as some divided boxes I got from walmart. I usually use leftovers from dinner, which is a huge money saver, as well as keeping some foods on hand just for my bento box.

    Pictures or it didn't happen :p

    If that's the case, my meatballs in sauce, onigiri and veggies didn't happen. Nor did my home-made salsa, laughing cow cheese and salada biscuits. And that makes me sad.... :'(

    @madiao many of us here have bento-friendly stashes (at least I'm assuming many of us do), of some foods to make bentoing easier. In the freezer I keep rice, couscous, quinoa, protein portions (meatballs, chicken pieces, pork, fish) all pre-weighed and wrapped in clingfilm or in ziplock bags. For the fridgem individual snack items like laughing cow or babybel cheese, cherry tomatoes, work well. Cupboard staples can be rice seasonings, crackers, pretty much any dry goods that can be easily used in smaller portion sizes (and fit in your boxes!).
  • Janasse
    Janasse Posts: 18 Member
    I love this! I use to bento all the time but have slacked off and actually forgot that I own one! (Don't worry, I'll slap myself for you...) Now that I've been rebitten by the bento bug I shall have to cook tomorrow!
  • madiao
    madiao Posts: 119 Member
    @mangrothian‌ I have a small freezer stash too :smile: I'm just always curious to see if other people have different ideas in their bentos that I never thought of ^-^

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