Using Bento Boxes for lunches.

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Replies

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    This was today's. Needed to finish the chicken and the orzo. I will try something different tomorrow.
  • HanamiDango
    HanamiDango Posts: 456 Member
    My hubby's little lunches, at least in bento boxes right? Leftover pasta, tomato sauce, meatballs, and broccoli with parm cheese. And followed by Beef barely soup. Got to use the leftovers.
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  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    I love this thread so much! I need a microwavable bento box. I have one that is a Sailor Moon design, but it's not microwavable and I don't like cold lunch. :-(
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!

    FEAR NOT!! We all started somewhere! Grab a tupperware dish and give it a shot! :)
  • moribunny
    moribunny Posts: 417 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!

    FEAR NOT!! We all started somewhere! Grab a tupperware dish and give it a shot! :)

    Exactly what Pixie said ^__^
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
    Ok so no cute lunchbox yet but I love this thread and have spent about 3 hours reading it all :p

    It's a leftovers day tomorrow mostly but there are some snacks too.

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    So in tub one we have pasta, roasted swede, aubergine, and courgette. Some left over roast chicken. I'm gonna be heating this box up in the microwave as the chicken has been in the fridge a few days.

    Tub two has a boiled egg, roasted red pepper from a jar, and a piece of cucumber which I didn't chop up because I'm lazy... In the little tub is my home made sweetcorn and red pepper relish.
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
    All you people who have dips and stuff in the cupcake holders, doesn't it just go everywhere when the box is in your bag on the way to work?
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    All you people who have dips and stuff in the cupcake holders, doesn't it just go everywhere when the box is in your bag on the way to work?

    If I have liquid stuff, I'll put it in a smaller container that closes. (If you look back at my last picture, you can see my salad dressing inside a Hello Kitty cup.) If it's something thicker that won't spill (ie, peanut butter, hummus) then I'll put it in a cupcake holder. I'll also use cupcake holders to separate foods from one another within the box (fruit, boiled egg, nuts, etc)
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    MissTattoo wrote: »
    I love this thread so much! I need a microwavable bento box. I have one that is a Sailor Moon design, but it's not microwavable and I don't like cold lunch. :-(

    There are quite a few - the Monbento boxes are microwavable without their lids on, as are the Bentgo brand.

    In my experience, most boxes are microwavable for gentle reheating of food to a consumable temperature, just not to get something extremely hot. It may not be true for every cheap box, but I've stuck my cheap Daiso ones in the microwave without issue if they're only going on a medium-low power for 30 seconds or so.
    All you people who have dips and stuff in the cupcake holders, doesn't it just go everywhere when the box is in your bag on the way to work?

    If I have liquid stuff, I'll put it in a smaller container that closes. (If you look back at my last picture, you can see my salad dressing inside a Hello Kitty cup.) If it's something thicker that won't spill (ie, peanut butter, hummus) then I'll put it in a cupcake holder. I'll also use cupcake holders to separate foods from one another within the box (fruit, boiled egg, nuts, etc)

    I use little 15ml sauce cups with lids for anything thats sorta thick and I'm not worried about massive leakage. For runny sauces like soy, I use a tiny sauce bottle then squirt the contents into the lid of my container for dipping (if it's gonna get washed anyway when I'm done, why not?)
  • stranger2310
    stranger2310 Posts: 28 Member
    edited January 2016
    I use a bento to take my lunch to uni in. I absolutely love it! I use a Monbento - two boxes that click together and can keep food separate and fresh with an air-tight seal. Sometimes I'll just put a sandwich and fruit in it, but it works with every kind of left-over; I love using it after making a Chinese meal: one box for rice, cucumber, whole tomatoes. Another box for leftover black bean chicken, stir-fried runner beans with chillies, etc.

    I don't tend to eat so much rice anymore, but I've attached some pictures I took a few months ago:

    It's a nice compact way of preparing food when travelling, studying, etc., and it can really help with portion control, too. I think it's also good for visibly seeing what you're eating. You can see where you carbs, proteins, and fats are in the way they're laid out, so it helps to compartmentalise the nutrients in a meal.
  • HanamiDango
    HanamiDango Posts: 456 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!
    My lunches are most all leftovers and nothing to write a blog over. Really, just make a simple way to not over feed the hubby, and a small tupperware works, like PixieGoddess said!
    All you people who have dips and stuff in the cupcake holders, doesn't it just go everywhere when the box is in your bag on the way to work?
    I have had that happen just once, and it was candy at that. Oops, but I over packed his lunch that day. Anything dry will go into a silicon cup, anything wet in a container with a lid.
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!

    It doesn't have to be fancy! Just try it and I bet you'll start coming up with creative ideas in no time!
    MissTattoo wrote: »
    I love this thread so much! I need a microwavable bento box. I have one that is a Sailor Moon design, but it's not microwavable and I don't like cold lunch. :-(

    OMG I WANT A SAILOR MOON BENTO!!! :joy:

    Systema has some decent, microwavable containers... they aren't as cute as the Japanese style bento boxes, but they're well designed.
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
    All you people who have dips and stuff in the cupcake holders, doesn't it just go everywhere when the box is in your bag on the way to work?

    I have some little containers with lids for sauces. If something is thick enough it usually is okay in a silicon cup if you keep the box upright. Greek yogurt + chia seeds = that yogurt isn't going anywhere! :smiley:
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!


    I agree with everyone else, it is no biggie. Take some food you like and put it in a box. You can fancy it up if you like or not. The point is to make your meal packing and eating time enjoyable and fun. If it feels like a stressful process, contemplate what is getting in the way of it being fun and eliminate that thing (perfectionism for instance-you're going to eat it, it doesn't need to be perfect! :smiley: ) There are lots of pictures on this thread for ideas but just focus on packing a meal you enjoy!
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
    bluefish86 wrote: »
    Athijade wrote: »
    I would love to try and do this, but it's a bit overwhelming. Everyone has such amazing looking boxes and I have no idea if I can do it as well!

    It doesn't have to be fancy! Just try it and I bet you'll start coming up with creative ideas in no time!
    MissTattoo wrote: »
    I love this thread so much! I need a microwavable bento box. I have one that is a Sailor Moon design, but it's not microwavable and I don't like cold lunch. :-(

    OMG I WANT A SAILOR MOON BENTO!!! :joy:

    YES!
  • dansacha
    dansacha Posts: 1 Member
    I love my bento!! www.lunchbots.com
  • HanamiDango
    HanamiDango Posts: 456 Member
    Another bento to add, chicken chili, 2 corn tortilla, and cheese. My lunch today is the same, minus the cheese, add green onions, and more chili than him. It comes out to 321 calories for the today and well the next few days. It is colder here, so warm food it is. Sorry my images are so big >.> 53bff527a21b7712a3ee729822a3ab9d.jpg
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    Leftover roast beast (yes, I'm 30 and still make Dr Seuss references), Star Wars mac-n-cheese (that's right, be jealous), and veggies, with a side salad


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    Leftover tortellini, bean and pea salad. Hummus and chopped veggies. Grapes and a dressing for the salad which was gross.
    No box tomorrow, I've a work thing
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
    Ok so first box was a great success, I feel like I messed up on the calorie calculation as I was so full I forced myself to finish off the snack box before I left so I didn't have to carry it home!

    For my second attempt I thought I would try and go a bit more authentic so there is sushi rice I seasoned with some Chinese vinegar (was going to add some nori but it was 3 years out of date and a bit manky, its been that long since I made sushi!) green beans seasoned with soy sauce, a salmon fishcake left over from dinner. In the snack box there is a soy sauce coated egg, carrot, cucumber, and plum tomatoes.

    I once again could not be bothered to chop, one day I will make it pretty!

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  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    I forgot to take a picture of my bento today; although the leftovers weren't really that nice to look at.

    I made Curry Doria for dinner last night, and had the leftovers today. If you remove the cheese they put on top of it, it's not a bad meal, calorically. Here's the recipe from Justonecookbook
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
    edited January 2016
    I forgot to take a picture of my bento today; although the leftovers weren't really that nice to look at.

    I made Curry Doria for dinner last night, and had the leftovers today. If you remove the cheese they put on top of it, it's not a bad meal, calorically. Here's the recipe from Justonecookbook

    I forgot to take a picture of my meal today as well. It was leftovers of meatloaf and zucchinis so not much to see anyway; It was in a box though! Have a great weekend all.
  • Livingdeadgirl44
    Livingdeadgirl44 Posts: 264 Member
    So I have a 4 hour train journey today so I packed myself a little box with two mini burger patties, blanched broccoli and peas, a soy egg, and cherry tomatoes. I had rice to go in it but forgot to put it in :( it's in the fridge so hopefully will be ok for dinner tomorrow.

    I do a lot of travel, both for work and pleasure. Train meals can be very unhealthy for me especially if it's a limo I'm really pleased to have discovered this way to take a decent mea with me.
  • akern1987
    akern1987 Posts: 288 Member
    Broke down and got my bento today, I just had to! Can't wait for it to get here-totally geeking out! :smiley:http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-R2-D2-Bento-Box/dp/B015AT2B98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452346364&sr=8-1&keywords=r2+d2+bento
  • LadyAhiru
    LadyAhiru Posts: 112 Member
    FINALLY! I finished my move, survived the hgolidays and realized i have a dig hair allergy (so i had to find a new home for my puppy) so since that was all very emotional i started to watching Anime again - which makes me want to do Bentos so bad again!!! SOOOOOON^^
  • 2POLARISS
    2POLARISS Posts: 7 Member
    This is fabulous! I really want to get into this! Do you have a recipe for your little meatballs etc? They look great. I will try that Bento site you linked and start Bentoing asap!

  • klove808
    klove808 Posts: 346 Member
    akern1987 wrote: »
    Broke down and got my bento today, I just had to! Can't wait for it to get here-totally geeking out! :smiley:http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-R2-D2-Bento-Box/dp/B015AT2B98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452346364&sr=8-1&keywords=r2+d2+bento

    Super awesome bento! I'm soooo excited for you.
  • nixology
    nixology Posts: 151 Member
    Made some bacon wrapped paneer, courgettes & berber-spiced French toast croutons for dinner and kept some leftovers for my bento tomorrow. Also made a dessert of chocolate biccies slathered with cream cheese & topped with Korean strawberries which I am also packing into Bearly Bento.

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  • Missisnotmyfirstname
    Missisnotmyfirstname Posts: 22 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Tomorrow's and Tuesday's.
    Vegetable potato croquettes (homemade), teriyaki chicken, chopped veg, hummus, Green Things Salad. Cheese, mini chorizo
    I have fruit and yoghurt too