Using Bento Boxes for lunches.
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Ok, apparently my phone DID take a picture yesterday but the computer didn't want to recognize it? And today it does? Whatever, here's yesterday's bento: onigiri, shrimp, fish-shaped boiled egg, edamame, and fruit
And here's today's, which is very similar yesterday's, just more edamame and fruit in place of the shrimp, and the boiled egg is a star instead of a fish
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I love your shaped boiled eggs. I'm thinking of getting a set of egg moulds.0
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Smushyypanda wrote: »I have wanted to do this for ages and I'm just getting into it.
I've done a bit of research but wondered if people wouldn't mind just clarifying a few things.
Do you tend to freeze rice or cook it in the morning?
If you freeze the rice do you just reheat it in the microwave in the morning?
Do you store your bento in the fridge at work or at room temperature (in regards to rice) and then do you eat it at room temperature or fridge cold (since I assume if you reheated frozen rice you can't reheat it again at lunch?
I'm sure these are silly questions but I just wanted some clarity.
Not silly!
I freeze the rice in 1 cup gladware containers, then microwave it in the morning.
Room temp (it sits on my back credenza all morning), I then eat it at room temp. But, to be honest, I did that before bentoing. You can actually re-heat it again, but many of the fancy boxes don't take well to the microwave. If I heat the rice in the morning and pack it after it cools, I find that it's fine at lunchtime.
One thing though, is to find a rice you like after it's been sitting around. I love California short grain "sushi" rice and jasmine rice at room temp. I don't like basmati rice after it's sat around, but I will eat it when it's fresh and hot.0 -
i sometimes pack a heated thing in a silicone cup and then take just that out and heat it in the microwave at lunch.
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or pack everything not heating in silicone cup and heat up my glass dish or sometimes i will use my lid.0
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none today - could not figure how to pack it - apple , tuna pouch and a applesauce
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I finally have a bento again and remembered a photo!!
It's actually for tomorrow but I was so excited about remembering that I decided to post it tonight:
In the cup is just some poor person ramen, the main sections are leftover baked chicken that I shredded a bit and then some peas, carrots, and mushrooms, then two nectarines and a protein shake if I need it. This is around 1000 calories (it's in my food diary already if anyone wants to look, I estimated high on the chicken because my scale is on the fritz) because my daily goal is 1800 and this is enough food to last me all day until dinner at the minimum, I may not even be hungry for dinner after all this.
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Here is today's lunch - a salad of tomato, cucumber, spring onions and mature cheddar with assorted crackers (the little ones on top are fancy seaweed flavoured ones), grapes, a banana, sultana cake and yoghurt with blueberry jam. As you can see, I may be inspired by Japanese lunch packing, but my lunches are not Japanese at all!
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I thought you might like to see what one of these looks like closed up. The paper cake cases are there to stop things rattling about and leaving smears on the inside of the box, which look grotty and put me off my food, but I also like how pretty they make it look when it's closed up. Like a birthday present!
(don't panic about the upside down yoghurt, it has a lid).
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SpecialKitty7 wrote: »Smushyypanda wrote: »I have wanted to do this for ages and I'm just getting into it.
I've done a bit of research but wondered if people wouldn't mind just clarifying a few things.
Do you tend to freeze rice or cook it in the morning?
If you freeze the rice do you just reheat it in the microwave in the morning?
Do you store your bento in the fridge at work or at room temperature (in regards to rice) and then do you eat it at room temperature or fridge cold (since I assume if you reheated frozen rice you can't reheat it again at lunch?
I'm sure these are silly questions but I just wanted some clarity.
Not silly!
I freeze the rice in 1 cup gladware containers, then microwave it in the morning.
Room temp (it sits on my back credenza all morning), I then eat it at room temp. But, to be honest, I did that before bentoing. You can actually re-heat it again, but many of the fancy boxes don't take well to the microwave. If I heat the rice in the morning and pack it after it cools, I find that it's fine at lunchtime.
One thing though, is to find a rice you like after it's been sitting around. I love California short grain "sushi" rice and jasmine rice at room temp. I don't like basmati rice after it's sat around, but I will eat it when it's fresh and hot.
All of this. I weigh mine into 120g lots and freeze them in ziplock bag whilst the rice is still hot, then microwave it for 2 minutes to defrost. If I make my bento the night before, it's in the fridge overnight, then goes into a coolerbag and sits on my desk until lunchtime. If it's made in the morning, it just goes straight into the cooler bag and sits on my desk again.
I use koshihikari rice, which is similar to the California shortgrain rice. I prefer it to Jasmine because it's texture isn't as sticky. Basmati in a bento is always dry. Arborio rice (risotto rice) has a weird texture to me when left in a bento.2 -
Today's bento, which is again very similar to my last 2: onigiri, shrimp, edamame, and fruit
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@PixieGoddess Your bentos always look so delicious!!
I did take a bento again today but I didn't take a picture because it's literally the exact same thing as yesterday which I already posted except that I have one nectarine, not two, because I only ate one yesterday.
ETA: And I was right, after all that food yesterday, I wasn't hungry for dinner. I made something light for dinner (tuna salad and green beans) and didn't even eat half of it. 0 -
ivygirl1937 wrote: »@PixieGoddess Your bentos always look so delicious!!
Aww, thank you! I try.1 -
found a cheesy smile sandwich cutter - can't wait to try... next peanut butter sandwich....
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found a minnie mouse sandwich cutter too.. oh boy what fun.1
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Bahahah, another confirmed addict amongst us.found a minnie mouse sandwich cutter too.. oh boy what fun.
I actually made a bento and remembered to take a picture! Basic one; roasted carrot and orzo salad which i mixed some frozen spinach through and sprinkled some feta on. The other tray is some mini chicken dumplings with steams cabbage with a sesame chilli salt sprinkled over the top. The biscuits are Arnotts Marie's, which are awesome with your morning coffee.
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dumplings look cute0
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Hi there! *waves enthusiastically!* I just skimmed through the last 40 pages of comments because I couldn't wait to meet you all. I bought a bento box ages ago and never really used it. I just bought a couple bento style lunch boxes from Walmart recently and I think I'll go fill one up for tomorrow's lunch so I can post a picture. My name is Nicole, or Aleryan which is actually my Dungeon and Dragon's character's name. I think I'll fit in well here.
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Hooray! Another bentoer! Welcome1
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Hi there! *waves enthusiastically!* I just skimmed through the last 40 pages of comments because I couldn't wait to meet you all. I bought a bento box ages ago and never really used it. I just bought a couple bento style lunch boxes from Walmart recently and I think I'll go fill one up for tomorrow's lunch so I can post a picture. My name is Nicole, or Aleryan which is actually my Dungeon and Dragon's character's name. I think I'll fit in well here.
Just popping out of semi-lurkdom to say: Yey for D&D! And welcome.
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Yay for d&d! My name is my old WoW raiding character name, although I haven't played for quite a few years now.
Yesterday's bento: marinated chicken pieces with veg, umeboshi and rice. Today's isn't picture worthy being leftover pasta with a sprinkle of feta.
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Made some homemade sushi last Friday....
Smoked salmon & cream cheese rolls with a marinated egg and salad!
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I didn't mean to take so long to post a pic of my bento. I have pork and vegetables potstickers, ponzu sauce, 3 dates, spinach walnut salad with French dressing, teriyaki chicken, and a piece of sharp white cheddar. I won't be able to make another till next week as my kids are on summer vacation and they ate all my yummy stuff. Lol.
Here's a picture of my bento put together.
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I'm going grocery shopping todaytoday and I hope to go to the asian grocery this weekendweekend. Any recommendations for my bento?0
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I have a couple of bento boxes that I occasionally use for work. I like putting them together as much as eating them. I feel like a little kid for some reason.1
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Tbls. of Peanut Butter and sliced apple works. Baby carrots and hummus works too. string cheese, hard boiled eggs, olives, grapes, muffin, egg muffin, cooked collard greens or spinach. zucchini strips with celery sticks. I have found a lot of small packaged items that are clean eating, no sugar, low sodium and none of those extra preservatives.1
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I took the dog dish and feed bag references to mean do whatever motivates you to keep going. I will! And these packed lunches are gorgeous. They could win America's Top Lunch Models.2
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I'm going grocery shopping todaytoday and I hope to go to the asian grocery this weekendweekend. Any recommendations for my bento?
I'd say anything that can sit around until lunch without needing refrigeration. I like blanched veggies, edamame, hard boiled eggs, fruits, dumplings, etc. My last trip to the asian grocery resulted in a bunch of new foods to try and I mostly had to look up how to use some of the foods.I have a couple of bento boxes that I occasionally use for work. I like putting them together as much as eating them. I feel like a little kid for some reason.
Me too! Although that may be the Hello Kitty bento box talking >.>2
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