Using Bento Boxes for lunches.
Replies
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Guilty as charged and unashamed.mangrothian wrote: »You want... more?
On that note, guess who ordered several more boxes and a couple of accessories just a bit ago?
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PixieGoddess wrote: »roast beast, rice, and roasted veggies, with a side salad
Now I'm curious to know what type of beast you roasted!
Cow. I always refer to "roast beef" as "roast beast" (Dr Seuss reference)
MOAR BENTOS! Today's and yesterday's bentos (and tomorrow's bento) have the same main container (rice with sesame seeds, shrimp, edamame) and then either apple or pear in the smaller container (with a Dove chocolate tucked in with the apples!)
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This thread is super long so I didn't read all the way through!
I've been hearing so much about bento and then found this thread.
Can anyone explain to me the difference between Bento and a normal packed lunch?
I always bring my lunch in plastic containers, I love the Sistema BPA-free boxes that seal completely so no "spilling" occurs in my bag haha.
But is Bento something specific? Does it have to be specific foods? I have a hard time understanding what makes it different than packing a normal lunch. I would usually pack either a sandwich or some dinner leftovers in one container, and then another container with, say, almonds or another small snack.
Sorry for my bad English hope someome can explain because it all looks very tasty, would love to learn the basic way of making a bento lunch! 3 -
Hello everyone! I've been lurking and enjoying all of your wonderful bentos.. thought it was time for me to share one of my own again, lame as they are.
Here's Friday's Lunch:
As always.. my stuff comes from cans and bags.
In the top tier:
Whole Leaf Spinach (Great Value- Canned)
Golden Sweet Corn (Great Value(No salt added) - Canned )
Salted Butter, One pat (for veggies)
Bottom Tier:
Chicken Marsala (Bird's Eye)
Calorie Total: 360
Not pictured are my snacks, which consisted of applesauce and cinnamon applesauce.2 -
ParadiseLost91 wrote: »This thread is super long so I didn't read all the way through!
I've been hearing so much about bento and then found this thread.
Can anyone explain to me the difference between Bento and a normal packed lunch?
I always bring my lunch in plastic containers, I love the Sistema BPA-free boxes that seal completely so no "spilling" occurs in my bag haha.
But is Bento something specific? Does it have to be specific foods? I have a hard time understanding what makes it different than packing a normal lunch. I would usually pack either a sandwich or some dinner leftovers in one container, and then another container with, say, almonds or another small snack.
Sorry for my bad English hope someome can explain because it all looks very tasty, would love to learn the basic way of making a bento lunch!
I'm sure there are many possible answers to this question, but perhaps this will help?
http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-basics/great-question-whats-difference-between-lunch-box-and-bento4 -
ParadiseLost91 wrote: »This thread is super long so I didn't read all the way through!
I've been hearing so much about bento and then found this thread.
Can anyone explain to me the difference between Bento and a normal packed lunch?
I always bring my lunch in plastic containers, I love the Sistema BPA-free boxes that seal completely so no "spilling" occurs in my bag haha.
But is Bento something specific? Does it have to be specific foods? I have a hard time understanding what makes it different than packing a normal lunch. I would usually pack either a sandwich or some dinner leftovers in one container, and then another container with, say, almonds or another small snack.
Sorry for my bad English hope someome can explain because it all looks very tasty, would love to learn the basic way of making a bento lunch!
The link that @SueSueDio is a good one to explain (poor Makiko who runs the site is going through chemo at the moment and had had major health issues the last few years, which is why the site hasn't been updated in some time).
The word bento (弁当) literally means boxed food. For the purpose of this thread, extend it to a way where you can eat with your eyes through a neatly presented lunch, a way to portion control with small sizes, and have a lunch that you look forward to eating so you're not tempted with the cafeteria.
And for some of us, it's to justify an addiction to collecting lunch boxes ...XD
I decided that my meal prep this week would be bentos. Although they're in normal containers because I can't bring myself to meal prep and put everything in boxes that look different to each other. It makes me feel like I'm short-changing a day of the week or something.
Korean slow cooker meatballs, rice and furikake (each day has a different flavour) with an umeboshi, with broccoli and cabbage as my veg. I'm excited that broccoli is finally getting cheap again. It's been as high as $8 per kg this Summer.2 -
Hello everyone! I've been lurking and enjoying all of your wonderful bentos.. thought it was time for me to share one of my own again, lame as they are.
As always.. my stuff comes from cans and bags.
In the top tier:
Whole Leaf Spinach (Great Value- Canned)
Golden Sweet Corn (Great Value(No salt added) - Canned )
Salted Butter, One pat (for veggies)
Bottom Tier:
Chicken Marsala (Bird's Eye)
Calorie Total: 360
Not pictured are my snacks, which consisted of applesauce and cinnamon applesauce.
Not lame. No matter how you food is prepared (or not prepared ^_^) you are making a lunch that a - you want to eat, and b - is with your Cals for the day. All is well in my book.
I personally spend so much time preparing food because I find cooking relaxes me. If cooking is not your thing, or if you're extremely time poor then getting into bento making with pre-prepped foods is fine.
I'm pretty sure (if someone knows otherwise correct me), but in Japan a lot of the bento 'side dishes' (the extras beyond rice and protein) can be bought frozen in baggies ready to be heated and used, which is the same thing.1 -
mangrothian wrote: »Not lame. No matter how you food is prepared (or not prepared ^_^) you are making a lunch that a - you want to eat, and b - is with your Cals for the day. All is well in my book.
I personally spend so much time preparing food because I find cooking relaxes me. If cooking is not your thing, or if you're extremely time poor then getting into bento making with pre-prepped foods is fine.
I'm pretty sure (if someone knows otherwise correct me), but in Japan a lot of the bento 'side dishes' (the extras beyond rice and protein) can be bought frozen in baggies ready to be heated and used, which is the same thing.
I don't mind the cooking so much as the clean up.
That and I have a couple of naughty kitties that want to jump up on the counter to see what I'm making, so doing any real meal prepping/cooking can be a bit of a pain.
*edited to fix borked coding*0 -
mangrothian wrote: »Not lame. No matter how you food is prepared (or not prepared ^_^) you are making a lunch that a - you want to eat, and b - is with your Cals for the day. All is well in my book.
I personally spend so much time preparing food because I find cooking relaxes me. If cooking is not your thing, or if you're extremely time poor then getting into bento making with pre-prepped foods is fine.
I'm pretty sure (if someone knows otherwise correct me), but in Japan a lot of the bento 'side dishes' (the extras beyond rice and protein) can be bought frozen in baggies ready to be heated and used, which is the same thing.
I don't mind the cooking so much as the clean up. That and I have a couple of naughty kitties that want to jump up on the counter to see what I'm making, so doing any real meal prepping/cooking can be a bit of a pain.
*edited to fix borked coding*
Haha, I have a dog tall enough that he can rest his head on the kitchen bench. If he's feeling particularly cheeky, he'll try and swipe something if I even turn my back for a second, and his little sister tries to emulate (thankfully she's not as tall or sneaky as him).1 -
Lettuce, cucumber, carrots and grilled chicken
Apple
(forgot to add yogurt with raspberries )4 -
I took a picture of my lunch yesterday and forgot to post it.
I'll try to remember later tonight. It wasn't really that fancy or pretty though, just happened to be in bento boxes. 
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@Windchild - I have a naughty kitty too who loves to steal food off the counter or sit on my cutting board while I'm using it! I usually try to give her wet food (she gets one a day) to distract her while I prep haha
I got some new boxes delivered over the weekend! All three that I used today are new, so exciting. Left really early to hit the gym before work today, so I packed breakfast, lunch, and my afternoon snack! So yummy
Breakfast - black bowl:
Vanilla soy yogurt
Soy protein powder mixed in the yogurt
Frozen mixed berries
Crushed kashi wheat biscuit cereal
Banana
= 348 calories
Lunch - teal/white box:
White rice
Chinese stir fry veggies
Szechuan beefless strips (Gardein)
Kimchi
Mango chunks
= 466 calories
Snack - blue/black box:
Tangerine wedges
Almonds
Chocolate bunny grahams (Annie’s)
= 179 calories
Not pictured is my post-run, pre-breakfast protein shake: almond milk, vanilla pea protein powder, and half a banana for 182 calories. Overall a very tasty day ahead of me!3 -
Relooking at this thread for ideas. I plan on buying some new containers with my tax return (which should be here tomorrow woohoo!) and starting some meal prep. So I need ideas. Thank you all for your posts. Not only of the food but of the containers you use so I can see what works well for what sorts of food.0
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Packed breakfast, lunch, and snack for today! Here's what I had:
Breakfast- black/red bowl:
Old fashioned oats
Chocolate almond milk
Plain almond milk
Almond butter
Banana coins
= 420 calories
Lunch- pale pink box:
Couscous with onion, tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, and parsley
Homemade sundried tomato and kale falafel
Chopped chicken-free strips
= 516 calories
Snack- red box:
Heirloom grape tomatoes
Almonds
Fruit leather
= 173 calories8 -
@ariceroni how do you find the liquid in your breakfast box? leakproof enough?0
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@mangrothian it worked really well! The oats weren't quite as liquidy as they look in the picture, but still pretty runny. The bowl I have (this one) has an optional inner bowl, which is what I put the banana in. The liquid ended up a bit on the (outside) bottom/sides of the red bowl, but none got inside with my bananas so the lid for that seemed to seal well. The lid for the whole container screws on and seemed to do a great job containing the liquid as none seeped out into my bag, though I also tried not to throw my backpack around too much haha.1
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Yummy lunch and snack for today!
Lunch (mint/white box) has vinegar cole slaw, kimchi, quinoa with green onion and lime wedges, and gardein mini crabless cakes, for a total of 459 calories. Afternoon snack is heirloom cherry tomatoes, super juicy
tangerine wedges, a Luna caramel walnut brownie bar (my all time favorite, mmm!!), and has 313 calories (including the other half of the tangerine, which I'll eat when I get home). I'm so excited to eat this, I may have to take an early lunch
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Well, it's not strictly a bento, but:
Southwestern style salad of butter lettuce, spinach, cabbage mix, chopped red onion, corn, black beans, and grilled chicken with salsa and some ranch to go on it - 496 calories. A mess of kiwi (180 g) for a snack: 110 calories.
Not pictured: my breakfast of cottage cheese (226 g): 180 calories4 -
@ivygirl1937 it's in a box, it's a meal, it's a bento.
I have a couple for you. The first image is today's bento - salmon, onigiri, broccoli and carrots. The second was Fridays - Curried egg sandwich, tomatoes, capsicum, laughing cow, mango and the cute little guy is my hedgehog red bean steam bun.
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Love this thread. Always been interested in Bento.0
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mangrothian wrote: »Tomorrows Bento is a leftovers meal! Never as "pretty", but delish nonetheless. I had planned to have a leftovers lunch tomorrow when planning my meals for this week so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about defrosting/prepping anything extra. This bento took me longer to log into MFP than it did to make - 5 minutes!
The total Bento for the day is 715cal, whilst the lunch section itself is 480cal. It contains:
- Yellow peach
- 160g light greek yoghurt tub
- small bottle of salad dressing - about 15mL (forgot to put in pic)
500mL Blue box:
- A garden salad (lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, capsicum, snow peas)
120mL pink box
- Taco mix from dinner (beef mince, taco spice, carrot, onion, mushroom capsicum)
70mL Green box (I guess its blue-green, but meh)
- 30g avocado
- 30g shredded tasty cheese
- sprinkle of Nando's peri peri salt
70mL Lime Green box:
- 80g mix of raspberries and blackberries
All of my Bento's also include a bottle of water, sometimes with a green or fruit teabag thrown in. I already drink lots of plain water, gave up soft drinks about 3 years ago, and am slowly dropping my coffee intake; so I find this a good alternative to have with lunch.
This is funny. I thought the green one was leftover French fries.2 -
mangrothian wrote: »Tomorrows Bento is a leftovers meal! Never as "pretty", but delish nonetheless. I had planned to have a leftovers lunch tomorrow when planning my meals for this week so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about defrosting/prepping anything extra. This bento took me longer to log into MFP than it did to make - 5 minutes!
The total Bento for the day is 715cal, whilst the lunch section itself is 480cal. It contains:
- Yellow peach
- 160g light greek yoghurt tub
- small bottle of salad dressing - about 15mL (forgot to put in pic)
500mL Blue box:
- A garden salad (lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, capsicum, snow peas)
120mL pink box
- Taco mix from dinner (beef mince, taco spice, carrot, onion, mushroom capsicum)
70mL Green box (I guess its blue-green, but meh)
- 30g avocado
- 30g shredded tasty cheese
- sprinkle of Nando's peri peri salt
70mL Lime Green box:
- 80g mix of raspberries and blackberries
All of my Bento's also include a bottle of water, sometimes with a green or fruit teabag thrown in. I already drink lots of plain water, gave up soft drinks about 3 years ago, and am slowly dropping my coffee intake; so I find this a good alternative to have with lunch.
This is funny. I thought the green one was leftover French fries.
Lol, if so, they'd be the tiniest french fries you'd have ever seen considering the size of the box. I actually couldn't think of anything much worse to eat if it's a day old and at room temperature
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mangrothian wrote: »
Smiling the beatific smile of a smart alec.
I've been taking these to work on days I need a lunch. Aldi also has a veggie lasagna, but I find them as satisfying as the eggplant parmesan. I alternate with bagged salad kits.3 -
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I just found the most technologically awesomest lunchbox yet...
Introducing Prepd
Dunno if I'd buy it though. At $70US, I don't know if I could justify it.
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WOAH Why didn't I think of this? Thanks for the idea and resource0
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mangrothian wrote: »I just found the most technologically awesomest lunchbox yet...
Introducing Prepd
Dunno if I'd buy it though. At $70US, I don't know if I could justify it.
But yeah, for $70....I don't know about that. I'd love one, but das expensive.0 -
ivygirl1937 wrote: »mangrothian wrote: »I just found the most technologically awesomest lunchbox yet...
Introducing Prepd
Dunno if I'd buy it though. At $70US, I don't know if I could justify it.
But yeah, for $70....I don't know about that. I'd love one, but das expensive.
Hey! When you go to order one, it says you get one large container, two small ones, the case, and chopsticks. Then it says:
*Additional Container Sets sold separately (and you have to buy them as a full set, you can't just buy one medium container or something)
*Magnetic Cutlery sold separately
Honey, if I'm not getting all of it for the $70 you want me to spend, no thanks.
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