I Love the Bento

First Day of High School

2010-08-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

So, no updates in a long time. I am going to do better this year. We have been taking bentos right along, they are a real way of life for us now, but there never seems time enough to chronicle them. Today though is Veronica's first day of school - high school no less. I asked her if she was ready to stop with her bento boxes and she was shocked at the question. This is good because I had a lovely Hakoya Lucky Carp box put up for an auspicious first day of school. I love this bento box so much and so does everyone who has seen it.

The colors are so vibrant and the shape is absolutely adorable. So today she took (the ever popular) shepherd's pie (in a cute silicon cup I got at World Market in Wichita), some cat cookies, a brownie bar (very small), strawberries and raspberries. The fruit is in the smaller fish, which has an insert that separtates it into two sections. I love these!

And finally, the whole lunch assembled and ready to be shoved into the black canvas lunch bag:

Happy high school Veronica! I am glad I can be there in some small way at lunch time.

Back with Pictures - Tuesday Isn't So Bad

2010-01-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

Again, I have been packing bentos everyday, just have trouble doing that and taking pictures. But today I managed.
Veronica has the Lube Sheep Putti Fresh Banana bento (again, thanks Angelina!) She is taking, in the top tier: Chicken and Rice/Wild Rice, apple slices, and a very nice piece of turtle cheese cake. In the bottom tier she has her salad, with the top open on the bacon and sunflower seed container. I am showing the two compartments in that container, because she loves keeping things separate till she puts them on the salad.

I have a small lunch today, just some fruit and an avocado roll. I have a training class from 11:00 - 12:30 which is going to play havoc with my lunch schedule.

Bless my sister because I have a backlog of pictures of her lunches. She has jumped into bento with both feet. Today's post from her is a foray into the tiffin. She has ham and cheese on rye, mustard in monkey container, string cheese, blue corn tortilla chips,yogurt, carrots, and caramel corn mini rice cakes in container.

Here is her tiffin (from To-Go Ware ) in its little bag, ready to head out the door. It is being guarded by Reginald the Attack Cat.

Holy Crap I'm Old on a Tuesday

2010-01-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

Today is Miranda's 18th birthday. She is a lovely, funny, smart, and incredibly mature young woman. I am lucky enough to be her mother; but wow, how did I get to be this old?! I did pack her a bento, but forgot to bring the card reader so I will show it tomorrow. She did allow me to branch out a tiny bit, so it has a little more than a sandwich and grapes. Tune in tomorrow for that.

For today, I have my sister's last two bentos. She is embracing the fun of tiny food. Here is her Monday bento: spring rolls; onigiri; a broccoli, cauliflower and carrot chopped salad; Baby Bel cheese; balsamic vinegar in the fish for the salad; in the lid, packet of soy sauce, hot mustard and duck sauce in the lid.

For this morning, she had: 2 chicken and mashed potato cups (a modified chicken pot pie); baby gold fish; one piece of chocolate; spinach salad with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots; cranberries in the little cup, dressing in the little holder, and Pringles baked snack sticks in the lid.

Happy Tuesday Everyone and Happy Birthday Miranda!

Out and About Monday

2010-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

It has been cold and snowy/icy here in the deep south. After staying home for 3 days, I am ready to get out, even if it means going back to work. The girls were not thrilled to be leaving the cocoon of home to go out at 18 degrees, but we had little choice.

As an "oh by the way", for you who are new to bento - and not new really, here is a really good overview of food safety in your bento; it is on the lovely blog called Just Bento.

Now on to this morning's bentos. Miranda gets pizza on Monday and Wednesday so it was just Veronica and I today.

Veronica was excited to have (in the bottom tier) some leftover salmon on a bed of mashed potatoes, Teddy Grahams, salad dressing . In the top tier was her ever present salad with sunflower seeds in the green and mandarin oranges in the Hello Kitty containers. Kroger had Organic Chocolate Milk on sale, so I swallowed my dislike of over-packaged beverages and got some as a treat.

I also took leftovers: baked chicken and rice, carrot sticks, Rondele cheese with whole wheat flatbread, and grapes.

In the Groove

2010-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

This morning is what I consider my first "real" morning of 2010. Got up on time, got everything done, and still had time to photograph the bentos. I stayed up a bit late last night to make the shepherds pie that Veronica took today - also popped 4 more in the freezer for later lunches.

So today for Veronica: Shepherds Pie, Teddy Grahams, mandarin oranges (in the Hello Kitty), strawberries with kitty pic, salad and Baby Goldfish crackers. I also tucked a nice piece of chocolate in the lid just because sometimes being 14 sucks.

For me today: In the top tier - (leftovers from Mexican dinner Monday) rice, carne asada, refried beans and carrot sticks in the interstitial spaces; in the bottom tier - grapes, strawberries, and a smidge of potato salad.

Heard that Sydney had fun with her bento and Mary B. has promised pictures at some point.

"There is cheese in the elephant."

2010-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Didn't take any pictures this morning: too early, too many (2) children back in school. I did however, hear myself saying to Miranda, "There is cheese in the elephant." If you don't pack bento lunches, this might sound weird, but at my house it is par for the course.

The cheese in the elephant was a lovely Rondele and it accompanied some nice wholewheat crackers. I am still working very hard to accommodate her vegetarian lifestyle. It requires a lot more thought than the omnivorous lifestyle the rest of us embrace.

Took a little Christmas money and made a smallish order for bento accessories from ebay - will post when they come in.

The New Year Welcomes Mary to Bento

2010-01-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, I gave out a bento box here and there as Christmas gifts. My sister was one recipient. Sadly, her vacation ends tomorrow (happily, at least she had a vacation.) She packed her first bento lunch tonight to bring in tomorrow. So, here is Mary's bento debut:

Inside, she has packed: salad with balsamic vinaigrette (in the little fish) and cranberries/sunflower seeds (in the little container); ham and cheese in spinach wrap with some pics holding the wraps together, miniature Bonbel cheese and baby goldfish; and saltines and a roll of Smarties in the lid.

Now, I am waiting for Tuesday to see if I get a picture of Sydney's bento. She is starting back to school and planning her first bento. She has done a lot of research and is perfecting her technique for making rice balls (onigiri.)

Monday Already?

2009-12-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I was sick on Friday and didn't feel well through much of the weekend. Rallied enough to actually cook dinner on Sunday - after procuring and putting up a Christmas tree! Anyway, I made a skillet lasagna with an eye towards leftovers. Veronica really liked it, so (predictably) it has made an appearance this morning in the bento.She also has a salad, two mini chocolate chip muffins, and some apple slices. She should be pretty happy with this I hope. The skillet lasagna was easy and healthy - Miranda told me it should become a regular in our dinner rotation so I was happy.

A Garden of . . . Ham?

2009-12-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

Today Veronica has a ham sandwich. Thanks to my friend PJ, I cut them into little ham sandwich flowers on a bed of salad. In the other tier, she has a pickle, pineapple, two itsy bitty candy bars, and the ubiquitous Hot and Spicy Cheese Its. The rectangular container has her bacon bits and sunflower seeds for the salad; the salad dressing is in the little green bird container. And so it is, lunch.

Bento Moments of Zen

2009-12-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Have been having a craptacular few weeks personally; but, I have noticed that bento preparation is remarkably therapeutic when I actually make the time to do it. Today Veronica took some left-over steak on a bed of fresh rice (love, love, love my rice maker with a timer.) She also took a salad - because she loves her salads), some Hot and Spicy Cheese Its, and a Hello Kitty sidecar with some fresh pineapple.
I think just the fiddling with small things - choosing which box fits a particular meal, which containers, picks, etc complement everything, what balance out the meal with . . . ) all serve as a lovely distraction from other crap in life. That is all I have to say about that. Bento = cheaper than therapy.

Posting Again

2009-11-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it has been weeks and I apologize - especially to those who keep mentioning my delinquency. The girls both bought their lunch today, so I was the only bento bringer. I thawed out some frozen peas and made a quick green pea salad, threw in the half of a pork chop from last night, some cauliflower and fruit and voila! Lunch is ready. It isn't thrilling, but it is kind of pretty and healthy.

Just Bento

2009-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

There is a great post about the philosophy and practice of bento over at Just Bento. Maki discusses what bento is, talks a little about the art of charaben (the very decorative, elaborate bentos) and about making a box lunch. If you are interested in bento at all, I recommend looking this over. This site is a great reference and a fun read.

Bento and Distraction

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have been making bento lunches right along, but having time to take pictures has been problematic. This has been a weird couple of weeks, but I am back now. Here is a picture of just one distraction that occurred - her name is Luna and she joins Chloe, Sandy, Maggie, and Linus at our house.

I love all the little fun things that set bento apart from a boring lunch. I took a quick photo this morning of some of the fun little touches that can go into a bento to make it a little more decorative with no real effort (Cause little effort is important on a busy morning, and aren't they all busy mornings?)

Here are some picks of various sizes and shapes - including my newest acquisitions the pandas and the mini forks. Also pictured are a few sauce/dip holders. These are lots of fun and perky to put in a bento.

And Veronica's bento for today is a quick one. I put the chicken in the toaster oven just before I hopped in the shower; took it out shortly thereafter so it could cool - critical to put things in a bento after they cool!

So she has chicken nuggets, carrots and ranch, strawberries, ketchup (in the blue), Hot and Spicy Cheese Its, and a few Teddy Grahams. Not a lot of prep time, but she will eat it and I managed to use the little fork picks that I just got.

Minor Distraction Monday

2009-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

A little distracted today by the appearance of a tiny stray cat in my driveway. She is at the vet now and will become a member of the (ever growing) family of cats that live with us.
So on to the bento. Veronica is taking one of the larger Hakoya boxes today. She needs it because she is taking leftover pizza. The bottom tier is large enough to accomadate the bulky pizza (two slices cut in half and arranged to fill the whole tier. She has some fruit and green salad in the top. Also, she has come to love the Light My Fire brand spork that you see here.

For me, I ended up eating lunch at the Indian buffet - a VERY kind PJ took me out to celebrate(?) my craziness in taking in another cat. So I stuck this bento in the fridge at work and will have it tomorrow. In the top tier, I have pasta salad and grapes. In the bottom tier, strawberries and a green salad with blue cheese. Yum, tomorrow will be tasty. Also, I really like this Hakoya box, it is the only bento box I have seen that has a little plate included. How useful is it? Occasionally very, but most importantly, it is really cute.

Give-Aways and Left-overs

2009-10-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

One of the bento blogs I like to follow has a give-away going on. Cruise on over to Not Exactly Bento for a chance at chocolate and bentos! This is a nice blog to just look around and get some fun info and tips.

Today, Veronica took a hodge podge of stuff in the jaunty banana bento. She has hummus with garlic pita chips, tiny pbj sandwich stars (thank you Pj for the cutters!), a green salad, and a spot of tuna. In the lid, she has a few candy corns for color. This again points to the thrifty fun of bento. Everything here is just a bit or a dab. In the bento, it is a fun, tiny smorgasbord. You can have a lot of fun and use up all the little things left in the fridge putting together a healthy lunch. I do sometimes make actual food for bentos, but a lot of the time I don't.

Leftovers Again

2009-10-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

My bentos feature left-overs quite a lot. This led me to buy a couple of Obento Ms. Bentos. Today Veronica took one of these. It has a small thermal container (with Chicken Lo Mein), and two small non insulated containers (with fruit and salad.) This is a cute presentation and it does a nice job of keeping the Lo Mein warm until she eats it.

Welcome Ruth and the Strawberry Bento

2009-10-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

My guest bento blogger today is Ruth. She goes to school with Vanessa, K, and Veronica (they all range in grades from 1st through 8th). This is the first bento box for Ruth. Clockwise from top left it contains: chocolate, tune salad, a sliced peach, crackers. Thank you Miria and Ruth for sharing. I look forward to future bento pictures!

This brings the total of girls at school bringing bento to five. (Out of 190 students, that's not bad. We are slowly taking over one bento at a time.)

Vanessa's Bunny Bento

2009-10-09T07:06:00.001-07:00

All of the kids are on Fall Break right now, but Angelina just got me pictures (after some technical difficulties) of Vanessa's new Bunny Bento Box. This is tied with the Froggie bento for my favorite.

Vanessa's bento from Tuesday. Chicken nuggets, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes, and peaches. Bunny and cat cups with bunny and turtle picks. Vanessa is the tiniest, cutest 6 year old you could hope to meet and the Bunny is the perfect bento for her. Thanks Angelina!

The bunny is ready to go.

Bananas for Veronica

2009-10-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today Veronica got her hands on the new banana bento. She also brought the utensil set even though everything she has is finger food. She has taquitos, salsa and cheese dip (in the blue containers), cauliflower with ranch dressing (yellow container), grapes, and Hot and Spicy Cheese Its (just enough room under the lid.)

I hear Ruth has a strawberry bento bako now. I am waiting to see pictures of her lunches and will share them of course. Also I am hoping Vanessa gets well soon so we can see her new bunny bento. She has been waiting to get to use it but then got sick and isn't at school. Get well soon Vanessa!

And It All Matches!

2009-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Today I am bringing my all new, YELLOW, Putifresh bento set - thanks again Angelina! You can see the box, utensils, and contents below. In the top tier I have a crudites (carrot, celery, and cauliflower), the one chicken nugget that didn't fit in Veronica's lunch, and some baked potato. In the bottom tier, I have grape tomatoes, sun dried tomato hummus, pita chips, and a little ranch dressing.

And here is the bento packed in the MATCHING banana bag. Too very cute. And Veronica has dibs on it for tomorrow.

Veronica's lunch today is in the giraffe on tiptoe bento. In the top tier, she has some strawberries and cauliflower, and two small containers - ketchup and ranch dressing. In the bottom tier, she has chicken nuggets (with some of my new food picks - a giraffe and a bear), some chocolate cat shaped cookies, and some baked potato. I did the chicken and baked potato this morning first thing - thanks to the microwave and toaster oven. You just need to be sure to let things cool completely before you seal up the bento.

Angelina Saves the Day

2009-10-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Miranda is still sick today. I am tired and a little under the weather. After a false start involving meatballs (that emerged from the microwave a disgusting mess), I shoved $3 at Veronica and told her to buy lunch. Fortunately, Angelina did not fall down on the job and she brought pictures.

As an aside, she also brought me a lovely Putifresh bento set. It was complete with the cheerful yellow banana themed bento box, matching cutlery, a matching belt, and the cutest matching bag. Did I mention it all matches? I will pack and photograph tomorrow. Friends are a wonderful thing! Thanks so much Angelina.

Now for her lunch. In the bottom tier are radishes and Twice Baked Mini Potato Dauphinoise (I'll be needing the recipe!) In the top tier are cherry tomatoes, green salad, and peanut M&Ms. Yum!

One Lunch Wednesday

2009-09-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Miranda is home sick; I will be going home to check on her and grab lunch at home then, so for today, Veronica is the only bento. Today is just a sandwich (crust removed with a heart shaped cutter), fruit, carrots and dressing, and granola bites.

I am waiting for pictures from Angelina and then will post her lunch.

Back to Bento

2009-09-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today, it is with heavy heart that I finally come to grips with the fact that Miranda's pink bird bento box is gone. It was stolen at school. Who knew? With that, I welcome Miranda's new bento - a happy panda. I am not showing the lunch because it never (or very seldom) varies. Inside are a sandwich, grapes, and cheese. She pretty much uses the same box everyday because it is tiny and sturdy enough to fit (and now stay) in her purse. No more lockers for the bento box.

Veronica is taking her Froggie bento today. She has leftover Italian chicken fingers, potato sticks, grapes, some chocolate granola clusters and a salad. Ketchup, salad dressing, bacon bits, and sunflower seeds are in the various little containers.

Today's Bento . . . Isn't!

2009-09-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

As much as I love the bento (and I really do), some days I need more room. Today I wanted to bring in half of a Newk's Mediterranean Personal Pizza (I ate the other half yesterday at lunch.) Bento boxes just don't accommodate leftover pizza, so I turned to India and reached for my Tiffin. A Tiffin is a stainless steel container with clips that hold the tiers together. I have a two tiered Tiffin, but have seen three and even five tiers.
So with no further ado, here is my Tiffin and the contents: a salad and my leftover pizza.

Another Day, Another Guest

2009-09-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today in our guest spot, we welcome Angelina and her new Froggie bento box. This is one of the cutest I've seen; Veronica also has this box and loves it's cheerful expression. Angelina has chicken pot pie in the top tier and a green salad in half of the bottom tier. The other half of the bottom tier has cut up tomatoes and avocados. This is only the second time Angelina has packed a bento (yesterday being the first.) There seem to be two kinds of reactions to bento - some people look at you like you are ever so daft, and some people want a cute tiny lunch box of their own. Angelina is my kind of people.

Also, thanks to Chris (Angelina's husband and photographer) for capturing my favorite bento box picture ever:

Guest Spot Tuesday

2009-09-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Today my friend PJ sent me photos of bentos she made for her daughter - one this morning and one from yesterday. Her daughter has a "My Neighbor Totoro" bento. It comes with three tiers and is absolutely beautiful. Below are two of her recent lunches. She has a peanut butter and honey sandwich on homemade bread, carrots (in one) and salad (in the other), chips, and a doughnut hole. You can also just see the penguin dressing container peeking out of both. This is such a nice and waste free way to pack a kid's lunch - and her daughter loves taking the bento - the cute factor cannot be denied.

Thanks so much PJ for the pictures. I hope Veronica doesn't get too jealous of the Totoro bento once she sees it. Now I just need to get Angelina to give me a picture of her new Froggie bento box and its contents!

Another Monday, Another Bento

2009-09-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, I made some potato oyaki (potato dumpling with soboro filling). Veronica and I each took one and I froze the others that didn't get eaten out of the skillet. Veronica's bento is oyaki, turkey and cheddar skewers, grapes, sliced pickles, and a salad. Mine is oyaki, pasta/tuna salad, green salad, grapes, and apple slices. Viva bento.

Veronica's bento box has cute kitties and it is a self latching box that does not need a belt. I love this one.

Bento Funny

2009-09-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite things about bento boxes is the visual presentation. I love opening the box and having a pretty, tiny feast; but I also just love the boxes themselves. Some are beautiful; some are cute; and some have the funniest sayings on them. They perk my day up so much when I use them.

Only had two to pack today. Mine is in a set of Tomo Tomo boxes. I love these little boxes. The saying on each box is: "Let's enjoy a time with me."

My lunch is some chicken/prosciutto tortellini, peas, some pasta sauce, apples, and grapes.

Veronica took the Baby Zoo bento that has my very favorite inscription: "Today is a memorial day. The friend is a treasure of the life! The smile of the friends becomes my smile. The people of the around us let us smile, too." How can you not smile at that! I can't help but laugh every time.

Her lunch today is a sidecar with strawberries, grapes, and apple slices and in the main box, tuna, a green salad, and some saltine crackers. She also has two pickle slices and her bambu spork under the lid. Remember bento is all about a lot of different tastes, but not huge amounts of any one thing.

Make an Effort Monday

2009-09-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

I was somewhat motivated Sunday night, so I did a lot of prep work and packed bentos for Miranda, Veronica and I. I threw together a pasta salad that had Miranda's interest and she asked to take some instead of her ubiquitous peanut butter sandwich.
So Miranda's bento was pasta salad, grapes, strawberries, and a mini Snickers bar that I snuck in and she probably won't eat. It is in her traditional box. It is pink and bears the legend: "Bonjour les fleurs! Les deux oiseaux volent toujours ensemble, Que nous passions une bonne journee!"

Veronica took a mini shepherds pie I popped out of the freezer and cooked the night before, some salad (dressing in the blue case, sunflower seeds and bacon bits in the little green container),grapes and strawberries. The box is one of my favorites because is says: "Dolphins are the warm hearted guides to the masic world." We don't know what the masic world is, but we're glad dolphins can take us there.

Finally, my lunch was three shumai, soy sauce, strawberries, some pasta salad, a little hot mustard (in the yellow container),and a green salad (with a little cheddar cheese and sunflower seeds). This box is a Hakoya brand box - very elegant and simple. I like it a lot.

Meat and Potatoes Tuesday

2009-09-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

The day after Labor Day brings us some leftover steak and baked potato. Veronica has this and some grapes, ketchup(little blue cup), and carrots with ranch dressing (in the other cup.) The bento is a new one that reflects (in an odd way), Veronica's interest in marine biology.

So, on a hectic morning I did manage to get three bentos made up and out the door. (I also managed to get the three of us out the door WITH bentos in hand.) The sidecar is full of chocolate cat shaped cookies for Veronica.

Slap Dash Wednesday

2009-09-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

I have been coming down with something (a cold or whatever) so my energy level is low. The result is the following slapped together bento. Bottom tier: two hard boiled eggs, ranch dressing with carrots and lettuce for a salad. Top tier: strawberries, Hot and Spicy Cheez Its, cat shaped cookies, and a little container with bacon bits and sunflower seeds for the salad. In the bottom picture, the little monkey is a salt shaker for the eggs.

Bento Monday

2009-08-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

Today's bento is another bit o'this and bit o'that. Bottom tier is rolled up ham and salami on a bed of salad with containers of bacon bits and sunflower seeds. Top tier is cat shaped cookies, grapes, salad dressing, and crabby crackers. Veronica is thrilled (she is so easy to please) because of the cute animal picks that the meat is rolled onto. This is bento fun!
This bento is the first box that I purchased so it is a bit near and dear to my heart. Veronica loves it particularly because it has a tiny tray that she can use as a little plate. It will work for the meat roll-ups - she will take them out and put them on the tray while she eats the salad. Woohoo!

AWOL

2009-08-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't take a picture yesterday or today. Today Veronica just took a sandwich (cut into hearts) with grapes, etc. Yesterday, she took Mei Wei leftovers in a Ms. Bento (by Zojirushi) thermal container. It is pricey (unless you catch one used on ebay like I did) but really nice.

Little of this, little of that

2009-08-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

Today's bento for Veronica was a study in left overs. It is in a giraffe themed box with the (somewhat inexplicable) wording that says: "Around the year when we would like to stand on tiptoe." The dining selections include some pork chop cut up into bento friendly pieces, left-over julienne au gratin potatoes (from a box of course), the ubiquitous strawberries and carrots, some Hot and Spicy Cheese Its, plus a few chocolate granola bites. She is happy and will probably heat the potatoes in the microwave if it is available.

And the children shall lead

2009-08-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked about the bento boxes - whether they are microwavable. The short answer is that some are and some are not. A funny thing happened just today though that made me rethink the whole hot food/cold food thing. Today, Veronica took the following bento:

The blob in the silicon form is a mini shepherds pie. She was given the choice of having it hot in a thermal (Ms. Bento) container or eating it at room temperature. She opted for the regular bento and room temperature. When she got in the car she told me that her lunch had been great but that she saw an open microwave and had decided to heat up the shepherds pie. I blanched because the bento box she took was not microwave safe. She assured me she had not put it in the micro - she just popped the shepherds pie out in its silicon holder, popped that in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was "fabulous, just like it was fresh out of the oven." I admit; I wouldn't have thought of that. Once assembled, I tend to see the bento as a whole, she saw a microwaveable component and took advantage of it.

As a side note, the silicon baking forms are great for bento, as dividers and also for mini casseroles. When you are making something like lasagna, shepherds pie, or any "bake it" dish, just get a couple of these silicon baking cups out and make a couple of small "extras". Pop them in the freezer and you develop a stock of quick lunches. Just a thought.

Random Thoughts for Those New to Bento

2009-08-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Most boxes (especially if more than one tier) will need a bento belt (band) to hold them together. This is just an elastic band of the proper size. Many come with a belt; others require a separate purchase. With the band, your bento will be a compact and handy unit. Without it, it will not hold together because for most boxes, the upper tier is the top of the lower tier so the band is really not optional since the two tiers do not "seal" together. The top will fit into the bottom, but the band will be the only thing holding them in place.

In a two tier bento, the top tier usually does have a water tight seal. This is where fruit or other wet foods can go without leaking. Don't plan on putting soup or stew or something really liquid in there though.

An onigiri bento box is made to hold rice balls in the top, so it is kind of domed. Some people use these for sandwiches instead, but watch the dimensions and even if it is large enough, you would have cut the sandwich in half and stack it under the dome.

Bento boxes are filled by volume and hold more than you would think; but you have to think about packing them full in each dimension. Little (non squishy) things like grapes and cherry or grape tomatoes work well to fill little gaps.

Where can I get a Bento Box?

2009-08-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

I started doing bento lunches for the girls and I about a year or so ago. I love them because they let me use up leftovers quickly and easily (frugal); they stop me from using so many sandwich bags and disposable lunch paraphernalia (eco-friendly); they are very adaptable to eating well and focus on nutrition (healthy); and they are so very cute to open up at lunchtime (fun.) So there you have it, for me bento means frugal, eco-friendly, healthy, and fun lunches. Wow, I am a geek.

Most people are asking me where they can get a bento box for themselves or their child. (The rest of you think I have too much time on my hands, which is so untrue.) My favorite place for cheap but great supplies was Ichiban Kan, but they stopped their online sales and focus only on their retail stores (in California of course.) The following are links to sites that I have found via other bento bloggers (and they are legion.) Prices vary greatly, but you can look around and price shop ($5 and up.) The starred entries are sites I have used myself and been happy with. YMMV:

Online Retailers

* http://shop.iloveobento.com/

http://bentocrazy.com/

http://www.asianutensils.com/

http://veryasia.com/bentobox.html

* http://www.jbox.com/SEARCH/bento/1/

http://www.from-japan-with-love.com/index.html

http://www.plasticashop.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=BENTOSMALL&Category_Code=

* http://www.sugarcharms.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=50

Ebay Sellers

* http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Bento-Obento-Shop__W0QQ_armrsZ1

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Bentos-and-Beyond__W0QQ_armrsZ1

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/JAPAN-BARGAIN__W0QQ_armrsZ1

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In the sidebar, I have the links to some of my favorite bento blogs and how-to sites. But be assured, there is no wrong way to do a bento. Mine are all made up of a bit of this and a bit of that until a healthy (and cute) meal results.

Feel free to share your bento experience here and if you are new to bento, let's learn together.