Bento from Today and Tomorrow

(click images for larger views)


#11=
Top tier (left): 4 spicy shrimp steamed gyoza, steamed baby carrots, boiled egg.

Bottom tier (right): cucumber hearts, raspberries & cranberries, green apple, light babybel cheese

Under the lid: Instant Miso.



#12=
Top tier (right): light organic cottage cheese, raspberries, baby carrots, kiwi hearts.

Bottom tier (left): veggie 'ham'/'turkey'/'smoked provolone'/spinach/light mayo sandwich cut out to look like a dino. cherry tomatoes and orange flavored dried cranberries.

Under the lid: Instant Miso.

I haven't posted pics in a while due to the death of my camera, but now I've got a new one!

Hooray! I said I would never do it, but apparently I lied. I bought a real bento box! Here is my first bento packed in it that I ate today. I was being extremely slack with my bentos for a while before I bought this, so hopefully having a pretty new box will help me stay on track!

(click images for larger views)


( one more here )

Top tier (right): Salmon onigiri (w/furikake sprinkled on top)on a bed of dried cranberries, strawberry, raspberries, and light babybel cheese.

Bottom tier (left): another salmon onigiri, salmon/zucchini/carrot sushi, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes.

Under the lid: Instant Miso.

I got a smaller box. I'm not so sure I like it yet just because I need to re-learn how to pack food in it to make it look nice. The portions should be better however, because it only holds half the amount of food my other box did! (which I view as a good thing because my other box was GIANT!

Here is my first bento in my smaller box!



Contents:

Right Side: Chicken DeVan, pepper decorations.
Left side: Jumbo black olives stuffed with red pepper, red and yellow pepper slices, grapes for filler.


Chicken DeVan is just Chicken baked with broccoli florets, rice, cream of mushroom soup and topped with cheese.

Here we are!

(click image for larger view)


What's inside:

Main content: 4 spicy shrimp gyoza, some veggie steamed stir fry.

Sides:
Left: chuncks of orange, veggie 'smoked ham' stuffed jumbo black olives.
Right: Dried Cranberries and kiwi

Today's bento was yum-tastic.


(click image for larger view)


( More pics here )

What have we here?

Main content: two small veggie 'ham' and 'turkey' sandwiches (Smart Deli makes the best veggie slices I've ever had), grape tomato skewers, egg, light babybel, the little container is filled with fat free mayo.

Side content:
Left side: Edamame and baby corn
Right side: Baby kosher dills and dried orange flavored cranberries.

Another pretty plain looking, but tasty bento for tomorrow.

click image for larger view


Main Content: 2 heart shaped tuna & mayo onigiri. side cup of dried cranberries. side of baby corn.

Side Content:
Left Side: edamame and raspberries.
Right Side: Skewers with grape tomatoes and veggie 'ham'. Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese spread w/some pieces of flat bread. grape tomatoes for filler.

I didn't make bento last week because I didn't have any food >_<

Back this week after getting paid friday however!

On with it!

(click images for larger view)


( Close Ups Here )

It's a super fast bento for me today, so not much decoration.

Also, I've been using 'Fit&Fresh' boxes for my bento and it's just too much! I usually can't finish the food I've packed and I hate letting it go to waste! So, even though I said I wasn't going to do it, I'm now on the hunt for an actual bento box that fits my style and is a more reasonable size.

In my main area I've got: Instant Miso Soup, edamame, baby corn

Sides:
Left: Left over cheese tortellini salad from my dad's Memorial Day BBQ
Right: whole grain thin crisp bread peices, garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese spread w/grape tomatos underneath, & raspberries.

This bento excites me! My room mate wanted to contribute to my stock of bento supplies and bought me some drink umbrellas from the dollar store ♥

This is the image that they brought to mind:

Today's theme: Spring picnics in the park and fresh love

Also! My first onigiri! I don't have onigiri molds, so I used a cling wrap lined measuring cup for Mr. and Ms. Onigiri and a cling wrap lined cookie cutter for the physical representation of their Big Love.

(click images for larger views)


( more here )

Main content: Shrimp onigiri (w/nori accents and food marker blushes ^_^), Steamed lemon-pepper carrots, pepper slices, in the eggplant shaped side cup is a soy filled piggie, hidden under Ms. Onigiri's parasol is a small cup of orange flavored dried cranberries.

Side content:
Left Side: Kiwi, boiled egg
Right side: Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Babybel cheese.

Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays (though it's technically still Sunday)!


I botched my california roll while rolling it and was too tired to take a deep breath and try again, so I choped the whole mess up and made....


Da da-da! Sushi salad.


Not really a *cute* lunch. But a tasty and colorful one.


(click for larger images)


( more images here )

So...

Main content:
California Sushi Salad & three little piggies filled with Low Sodium Soy.

Left side:
Apple Slice, light babybell cheese, and some chocolate covered apple gummies.

Right side:
Kiwi, pepper slices.

Alright! I said my last bento was number 7... but it wasn't. I guess I can't count!

What happens when you make your bento @ 1 a.m.?

Bento under the sea!

(as always, click images for larger view)



( Close Ups Here! )

Main content: 2 spinach filled steamed buns (I drew on them with food markers)
Legs are made of fake crab sticks.
some pepper starfish and shells ^_^

Sides:
Left side: Kiwi and Dolphin&Friends snack crackers

Right side: cherry tomato and pepper skewers. A hard boiled egg (sliced with my egg slicer). The pink container is filled with fat free chipotle mayo (take mayo and add a few drops of Frank's Red Hot, mix = yummy chipotle mayo) to mish with my egg for a quick egg salad with a kick.

There you have it!

P.S. Moddy Modress? Can I get my own tag?

Here is my bento for lunch Thursday! (click for larger images)



( more images here! )

Not the most amazing or creative, but I'm sure it'll be tasty.

Main: Dino cucumber & cheese sandwiches on top of spinach leaves. Hard boiled egg. Apple slice with dried cranberries underneath. Little piggie is filled with cranberry balsalmic.

Left side dish: Dolfin & friends snack crackers. Dino cookies.

Right side dish: Lemon Pepper Salmon, Cherry tomato skewers. One fish is filled with soy, one with lemon.

I'm a 24 year old, single, IT tech from Michigan, USA. I live in an apartment with my friend Leah. I'm going to school for international communications, with a focus on Japanese.

I've recently decided that I would like to take a solid stab at bento making. I think it would be a good way to encourage me to pack a lunch and save some money. My bento isn’t traditional and probably never will be. I use Tupperware, and I can’t adhere to the 4:3:2:1 rule, I have a big western appetite. I do try t include healthy things and have fun with presentation, I’m just not a bento elitist and have a very western way of making mine I guess. I've only made a few so far. My first one was what I would call a success. It was super cute (and I'll post pics when I upload them) but the ones I made for Mel and Leah yesterday sucked. I tried to make them too late at night and was too tired to put a good effort in. My rice wasn't sticky enough and I tried to mold it into teddy bear shapes, but it fell apart :(

I made a Totoro bento for Leah for today and a mouse for myself.

I have the pictures for the last two days, but not of my first one, because I didn't use a digital camera for those >_<

Here are my bento's from yesterday, and the ones for today, I'll upload my first bento when I have my film developed (click images for larger view):

Tuesday's Lunch!

Mine:

Leah & Mels (they both looked the same):

They have curry, rice, and my 'spinach ball' recipe in the shape of hearts and stars. The side containers have Hello Kitty fruit snacks & chocolate covered fruit gummies. I used Lock&Lock boxes for these.

Wednesday's Lunch!

Mine:

Leah's: ( more under the cut )

I made Leah's first and I'm a little sad that I was too tired to do a Totoro for myself as well... but I really didn't have the patience for it because I get easily upset when tired >_<

Contents: The Totoro and Mouse bellies are cheese stuffed portabella mushrooms. Then there is some babybell cheese and bean sprouts. My side dishes contain Salmon w/lemon herb sauce in one, and tomato, pepper, and cucumber shapes in the other. Leah is vegetarian, so she skipped on the fish, and instead has 2 green apple slices (treated with lemon juice to prevent browning, also makes them more sour), strawberries, Lego fruit snacks and some chocolate covered fruit gummies. I used Fit&Fresh boxes for these.

Recipe for spinach balls under the cut!
( Great for bento! Cheap, Easy, FAST and yummy! )