Didn't go fast did I?

Ok, ok, I'm back to blogging. It's been a long time, and I blame it on not being able to figure out "Gimp" my picture fudging software.

Truth be told, I was a little burned out on talking about food. I work for Weight Watchers, I cook for a hobby, I do bentos for the fun of it... food food food! So I got lazy, and a little heavy, and here I am! Back to my bentos. I missed them!

This doesn't mean I didn't do ANY bentos. I did, but generally they weren't very good looking, or I didn't have the camera around, or it was in the living room and I didn't want to walk that far (AH!) you know...

Here's the bento from April 24th. They were my last "custy" bentos made with the leftovers from the Chicken Wrap with Mango, Basil, and Mint that I had made the previous night.

So I had the chicken/mango mixture, with I think brown rice, steamed peas, cut pepper and raisins. Simple, and I remember it being very good as a cold leftover. :o)

My husband had the same thing exactly.

The rest of April and all of May were very sad "bento-wise" so I won't bore you with any of it. Fast forward to this week:

Monday June 8th:

I have discovered that our favorite Indian place, Great India on Geary st at 25th Avenue, not only makes great food and delivers for free, but they also will sell you a full Tandoori chicken for less than 15$! The half is 10$, so for 5 more you get double! AH!

Tandoori chicken is perfect bento fare, so that's what I did. Tandoori chicken with cucumber and tomato salad (also leftovers from Great India). I cut some extra cucumber because I didn't have enough food.

The little bottle has extra dressing from the salad which I didn't need.

I would have done better with some grains to be honest, but there wasn't enough rice left, and I didn't really have time to make anything. I was working in Santa Rosa that day. At 7:45am!

In case you didn't notice, my box is brand new! From Daiso, it's the same as my "basic boxes" but square! I can't wait to play with foods in there. Monday's lunch was more about throwing the food in there, than about making it cute.

Since I was out all day, I also made a snack box:

Blueberries on the left, cantaloupe on the right, and the two little containers have honey. I ended up using only one. It was plenty!

I don't use my snack box very often, but I love it. Isn't it cute? It's very small so it fits pretty much anywhere.

Dan had more to lunch with than I did, and it gave me the occasion to use my other new box. I've been drooling over that set since I first looked at the Lunch In a Box Blog. I couldn't find it anywhere. This weekend we went to Ichiban Kan and there it was! But it was 22$.

I promised myself a while ago that I would not put more than 10$ on a box, and even that would have to be a really special one. I was totally torn, but my enabler husband told me to get it since he could see that I really liked it. So I did!

Here's his Indian Bento:


In the insulated container (middle) he has Chicken Makhni with a "rice lid". I've seen other Bento-makers do that and wanted to give it a try. As you can see, seepage occurred, but I think it still kept the curry from drying up.

In the little containers there is the rest of the Jasmin rice (left) and tandoori chicken (right).

See how it all packs up perfectly? It ends up packing quite a bit of food, but it looks tiny. I love it!

And all closed up and everything, it's very cute, but not "girly" so my husband can use it. Not that it bothers him, happy to say that he's confident enough in his "manhood" to take my custy attack with patience if not enthusiasm.

Today's boxes:

We didn't have any leftovers, though I did soak some bulgur last night to use today.

Left: I have bulgur (simple with salt and pepper) with tomato-cucumber-lettuce salad, and clover sprouts.

If you made a face reading sprouts here's something to think about: Alfalfa sprouts taste like you're chewing on the lawn. That's the one that turns off most people to sprouts. Clover sprouts are a lot tastier and sweeter. Taste different kind before you write them off!

Right: Steamed lentils (TJ), a boiled egg (showing only the good side of it, I can't cook eggs... how lame) and a mix of strawberries and blueberries.

My husband has the same foods, just a little more of it:


He has bulgur and salad (minus the lettuce and the sprouts, he's not crazy about either) on the left side. On the right he has lentils, an egg, strawberries and blueberries. I added a Mini Babybel cheese as always.

So that's that. I'm excited to be bento-ing again. It doesn't take much really, it's to get started that is the hardest.

Happy Bento Everybody!!!!

All organized and ready to go!

So, after making bentos yesterday, I decided it was time to organize my gear once and for all. Yesterday we stopped at Target and bought baskets to go in my unit I had bought when we first moved a month ago.

I took out all of my boxes and washed every single one of the 15 sets that I use for food. I have a few decorative ones that I don't put food in, those are another story.

After that I had to fit all of it on my little unit. Here's what it looks like:


The unit itself was super cheap at Kmart. The baskets are from Target, about 13 dollars each, which is more than I wanted to pay, but I like them so... there.

I still have my spice boxes for the little stuff. I managed to empty one by reorganizing everything. I'm pretty happy about that because one of the box was bent and difficult to open. Not cool early in the morning.


The purple box is from a pair of flats I bought a few weeks ago. I thought the box was pretty, and it's the perfect size, so there.


I used that box to put the "over flow" of stuff. Extra things that don't fit anywhere else. I overbought a little last year because I didn't have easy access to Ichiban Kan and Daiso. Of course, now it's not a problem anymore! So happy!

The top drawer has the spice boxes with the stuff I use less, my bento cloths, bags and insulated bags.


The middle drawer has the boxes I use the most. Most of them are microwave safe and leak proof (well mostly).


Finally the last drawer has my fuffier, less user-friendly boxes and those I just use less.

Notice that there is space for more in there, not that I WOULD buy more, of course I wouldn't, just that if I came across a very interesting box, I COULD fit it in there if needed. ;op

I'm pretty happy with my storage solution for my bentos. It's a lot of little things, and in a small place, I needed a compact, easy to work with solution. I think I got it.

Now I feel like I'm home... ;o)

Happy Bento Everybody!!

Went Shopping again!

Oh my, I had a whole day to myself in San Francisco!

I saw on Biggie's blog that Kamei were selling some coolish bentos, so I stopped by to take a look. The ones I had seen on her site were ok, but not what I'm looking for, but then I saw two that I just had to have!

Here's the first one:

This is a Hakoya box. It's looks very well made, the sides are thick and the box is light but sturdy. The lid (inside) also seem to fit very well (not like the cheaper boxes that you're never sure if it will stay on).

From what I could understand (I don't read Japanese, so I kind of look at pictures a lot!) the lower tier is 280 ml, and the top tier is 200 ml. I thought the box was microwave safe, but the lady at Kamei (who was in a bad mood and didn't really listen to my question) said it wasn't. Biggie said on her website that the box is microwave and dishwasher safe.

I will try it in the microwave eventually, none of my boxes go in the dishwasher, safe or no.

Here's the box open:

I love that it's green on the inside for some reason. I got it at Kamei for $10.50!

This next box I got a Kamei also:

The picture doesn't do it justice. The blue is actually darker than shown. It's a 3 tier box, most probably not microwave safe. It's not exactly a practical box, but I loved the look of it.

I'm not quite sure of the volume of each tier. I'll figure it out and post when I do.

I got this box at Kamei for $7.50. There was that one in those colors, and it red and green. And the same thing but bigger in the same two choices of colors. I bought the only blue and black small one left on the shelf (other than the Demo) and opened EACH BOX to find a blue and black. I didn't like the red and green (too Christmas-y).

I also stopped by Ichiban Kan (of course) and got the part two of one of the first box I bought:


We had the bottom tier already, but I bought the top tier, so now my husband has the complete set. The top tier is 450ml, and the bottom tier 550 ml.

Saturday, my husband and I went to Daiso. We never miss a trip there when we're in the city. I bought myself a pickle press! I'm planning on making some quick pickling to put in the bentos as soon as I figure it out.


Between Ichiban Kan and Daiso, I picked up a few odds and ends to make my boxes cuter and easier. Here's the lot of them:

I decided to figure out just how many box sets I really have and put them all on the table for a group photo. I have 15 sets! Actually 16, my huge picnic box is missing!

Here's my collection:


So that's my bento shopping! I had a lot of fun with this and can't wait to have another "Cutsy Curse attack"! With so many boxes, I smell a challenge coming!

Happy Bento Everybody!

Packing in a Punch!

My husband made dinner yesterday. He made BBQ chicken (meaning with BBQ sauce, not on the grill). It's a recipe he got from the Shortcut Cookbook (Weight Watchers) and modified to suits us.

So we had leftovers of that, and I decided to cook this morning. It's our anniversary (6 years... O-M-G!) so I felt like I should make a little extra effort to make the bento tasty.

The chicken is very spicy so the rest is tasty but not "hot".

Here's my box (I used my donburi box again, time to change!):


I used the larger lower tier to put in the veggies! I have steamed broccoli as always (love the stuff!) and sauteed zucchini and red pepper.

I cooked the zucchini and pepper on very high heat in my nonstick wok with salt, pepper, and cumin until browned! I love to do that because it gets very flavorful, but doesn't overcook to the point of mushiness (a new word... wow..)

In the smaller top tier I put 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1/4 cup of steamed lentils, and the chicken.

I'm using the donburi box backward. You're supposed to put the grain on the bottom, and the saucy dish on top to mix just before eating. But I had a lot of vegetables so I cheated.

I think I've found a solution, at least for now, for my husband's box dilemma. I decided to use my bigger lock and lock set. It's not huge (700ml) but bigger than the Urura box (580 ml). We'll see how that goes. Ideally I'd still like to find him a cute box that would be 800 to 900 ml, but the lock and lock will do for now.

Here's what he had today:


On top, there's 1 cup of brown rice and about 1/4 cup of lentils.

In the lower tier he has the chicken, steamed broccoli and sauteed veggies.

It's basically the same thing as mine, but he has double the rice. I didn't have more chicken to give him, but I'll try to boost the proteins too as I go. The chicken is so spicy that a little goes a loooooong way.

So that's today's bento adventure. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Since I had leftovers I didn't make my seafood bento I had planned to make. There's always tomorrow! :o)

Happy Bento everybody!

Some yummy leftovers!

Today I had an easy time putting together the bentos. We had a BBQ last night, so we had plenty of leftovers. Since we had several different dishes, I thought it was the perfect day to try out my new Lock and Lock set.

First bad news... the bottle leaks. So, so much for the water bottle. It DOES give me enough space to put a bigger ice pack in there. So, my lunch will stay cool longer! AH!

Here's what my box looked like:

It's a two tier box, each tier is 350 ml. The first tier is divided, so there's no need for cups n stuff, the second tier is not divided.

Top tier, left to right: BBQed chicken thighs, diced; Left over vegetable casserole (from Saturday night); Sauteed red and yellow bell pepper and onion.

Bottom tier: Plain bulgur, with just salt and pepper; a little bear shaped cup of lentils, to add to the bulgur, grilled zucchini slices, cucumber flowers. The bottom tier isn't full because it's a little big... gives me "decoration space".

My husband has the same thing in his regular box. That one is not divided so I just used sushi grass in the top tier. Here's what it looks like:

He has the exact same lunch, looks like more because his box is slightly smaller than mine. He did bring a banana to eat with it.

So that's today's bento fare. I'm pretty happy with it, it was yummy yesterday and I'm sure it's going to be yummy again today!

Now I need a "manly colored" Lock and Lock. I keep thinking that my husband's box is too small for him, but he seems happy. Oh well!

Happy Bento Everybody!

Added note: I just ate lunch and this has to be the best tasting bento I've had so far. Really... Mmmmmm!

My new toys and shopping report!

So, as promised, I took pictures of my new boxes, and my new goodies I bought on my trip in San Francisco yesterday! I'm trying to remember where I got everything and how much I paid for it. I hope I don't make mistakes! I also included a listing and my own review of my favorite spots.

First is my Lock and lock set! I've been wanting one of these for a while, but I wanted a neat color. I found a red one at Super Tokyo in the Richmond district . I paid $13.50 for it, it might be a little cheaper at Kamei but I didn't want the color they had.

The set includes a water bottle, with a cap that can be used as a glass, a divided top tier, and an undivided bottom tier. Being a lock and lock set, it's microwave safe, dishwasher safe AND leak proof. That has to be the most practical set I have.

Here it is all closed up ready to put in the cooler bag that came with it:

Here the picture is a little bit blurry, but that's the best one I got of the set all open:


The next set I got at Daiso*. It's a neat little 3 tiered box that I got for $1.50! I used it today and it's working just fine. The box is microwave safe, but not dishwasher safe. I would not "over-microwave it" if you know what I mean.

Funny detail, the plastic is see-through, so you can see the food through the box. Kinda cool and kind creepy at the same time.

*I bought the brown belt at Ichiban Kan.

Here it is all closed up:

Here's the set all open up:

The final box I got is more of a snack box. It's tiny, and to be honest, not overly practical... but it's so freakin' cute! I got it at Sanko for about $8.50 (I think, around that).

It's a 2 tiered box (140 ml and 240 ml) with a cute little bear on top. It came with a bag, and a little hide-away fork. I don't know if it's microwave safe, but I'm planning on using it as a snack bento anyway so no worries.

Here it is all closed up:

Look, the fork hides between the 2 tiers:

Here it is all opened up:

If I remember right, I got the little containers, and the silicone cups at Daiso ($1.50) and the little ice tray at Ichiban Kan ($1.25):

Now the picture just below this:

The two nori punches are from Ichiban Kan ($1.25 each), there's a heart and a star.

Now for the vegetable cutters, it's complicated. The two big ones and the 3 small ones at the bottom (heart, star and bear) are from Daiso ($1.50 each set). The 4 little cutters just below the punches, are from Soko Hardware (5 dollars-something for the set of 4).


The picks are from Ichiban Kan ($1.00), there was two of each, but I put one of each to take the picture:


Yes, I know some of them don't seem... kid appropriate, we've been laughing at that all evening. I'm thinking what's more appetizing than a koala humping a strawberry? Muaahahaha

So that's my shopping yesterday! I went all over town, walked from the Richmond to Japantown and back and then some... it was a good day!

Here's the stores I talked about in this post:

Super Tokyo
On the corner of 4th St. and Clement St. in the Richmond district. It's one of those store where you get anything, from toys, to dishes, to food going around by incense and then some. It's a cute little store that I like to run around in. It's not always good deals though. You might want to stop by Kamei and check the prices before you buy at Super Tokyo.


Kamei
It's on Clement St. between 7th St. and 6th St. Kamei has everything for the kitchen. It's basically a restaurant supply store. You won't find the fancy bento stuff in there, but it's practicality central. It's generally cheaper, but not always... do your homework. Also, know what you're looking for, their English is... limited.


Daiso
It's across the parking lot from the Serramonte shopping center. Daiso is my absolutely favorite store. They have everything plastic! I bought everything I needed to organize my stuff at my new meeting for $8!

Plastic boxes, notebooks, dishes, bento boxes, bento gear, cooking gear... 95% of it $1.50! Lock and lock Tupperware EVERYTHING... can you tell I love that place?


Ichiban Kan
It's located in the Miyako Mall in Japantown. It's my second favorite place... was first until I discovered Daiso. It's a dollar store, they have a good bento section, and a lot of knickknacks! The advantage of Ichiban Kan is that they are right in town.

ALSO, Ichiban Kan now have a great website that you can order from (www.ichibankanusa.com). That's a way to get bento boxes and bento gear without paying the Ebay outrageous prices. You won't find fancy stuff, but they still have some cool things like egg molds and picks.


Soko Hardware
On Post St. right across from Miyako Mall. This is a hardware store that has a great kitchen stuff section. They aren't always cheap, but you can find good deals. Their supply of bento boxes is limited and pricey, but they often have things like vegetable cutters, and sauce bottles when everybody else it out!

They also have the absolute nicest staff in San Francisco!


Sanko
Last but certainly not least Sanko is on Buchanan, between Post and Sutter (in the little stone paved part of Buchanan behind Soko Hardware). It is like the fuffy bento spot. While Ichiban Kan and Daiso will overwhelm you with cheapos stuff, Sanko is the place to find the little things that you can't find anywhere else. They are pricey, but sometimes it's worth it.

Also, if you go often you might get lucky and get a good deal like I did on my bear box! I try not to stop at Sanko too often because it always cost me more than I want to spend, but the stuff is so cool I can't resist it!


There you are, that's my shopping report from yesterday in San Francisco! I bought stuff that I absolutely don't need, but that I could not resist! I will use it all, as soon as I figure out where to put it all! AH!

Let me know if you know other good spot to go bento shopping in San Francisco, I'm always game for new adventures!

Happy bento everybody!

Another day, another box!

Ok, today we had planned a picnic, but it didn't happen, so I turned my picnic goodies into bento goodies! My husband doesn't have a box, since we were supposed to eat that picnic together. Darned schedule!

Today I decided to use the very first bento I've bought. It's a small 2 tier bento, I usually use it as a snack bento since I've always felt like it was too small for a meal. WRONG! I had plenty of food in there, and it was delicious!

Here's my box:

In the top tier, on the left, I have left over roasted chicken shredded. With that I have cucumber slices. Nothing fancy.

In the lower tier, on the right, I have Confetti Bean Salad, with avocado slices on top.

Since the box is a little smaller, I went for "filling foods" like beans, and avocado, with proteins to keep me going with less food.

Here's my box closed. I like that it's all red with no decoration. I bought it at Ichiban Kan for like $1.50.

I wanted to give an idea of how small the box really is. Here it is, bundled up (no cooler bag, just the box) in my hand. See? It's tiny!

I'm really happy I decided to do this "different box each day" thing. It's forcing me to think and making me realize how versatile my boxes are. I'm having a blast with this!

To think I was always using the same box every day! This is so much fun!

Happy Bento Everybody!

Yesterday's Bentos

I didn't put together any Bento today. I was not working, though I'm working tonight though, and my husband didn't need one, so I flaked out of it.

I did make some yesterday though, and kept up with my "try a new box each day" challenge! Yesterday I used my 2 tier black box, that I bought at Sokko Hardware in Japantown. I love that box because it's perfect to pack a salad along with a side dish and proteins. Most boxes are too small for salads.

Here's what I had:

In the smaller lower tier (which is divided) I have leftover tabbouleh surrounded with cucumber slices, just to make it pretty. I also have leftover Turkish Meatballs.

In the top tier I have a salad made with lettuce, red bell pepper, chickpeas, and shredded carrots.

Here's my box closed. Isn't it cool? The decorations on it reflects the light in all sorts of cool ways!

Here's another picture:


See the butterfly on the right? Cool huh?

Here's my husband's box:


He's not big on salad, besides I have only one salad friendly box, so I made him steamed veggies, and cut pepper pieces instead. He still has the tabbouleh, surrounded by cucumbers and the Turkish Meatballs.

Tomorrow I'm going to see what I can come up with. I had not planned on working tonight so I'll have to be creative in the morning.

I think I'll be using my Donburi box, I do have curry in the freezer, and rice that I can make really quick. We'll see what happens!

Happy Bento everybody!

New Day, New Bento

In continuation with my exploration of different bento box shapes, I decided to use my comfy, regular 2 tier bentos. I use those regularly, so I have an easy time packing them up effectively.

Here's today's fare:

In the top tier (320 ml) I have left over Tabbouleh, that I made Sunday, and left over Vegetarian curry that I made Saturday.

In the lower tier (250 ml) I have steamed broccoli and shredded carrots with cilantro and Turkish Meatballs. I made a divider with little cucumber sticks! Isn't it cute?

I also brought a snack bento. Fruit salad with a little container of honey.

My husband has the exact same lunch as mine. His cucumber divider looks more cool because it's all twirly! His box is the same as mine, just a different color. I also have the red version of that box.

Now that my favorite box format is used, the rest of the week should be interesting! I think tomorrow I'm going for several smaller boxes since I work all day and then again at night. I need a snack, a lunch, and another snack (before my second job). We'll see what I can come up with!

Happy Bento everyone!

Starting my week

This week I want to try something out!

I have several differently shaped bentos, but somehow I always use the same format. So this week I want to use a different box every day. I don't know that I have 6 different "format" of boxes, but at least not two days in a row the same box shape. We'll see how that goes!

Today I needed a breakfast bento, like every Sunday. I had some stuff to play with, and kept it very simple. Here's what my box looked like:

I used my round box that I bought at Kamei while Mom was in town. It has 3 separately removable containers which divides the box in 3 equal parts. I'm really falling in love with that box, it's simple, and yet very versatile.

Clockwise, starting on top:

1st tier: I have sliced cucumbers and a container of Baba ghannouj that I bought at the Farmer's Market in Santa Rosa.

2nd tier: I have a layer of rather plain bulgur and 2 hard boiled eggs (small ones) halved (I had to cut one of the half to make it fit in without mushing them up).

3rd tier: I have steamed broccoli and shredded carrots with salt, pepper, and cilantro.

It was very tasty, and very filling. I didn't have lunch until 1pm, and I wasn't starving in any way.

Tomorrow, I'll be eating leftovers. It was so good tonight, it's got to be good again tomorrow!!

Happy Bento everybody!