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!!

I found my Bentos!!!

Hello there!

Offaah, nothing like moving to throw you totally off your routine! I've been taking a vacation, but enough is enough. If I want to take another vacation sometimes, I have to get back to the grind.

So today, I reconnected with work (I'm alive guys, really!) and took out my bento stuff! Since we moved on March 8th, I've tried to make a few bentos, but it didn't really work. Without my cutsy tools it's not nearly as much fun. Still I did make a few, here's two mentionable ones:


Ok, I know, it's Tupperware, not a bento! I was trying to "think bento" and see how I could pack a lunch for my husband since we had such good leftovers. Clockwise starting to the top left corner:

Shredded Green Beans, with lemon-lime zest and snipped chives, bell pepper pieces, leek-potato soup, Red kidney beans with jalapeno link (TJ).

In the middle is a tomato dip I bought from the Pakistani guy who's trying to pass himself off as Indian at the Ferry building Farmers market.


I packed the whole thing in a cooler bag with my husband's trusty snack: a banana!


This was on Monday April 13th: Falafel (Costco, I freeze them), carrots and cucumber pieces, precooked lentils (TJ), bulgur, steamed peas and leftovers tomato-onion dip (from Great India... well, they deliver!).

Notice that I signed my work on that one with a big W on the bulgur. I was just cracking up saying "Dude, I've lost my mind!"

Today I had delicious leftovers to work with, and I wanted lunch to look good. So I trotted out my bento stuff, and made "real bentos".


Vegetables: I have flower shaped carrots and cucumber. The bits and pieces that were left from the cutting are mixed in a salad that is under the flowers!

I also have steamed broccoli and peas leftover from last night. I had no broth, so I put garlic powder and rosemary in the water. Very tasty.

Grain: I have a very simple citrus couscous with rosemary.

Proteins: I made Orange chicken last night. It was delicious and since the thighs were small, no need to cut them up to fit in the box!


This is my lunch ready to go! I had planned on having lunch on the beach, but it's already very hot and I'm sunburned from the weekend, so I'll skip for today. The bulge on the right is an orange, my new obsession.


My husband has exactly the same lunch. He does have 2 chicken thighs because he's a big boy and needs more food than I do.

So there we are! Back to bento making! We're having dinner out so bento making might be complicated tomorrow, but I'll figure it out.

Happy Bento Everybody!!!

Random Bentos since mid January

Hello there,

We're still moving, only a few days to go. I decided that the "new look" of the blogs wasn't working for me, so I stripped the whole thing down and will rework it when I can breathe again after we're all moved.

In the meantime I've been taking pictures of Bentos here and there and decided to post those here. Unfortunately I don't remember the dates or details of most Bentos I took picture of, it's been crazy around here, but here they are:

This is a Bento I did after one of my "Whole Food expedition". I bought this funky broccoli that is all spiky and spirally. I love it! With that I have cucumber flowers, sliced strawberries, precooked chicken (that you can buy in the deli section of any grocery store) and a broiled Onigiri.

Oh and there's also clover sprouts under the Onigiri! I don't like Alfafa but I like clover sprouts!

My husband has the same thing with a wedge of laughing cow light added. He also have a little more chicken and an extra Onigiri.



This one I'm not so sure. I know that I had made a sort of chicken and bean dish with carrots. I couldn't define is precisely. It was good though! With that I have brown rice. It was a last minute no time to think Bento and it shows.


My husband has the same thing with two Mini Babybel cheese.

That was a sad Bento day...



This is my husband's "Fortune Bento" #1. I made it after I packed my Bento gear so he's got an aluminum foil container in there. I'm trying to find more interesting ways of taking pictures. Bear with me I'm having fun!

He's got leftover baked chicken, cucumber edamame salad, 2 broiled Onigiri and 2 Mini Babybel light cheese.


Finally! This is another Fortune Bento ("Bento de Fortune" in French, which mean something made with whatever you can do with whatever you have). He has leftover steak with a corn/bean salad, couscous, carrot sticks and a mini Babybel cheese.

There you have it! I'm still bento-ing, though not as much as I should. Soon I'll be able to set a new routine for myself, and I'll be close to all the interesting shops on Clement st!

Happy Bento Everybody!

Announcement - Announcement - Announcement

Hi Everybody!

Between my laptop being down, the apartment hunt, and now packing, I have been unable to post on either blog.

I have made a few Bento Boxes (though not many) and have been up and about, but I will get back to my regular schedule hopefully soon.

At the worst, I should be done moving by the second week of Mars. I'm hoping to be able to get back to posting before that, but that hopefully.

Keep on keeping on!!! I will soon be sharing my San Francisco adventures!!!!

I am so excited! Be good n stuff

Will~

A New Look!

Well dear readers, here you have it! Willow's Home finally got it's very own look!

I have wanted to give Willow's Lifestyle and Willow's Bento Box a look that is my own ever since I started them, but I needed help.

It took some nagging, but Mister Willow (actually my husband Dan Ross) finally decided today that he would sit down and do it. The spice background and the spice lettering are made from a photo I took and that Dan transformed into lettering and background.

There will be other upgrades and creations as time goes by, but the basis of what I want my blogs to look like is there. Finally!

A great huge loving thank you to Dan for taking the time to do it (and putting up with me in the process ;op).

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Ending the week well

Thursday I had the day to myself along with Grace (my dog). I decided that it was more than time to get outside and play together. We both needed it.

I was going eat at a cafe somewhere, but realized that I had plenty of leftovers to work with, so I made a bento out of odds and ends I had in the fridge.

Here's my box:

Grains: I had cinnamon scented couscous.

Vegetables: I had steamed broccoli stem, and precooked edamame (Trader Joes). I added steamed lentils (Trader Joes) to that.

Proteins: I had the rest (finally) of the pork roast. It was delicious, but I was getting very sick of it!

Others: I cut up a pineapple Wednesday to put in the chicken salsa dish and had leftovers. I put those in as a "side dish/dessert".

I went to a Weight Watchers meeting, and then to the dog park. I ate my bento there, and had a few dogs roaming around me. Apparently, there were volunteers to help me out with my pork if needed. ;op

Today (friday) I made Sushi Bowls for dinner (see my Lifestyle blog for details) and with the leftover rice I made Broiled Onigiris:

Those are now in the freezer ready for a coming bento! I hadn't made those in a while, and they are goooood!

Happy Bento Everybody!

Don't tell me I have an hour!

This morning I'm not working, again. Kinda depressing, but it gives me time to do useful things, like... well, useful things!

I didn't have anything prepared really for the bentos, just leftover pork roast. As I made a comment about "Gee, i need some time this morning" my husband said "Well, I'm not leaving for another hour".

Oh yeah? Cutsiness attack! I took out some vegetable cutters and had some fun:

Grains: I have about 1/2 cup of the quick couscous I made with chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cinnamon. I love Couscous for those "I got nothing" mornings because it's so fast. I added a cut out red bell pepper flower to make it look cute.

Proteins: I made little sticks with 2oz of the never ending pork roast. It is delicious! I had sushi last night so I'm not tired of this pork yet.

Vegetables: I have steamed broccoli. I put some mirin in the water, we'll see how it goes. I had orange blossom water in the water last time, but my husband thought it was a little too strong (I love it so there!).

I also have red pepper and cucumber salad. I cut flowers out of red bell pepper and out of cucumber, and diced the "leftovers" to make the main salad. I covered it with the flowers. Cute huh?



My husband has the same foods, but a little more. The only difference is that I added a leaf of lettuce under his pork sticks to make it look better.

He has twice as much couscous, and about 3.5 oz of pork. He has a little less vegetable though so I added a little bag of baby carrot and a banana to his lunch.

I used a bento cloth to hold everything together. The cooler bag with the bento is in there as well as the banana and the baby carrot bag.

There you have it, another day of bento!

Happy Bento Everybody!