Hi, everyone!

I got a red Smart Bento for Christmas! I'm very excited about using it for the first time, and I was wondering if anyone on this comm has one. Its dimensions are quite narrow, so I'd be interested in seeing how people pack them.

But my main question is this: Are they microwave-friendly? The instructions that came with it are in Japanese, but there's a drawing of what looks like a microwave with a big X through it. I am not sure whether that means the whole thing is not microwavable, or just the lids, or what. I know that most bentos are microwavable without the lids, but I'd like to hear from someone who actually owns one of these particular boxes.

Thanks!

Banning those holiday treats and getting back to healthy eating.

Read more about this bento on hapa bento.

Let's sing it... "on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...."

Read more about this holiday bento on hapa bento's blog.

Wow it's been a long time since I last updated. Sorry for having disappeared for a while. I still read the updates in here but have not been posting or commenting much. As I have recently mentioned on my food blog, I pretty much went 'off' food for the past few months while dealing with morning (read: all-day-and-night) sickness and the exhaustion typical of early pregnancy. I did very little cooking and not many bento lunches were packed. Even when I did pack lunches, they were not very inspired and I did not bother taking any photos. I am feeling much better now halfway through my pregnancy (I am due at the end of April 2010) and it's been really good to get back to cooking and bento again. Here are a couple of them that made it to photos:

Chicken rice, cucumber slices, steamed chicken breast, char siew (Chinese bbq pork) and kai lan in oyster sauce.


Tuna pasta salad with sundried tomatoes, sliced red peppers and hummus


I am looking forward to getting back to more regular bento-making in the new year. I know that most people are probaly busy with holiday festivities now. Merry Christmas to you all and have a great new year ahead. Cheers to more bento ideas and may your Christmas stockings be filled with lots of bento kit and goodies!

I believe this is my... Eleventh bento?
Haven’t really been brining lunch to school recently ever since I discovered my school’s salad bar!



Top: Broccoli and leftover baked potato
Left: Honey turkey, lettuce and mayo on a whole wheat roll
Right: Pineapple Tidbits


With today being the last day of school before vacation, I don’t think I’ll be having any more bentos until the new year.
Happy holidays!!

i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.

diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.

cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.

I wanted another festive-themed bento, but several timing- and cooking-related disasters later it's just a random veggie bento. Oh well, as long as it's pretty and tasty...!

Small box (background): couscous, carrot shaves and halloumi on lettuce, cherry tomatoes.
Big box(foreground): More halloumi, Ajvar, cherry tomatoes, fried zucchini chips, baked potato wedges, and a piece of Knäck.

This may or may not be the last post this year. We'll see how I feel tonight!

;)

My bentoblog: http://wererabbits.wordpress.com

I just made my first bento!

Swedish meatballs + sauce.
Baby carrots.
Egg.
Rice.
and
Fruit snacks!!! :3

( Photo )
It isn't anything special, but it is my first so I love it to death.

This may well be the last bento of the year (unless I decide to make some for myself during the christmas days where I'm working *sigh*) so.. a Christmas Tree was in order, I thought...

Funny enough this is probably the fastest bento I've ever made, I think it took 15 minutes max - but then again I already had the meat, leftover from dinner, and it's not exactly elaborate, so...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!

Bento # 679 Pork pot roast with mandarin wedges. Pasta with ketchup, covered with sugar snaps, corn, carrots, sweet red pepper and peas.

Paperwhites for lunch?   Read more about the leftovers on hapa bento.

( Contents and additional bento )

I have a Christmas present bento today, do you know the theme? Read about it on my blog and take a first look at my upcoming bento book, Yum-Yum Bento: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches!

So, this was the last bento this year since I have holidays now, my mom cooking and won't be in need of bentos until the middle of January. =)

Today's nothing fancy, because I just needed a quick snack for lunch. So everything is rather finger food like.



For description and some thoughts see my journal

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ps: What is it with lj screwing the display format of every post? It's not funny to edit every entry after submitting so it doesn't look strange... (and I saw some of you having the same problem...)

Here are two bentos that I made for this week. Enjoy.

Salmon cakes, veggies and rice

 

Steak, mango, ginger and noodles

Here's today's lunch, the last bento before I have some time off for Christmas! Leftovers from yesterday's lunch out... chicken enchiladas with mushroom cream sauce, rice with poblano peppers, guac pouring sauce, my homemade granola bars and a gingerman pick. Not the best pic using the office camera, but a spicy wake-me-up for mid day.

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

Here is the blog post as promised! :) Using my Ms. Bento from my brithday (in August!) for the first time. I know, how ashamed I am that I took so long to try it out!

(click for larger photo) Pork tofu, rice, chicken karaage, cucumber pickles, orange bell pepper. This Ms. Bento is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I own a Tiger thermal: post here, but I was pretty peeved when I found out that it wasn't leak proof. The Ms. Bento soup container IS leakproof and it held my soupy pork tofu perfectly. I heated it up in the morning with some boiling water for about 5 minutes and it kept my food hot until lunchtime. Definitely a great present. :) Till next time!

So, here we have today's bento.



The top box is curry noodles with chicken and broccoli. (Leftover dinner from yesterday). The bottom is asparagus, cut veggies and little sandwiches with brie and pumpernickel. Also a tomato flower and some pear/ physalis for dessert.

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