why bento?

On a forum I was reading the other day, the topic of conversation was "why do you make bento?"

My foremost reason, as I mentioned yesterday, is to eat more healthily.  It's not a New Year's resolution or anything, just something I'm constantly trying to do.

Many people talk about the portion control aspect of bento, but I don't need that because, well, I have a high metabolism.  Eating 1500 calories a day, with a little exercise, I can lose weight.  Because of my high metabolism, I need more protein to keep me full, which I why I try to eat whole grains to supplement, and why the traditional bento with lots of rice isn't quite for me.  My ratio is more like 3 parts protein, 2 parts grains, and 3 parts vegetable.  And a sweet occasionally, like my current favorite, the clementine.

I love buying things... and, there are so many cute things for bento!  It's gotten a bit out of hand, I admit, as I have two more bento orders on the way.  Whoops!  I just love this kawaii stuff.  I'd love to get some character stuff, but it's even more expensive, and I can't justify spending $15 on a Hello Kitty or Totoru one... so, I'll wait.

And, finally, it's fun!  Spending time thinking about the food I'll eat makes me enjoy it more.  I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I need some encouragement to eat real food and not just snacks.

first "sushi" bento

A lot of "firsts" with my bento experiences these days... I've had sushi a few times before, but just a mild California roll or something similar... no raw fish.  ;)  I like it as long as I'm in the mood; however, the taste wasn't as strong as I'd remembered.  Sometimes the smell of nori can be a bit much.


Anyway, bento #4 (don't you love my creative titles?)

Including:
- sushi rolls with (tinned) tuna mixed with chili sauce and cucumber
- hard boiled egg (included a few bunnies... for my first bento in the year of the rabbit!)
- spinach cooked in sesame oil, with a few black sesames
- cherry tomatoes, cucumber
- a satsuma

I wasn't as good at filling in the spaces as I was with my first bento... in fact, as I was taking the picture, I noticed a gap behind the clementine, so ran and cut another piece of cucumber.  ;)

I used brown rice to make the sushi... it held together okay, but hey, I need the protein!  As much as I love white rice, it's not as healthy nor filling.

at-home bento

One of the reasons I love bento is because it encourages healthy eating.  To me, bento isn't about cutting up a traditional American sandwich-lunch into cute shapes and putting in a packet of crisps.  It's about including vegetables.

So, I've started doing a few "at-home" bentos, which aren't traditionally bento, but include that all-important aspect of healthy eating.  I'm single, so typically, I'll sit down with a bowl of chili or whatever I'm eating for lunch/dinner, and the vegetables I eat are whatever's cooked into the meal.

While reorganizing my plastic cupboard, I found this divided plate... well, I actually found it after I bought two others.  ;)  It's the perfect thing to remind me to eat more than just the main dish!

So, at-home bento #1:
- chili with portobello mushrooms and onions (I put onion in almost everything)
- sliced English cucumber
- clementine, which was a banana when I had the same thing for dinner :D

It doesn't look especially attractive, I know... (I'm pretty sure only a professional photographer can make chili look good), but it's mostly healthy!

sweets? who needs 'em?

I have bentos to post, just too lazy to go get the camera!

Okay, I'm not much of a sweets person.  I get cravings every once in a while, but I don't think that they need to be included in every meal... or even every day.  So, my dessert is mostly fruit, except for the jello/jelly at the end of the list.  But I'd probably put fruit in that, too.  :D

Clementine

Cherries

Strawberries

Apples

Grapes
Mango... a new favorite!

Kiwi

Peaches

Raisins

jello

Feel free to offer suggestions if I've forgotten something!

bento bands!

I went on a bit of a bento band kick last night, making several with kawaii designs.  However, I only have two bento boxes, and can only use one at a time, so I put a few on etsy for ya'll to pick up.

Here's just a sample of the cuteness:

bunny, panda, sheep

  
laughing onigiri, smiling onigiri, owl

And, here's my etsy shop where you can buy them:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/slovakiasteph

so, things haven't gone as planned...

but that's life, and when does it usually?  ;)  I'm on the job hunt-- have one part-time job teaching at a local community college, but still need another job, and one that pays.  Those who teach at college level do so because they love to teach, not to make money.

But, since I'm not working much, I don't need to pack a lunch yet.  Which means no bento.  That doesn't mean I didn't order a few more bento boxes, of course.  :)  They'll be here later this month.

Over Christmas, I did make a "travel bento" for my trip to my parents' house:

- seven ham-wrapped asparagus spears
- baby carrots
- a fat "snowman" hard-boiled egg
- clementine
- previously-frozen onigiri-- I forgot to pop this in the microwave first, so the rice was very dry

My first time using my new lock-and-lock set!  I also packed a small snack bento with a hardboiled egg and another two clementines... hey, I get hungry when I drive!

I've been researching,

always researching.  One of my favorite things to do.

I thought I'd tell you about some of my favorite bento blogs.

I'm finding more, and I'll share those later, but for now... I think I have plenty to share.  :)

http://justbento.com/  I think this was one of the first bento blogs I found... I sat down and read it "cover to cover."  Maki has many great recipes here, and many can be frozen for later.  She also covers some bento basics like making onigiri.  A great Japanese focus.

http://www.hapabento.com/  Great pictures, lots of colorful veg!  Another huge favorite.  Lots of vegetarian bentos as well.

http://www.mybentolicious.com/  Such kawaii bentos this Indonesian mom makes for her two children.

http://notabrownbag.wordpress.com/  Yum yum... looking at these bentos makes you want to make some yourself... and then eat them.  :)

That's four of my favorites... I have many more, and the list keeps expanding!  I think I'll use a blog reader specifically for bento... but, I like seeing the websites instead.