Bento (Japanese style) packed, vegan meals

[pavotrouge]

All right. After mentioning and explaining bento quite often lately, I decided it's time for a bento thread.

This is what teh wiki says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento
and two good sites to get started:
http://justbento.com/
http://lunchinabox.net/
(not vegan!)

You don't have to be bonkers about Japanese food to make bento. In fact, I rarely pack Japanese foods but try to arrange leftovers neatly.
You don't have to be a big artist, either. There are a lot of pictures of very artful bentos- don't think that every Japanese housewife has the time to prepare stuff like that every day. You can even use a regular lock'n'lock box.

I've started packing bento shortly after going vegan for a number of reasons:
1) you can take it with you wherever you go and don't have to worry about vegan options
2) saving money
3) producing less waste as there are many reusable, environment-friendly containers available.
4) nutrition and portion control
bento is a good idea when you're trying to lose some weight. It also helps to eat a variety of different foods everyday.

For me, it's about sneaking some sweets and more calorie-rich foods in as I've got trouble eating enough protein and keeping my weight up.
No doubt I like it because I'm a huge lover of most things Japanese.
And I pack bento because of a personal issue: it's not that I've got an eating disorder, but due to some weird reasons I'm afraid of eating in front of people I'm not close to. This includes coworkers.
I love eating out with friends or cooking for them, but I hate eating among strangers.
But if I put a lot of effort into making something cute, I feel compelled to eat it.
I love to make especially kawaii boxes for everybody when we're going out for a trip (kids love it!).

Now, some eye-candy.

Monday's bento, containing edamame, seitan gyoza, a cocktail tomato, a slice of cake, some mandarin and almonds


and a special-effort bento for school tomorrow, two little bear onigiri (cucumber-wasabi filling) on napa cabbage, edamame, cocktail tomatoes, cucmber slices, potato salad, two mini lemon-poppyseed muffins and a ginger candy (wrapped in foil because I don't like mayonnaise muffins


flickr has a vegan bento group as well.

So, who else likes making packed lunches or is interested in bento?

[Mr Flibble]

I applaud anyone with the will power required to put lots of effort into packed lunches; sounds like lots of extra washing up to me

[bryzee86]

i'm looking at getting some bentos. At the moment i'm looking at those laptop lunch things cos i can't find any bento boxes in london. Anyone got help?

I'dlike these so I can:
a) ensure me and jo actually eat lunch
b) ensure i can portion properly (less for me, more for jo)
c) ensure i do a few different foods for variety.

[missbettie]

I want a laptop lunch box!!!!

I got a bento from my local 99 cent store. It is okay, it doesn't shut very well and there are only 3 different spots with only 1 lid on the whole thing...but it was well worth 99 cents.

Bryzee, I think the best way to go about getting a bento is online or at asian markets, but so far I have had the best luck online unfortunately.

Pavotrouge, I don't like eating in front of people that I am not close to either, and it is so embarressing to admit it! I'm glad I am not the only one!

[RubyDuby]

I'm getting one, but don't know which yet. I spend way too much on restaurants after spending plenty at the grocery store. Either that or I just don't eat all day!

[bryzee86]

thanks, missbettie - i'll scour online. or maybe try chinatown on my travels tomorrow.

[emmapresley]

ebay sell some bryzee...but they're all cutesy twee and i dunno..shipping really bumps up the price. surely lon-don of all places would sell bento boxes..not even small places like chinese supermarket type places?

[pavotrouge]

thanks, missbettie - i'll scour online.

Actually, a branch of Daiso (Japanese dollar/pound/euro store) was opened at Japan Centre near Picadilly a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.japancentre.com/?q=bento&...=&srt=&x=0&y=0

There's also a cute Asian shop near... ugh what was that cinema called... I'll look it up.

As for sizes, the two-tiered ones suit me best. I can't finish a whole laptop lunch! The original idea is that every ml is one calorie and that kids get about 300-400 calories, ladies 500-800 and lads 700-900 calories/mls. The two-tiered ones hold 580ml.

@MrF: not really much more washing up. I mainly use leftovers or cook bento-oriented so that I've always got something in the fridge. I don't do any extra "bento cooking".

[bryzee86]

lol pavot, i just google "japanese shop london" and went on that site. I'm going there tomorrow

[jamboxrock]

My bf got me a laptop lunchbox for Christmas. I only got to use it twice before I was laid off of my stupid job, but will continue to use it once I'm working somewhere else. I wanted it for portion control, to be less wasteful, and because it's cute and hopefully will inspire some creativity.

Pavotrouge's already seen this one, but for the sake of contributing:



I guess it's not a true bento in the sense that I assembled it on a plate at work, but boy was it delicious.

[jamboxrock]

Ohmygosh the hot dog flowers on justbento.com are hilarious!

[Aurore]

i want a laptop bento ! i currently have one with Totoro that is very cute and very japanese (lol) but a laptop one would be more useful to pack my food. mine is two-tiered with some place under the cap to put my chopsticks.
i got my bento on jbox.com (is it ok to mention the address here?), if you're a fan of japanese things, you might find some cute items.
can i also suggest another website i'm sure you know, but i particularly love browsing, called "vegan lunchbox"?

[sponge]

I think bento will be my next obsession. Combining art with food. I like that idea.

[sponge]

http://www.laptoplunches.com/products.html

Heres a site for products and ideas.

[vava]

I think you must really, really love someone to make these sorts of lunches for them. It must be amazing to have them made for you and to have the lovely surprise of opening them to see what you find. Dunno about making them for myself tho although I do like the idea of the compartments to keep small amounts separate. Think I will be an avid fan of this thread tho!

[Roxy]

I think bento's a really good idea, but I just don't think I'd have the patience to assemble it all.

BTW - sorry to hear you got laid off jambox.

[pavotrouge]

I look forward to seeing some of your creations!

@ Aurore: feel free to recommend whatever you like!

I don't usually make bentos like the bear one. Maybe once or twice a month. Tomorrow's box will be some simple sushi, trail mix and some mango pudding (I don't put in fruit most of the time because we've got lots at work).
Thursdays are hell, so everything has to be bite-sized. I don't want to put a lot of effort into it when I'm not even sure that I'll have the time to eat.

Those are my two favourite Ebay bento shops:
http://stores.ebay.com/Bento-Obento-Shop
(incredibly reliable, speedy shipping and also one of the cheapest -
also check out the girl's video podcast, www.bentotv.com)
http://stores.ebay.com/SAKURAS-HAPPY...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

[pavotrouge]

how's everybody doing? did you get your box, bryzee?

some new pictures of my - not so cute- bentos:

sushi bento with ginger sauce in the hello kitty cup, mini lemon-poppyseed muffins, mango pudding and a coconut rice cracker


leftover Thai curry with tofu, rice with ginger sauce and a small container with chocoreale; another one with hummus and some tomato slices (a coworker brought fresh breadrolls to work on Monday because it was her birthday)


I love how everything I put into this black box turns out looking good, no matter how simple it it. Fussili with Thai basil pesto and the chickpea romesco from v-con.

[Aurore]

great bentos !!

[sponge]

That looks awesome pavotrouge!

[Haniska]

I think you must really, really love someone to make these sorts of lunches for them. It must be amazing to have them made for you and to have the lovely surprise of opening them to see what you find. Dunno about making them for myself tho although I do like the idea of the compartments to keep small amounts separate. Think I will be an avid fan of this thread tho!

For some reason it annoys me that people think that these are so awesome. I look at that little box and I think "I would starve to death!" That is like, the amount of food I eat while I am looking for something to eat. When I go to work I try to bring two larger cannisters of things so that I can get 2-3 servings of whatever I chose.

Anyway, vavavegan, you made me stay with that comment! What better way to introduce vegan food to my fiance than to find him a kick ass box and pack it for him every day??

[pavotrouge]

Haniska, the boxes look tiny, I agree. When I got my first one, I thought those would never get me through the day.

But it's all about the packing technique. Sometimes I end up putting the stuff from my bento in a bowl or onto a plate, realizing that it's not so little after all - and I usually it lots!

[Haniska]

Wow! Awesome, thanks pavotrouge. After looking at the measurements online I did think to myself that I spoke a little too hastily. I'm going to buy one next month (New Year budget).

[pavotrouge]

usually, the containers have some information on them about how much they told- usually milliliters.

The containers I posted hold about 600 ml each and there are bigger ones.

[Aurore]

i agree. though i hate when my uni does that, friday i will only have half an hour to eat between classes, so it's an occasion to get my bento out of the cupboard ^^

my only regret is i should have bought one coming with a bag (though i plan to sew one). i also don't have any of those tiny cups or bottles for sauces, i realise they're really useful.

[pavotrouge]

Aurore, I discovered a lovely French-based sited today. The author also suggests some shops in Paris (I hope to make it there in early March!):
http://frenchbento.canalblog.com/arc...es_/index.html

[jamboxrock]

Back to work today, and back to packing lunches! This one has a fuax-logna (pronounced foe-low-ney, my bf named it that), uncheese & mustard sandwich on homemade wheat bread, broccoli florets, carrot salad w/ herb & lime dressing, chopped romaine to go with the carrot salad, and tahini sauce on the side for the broccoli. I also took a small packet of "crispy peaches", dehydrated peach chips.

[missbettie]

wow, thats beautiful.

[Aurore]

Aurore, I discovered a lovely French-based sited today. The author also suggests some shops in Paris (I hope to make it there in early March!):
http://frenchbento.canalblog.com/arc...es_/index.html

thanks !! the one from Muji is really nice and big enough for an adult's stomach. i just didn't like the half white/half transparent look of it. then i just fell in love with my totoro bento .

yay !! cool you're going here in march don't bother trying to find some at Kioko (THE japanese grocery store in Paris). all they sell are tea cups and if i remember well some teapots, to say the truth they're also expensive. i have also the address of a store where all the asian restaurants get their supplies (chopsticks etc...) but i never went there so i don't know if they carry bentos.

[Boosha]

is there somewhere in chinatown or elsewhere in NYC you suggest I check out to get my own box? (ps. new to the board...hello!)

[jamboxrock]

today's lunch, clockwise from bottom left: faux-logna, uncheese & mustard on wheat, celery sticks, broccoli polenta, baby carrots & broccoli, tahini sauce in the small container, dried apples, dried pineapple, and grapes on the right above my fork.



And contrary to what anyone might think, if packed correctly these guys can hold an awful lot of food. I was full for hours and only slightly hungry when I got off work. And it took my whole 30 minute break to chew all of it.

[fondducoeur]

That broccoli polenta looks yum!

[RubyDuby]

yes, must try making that soon!

[jamboxrock]

The broccoli polenta IS super good. I got ten muffin sized polentas, which fed me five times, and lasted a whole week. It tastes good as is, but I found it a tad bland, so next time I plan to add nutritional yeast and black pepper.

[jamboxrock]

Aaaaand I already packed my lunch for tomorrow, so here it is. I am being totally vigilant about it, but it's still my first week back. I'm sure I'll start to slack soon.

Clockwise from bottom left: faux-logna & uncheese slices, cucumber, green peppers, celery, red pepper hummus, baby carrots, wheat crackers to go with the meats & cheeses, and grapes on the right. And I'm taking iced green tea in hopes of not needing to purchase a soda.

[Aurore]

your bentos look so yummy !!

note to myself : try that polenta broccoli.

i bought some molds and tiny bottles&cups to put in my bento. happy

[pavotrouge]

woah, how long are your working days, jambox?
and we've got the same set of divider cups

[jamboxrock]

Well, those cups were originally purchased as cupcake baking cups but they work quite nicely, don't they? Totally stole the idea from the internets.

My workday is only 8.5 hours with a 30 min lunch break, but I seem to need to eat quite a bit to power through that. The calorie counts aren't too awfully high since I try to take fruits & veggies. Plus I need to eat enough at lunch to not be starving when I get home, because if I am I'll eat crap and screw up the rest of my day.

[jamboxrock]

Tomorrow's lunch, Superbowl leftovers. Sausage balls, veggies, dilly ranch, roasted pepper hummus, gherkins, cookie cake w/ pickled beets underneath (separated by foil), pickled mushrooms and grapes.

[Sluggie]

These boxes look fabulous. It's almost enough to make me wish I had to work for a living so I could make them too. Almost.

[Enchantress]

You could buy one anyway and eat your lunch out of it at home . I might do that actually...

[pavotrouge]

yeah sluggie, many people make bento though, or even BECAUSE they are at home all day.

see: http://justbento.com/why-make-bento-...-you-work-home

[vava]

soup bowls next to naked ladies eh?

[Sluggie]

It's not the same though, without hordes of admiring co-workers gathered round your desk to ooh and ahh over your artistic efforts and marvelling at the gorgeousness that is vegan food, then returning disconsolately to their own desks to force down their limp cow-pus sandwiches.

[pavotrouge]

that's why I created this thread. share it with us!

[Sluggie]

Fair point.

[Roxy]

My workday is only 8.5 hours with a 30 min lunch break, but I seem to need to eat quite a bit to power through that.

Oooo Congratulations on your new job I hope you like it!

[jamboxrock]

Thanks Roxy! It's at a VA hospital which is like an alien planet compared to normal workplaces, but it's alright so far. It's only a temp position through mid-April though, so if I hate it that's okay too.

[jamboxrock]

Tomorrow's lunch: lentil/veggie/alphabet/tomato stew, veggies, roasted red pepper hummus, dilly ranch, grapes, and a prune and dried apricot under the spoon.

[vava]

Doesn't everything sort of fall out of containers / get displaced and end up in a mush of horridness from the, "to work traveling?"