This article originally appeared on http://www.justbento.com.
Practical and fun bento box tips and ideas, healthy bento recipes from Japan and the world. Brought to you by Makiko Itoh of Just Hungry.
Hello everyone!
posted by zora on Thu, 2009-01-08 17:43
Hi there! I'm Zora, from Tennessee. I've been bento-ing for my husband and myself for about, hmm, almost 3 years now... I originally started making bento after our honeymoon in Tokyo; we have always loved Japanese food, and after seeing all the different bento in restaurants, department-store food floors, cookbooks, etc. on our trip, I bought a couple basic boxes so I could give it a try.... and well, I got hooked! :)
I used to take photos of our bento everyday and post in a Livejournal bento group, but quit about a year ago due to laziness and a desire to sleep a few more minutes each morning. My bento-style is just "food packed into a box" as attractively as possible within my time constraints (I actually get up and cook our bento foods in the morning before we go to work, unless I have leftovers to use), but with the help of a rice cooker with a timer function and lots of Maki's tips on JustBento I've been able to cut my 2-bento prep time down to about 30 minutes. I'd really like to get a better freezer stash set up so that I can be even faster! :)
My goal is to make my bento healthier; I used to do well with that, but recently I've been putting too much junk in there! Oh, and smaller portions too. My husband and I have both put on a few extra pounds over the past couple of months so I'm hoping this will help get us back on track.
____________________________________
New forum activity since your last visit
| Title | Author | Answers | Last Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMPORTANT: If you have a blog on JustBento... | maki | 1 | 2 weeks 21 min ago |
| Kakigori - Japanese shaved ice | Loretta | 6 | 2 weeks 2 days ago |
| Help me through the cauliflower glut | Loretta | 24 | 3 weeks 2 days ago |
| What should I bring back from Japan? | Awfulknitter | 5 | 3 weeks 5 days ago |
| Wal-Mart has Lock And Lock | SewingDiva | 5 | 3 weeks 6 days ago |
Join the Just Bento flickr pool
Join the Bento Gear flickr pool
Recently commented articles
- A beautiful Mother's Day bento (2 comments)
Active forum topics
- IMPORTANT: If you have a blog on JustBento...
- Kakigori - Japanese shaved ice
- Help me through the cauliflower glut
- What should I bring back from Japan?
- Wal-Mart has Lock And Lock
- Japanese bread recipes
- The fake Japanese/Asian restaurant Hall of Shame
- Marinated Garlic Cloves
- Line-drying Clothes
- Homemade natto?
Recent articles
- Just Hungry, Japanese food and more
- Hungry For Words: My language blog (mostly Japanese)
- Maki's personal site
Subscribe to Just Bento
Subscribe to Just Bento - a healthy meal in a box: great bento recipes, tips, and more
Or...subscribe by email:
Hi Zora! Looks like you've got some great goals tied to the challenge. Best of luck! ^___^
Hi Zora. I'm interested in the ways you've saved time. I, too, need to save some time in the morning without giving up the quality of my lunches.
Hi Kath!
The thing that helps me the most is trying to prep as much as possible the night before... not having to chop up 5 different vege for a stirfry at the crack of dawn really saves time! :) It doesn't always happen, though, but I think that if I planned out my bento for the week (I'm going to try using Maki's planner) I could also plan what I would prep in advance too.
And of course, if I'm cooking a bento-friendly dinner, I try to make enough to have leftovers to use.
I also keep a list of quick-to-make bento foods that I can whip up with things I usually have on hand, so if I stumble into the kitchen at 6 am without a plan I can usually still make a decent bento.
Also, if you make rice often, the rice cooker with a timer is awesome. It's probably my most-used kitchen appliance and such a timesaver.
Hmm... what would REALLY help me save time is if I could get my husband to do the bento box washing-up. Yeah, still working on that one.
Hope this helps! :)
Post new comment