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How the Get Started Bento Challenge will work
posted by maki on Wed, 2009-01-07 02:26
(From the new Just Bento forum)
Here are the details of the Get Started Bento Challenge. Please note: I got the start date wrong for the first week because I don’t know how to read a calendar properly! I really meant for it to start on Monday, January 12th. Because of my mistake though, we’ll say we’ll start the first week on the 12th or the 13th, then re-adjust so that the next week starts properly on a Monday.
Please see this post which lists the overall goals for this Challenge.
Here’s how the challenge will work.
- This is a a 5-week challenge.
- Each Challenge Week will commence on a Monday, so:
- Week 1 starts Monday, January 12 / Tuesday, January 13 (because of my screwup) - Details here!
- Week 2 starts Monday, January 19
- Week 3 starts Monday January 26
- Week 4 starts Monday, February 2
- Week 5 starts Monday, February 9
- Ending date is Sunday, February 15, the day after Valentine’s Day.
- Before each week starts (by Sunday) I’ll post about some specific goals/objectives for that week. (Of course you can customize these for your own purposes as much as you like).
- We can track our progress for that week here, or on your own blog, or wherever you’d like to share it, but please let us know in the central community how you’re doing if you can.
- Sharing pictures is encouraged! You can share via the flickr pool if you like.
Anything other than me messing up the start date (grr) that I’m missing? Please let me know!
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Where are we suppose to post our goals for doing this??
What/where is the 'central community'??
Eilish
This forum is the central community. (I noticed people have been making sub-groups elsewhere and that's fine, but I don't have the time to go around reading all of them so that's why right here is the central community :))
Can't wait to start!
Just one small little comment: January 13 is a Tuesday or is my calendar wrong?
Yes, the 13th is a tue. Kind of an odd day to start, but for me, it works since school starts the next day!
Yum yum bento yum yum!
Tuesday works for me, too. It gives me time to come up with something to bring in for lunch on Monday, and still have time to post it! :)
Dawn of Dawn's Recipes
I really meant to say Monday the 12th. I don't know how to read a calendar properly it seems. :(
Hmm, what to do... I guess we say we start the 12th or the 13th the first week? So sorry about that everyone...
(goes to bang head on desk, and maybe get some more sleep!)
It's Ok. You have done quite a lot to set this up properly. Will be posting my Bento this weekend. Looking forward to the challenge ahead! CHEERS. xxox
i'm feeling so inspired!
can't wait to start the challenge!!!
*^.~*
Looking forward to getting started on this and hope I can stick to it. I'll be making lunches for both me and my wife although she's somewhat sceptical about me being able to do it. We went to the Japan Centre here in London last week and we weren't completely happy with the bento lunch boxes they had on sale. They had the two compartment ones but we wanted something that we could nuke. We already have a couple of conainters with the lockable lids so we'll use those. I've decided to start with Bento #1 to be safe as I think I can handle that much. Instead of tofu I'll probably cook some chicken and I'll probably use half a chicken's egg instead of a quail's egg.
Cant wait to start (started last week but I wana give this a REAL go) is gonna be fun :D trying to get my friends to join in too!
The crazy rat lady @
http://foxxy-leigh.livejournal.com/
(From the new Just Bento forum)
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my blog - http://honeysheistwisted.blogspot.com/
this is going on my calendar! I don't want to forget XD
I can't wait to get started. However, I might get off to a slow start on things, as that is also the start of the first week of A2 January modules and I'm aiming for a good university. I will do my best for now, and come February I'll have enough time to make bento's hopefuly every day.
Where are we suppose to post our goals for doing this??
What/where is the 'central community'??
I am soooooooo confused now!
Eilish
So we just make and photograph a bento lunch each workday during the challenge?
Do the photos get posted here or on our own blogs?
www.mrbentosbabe.blogspot.com
Tues is a good day.. a good mistake.. hee, at least for me, I'll be able to post what and how I did on Monday.. and so forth. I'm buried in a mountain of activities.. moving house on 17th, flying home on 21st for lunar new year festivities.. but I'm not forgetting my commitment to the challenge, I'll try to make lunch and eat out of my bento-box as much as I can..
flyinglillies, you can post your reports here, or on your blog (though please link to your blog post here). It's even better if you can put the photo on the flickr pool too since it's easier for me to look at them all in one place, plus they'll appear on the sidebar here too. Hopefully other questions are answered in the Week 1 Challenge post!
Totally excited about the bento box challenge. Our challenge is getting back to using our bentos since we've returned from the holidays (and been swamped with work & life)... What about listing the overall goals for the week possibly by Saturday? We do our grocery shopping & menu planning for the week over the weekend... That would help us focus a bit on the week's challenge! Yay, can't wait!
I have a question about the 3 levels. For the Basic level, we should aim to make one bento this week. Does that increase with the levels? For example, if I'm going for the Weight Loss level, should I be aiming to make 3 bentos this week?
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
http://glamrgeek.blogspot.com/
Hmm, I've explained my problem in the other thread, so here I've got a suggestion: Why don't you add an extra level for college/phd students? We don't have kitchens we could organise and meals we could plan, etc. But we'd love a challenge, anyway. If I was smarter, I'd suggest something myself, but all that comes to mind is "stock up on stolen salt/sugar/mayo/ketchup/honey portion packets". Actually, "Cook at least one real meal (ramen doesn't count) and use the leftovers for bento" would be a good idea.
Another challenge suggestion is something I've been doing for several months now: When you make a bento for yourself and have more than you need, make another one in a disposable container (you get those from takeaways or cheaply on ebay) and give it to a homeless person. It doesn't even have to be decorated or anything, just healthy, home-cooked food. I encounter at least half a dozen beggars (who actually ask for food) every day in Berlin, I'm not comfortable with giving money, but I'm happy giving away healthy food.
My bento-blog in German!
Hi bentokitty! I think that there are people in many different circumstances here, judging from the intro posts. SAHMs, some working moms, college/uni or graduate school students, high school or younger students, full time workers, etc. If the specific details don't fit your own circumstances it's good to adapt them. In your case for example - what about putting together a small 'bento kit' at both your place and your boyfriend's for example? It could be supplies, or ready-to-eat food staples, etc. The no-ramen for a meal with planned leftovers sounds like a great idea.
For the homeless idea - well that might work in some cases but not in others. In my old neighborhood in NYC I'm fairly sure I'd have run into trouble if I did that :) (and homeless-ish people here in Zürich, the very few that are there, seem to mostly want money for eh, 'coffee' or 'the train fare home'. I try to give back by giving money to charities, donating to Caritas or the Salvation Army, or participating things like Menu for Hope.) if the homeless people you give the food to appreciate it it's a very good thing youre doing.
Hi glamrgeek! You should basically do what you think you are capable of time wise and so on. You can choose to make just 1 bento if you're brand new to bento making, and concentrate on the weight loss tasks, and so on. Make it your own!
:D eee! I'm so excited, I got up and made my first bento ever this morning and now I just feel.. elated <3 floating on air.
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