Bento Boxes
Lately I've been getting interested in bento making. I bought a bento box when I was last in Japan, and have several times packed it and brought it into work. But I am a complete beginner.
Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. Some are almost unbearably cute, featuring characters from fave manga or movies, and some people have elevated it to an art form.
Boy, is there a wealth of information, and thousands of blogs out there on the subject!
community.livejournal.com/bentolunch/
community.livejournal.com/bentochallenge/
anamericaninbento.blogspot.com/
www.cookingcute.com/
cuteyummytime.wordpress.com/
One really good one is www.justbento.com, which has fantastic tips and tools, not just for bento making, but for organising healthy eating in general. Just because you can pack food into your bento and make it look cute, doesn't mean it's healthy.
Using the helpful planners
justbento.com/handbook/downloads/weekly-bento-planner
justbento.com/weekly-meal-planner-with-bento-lunch
helps you focus on balance, variety and portion size. It's easy to see if you consistently have little or no veges, all rice and protein, or whatever. More principles for healthy diet bento-packing:
www.justbento.com/handbook/getting-started-bento-making/easy-diet-bento-rules
I love this blog www.aibento.net where (until recently) the author made bentos based on episodes of "Lost". It was more fun admittedly while the season was current, as each one was based on what happened that week.
It's all very inspiring, but now I'm looking for books. Unfortunately the vast majority of books on Bento Box lunches are in japanese. When I was last in Tokyo I looked, believe me! There are a few on Amazon that I should give a try. And I really should have a look in Kinokuniya. Has anyone got one that they recommend?
Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. Some are almost unbearably cute, featuring characters from fave manga or movies, and some people have elevated it to an art form.
Boy, is there a wealth of information, and thousands of blogs out there on the subject!
community.livejournal.com/bentolunch/
community.livejournal.com/bentochallenge/
anamericaninbento.blogspot.com/
www.cookingcute.com/
cuteyummytime.wordpress.com/
One really good one is www.justbento.com, which has fantastic tips and tools, not just for bento making, but for organising healthy eating in general. Just because you can pack food into your bento and make it look cute, doesn't mean it's healthy.
Using the helpful planners
justbento.com/handbook/downloads/weekly-bento-planner
justbento.com/weekly-meal-planner-with-bento-lunch
helps you focus on balance, variety and portion size. It's easy to see if you consistently have little or no veges, all rice and protein, or whatever. More principles for healthy diet bento-packing:
www.justbento.com/handbook/getting-started-bento-making/easy-diet-bento-rules
I love this blog www.aibento.net where (until recently) the author made bentos based on episodes of "Lost". It was more fun admittedly while the season was current, as each one was based on what happened that week.
It's all very inspiring, but now I'm looking for books. Unfortunately the vast majority of books on Bento Box lunches are in japanese. When I was last in Tokyo I looked, believe me! There are a few on Amazon that I should give a try. And I really should have a look in Kinokuniya. Has anyone got one that they recommend?