bento box lunches

[harmony]

Back before I decided to work primarily at home, I discovered the idea of the Japanese bento box lunches. I never did anything fancy, but it was a way to make lunches more interesting. There is no requirement that the food has to be Asian. You can use leftovers from dinner.

I also found a post that always fascinated me and I think relates to the whole plate idea in No-S. Instead of counting calories for each individual item in the bento box, they estimate how many average calories would be contained by the size of the container.

Here is the link: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/03/07/guide ... bento-box/

This link also has reference to the Japanese Spinning Top which is Japan's take on a food pyramid.

If you get a chance, you should check out some bento blogs and sites. It is truly using food as art in some cases. The lunch in a box site above has good examples of the more functional bentos (the ones you wouldn't feel bad to eat).

[Kodama]

I discovered Bentos a few months ago. It's really a lot of fun. And you are right, I don't have to eat asian foods. I still make a bento for myself now and again. It really encourages me to eat healthy food, in a proper portion. I don't dress it up too much, but I do like paying attention to color choice, texture choice, and arrangement. It's like I'm doing something special for myself! It makes my lunch fun and healthy!

[harmony]

You really do end up with a healthier lunch , especially if you work on getting more color (from natural sources, of course).

If you haven't already discovered it, www.justbento.com is another site that is more about everyday bento boxes. The author is Japanese so the food and recipes follow suit.

I like your avatar by the way, sgstarling. Those are my favorite little guys from Princess Mononoke.

[kccc]

I also found a post that always fascinated me and I think relates to the whole plate idea in No-S. Instead of counting calories for each individual item in the bento box, they estimate how many average calories would be contained by the size of the container.

Here is the link: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/03/07/guide ... bento-box/

What an interesting concept - but it makes total sense if you follow the general rules for what goes in the box.

I'm fascinated by Bentos, but rather doubt my ability to fill them appropriately. But if I keep cruising sites like this one, I may have to try!

[~hf]

I bought a bento box for my 16yod for back to school. She was recently diagnosed with celiac disease and, instead of trying to deal with figuring out what she could eat off school menu each day (she has always eaten school breakfast and lunch prior to this), I bought her a really cute bento box online and told her to start packing! I thought she might be a little embarrassed by it all but she has actually gotten a lot of comments from other students on how cute it looks. Whew!

I'm seeing articles on them pop up everywhere. The inspiration for my purchase was a write up in Mothering magazine. The pictures of some of the lunches were amazing.

Thanks for the link. We struggled to figure out what size to select for here so having a guide is a great resource.

Heidi