Tamagoyaki and carrots

So, I went ahead and tried to get 'creative', even though I didn't want to eat anything today. So in the bento for today we have tamagoyaki (I wanted to include some veggies in the middle but ran out of time), some grape tomatoes and a funny shaped onigiri triangle/ball. Below is carrots and peppers stirfry with some sesame seeds, and almonds for snack. I'm really enjoying the almonds a lot.

Looking at the list and budget I have for bento supplies ($40 for all, to include shipping), I am considering just a few items that I know are rather needed...

-Sauce cups with lids for dips/sauces
-Soy sauce cups
-Dressing type cups (that wont spill the dressing)
-Silicon cupcake cups
-Bento boxes (of course) and matching chopsticks
-Onigiri shaper
-1-2 sets of picks, just because

I know I wont be able to get a whole lot, just becase of the bento boxes being expensive, and shipping overall being expensive... though if I continue with my goal, I should be able to order bento supplies by the end of the second week in March. Weee...

Orange leftovers

Was running a little late this morning, so I snapped a photo of lunch at my desk. Again, nothing pretty. Not even borderline ok. But it's lunch and should keep me full until dinner time.

What's in it, again, pasta with mini bread toasts with garlic/olive oil and cheese, carrot sticks mixed in with orange and yellow pepper sticks, ranch dressing for dipping and almonds. Yum.

Lunch so far.

I decided to dust my red bento box from being a craft-pieces/thread holder to holding lunch. This bento box was given to me as a birthday present a few years back. My bento knowledge/awareness comes from ten-too-many years of manga/anime and immersion into the Japanese culture. I’ve always wanted to get into it, but again, didn’t have the need or reason to. Nor supplies. Nor freedom that I somewhat enjoy now (I moved out of my parents’ in Nov to be closer to work). That said, here are some of the bentos worth mentioning.

They will not always have a theme, and they won’t always be pretty or Japanese related. As far as I’m concerned, if it’s lunch, it’s filling and it’s (somewhat) balanced, I am happy. If I can make it somewhat cute, I’ll be extra happy. But I won’t strive to do that just yet until I get into the schedule…



Veggie dumplings, edamame in pods, rice onigiri, cucumbers, broccoli, almonds.



Veggie dumplings, edamame in pods, broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower and strawberries.

- Pasta veggie salad with broccoli, bread slices, strawberries.

- Pizza, carrots, zucchini, broccoli and strawberries.

Two cheese sandwiches with mayo, zucchini, broccoli, peppers and an apple.

Pasta veggie salad with broccoli, zucchini, carrots and strawberries.

Of course, my favorite one, visually, would be the most recent one with the onigiri rice. The tastiest one was the second most recent. Reason for that? I forgot the soy sauce on the most recent one. Oops. Too much broccoli, you say? Nonsense.

Welcome!

Let's see how condensed I can keep posts in here. I have issues running on VERY long posts...

Please bear in mind that:
-I live in a shared house and have the fridge space of the size of the fruit/vegetable compartments in standard fridges (plus some). No freezer space save for a small part of a second freezer located in the garage of said house. In summary, my food choices and food storage capabilities are limited.
-I do not have bento supplies yet except for the red bento box and paper cupcake holders. Reason to follow eventually.
-I try not to eat meat, but will have other animal products and fish on some occasions. I do not like seafood all that much either, and do not like shellfish at all.
-I do not have a camera. I have a Blackberry phone, which takes the photos for me. And as you can tell, their quality leaves a lot to be desired. But I try to do my best. I might be getting a real camera at some point in the future.

That said, I will be posting any photo-friendly lunches I pack. I do not have time or need to pack breakfast/dinner bentos yet, as I usually eat breakfast before heading out to work.

I try not to make the bentos be repetitive... but when you have a small food storage space, you aren't afforded the options. Food gets in, food has to get out as soon as possible (before it spoils--darn veggies).

You are welcomed to look around, though. Welcome!