This is the first time I have seen bento mentioned in a newspaper. This is a national paper in Canada, thus the name National Post.
I would also like to welcome our newest bento website link - Just Bento! Check them out, its a great site! On second thought, they’re better than this site so maybe you should just stay here for now. 
A couple nights ago when I was putting my daughter to bed we somehow got onto the topic of colored eggs. My daughter is very young and doesn’t like to eat eggs in any form that I’ve tried yet.
So this morning I boiled a few eggs and tried dying them red.. well pink. I left the others soaking up some more color when I came to work so hopefully they will be red tonight. So far the plan is good - my daughter loved the color!
The rest of my lunch today (yes, I’m eating the pink egg too) is a larger version of my cabbage salad but with only salt and vinegar this time - no salad dressing. Besides that I’m having ramen instant noodles with carrot bits, and chicken and mushrooms in a garlic soy sauce. Essentially its salad plus leftovers, but don’t tell anyone.
Why not bento boxes or bento tools for that special person on your list?
My oldest daughter is about olde enough to start enjoying the banana themed lunchbox I got her this summer. I expect I’ll be getting her another box or two. She has a plastic panda shaped snack box already that she adores!
With the selection of bento boxes available (worldwide, if not in your home town), there is something out there for everyone. And with the economic downturn more people will be bringing their lunch to work than ever before in an attempt to save money.
Bento tools and books help you make great lunches that look fun, and are fun to eat. I have a few books that I get ideas for bento lunches from, and not all the books are about bento! The party sushi book is fun, and has lots of big color pictures for those beginners.
If you know someone who sells Tupperware, talk to them about bento boxes and see what they can come up with. If enough people do that, Tupperware will come up with some good lunch boxes. They have some basic ones already, but they can always be better, right?
If you are looking for stocking stuffers, why not animal picks? or fun sauce containers? or themed dividing papers?
I think we’ll revisit this topic in December when the rush gets into full swing.
Hopefully, I’ve put a bug in your ear to get you moving on that shopping list in your pocket.
This title may seem strange, until you realize just how long its been since I had a real bento to post about.
No picture since things were rushed this morning. Hmm.. Maybe I should hand draw something in PhotoShop..
The Big Blue box has slivered cabbage and carrots softened with zesty italian dressing on them. Next to them is leftover lemon chicken that has been really tasty, and lastly is slices of marbled cheese and apples.
If there was a picture, you’d be asking me what those little round things were standing up between the cheese and lemon chicken. Well, I took an apple corer and took core samples of my apple slices. They look kinda neat, and are really easy to squeeze in around things. I think next time I’ll try my fry cutter for square cut versions. Hmmm.. the fry cutter would be good to use on any veggies soft enough for it to cut now that I think of it.
And part of lunch, but not in the box, is a slice of oreo cake. 
I shouldn’t have written this now, cause now I’m hungry.
As I mentioned, I’m writing some articles for Helium. I recently wrote a food related one called How to add fiber to your diet. It is well ranked, so I guess people are enjoying it. You can check it out at 
I think I’ll start writing articles about bento lunches, since I know a bit about them and I have some references I can draw on. I’ll link Bento articles in the side menu for easy access.
Please check these out! Let me know which you like, don’t like, or so on. I can provide better content if I get more feedback!
I had to post this for you guys to see - http://geekadelphia.com/2008/09/05/star-wars-bento-lunches-taste-like-science-fiction/
This is a link to a couple of Star Wars themed bentos. They are super awesome!
This is the kind of thing I aspire to, but never seem to have the time to plan and make.
If any readers have their own creations like this, post them here, or drop me a line and I’ll link to them for you!
Well, it seems like some of them might go for something like this: http://steamgames.com/tf2/heavy/sandvich.htm.
Or if you are in World of Warcraft’s Stranglethorn Vale you can check for a lunchbox you can put your food in - http://www.wowwiki.com/Sturdy_Lunchbox.
They aren’t exactly bento, but they aren’t far off!
On the weekend I made homemade egg noodles for the first time in ages. Its easy enough but messy, and you need to cook them right away for the best result. I had the chicken vegetable base made for the soup, so noodles were the only thing left.
I don’t have a pasta machine since I make noodles so seldom. So its just rolling pin, and sharp knife. I make something thats pretty close to fettucini noodles generally although this time they varied towards spagetti which was nice. It means I’m rolling the noodles thinner and cutting them thinner than usual. At about 2″ long they were just about perfect for eating.
Apparently they were good because a repeat performance was requested!
These days I don’t feel inspired to come up with fancy lunches. Part of it is the prices and selection at the grocery stores, and part of it is my lack of sleep I’m sure.
But an even bigger part is likely the weather. This time of year, don’t you just want to curl up with a warm blanket and a big bowl of stew, chili, or good soup and read a book?
Last night I made a pot of chicken corn chowder. Honestly its easy enough for anyone to try if you have a slow cooker. Dice up 2 stalks of celery, 1 large carrot, half an onion, and a can of potatoes (I was out of fresh one). Cook and dice a large chicken breast along with the veggies. Add a can of kernel corn or frozen corn, then the diced food, a can of creamed corn, and a can of either cream of musroom soup or cream of chicken soup. Add any water that is in the cans as well. You may want to add water to top it up in the slow cooker, as well as spices to taste. Then put the lid on, turn it on low, and wait for a few hours. Everything in there is safe to eat any time, but the more it cooks the more the flavors will mellow together and taste better. To make it richer you can add some butter to the mix.
I’m looking forward to curling up with that tasty soup tonight!
I got my start writing here, but the pay is well… non-existant.
So, I have started writing over at the Helium website.
If you want to know more about Helium, let me know. Check me out at 