KRAJEE BENTO MOM

Pikachu Bento

2011-05-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a long time since posting. Both of my kids are homeschooled now so the need for packed lunches have, for the most part, ceased. However, my son is taking an enrichment class once a week, and he has missed his bentos.

Today I tried to make a free form Pikachu with cheese and nori. Here's how it turned out. In the second tier there is: roasted chicken, Spam cutouts, pickled cucumber, edamame, and a fried mandu. It's not the most beautiful Pikachu, but my son was thrilled:)

I packed a second box with some cut up watermelon.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

For the last school day before Halloween, I thought I would get into the spirit and make up a couple of themed bentos. The first one is for my son. It is a rice ghost with Spam Jack-o-lantern cutouts, and some yellow peppers.

For my daughter, a Jack-o-lantern rice ball with Masago. There is some shepherd's pie, celery sticks and a little Hello Kitty candy.

Roasted Chicken with Olive Calzone

2010-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Lunch today is a roasted chicken with olive calzone, skewered Graber olives, pickled sugar snap peas and a heart-shaped slice of pumpkin pie (with some raspberries for color). :) Hope you all are doing well. Sorry my posting has been so scarce.

School's Back in Session!

2010-08-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today's bento consists of pork (topped with salsa), broccoli, seaweed, rice (seasoned with soy sauce and rice vinegar), and a cute cherry tomato. The kids have missed their bento lunches:)

Galbi-Marinated Tri-Tip

2010-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Tri-tip that has been marinated in a Korean galbi marinade along with oi muchim (marinated cucumber) are what the kids are having for lunch today. Also in the box is white rice with some Pokemon nori cutouts. In a small separate container, there are some fresh whole apricots and a small packet of furikake.

Storm Trooper Bento

2010-06-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

I found some really great Star Wars cookie cutters and used the Storm Trooper one this morning to make salami sandwiches. I could have gotten more elaborate and made nori cutouts for the facial details, but I didn't have enough time. The little salami rosette doesn't really go with the Star Wars theme, but whatevs:) Also in the box are pickles and apples. My son is super excited about this one.

Spam Musubi

2010-06-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

Last two weeks of school!!! The kids want bento and of course they wanted these, their absolute favorites:) They both got 6 pieces of the Spam musubi, cucumber that has been marinated in seasoned rice vinegar and soy sauce, and watermelon for dessert. I put up the recipe for Spam musubi on my Martha site.

Kero Kero Keroppi

2010-05-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

My Keroppi looks a little funny, but my daughter likes it anyway. ^^ Served with salmon, cucumber flowers, carrots, and a side of watermelon.

Panko Crusted Spicy Chicken Bento

2010-05-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today's bento had crispy chicken breast pieces, sliced carrots, dipping sauce in the little container and a chocolate covered strawberry for dessert. My son loved this one:)

2010-05-06T18:04:00.001-07:00

Early Children's Day celebration

2010-05-03T18:50:00.001-07:00

My Japanese friend and I celebrated Children's Day with our children earlier today. Japan and Korea celebrate on the same day. We both had previously scheduled activities on Wednesday after school, so we had to have a party a couple of days early.

I made two mini, strawberry cakes that look like koi nobori. I should have tested the icing before making the blue eye. It had some liquid that settled, which ran down the side of the cake.

I made bulgogi and formed rice into pandas, chicks, kitties, flowers, and onigiri, and filled in space with strawberries.

BBQ Ribs Bento

2010-04-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today's lunch has leftover ribs from last night, some rice with furikake, a couple of edamame pods and fruit (mango, raspberries, and blueberries). My son was a little disappointed that I could only fit in 2 ribs, but it's a minimum day today, so he can eat more when he comes home:)

Korean Galbii Bento

2010-04-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have not been getting up early enough to do any character bentos. Instead, I have been focusing more on the food. Today I cut up freshly broiled galbi (making sure to trim off all of the fat) and put it alongside a cup of Asian coleslaw and some rice with furikake. I added a couple of grape tomatoes for some color. The lime slice is for him to squeeze into the coleslaw if needed. It's not the most exciting lunch, but as long as it gets eaten, that's all that matters. If I weren't worried about the smell factor, I would have included some kimchee, but you know, I wouldn't want to cause him any unecessary embarrassment...not today anyway;p

Mini Meatballs

2010-04-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today's colorful lunch consists of Tarako (cod roe) rice balls and mini meatballs with sweet and sour sauce. Also in that tier are grape tomatoes and some sliced cucumber. Second tier has grapes, strawberries, and blueberries.

They haven't had a bento in a while so they were pretty excited to take these to school. Also this happens to be a Totoro bento box, and my son has watched "My Neighbor Totoro" at least 8 times in the last few days (he was home sick) so he was extra excited:)

Spring Break

2010-03-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

We are on Spring break so I will be taking a two week hiatus. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter! See you soon:)

Stromboli Bento

2010-03-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Stromboli is sort of a baked sandwich, cousin to the calzone. This one is for my son who likes pepperoni. The second container has some fresh fruit.
My daughter prefers a deli style stromboli. Her's has swiss cheese, ham and turkey. Her bento box is slightly larger so she got four slices today:)

Recipe on my Martha Blog

Deli Chicken Sandwiches

2010-03-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Another sandwich day for the Krajee family. This time it was on yummy Ciabatta bread and the sandwiches wrapped in deli paper so they don't fall apart. Chicken, cheese, lettuce and tomato in the sandwich, sliced pepperoncini in smaller cup and sliced fruit in the larger cup. Small piece of blondie for dessert.

Bad Badtz

2010-03-11T09:24:00.001-08:00

Once again, I've fallen into a rut of not feeling like getting up early to prepare more than an average bento for DD. *sigh* Cutting out Badtz Maru from nori was simple, though, so this is what DD got this morning, along with mahi, carrots, and apple slices that are not pictured. Presentation is still the story of my life. One day!

Carnitas Bento

2010-03-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

I made it for dinner last night, so it's another leftover. But it's one that they like:) In the box are carnitas, refried in a dry pan to crisp up, tortillas, fresh guacamole, and a side container of fresh salsa.

Steak Fried Rice Wth a Side of Steak

2010-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Still using the meat from the BBQ. Today, I chopped the steak up and stir fried it with cold rice and added some chopped kimchi. Then I slice some more steak and pan grilled it, cut it up into bite size pieces. This is lunch for the kids and breakfast for me.
Also in the box are edamame and apples.

Leftover Chicken Bento

2010-03-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

We barbequed chicken breasts and beef last night, so we have plenty of meat for bentos this week. The challenge is being creative enough to not have the kids think they are eating the same thing every single day.
In this box: sliced chicken breast on a bed of baby lettuce, rice with Pokemon furikake, edamame skewers, and sliced tomatoes.

Spam Musubi

2010-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

Spam musubi, cut into two-bite slices, edamame, and some carrot cake for dessert:)

Bite-sized Fajita Bento

2010-03-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last night we had marinated tri-tip for dinner, so for lunch I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and reheated them in a grill pan. I made some fresh salsa and fresh flour tortillas and turned it into a mini fajita lunch for the kids. I added some grapes for color and a nice sweet bite afterwards and put the salsa in a separate container. I think they will love this.

Sammies

2010-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing too fancy-schmancy today. Just some sammies on homemade bread. Included a pickle and a large strawberry. Hearty, healthy, and delicious:)

Grilled Salmon with Lemon/White Balsamic Vinaigrette

2010-02-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

There are two lunches that my children never seem to get tired of: Spam musubi and salmon. Today's salmon lunch has a lemon/white balsamic vinaigrette spooned over the top. I placed flaked pieces on baby lettuce leaves and included rice with furikake and some celery. There is a lemon wedge in there for them to squeeze over their salmon. Not pictured here is a smaller side box I included with cut up cantaloupe.

Smoked Sausage and Broccolini

2010-02-23T15:37:00.001-08:00

Today the children got sliced, grilled smoked sausage, rice with Wakame Chazuke furikake, and sauteed broccolini. As a special treat, I included a small amount of Meyer lemon pound cake in the silicone cup.

Cornish Pasties Bento

2010-02-19T15:54:00.001-08:00

I took advantage of leftovers today and made the kids meat pies. In the box are 2 cornish pasties, carrots, and a salad. Salad dressing is in the container. Recipe can be found on the recipe blog

new bento box

2010-02-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

My first post of 2010!

Towards the end of January, my husband and I were in New York for a wedding. While we were there, we took a trip out to Mitsuwa in New Jersey. It's like a Japanese mini-mall. There's a huge grocery store, a food court with several restaurants, packaged confections and sweets, a hair salon, Japanese nail place, bookstore, video store, and stationary store.

Introducing my newest bento box!

It debuted last week with a Japanese-style bento with rice, napa cabbage, braised beef, and wakame (seaweed) salad.

The top compartment is divided into thirds. I took advantage of that design by packing a deconstructed Western 三色ご飯 today. It literally means three color meal. Traditionally, it's served in a bowl with rice on the bottom and the toppings in a stripe formation on the top. Today's version is kale, egg, and ground turkey. Growing up, my mom made a four color version: black shredded nori, brown ground beef, diced sauteed green peppers, and yellow scrambled eggs.

Galbi marinated skirt steak

2010-02-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

They both ate everything!!! Enough said.

Not the prettiest bento by far, but successful indeed. Behind the giant pickle slices are thin sliced skirt steak that I marinated in a galbi marinade and grilled on the bbq last night. As you can see, there is some furikake sprinkled on the rice and I included some sauce in the container.

Asian Wing Bento

2010-02-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

I made chicken wings for lunch, but it had to be packed to go so here is what I packed for the kiddos.

In the box: Asian inspired chicken wings and fried rice, recipe here .
Pickled cucumbers and a cherry container with extra soy sauce.

Long time no bento, bento

2010-02-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

I used the homemade bread from yesterday to make salmon salad sandwiches. Because it is the last school day before Valentine's Day, I added some heart accents. I used a couple of heart food picks, made some heart peperoni cutouts, and used a heart-shaped Wilton food cup(it's squished in there though so you can't really see the shape).

Also in the box are plums, carrot and cucumber slices, and a mini cupcake for dessert:)

Love is in the air

2010-02-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

I was thinking I would make a few Valentine themed lunches this month, and so I started today, the first day of February. DD loves to get pancakes in her lunch, so I made heart-shaped ones today. I colored the batter pink but forgot that the browning on the outside would hide the pink. I added a few pieces of turkey bacon, some carrots, egg flowers, and heart-shaped cantaloupe. I still really need to work on presentation. I'm always running out of time and feel rushed, so I don't take the time I should to make it all look prettier. *sigh*

Dog days

2010-01-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

Today's bento for my daughter included a mommy and baby doggies made of rice, smoked sausage ears and nose, and nori eyes; broccoli florets; carrots; blueberries. I like bento that is cute but easy to put together.

More Pokemon

2010-01-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

My daughter loves to watch Pokemon cartoons and movies, as well as play the Nintendo games. So today was another Pokemon themed bento. My cousin gave me the idea. It features Snorlax, made of rice and nori of course with cheese and carrot accents. I used individual rice grains to make the claws. To the side, I made a corn and egg recipe from a bento book and used hot dog to make Dugtrio. My food marker was acting up, so the eyes could have been better. I used carrot for the noses. Then I added cucumber slices, a couple of grape tomatoes, and two orange wedges. This was a hit with my daughter because she ate virtually everything. I thought for sure the tomatoes would come back home, but to my pleasant surprised she seems to now like tomatoes...after I've forced them on her enough times. hehe

Bento for 01-12-10

2010-01-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

I'm late in posting this, but this was my daughter's lunch earlier today. I made rice balls and coated them with aonori, black sesame seeds, and roasted sesame seeds. I don't have a mortar and pestle, but really need to find one, so I can crush the seeds into a more powdery form. I held the balls together using a stick of uncooked spaghetti. I also included some shrimp, broccoli, and kinpira, with a side of orange wedges.

Breakfast for lunch

2010-01-11T09:50:00.001-08:00

My daughter always wants to have lunch at school on days the cafeteria is serving breakfast food. I discourage her because while cafeteria food is bad enough, I think that typical American breakfast foods would be even nastier. I decided to fix her a bento today of teddy bear shaped pancakes. I used Nutella to draw on a face. I should have put it in a baggie, cut a hole in a corner, and piped on the face, but I was too lazy and running out of time. Also included is tamagoyaki with cucumber sticks; chikuwa, a tubular fish cake, with a stick of cucumber pushed down the hole in the middle and then cut; apple slices.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-05T05:51:00.000-08:00

We are back to our normal schedule this week. I received two bento books for Christmas, and was able to purchase a few accessories. This made me excited for the chance to make bento once again.

I made this bento yesterday for my daughter. Inspiration was drawn from one of the books and a blog.

Tis the season

2009-12-16T07:43:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time since last posting. My daughter likes to eat at school more and more. *sigh* Plus, we've all been sick at some point. Today's bento isn't anything extraordinarily special but seasonal. Roast beef sandwiches in the shape of a snowflake and in the shape of a candy cane. Added some carrots, cucumbers, and ranch dressing. Not pictured is a small piece of brownie and some orange for my daughter's fruit serving. ^^

Gotta catch 'em all!

2009-11-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a Pokemon theme. I made Torchic about of masago with a takuwan feather on the head and nose, nori and fish cake eyes. In addition to the rice, I added salmon and the last bit of fish cake I had in the fridge.

The second tier looks messy because I didn't realize that I had grabbed a container from a different bento. I wondered why there was so much space. ^^This tier contains Korean pear and broccoli and cauliflower florets. I still really need to work on presentation. *sigh*

Meat Pie Bento

2009-11-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

This morning I made mini meat pies. They are perfect for bento lunches.

I make several variations of this pie. This morning I made them with BBQ pork. There are some baby carrots, broccoli, and a "checkerboard" apple slice.

The kids ate a couple of the pies for breakfast too and they loved them. I will post the recipe on the recipe blog soon.

Koreanized Tonkatsu and Chirashi bento

2009-11-04T09:16:00.001-08:00

Today I made Tonkatsu with a Korean twist:) The twist is using a gochujang mixture. I also included a mini chirashi sushi.

In one side of the box, tonkatsu. In the other side is sushi rice on the bottom, with masago, sliced cucumbers, thin sliced shrimp and a tamagoyaki heart. There is little cherry tomato flower for some added color.
I posted the recipe for my Koreanized Tonkatsu on the new recipe blog KRAJEE BENTO RECIPES. The link in on the right side of the page:)

Monday Morning Bento

2009-11-02T08:04:00.001-08:00

Good morning! And can I just tell you that I LOVE Fall time changes! Yes I do!

Today is a simple lunch of steak bites.
In the lower tier are persimmon slices, steak cut into bite size pieces, and edamame in the piggy shaped cup. My son has a penguin shaped cup in his.
And that is not just plain furikake on their rice. It is Pokemon furikake! Can you see the little Pikachu faces?

I used a Hello Kitty bento box for my daughter and a Totoro box for my son:)

AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! (blood curdling scream)

2009-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is my semi-successful attempt at making a scary skull bento. I have to say that they looked much better BEFORE I shoved the shrimp into the box, but oh well.

I made two skulls using rice, marinated seaweed inserted into the mouth and nose cavities, and gummy eyeballs. The reason they are so big is because I was working around the rather lare eyeballs.

I added two panko breaded shrimp into the box because, frankly, I am out of veggie fillers and I couldn't just have a giant rice ball in the box.

I also included two smaller bentos to accompany the larger one. I put one more shrimp and cut up persimmons. Also added a soy sauce container for the rice.

These are far from perfect, but the kids loved them:)

Boo!

2009-10-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

After weeks of being sick and my daughter eating lunch at school, I got back into making bento this week...with a Halloween theme naturally.

Today, lunch was mummy dogs. I cut one hot dog in half and wrapped crescent roll dough around the dogs and baked them.

Yesterday was Frankenstein and ghost onigiris with tuna and Kewpie mayo inside. On the top tier, I included tamagoyaki, carrots shaped like pumpkins, cucumbers, and an apple wedge. I meant to make the apple wedge have teeth, but I ran out of time. :( I also couldn't come up with anything good to make the teeth. I see that people use almond slices, but my daughter's school is a nut free school.

And Monday was a pumpkin theme with rice molded into pumpkins, salmon, sweet potato (I drew faces with food markers), cucumbers, and Fuji apple bits.

Been sick

2009-10-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of posts. I have been battling the flu and now a cold. Kids have also been sick. Will be back next week:)

Salmon with a touch of cute

2009-09-29T15:29:00.001-07:00

Being on a tight schedule makes it difficult to make cute bentos. I like to add little touches to simple lunches just to make them cute and appetizing.

It's salmon again by request. I grilled a filet and flaked it a little to make sure there were no bones. I used a star mold for the soy sauce flavored rice balls and put them on a couple of curly lettuce leaves (my absolute favorite food divider.)

Just to add that cute factor, I made a simple mushroom out of a Babybel cheese circle. I added a slice of lemon and yellow soy sauce containers.

I also included prosciutto-wrapped green beans.
Bento boxes.

Spring theme again even though I'm going into fall ^^

2009-09-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

After paying $13 for Wilton Food Writers, I found online, a little too late, that people don't like them because they don't write well. Very true! So I paid $4.50 for Betty Crocker Easy Writers, and while they do write/color well, the tip of the marker is not firm. It flops back and forth, and so my sandwiches for today look like a kindergartener colored them. :p

Egg salad sandwiches in the shape of a bunny and a butterfly; sweet potato tulips with cucumber stems/leaves; baby Goldfish; kiwi. I was hoping to expand the foods that my daughter likes, but she has only a few things that are her favorites, these being them. My daughter is not fond of sweet potato, but I thought I'd give it another try.

Owl Bento

2009-09-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Spam musubi again! But this time instead of cutting them up, I left them whole and decorated them to look like owls. Actually, the original plan was to make them look like penguins, but they morphed into owls instead.

I ran out of Kamaboko so I used cheese instead to make the whites of the eyes and wings. As you can see, they melted and warped a little. Carrot triangles for the beaks. I also packed egg rolls, grapes, tomatoes, carrot sticks and celery.

Vrooooom!

2009-09-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last night was another night I'd rather forget, so I didn't cook or feel like planning out a more elaborate lunch for my daughter today. She got an egg salad sandwich in the shape of a car with cucumber tires and carrot head and tail lights; extra carrots; and kiwi. I thought the kiwi would come back home, but my daughter loved it.

Longing for spring?

2009-09-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

In the short time I've been making bento, I've either used a book I own or scoured the Internet for ideas. I decided this morning to use some things I have but have not used. I ended up with pink, rice bunnies with cheese and takuwan flowers on their ears, cheese and egg flowers and butterflies, celery for flower stems, cucumber grass. I have mandu (Korean dumplings) under the cup of peas, radish, and grape flower, which I cut grooves into three toothpicks, arranged them in a flower/star, however you see it, and secured them with a small piece of thread.

My daughter ate lunch at school today, so this ended up being my husband's bento! lol

Different ideas for inari and quail eggs

2009-09-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

I made two separate bento today, one for my daughter and one for my husband. I am not going to do that again. I did not allow myself the time that I needed, so I had to rush to make sure we left for school on time. As a result, my work wasn't as nice as I would have liked.

I was going to make the Totoro bento for my daughter, but when I showed her a picture from Google Images, where I got the idea, she didn't recognize Totoro right away. I wanted to make it anyway, so I made it for my husband. The chu Totoro's are made from inari skins. I used two quail eggs for the chibi Totoro's, and wrapped nori about rice balls for the makurokuroske. All have fish cake and nori detail. I took the picture before I organized more nicely. In addition, I have mushrooms, egg, and a potato, hamburger, onion, and peas concoction that was supposed to have been korroke, but I failed miserably at deep frying the korroke. However, the mixture still tasted good without being deep friend. :)

Again, I made inari and used quail eggs for heads, arms, and legs. Shredded paper thin egg for body. One quail egg has a radish for a hat. Detailed with nori. Also added cucumber, grapes, and my failed korroke. I still REALLY need to work on presentation.

Piggy bento

2009-09-18T09:12:00.001-07:00

Today's lunch had to be quick because I woke up late.

I made a tarako rice ball, ham cutouts for nose and ears, mini shrimp spring rolls, skewered Canadian bacon, and some grapes.

New Snoopy bento box for Devin, and I lost Bryce's favorite Mario Bros bento box during our move, so I ordered a duplicate:)

Hello Kitty bento

2009-09-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

I was pretty happy with my Hello Kitty bento from last week: the box, the cloth, and the plastic bag (which came from Target's dollar bin).

It was one of those times when I liked the look of the bento more than the contents. It was good, but not terribly filling in the end.

top left: green bean casserole made from scratch using dragon beans, green beans, and onions from my CSA
top right: home-made curry zucchini pickles, using the overabundance of zucchini from my CSA
bottom: cucumber and tomato salad (again, both ingredients from my CSA)

I'm not ready to segue into fall foods yet. I'd like a few more weeks of summer tomatoes and corn. I haven't even had watermelon yet this year!

Just a sandwich today

2009-09-17T05:50:00.001-07:00

I was very tired yesterday and having a bad day, so I really could not force myself to stay up later last night to cook and plan out a more elaborate bento for my daughter's lunch today. So I fell back on my daughter's favorites. No, not necessarily the most nutritious bento to send, but it was easy.

A Hello Kitty shaped ham sandwich with Kewpie mayo (a big favorite right now), cheese to make the bow, and raisins for the eyes and nose; good ol' mac n cheese; grapes.

Introduction

2009-09-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am excited to be a new contributor to this blog! I am a mother of two children, a four year old daughter and a two year old son. We have been New Englanders for a little over a year now. My daughter started full-time preschool this fall, and thus my adventure into creative bento began. However, I have been waiting years to have a children in which to send my lunch creations with them. ^^ I love the creativity involved, and it makes my daughter happy, even if she still doesn't eat all her lunch some days.

Today's lunch includes rice with blue food coloring, tako (octupus) shaped hot dogs, cheese fish, cucumber seaweed, some acorn squash, a broccoli floret, and some cut up Granny Smith apple.

Carnitas

2009-09-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today I packed leftover carnitas from last night.

I also made some fresh salsa and added a salad. Two tortillas were folded and put in the lid. (The salsa container has a separate lid.)

When I pack things that have to be assembled, I make sure to always pack an oshibori (moist washcloth) so they can clean their hands, and a furoshiki (in this case, a bandana) so they can put together their burritos without having to lay the tortillas on the germy school tables.

Here they are all wrapped up to go:)

Sandwiches

2009-09-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Another scorching hot day, another attempt at a cold, somewhat refreshing lunch.

I made roasted chicken and Havarti sandwiches on whole wheat bread. Cut them up into little triangles and added some apple slices for a pop of color in the top tier.

Mini watermelon slices in the bottom tier.

And the boxes.

Grilled Chicken

2009-09-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Turns out that the school lunches at the new school are pretty decent:) The kids buy their lunches twice a week and I pack for them three times per week. Sounds good to me!

Today I grilled up some thin-cut chicken breasts, sliced them up and arranged them on some pretty lettuce leaves. I tossed in some sliced nectarines and blueberries in the other container. Half of a corn on the cobb and a piece of Asiago and sun-dried tomato bread to complete the meal.

Korean Doshirak (bento)

2009-08-27T15:41:00.001-07:00

I packed Korean food for the kids today. I considered making a really pretty bibimbap presentation for them, but the thought of them trying to stir it all up in these tiny boxes and making a huge mess changed my mind. Instead, I just packed some brown rice and ban chan (side dishes).

In the lower tier there is brown rice, seasoned fish cakes, cuttle fish, and pickles in the yellow silicone cup. Bean sprouts and seaweed in the red cup...yummy!

In the smaller top tier, I packed some red grapefruit slices sprinkled with a little sugar.

Side by side view and bento boxes:)

Miso glazed pork bento

2009-08-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today I pulled out the Laptop Lunchboxes again.

I filled one of the boxes with miso-glazed pork strips, an elephant shaped rice ball, a yello cherry tomato on a bed of lettuce.

In the other boxes, I put a sliced nectarine (this box comes with a lid to seal in the juices), cucumber slices with Ranch dressing in the little cup, and Korean cream cake in the last container.

Here they are side-by-side.

I always include an oshibori (moist small washcloth) for them to wipe their hands before they eat and use as a napkin during their meal.

Here it is folded up into the oshibori case.

And this is what it looks like all packed up in the case. There is an ice pack tucked into the top along with a juice box.

N.Y. Steak Bento

2009-08-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've had these Laptop Lunchboxes for over a year and rarely use them. It is a shame because they are so cute and really convenient to use. It's just that for my kids, they hold too much food. And being the krajee woman I am, I can't stand to see empty spaces in their boxes. So I am packing this lunch, knowing that they will not finish it. But one can always hope, right?

Today's bentos consist of N.Y. steak slices, rice balls wrapped in Korean seaweed, corn on the cobb and grapes.

There is some edamame and a cherry tomato thrown in to fill up space and add some more color.

And these are the cases that the boxes come in. Aren't they adorable?

These are the perfect size if you have big eaters.

Chef's Salad Bento

2009-08-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

Since it is still very warm, I thought a nice, light lunch would be nice for the kids. They don't eat a whole lot of salads (except for Caesar drenched in dressing), but they promised they would give it a shot.

I used Romaine lettuce, chopped cheese, ham flower cut-outs, and a roast beef flower with cherry tomato center. Occasionally I will throw in a boiled egg, but they didn't want eggs today.

Also, not pictured, I included a bag of parmesan pita chips and Ranch dressing in a separate container.

Second day of school lunches and snacks:)

2009-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am always making the kids the same things over and over again. And for these boring repetitions, I appologize. But they like what they like and the whole point of all of this work is to get them to eat. So once again I bring you: Spam Musubi!

Musubi with cherry tomatoes and edamame in the top tiers.

And even more Spam Musubi in the second tiers (because they LOVE it).

In my personal bento (which was considerably larger in size today) are peaches.

And a rather sloppily arranged second tier of Spam Musubi.

Here are the cute boxes used today. Devin's pink one actually has a handle.

Mine has a handle too and you can tell how much bigger it is when all three are placed next to eachother.

Here are their snack bentos.

Salami skewers and grape with swiss cheese skewers.

And their snack bento boxes:)

First Day of School!!!!

2009-08-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! School has officially begun:) My kids are in a new school which starts almost an hour later than their previous school, which means? I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to make their lunches!! Double Yay!!!!

Moooooo!!

Lunches consisted of their favorite, salmon, a cow rice ball, two quail egg chickies, and cherry tomato lady bug and some green grapes:)

Whoops! The chick's eyes got a little lopsided.

We also broke in some new, awesome bento boxes...LOVE!

Appologies for the excessive use of exclamation marks!

summer bento

2009-08-05T08:52:00.001-07:00

My favorite part of summer is the availability of fresh local produce. This summer marks my second participating in a CSA (community supported agriculture). If you're not familiar, you pick a CSA farm, pay in advance for shares, and get a box of produce from the farm every week. It can be risky. Some natural disaster might make the crops fail and then you're just out of money. You don't get to pick what comes in your box so it's probably not the best choice for picky eaters. The other side of that coin is you'll probably be introduced to some new veggies (I ate kohlrabi for the first time last year and saw my first-ever lemon cucumber). The veggies couldn't be fresher and you support your local economy and local business owners. Many farms will let you visit too.

Just look at this produce! So pretty.

1. zucchini flowers, 2. purple cauliflower, 3. purple cauliflower, 4. zucchini flowers

Some photos from a June visit to my CSA, Dunlooken Farms in Glencoe, MN.

1. farm, 2. chicken, 3. asparagus, 4. goat, 5. chicken, 6. chicken, 7. horse, 8. guinea hen, 9. ducks, 10. asparagus, 11. chicken, 12. where people die, 13. chick14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

And finally, here are some bento I've made with CSA produce.

1. bento 7.17.09, 2. bento 7.20.09, 3. bento 7.22.09, 4. bento 7.23.09 -- vegan, 5. bento 7.27.09, 6. bento 7.28.09, 7. bento 7.30.09, 8. bento 7.31.09, 9. bento 8.3.09 -- vegan!

What's been in your bento this summer?

Onigiri Bento

2009-07-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today's bento features onigiri made with salmon furikake, grilled/flaked salmon, corn on the cob, and edamame. The second tier has watermelon:)

Close up of the onigiri.

And the bento boxes!

Bye Bye, Ichiban Kan

2009-07-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

So sad that our favorite and most affordable online bento (and other things) store is closing shop. According to their blog, this will be an indefinite closure although there is hope of re-opening. So goodbye Ichiban Kan! We will miss you:(

On a more cheery note, Bento Crazy is back and she is stocked up with some pretty neat things. Check it out!

Angie, she's got that Pokemon bento!

Hello

2009-07-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have moved and am still unpacking all of my stuff (wow, I have a lot of stuff!) School is out for the summer so there hasn't been a need to pack their lunches, but I am getting rusty. So as soon as I can get myself situated, I will do an occasional bento and come August 17th, it's back on!

pickles in 24 hours

2009-06-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, I saw a recipe for miso-yogurt pickles in a (manga) cookbook that I own. I remember thinking that it was weird at the time, but I decided to try it out. And they are DELISH. And so easy. And they don't taste overly miso-y.

Traditionally, you'd make the pickles by sticking them in straight miso, but the miso flavor can be overpowering and it's hard to submerge the veggies in there because the miso is so thick.

miso yogurt pickles
1 c miso
1 c plain yogurt
veggies

Mix the miso and yogurt together. Submerge veggies overnight. Remove veggies, rinse, and eat.

Putting napa cabbage into the mixture.

Doesn't it look like Russian dressing?

So far, I've used carrots, zucchini, radishes, celery, and napa cabbage, all of which turned out great. And the pickling mixture can be re-used until the yogurt goes bad. Every few days, add a few teaspoons of salt to the mixture, since the veggies soak up the salt and it gets less salty over time. You can also use it as a fish marinade. It works best on salmon and firm white-flesh fish. Soak overnight, remove, rinse, and broil. Though if you marinate fish, you can't put veggies in there after that without the risk of food poisoning.

The miso yogurt pickles were part of my lunch yesterday.

top: white rice with yukari
bottom: local duck sausage, carrot, zucchini, and celery miso yogurt pickles; marinated and grilled tofu and radishes; kiriboshi daikon with abura-age

Long time no post!

2009-05-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all! I'm still alive...barely. Here are a few until I get around to taking more pics. :)

My personal bento. Greek salad...mmmm!

This one's for Rick. Rice, filet mignon wrapped in bacon and sliced, and veggies.

For the kiddos. Onigiri, sliced pork roast, and celery in the first tier. Grapefruit slices with a little sugar sprinkled on top in the second tier.

And a teddy bear bento. The bear is made out of brown rice with some soy sauce. I rolled it in bonito flakes to give it that fuzzy look. Also in that tier are edamame, and breaded chicken. Second tier has watermelon.

New Tiffin Bento

2009-04-28T13:38:00.001-07:00

I got some new stainless steel bento boxes, otherwise know as Tiffin, or Tiffin style.

I have a triple tiered one and also a double tiered one.

This is what the tiers look like.

I packed pan seared Sockeye salmon, and a lemon wedge in one tier.

A salad in another.

And fruit in the last.

Hello Kitty rice

2009-04-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to using the Hello Kitty rice mold and nori puncher that my mom got for me. It's hard to pick up the little pieces of nori! I ended up using a dampened toothpick to pick up the pieces.

top: brussel sprouts and Hello Kitty rice
bottom: pancetta and chard; lamb, carrot, onion, green bean, red pepper tomato-harissa sautee; Hello Kitty rice

Whoa....backlog!

2009-04-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been forever since I have posted. I have been packing, but time restraints have kept me from posting. I have put together a backlog. While it's not everything, it's something, right?

Here I made a mini sub sandwich, cucumbers (marinated) and some Girl Scout cookies (Thin Mints).

Here is a Nightmare Before Christmas sandwich bento box.

In it, I packed chicken salad sandwiches, cheddar bunnies, and carrot sticks.

Here is a healthy grilled chicken lunch with sauteed snow peas, brocolli, and rice with a tiny pickled plum.

Top tier of a bento filled with watermelon.

Bottom tier filled with steak, brocolli, rice crackers, and Lauging Cow cheese.

Another top tier with fruit.

And bottom with grilled fish and rice with furikake.

And here is a BLT sandwich bento with grape tomatoes. And the lower tier has string cheese, mandarin oranges and spicy rice crackers.

Jang Jorim Bento

2009-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

This was probably one of my favorite foods as a child. My mom would make it for me. It is a really salty beef that you shred and eat with rice. Here is the link to the recipe from Korean Cuisine. http://korean-cuisine.blogspot.com/2008/09/jang-jo-rim.html My children LOVED this.

The Jang Jorim is in the silicone heart. There are some sliced marinated eggs that were cooked with the meat, vinegar and soy marinated cucumbers, baby carrots and rice.

The same in Bryce's box.

Here are the bento boxes I used.

I have to tell you, my bento box buying reprieve has ended. I have a really great new stash of boxes that I will be posting soon.

Easter Bento

2009-03-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school before Spring Break, so I thought I would do an Easter themed bento. They didn't come out perfect, but still kind of cute, right?

I used tarako (cod roe) sauce for the egg-shaped rice balls and decorated them with nori and imitation crab meat.

I made a sunflower with a sheet of egg and a slice of hot dog.

I added some slices of crabmeat, baby carrots and put everything on top of some baby lettuce leaves.

new bento box

2009-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Jen gave me a new bento box. She spent most of last year living in Africa and traveling Europe and found the bento box in Norway and got it for me.

I adore it, especially since tomatoes are my favorite food.

The first bento using the new box!

top: white rice with furikake
bottom: roasted kabocha; steamed rapini; poached chicken; ginger-oyster-green onion sauce

My mom came to visit last week and cooked a bunch of stuff for us. I miss her cooking so much. The chicken and sauce are something I haven't eaten since living at my parent's but it's the easiest thing in the world. And the sauce is delish on any steamed green, fish, or chicken.

Ginger Garlic Green Onion Oyster Sauce
-knob of ginger, grated
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-a few green onions, sliced thin
-enough oyster sauce to cover the ginger and garlic
-dash of soy sauce

If you have a microwave: put the ginger and garlic in a microwave safe container and pour soy sauce on top, just enough to barely cover the ingredients. Microwave for 45 seconds or until fragrant; mix in at least twice as much oyster sauce as soy sauce, then mix in the green onions. If you like a thinner consistency, add water or more soy sauce.

If you don't have a microwave: in a shallow pan, gently heat the ginger and garlic with a teeny bit of water, until fragrant. Transfer into a container and add a dash of soy sauce and at least twice as much oyster sauce. Then add green onions and stir. If you like a thinner consistency, add water or more soy sauce.

The sauce will keep in the fridge for a while.

We've always poured the sauce on steamed or parboiled greens -- such as rapini, broccoli, napa cabbage, green beans, kale, chard, spinach -- and poached chicken. It's delicious either hot or cold (proteins, veggies, and sauce) and pairs so well with rice.

If you poach the chicken, leave the chicken in the poaching water until cooled. If you take it out while hot and slice it, the chicken will end up dry and flaky. Another tip if you make poached chicken: add some ginger to the water and keep the water afterwards to make soup!

Here's what it looked like for dinner before it became my bento:

cute bento goods

2009-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

I don't use a lot of bento goods when preparing my bento. Mostly out of laziness. But since I had some new ones I thought I'd try to incorporate them.

A monkey pick:

I think this pick is cute, but it's really just for decoration. I prefer to use things that also have a practical use. The bottom of this pick is like a comb.

bento contents
top: tamagoyaki (egg omelette), mini weenies
bottom: roasted beet and orange salad; chicken livers with chard

Bear sauce bottle and food dividers:

Sauce bottles are great, but they are such a pain to fill and clean. I do like the food dividers, though. I'm not picky about food not touching but it's nice to be able to physically separate things from time to time.

bento contents
left: beef gyoza (potstickers); roasted veggies and tofu
right: brown/white rice onigiri with shichimi togarashi furikake (top 2) and umeboshi (bottom 1)

And here's a recipe for you all, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe that I found. It was really tasty!

roasted veggies and tofu

ingredients
2 tbs veggie oil
3 tbs soy sauce
teeny bit of Chinese mustard
3 carrots
4 stalks celery
1 package firm tofu
2 tbs ground toasted sesame

directions
-preheat oven to 425
-drain tofu for 30 or so minutes in a colander
-cut up carrots, celery, and tofu into bite size pieces
-mix together mustard, oil, and soy
-in a roasting dish or lasagne pan, lay out celery, carrot, and tofu and coat with the marinade
-put in oven 30 minutes
-take out of oven, coat with ground sesame
-put back in oven and turn the broiler on low for 10 minutes

2009-02-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

I will be gone for a few weeks, but when I come back I will have photos and hopefully some new ideas. Hope all of you continue bento-ing!

And the winner is...

2009-02-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ask A Life Coach!

She says, "I loooove the pork loin idea in baguette that is my favorite because it loooks SO delicious and my husband would love it. (I've been packing him bentoes for lunch.)"

The winner was chosen using the random generator.

Thank you all for the comments, it was fun to see everyone's favorite posts. I'll do another giveaway... I'm hoping to go to Tokyo late this spring for a friend's wedding and hope to pick up some bento goods while I'm there.

bento giveaway contest!

2009-02-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you'll find today's post from me an exciting one. Announcing a bento goods giveaway contest open to readers of this blog living in the U.S.!

To enter:

Leave a comment to this blog entry
Comment must include:

A valid email address (so I can contact you if you win)
A link to your favorite entry on this blog
An explanation of why the entry you've chosen is your favorite (please don't say this entry is your fave)

Comment must be left by the end of the day CST February 16, 2009.

The winner will receive an assortment from the goods shown in the below photos.

A mini apron, adjustable bento belts:

Assorted animal picks, animal-printed plastic muffin trays, food-themed dividers:

Onigiri molds, bento bag:

sausage animal makers, onigiri molds, nori face punches:

more printed muffin tins, chopsticks holder:

So, a couple of disclaimers:

You will not win ALL items shown
Some items may not arrive in original packaging / a few might be missing (I hope you understand that I have promised small bits and pieces of the above to IRL friends)
One comment per person please

Questions? Leave me a comment here!

Good luck all!!

EDIT BY KP- I WILL ALSO ADD TO THIS GIFT FROM MAMICHAN!! Whomever Masami picks as a winner will also receive a new bento box set and bento book from me:) Thank you, Mamichan!!

Still bento-ing

2009-02-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Yup, still here! Still packing lunches! But I have been overwhelmed with life and have not been posting:( My appologies.

Here is today's lunch.

Spicy breaded chicken on a bed of spinach, rice with furikake, sliced fish cakes, and a tomato.

Second tier has oranges.

One of my favorite boxes, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

And Spongebob!

Here is lunch for wednesday, I think.

Sliced steak, edamame, and rice with soy sauce in the cute bunny container.

And an equally cute bear container.

Watermelon.

Blue Dragon bento box.

Dreamy Friends bear bento box.
Miso glazed salmon, rice rolled in Korean nori, cut up celery, tomatoes, and lemon slices.

Bento box:)

Quick and easy

2009-01-20T11:54:00.001-08:00

I've been under the weather for the last two weeks so my bentos have been simple, easy, and fast. Not all your bentos have to be inspired and time consuming...the kids don't mind.

On today's menu: tuna salad on toasted bread, and sliced tomatoes.

Bryce got sliced oranges in his bottom tier. It looks like a lot, but this is actually just one orange slice really thin and small.

Devin had grapes.

Friday's lunch was just as simple and was actually a special request.

Bologna sandwiches on sliced french bread.

And sliced watermelon.

Pork in Baguette Bento

2009-01-12T18:55:00.001-08:00

I made pork loin baked in a baguette this morning for the lunches today.

The top tier has sliced pork in baguette, marinated cucumber slices, half of a tomato, and some ketchup in the container.

The bottom tier has grapes and string cheese.

I used my nifty Nikyoro sandwich bento boxes again.

new year, new box.

2009-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

My mother sent me a new bento box for Christmas. So I started off the new year with a new bento box :)

Pork Loin Roasted in a Baguette

2009-01-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

This is a new recipe that I came across and will be incorporating into my bentos.
The recipe is on Joanne Weir's website http://www.joanneweir.com/recipes/mains/pork-roasted-the-way-the-tuscan-do.html And it is awesome! The long baguettes that I found were to thin to use for this, but I found some mini baguettes that were a little fatter, so I just cut the pork loin in half and used two mini baguettes. I also omitted the herbs for the kids.

First you cut open the baguette and scoop out the insides.

Season your pork loin and then brown it on all sides.

Put the loin inside the bread and tie it closed with twine.

This is what it looks like all cooked and ready to eat. I slice them up and the family devours them.

Breaded chicken and salad

2009-01-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Chicken and salad bento.
Devin's had spicy breaded chicken and Bryce's had regular breaded chicken.
In the second tier, there was a green salad with sliced carrots, a tomoato, and asian pears in the cup. The container has salad dressing in it.
Here is Devin's box.

Here is Bryce's.

I'm Back!

2009-01-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Todays lunches weren't terribly fancy, but they were colorful!

First tier has miso-glazed salmon, rice, half of a hard boiled egg, and a lemon slice. Sliced scallions on top of the salmon and soy sauce in the red container.
Second tier has julienned potatoes sauteed in sesame oil and a little soy sauce, seasoned nori in the cup, grapes and a tomato for a splash of color.
Here is the box used for Bryce's lunch.

And this was Devin's.

My poor neglected blog!

2009-01-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, I promise!

Gingerbread bento and backlog

2008-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have still been bento-ing. But I have been running short on time. I have either forgotten to take photos, or just not had time to post....BAD BLOGGER!

Here are todays bentos and a couple more from this week.

I made gingerbread men, christmas tree steak skewers, and added some veggies.

This one has tempura chicken, some sushi rolls, egg rolls, veggies, and pineapple.

This last one has grilled fish and a salad. I also packed soup in a thermos for them.

No pictures of the boxes themselves...too lazy to take photos. (You've seen all of these before anyway:)

Snowman bento

2008-12-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well, 'tis the season, I guess. I am trying to get into the spirit so I made snowmen for the kids today.

The snowman is made of rice. The hat is cut from black olives. The nose is an actual tiny carrot and nori for the eyes and mouth. The scarf is made out of cheese and the buttons are pickled plums.

Along with the snowman, there are three grilled shrimp, cucumber slices , cherry tomatoes and half of a boiled egg.

Here are the boxes.

And I didnt get a chance to post these from last week so I added them on to this post. There is grilled fish, onigiri, boiled shoyu egg, and tempura hearts.

Tuna sandwich bento

2008-12-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

The kids are a little sick of rice, so I packed tuna salad sandwiches today.

I also packed bruschetta with goat cheese, mandarin oranges and two chicken meatballs.

I used some cute food picks, and put ketchup in the container. There are two Japanese gummy candies in there for dessert.

These are the boxes used.

10 min bento

2008-12-02T18:21:00.001-08:00

I am trying to cut back on the time it takes me to pack bentos in the morning. With a little prep the night before, I managed to pack both of these up in less than 10 minutes.

Today's lunches.

I cut out Spam shapes last night and did a quick grill this morning. The cute cartoon pieces are actually furikake. There is also some anchovy ban chan in the small heart-shaped cup and sliced kamaboko and some edamame.

There is soy sauce in the strawberry shaped container. The furikake also has some green powder, nori sprinkles and some tiny yellow and pink rice crackers all mixed together. It is surprisingly tasty!

Here's Bryce's favorite box.

And this is the one used for Devin.

First December Bento

2008-12-01T09:28:00.001-08:00

I'm a little rusty.

Here are the kid's lunches for today.

Devin's has a flower shaped onigiri with a small pickled plum in the middle. Sliced fish sausages in the cup, apple rabbits, and soy sauce in the green container.

Second tier has grille barumundi fish, a lemon slice, carrots and celery, dip in the green container.

Bryce's has a bear shaped onigiri, plum nose and nori accents. Fish sausage, apples and soy sauce.

Grilled fish, lemon slice, carrots and celery with dip.

My Melody box for Devin.

Bear box for Bryce.

School's Out

2008-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

The kids are on Thanksgiving break this week. I will still be packing lunches for Rick so tomorrow I will post that lunch. Then of course, it's Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is well!

Hearts and stars sandwich bento

2008-11-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

I tried to jazz up some plain sandwiches with meat and cheese cutouts.

I used a large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the sandwich. Then I used smaller heart cutters to cut lunchmeat and cheese, and used a layer of mayo as the "glue".

I did the same thing with stars for Bryce.

I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in some small boxes with some sliced pickle spears.

Also for lunch, they have chicken soup in their thermoses and a small container of mandarin oranges.

Feminine bento

2008-11-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

Today was another one lunch day. Little Bryce is still home sick.

For Devin's lunch I did some bite sized onigiri, each dipped in a different furikake. Between the two rows of rice, are three tiny pickled plums. On the right are slices of fish sausage. In the red cup is broiled white fish and marinated cucumbers in the green cup. And that cute cherry is a soy sauce container. I also used some jewel toned food picks for some color.

This is the box I used.

Heart and salmon

2008-11-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Bryce was home sick today so I only had to make one lunch.

Top tier has a heart shaped onigiri with sakura denbu sprinkled on top. There is a quail egg cut in half, grilled salmon, broccolli, a lemon slice and soy sauce in the fish. There is also an edamame skewer.

Second tier has more broccolli, another edamame skewer, another quail egg, marinated cucumber slices and some oranges.

This is the box I used with a cute matching felt dog belt.

Cinnamoroll and little boy bento

2008-11-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today's lunches.

For Devin, I made a Cinnamoroll onigiri. For the eyes and mouth I used the white part of the kamaboko and used food markers to make them blue. I used sakura denbu for the cheeks. Also in the bento are two shrimp, fried mandoo, seasoned seaweed, some small pickled plums and and quail egg with a food pick. I put in edamame for some green.

Bryce has the same except I made a little boy onigiri using nori.

These are the boxes I used.

Steak fingers bento

2008-11-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

I made steak fingers again.

Here's Bryce's with steak sauce in the penguin container and ranch dressing in the blue strawberry for the vegetables.

In Devin's I used the Hello Kitty container for the steak sauce and the yellow bear container for the ranch dressing.

The top tier had persimmon skewers.

This was Devin's bento box.

And here is Bryce's.

I packed a lunch for Rick too. He has scalloped potatoes as well as the veggies and steak.

Mitsuwa

2008-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

I went to Mitsuwa Marketplace in San Diego yesterday. It's sad but I have to drive over an hour to get to a Japanese grocery store. There is also a Marukai there and I must say that Mitsuwa kicks Marukai's butt!!

For Hello Kitty junkies like me, Mitsuwa is a veritable crack house. There is a Sanrio store in the marketplace. And the grocery store itself is packed with Hello Kitty goodness. Check out the awesomely cute Hello Kitty pasta!

I also got this Anapanman furikake shaker. There were all kinds of Sanrio character furikake with shaped nori sprinkles...WEEEE!

Also something I can't find at regular grocery stores in my town: quail eggs!
I also got this fish sausage which come in tubes. This is the pink that I used in my last bento. I thought it would taste like kamaboko or fish cakes, but it tasted more like bologna. Not my favorite, but the kids love bologna so it will get eaten. Sakura denbu is the pink stuff in the plastic container. Its what I used as blush on my mear/bouse. Its a sweet shrimp powder for rice.