Getting my Bento Groove

This week for the first time I feel like a bento-making machine. I think I have finally gotten the bento concept into my soul, or at least my version of the bento concept: variety, aiming for the protein-grain-vegetable balance, color, cuteness and gizmos like picks and stuff, and delighting Jan with something that says love.

So I have not been so much standing in the kitchen at 6 a.m. racking my brain, as ticking over different ideas and thinking yes or no, nice thought but not today, and then YES.



This bento had ham and egg roll-ups, Savoy cabbage stir-fried in sesame oil and 2 cheese hearts on top, two of my best rice balls ever! with furikake container, skewers of sausage and shrimp seared in hot chili oil, sugar snap peas and a couple of cherry tomatoes. Oh and Pocky in the lid, thanks to Avie's BentoMovie Network which told me Pocky fits in bento lids - to quote my favorite movie of all time Princess Bride, "Brilliant!!"

Today's bento has some of the same things:


More of my pride-n-joy rice balls, cherry tomatoes, pork cutlet from last night's dinner, monkey with ketchup, furikake shaker (Jan has discovered he loves furikake, at least this one which is sesame, nori, and spices), hard-boiled egg with salami hearts and mixed chili pepper on top, a couple of random celery chunks, and a brownie bite wrapped in foil.

Bento has changed my way of grocery shopping too; I look for small things, color, shape, pick potential, and cuteness. This has to be good!