Food: Bento Box Mania!

[triedunture]

So I recently decided that, in order to look hotter than I already am (which is pretty dang hot already so, you know, just sayin'), I would start eating better. I already pack my lunches because I'm a cheap bastard, but I looked in bento box-style lunches because they're portioned well, balanced, and pretty.

Today I packed my Monday lunch, and it turned out kinda pretty! Lookie.



That's one hardboiled egg for protein, some raw carrots, a few frozen grapes, some sauteed spinach and sesame seeds, and some soba noodle salad.

Everything's pretty self explanatory. Unless, of course, you're a n00b.

If you've never sauteed spinach before, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED. One bag of fresh baby spinach. That's like, what, $2? OK, put a few handfuls of that in a pot with a little oil over low heat and watch it cook down to its nummy sauteed state. You can cook down a whole bag until it all fits in a little Chinese takeout container. Good times, and also very healthy.

Did you know that if you just slap some sauteed spinach on top of something, it becomes whatever FLORENTINE? It's TRUE.

Chicken? BAM, chicken Florentine.
Pasta? BAM, pasta Florentine.
Cardboard? BAM, you get the picture.

The soba noodles are new for me. They're just noodles made from buckwheat, which I guess is good? Anyway, I saw a lot of different instructions for how to cook them online, and the package was in Japanese, so I sort of just tried my best. I may have overcooked them. They only need a few minutes! But anyway, once I did that I shocked them in cold water and then tossed with a little soy sauce and a little hot sauce. If I were a person of greater means, I would have added a little green onion or perhaps some ginger, but I am not.

Anyhoo, I'm excited to keep packing lunch this way. A little protein, a little starch, a lot of veggies and fruits. Mmm mm mm mmmMMMMM. I hope soon I'll be able to experiment with edamame, onigiri, and prawns.

Comments

[jane-hidell.livejournal.com]

I DREAM ABOUT HAVING THE MOTIVATION TO DO THIS. Seriously. I AM TRYING THOUGH. <3<3<3

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

Sushi rice for onigiri is so easy. I have Alton Brown's recipe here (http://mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com/98007.html). That's the one I use; it's easy and tasty. Make sure to use apple cider or rice vinegar, though--other ones are waaaaay too sour. Learned THAT the hard way. n_n;;

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thanks so much! Man, this bento thing really is like a total lifestyle overhaul. I mean...I look at the sheer MASS of the sandwiches, etc. that coworkers bring to lunch and I think DANG guys, that is a lot of food that is not so great.

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Bento is not really good for me, since I have some dietary restrictions that don't work well with food from the far east.

But hell, my mum made western bento for me when I was six. And I like sushi as a concept, because basically it's a sandwich in a different form.

I love putting canned chicken with honey mustard in sushi, as a side note. It's so goooood.

[georgeodowd.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to clean up my diet lately, too. It's a good thing I live close enough to work to walk home at lunch, though, since I never seem to get up early enough to actually prepare food. A bento box does sound exciting...