Transporting Your Bentos

How do you carry your bento boxes?
I personally start by choosing what style box is easiest for my kids to handle, then choose an appropriate bag or lunchbox.
But there are so many options!

These simple bags are
designed with kids in mind.

They're easy to operate
& come with cool characters
on them.

This fits my 6 year old's
usual 450ml bento box
perfectly, with enough
room to spare for a set
of silverware and a drink.

But what about smaller
appetites?



Here's a nice snack
bento, 250ml in size,
great for a toddler meal
or preschool snack.

Wrapped in a furoshiki
(scarf), its carrier also
doubles as a placemat or
napkin. It is convenient
to carry and very cute!

I can't wait to pack
snacks for Maia in this.

You probably already
have a scarf at home
that would make a great
impromptu carrier!

Here's MY lunchbox.
For this old-style box
I have to use a 2 or 3
tier slim bento to fit
upright.

I find this style of
bento takes practice
for kids though;
maneuvering the belt
off and on is a skill I
feel is best left to the
5 year plus group. I've
even seen adults have
trouble with them the
first few tries. Practice
with your kids first.

Flip-top upright lunchboxes
are a cinch to pack and easy
for kids to do themselves.

My 2 year old takes this
Thomas the Tank Engine
lunchbox to preschool two
days a week.

It's fun to buy coordinating
bento boxes to fit inside
if you enjoy that sort of
thing.

Most single tier boxes fit
in this style lunchbox; this
one is 300ml.

Are you the creative type
who doesn't want to spend
a lot on lunchbags? No
problem! You can knit or
crochet your own nifty
bags...or you can have a
friend make you one like
I did, LOL (I can't knit or
even sew on a button)!!

The advantage to this is
it is stretchy, so it can
fit this little 270ml single
tier bento, or it can easily
accomodate something
larger.

And it's so darned pretty!

But no worries if you're not
creative! Get yourself to
Daiso or the Target $1 bins
and pick up an array of cute
bags like this.

These bags easily fit 2 or 3
tier bentos, plus a large
water bottle.


The slimmer multi-tier
bentos are also handy
for fitting in a backpack
or messenger bag without
tipping or moving too
much.



A larger stretchy produce
bag (also made for me by
my talented friend) fits
my largest picnic bento.

An adjustable bento belt
or large rubber band keeps
the box secure, and the
expanding bag makes
loading easy.


So how do you transport
your lunch? Do you have
any spiffy bags or inventive
ways to get your food to
school, work or a trip
more easily?

Book Review: Bento Boxes

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go, by Naomi Kijima

I got this cookbook for my
birthday. I was so excited.
Not sure how many vegan
recipes would be inside, I
kept my expectations low.

While every recipe has a full
color photo, I was more
impressed by the variety of
vegetable side dishes. Usually
when I look at bento photos I
am looking for "eye candy".
But while the photos are nice,
the simple recipes are even better. Plenty of vegan fare, and lots that is easily veganizable. I'd say 1/2-2/3 of the recipes in the book can be animal-free with simple substitutions or omissions. Pretty good for a Japanese cookbook printed in Japan. Even the English grammar and spelling are good!

The first section is heavy on meat and seafood. But later sections contain easy donburi, rice casserole, rice ball, fried rice & noodle recipes that often use tofu or can do just as well with the meat elements omitted. I chose to make substitutions in most cases such as tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, or soy meat analogs. I especially appreciated a few recipes designed for a rice cooker (my favourite kitchen gadget). The bento helpers section in the back of the book has over a dozen vegan ideas using various beans, seaweed, vegetables...even peanuts.

This cookbook is strictly about recipes. There is minimal introduction or other text, no bento making tips, no kyaraben (charcter bentos). What it contains is traditional Japanese bento fare.
There is a very brief blurb about measurement conversion in the beginning, and 3 simple soup recipes on the last page.

If you're vegan or vegetarian and not confident changing recipes a bit on your own, then this may not be the bento cookbook for you. But I am very pleased to add it to my collection.