Rice Ball Bento

This was the Middle of Summer and a cooling bento was amongst us. Rice balls covered the black sesame seed and salt, radishes, grapes, and lettuce.

Pork and Rice Bento

Hello Bento People! I am sure you like a nice lunch. What is better than pork and rice with a side of KimChee? Well, I'm sure you will say "Nothing!"

Salmon and Dumplings Bento

Leftover take-out from my fave Japanese restaurant makes a bento lunch at my job. Teriyaki salmon with shrimp dumplings and little sauce on the side.

It's funny how happy work can be when lunchtime looks like this!

Wild Salmon Bento

This sweet bento box holds my Wednesday work day lunch. Mmm rice - the great soother of my stomach's soul. And a lovely bed of lettuce for teriyaki salmon with kimchee and a carrot doodad.

I collect sparkly animals too. And this is my frog. Ribbit!

mummies for my honey

I saw this idea on Facebook, only using regular size hot dogs. Regular sized hot dogs might have been easier and more uniform.  I think of them as the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker a la Rub-A-Dub-Dub fame.

The Mister said they looked like three Bedouin mummies.

Happy Halloween!

Caviar Bento

Fresh radishes from the garden, a sweet orange and blackberry bombs, and dried pomegranate seeds hang out with Mr. Grumpy Giraffe. Believe me, I can sympathize with Mr. Grumpy Giraffe as this consoling bento was my lunch on my first day back to work after my vacation.

So I used a new box, My Neighbor Totoro holding a four-leaf clover, and filled it with rice and teriyaki chicken and pickles. That is black caviar on the rice.

I know it looks like a blackberry. I bought the caviar to add to salmon sashimi, my birthday dinner.

Yay! I made it another year. Yes indeed I'd rather be lucky like my lucky Totoro!

There's nothing to eat, Mr. Bento

There's nothing to eat, Mr. Bento, a photo by Judy's Notebook on Flickr.


There's plenty to eat, but nothing looks good, and I want to be served too. All this rushing around before work to make sure I'm not just gulping down a bag o' chips and Dr. Pepper. Life is tough. 


Oh boo hoo. 


So I got out the old Mr. Bento and marveled at just how much space needs to be filled. Pickles and grapes fit into the smaller rounds nicely. A bean and cheese quesadilla sizzled in the stove. Easy and crunchy. My new motto?

Rolled some lovely scrambled organic eggs and used pups and penguins picks for some tasty salami. Lots of protein proportionately, but this lunch was perfect for the cold rainy day.

I think autumn may be here at last.

Gerry the Giraffe gets a round bento

I didn't notice how round this bento was till I looked at the photos. I mean, had I thought of it, I would have cut the dill pickles in round slices, then the roundness would be complete.

No, this bento was made for the rice, which has a calming effect, which I needed.

The champagne grapes were so sweet like candy, and the blueberries were divine as well. I used green accessories because I didn't have anything green to eat, but wait, the dill pickles are green. That counts!

These dills were also very garlicky, so they got a wrap in cellophane.

The really fun addition here is the Ko-Umeboshi. I bought a jar from Gold Mine Natural Food, a cool online resource.

I love my leafy Totoro bento box too.

Blue Cat Bento

Not much out there in the natural world that is blue. The sky, okay. Blueberries, yep. But what else?

That is why I'd like the thank the makers of Almond Joy's pieces for their blue candies. Nothing says I'm completely artificial like blue candy.

But does the blue cat care? No no. Giant radish mice burrow in the giant radish rose and le bleu chat would like to spring over the peanut butter and cream cheese wraps and dance on top of the luscious orange honeydew to get to the lovely candy coated milk chocolate almond flavor pieces.

Too bad kitty kitty meow meow you must hang out with my standard faire of double cream gouda, marinated olives, and black peppered baby backs.

Aww don't look so sad.

At least you got to ride in the strawberry box.

Round and Round We Go Bento

This is a lovely little two-tiered round bento that closes with a Velcro-type strap.

I made twin snacks for him and her. She gets the carrot jewel ring and he gets the pickle (filled with sake).

Both have sushi rice with carrot butterflies and flowers. (It's monarch butterfly season here on the west coast.) Included as well are teriyaki beef and marinated seaweed salad. Portions are small and snack-like.

Those chopsticks on the left are shaped like the chocolate-dipped cookies, Pocky! (Because I'm a kid at heart!)

..where we stop, nobody knows!

Pastys and pearls bento

I had a lot of fun making these pastys for this bento. Those are tiny mozzarella's balls (pearls) with a garlic chive flower on top and in the middle a side of cherries. The bottom box is kiwi cherries hummus and toast. Guess the shape of toast and win a book recommendation.

Hey, it's what I do best. The recommending, that is.

One Half & The Other Mr. Bento

This was my lunch today. Leftover Beef Wellington that I should not have warmed. Linn's berry pie. Red pears sliced. An array of pickles, radishes, beet star pickles, and brussels sprouts that were roasted.

orange bento

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road Bento

Teriyaki Chicken Bento

There is Teriyaki Chicken under those red bell peppers.

An Adult Bento

Curry chicken and vegetables on rice in my new strawberry bento box.