What to do if you don't have anything at home?

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

This week I've forget to buy salad. Stupid of course, since I like to put salad in my Bento. After a long inspecting the refrigerator I found I didn't have any fruits except apples and grapes ( and a kiwi wich seems to be to hard, read sour) So although I've already cooked my rice for the onigiri, I had nothing to put in my bento!!! I didn't even had nori, how could I be so stupid!!!

So, I had to improvise. This is the result of my quest to Bento ingredients.

In the upper layer, red and green grapes, and three onigiri in the lower layer. At the left, a Hello Kitty onigiri with bonito flakes furikake, In the middle Onigiri filled with tuna and sesameseeds and kimchi-nori and at the right a My Melody onigiri with bonito flakes furikake.

I found out bonito flakes furikake is much to salt to me. So, I have 2 options. Option 1, use more rice or option 2, never buy bonito flakes furikake anymore. ( I think I will go for option 2. )

Sushi lunch and pickles

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

It looks like a bit odd combination, sushi and pickled cucumbers, a bit Asian and a bit Western style. This Western-Asian (or Asian-Western) Bento was my lunch of last week.

Although it seems weird to have sushi and pickles, it was just yummy.

This Hello Kitty two-layer Bentobox also contains a pair of chopsticks, so you don't have to worry about your cutlery and although it seems weird using chopsticks for your salad, it's just as easy as eating with a fork. (of course you should know how to use chopsticks first)

Upper layer contains sushi with surimisticks. Lower layer, salad with corn and red bellpepper and sweet pickled cucumbers.

Microwave cake

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

My sister in law found this in the supermarket. Ready in 3 minutes cake with a lot of different flavours like mango and pineapple.

I was really curious to how this works and especially how this will taste...

It's quite easy to make ik, (that's why it's called "Easy cake") just put in some milk, oil, an egg and the mix, then mix it and put it in the microwave...

My daughter was really smiling when she saw the cake, unfortunately it was too sweet and we didn't really taste the mango, so.... not really something to recommend you to try...

Leftover potatoes

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Normally I don't have much left from dinner what we can use for in the bento. But last wednesday my daughter and I had boiled potatoes with vegetables and veggieburgers...

So when I saw I had some boiled potatoes left, I thought about an apple and potatoe salad my friend used to make us on parties. And since there were enough potatoes left for a lunch, I've tried to make an apple and potatoe salad with the ingredients I had in house...

Apple and potatoessalad:
- some boiled potatoes, cut in bite size
- an apple, cut in the same size as the potatoes (anykind, just as you like it sweeter of more sour)
- a boiled egg, also cut in the same size
- mayonaise (I normally us light)
- dried cives
Just put all these ingredients together and mix.

I've garnished it with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and some dried and sliced bacon...

And really, it tasted very nice...

quicky bento

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

So, I've told I have been very busy lately, but I still wanted to have a nice lunch. I've made this bento in less then 20 minutes... so, it's possible to make a bento when you're busy...

The round box contains a beefsalad with corn, cherry tomatoes and grilled sausages. This was for my colleague. Yes, my picky colleague, If I have enough ingredients, I'd like to make him a treat too.

For myself, a fruitsalad with grapes, strawberries, and melon, a salad with corn, cherry tomatoes and beefsalad with grilled sausages... I've had the fruitsalad as a snack in the afternoon, but the salad was really more then enough for lunch... This was the right amount of food for me... :D

Ballet preformance

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Once in the 2 years, our balletschool will organise a balletperformance. During this weekend we need to stay in the theatre for practise and performancing. Normally we won't have to much time for eating, so we'll take something to eat with us.

Because we need to be in the theatre very early, I've made a simple but delicious bento.

In the left box, Pastasalad with corn, in the right box, onigiri with beef in teriyaki sauce, sweet olives and salad.

Besides this bento, I've made a large fruitsalad for al the other girls of my group....

For pictures of the balletperformance, please visit http://www.balletstudiodanspodium.nl/ op the event page there's a link to the pictures.

busy busy busy

Hi dear viewers,

I've been very busy lately, but this doesn't means I forget my dear blogreaders.

In the past 2 months I've regulary made bentos, and of course, I've pictures of it.... I hope I will get some more time this weekend, then I can place an update, so please, keep visite this blog...

Kitty

Bento number ?????

Often, when I look at other bento blogs, I see the bentomaker knows exactly what number the bento is... And, when they reach bento number 100, of course they make it a bit special...

Now I was wondering how many bento's I've made and of course how long it will take before I reach number 100... I think I just need some time to count all the bento's...

Do you know how many bento I've made???

Picky colleague

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

My colleague is always looking at our bento with big eyes... Not because he envy us, but because he doesn't like the things we put in it... he doesn't like rice or vegetable salad...

Yesterday, when I went shopping, I saw chicken sausage in the store and it looked yummy to me... So, I've bought it and thought it would be nice with some potatoessalad. Unfortunately I didn't had time to make my own salad and I couldn't find potatoessalad in the store, so instead, I've bought beef salad (yes, the ready to use stuff) and used it for this bento for my colleague.

Today his day started some kind of rough and he got quitte irritated about some things... So he was glad to see we thought about him... We really cheered him up with this bento... And like a miracle, he said he almost likes everything in it...

The faces I've made with some nori punches, they are really cute...

Sushi time

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

This is the first time I've used sushi in my bento. We didn't need wasabi our soy sauce, it was just right... And I've forgot to buy wasabi, so it was a good thing it tasted well...

We've used surimi and cucumber in the sushi, one of my favorite sushi.. Again, this bento was too much for lunch...

Side disches: Strawberry jelly with strawberries, nice and sweet, Cucumber salad, marinated with mirin, rice vinegar and salt, with some nori for garnish and a bear egg...

Wedding day bento

We went to a wedding yesterday and because we need to be there the whole day and I know it would be very hard to get something to eat when you'd like to, I've made a small bento for me and my daughter.

Last week I've read about Quinoa, I've never heard of it, but it seemed to be some kind of seeds, I've read it should taste like popcorn... So, I've bought a bag of quinoa and cooked it in the evening. (Then my husband thought it was rubbish and threw it away and I needed to cook it again... ) Anyways, I've finished it succesfully and it really tastes like funny, but I stil don't know if it tastes like popcorn, hard to say...

I've used the quinoa in a salad with cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper and corn, finished with a herbsaus... Aside, I've made a fruitsalad from melon, pineapple, grapes and green and gold kiwi.

Unfortunately I can't tell how it tastes, because my cousin told us he forgot his lunch when he went to work and I gave him my bento. And, don't have pictures taken... Next time more about this funny food...

Picky toddler

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I've noticed my daughter is becoming a quite picky eater. Not sure how come, my hubby and I almost eat everything.... Everything she dislikes, she just spit it out again.... not really nice if you're having lunch or dinner together... And really, now I understand why mom always needed to clean and vacuum after lunch and dinner...

I'm trying to let Melissa try a lot of different things for eating and really, the concept of Bento, fun = eat, really works...

Now she even goes to the fridge and grabs her Hello Kitty Bento bag on her own, cause she knows her fun food is inside...

Happy office lunch

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Regulary I will take my daughter with me to office, and of course, then it will have to be fun... So I've made these 2 bento lunches, one for her, one for me...

For her, Hello Kitty onigiri with tuna and terriyaki beef and a fruitsalad with her favorite Hello Kitty mango (she actually is able to say Kitty now), melon, grapes and strawberries.

For me, onigiri with Tuna, Grilled miso onigiri and a salad with sweet bites and corn.... Of course, Melissa likes to have my miso onigiri more.

Friends coming over

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

On easter sunday, my friends came over for making wedding gifts for the wedding of my brother in law. So, I thought it would be nice to make them a treat...

So, I made this large fruitsalad for them. This was the first time my friends saw me making these things and they were quitte surprised I have so much time to spend making these things. Of course I won't tell them it only took minutes to wash and cut all these fruits....

Fruitsalad contains mango, melon, bleu berries, grapes, strawberries and kiwi.

New Bento gear

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I have been very busy at work. We were so succesfull this first quarter, I've decided I deserve a little treat... So, I went to Jlist again and here's the result...

New egg molds, onigiri molds, hello kitty muffinmold, new hello kitty bento box, sauce containers and nori face cutters (these are so funny).

Rio Mare per pasta

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

In the store, I found some cans of rio mare tuna especially for pasta. I've just cooked some pasta and put in the can (it was much too much for myself, I think it's supposed to be a salad for 2-3 persons) hustle a little and then it's just finished for eating. Love the taste...

I've cut my bear egg in half, so it looks like I have 2 bears.... It's so nice the molds have 2 same sides....

So, Pasta salad with tuna (from can), bear egg and fruitsalad with melons, grapes and strawberries. To make the flowers, I've used a cookie mold... workes quite well...

Fried rice left overs

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I'm really glad we have a microwave oven at our office, so, I can use just left over fried rice for my bento.

Of course I need to put in some extra cute cat nori. for the fruitsalad I used Hello Kitty Melon, this workes better then the mango. Unfortunately, my daughter saw then and took some to eat, so I still had one left...

Fried rice with cat nori, sweet bite bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.
Fruitsalad with mango, melon and flower strawberries, Hello Kitty egg....

Paper punch

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I've bought some paperpunches and used them for the nori. On this Onigiri with corn, I've put some cat nori. I've also bought a dog punch, but it's a bit larger. Workes fine and much cheaper then the nori punches...

For lunch we had, Onigiri with tuna, onigiri with cornsprinkles (made myself) and a salad with sweet bites..

In case you wonder what I put in the Hello Kitty container.. Of course it's saladsauce. I like to use different, so I don't remember which one I used here...

Hello Kitty overload

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

My cousin called this my Hello Kitty overload.

I was just curious what would look nice if I'd use the Hello Kitty veggie cutters... So, I've used them on the melon and cucumber. Because I was having pancakes, I thought it would be nice to see if the Hello Kitty mall works.... Well, oke, it looks a bit overloaded... :P

Pancakes and cherry tomatoes, salad with cucumber, bell peppers and corn and a fruitsalad with melon, grapes and mango.

Bread

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I like to use a lot of different ingredients and I like to make my own sandwiches with different bread types... This turkisch bread I've bought in a turkisch store is really tastfull.

I've put on some spicy sauce, smoked chicken and salad. As a side dish I've choosen for a small fruit salad, with Mango, grapes and kiwi. (didn't had much in the fridge).

Kimchi Nori

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

In the chinese store, we found some packs of Kimchi Nori. My cousin said it's very good, so we bought it... Cause we made onigiri for lunch, we've decided to take a pack with us. We wrapped it on the onigiri and took a bite... It was so hot!!!! (hot = spicy, not warm) But, we couldn't stop eating it.

In this bento: Onigiri, one stuffed with tuna and sesame, and one with terriyaki beef. Then salad with cherry tomatoes, sweet bites and corn. Corn actually tastes very nice in salad.

Extra help, extra bentobox

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

My cousin Mariska was helping me for a week, so I had to make an extra bentobox for the lunch. Luckely, I've just bought a new Hello Kitty bentobox, so it wasn't a problem.

Pastasalad with olive oil, olives, and tuna and a salad with sweet bites, cherry tomatoes and cucumber flowers and of course, a hello kitty egg.

Male Bento

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Like I already told, my dear cousin is staying with us and of course he likes a more male bento... I was to enthousiast adding cute things...

So, especially for him, this male bento with tortillia and salad...

Of course I needed to put in some cute animal picks... :)

Tortillia

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I've read on different websites, that tortillia wraps are great for in the Bento. So, I tried...

Actually this was the first time I had cold tortillia, and I really didn't know what I could put in it.. I'm glad we have a fridge at work, so I've made tortillia with smoked salmon, crabsalad and some salad with cherry tomatoes, carrots and pickels on picks and some cut sweet bites (sweet bell peppers)

I think it was quitte nice....

Lunchtime

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

It's hard to decide how much so food is enough, especially when you're, like me, used to have bread. So, I think it is really hard to decide how much other kind of food I need to take for the lunch...

This is another experiment... And of course, it was too much again!!!! I think I should save a lot of food if I just know how much is enough....

Pastasalad with spicy sauce, salad with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and Hello Kitty egg...

The snack Bento contains, mango, melon, grapes and strawberries, for the summer feeling...

Enjoy

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Melissa really enjoyes her own Bento... She really likes the onigiri. On this picture she has one with tuna and one grilled with Miso... The Miso onigiri, also a receipt from the book, are her favorite. Of course we make small ones for her...

On this piture I forgot her Hello Kitty cuterly set, so she needed to use a grown up fork... But now, I know I need to check if her cuterly set is in her Hello Kitty bento bag... (still have to learn a lot)

Hello Kitty snack bento

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Like you see, I really love Hello Kitty...

This snack Bento was really an experiment, just to find out what would be nice to use in the Hello Kitty veggie cutters... And the mango turned out to be very nice..

Manderin, grapes, melon, kiwi and mango...

Sweet olives

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Since my parents life in a small town nearby Utrecht, I've discovered sweet olives... Yummie and unfortunately, can't buy them everywhere... I thought it might be nice for in the Bento and it was really delicious, this salad with bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, bear egg and of course, the sweet olives....

Hamburgers

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Sometimes we just like to have something differents... These small hamburgers we made we're really yummie....

Homemade Hamburgers, Hello Kitty egg and a small salad...

The papercups I use to bake muffins, are also great for seperating the food and, most important, the colour doesn't give off...

Snack Bento

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

In Japan, fruit is treated like it's candy or snack... This small snack bento was for the coffee break, but because of the work we need to finish, we just had time to eat it in the train...

Fruitsalad with Mango, grapes, raspberries and a flower manderin.

I really love the cute animal food picks, it just ads a certain factor of cuteness in it...

small salad

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Using egg molds and the Hello Kitty vegie cutters, it is really easy to make a super cute small salad....

Salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, carots, Hello Kitty bellpeppers and a bear egg.

Bento gear

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I've bought some Bento gear in a webshop and it arrived on my birthday... I was so happy with it... and just liked to get started...

I've bought a new sakura bento box, some egg molds, a Hello Kitty Onigiri decoration set, some food picks and Hello Kitty vegie cutters...

I thought it was quitte much when I've filled in the order, but then I just got one small box... hahahahaha... surprise....

Udon

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Udon noodles, I really love it... We thought of making some more, so we could put them in the bento for the next day, unfortunately, there was nothing left.... If we really intend to put it in the bento, I think we should make even more then we did...

Udon stirfried with bellpeppers, chikuwa and onions...

Rice with mushroom

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

I've bought the book: Bento Boxes and found this receipt for rice with 3 types of mushroom. I've put some bellpeppers, carots and cherry tomatoes for the flavour and colour.

Looking back to those first Bento boxes I've made, I see it was quite boring, but it tasted really nice...

Delicious!!!!

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

My cousin Kawin is staying at my place and helping me at work...

He just came back from Japan and you know, we really think the Onigiri are delicious!!!!!

Kiddy Bento

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

Making Bento for Kids is quite hard, especially if they are just one year old.. Luckely they don't need much food...
Melissa really loved the macaroni with cheese and the flower manderin. But to be very honest, it was much to much food....

First Onigiri's

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Originally uploaded by mamaofmelissa

These are the first Bento lunches we made and the first time we made Onigiri. We filled the rice with Tuna, Teriyaki chicken and we seperated the Nori to keep it crispy. The blue berrie muffins we had for the coffee break...

Bento

In februar I started making Bento boxes for lunch. My dear cousin bought me a bento box as a gift for my little girl... We started making bento's for fun, but soon, we decides to continue, cause it really makes us happy when we see such a nice looking lunch. Lunchtime became a really cheerful moment of the day.

My blog

Hello,
Welcome to my blog, here you will find stories about my adventures, my thoughts and my creations.

I'd like to invite you to stop by more often for a look.

Kitty