Hello Kitty and Cookbook Giveaway
How would you like to get both Susan’s books:
Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook: Fun Lunches for Kids
But first a little bit about the author and her books…
Susan Yuen is a very talented bentoist, trained chef, mom of two and a food blogger. Her books provide detailed instructions on creating the cutest bento boxes you’ve ever seen.
These cookbooks contain large, colorful and detailed step-by-step photos along with simple to follow recipes. This of course makes them a “must have” for anyone who interested in packing cute lunches for their children or for themselves! Who wouldn’t want to be greeted at lunch by an adorable sandwich!
Each book contains 2 distinct sections: the recipes and the bento boxes. The photography is beautiful and the recipes are pretty easy to follow although some newbies may need to look up a few of the ingredients. But if you’re already visiting the bento blogs…you’re familiar with descriptions such as nori and musubi!
Spiral bound using high quality paper, these cookbooks will provide years of inspiration! And even if you’re not into bento… her recipes are delicious for any meal!
Personally, Susan has been an encouragement for me and she’s always willing to share ideas and give supportive comments to all the bento blogs! She’s a super nice gal!
To win both the books and bento set, simply tell us about how long you’ve been packing bento lunches and for who? If you’re not a bento maker…tell us about plans to start! Do you have any favorite ingredients or recipes?
The winner of both cookbooks and the HK bento set will be randomly selected on May 25, 2010 at 6:00 pm PDT!
Prize details:
1 Hello Kitty bento box with utensil set. 560 ml (18 oz )
1 Hello Kitty stainless steel food jar. 355 ml (12 oz )
1 copy of Hawai’i's Bento Box Cookbook
1 copy of Hawai’i's Bento Box Cookbook 2nd course
All prizes are new and unused.
Good Luck to everone!
I’ve never made any bento boxes before but I plan on starting when my son goes to daycare at 2 1/2 this year.
He’s allergic to many foods so I will need to pack a lunch for him every day. I hope he will like it.
Entry #101
I make bento for myself, although not as often as I’d like. I love having something to look forward to for lunch. My favourite dishes have to be pasta salads, and gyoza and noodles.
Entry #102
I have been packing bento for myself for roughly 6 months now. I still struggle to find time and inspiration to make mine as attractive as others I’ve seen, but I really enjoy opening my lunch at work and seeing what I’ve made. It helps me appreciate what I’m eating and why I’m eating it.
My favorite bento ingredient is mini quiches! I’ve been making mine sans crust lately so they’re more like mini fritattas. I also love packing rice (molded or not) because I’m always surprised at how much of it will fit in the box!
Entry #103
I am a newbie in bento lunches. It has been almost 3 months since I have started making bento inspired lunches for my boyfriend and I. I try to make a different type of salad for each week and we add fruit, veggies and nuts. It is great knowing that we are both eating healthy lunches and not spending lots of money going to for lunch.
Entry #104
I make Bento snack boxes and lunch boxes for my 2 young kids and husband. My favorite ingredient is fresh fruits as they are always colorful and adds the sweet flavor to the whole of the Bento contents. And of course, the whole point of preparing Bento is eating healthy.
Entry #105
I’ve been packing bento for my then 6yrs old (now 7)daughter for more than a year. Due to she started Prim 1 this year and school food sucks, knowing her, I knew she would skip her meal in school if I do not pack her anything. So that was what got me into bento making.
I work fulltime and my daughter goes to afternoon school. So I wake at 6:30am every morning to prepare the bento and keep in the fridge for her. Due to this, anything that would still stay fresh by the time she eats them would be my favorite ingredient.
Entry #106
I’ve just started bento making and LOVE IT!!!
Entry #107
I’ve been making bentos for about 4 months now. I make them for myself. They’re usually just leftovers, occasionally something kawaii, but usually not. I love using fresh fruits and veggies, and am excited for the summer when there is going to be more variety.
Entry #108
I’ve been bento-ing now for about 9 months. I started out making them for my 3 kids lunches, but have now switched and am using them for my own lunches to help me eat healthier and lose a few pounds.
I find that the food is so much more appetizing packed this way and I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself. The same exact food on a plate just wouldn’t be the same experience.
Susan Yuen has really been an inspiration to my bento making. Her first book was so cute and easy to follow that my friends think I’m a celebrity when it comes to packing lunches.
Entry #109
I started making bento for my 3 years old son one year ago, after finding out he has food allergy. Since my son is not eating school lunch, I would need to make his lunch more attractive than the school lunch. Susan’s book will be very helpful for me because her book has a lot of creative ideas to make the bento more attractive.
Entry #110
I’ve been admiring bento for about a year, but I only make it on and off. I just could never seem to remain consistent. Since I only make it for myself, I wasn’t letting anyone else down if I didn’t come up with something. Now I am very committed to losing some weight and I know that packing a bento can help me keep my calories down and I am going to make a commitment to pack a lunch at least 3 of the 5 days I go to work. Having some cute supplies and books with ideas would certainly help me stick with this new plan! Good luck to all and thank you to all the bento bloggers – I’m pretty sure I follow you all!
Entry #111
I have been bento-ing for the past 6 months or so. It changed my life in so many different ways. I make bento for me (great way to control my portions) and for my 5 year old to take to school.
Making bento is so very addictive…
Entry #112
I make bentos almost every day for my husband and have been doing it for a few months now.
My husband started a new job a few months ago and he’s the youngest guy in his group by quite a few years. He felt like he couldn’t relate to any of his coworkers, and didn’t have anything in common to talk to them about. Work was starting to get him down, so I started making him cool looking and healthy bentos to make him smile. Almost immediately, his coworkers took an interest in his lunches and now, a few months later, lunchtime doesn’t start until everyone in his group has inspected (and expressed their jealousy of) his lunch. This has boosted his confidence as well as makes him happy.
I love making him different and fun lunches for him to look forward to. Included in his lunch is a little note written on his napkin (which he saves). *^^*
Entry #113
Haven’t tried making bentos but I love Susan’s recipes!
Entry #114
Wow! I must be living under a rock as I just recently heard of Bento lunches and am loving the whole idea. I can’t wait to try some of these great recipes and lunch ideas this summer and then continue into the next school year. My twin girls are just about to finish up first grade so this was the first year I had to deal with making lunches. It’s not easy so I am glad to have found some new inspiration online. Would LOVE to win this fabulous prize. Adding you to my list of Favs
Entry #115
I might just have to buy these books if I don’t win
But where oh where would I find that HK thermos and box? Too Cute!
Maybe I should answer the question too. I’ve been making bento since September 2009 mostly for myself, sometimes for The Mister, and on a few occasions for The Cat.
Entry #116
Hi Judy, I got the HK from my local Sanrio store.
GREAT giveaway:) The books would be super helpful for beginners like me!
I’ve been packing bento for about 1 year for myself. The main reason i pack is to save money..Just a sandwich here in UK cost a bomb and as a student like me, i need to budget:)
My favourite ingredient is…RICE to make onigiri/sushi!!! plus, it’s a staple that gives my sufficient strength for the whole day’s work..hoorey!
Entry #117
I love Hello Kitty too!!
I have been packing bento lunches for my 6 yr old for about a year. My 2nd daughter starts preschool this summer and can’t wait for a lunch like her sister’s.
My favorite ingredient – spam, hotdog, or leftover meat.
Thank you for the giveaway.
Entry #118
i’ve made bento before when i was back in Singapore, but it was with simple stuff like chasoba. i’m interested to do it all over again cause i’m studying overseas in an Australia university now and the food is expensive, unhealthy and unappetising. So i would like to start packing my own food to school!
the bento set and cookbook will be real useful!
Entry #118
I’ve been interested in bento lunches for a couple years and I played around with them a bit before I started making them on a regular basis. I’ve been packing them pretty regularly now for about a year, mostly for my husband.
Love this giveaway! I am a big HK fan. I actually already have the first cookbook and just love it, but the second is still on my wish list.
Entry #119
I’m confused – I posted a comment yesterday evening but it’s not showing up for some reason 0.o? Therefore, apologies if I’m commenting twice ^^’.
Anyway …
What a cute bento set! And since I don’t have any bento cookbooks yet, of course I’m jumping at the chance to win some!
I’ve been packing bento since beginning of this year regularly – before I did it on and off since 2004 (after I came back from my stay in Japan) but without any bento supplies and stuff. I’m packing them for myself as I need to lose weight and change my eating habits (though there was a time when I did some for some co-workers who sadly have left my company by now).
Entry #120
I’ve started my interest in bentôs probably around 2 or 3 weeks ago only, and all of my 3 bentôs can be seen on my personal blog.
The first is actually a double bentô, one set for my boyfriend and the other one for me, but he usually eats with colleagues so since they returned from holidays… my second bentô was for the “I love Robots” contest, the third for the B-O-M-B one… since today I have my first exam, I don’t know exactly what it will do to bentô-ing.
I don’t have real bent^^o boxes yet so am using the tupperware we own, which is just fine for now.
I realised that my favourite ingredients are simply fresh vegetables and fruits – this is just such a plus! Also, having just recently made our first home-made onigiri… yumm! I haven’t been actually a fun of cooking and discovered my interest in it (and in the beginning rather in the baking) slightly before my bentô one. Healthier, yummier food, here I come!
Entry #121
I discovered bentos sometime end March 2010 when i tried to surf for the bento book Face Food, which i read about in an inflight magazine. I have been making bentos for my two daughters aged 5 and 11 ever since.
Going through bento blogs is a daily thing now and my favorite bentos are the ones which are simple and arranged beautifully.
Entry #122
It has been a year since I started making bento to take a healthy meal when I commute to university. It usually consists of pasta/rice, vegetables and white meat/mini quiches. I was surprised how much food can be stored in such small box! With my meals I made my friends want to have a bento box too, so now we all eat our bento-lunch together! God bless bento boxes!!!
Entry #123
I have never made a bento lunch, but they are so cute and I have a 3 year old picky eater who would love it!
Entry #124
I started packing bento for my six years old boy one year ago. At first I carried a passive attitude, the starting journey was not that easy. But after few tried with the help of correct tools, bento making become a “Fun” thing to me.
I get to know bento mama all over the world, they share their beatiful ideas and awesome bento. I feel warm each time they drop by my “home” and give me some sweet comment. I really enjoy bento making now (~.*)
Entry #125
I started packing bentos since last month, April. I started by packing simple snack bentos and I’m packing two bentos for my husband now, one for lunch and another one for his afternoon tea. My favorite ingredients are fresh fruits and veggies such as tomatoes, carrots, broccolis as they are colorful. As I want to pack something as healthy as possible for him, I pack him a variety of dishes everyday including fish, chicken, and veggies. Most of the time, I try to roast and steam so it’s less oily.
Entry #126
I’ve been making bento-ish lunches for several years, but still feel fairly clueless putting together authentic styled bentos. I also felt somewhat silly making super-cute lunches for myself to bring to work! Like other people here, I have a child with food allergies that goes to daycare/school. Now that he’s almost a year old and eating food beyond purees, I’ve been having fun experimenting with food cutters and mini-versions of my own food including mini-rice pancakes and muffins. I always make sure he’s got lots of fruits and veggies w/ color in his meals. Seeing what I pack for him actually inspires me to eat better myself
Entry #127
I haven’t started making bento yet, but I’ve been actively looking at them for a few months. I plan to use a lot of Asian ingredients as my fave market, a Japanese fish market, is within walking distance from my house. My kids love Asian kine lunches and eat them more readily than other lunches. They’re healthier, too! Thanks and PICK ME!
Entry #128
I’ve never made bento before but I’ve been wanting to start, but just don’t know where or how to or what to buy or what are the essentials to have at home. If I start making bento, I’ll bring them to work and make everyone jealous! Plus, I LOVE Hello Kitty
Entry #129
I’ve made bento once but because I didn’t have any guidance I just made it quite messy though. My little ones are fussy eaters so if I can introduce more food in a form of a bento box, it would be more fun to look at and eat also. Also knowing that when they go to school, they have something nice and healthy to eat leaves my worries behind.
Entry #130
I’ve started buying bento tools for about a year now but had only started diligently making breakfast bento for two weeks now. Am doing breakfast bento coz I still enjoy my lunch hours eating out with colleagues n getting out of the office!
started this hobby because I have a 2 and a 1/2 years old girl who will be starting montessori next year and I would like to make kawaii snacks for her to eat during her break time. I think bento making really do ensure we eat healthier and that’s what I want for her. Only one drawback from this hobby is that I tend to want to buy lots of tools!!! ;D
Entry #131
I have been packing bento lunches for my son, Gavin, for about 2-3 months now. I’ve known about bento for a few years now, but only recently put it into practice because he was refusing to eat typical American packed lunches and I couldn’t afford to be buying hot lunch every day!
I hope to be starting bentos for my husband for his lunches, I just have yet to find the right box for him!
Entry #132
I’m hoping to start making them for myself, and would love this Hello Kitty Box to start with!
Entry #133
i just started a job at the mall so i can attend classes this fall. mall food is insanely unhealthy…i long to create yummy bentos!
Entry #135
I’ve been bento making for a couple months now. I’m still quite new at it, but I’m obsessed! It’s such a lovely hobby. I make a box for myself to take to work and a box for my husband. He loves having a healthy lunch made with love! I think my favorite ingredient I’ve used so far in the boxes are the sweet egg Onigiri. They are so delicious!
Entry #136
I started making bento sometime last school year. At the time I was making them for both my then 12 year old and my 18 year old. This year I only make one for my youngest child, at least while I was at school because suprisingly, it actually took too much time for two. I had deluded myself that two would be no extra work. That and my youngest is extremely picky, which means my eldest would have limited foods available unless I did two completely different bentos.
One of my favorite items to make is Tamagoyaki, which is one of the few protiens my daughter will eat. I particularly like to serve this with greens nestled in there as it is nutritios and makes a striking addition to the bento. I usually just throw in a few shots of soy and mirin into the eggs and I make it in a small omlette pan because I really don’t have the money or space for a special pan for it.
Entry #137