hapa bento

A big thank you to all the participants!  If you missed them, you can still see them on my Facebook page here.    They were all winners in my book but there was one bento that gathered the “likes” and that is this one from Angelene!  Congratulations to you and please show us what you do with your prize bento box  from Japanistic.com.

I also want to thank the nice folks from Japanistic who donated the adorable Elpha 2-tier onigiri set and matching chopsticks for our prize.   Did you know that they have more than bento boxes on their site? Yep, they offer the cutest, the coolest, fun, well-designed Japanese products on the world-wide-web!  Please check them out.

For more bento tips, information and recipes subscribe to hapa bento via your email or newsreader

Japanistic – cool, fun, well-designed Japanese bentos and other products!

UPDATE: Entry phase is now closed and the voting begins here on Facebook!

Woo hoo!  It’s Back-to-School Bento Contest time!  UPDATE:  See below for new dates!

But first… today’s Back-to-School bento is filled with yummy Lazy Tuna Sushi. The basic recipe is here.

And  as you can see the recipe can be modified to suit your tastes.  This time I left out the scrambled egg and bulked up on the tuna.

The very roomy bottom tier allows for a whole boiled egg which I molded into a fun fish-shape, zucchini, carrots and cherries!

Yes… my bento box collection has a new addition thanks to our friends at Japanistic.com

Isn’t it adorable?  And very versatile too.  I can think of many ways to pack this cutie!  How about a sammy in the bottom tier with fruit on top.

More information on about this adorable Elpha 2-Tier Onigiri Case along with other cool bento items can be found on their site.

What?  You say you’d like to have this box for your very own?  Okay… here how you can win one:

Win this bento box with matching travel chopsticks!

Contest Rules:

1. Contest is open to US mailing address only.
2. Post a photo of  your bento creation on my hapa bento flickr group.  Add “hapa bento contest” in the description.
3. If you are not a member of Flickr then email the photo to me or add to the comments below and I’ll post it for you.
4. You can enter as many bentos as you like, but only one of them will be selected for the final voting.
5. The bento entry must be a recent creation.
6. Charaben or kyaraben is accepted but not required. Your bento entry does NOT need to be cute.
7. Entries will be accepted from now until Sept. 2, 2011   Extending until Sept. 9, 2011
8. All selected bentos will be accepted for final voting.
9. Voting will take place Sept. 10, 2011 through Sept. 16, 2011.

I can’t wait to see your bento entries!

Good luck and have fun!
For more bento tips, information and recipes subscribe to hapa bento via your email or newsreader

Japanistic – cool, fun, well-designed Japanese bentos and other products!

Another Back-to-School bento idea for today’s post.  How about ravioli and sausage? Yes!!!

And packed in one of my most favorite Elph boxes from Japanistic.

Today’s bento is filled with mushroom ravioli, vegetarian sausage, asparagus, carrots, bit’s of smoked mozzarella and a cherry tomato.

If you decide to pack a similar bento just remember to keep things light and not add too much sauce.  And you can add almost any type of vegetable if asparagus in not a favorite.

For more ideas visit my Back-to-School page for tips and suggestions.

Also, I’ll be announcing a contest in a  few days where you will have a chance to win a cute bento box from our friends at Japanistic!

For more bento tips, information and recipes subscribe to hapa bento via your email or newsreader

Japanistic – cool, fun, well-designed Japanese bentos and other products!

Summer is in session…finally.   Sunny skies and warmer temps have finally arrived in Seattle!

And you know what that means?  Correct.  Cold noodles for lunch!

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Walking through the grocery store the other day and I spied this super-adorbs sandwich box in a “Back-to-School” display!

Yikes! It is THAT time of year already?!

So the bento-nerd in me immediately went for it!  I checked every sort of box and container for it’s “bento-worthiness”…

Lo and behold this blue with robot sandwich box is a perfect candidate for the first “Back-to-School” (BTS) post for 2011!

But what did I pack in this sandwich box?

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As this compilation photo demonstrates…there are many different styles of bento boxes and fillings to choose from.  And if you’re a beginner, you may have some questions.

If you are new to packing bento lunches… here’s some help.

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I  have to sneak one more back-to-school bento on the blog before school officially begins!  And today’s bento features one of my favorite meals…noodles! Read the rest of this entry →

Did your teen-ager declare herself a vegetarian and refuses to eat food bought from the school cafeteria? No problem, pack her a meat-free bento lunch!

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More  ”back-to-school bento” using the ever-popular sandwich box!  There’s a specific reason why I like using this style of box. Read the rest of this entry →

School is not yet in session in our area—not until after the “Labor Day” holiday.  So unil then, I’ll  post a few more back-to-school bento examples.

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Today’s back-to-school bento contains items that are near-and-dear to my heart.  When I was a kid,  we called our packed lunches, “home-lunch”!

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This month’s theme?  What else can be but “Back-to-School”!  But don’t worry if you don’t have school-aged children…because your entry just needs to meet the theme  if not the purpose.  And of course… a bonafide,  school-bound, “P,B and J” bento is perfectly acceptable !

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