hapa bento

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!

At last!  The recipe. 

But before you take a peek… a warning that the instructions for Furikake Tuna Burgers only looks daunting.  Three stages! What the heck?  Isn’t bento making supposed to be easy?

No worries. 

I assure you it’s very quick to prepare and the outcome is delicious.  I promise.

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I occasionally  receive emails  remarking on how small my bentos are for Saba Man…”does Saba Man eat little meals?”
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Miso Chicken for an in-flight bento?  Yep.

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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 →

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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Saba Man seems to like the Lazy Tuna Sushi so I packed a few for him.  But for fear of carbo-overload, I modified the recipe a bit.

Instead of using all white rice I mixed it half-n-half with brown rice which I proudly named “hapa rice” then shaped each piece with extra tuna. 

“Less rice more tuna” is his new mantra!

Also in the bento box are snap peas, tomatoes (again) and broccoli (again).  

It’s a strange combo with the vegan sausauge, but we gotta eat our way through the bento-stash to make room for newer, fresher fare!

I know that I’ve been seriously neglecting my daily posting of bento photos. And there’s a “stack” of them just waiting for me. Like a lot of you I’ve been busy with household chores and my recent obsession with outdoor repairs and yardwork.  

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Tee hee…this mix of white rice  and black forbidden rice created such a lovely color that  couldn’t resist making tiny little musubi!

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Today’s featured bento is a “hodge-podge” of  items.  A  sampler of  bento-stash,  fresh fruit,  and bento staples. Read the rest of this entry →

Okey dokey!  I’m out of leftover Easter eggs so this will be the last of the boiled egg tips for now.   Today’s eggs are again re-shaped using a fish mold then fashioned into a mock sushi! Read the rest of this entry →

Today’s bento is my entry to the “Virtual Bento Box Battle”!   The inspiration for my bento is “Japanese Icons”  Can you spot them?

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