Showing posts with label happy new year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happy new year. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Happy New Year 2015 from me at Happy Little Bento!


Hi everyone! It has been about a year since I've posted my most recent bento, and I can hardly believe it's been that long. During the year, my son MisterMan (now 11 years old and in 6th grade)  has been preparing and arranging his own bento. He also arranges the one for his little sister, TinySprite (now 7 years old and in 2nd grade). So I guess I've passed on the bentomaking torch successfully to the next generation. That's something to be proud of, MisterMan!

I haven't been completely away from bentomaking, though. Last June, the Japanese TV station NHK World contacted me about participating in a new program they wanted to begin, and the pilot show was to introduce bentomaking throughout the world. I, along with many other people, submitted video for possible inclusion in the first show. You can click on the picture above to see the abbreviated version of my homemade video.

The show aired later in the fall, and the producer contacted me recently to let me know that the show had been voted 4th in NHK World's "Viewer's Choice Awards 2014" in the Food & Pop Culture category. As a result the show re-aired a few weeks ago. You can see it here in the YouTube clip: 

Bento : The Global Lunchbox Project 弁当


My quick short entry can be seen at 41.55. It was a fun experience and served to remind me how much fun and how rewarding it is to create and express myself with bento! I'm resolving to go back to bento this year in part because of this experience, but also because I've noticed a lot of friends asking when I'll be posting again, and there is so much interest in the bento culture these days! 

How have you been doing with your bento progress? Have you noticed your methods changing at all? My priorities are the same: healthy, beautiful, nutritious meals to satisfy and fuel my kids for their challenging days, which also provide them with the memory of their loving mom standing right here behind them all the way. ^__^



Monday, January 9, 2012

First Bento of the Year!

First Bento of the Year! by sherimiya ♥
First Bento of the Year!, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.
Hellooooo out there! I haven't posted a bento for, um, it seems like forever. We had a school break over the Christmas and New Year holidays, and I didn't make a bento the whole time. Didn't even think about bento. I was afraid I'd forgotten how to make one again. But here I am, 3 weeks after the last one. It might look a bit messy and thrown-together, but it qualifies! I found a beautiful wild salmon filet so decided to roast it with a splash of olive oil, garlic powder and dried herb mix. And since the oven was on, of course I also threw in some halved brussels sprouts and sliced kabocha. While everything roasted away, I got the brilliant idea to try slicing the kabocha thin into chips. Could I get the kids to crave them if I called them kabocha chips? And would they get crispy? Wait til the end of the post to find out! I placed everything into some green leaf lettuce, and tucked in a red radish and some Okinawan sweet potatoes for color, and used the (included) stainless steel cup for cottage cheese with blackberries, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. There are also a few raw carrots in there. The cup comes with a tight-fitting plastic lid to ensure the contents stay put, which is very convenient. Oh, and about the chips? Although they didn't crisp up completely, I played them up, made lip-smacking yummy sounds, and sure enough they clamored for "More chips! Kabocha chips!" Success. Muahaha!