Review: Smart Planet Home Glass Divided Bento Box!

Hello Bento friends!

Summer arrived a month and a half ago and instead of the lazy relaxing endless long days lounging at the pool and tennis club that I had envisioned, it seems like we have been going nonstop just as busy as before. Is it just me, or has summer vacation become super busy for you too?

Luckily, there's always time for bento! The good folks at Smart Planet Home have been kind enough to provide me with another cool lunch box that they thought I might like. You may remember I reviewed another box for them previously (check out my Ultrathin Saladbook review here). 

This one is called Pure Glass Bento Meal Container. It retails for $12.99 and is microwave-, dishwasher-, and oven-safe (glass box only, not lid).

This one was intriguing to me because it is made of glass! If you're like many people these days, you may be conscious of the possibility that the plastic containers you're using are not good for food storage. Some might break, leak, stain, or leach chemicals.

The other cool thing about this box is that it is divided! Have you seen a divided glass box before? I don't think Lock & Lock has one available, and I have several from that company. Smart Planet Home has up to now mainly offered plastic boxes with all kinds of extra qualities like collapsibility, the option to reheat, meal planning kits, etc. 

So I was surprised to learn of this newest product. The final selling point is that the box comes with a leakproof lid, which locks with 4 latches and a silicone gasket. The box is heavyweight glass, which I assume is meant to safeguard against breakage by dropping, but it may be too heavy for young children to manage. In addition, at least for me and my fairly new unit, the latching mechanism was quite tight at first and almost too difficult to click on. It took some elbow grease to get the last one latched. Over time, it seemed to become easier to click locked. My 14 year old was able to do it without trouble.

Once it's on, the box is completely watertight. I packed a juicy fruit salad and a fresh green salad to go to one of my dreamy summery destinations, and there was no leaking of anything. Nice! It's on the large side (this one is advertised to have a volume of 52.8 oz or 1561 ml) so it would be ideal for a picnic bento or to bring snacks to share! The glass is sturdy and won't warp in the hot sun like some plastic boxes. The company offers more glass containers in different shapes, including an even larger divided glass bento box. You can check them out at their website. 

Have fun this summer and don't forget to pack bento! 😊❤🍱

New Bento Box Review: Yumbox

Today's review is on the Yumbox. This box is designed by a pair of moms who wanted (from their website): "a bento-like tray, with one lid that sealed all compartments; designated food groups to encourage and assist parents in packing a balanced meal; built-in portion control; a cool design and illustrations to make this little box more of an adventure in good nutrition than just plain old lunch!" 

The boxes come in a variety of sizes and with different numbers of sections. The one I have has 6 sections; there are other versions with 3 and 4 sections as well. They come decorated with different themes on the bottom of each section, like Pirates, Mermaids, Circus, and Rockets. The theme of mine is Parisian Pink. It's very cute!

The graphics are very colorful and artistic. They are labeled with different food groups, in order to help with balanced and nutritious meal planning. The image is applied to the underside of the plastic so there is no risk of scratching from the food. The inner (clear) plastic compartment is removable for easy cleanups.

Our first bento contains a bunch of different foods, and this type of bento would be ideal for kids who prefer to graze upon smaller portions of lots of variety of foods.

I packed: spiralized zucchini raw "noodles" with fresh off the cob sweet corn and shredded mozzarella cheese, pickled napa cabbage and beets, garlicky smashed cucumber pickles, steamed Okinawan sweet potatoes, purple carrots, peaches with homemade granola, and little chocolate bear cookies because they fit perfectly into the tiny circular section. This box worked very well, kept everything separate, and prevented leaking of any liquid. The latch was easy to use and young kids will have no problem securing and opening it on their own. It would also work well as a snack box for an older child.

The garlic smashed cucumber pickles came from the Lucky Rice Cookbook, authored by Danielle Chang, who came with her crew to film a segment with Happy Little Bento for Lucky Chow a couple months ago. I thought her cookbook might contain lots of fun ideas for packing into bento, and I was right! I'll show you more of them in the future. Happy weekend, friends!

Disclosure: Yumbox generously provided me with this product for use without cost to me. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own.

New Bento Box Review: Life Without Plastic

More summery bento! And a new bento box! 

There's a brand-new (to me) new lunchbox in town, and it's pretty cool. It's called Round Stainless Steel Airtight Takeout Container with Dividers. I was intrigued because I've used airtight stainless steel containers before (Lunchbot Clicks) and divided stainless steel containers before (Lunchbots, Planetbox, and Ecolunchboxes) but I was always wishing for a bento box container that combined those three highly desirable qualities: stainless steel, airtight, and divided.

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Finally, there is one!

The two dividers fit together loosely so the four sections may not separate completely; just enough to keep most of the foods from touching each other and mixing together. If there is any liquid in any of the sections, however, it will probably leak into the other sections.

There is a gasket that fits snugly underneath the lid, though, ensuring a watertight seal once the three latches are secured. So any liquid inside the container should theoretically not leak out into your (or your child's) lunch tote or backpack.

The inaugural bento I made in this container is something we've been eating a lot of this summer:

somen salad!

I think it looks beautiful in this box, and if you chill it, the salad will stay cool for awhile, which I love. Okay, I didn't make use of the dividers this time, but that's on the list next time for sure.

The container I used in the center doesn't come with the box, but if you had one, with a lid, it might be ideal to hold sauce for dipping (or pouring). I packed the tsuyu sauce in a little bottle but you could also just pour the sauce on top before packing, since it is a watertight box! I lay the somen noodles on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce, since that's how I like to eat this salad, but you could also shred the lettuce and lay it on top with the other toppings. I used halved grape tomatoes, sliced steamed Okinawan sweet (purple) potatoes, sliced deli ham, chopped green onions, julienned carrots, and sesame seeds. Sometimes I sprinkle furikake too. The box performed well, is easy to open and close, is watertight as described, and looks elegant enough for adults to use as well as kids. This one is definitely going to get a lot of use, maybe more by me than anyone else! 

Disclosure: Life Without Plastic generously provided me with this product for use without cost to me. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own.

      

New Bento Box Review: Eshly Deli Box

Hello Bento Friends!

Hope your summer is going swimmingly! If you're like us, you've been making sure you enjoy every last bit of summer vacation before it's gone -- and it's always gone too soon, isn't it? I sometimes feel like we're actually busier during summer than during the school year. Is that weird? Anyway, one of my summer goals was to make sure to try out some new bento gear and develop some new lunchpacking ideas to put in use for the upcoming school year. And I am starting on that project now!

The first new bento box I want to show you is a knockout stunner of a beauty. It's called Eshly Deli Box and it's manufactured in Berlin, Germany from European Ash wood; each round box from a single piece of wood.

This is the interior: the box comes with two removable interlocking pieces which divide the box into four sections. I've also used one of the pieces by itself to create two sections, and because of slight variation in the wood, the piece can wedge into position in certain locations and it works fine.

The craftsmanship is delightful. The lightweight wood is smooth, splinter-free, and the grain and color variations add to the natural good looks of the box.

The loose-fitting lid is grooved on top to allow the elastic band to secure the box snugly without moving around or accidentally slipping off.

Here is my inaugural bento in the Eshly Deli Box. I placed the food inside silicone cups because I was anxious about staining the brand new wood! I need not have worried, though. The product designer assured me that although the wood may take up color from certain foods like beet or berry juice, over time it will fade just like wooden cutting boards. I packed ume soba with halved grape tomatoes, chopped green onions, scallions, romaine lettuce leaves and a tiny bottle of tsuyu as a deconstructed soba salad. I also included homemade roasted five-spice chickpeas, carrots, and lightly steamed corn on the cob. A tiny mandarin and a black apricot round out the meal.

My lunch looks like summer in a box! I found the Eshly box to clean up easily with damp wiping. It is fine to wash with soapy water if necessary, as long as you promptly dry it completely. I imagine the care should be the same as that taken with unvarnished Japanese magewappa wooden boxes as well.

Overall I was very pleased with the performance of the Eshly Deli Box. It is lightweight, well-made, comes with a secure elastic band dyed with natural dye, and is very practical with removable section dividers. I love the fact that it is made of natural and ecologically sound hardwood, of a variety that is more elastic, more resistant to abrasion, more easily bent and less subject to splintering than most other kinds of wood (taken from company info sheet). Furthermore, and perhaps most of all, it is beautiful. I might not send it to school with younger children (not for any reason except the possibility of dropping and damaging), but I'm sure middle schoolers and up will have no problems caring for this box. I love this box and you can be sure I will be packing many more bento in it in the future!

For more info on this box, you may contact the company Atelier Britta Knuppel at www.brittaknueppel.de or on Instagram @eshlyberlin.

      

Pizza in the PlanetBox Bento

Like I mentioned in the last post, we've started the new school year with a brand new bento box system: The PlanetBox Rover. I was very excited to test it out! So far we've used it only a couple times, but I can't wait to show and tell you about it already. Our first packed PlanetBox is shown here:

We packed homemade pepperoni/spinach/onion/red pepper pizza in the largest, square section. I separated the two pieces with wax paper. Since the lid is convex, you can pack more than you think, a feature I love! In another section I packed a cabbage/carrot/daikon slaw and grape tomatoes, a selection of strawberries and super-red elephant heart plums (my current season favorite), cinnamon cottage cheese in the little dipper, corn sheets, and some sunflower seeds in the tiniest center compartment. That little space is supposed to be reserved for a small indulgent treat, like maybe a piece of candy or something. 

I'm not sure how much each section holds, but the website says this entire box has a capacity of 4.5 cups -- I'm assuming that means packed to the gills up to the top of the recessed lids. The box itself is not leakproof, so they don't recommend liquids like gravies or sauces, but the lidded containers (I've only shown the small one) are reported to be leakproof.

My experience with the PlanetBox Rover?

The little round dipper was indeed leakproof, and my son said everything stayed inside its separate section without problem. He had no problem opening and closing the box, and he ate everything we packed. As a bonus, his fork fit into the long section after he was finished, so as to keep the inside of the carrying case clean. I did see some liquid spilled into the case, however, but I think it was the pickling liquid from the slaw. If I were to pack slaw again, I would make sure to drain it first, or else pack it in one of the dippers. Otherwise, it is a great option for bento packing, and I recommend it. Cleanup is easy; I washed everything in soapy water (they are also dishwasher safe) and towel-dried. The only reservation I have is the somewhat higher than average retail price of $49.95 for this box set; there is a smaller one that sells for less (Shuttle, $34.95) and a larger one that sells for more (Launch, $55.95), but I expect this box to last for many uses, making it a quality long-term (hopefully lifetime) investment. We're looking forward to using this box much more throughout the school year!

New Bento Box: PlanetBox Rover

Hello Bento Friends!

If you've been following along with our bento adventures for any amount of time, you know that we have a lot of bento boxes. I mean almost 4 cabinet shelves' worth. That means we've developed an idea for what kind of boxes work best for which foods and which kids. Recently, I've been asked to test and review the PlanetBox Rover. This box is made of high quality stainless steel, with 5 separate compartments and a hinged lid that locks closed with a simple latch. The Rover comes with two round containers that fit inside the box, both with silicone gaskets that seal closed when the box is locked. The insulated carrying case has an inner pocket to add an ice pack to keep everything cool. The bag is not included. The Rover + two dipping containers retails for $49.95, and it looks beautiful, as you can see.

The attached lid complements the box compartments, with convex sections to allow for the packing of extra food. The website claims the box holds 4.5 cups of food, which I assume takes into account the extra lid space. They offer a smaller (3 cups) as well as a larger (6.5 cups) box.

I like that the lid will never be lost, since it doesn't come apart. All the inner corners are rounded and smooth.

The smaller little dipper has a lid with an integrated silicone inner seal.

The larger big dipper has a removable silicone ring. Be careful not to let the ring fall out while you're putting the lid on.

The two round containers are designed to fit inside two of the compartments; there are 4 dimples to hold each in place, but you can easily choose not to use them and there's no loss of space.

When the system is latched, everything is sealed tightly.

I like the way it looks, and everything feels sturdy and strong. Stay tuned while we put the whole system to the test and send it to school with my little monkeys!

Cookbook Review: A Cook's Journey to Japan

This is the second cookbook I'm choosing to review at the request of Tuttle Publishing: A Cook's Journey to Japan - 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens, by Sarah Marx Feldner. It's a large paperback volume filled with clearly written recipes and prose accompanied by vibrant full-color photos on every high-quality glossy page.

The author is an American woman who wanted to develop a cookbook based upon recipes which she obtained by traveling on her own through small towns and talking with the people she met along the way.

I found this to be a good reference for people wanting to learn the basics of Japanese cooking along with a selection of specific dishes which she introduces with short anecdotes.

I made two recipes from this cookbook. The first was Hiyashi Chuka, or Cold Sesame Noodle Salad. I found the instructions to be straightforward and easy to follow. I substituted cherry tomatoes (since that's what I had), and used furikake (because we like it). The salad was delicious, and perfect on this hot summer day. The two photos below are mine, which I point out because I neglected to watermark them with my blog url and name.

It was a hit with the family too. I also made Soy-Glazed Chicken Wings. This was very good as well, and I should have made much more. The skin browned nicely, and the flavor was excellent.

Beautiful, aren't they? There are a number of other recipes I am definitely going to try from this book, and I recommend it even as an interesting read with interesting tidbits about Japanese culture and cuisine. Enjoy!

Cookbook Review: My Japanese Table

Hello! It's been awhile since I've posted, since we've been on summer break from school since beginning of June. The kids have been busy with the usual summer schedule: various sports, arts, and craft camps, travel with us, and general hanging out. Remember how nice that summer agenda was when we were kids?

I'm posting again because I was asked by someone at a publishing company to review a few cookbooks that they thought would be of interest to me. I read through them and this one caught my attention first. It's called My Japanese Table, by Debra Samuels. The author is an American woman who found herself living in Japan for several years throughout her adult life, and became enamored of Japanese cooking while there. This book contains general staples as well as a selection of various types of dishes suitable for home cooking and bento. I made a few recipes from her book.

The first one I tried was her recipe for sweet and spicy celery salad. It is a simple recipe, with only a few ingredients for making the sauce. It came out a little darker than her picture in the book, but it was tasty and the kids liked it.

The next one I tried was crabmeat and seaweed salad. I've eaten this before and it's utterly simple as well: just shaved Japanese cucumbers, reconstituted wakame, topped with crabmeat. The dressing is a light vinegar and I had all the ingredients in my pantry for this. It was refreshing and delicious.

Next I made simple mixed pickles, also known as tsukemono. I love tsukemono, and it brings back memories of dinners with my dad, who always had tsukemono alongside. I never realized how easy it is to make! It's a quick "pickle" procedure, and you can use all kinds of vegetables besides cabbage, including cucumbers, carrots, and even radish. This had a subtle flavor, the vegetables were slightly softened, and everyone loved it. I made what I thought would be a huge batch, but the family ended up eating the whole thing.

Finally, I made this main dish, named Shoko's Summer Sesame Chicken Salad. It was perfect on this warm summery day. I changed the recipe a little by adding chopped romaine lettuce underneath the poached chicken. The added vegetables and tangy dressing made this a nice and substantial supper. It was a hit with everyone.

This is an overhead shot of the dinner I made my family using recipes from My Japanese Table. First thing I appreciated was how beautiful it all looks! And then I realized that I need to buy more varyingly sized Japanese dishes. I was very pleased with how everything tasted and looked, and my family agreed. I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes in this book in the future. The writing is clear and concise, there is a large color picture to accompany each recipe, and the ingredients are easy to come by. There is even a bento section, which I thought was a nice addition to the whole idea of a Japanese Table. I recommend this book without hesitation; if you get a chance to check it out, please do. Enjoy!

LunchBots Quad Review for TinySprite Bento

LunchBots Quad for TinySprite Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento for TinySprite was packed in the 4-sectioned stainless steel Quad bento box made by LunchBots. When I first saw this box I was so excited -- it combined my two favorite bento box elements: divided compartments and stainless steel construction. LunchBots has offered the 2-sectioned Duo and the 3-sectioned Trio previous to the Quad. I have both of those, and I know the quality and durability are excellent, but I was curious to see whether the design of the Quad is as practical as it seemed. First of all, the all-stainless steel box is as well-made as the previous versions, as far as I can tell so far, and I've used this box a handful of times already. The smaller sections make it perfect for a child with a smaller appetite, who might welcome a greater variety of food in lesser amounts, especially if they are kept separate and not touching. So here I've packed a cheesy turkey dog whole wheat rollup, cut into fourths, which fit perfectly in one section. I topped the pieces with cute picks and a few steamed Okinawan sweet potato cutouts. In another section I fit a silicone cup of yogurt topped with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. A few steamed broccoli florets fill out the rest of the section. A selection of fruit occupy the third part, and the last contains a homemade whole wheat blueberry muffin and some raw carrot sticks. Verdict? She loved it! I have to admit it looks pretty fun and interesting with all the different components. Keep in mind this box (like the Duo and Trio) does not keep the sections completely watertight, so I would refrain from packing saucy or drippy foods. Notice that for the yogurt I used a silicone cup, which successfully kept it contained. The lid is tight (not watertight), and will not fall off during normal usage, although you can easily slip an elastic band around it for extra safety. My preschooler can remove the lid herself without problems. In short, I love this box -- it's perfect for a child-size appetite and appeals to the younger set's natural preference for variety and separation. If you'd like a chance to win this box (or any other LunchBot of your choice), leave a comment at the giveaway post here and I'll pick a winner at random on Friday. I've been reading lots of great ideas for bento-packing there so far!

Posole II Bento in LunchBots Thermal Jar: Review and Giveaway!

Posole II Bento in LunchBots Thermal Jar, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

NOTE: This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thank you for your interest!
Yes, a GIVEAWAY! If you can't wait, you can scroll down to the bottom. But first I want to tell you about my posole. ^_^
Remember the posole bento I made almost exactly a month ago? It was my first time making this spicy Mexican chili-based pork and hominy soup at home, although I've enjoyed it in restaurants for years. This bento marks my second attempt, this time using real homemade red chile sauce from scratch! I used New Mexico chiles, as per Homesick Texan's recipe here. It came out quite tasty! I adapted the recipe a bit.

Red Posole
1 - 29 oz. can of hominy, drained
1 pound of pork shoulder, cubed (I used pork tenderloin, but pork shoulder is better)
1 medium onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (can substitute regular oregano)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
9 New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime

For serving:
Shredded cabbage
One avocado sliced
One lime cut into wedges
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup of diced onion

Method:
In a large pot, cook the onion in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the pork and brown on each side for a couple of minutes. Throw in the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Pour the broth into the pot and add the oregano, cumin, ground cloves and ancho-chile powder. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer.

Meanwhile, take your New Mexican chiles and cook on high in a dry cast-iron skillet until they pop, a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add water to the skillet and let the chiles soak until hydrated, about half an hour.

Drain the chile-soaking liquid, and place the chiles in a blender. Add one cup of water and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed. Stir the chile puree into the soup pot.

After a couple of hours, add the hominy to the pot along with the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. At this point, adjust your spices and add salt to the pot. Continue to cook on low for a couple more hours.

Pour into bowls and serve with shredded cabbage, diced onions, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and avocado slices.

I didn't take any good pictures, but I did snap a few with my phone. Next time I'll take process pictures for sure. It was fun making the sauce, and easier than I expected. Next time I plan to use guajillo chile pods, the traditional chile used for Mexican sauces. I also plan to double the number of chiles for a spicier broth. Anyway, this batch was excellent. I used a different cut of pork, which turned out to be leaner than the pork shoulder I used last time. Note: pork shoulder is best. I sent this posole to school with TinySprite in my new LunchBots Thermal Food Jar, which they were gracious enough to allow me to try out and review. I was so excited, because in the cold months I use a thermal food jar several times a week. I'm always on the lookout for a better one. I sent this one along with a side box of shredded cabbage and cilantro, and some decorative carrots for her to add to the hot soup at lunchtime. There are also some blackberries and a juicy strawberry.

So what did I think of this jar? I've actually used it several times already, and you'll see those bento during the rest of the week -- so I've had some time to think about the merits and shortcomings of this jar.

PROS:
- At 16 oz, it's larger than the Thermos brand Hello Kitty thermal jar and similar jars available for the kid set. This is nice because there are times when my nearly kindergarten-age girl could eat a little more than the 9 oz of the Thermos.
- Even though it's quite a bit bigger, it's not much heavier. I also have the Stanley 17 oz jar, which I use for my 3rd-grade boy, and that one would be too heavy for her to handle.
- All surfaces which come into contact with food are stainless steel, including the inside of the lid. This is a nice feature for those who are concerned with heat effects of plastic in contact with food. I have not seen this feature on any other thermal food jars.
- The wide mouth opening makes it easy for her to eat from, similar to a bowl.
- The stickers on the jar and lid make it easy to know how tight to screw on the lid so that the vacuum seal won't be too great to open it again.

CONS:
- The wider screw top lid, while convenient to eat from, may be unwieldy for a smaller child with a smaller grip. My 3rd-grader could manage it with no problem but my preschooler needed help opening it. Of course, a teacher should always be nearby to help with this.
- I've found greater heat loss through this jar than from the Stanley jar, but may be similar to what I see with the Thermos brand jars. I didn't do a side-by-side comparison, but I measured the temperature of boiled water packed into the jar after several hours on the counter. After 4 hours, which is about the longest that my daughter waits before eating her lunch, the temperature was not piping hot. This is not necessarily a problem: she reported to me that the food was still warm and delicious.

In conclusion, I think this thermal jar is worth purchasing, if you are in the market for a versatile jar useful for either a child or adult. As I mentioned, it is unique in its shape and capacity, and those in themselves are good reasons to invest. It does a good job of keeping your soup or stew warm, and with no leakage through the gasket seal. Big enough for a healthy appetite but lightweight enough for a smaller child to handle, you could use this jar for kids (or adults) of any age. But even better than purchasing this jar would be winning it in a giveaway! That's right - the kind folks at LunchBots were generous enough to provide a LunchBot of your choice to one of my readers. All I'd like you to do is tell me which LunchBot you'd prefer, and what you'd pack in yours. If you haven't noticed, I own quite a few of them (Uno, Duo, Trio and now Thermal Jar), so I'd be interested in hearing your suggestions! And tune in tomorrow because I've got a review of another cool LunchBot product coming up!

To Enter the LunchBots Giveaway:
Please comment with your name and email address, telling me which LunchBot you'd choose AND what you'd pack inside.
The winner can pick any one LunchBot food container or insulated container of their choice.
US and Canada residents only, please.
Contest entries must be received before Friday March 16th, 2012, 5pm Pacific.

Oh, and if that isn't enough, use the coupon code HAPPYBENTO for 10% off and free shipping at LunchBots.com all week! Woo!