I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Mr. Bento lunch jar giveaway
A lucky reader will win the Zojirushi Mr. Bento thermal lunch jar that I reviewed today; leave a comment below with your favorite dish that can be packed in a thermal lunch jar and I’ll choose one at random on Monday, October 6, 2008 using the random.org random number generator. The Mr. Bento lunch jar (SL-JAE14) will be the same one that I tested by filling it with water (no food has been packed in it). Zojirushi send me one to test out, but my Product Reviews policy prohibits me from keeping anything valued over US$40 so it’s time to pass it on. One comment per person on this post, please. Entries close at midnight Pacific time on Sunday, October 5, 2008. (I reviewed it in depth alongside the Nissan Thermos JLN1200X and a no-name Chinese knockoff; click to read the full lunch jar review…)
UPDATE: Becca, commenter #454, was the winner of the giveaway. Congratulations!
September 22nd, 2008 | Categories: admin, equipment, giveaway, thermal lunch jar | 
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September 22nd, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hi,
Please count me in. Btw, I enjoyed the piece on Fox40 and the Bento lunch boxes for kids.
-harry
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I LOVE packing soup for lunch — especially if I don’t have to heat it up again before I eat it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Oooh - that looks shiny!
I’m kind of new to bringing my own lunch to work, but I’d imagine that a batch of my overall favorite easy dish - chili - would go perfect in one of those along with crackers and possibly some shredded cheese.
It even looks big enough for two servings - which would be great because I work and go to school in the same building and often put in 12-14 hour days here.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Love your blog, I like packing leftovers. Wish I had a Mr. Bento - hint, hint.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
My favorite as a kid used to be hot ramen. Now, I love using them to keep my favorite perishable leftovers, like cold noodles with kamaboko and baked tofu, cold and safe.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I am also new to packing “outside the box”
I love all of the ideas I’m finding on your site.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I love to use them for soups, stews and especially chili.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Definitely chicken noodle soup with mashed potatoes on top.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I would probably use them for many meals, including steel cut oats for breakfast (allowing me to keep the fruit separate until ready to eat!) and chili or soup for lunch (again allowing me to keep the accoutrements separate!).
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I just discovered a recipe for curry, squash and apple soup that I love and would be great in a thermos!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Mmm… sweet & spicy thai coconut curry with rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I’d bring basmati rice with curry chicken — that sort of thing. Zojirushi rocks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
My version of a jambalaya. It’s great even when not quite “warm” anymore. If I win the Mr. Bento, I guess it will be warm though!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Hi! I’d love to be entered in this drawing.
My favorite thing to pack in this type of container is just too hard! Tomorrow night I’m planning on making Hortobagyi Palascinta (a Hungarian dish) — and that would be great to pack in this thermal container. It’s a savory crepe stuffed with a meat/pepper mixture and topped with a sour cream/paprika gravy. It’s wonderful.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Chicken enchilada soup. Yum.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Hi!
I love homemade mac and cheese with broccoli, spinach, zucchini, and peas, which would be great in this thermal jar for lunch.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Risotto with white beans and spinach- warm, rich and semi-healthy.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
French onion soup risotto
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
My kids love having pasta dishes in their lunches. We put it in a Thermos so the lunch is still warm at school. They like hot lunch every day.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I would love to be able to take some of my homemade Potato Soup. Or pack my breakfast in it when I make it in the morning and not have to reheat once I get to work!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
It sould be so great to eat warm tomato basil soup with some fresh bread for lunch at work!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I love packing rice with whatever leftover meat/veggies I have - I don’t have a thermal jar so I usually mix it all together and nuke it at school!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Wow! Spiffy!
Thanks for your amazingly detailed experimenting and your always intriguing blog.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
homemade chicken fried rice, miso soup and mac & cheese… couldn’t pick just one!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
miso soup
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Veggie chili with brown rice is the best for a hot lunch!
Love your site, Biggie! You’ve really helped me get away from my boring sandwiches for lunch.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Oh, those are the coolest! I would definitely be experimenting with some better lunches
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
My daughter won’t eat things that are cold usually. She really loves spinach and ricotta filled ravioli, with just a little bit of my homemade marinara sauce.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I would use it for mac and cheese and chicken noodle soup for my picky 8yr old!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Thank you for the great comparison! I love to pack a soup and salad lunch in my Nissan Stainless Lunch Jar. I put the soup in the airtight container and the salad in the rice container since spillage isn’t an issue. Then I put oyster crackers and a small cup of salad dressing in one of the upper containers and a small dessert or some fruit in the other upper container. My husband likes it because it isn’t Hello Kitty - men!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
This would be great to pack my usual rice or pasta-based lunches…but keep the sauce, veggies and cheese separate from the rice until I’m ready to dig in…In a nice little package!
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I love packing leftover irish stew and rice or mashed potatoes. bring along a little homemade beer bread in a sidecar, and you have a lunch that everyone envies.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I would love to pack some soup and rice that I wouldn’t have to heat up separately and just be able to eat right away.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Count me in! Your blog is a must for my exploration into the world of bento.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Mr. Bento is awesome! I love packing organic tomato soup from Trader Joe’s, cheese & crackers, a fresh fruit snack, and yogurt for dessert.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
OOps. Meal–leftover Indian food! (Light on the turmeric for minimal staining.)
Lentils, rice, aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato), raita w/ lots of fresh veg.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Since I’ve got left over Indian food, right now my favorite thing to take is Lamb Biryani!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
For some reason leftover stir-fry or pasta always hits the spot.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
My favorite thing to bring is some japanese curry and rice or indonesian chicken soup and rice
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
My favorite thing is red bean stew with rice or cornbread
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
ohhhhh, chili or soup or or…ohhh the possibilities!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I bring my lunch nearly every day. I would pack cobb salad and soup. The salad needs to be packed in parts anyways, because it gets wilted if not.
Thanks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I would love to pack my super spicy thai red curry with chicken (or shrimp) and peanuts. With separate jasmine rice or maybe mango sticky rice because that does not do so well when it gets cold…
Thanks so much for all the great ideas and inspiration…I just started making bentos for the boyfriend and myself and we really love some of the stuff I have tried from your website.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I think my daughter and I would be fighting over it. She loves to take cold crepes and salads in her lunch right now - this would open her to a world of wonderful warm dishes instead.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
oops, sorry for posting twice…my internet was acting funny!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
My 10 year old daughter loves potstickers packed in her thermos. I buy them frozen and cook them up while I am making breakfast. By the time I’m ready to pour out the hot water from the thermos, the potstickers are ready to go right in. Then we can sit down and enjoy breakfast together.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I’d love to win this so i can send soup with my husband to school this fall/winter!
Thanks Biggie!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
If it’s a thermal lunch jar, it has to be curry rice! I like it with beef and potatoes and such. Good winter lunch. I hope I win!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Me—It would be great for potato brocolli soup or a Spanish soup stew called potaje (SP??)—spicy chorizo and kale or collards. Yum.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Man, I had other stuff in mind until someone posted about hortobagyi palacsinta, now I’m feeling all nostalgic…..
Right now, though, I’m wishing I had something to put my corn chowder in. Add some tortilla chips to crumble over the top, collards, and a bit of apple cobbler, and you’ve got a really meal that’s way too much for me to eat in one sitting.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Oh, I never win when sites do this, but count me in. I’ve wanted a Mr.Bento for more than a year now.
As for me, I like soup, a baked potato, and salad. Boring, but I like it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Please count me in as well. I’d love to send my husband to work with a nice hot meal. Loved your TV spot the other day - you looked great!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Hmm, there are many things I’d pack in a nice lunch jar. Butternut squash soup, miso, thai curry, warm rice and veggies. It would be so nice to have lunch warm and ready to eat with no worries about microwaving.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Whoops, forgot to add what I’d send him with.
He loves my chicken curry. Jasmine rice, naans and a salad with cilantro chutney.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Count me in, I hope I win!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
mmm tomato soup all the way.
And about a hundred other things. But that’s my fav
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Whoops, forgot to add what I’d put in it.
Definitely home-made chicken noodle soup. Probably some home-made tomato as well, and I’d be trying out some curry recipes as well with this nifty lunch jar!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Miso! Miso miso missssooooo! That would be amazing. Especially for winter.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
This will be awesome for my own lunch! My daughter has all the cutesy bento stuff. I like noodle dishes in thermos jars (think stroganoff, spaghetti, ravioli, etc.). I think it would be great for cold stuff too, but I’m not sure what would be best. Thanks Biggie for the contest!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Soup! mushroom and scallion is my favorite, or something hearty like chili, with leftover chicken.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I don’t have a favorite dish to pack in a thermal lunch jar because I’ve never packed one but I’ve always imagined it would be great for a multi-course meal - soup, salad, sandwich/curry/something…
Love your blog!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
If I had a Zojirushi, I’d definetely start packing pasta dishes, like penne pesto, something i don’t do since I’m to cheap to shill on a thermal lunch set…=)
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I would pack a Laksa Soup or Singapore Noodles. Always get the noodle craving at lunchtime or on picnics but one can only have so much cold sesame noodles!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Yummy! I so love this site, every week I learn something new to feed my Bento craze! If I had this fabulous Mr. Bento I would put a family favorite of tortilla soup in one container and grated cheese and cilantro and a lime in the other and on the bottom I would put tortilla chips (so that the soup could be put together fresh when needed) Thanks! K
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I love me some panang curry with tofu — and this would be a great way to bring some to school and work (yes, both… sigh…)
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
My preschooler loves pasta (usually elbow or orzo) with broth, diced carrots, corn and tofu.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Would love to win that - I’d go with vegetarian chili and cornbread. Love your site, and love bento!
~k
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
My husband would like to keep his baked mac-and-cheese warm for lunch during the winter months…
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I’ll try!
I would put some chili in. I’m feeling the fall weather!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Thanks for the indepth review! I’ve been reading since your LJ days and it just keeps getting better and better!
I imagine I’d pack thick oatmeal in the rice bowl, with fruit in one of the room temp containers. Braised red cabbage with sliced leftover pork roast in the soup bowl, and some fresh bread and a treat in the other room temp container. Would be lovely to bring breakfast and lunch together, or pack the same for my husband.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Yellow curry and rice! Yummy…
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I’d pack beans and greens with cheesy polenta, or beans and cornbread with a side of veggies, or potato and pea curry with rice…yum
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Boy - look at all those comments LOL!
A great review Biggie - I have the identical cheap knockoff [in tweenish powder blue LOL] that my eldest uses for lunch sometimes [it's her fave though - all the little gadgets! so like her dad LOL] and I’ve been thinking of moving up to a better one now that she’s often leaving earlier for band practice [so longer before lunch from my kitchen]
By the way - my youngest is the envy of her kindergarten lunchroom LOL all the cute pink bento boxes! And forks! and chopsticks she can’t use! And food picks! One pink thing more fabu than the next - thanks for teaching us how to do lunch one better . . . and keep up the great product reviews - my eldest loves those chicken meatballs you reviewed and next stop are those crab quiche things to try!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I love making homemade pasta x3. Bring that with me when ever I can, lol!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Chili. It is hard for me to take to my new job. I got some new un-tomato-stainable plasticware, but I have popped off the lid due to the new design. The chili went all over my bag
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Ooh, this is exactly what I need for my hubby who doesn’t always eat his lunch at his office where the microwave is
I really appreciate your blog as a new bento lunch maker!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Mmmm… Tom Kah Gai - what’s better than Thai food for lunch! And warm Thai soup at that! With rice noodles kept separately so they don’t become mush! Thanks for all of your great reviews!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I love any kind of soup, lentils & rice, etc.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Steamed rice, asparagus & steamed chicken mmmmm!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thermal lunch? Pulled pork and macaroni and cheese.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I love packing herb roasted chicken and potatoes for my husband’s lunch.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Oh, I’ve long wanted a thermal lunch jar! I think it would be great for chilaquiles.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I am new to using Bentos, but I’m LOVING them. I wish I knew about them awhile ago.
Anyways, I would love to put my homemade chicken and dumplings in them.
Thank you, it was very helpful.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Yay, contest!
I would pack jasmine or brown rice, a spicy meat or vegetable curry dish, cold spice, sauce or a crisp vegie. I might also do a pasta, salad and bread combo.
Love your blog!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I think that I would love to pack
japanese hash mushroom beef or cream chicken/or/shrimp stew. I think that
the best would be kapsa chicken and
naan, and yogurt cucumber and onion
salad. Thank you for this chance,
Rane
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
What a great giveaway! I’d probably be inclined to soup to start with, but I love reading all the new and different ideas, and I’d be very excited to experiment with it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
My favorite dish to pack is usually leftover cold sesame noodles. I’m picky about the temperature of my food so into a thermal box it goes!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
My favorite things to pack in thermals are soup, a hearty beef barley stew, or my recent favorite: Thai Coconut curried shrimp over rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I work 3 12-hour days on the weekends and don’t have access to a refrigerator or microwave. I’ve been eating in the cafeteria but would love to bring in my lunch.
Thanks for the giveaway.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Oh, wow, I’m getting hungry reading all the other posts! Time to start dinner (and bento for tomorrow), lol.
I think it’s cool that you have a “Product Reviews policy.” Seriously, I do! ^_^
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I would love to be able to take some homemade red pepper soup and sour cream (hot in one, cold in the other) to work in a thermal lunch jar. Great giveaway idea!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Wow! You’re great! -grin-
I’d love one, though I never get picked anyway XD (not even at random).
I was just wondering if you’re going to post more about Mr.Bento or other thermos food bento’s, because I’d love to see more (loved your curry with rice lid tip!).
I am now looking for a thermos bento myself, it would be lovely to have some nice warm lentil or pea soup for lunch during the cold winters.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I love eating watm food for lunch, and i also love pumpkin soup. What’s better than warm pumpkin soup? Nothing.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I would love to pack flat rice noodles stir-fried with ground turkey and hot basil, chili and onions in a thermal lunch jar.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
My favourite dishes would be soup, a variety of curry’s and fried rice.
But also real Dutch dishes like pea soup or hotch potch. Perfect for cold winter days.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I only recently started making soups, and would love taking them to work in a thermal box! My mom also takes chili to work in her little bunny bento box and I’d love to be able to get her a thermal box one day!
I love reading your site, thank you for sharing all of these wonderful tips!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
We have a smaller version (and a knock-off) but my husband loves a winter lunch of vegetarian chili from Trader Joe’s in the main container and then sour cream & onions in one container and shredded cheese in the other container both with a tiny freezer pack - a tip I learned from your site
Yes, the container has been slightly discolored by the chili but he loves it so we’re still using it!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Ooh, count me in! I think it would be lovely for soups & stews.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Wow this would be sure nice to have.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I really like eating leftover chili and that would be perfect for this type of container! Thanks for the chance to win!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
a mr bento would be great sending hot food to school with my daughter, especially in the winter. tomato soup and noodles are her favorite.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Wow-I’d love this…it looks awesome! ops forgot to add what I’d send-it would have to be steamed rice with BBQ pulled pork-YUM!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Chicken and wild rice soup is really great when your feeling under the weather.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
wow this is very generous of you.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Hello! Count me in this thing looks perfect!
I think it would be wonderful to fill one of those with a broken down noodle soup! Put the broth in two layers and then noodles in the other two layers and then me and my work buddy can share:P
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
My favorite… pasta and meatballs!
*fingers crossed*
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Yum, definitely homemade beef stroganoff with the noodles packed on top so I can mix right before I eat.
That, or homemade shepards pie.
Now I’m hungry!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
My fave hot food to pack in a thermos or something similar is soup. Split pea soup. Warms me right up in the winter!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Mmm… I’m picturing hot rice, Asian meatballs. Stew and crackers. With winter coming up, this would be perfect for my husband, who drives a truck all day and doesn’t have access to a microwave.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hi! My favorite is spicy swedish sloppy joes with low mein noodles.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Butternut squash soup with homemade spelt buns for the cold upcoming autumn days.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
i’ll bring some white rice & filipino chicken abobo with me!!
pick me!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Yum! I’m getting hungry too.
I’d probably break it in with chicken Tortellini Soup.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
>.< I made a post which didn’t make it I guess.
But I wrote that I would love to bring so of my pea or lentil soup in those cold winters! The Dutch (I’m one of them ;-)) make their traditional peasoup so thick by letting it simmer for a day (or two!) that you can stick a spoon in it and will stand upright =’)
So that wouldn’t be a problem.
I loved your rice-lid tip from a while back though, I love curry!
Will you be making more posts about the thermals, because I’d love to read more tips =)
Just wondering because I don’t see them often =) But I’ll always have Mr. Bento porn on Flickr, but I just love your perspective and tips!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Need this for work!!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Mr. Bento may be too large for the most part, But I usually pack breakfast, lunch and snacks so it’s be perfect for me
Some rice and steamed veggies, cooked ham or chicken… chicken broth. it sounds boring but delicious to me!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
My very particular kindergartener likes to bring tortellini (pesto or cheese) in her thermos.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Udon noodles with Pikachu sprinkles, Pikachu onigiri . . . and watermelon soup.
(says my kindergartener LOL)
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
My absolute favorite to pack in my thermos this time of year is pozole, a Mexican soup/stew made with pork, hominy, and other spicy stuff.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
What a wonderful idea! You are a fantastic inspiration. I’m building my Bento collection and this would be a fabulous addition.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I love kimchee jigae, rice, and … more kimchee.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I love rice and beans in my Ms Bento!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
My leek gyoza and asparagus rolls!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Mini veggie omelets are mmmm good.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Anything curry! Like, curried potatoes and rice! OR soup! With the winter fast approaching, warm soup would be lovely!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Mashed potatoes! =)
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I would bring curry and rice!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Great review Biggie. I work 12-8pm most days and usually eat lunch AND dinner at work - so maybe this would be a good option for me (too big for one meal - maybe perfect for two???). I’d do plain pasta in one and a meat sauce in another - I like to add those together at the time of eating. Then I’d stuff salad in one - and the toppings for a chicken caesar in another (parmesan, dressing, chicken, tomatoes). Mmmmmm.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
My son has autism, high fuctioning but still autism and has many of the eatting issues that go along with it. I have long looked for something that would keep his fav. foods hot so he can take them for lunch. But have failed I think this just might be the one so I am going to get him one of these one way or another. He likes mac and cheese, kraft of course much to my dismay lol. Pizza pasta is another favorite that he will finally be able to take.
Thank you so much for this post.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I would make pasta with red peppers, onions, and sun-dried tomato pesto sauce!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
One word - INARI!!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Ooh, those look nice. I hate taking cold food to school. ;_;
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
My favorite thing to pack in a jar like this is ramen!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
hmmm, If I were using one of those I might pack the from scratch chicken, veggies and rice soup my mom and I make together in the winter.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
My favorite things to pack in a thermal bento are nice hearty soups, stews, and chili. (Not exactly a single thing, but which one is on hand depends on what’s at a reasonable price at the store at any given time.
)
Particularly in the fall when there’s a chill in the air, there’s nothing like knowing there’s a nice hot lunch waiting for you.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Thank you so much for posting the review; I’d been wondering about the hot/cold retention on those jars.
What I would pack, since the weather’s cooling down: my Charange soup (It’s a carrot/squash/orange juice blend.), rice balls with salt/pepper/sesame mixed in, to put in the soup right before eating, sauteed green beans, cooled, and the top one would probably be smaller, snacky items.
For him, I would pack chili or chowder, a serving of mashed potato or other hot veggies, garlic toast, and the top one would have the cheese, etc he likes to mix in to his chili/soup.
Cold food options are limitless, with all the varieties of salad veggies and fruit that would be wonderful to pack on a warm day.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Yummy tomato soup!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
My favorite thing to post is: potato leek soup, salad with cherry tomatoes, steak slices and veggie slices, and a mini apple pie.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
My absolute favorite treat to pack in a thermal container would be CURRY. My girlfriend can’t stand the smell of it, even a little. The only time I get to have it is the rare occasion I find time to prepare it while she is out (for several hours) and then eat it for lunch when I am far far away from her sensitive nose.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
If I had a thermal bento I would love to pack curry in it! My Kidlet will eat his curry cold in the bento but I cannot stand that!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I’m so used to lukewarm that anything else would be — almost foreign!
In my dream lunch, pork cutlette with sweet and cidered applesauce. Rice, natch! Miso soup. Spinach salad with pears, candied walnuts and blue cheese chunks. East meets West!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Chicken noodle soup is my all time favor! By the way, your blog has been the inspiration for my lunch…and breakfast, dinner and much more.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I like to pack a deconstructed burrito–rice with chicken and black beans sprinkled with cheese in one container, tomatoes and lettuce in another, and cups of guacamole and sour cream in the smallest. That leaves one for fruit or another snack.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
my favorite would be curry and brown rice
why does Mr. Bento call his pictures “porn”? is there another meaning for this word in Japanese?
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I can think of several things I would pack. On days where I’m feeling a bit down, either some mac and cheese or the family recipe for potato soup (a penn dutch recipe, so yummy, and no milk!). If I just want something warm to eat it would be black bean soup- so easy to make with a can of black beans, a can of tomatoes, some onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalepeno (or hot sauce) and cilantro.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Ooh, so many delicious possibilities to pack in a thermal lunch jar, but one of my favorites is Ma Po Tofu– a mixture of spicy ground pork, cubes of silken tofu, with steamed rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
thanks for this offer! I pack my husband’s lunch every day, and since he’s too lazy (or busy) to heat anything up at work, this will be a great addition for packing soups along!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I love to pack my chicken pesto pasta I make. It is great to freeze, reheat, and pack warm in thermos.
This is a great giveaway! Thanks!
Gina
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Oooh! I’ve wanted one of these for ages! *crosses fingers*
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
duh.. I forgot: I would pack vegetarian chili in it. Yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Oh, the possibilities! I probably wouldn’t use the soup container for soup, because I’m not a big soup eater, but for something else like stew or stirfry that would be perfect. Rice or noodles in the big container… And since I am such a fruit & veggie nut I’d probably have a green salad and a fruit salad in the two smaller containers, or some nuts & dried fruit…. Like I said, oh the possibilities!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
a traditional dish of buckwheat, gravy and chicken cutlets …yum!
thanks for the offer!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Thanks for posting these reviews! I’ve always wondered how well these work, but considering most (regular) thermoses I’ve tried for soup have not been that good at keeping the food hot, it made me wary of getting anything more expensive without a reliable review.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Great, comprehensive reviews! I always love your posts. I would love to have a thermal jar so I wouldn’t have to depend on having a microwave available for a hot meal at work. Fingers crossed!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I love to pack chicken noodle or vegetable soup for my husband. Since he eats at his desk everyday, it would be very convenient for him to be able to just open and go. Please enter me in your contest! Thanks!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I would have to say that my favorite dish is stewed beef, with a rice lid. Thanks for that great idea ^_^
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Please count me in for the draw - my Hello Kitty lunchbox is very pretty, but not much good for keeping things hot or cold!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
definately my current favourite of chicken curry cooked in coconut milk and fried rice.
thank you
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Japanese food: curry rice! All other cuisines: West African peanut stew, red beans and rice, stuffed cabbage, lamb stew, tortilla soup, … Man, I just myself hungry. I’m going to go raid my refrigerator now. :o)
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Crossing my fingers, chopsticks and legs that Random picks me!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for all your work on this site, Biggie. You’ve got me totally hooked on Bento lunches.
Count me in the giveaway.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
oops! Definitely leftover stir fry
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I’d love to send my husband to work with chili, cornbread, and other goodies during the upcoming winter months.
Thanks for the detailed review (yay charts and pictures!) and this wonderful giveaway.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I would make some delicious fajitas to put in the jar. The peppers and meat in one container, the beans in another and rice in the last… Pack up some tortillas and you have a lovely mexican feast.
Daigan
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
thanks for posting all the great info! Please count me in. Thanks.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I can imagine carrying my mother’s vietnamese curry and some nice thin rice noodles (or rice) in a thermal. Oh I forgot the nice french bread too for dipping!
Thanks so much for the review. I visit this site weekly for tips and recipes for my future bento
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I love to put things like red beans and rice in a thermos.
Thanks for the contest!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
a 4 course lunch of course!
shredded chicken soup, salad, mentaiko pasta and some mini pan fried tuna steaks.
if I wanted a smaller lunch, I’d fill one of the containers with dry cereal and grab milk out of the fridge at work for breakfast.
the possibilities are endless!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Leftovers from Restaurants! Esp. my favorite japanese.
Or pasta and soup with a couple rolls or something.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I would love a lunch jar. But I am in college and am wondering when I would use it!! I suppose I could sneak food into it from our cafeteria if no one was looking…
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hot and sour soup!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
with the cooler weather that is approaching, i like to pack hearty soups, stews and rice dishes. i think the Mr. Bento thermal jar would be great for keeping these types of dishes warm and moist.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
i love to pack stews and curries. and with the weather getting cooler i’ll definitely be packing more soups for lunch.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Mmm…chili with cheese to melt on top.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Wow! That’s a lot of entries. Thanks for the great site, wish me luck!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Mmm. Perfect for carrying some warm chilaquiles! (A tortilla chip sort of casserole.)
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
For hot - White chicken and bean chili in the rice container, with corn bread in the top (because honestly… is there anything better than warm corn bread split with honey butter melted into it?). Warm german potato salad as a side… bliss!
For cold - a salad, soba noodles with tofu, hijiki and mixed mushrooms. Soba sauce bottle and dressing bottle with any extra tidbits for the salad in the other containers.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Curry! Or hot, chunky soup with a lot of veg and meat!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot to post my favorite dish that I could pack in here
My mom makes me chicken noodle soup with dumplings every year when it gets cold. It’s the best ever! That’s what I would pack 
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
A generously-sauced pasta (to keep it from drying out in the microwave; arrabiatta is a favorite, although Cincinnati chili on spaghetti also works wonders), sliced fruit, a small salad, and some cheese.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Love your site!
My son just started bringing a lunch to school every day. He complains when food is too cold. So I need to get a thermos ASAP. If I had one, I’d pack pasta dishes for my son’s lunches.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
tomato soup + grilled cheese cut-outs = best “keep me cozy/warm” meal
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
If I were packing it tonight, I’d totally want to pack some yummy Indian food!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Nice giveaway! I’d love to pack soups, since it’s getting cold now..
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Going back to school. Leftovers still work.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Noodles, soup, fried rice, plain rice, chili would be great in a thermal lunch jar.
Thanks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I would love to take lentil soup, brown rice and fresh fruit. I would love to have a bento box.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I want one so I can pack miso soup to work.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I would love to take lentil soup, brown rice and fresh fruit.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
There’s a Portuguese traditional dish called “empadão de carne” which is ground beef with meat sausage and tomato/garlic/onion bed between two layers of mashed potatoes. Real comfort food for winter. The best to take from home to remind home
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Love your site, Biggie! My favorite warm meal would probably be lentil soup and quinoa––gotta get that protein (I’m vegan).
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I would pack apples,homemade fried rice, and mac and cheese Yummmy !
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I would pack Japanese curry for or miso soup with pickled plum! yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Ooh! A contest I could actually win! XD
As for packing things in a Mr. Bento….I’d have to go for my favorite cold-weather dish: Homemade chili and cornbread. Yum yum! ^^
For keeping things cool, it would be interesting to try packing a salad in a Mr. Bento, like you did in your review. I’ve had a hard time packing greens in my regular bentos without them getting smooshed and wilted. Even if I don’t win, I’m tempted enough by all these ideas just to buy one myself.
Good Luck everyone!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
You are right, it is a big set, but still would be useful for picnics and the like.
Yes, soup, but also leftovers, especially Chinese.
I could also see dividing the bowls the way you do for bento boxes to put more variety of food stuffs in.
Hoping the random generator likes me.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I would love one of these for packing leftovers for lunch. A great italian dinner with salad and bread would fit perfectly. Thanks for your very informative site, I’ve gotten lots of great lunch ideas.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Love your blog - Thanks for all the great tips!
But now that I found your blog I have started making bento. I would love to pack omiso shiru in the thermal lunch jar!
I am originally from Japan and my mom made my bento lunch everyday from when I was in high school, all through college and my working days in Japan. I know… I am spoiled
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I just made a big batch of Lentil Soup that would be great in this!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
count me in too, I love your policy btw and I think it’s amazing fr you to stick to that like you do
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I love love love to put piping hot lentil soup with rice into a thermal jar for lunch (for me, and my two kids). So satisfying on a chilly day!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I love to make Chicken Curry and eat it too =) I think it would be ideal for my curry as well as Oyakodonburi or gyudon =9
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Since I have a small stomach, this would be great for 2 snacks and lunch. I would put cottage cheese and strawberries in one bowl. Stuffed cabbage with sour cream in the largest bowl. Fruit and granola in the 3rd and the 3th I could use for a small salad.
That would be 3 of my 6 meals for the day and the 3 that I eat away from home
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Count me in please! I read this blog religiously and I’m in love with this lunch jar
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
This sounds like a great idea - I always have little bits of several different dishes leftover that would do well in the next day in something like this. Thanks for offering it to us!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Count me in please! I’m in love with this jar and this blog!
(I’m really sorry if this turns out to be a double post; I think my scriptblocker prevented me from posting the first time. Whoops)
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
That is the kind of thing I drool over but would never buy for myself, it seems so extravagant! I looks big enough to make a picnic for two.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
My kids love macaroni and cheese for lunch, but won’t eat it if it’s cold…
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I’d pack dal and rice in it or black beans and rice
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Man….. give away something and a million people comment.
Wish they would comment for yeah more often!
I’m hungry now.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I would love this! My favorite thing to pack thermal? Chili. Veggie chili with sweet cornbread and loads of cheddar cheese. Maybe with a salad on the side….Now I’m hungry!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I love breakfast anytime, so I would have garlic rice (addicting), scrambled eggs, and longanisa (Filipino sausage).
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I haven’t had the pleasure of a thermal jar for lunches, but I’m pretty sure I would love to put in some kimchi soup and noodles in one!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
This would be an absolutely perfect addition to my food-at-work dilemma. Count me in, for sure!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’d love to pack some curry chicken over coconut rice in that Mr. Bento
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Yet another person saying soup! I got my lunch jar after having one too many containers leak or pop open in my backpack–I never would have dared to take soup before. I’m looking forward to my favorite tomato and wild rice soup all winter.
Though the fried green tomatoes I packed today were pretty awesome, too.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I used to love chicken matzoh ball soup, but chili and baked potato or curry with rice rank high up now.
Nice cold gazpacho with the veggies and croutons kept separate so they don’t get soggy would be great during the summer…
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
What I love to pack in my thermal is a cream of asparagas soup with bits of crab meat. The sweetness of the meat and the woody texture is amazing!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Homemade vegetable black bean chili made into chili mac with all the fixings, my hands-down fave.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
What an awesome giveaway!
What would I pack in this? Hmm…
I’d probably back both breakfast and lunch… some hot cereal in one compartment, toppings (dried fruit, nuts, etc.) in another. For lunch I might pack some Hoppin’ John or stew in one layer and some sauteed greens in another.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
ugh. it would help if i had finished the comment before it posted. sorry about the double! please delete the other so i don’t ruin the randomizer!
i would love to be able to pack tomato bisque or a simple chicken curry!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
My favourite thing to pack in a thermos is definately curry chicken and rice. It’s just so much better WARM!. And some fried zuccini and cheese…mmmmm
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Mmmm, curry is probably my favorite. Followed closely by soups. Soups are super food. And I don’t just say that because I have a cold.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Haha I’m in….I’ve always wanted one of those!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Love the review! Thanks for the great pictures
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Woo hoo!
I love curry and rice. I know everyone has said that, but really, it’s my favorite!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Arroz con pollo!
Chicken and nummy rice and a nice salad on the side with some tortilla chips, maybe a touch of guacamole.
Darn, now Im hungry.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I love Irish stew, with rice pudding in another one and a fresh bun in the top.
My family Irish stew is fresh organic lamb and potato’s and good old Irish stone bread.
Something to keep you warm in northern Ontario winters.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Pasta is our favorite thermos item–soup too.
I started packing bento-style lunches for my middle schoolers this year, inspired in large part by this blog–you made it seem so accessible. And possible even for a working mom who has to get 4 lunches made by 7:15 in the morning!
So far it’s been great. My kids are happy with the variety, I’m happy that they’re getting a healthy mid-day meal, and another mom just e-mailed me today wondering what a rice ball was…Thanks so much for the inspiration.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I love Japanese style curry and I think it would be wonderful packed this way. Mmmm curry. Ooooh Mr. Bento!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
My Mr. H would love his kimchi and rice in a Mr. Bento.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I enjoy your blog so much! And what a great idea to do this giveaway!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I have been coveting one of these for a long time. And while I really enjoy your blog, this was the first time I was motivated to comment!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Oooooh! I so want my very own Mr. Bento! I got a Ms Bento for Muffin last weekend, but it’s a little small for me.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Gimme.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
any type of curry, for sure
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Oh, count me in. I’m a big fan of curry, white chilli and beef stroganoff; I’d love to have a good way to take some to work with me without worrying about a spill, or my food getting together and mutating into mush.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
thanks for such a detailed bento jar review. it was very objective and informational and looks professional.
i could really use this jar to pack lunches for my boyfriend. it really expands his lunch selection! haha
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I’d have chili, some rib meat, some corn. Mmmm southern girl at heart, trying her best to bento…
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Hmmm, I would probably send it with my husband because he thinks our other grown-up size bento containers are “too cute”. He would enjoy some ratatouille with rice or noodles.
I enjoy your blogs!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Mmmmm….I think my fave on a cold day is left overs: tofu broiled in a mirin, red rasberry vinegar and maple syrup sauce, with steamed veggies, and rice. Crunchy chinese noodles a must on top! Yummmmm…. almost makes winter worthwhile, lol!!
Thanks for the great encouragement to post a comment - love your website!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Soup, o Soup! I love all kinds of soup. It’s great for filling you up with a minimum of calories (if you make the right choices ;)). I take the basic “cabbage soup diet” soup and dress it up in a bunch of different ways (about 30 so far, most from good housekeeping magazine)– from “Hot-and-Sour Super Soup” to “Thai Shrimp Soup” to “Vegetable Curry Soup” and more.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I’d probably put pork and pear stew in it. Love your blog!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I’d love to fill this up with some Korean bibimbap or Thai chicken in red curry sauce (with tomatoes and basil) - either would make a delicious lunch for me and my girls. Thanks for the chance to win!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I used to have a zojirushi lunchbox growing up in the philippines. I’d love this to pack healthy family meals when we go on day trips. I’d fill it with chicken curry and rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Soup! Any and all soup, but especially homemade Ramen.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
We love indian food, I would pack:
Dahl, Chana masala, Basmati rice with pickle or chutney and mini samosas. Yum, writing this is making me hungry.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I like to take (to work) rice in one container, and either leftover beef stew or chili (or curry) in another container…nuke them separately then pour the stew over the rice. It’s excellent, especially during the winter when it’s below freezing outside.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Fun to try new things with better bento gear.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
My favorite thing to pack in a thermal lunch jar is thai red curry. A nice baked potato is my second favorite, though.
Awesome blog, by the way! I’m so excited to be starting out at making bento lunches.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Hi! I saw this through the Obento community on Livejournal, and I am most definitely interested in the lunch jar. I have the tendency to want to take things like soba with me to school for lunch, but my normal bento won’t work with that.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Love your site! My favorite food item to pack in a thermal container is chili. Winter or Summer it is delicious and you can add any number of surprising leftovers to it. Bon appetit!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Mac and cheese for me!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I would pack stews and curry, but I want this to send lunch to work with my husband and he would LOVE to have macaroni and cheese that wasn’t cold. Lets just say the man has a love of warm cheesy pasta.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I had actually thought about this for my husband. He works full time and goes to school full time so he’s gone from 7am till 8pm. I also like the idea of sending hot meals with him since we live in Wisconsin and it gets bitterly cold here. Not to mention it’s got more a manly feel than the one I’m currently sending him with. He carries it in a more manly lunch bag.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
This week my favorite hot lunch is miso glazed mahi mahi with sushi rice!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I would love to fill it with leftover homemade fajitas - grilled steak and veggies, tortillas, guacamole, cheese, refried beans….this post is making me hungry!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Mr. Bento would help me consolidate 2 meals I take with me - oatmeal or yogurt & fruit in the AM, and anything pasta, curry, stir fry, soupy, chili-y or otherwise warm & gushy for lunch!
Great way to head into Fall!
Thanks Biggie! Continued success to you!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
With my daughter now in school, I pack four lunches a day. And I rely on your site for new and creative ideas. Mr. Bento would be a lovely addition to the morning routine . . . although if I win, I’m likely to have to purchase a few more! Thanks for the terrific blog!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
love love love the fact that you’re following your rules with this.
as for what i’d put into mine.
well, mini meat pie, a lovely split pea soup, mixed veggies, a small salad, applesauce (if possible) and maybe a bit of honeycake for a dessert.
that or arroz con leche, finger toast (let the kids play with cookie cutters and toast. then let them paint the creations with butter mixed with food coloring… its just great) oatmeal, some sliced fruit and some trail mix for a snack for later..
i could go on for days with the foods i’d put into this.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I have wanted one of these for quite some time, but they seem to be scarce in rural Rhode Island (yes, such a place exists!). I would love to bring stews, soups, and other leftovers to work and have them still be hot by the time lunch rolls around - sandwiches just will not cut it for winter!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I’d love to have a Mr. Bento to add to my ever-expanding bento box collection… as far as what I’d pack in it, definitely homemade Japanese curry with your rice lid method!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I think chili, soup, rice with seasoned hamburger, anything that I would love to have stay nice and warm while at the office would be great. thanks for having the giveaway!
micaela6955 at msn dot com
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I am sick with awesome bronchitis today and wish I had a thermal bento filled with Tom Kha Gai and rice. Oh, that would hit the spot. Hmm, I need some kefir lime leaves, though. Hard to find in Texas.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I have been looking at the ms. bento for this winter, if you can call anything winter here in texas! I am diabetic so having to watch the carbs, I like to make high-fiber chili with beans in the winter, and have several different recipes. Also, I was thinking that the smaller, more frequent meals that I eat would utilize a thermal lunch jar well.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I would probably bring some sort of pasta dish. My current favorite is soba noodles.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I like packing leftovers. Especially whatever was on the grill last night.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
At christmas my family makes a number of soups and stews for the evening after the festivities have subsided. I would pack a christmas nostalgia lunch with potato soup, shrimp jumbo, rice, and sweet potato custard with christmas cookies in the Mr. Bento bag. I imagine that these would not all be eaten well together, but since I’m at school from sun up to sun down they would make a fine lunch, dinner, and desert.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
How about a nice cool summer lunch with homemade sorbet for dessert. I’m betting it would stay nice and cold in there.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
What a great giveaway!! So many wonderful things that I could pack for either my husband or daughter. Thinking about delicious soups and stews, yum!!
I finally figured out what was different when I saw you on the video compared to the blog piccie, I love your new hair style, it really fits you.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
i would love to enter!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
pasta. or rice and beans. or chicken fricase. Oh the possibilities!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Contest! Woo hoo!
I’d pack black bean soup, yellow rice onigiri stuffed with mojo chicken, and a salad. And maybe a wedge of Cuban bread to top it all off. Yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I’d pack leftovers. A favorite is peanut chicken and rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Yummy! I would make my favourite…breakfast for lunch! Crepes or pancakes, yogurt and granola, maybe a little scrambled egg with some veggies, and a nice fruit salad.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I love Thermos’s, My days are so long do to classes and working, so I would have all three meals. Hot Steel Cut Oats for Breakfast. Hot soup for lunch and a stew or pot pie for dinner, mind you I live in Canada, so hot food is always a must!
Thanks for the great post!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Count me in! I like packing pasta and salad for lunches and maybe now some pumpkin soup!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I’m in! I would definitely put chili in my container … it’s one of my favorite foods!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
(Whups! Sorry to post in the wrong place last time.)
Very helpful review. Thanks!
And as for packing–my favorite fall thing to pack in such a container would be hot, homemade applesauce. It makes such a difference to have it still warm when eating it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Definitely fried rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Please count me in. It’d be great if either of my parents could use one and if I could pack their food in a Mr. Bento. Thank you for this opportunity.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Wow - you have a lot of readers now!
I’d love to win the Mr. Bento… I’d pack lot’s of good stuff in it. Right now I’m thinking of my family’s version of sloppy joe mix (ground beef, organic ketchup, a little Trader Joe’s steak sauce) over brown rice. Yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’d have a nice Japanese curry :3
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’d pack hot shoppe chicken noodle soup. Thick & hearty.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
curry with rice and veggies. mm.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I would love this to pack japanese curry and rice porridge. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity! Love you blog.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
My favorite lunch to pack is curry rice, some fuit and homemade “jello” made with agar agar.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Leftover stew is my favorite thing to pack. Thanks for the chance to win!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Winter is coming and having warm menudo and tortilla chips for lunch would be ideal. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!!! but I hope I win ;}
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
My favorite lunch for a thermal jar would be warm rice, with kimchi chigae. Hubby would love to pack his 10 alarm chili, and of course my daughter and son love their udon/ramen noodles.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I try to pack a different color in each container. (Fresh blueberries, carrots and hummus, cucumber salad, pasta primavera.) That ensures a variety of nutrients for a well-balanced meal.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
mushroom & rice pilaf
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Soup and salad and potstickers!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
how about a breakfast bento? Steel cut oats/peaches/cinnamon, cheese grits, scrambled eggs
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’ve never used a thermal lunch jar before, but I imagine my kids’ favorite meal of homemade macaroni and cheese would do beautifully in this. Thanks for the giveaway!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I’ve been looking for something like this for my son! Thanks for the side by side review!
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
my boys love leftover spaghetti and meatballs!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Mini-burritos are one of my favorite warm foods to pack, but really, anything involving rice! I love rice! And rice must be eaten warm!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
My favorite warm meal right now is kale with onions garlic and feta cheese. (Yum!) When all the Kale is gone from my garden though I may need to move on to something else!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I can’t imagine all the great things I could pack in it. Probably my leftover lunches that I try to bring to work everyday.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I make a cabbage jambalaya that my daughter goes nuts for, but that must be served warm to enjoy. The dish freezes remarkably well and nukes up perfectly… I would love to send her to kindergarten with it in a nice Mr. Bento jar.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Oh I’ve really wanted one of these - they look amazing and would give me no excuse not to pack my lunch!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 pm
What wouldn’t I put in it? Curries, mac n cheese, soup…
I hope I win.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I love your blog! You’ve been a great inspiration for packing my daughter’s lunch every day and it doesn’t have to the boring sandwich. My favorite thing I would pack in the Mr. Bento if I won would be rice and this chinese egg/tomato dish, Steamed eggs is one of my daughter’s favorite too.
Thanks so much for blogging.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
definitely clam chowder and oyster crackers, with warm clam cakes (like a rolls with clam in it) and salad on the side. So hearty and comforting!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Italian Wedding Soup, definately. I’d probably pack a zucchini bread muffin and some cut up fresh fruit in there as well. Since I believe there are actually four containers in this…I’d maybe pack some granola or snack crackers in the last container for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.
Great giveaway!! Hope I win!!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I spend long days away from home, away from microwaves, away even from hot water. Some days, I pack breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Dinner can get a little cool by the time I get around to it, but my day starts right with good, hot, steel-cut oatmeal. And because I can eat it when I’m completely awake and appropriately hungry, i can enjoy every bite.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Hi Biggie,
Please count me in for the contest! I like your reviews; helpful when making a (sometimes pricey) decision.
I think thermal food jars are fantastic because the only microwave available at my school is in the teachers’ lounge…and I can’t very well sneak in there for my bento!
My favorite dish is steaming chili, homemade with beef, onions, broccoli, chopped parsley, and whatever I have lying around. I serve it with tortilla chips, or sometimes I toast whole wheat bread to dunk in. Yum.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I enjoy mapo tofu or Japanese curry when I’m packing hot meals.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
red beans and rice!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
It’s already been said, but I’d say my favorite thing to pack in a thermal jar would be chicken enchilada soup! With tortilla chips and maybe some sour cream and tomatoes on the side. ^_^
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Following traditional recipes passed down from my grandmother, I cook numerous mexican dishes and components. Many of the staples in Japanese food are somewhat similar to hispanic staples. We also cook components and let people decide how to mix their own food.
I’d make spanish rice, refried beans, carne asada (meat and potatoes or elbow macaroni), have some tortillas, and guacamole/lettuce to top things off. And a little dessert somewhere in that.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I love packing Miso soup, and small little side dishes (e.g. steamed egg, potato croquette, etc.) I made myself. =] Also fried rice. ^^
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I would pack on of my Grandma’s special dishes: Macaroni & Tomatoes. (It’s like a slightly sweeter version of spaghetti & marinara.)
I have been packing a Bento since my fall night classes started in August, and it’s so handy! I have a large-ish dish that holds both lunch and dinner in it, and taking the time to make my meals not only ensures I can eat something before school, but also helps me to eat healthier and in smaller portions!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Mmm…my favorite would have to be my New England Clam Chowder with some basic fresh bread on the side. Perfect hot lunch for a chilly day.
^o^
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I love all japanese foods with the exception of NATTO! so. I can pretty much guarantee everything from tsukemono, to hijiki salad, to ODEN… YUM YUM YUM!! to oshiruko with mochi, to sekihan, to ochaszuke… but never, ever, ever NATTO!
Otsukaresamadeshita!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
i would definitely pack some beef/curry stew and rice - “ono grindz” (yummy food) in hawaii
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I love my mom’s spicy fish stew. It’s the best on cold days.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
egg & ham fried rice + egg drop soup
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I like a good pasta salad. I just made an orzo salad with cherry tomatoes, diced red pepper and herbs I’m growing on my balcony.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I would pack minestrone soup, italian bread with olive oil for dipping and a cold chicken Cesar salad.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I love to pack soup for lunch. I also enjoy a good bulgoki over rice.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I would pack rice and beans every day! yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
My son isn’t allowed to use the microwave at school, but he loves hot main courses, so I’d pack a toasty warm homemade meat pocket, lovely chilled red and green grapes and watermelon, mixed veggie sticks with dip in a teensy squeeze bottle, and a comforting and practical oshibori in the last container, so that he’ll go to recess with a full tummy, a clean face, and a smile!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Hi - I really enjoy your web site! I would pack vegetable soup which is my son’s favorite lunch at school, some rice balls (learned these online here) and a fruit salad.
Thanks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Bi-Bim-Bop…rice in one layer with veggies, fried egg in a separate container so i can get the full effect of that runny egg all over my rice and veg…drooooool.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Thai Fried rice with spam in one section; stir-fried sugar snap peas with prawns & garlic in another layer and a mini chocolate cupcake with pink buttercream icing!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I like tofu keilbasa, cut up with rice or polenta and tomato sauce.
Joe
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
as they say — you gotta be in it to win it!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Ooooh, I used to love taking Cambodian style curries to work. Noodles on one level, warm curry stew in another. Yum!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
My standard Mr. Bento Lunch:
1/2 package of ‘add water’ Thai soup from Whole foods
Butternut squash stew with rice
Cut up veggies (carrots, bell peppers, etc)
Cheese and crackers (snack)
My Mr. Bento came with chopsticks in a cute case; I guess they stopped including those.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Yellow Thai curry is my favorite warm dish to pack
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I think I’d pack beef barley soup and homemade saltine crackers. Mmmm Mmmmm!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I think I’d pack lunch for my Dad in that. Winter’s coming up and the warehouse is always cold, so he’ll need soup. Warm rice and steamed veggies, and probably some pan fried chicken. Whatever it is it has to be diabetic friendly. The portion control aspect of that thing would be awesome there.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Well Better late than never!
I’d love something like this to add to my collection.
~~A
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 pm
ooo, count me in! My favourite lunch to take, which would be perfect in this jar, is sauteed bok choi and salmon, basmati rice, with potstickers and an asian slaw as sides.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I love hot lunches: soup, noodles, rice, vegetable side dishes. Dessert like sesame pudding and almond jello..
I’d like to enter, too, since I’m looking for a good lunch box but haven’t found a good one.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Chili and cornbread! <3
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I like stir fried chicken and veggies but I have a big family so you’ll have to scale it down .
1 pound chicken breasts cut length wise
1 1/2 c. cut broccoli florets
1/2 a red bell pepper
1/2 onion ( I like Walla Walla)
1/2 c. carrots ( I like to use a peeler to make strips)
2tbsp soybean paste
2 tbsp ginger
3tbsp garlic
dash red pepper flakes
sake
—
Stir fry veggies in a bit of oil with ginger and garlic on med until almost done. Remove veggies. The pan might be a bit sticky by the time you’re done, de glaze with sake. Add chicken. Stir fry it , when it’s nearly done add some veggies back in. Add Sake whenever it sticks to the pan- it should only be twice.
I like that.
Also I like to make a “slaw”. I was going to make cole slaw but I mae this instead.
2 c. shredded cabbage
3 tbps sesame oil
5 tbsp. rice vinegar
sesame seeds
red pepper flakes.
Put the cabbage in a plastic tupper ware ish container with the vinegar, oil, seeds and pepper( last two to taste) and allow to marinate for about two hours.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I’d put in a persian rice dish with quince in it (quince being in season now and a slice of, also persian (beh polow), a version of an omelett i another bowl. To efd it off some fruits.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
vegetable-tofu curry stew!
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Thanks for your always entertaining blog. It’s become my spark of inspiration for all things obento.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
My mom’s beef and noodles would go wonderfully in one of these!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:14 am
I was looking at one of those jars a few years back but never found a shop that did international shipping. Maybe I should look into that again. I’d probably give it to my best friend instead of keeping it for me as I’m staying at home with my daughter right now and don’t need to pack lunches for myself.
But if I was the one packing the lunch it would be things like pasta or rice with a spicy sauce or soup/stew and either bread/crackers/chips and fruit or cookies/pudding/cake and salad as desert and side dishes.
I’m hungry now!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 am
Miso soup, or any leftovers that need to stay warm for my husband to take to work with him! I’d love one of those!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 am
The weather is turning cold, and I’m looking forward to packing black bean soup and shredded beef stew for our lunches.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 am
Count me in! I know it’s not anything exciting, but when I think of hot food in thermal jars I always crave a really good, spicy, rich vegetarian chili for some reason. Lots of mixed beans, good cumin, smoky bell peppers, jalapenos and serranos, and topped with chopped onion and miso-fermented tofu (our house substitute for salty cheese).
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:02 am
I’ve been on a big Thai kick lately, so something to pack the curries in would be totally awesome!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 am
Hi Biggie, thanks for the giveaway!
I have lots of favorite dishes - one super fave for bentos is Japanese or Indian curry with rice on the side or on the top - heats up pretty well the next day or two so always try and make extra.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 am
My wife usually packs sandwiches, etc. for me but I like to take in her homemade zuppa toscana soup when she gets a chance to make it for dinner. Makes a nice savory change from the norm!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Count me in, please and thank you - would love packing hot lunches of curry or nikujaga with rice…
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:06 am
oh! pick me! =)
i like to pack a variety of indian dishes like chana masala and aloo gobi with a side of rice… mmm mmm good!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:23 am
I’d go for some good old German food. Some stew, Leberkäse, potatoes and Sauerkraut.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 am
A yummmy homemade soup is always good to take!! Thanks for hosting a giveaway.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 am
What, a drawing for free bento gear? Include me in!
We just had some lovely curry rice last night, I can’t imagine anything better to put into a thermal food jar than warm curry and fresh steamed rice! Mmmmm.
Darryl Papa-sensei
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:03 am
Mmm, I love to do a good curry and rice and then eat while still warm!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 am
I have been packing lunch for my husband for several months now and have not needed a thermal lunch jar. So just this morning, the best leftovers in the frig are chili and rice. So I am scrounging around the kitchen trying to figure out how to pack it. I wish we had a thermal lunch jar.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 am
I would pack a delicious, warming and easy-to-make chicken soup with coconut milk and lime, whole grain rice on the side, and fresh berries (blackberries, blueberries, black and red currant and raspberries) with vanilla yogurt for dessert.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 am
Hubby took beef veg soup last time he took his cheap knock off,
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:25 am
The first thing I would pack is a Japanese style curry. Come winter, I’d love to be able to take my cabbage and sausage soup to work.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 am
I would make pasta, maybe with a meat sauce. Maybe I could put in some cooked carrots, too - I love cooked carrots, but they’re no good cold!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:51 am
I’ve been wondering about these, but couldn’t bring myself to buy one. A thermal would be wonderful for soup this winter. ^_^ I usually put soup inmicrowave safe tuberware and then reheat it at work. But where my fiancee works he doesn’t have a microwave. So something like this would be perfect
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:57 am
I have to agree with all the people voting for chili and cornbread or curry and rice. Yum!!!
I think today I would go for tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, kale+chickpeas, and (since all the containers get warm) a nice sticky brownie.
Thanks for the give-away, Biggie!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:12 am
Hmmm, 4 whole containers in which to put my delicious lunch? I could have some fun with that. How about one container of veggie fried rice, one container fried pot stickers, one container ice cube tray sushi (genious idea, btw!), and the last continer filled with a few steamed veggies and a cube of cheese. That sounds pretty darn tasty.
Love your blog and your awesome speed tips! I’ve been a reader for a long time, now.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 am
I think I will have to agree with alot of other posters and say chili. My dad makes the best so whenever I can, I like to freeze the leftovers so I can have it any time I want since I don’t get to see him all the time. ^-^ Plus this would be great for me since I don’t have a microwave at work.
Thanks so much for a great give-away and I LOVE your site!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:19 am
Please count me in!! As I am suffering from my first cold of the season, I would certainly pack some chicken noodle soup along with some warm bread. That sounds so yummy!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 am
I’ve been wanting to get one of these for the longest, but I can’t justify the cost of the jar yet.
I would probably use it to bring my favorite comfort food to work - stroganoff. I love making a big crock pot of that in the fall, it’s the best with RICE instead of noodles.
It would be so awesome to have a container of rice, a container of stroganoff and some veggies in a seperate section.
Seems like everyone and their mother comes out of the woodwork when you have contests. I cross my fingers! May the best random person win!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 am
Steamed kabocha pumpkin seasoned with balsamic vinegar and cumin. It is a heavenly combination. The thermal lunch jar keeps it warm and perfect for the autumn months!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 am
Hmmm…miso soup (can’t get enough of it lately), rice, some kind of a chicken dish - teryaki & veg is my latest thing, or a yakisoba & chicken dish (another hit at my house!)…or maybe a curry…the possibilities are endless!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 am
Try this again. I posted in the wrong place
I would pack curry and rice.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:51 am
I would pack chicken and pork adobo!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 am
Mmm… I’d fill it with Pad Thai. It’s become one of my new comfort foods.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 am
I would love to have one of these. My kids adn I have gluten intolerance and leaky gut and are now on a very, very limited rotation diet and need to be able to take hot food with us when we leave the house and Mr Bento would be perfect!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:54 am
I’m in! Today’s lunch would have been perfect for the Mr. Bento: saimen in two containers (one for broth, one for noodles), hot steamed edamame, veggies and add-ons for saimen (bok choy, lup cheong, bean sprouts). Yummy!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:56 am
I have been wondering which thermal jars would be best too, as hubby works on a crane and has no access to a microwave.
I love to pack him a sauteed chicken that I serve with a curry sauce from Trader Joes over a multigrain rice mix.
He loves to add a small salad or fresh fruit salad.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:57 am
Yum!
my fancy pasta concoction, coconut curry and rice, black beans and rice, little dumplings…on and on!
of course i’m sick right now, so my mind keeps adding ‘..with chicken soup’ on to the end of everything.so.
With Chicken Noodle Soup
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:59 am
My hubby would love this, he owrks for our local Highway department and with winter coming (it snows a lot in MA) it would be great for him to have a hot lunch or dinner in the truck with him, since he is usually stuck in it for hours on end.
hot Soups and pasta dishes would be used(to keep up his energy)
Thanks I love this website :O)
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 am
Summer: Yogurt and Salad with crisps and fruit.
Winter: Pumpkin soup with steamed vegetables and cheese, fruit and cooked grain (rice, barley, whole oats, etc..)
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 am
This reminds of a time I brought bbq pork fried rice in a small thermal jar to school when I was in elementary. The other children were eating sandwiches while I had hot fried rice for lunch! Thanks mom!
I would like to repeat that by packing fried rice, chili, steamed rice, stir fries, and to keep tuna salad cold!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:14 am
I live in Louisiana- and with gumbo weather right aroung the corner I would pack gumbo, rice, potato salad (warm, of course) and bread pudding with whiskey sauce. I’m feeling all warm and cozy thinking about it!
(Oops- I first posted on the description entry :/ )
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:18 am
Wow, that Mr. Bento lunch container is very cool! i often pack my lunches to include a soup that i eat in the morning on my first break. I am a soup fan. I’ve made a rotisserie chicken noodle soup before that was very good. It was also easy because you didn’t have to cook the chicken yourself. you just had to buy one of the ready-to-eat ones at the store and pop it into a crockpot with chicken stock. yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:21 am
Since cream sauces tend to turn to butter in the microwave, my dish of chicken, mushrooms and spinach in a wine cream sauce would be great in a thermal lunch jar. Also, one of my favorite lunches is braised eggplant and chickpeas in a tomato-y sauce with mint and cinnamon. yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
With fall approaching, I have been cooking a winter squash every week. I would pack some of that to keep warm for lunch.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:28 am
Ooh, I’ve been ogling that container for some time now, but the price is a bit much for me.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:29 am
Pork stew for fall, definitely. Yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:30 am
Greek! Kibbie, shwarma, feta and olives, garlic soup and hot naan bread.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:32 am
I think a selection of Indian food would go well in the Mr. Bento; rice, chicken curry, and dal or saag (or maybe both). Thanks for the giveaway.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:33 am
On a chilly fall day, it’s hard to beat red beans and rice with warm cornbread. But having it on the go while marveling at the fall leaves in the park - even better.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:54 am
Cowboy casserole would be great in a Mr. Bento! It’s a mixture of ground beef, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes, all cooked in the crockpot. Yum!
Thanks for hosting such a nice blog.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 am
My first child just started kindergarten and your site is such and inspiration!
I’d love to play with a new bento lunch jar!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 am
I am on the hunt for something so my daughter can bring a warm lunch in to school. Your website has helped alot! Thanks!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:13 am
I do love packing the sort of thing that’s a “mix right before you eat” kindof thing. Curry + rice, red beans and rice, spaghetti + sauce, etc. I’ve been wanting a thermal jar for a while so I’m pretty excited at the thought of winning one. Thanks for the opportunity!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 am
I have been so tempted to buy a version of this jar but had refrained from doing so. (and I almost picked up a cheap knockoff jar for the same reason - smaller portions - but also managed to stop myself). A fellow Malaysian bento friend just posted her ‘herbal porridge’ packed in a lunch jar and I am so tempted again. Thank you for the highly informative comparison on the 3 versions.
My favorite hot and soupy dish to be packed in a bento lunch jar would be Prawn noodles and with the 4 containers - it will be of very reasonable portions (unlike a huge bowl if you eat it at the shops!). The tasty broth in one container, blanched rice noodles in another, several cooked prawns thickly sliced into 3 pieces laid out in the third container together with slices of cooked lean pork on a bed of blanched water spinach and slices of hardboiled eggs sharing the space in the last container with a generous serving of aromatic cili sauce.
Thank you for this lovely giveaway!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:29 am
I’ve been wanting one of those for a long time! I have way too many things that I could pack in one, but my favorite would have to be my spicy version of beef stew.
I love your blog btw; you do great work. Keep it up.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 am
Wahoo! Count me in. I just moved to Wisconsin from the hot, hot south and a warm lunch will soon be very invigorating. I would love to pack pho for lunch and having separate containers for the broth, noodles, and fresh toppings would be ideal.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 am
I love packing spinach lasanga. There is nothing like a warm lunch!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 am
My company is moving us around within the office to consolidate all of the empty space. That means more of us are now in a smaller space, with more people using one microwave at lunch. If you want to avoid a half hour wait to microwave you food you either eat insanely early or late. It would be awesome to pull my lunch out and eat WARM food whenever I’m ready for it!
My mom loves to garden and I love to cook with the things she grows. The time for tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce has passed in Michigan and we just picked the last of the green beans the other night. But now we can look forward to her fall “harvest”.
I’m thinking leek and fingerling potato soup, pumpkin ravioli with a bit of sage and browned butter, eggplant parmesan…
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
Uhm, realized that I posted this on the wrong place…so I’d also pack a reminder note to remember my brain…
First, thanks for sticking to your guns about your policy, second, thanks for offering this for a giveaway, third, what I would pack…
Anything and everything. My hubby is a cop and while they do have a lunchroom and a microwave they rarely get to sit down long enough to eat warmed up food.
I am new to bentos and while great for the kids and I, he always has cold food. With winter coming up I was wondering what to do for yet another cold year.
Usually he ends up with hot soup in a big thermos.
With a thermal bento jar I could pack leftovers for him already heated so he could just open and eat one container’s worth if needed in between calls.
Plain, simple, and easy is what we do so what would we pack? LEFTOVERS!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 am
I definately would love this
Anything I like to eat will fit nicely in this ! Right now I am thinking rice, chicken, some small fruit would go nicely !
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 am
Wow, that’s really an exciting give-away!
I would love to pack hot curry, homemade potato-kale soup, hot dish (I’m from the mid-west) and donburi for my partner. Everything gets cold in the other jars/boxes I send with him…
By the way, your site is great–I plan to use it if/when I have kids.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 am
Wow, this is a great offer. This is something I am very much interested in doing for my girls but I need ideas (not that creative on my own) and tools - so thank you so very much!!!!
And I have officially added you to my blog roll - like I said, I need IDEAS!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Hi Biggie!
I would use the bento jar for miso soup, pasta, rice, etc… My husband who works in accounting and for some reason, he’s not too interested in bringing a kiddie style bento to work
BTW, thanks for the GREAT website! You can’t imagine how much it inspires me!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Hmm… I think my favorite thing to pack would be some of my pseudo Chinese food. Lots of yummy short grain white rice, steamed broccoli, teriyaki marinated tofu, bamboo shoots, maybe some parsnips… all covered with a generous amount of teriyaki sauce, and white sesame seeds. Yum!
BTW, LONG time reader, first time poster! I absolutely LOVE your ideas Biggie!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 am
I would make a chicken pot-biscuit: cook inards of chicken pot pie in oven till thickened, then make biscuits and place on top. The thermal will keep it nice and hot till lunch. I’d put some extra steamed veggies and edamame (maybe a few crackers) in the middle and a fuit salad with greek yogurt on top.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 am
Count me in! I would love a thermal lunch jar simply for my Magic Soup (recipe below). In the winter time I tend to catch a cold as easily as I breathe, and this soup always knocks the sick right out of me. It would be handy to have that along with some other hot entree for a balanced lunch in a jar!
4 cups low-sodium turkey broth
1 clove garlic, grated
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
Salt and white pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
Scallions, thinly sliced
Sesame oil, to finish
Heat turkey broth, garlic and ginger over high heat. When soup reaches a boil, season as desired. Stream in beaten eggs slowly, stirring clockwise with chopsticks for 30 seconds, then counterclockwise to create small shreds. Finish with sliced scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Leftover shredded chicken may be added with the broth for a more hearty soup.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 am
I would pack lots of different things in here.
Mostly, I would pack homemade chicken noodle soup or leftovers from my new crockpot obsession.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 am
I would pack tortilla soup, fruit and veggies.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 am
Tom Kai is my current favorite hot lunch!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 am
Vegetable udon and edamame.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:45 am
I’d go cajun! Red beans, rice, and sausage, with cheese and green onions to mix in. I’d pack the sausage, hot, in the lowest container, and the red beans, also hot, in the soup container right above that, then the rice at room temp, and a single bowl with both green onions and shredded cheddar on top, to keep it as far away from the hot stuff as possible (I expect the cheese would still be a little limp, but not stuck to the bowl this way).
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:48 am
Include me! I was doing some shopping when I was in HK for lunch jars and got terribly confused by the many options. And they were way more costly than $50usd. I’m glad I came across this article and didn’t buy something I was unsure of. V. kind of you to do this Biggie!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:49 am
As a kid, my favorite use of my wide-mouth thermos was home-made mac&cheese - it was a rare treat, because it meant my mom had to get up early enough to make it for me before school.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 am
We are all about the lunch time soup in this family! Yum-o!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:53 am
I would use it to pack my chunky chicken chili!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:53 am
Hi!
Dangling a prize finally pressured me to stop lurking and post a comment.
I love this blog! It’s inspired me to pack bentos for my fiance’s lunch a few times a week (when I have time). He’s eating so much healthier, his mood is improved… it’s all good!
He’s been begging for a Mr. Bento. And I’ve been wanting to pack him some Thai curry, with rice. Mmm…
Keep up the awesome work!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:58 am
What would I put in this thermos? Whatever my hubby wanted for lunch…since I would give it to him.
I’d love to get him into taking lunch to work…it’s so much healthier than all of the fast food and frozen dinners he eats now. I get the feeling that he’s secretly jealous of my bento lunches. 
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
Love love love the website!
We are just breaking into the world of packing serious lunches. Right now we are leftover crazy. So, anything in the fridge gets re-purposed for lunches. The week we packed up leftover roasted chicken with a pasta salad make from leftover cauliflower, broccoli, chickpeas, penne, couscous, and pesto.
Thanks so much for all the inspiration you give us!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:06 am
I like S&B Japanese curry and rice any day, but this time of year, I like cheddar apple soup, especially with braised pork.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 am
i love this website and all the tips and recipes. i like packing curry and rice in thermal lunch jars.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 am
My 5 year old is just starting school and is a picky eater. Packing a hot, well warm lunch would be perfect.
I’m just finding your site, but now you’re bookmarked.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:17 am
My Kids love Homemade Cheesy Tortellini Soup !
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:20 am
Turkey Chili (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/30-minute-turkey-chili-recipe/index.html)
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
OK, I’m an idiot - I posted my entry under the other posting. Now that I’ve actually read your instructions, here’s what I’d pack: venison stew with rice pilaf, and maybe some fruit cobbler for dessert. Thanks!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 am
My favorite thing to put in a thermal jar has got to be Macaroni and Cheese, though soup of any sort is a close second. Honestly, it’s just good to have hot food, y’know?
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
My favorite bento idea has to be fried rice! It has infinite combination of ingredients and is always so colorful! My kids love it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 am
Chicken tikka masala is my fav hot lunch!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:41 am
I love soup for lunch too, but I think chili would be good tucked away with some crackers on the side.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 am
This would be great for packing pho broth and then the noodles/garnishes separately!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
my favorite hot lunch is mini shepherds pies made in a muffin pan
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
I have a thing for beef eggplant with miso sauce, but would probably feel wussy about making it most days and do a lot of soup/chili. Or pack it for my kids who would like MacNCheese, hot tofu, and hot ramen noodles. They’re easy to please.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:53 am
I’d pack Ochazuke in this one…
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
What I’d pack: leftover jambalaya my husband makes, which is great at sort of just-above-room-temperature. That and a little gumbo makes fall/winter days much happier.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
My Husband would plotz if I could pack him a carnitas torta kit. Hot carnitas, soft bun, cool corn and avocado (from our tree) slasa. now I’m hungry
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Cool. I’m not sure its my favorite thing to pack, but the most popular think I would pack in a thermal jar from my kids perspectives would be either mac&cheese or ramen noodles.
pick me! pick me!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Thanks for the opportunity. This would be great to bring soups and other hot dishes to work during the cold New England winters
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 am
I LOVE to pack chili in a thermal jar. After I put the chili in I usually put a piece of cornbread on top. By the time I am ready to eat the cornbread is softened and I can eat it like a deconstructed pot pie. Sooo good !
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
My favorite bento item of all time has to be sandwiches. I can cut them in cute shapes and they’re so handy. Just grilling them or creating a new combination makes it feel like a new lunch all together.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Wow, this does look nice. I’m thinking my favorite recipe of black bean soup with a side of cornbread or tomato basil soup with a slice of baguette, either served with a salad and some fruit for dessert.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Mmmmm hot beef stew with mashed potatoes. Now that’s what the doctor ordered on a cold minnesota day.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Oh, I’ve wanted one of these forever! Just can’t get my husband to agree on the splurge until I start making lunches with more regularity! Random generator, please pick me!!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
It’s probably too much food for me, but I’d pack Cincinnati Chili and spaghetti noodles for my husband.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 am
I don’t have a thermos jar, but I do fondly remember the thermos my mom would fill with Campbells chicken soup to include in my tin lunchbox.
I can defintely see this being used in a more traditional Chinese meal (one section for rice, one for meats, one for veg and the last for whatever)
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
I’d use it for Japanese curry and rice or a yummy soup. I’ve actually been interested in one of these for a while now since I saw it in Chinatown. Thanks for the review.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
The Mr. Bento’s 4 bowl are perfect for feeding a hungry boy all day. There is room for morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack.
My son does afterschool sports so the extra space in this large lunch jar would enable me to pack enough to keep him going through soccer!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Chicken and broccoli bake with rice ion a separate part of the lunch jar. Yummy yummy!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 am
The thing that I love about Mr. Bento is that it lets me eat hot food when I don’t have the time to go back home for lunch. I have rare dietary restrictions that often aren’t understood, and soups and stews are some of the first things to contain what I shouldn’t eat. So it’s really nice to be able to sit down to a warm, hearty stew knowing it won’t risk killing me or ruining the next day.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Butternut squash soup with tomatoes…and a cheese sandwich… Thanks for all of your hard work!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am
Chili, curry, chicken noodle soup, the list could go on and on!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
Chili Is the best! You can even tuck in some yummy cornbread! One of my fav winter lunches!! Great site, Loved your segment on the news!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 am
I love a hot lunch and it doesn’t have to be fancy.
Tomato soup with some elbow macaroni is perfect on a cool day.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 am
I love having leftover pasta or wild rice soup in my lunch.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
There is nothing better than some hot soup or chili when it is chilly out.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Cool! I would love to bring homemade chicken soup and maybe some of my potato empanadas….or, how about homemade dumplings and rice. I think this would fit and be comfortable in my messenger bag while riding to work.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Leftovers are always good, but nothing beats rice and salmon with some crispy fresh veggies. Nom!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
Thank you for your reviews of the lunch jars Biggie. I’ve been oogling them on amazon for a while now. I will be returning to work in Oct and I’ve found my little bento boxes from Diaso just aren’t big enough, especially since I am diabetic. I know what my inagural lunch would be too. Indian food. pack the soup container with chicken korma or saucy butter chicken. I’d put aloo gobi with a rice lid in the rice bowl with naan (or naan substitute aka pita bread;). And use the last container for fruit salad. yummy and filling!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
I found you pics and blog on flickr.com
I never heard about it….I love it. This stuff soooooo COOL!
Thanks a lot!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 am
My husband should be very happy with a thermal jar. He always complains that he has no time to eat… My spaghetti will be even better now!
Sophie
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 am
Please count me in for the giveaway. This would be beyond simple usefulness if I could get one, with hubby growing so tired of the food available at work.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
I can’t resist, I have to try to win this!
My husband loves to mix cornbread in his chili, so going with that idea I would pack: My homemade beef’n'bean chili, along with a cornbread “lid”, cut from a pan of cornbread to just fit in the jar. YUMM!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Hey there!
This would be great for my Hubs! He loves to take curry for lunch, this would keep it neat and warm. I dont like when he nukes our cute (plastic) bentos!
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
White Chicken Chili is always a favorite. Now that hubby doesn’t have a microwave @ work, I’ve been looking at insulated lunch solutions.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Good for you for maintaining your integrity! Good for the lucky winner of the Mr Bento!
If it showed up in my house today, I’d pack myself leftover Lamb Stew with hazelnut puree (a Cooking Light recipe I recently tried), cous cous, and sliced honeycrisp apples dipped in pineapple juice.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
I like to pack our pulled slow-cooker BBQ chicken or pork (the world’s easiest recipe, BBQ sauce/coke/meat), with a steamed veggie side dish!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Oooo! How wonderful! I’ve had a hankering for my mom’s swiss steak which would make for great leftovers for the hubby!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
One good one is Mabo Tofu in the air tight container. Rice in the middle one with lots of room to make a Mabo Tofu Don with. And some vegetable like baby bok choi on the top level. My Mr. Bento’s only got 3 levels.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes make a great packed hot lunch with a roll on the side - my daughter loves it, along with a texmex nacho/chili/cheese mixture with tortilla chips on the side, and hot pasta and leftovers. We’re trying to avoid microwaving her lunches in a plastic container, so the Zojirushi Mr. Bento sounds like the perfect solution!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
My current fave box lunch is probably Thai chicken curry, couscous, mandarin oranges with coconut jelly and, for dessert, mint chocolate chip cookie balls. YUM
I love your site, Biggie!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
I would pack a curry w/rice lid, side veggies and/or a salad and maybe some fruit chopped up and spicy relishes in little containers. :O) Yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
Frozen fruit, like grapes and pineapple
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Pick me! Pick me!
I’ve been eyeing this one for a while…
I brought my infamous dhalsoup to work some time ago, and it was quite a success - YUM!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
That sounds like the perfect solution–oatmeal for breakfast, fruits for snack, brown rice and finally I can pack soup without having to transfer it into another container to heat it up. Thanks for the review!
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
Brown short-grained rice with leftover Chinese takeaway
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Curry~!
and great review~!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Curry for me too
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I would pack hot noodles with a homemade meat/marinara sauce…I’m hungry! Thanks for offering the giveaway.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I really like the flower hotdog with egg in the center and about anything with croquet is yummy(with a side of Caesar sauce and fried pickles lol). oh i also found it interesting when you did the burgers with the flowerpot.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
oo, i’d love to pack a tasty lunch in a flashy jar like that. thanks for all the fantastic ideas!
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
It’s definitely got to be red beans and rice. *crossed fingers*
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Two of my favorite lunches are leftover curry and noodle soup with all sorts of veggies, meats, pickles, anything I have to put in it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
i put in pallak paneer and navratan korma. I cook a huge batch and then freeze it in zip lock bags.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Count me in too! My favorite things to pack in this type of bento are soups. I make a mean miso-flavored-ramen, although it winds up looking more like a stew than a soup. The best part is that you can put whatever you like into it! I like 1/4 of a spicy sausage, 1/2 c. of frozen mixed veges, and 1/2 of a packet of chicken flavored ramen noodles (just don’t add the spice packet.). Then I add in my miso and whatever else I like!(I love wakame in this when I can get it!)
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Miso or anything curry. Yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
What a handy lunchbox addition!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Leftovers! My husbands and kids favorite thing to take for lunch
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Oxtail soup!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
spicy garbanzo bean curry! mmmm
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
My favorite carry along is whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. This usually involves pasta with an on-the-fly topping of whatever looks like it will taste good together.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I think some sort of home made soup… or Ziti!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Tuna with crackers and veggies!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Soup, chili or curry for me!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I am looking forward to the whether being cold enough to enjoy a lunch of jambalaya. Nothing warms me on a cool fall day like Cajun spices.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Ooooh the possibilities!
I’d start with a hearty container of miso soup, followed by a salad with sesame dressing.
Container No. 3 would be filled to the brim as an oyakodon and for dessert some green tea ice cream would be ideal, though I doubt it’d make it through the day.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Found your website today and am working on a bento for tomorrow as I comment!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Oh the possibilities! I think a little soup, stir-fry, and some rice balls! Yum! I hope I win!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
First thing that comes to mind is homemade chili and cornbread during winter. mmmmmmm.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I would keep an entire shawarma platter very safely in one of these. Dolmas, jasmine rice, chicken shawarma, pita slices, and hummus or baba ganouj. *so hungry!*
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I really like taco salad where the heat contrast is still present, where not everything is hot and not everything is cold. I’d pack hot taco meat and beans in the soup bowl, cold lettuce in the rice bowl, and salsa and cheese in the side bowls.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I would love to win something like this! We’re new to bento style lunches and this would be a great solution to some of our lunch problems!
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I always love being able to take a hot soup for lunch!! So chicken noodle would be in mine!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Chicken gumbo and rice with apple crisp! Yummy!
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Oooo! The shiny!
I would pack chinese sweet marinade ground beef with shiitake mushroom on white rice. The juice from the beef will flavor the rice nicely. I would also pack some steam buns or pearl rice meat balls along with some tonkatsu. Some fresh veggies with homemade blue cheese dressing for dip along with some sliced up Asian pears. A bento sized dessert pie in tin to finish. Yummy! I’m hungry.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I love to pack meat and veg from slow cooker dinners in my food jar.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:06 pm
i’d love to win this.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
If I had one of those boxes, I’d pack soba noodles, miso soup, sushi rice and smoked salmon.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
On a multi-tiered box like that one, I often pack like this:
Smallest box-orange and apple slices with raisins or grapes
Next smallest-a small to medium salad with olives or just lettuce if I’m using ginger dressing
Almost the largest-a snack towards the end of my day, so granola or yogurt for example
Largest box-Turkey sandwich or some protein based meal, like chicken or salmon.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Long time reader, first time caller. Ramen would be great for lunch and fresh add-ins like lettuce, basil, and bean sprouts could go in a separate container. Oh, happy winter day!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I love bento. My family’s favorite bento items are sushi rolls and steamed veggies.
I have drooled over the Mr. Bento for sometime now, but could not justify the expense. If I had I would pack leftovers, but especially homemade soups and crockpot dinners in it for lunches.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Long time reader and bento enthusiast here (Thanks for creating and maintaining this site, it’s fab!) I would pack my hubby’s spicy manybean chili or Thai veggie curry with rice or homemade fried rice. Yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I wish I could win this Mr. Bento by Zojirushi.
The most bottom container would contain an island style chicken soup, to energize the spirits.
I would put a salmon onigiri (rice balls with grilled salmon in the middle) on the second tier.
The third tier would have my noodle salad.
The fourth tier would have my chocolate cake slice….. to again reenergize the spirit.
-Marianne
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
i wish to winz this too!!! i will put lots of Spicy Kung Pao Chicken in itz! yatta!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
ah, bento! my fav: somen noodles with chicken teriyaki cut into strips, a little daikon for crunch and a little furukake or cut nori for color.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
My favorite leftover to pack for lunch is Hungarian mushroom soup from the Moosewood Cookbook (if there’s any left, of course!)
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Its hard to pick just one favorite, but I guess it would have to be Panang Curry and rice, yum…
or Gyudon..lol
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:14 pm
wow, do I even enter! What are my chances
Ok, if it was for the kids (which it won’t be, because it is $50!) it would have to be filled with Annie’s Mac & Cheese, their favorites for hot lunch to-go.
For me, wow, the possibilities are endless. I would probably use it for lunch the day after a nice stew or braise, as I always think those taste better the next day. Alternatively, tomato soup, with a little side of creme fraiche would also be nice. Or maybe a nice warm serving of scrambled eggs with fresh herbs, which I could consume at one of our very early soccer games.
In any case, this would be of good use in my house!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I would pack a putanesca penne pasta dish. And I would have room on another container for cut-up fruit for snacks!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
hi, I recently started taking lunch to office and came upon your site while searching for ideas!! I also speak Japanese and love your variations on Japanese cuisine!
My selections to go in a thermal lunch box will be: chicken breast teriyaki along with rice & miso soup with tofu and wakame! I might toss in a small container with salmon or tamago furikake in it. Oh! and I can’t leave out the kaisou salad and also roasted kabocha for dessert.
I’m a really novice in this whole cooking thing, and so far these are the things that i found i’m capable of
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
ooh, chili would be so yummy.
count me in! thanks.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
MM Chicken and Dumplings are great for a comfort lunch! I hope I win!
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I would pack curry and rice for my husband.
Plus some fresh veggies on the side to snack on.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Being a native Japanese now living in NYC, nothing beats beef curry. I absolutely love the comfy feeling and thoughts of home when I open my lunch jar to eat my nice warm curry with Katsu and egg like my mother used to make.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I love your blog. I found it a while ago and it inspired me to make my lunches bento!!!!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Please count me in! i love your blog!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Let’s see. My favorite Mr. Bento lunch has to be stewed chicken with nice fluffy white rice. My girlfriends makes it for me often and she always makes a mini cookie pizza with tons of chocolate syrup and smashed peppermint candies for me in one of the bowls.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Well my favorite lunch in my Ms. Bento is always a nice big bagel sandwich with grapes and cheese for a snack. I love your blog!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Yay! A Mr. Bento contest! Count me in!
Well I can never sit down long enough to have an actual meal so I usually pack my Missy with stuff like crackers, maybe some crudites and parm spinach dip. A panini or some soup if I think I’ll have the time.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
This thread makes you realize how popular you really are, eh?
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
mmmm, curry. I make it so often, but it’s such a pain to pack it for lunch.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
My Moroccan chickpea stew and rice would go great in a Mr. Bento.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Wow, that’s a lot of entries. I’ve been pining for one of these!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Leftover beef stew with egg noodles! Yum yum!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Hi! I love your site.
I am new to bento making, I make them for my husband, my daughter and myself. I am a WAHM so for me and my daughter it’s more something that I find relaxing and fun to do. But for my husband who has “lunch” at his job at 6pm it is a necessity.
I would put dinner in it so that he could have warm dinner like we do at home. I have tried cheapo ones and so far none work like they claim to.
I am praying to the random generator god to pick me:)
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Definitely SOUP! Quite a few times I have tried to take soup to work it has spilled all over my purse unless I was overly cautious!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I know unagi is traditionaly a summer dish, but it’s definately a year-round favorite for me! I especially like looking forward to a hot steamy unadon in the winter time with sweet shredded tamago and some beni shouga, all on a bed of sticky rice…
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I like making bentos for my papa! He warms his food up in plastic, because we don’t have any glass containers, so this would be perfect. This is my first comment on this website, and I just wanted to say that it is an awesome website!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:14 pm
My girlfriend makes us awesome tempura udon bento. She packs the tempura, noodles, and soup in separate containers so that things stay crunchy, chewy, and clear, respectively.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
It sounds strange, but what I love most is my own special creation: melon pan/cha siu baau! Melon pan filled with cha siu! Sweet savory fluffy crispy!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
My favorite thing to pack is Japanese-style curry with steamed rice!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 pm
i need to get restarted on my bentos for lunch everyday kick.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Awesome review. I would love to pack something like a beef stew or cottage pie in a thermal jar. I’ve been eyeing one for ages but the cost has put me off. Hope I get lucky!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I think that the greatest part of this item isn’t that I can pack one great item, but 4. My daughter take a lunch to middle school almost everyday and she likes to pack some soup (noodle/chili/stew) or salad (tuna/chicken/pasta). She also likes to take something like humus and pita, fresh fruit and yogurt, feta and olives, fresh veg. and dip. With a lunch container like this one she can take a variety of these items in one lunch.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I work nights so I think this would be great to put my milk and yogurt in the bottom two containers, and then cereal and fruit in the top. Much easier than all the separate containers I currently use.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Count me in. Cajun shrimp with rice. Yum <3 My grandmother taught me that recipe.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I think my favorite food to pack for a hot lunch would be homeade beef stew, or Chicken ginger cabbage soup
i really can’t decide which one is better lol
holy cow thats a lot of entries lol
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I’d most likely pack one of my fav. comfort foods - thinly sliced strips of beef simmered in gravy and served over rice. Mmm! ^___^
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 pm
My #1 favourite food to be packed into a thermal jar would have to be my dad’s homemade Beef vegetable oyster sauce stir fry, or my grandmas potato and tomato soup! mmm *drools just thinking about it* The seperate compartments would be perfect for bringing to school with some rice..
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I would pack my famous garlic studded pot roast with roast carrots along with steamed rice!
September 24th, 2008 at 12:02 am
I’d pack garlic chicken with couscous, and some roasted vegetables
September 24th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Your website is so helpful! My favorite bento is cold soba on a hot day.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Mmm… cottage cheese pie
September 24th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I actually used to have a Nissan thermal jar when I was in university, many many years ago so the fact that it’s still around makes me think that I was hip before my time, lol.
Anyway, I liked packing Thai green curry with chicken in mine. Yummy.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:26 am
I’m a total bento neophyte, but I can see lots of potential!
September 24th, 2008 at 2:22 am
I love to make rice ball of different shapes for my preschooler too! Your blog is very useful! It’s good to know there are people out there doing the same thing - make attractive yet speedy bento box for the little ones
September 24th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Miso soup, warm rice, and a side dish be a lovely meal when working my night shift job.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:49 am
Id love to use it for when I paint on location in the early morning. Id fill it with ochazuke <3
September 24th, 2008 at 4:48 am
This would be great for soup in the winter! I could just heat in the morning and be good for the day. Love your site.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Yay! Love the site, as always, and your reviews are spot-on! Thanks, and count me in~! I’d most likely pack a wonderful Tom Ka Gai soup, along with some marinated beef and rice. Thanks, Biggie =)
September 24th, 2008 at 5:34 am
Of course I thought I signed up for the contest but only at the regular comments post and not here, so here goes. My daughter loves anything warm - esp. noodles. So I have, and would pack, pesto pasta, seafood alfredo pasta, Korean Jap Chae, Regular mac and cheese, chow mein - you name it! Today, I am planning to switch gears and pack rice in her thermal Hello Kitty jar, with a mini bento on the side filled with an egg omelet, veges and a bag of salted nori too so she could make a meal of it at school.
Would love to win a Mr. Bento for myself since I am finding picnic lunches on weekends more fun, healthy and satisfying than fast food between outings with the kids!
Thanks for your contest and your awesome website!
September 24th, 2008 at 5:45 am
I’d love to be entered in your drawing…love your site, so much fun stuff and great ideas.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:02 am
You know I’m in for a cool contest! My fave things to pack into one of these is my curry potatos (which is SUPER easy to make) and also my weird turkey alfredo pasta mix that really has no name. It’s really easy to make too. It’s made with ground turkey. Just a weird combination of yummy ingredients I threw together one night and my family has loved it ever since. If you want the recipe, just yell!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Even if I don’t win, I will probably be picking up a Mr. Bento set for myself/my boyfriend this year. All winter we make huge batches of soups, stews, curries and chili to get this Arizona desert rat through the cold New York winters!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Lentil stew with rice. Easy to make and delicious!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:49 am
I have never used one of these thermal jars but I’d love to have the chance. I love making homemade soup - so that would probably be my idea…make some soup and then take it (and the kids) on a picnic one cool morning.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Long time fan of your site <3 hmm 4 levels to fill huh… I have a sweet tooth so I’d have coconut sticky rice, some peppers, onions and pork dumplings, 1 level to hold my sauce containers and then the last one for a nice warm custard dessert! ^^
September 24th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Mine would have to be this nameless soup my wife makes with chicken, zucchini, a bunch of other vegetables, and italian dressing.
Sounds odd, tastes heavenly.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I want in too!
Wonderful website, very informative and fun.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:17 am
It’s mostly leftovers around here; this week it would be homemade tomato soup, chicken posole, taco soup. Thanks for a special give-away!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Well I just love turkey chili with beans and bacon and a nice chunk of cornbread. I just love your site and I thought your review was helpless. Win or lose, I still might get a Mr. Bento for work.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:44 am
my kids two favorite meals I pack in thermals are nachos (all the fixings stay cold/chips packed separately), or an indian inspired meal (dal/curried veg/saag paneer/kheer).
thank you!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:59 am
I’d pack my homemade macaroni & cheese in it
September 24th, 2008 at 8:05 am
The Mr. Bento set is awesome. I love to cool it and pack sushi.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Count me in on the drawing! I think thermal lunch jars are great for enchilada casserole. Yum!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I would love to get a Mr. Bento to pack some soups and stews for lunch and be able to separate dry food as well for snacking.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Thanks for the great ideas! count me in!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I think thermal lunch jars would be great for white chili. To make it, dice a small onion, add a tablespoon of chopped garlic, and saute until translucent. Add two cups of chicken broth, 7oz (1 can) of chopped green chiles, and a pound of cooked chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces (you can also use cooked ground turkey). Add 2 t. oregano, 2 t. cumin, and 2 bay leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add two cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. Let simmer for 15 more minutes, then serve. Yum!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Please enter me for this give away. I would love to expand beyond my current box when sending my son off with his lunch.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I met my girlfriend through bento and I’d love this to surprise her with this.
My favorite lunch of all time in a Mr. Bento is pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw (dressing separate) I usually pack stuff like apples (my girlfriend loved your apple bunny tutorial) and granola bars for dessert.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:57 am
My favorite dish to pack in a thermal would be either miso soup or curry. It would be great to be able to keep the curry warm and separate from my rice until lunch time.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I love salads but need warm nourishing foods as well. With the local farmers market in full swing I like to get winter squash, roast it, and use it as the ‘meat’ in my salad. No dressing required!
September 24th, 2008 at 9:12 am
My mother’s lasagna recipe would travel well in that.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I’d love to give this to DH so he can take lunches to his new job!
September 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I love traditional mapo doufu with real Sichuan peppercorns, and I’ll bet it would travel really well with the rice in a different chamber. Love your blog!
September 24th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I liked the tip on grilling the rice on the stove with soy sauce! Nice and easy and tasty!
September 24th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I once packed watermelon shaved ice into a thermos, but I think my favorite would have to be almost anything + fried rice~
September 24th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I would pack Spaghettios with meatballs!
September 24th, 2008 at 11:24 am
My husband had cholesterol and blood pressure issues. Packing a lunch for him is a good way to try to keep him around for a long time. If I don’t pack lunch he tends to eat anything he can find that is loaded with asiago cheese.
I’d say his favorite is probably a heart healthy jambalaya that I make with cornbread and a salad…
September 24th, 2008 at 11:24 am
With fall descending I’ve got to put in another vote for chili. I also have visions of a small bowl of soup, some steamed veggies and a protein dish all having their own tasty compartments and all staying warm.
I’m currently without a bento or lunch box, as mine was snatched from the lab fridge at work last semester. Alas! Perhaps the random number generator will be kind to me.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I want in!
Although the thermal lunch jars are huge, they’re great for packing a hot breakfast of oatmeal or fried rice and a hot lunch.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am
oooooh this would be great for taking soup to work! I eat at my desk waaayy too often.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I think my grandmother’s slightly sweet sloppy joe mix would be the best in a mr bento- it goes well on a sandwich bun, over rice, or by itself
September 24th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
home made chili and cornbread mmmmm!
September 24th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I love to pack in General’s chicken or a good old fashioned chicken soup for my hubby. He needs a good bento container (he’s not big on “cute”) and I’m trying to cook things that are healthy, but can still fool him!
September 24th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I’m very new to Bento, and am still working out what works and doesn’t. Haven’t tried packing hot, yet. We have a clean microwave where I work, so no problems there. Am working on a good miso soup that I can use an insta-hot to cook at work that has no msg in it.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I like curry…mmmmm! Please count me in!
September 24th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
MMMMmmmmmm…it is getting cold in Maine, so I know that a beef stew, mashed potatoes, warm maple bread pudding and collard greens would be a yummy warm lunch in that beautiful box! I am thinking we could take turns using it in our family!
Now I am hungry. Thanks for the chance to win it Biggie!
September 24th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
chicken panang, rice, cucumber salad, pineapple.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Of course curry! nothing can go wrong with curry…
September 24th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I’d love to take a warm lunch to work! This is a neat gadget.
Thank you for the chance to enter.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I love packing chili with all the fixing packed separately. Some cheese, sour cream, scallions and avocado. Yum!
September 24th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hot Chicken Soup with rice.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Wow…tons of comments already!
Just the idea of taking Miso soup to work. Or Chicken Corn Soup. Or even a salad, and having it stay cool… Yeah.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Wow…tons of comments already!
Just the idea of taking Miso soup to work. Or Chicken Corn Soup. Or even a salad, and having it stay cool… Yeah.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I’m in college right now, and we don’t have a microwave anywhere in the school. I think it’s insane not to, we all live on budgets. I’d love to bring leftovers, but can’t.
My days are long I’d pack leftovers (most likely my homemade japanese curry,yum!) for lunch, and snacks for throughout the long day in the side containers.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
My husband is not a fan of cold food, such as sandwiches, so picnics are a challenge. (I also have a 4-year-old, who is not nearly as picky.) This would be great for packing chili, or even meatball sub filling, for him to bring along.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
What a great contest! My favourite bento lunch jar meal is: Asian noodles with peanut sauce, strawberries, apple crisp and grapes.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I loveeee to pack vegetable soup! :]
Thanks for your blog, biggie, and all that you do!
September 24th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Thanks so much for doing the comparison. I have learned so much since finding your blog.
I love pasta, especially homemade spaghetti, so that plus chopped apples would be something I’d pack. I also like rice and curry so that would be another option.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I love packing mom’s beef stew…
September 24th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Great review for the exact thing I need
I’m really excited about changing my lunches forever.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Thank you for your always helpful advice on bento packing!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
That cajun classic, red beans and rice! With some cornbread in the other container, of course.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
This would be so great to pack cold soba and fruit on a hot day. And I so many hot dishes… my favorite would be shoyu chicken and rice.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Sausage risotto, so it stays moist and creamy and isn’t a congealed, lumpy mess by lunchtime.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
vegetarian chili
September 24th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Thanks for the great website and all the helpful info. This contest is a really good idea. I’ve never taken soup to work because I have no way of packing it. Someday, someday….
September 24th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
tea or udon soup!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Ravioli is my daugther’s favorite as a take-along hot lunch!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I’ve tried my luck with no-name Chinese and Japanese food jars.They were nicely designed, but did not keep the food hot, so they were ultimately a waste of money. Wish I’d read your post first. Gonna give it another try tomorrow, packing toenjang chigae and jobkobap, hoping it isn’t lukewarm by noon. Thanks for your info and thoroughness!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Mm…some warm Miso soup would be nice. =)
September 24th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Hey,
I really enjoy your website, and it’s fun to have a little contest to enter.
One thermos item I love is an idea I got from the Vegetarian Lunchbasket by Linda Haynes and Jyoti Haynes. I make a tofu gravy, and use it to make an easy shepherd’s pie. Layer tofu gravy, cooked peas, and top with mashed potatoes in the thermos. (My copy is an older version, but I assume the newer one would still have the tofu gravy recipe.)
Thanks!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Hi,
Thanks for all the great bento tips. I’d pack a warm desert in my thermos! There’s nothing better than warm peach cobbler or mango sticky rice after lunch to make you feel happy.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Some lovely curry would be awesome.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Thanks goodness, a solution for giving the kids warm food for lunch instead of making them buy the not so tasty and not so healthy school food .
Also in the winter month kids need warm food to maintain a healthy digesting system. At least my kids tell me they feel better when they had a good healthy meal for lunch.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Togolese chicken in peanut sauce with couscous!
My dad was the cookbook librarian for UW Madison, and was rather mystified by the post. One of the cookbooks he got was all sorts of couscous recipes, and I had had a Togolese peanut sauce stew at language camp, so I decided to make this. One of the few recipes that even the first time you ever ate it, it was home cooking comfort food. Great lunch, but I always feel nervous microwaving my bento box.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Small crunchy salty things like fried anchovies or peanuts. Good with rice.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I’m drooling over the Mr. Bento.. this would be great to pack stewed tomato beef with rice. Yum!
September 24th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Pick me pick me!!
I’d pack spaghetti and meatballs for my daughter when she goes riding all day.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
i love curry chicken and soup, warm steamed rice would be delish!
September 24th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Rice, Chicken/wings, and mom’s recipe tomato dipping sauce would be perfect for this!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:03 am
tofu and tomato with steamed rice.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Please enter me and I greatly enjoy your reviews and blog. =) Thanks!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:15 am
looks great to pack some soup and noodles in… yummy!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Great review! I’m really thinking about buying one…
September 25th, 2008 at 3:42 am
630 comments!! wow!
I make a really great chickpea soup with herb dumplings. It is a favourite for work cold, but much better warm.
September 25th, 2008 at 4:32 am
631 messages already! Oh my! You are a blog goddess!
September 25th, 2008 at 5:23 am
I think my most favorite would be japanese veggie curry with white rice and some pickled daikon radish with some very happy cut up veggies.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Homemade manicotti would travel well in the thermos! And steamed herb veggies. Yummmmo!
September 25th, 2008 at 5:46 am
macaroni and cheese or other hot pasta. thanks for the lunch tips!
September 25th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Oooh, I’d pack laksa in this. Soup in the soup bowl, noodles in the rice bowl and all the different other stuff in the other bowls. Yum!
September 25th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Curry on couscous in the bottom, onigiri above that, and then kiwi, strawberry and blueberry on cute picks! count me IN!
September 25th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Mine will spend the winter packed with curries, stews, and ragouts if I’m the lucky random winner!
September 25th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Great giveaway. My 4 year old just started kindergarten. I’d love to pack him snacks and warm lunches. He doesn’t like or can’t eat most cafeteria lunches.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I always wanted to try this product and it would be so useful to me at school at work. If I win I will pack it w/ fruit, curries, and soup!
September 25th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Great giveaway!
When I saw it for the 1st time, I really think it is too big for one adult. But I think it is good for soups, stews, curries, chilled soba and I was thinking ice-creams!(don’t know it will work or not, lol)
September 25th, 2008 at 8:34 am
My fav thing to pack would be my veg chili and some healthy sides. Would love to win!
September 25th, 2008 at 8:34 am
oh, this would be just the thing for me to bring soupy things to the office!
one for chicken herbal soup, one for plain rice, one for a poached egg and the last for some stir fried vege!
September 25th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Warm leftovers from dinner! We always make enough dinner to have lunch the next day, and it would be great to have a warm soup ready and waiting for you at lunchtime.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Chili over rice! Or soup, or leftovers.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Spinach paneer made with tofu - the leftovers make a perfect next day lunch.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Definitely gotta have some soup! Maybe some creamy tomato soup, and pack some cheese cubes and crackers. maybe make a sandwich and cut them into cute shapes to fit em in
and share lunch with my honey!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Wow this bento looks amazing
Would be perfect for me and my fiance for lunches 
September 25th, 2008 at 11:43 am
stir fry w/noodles! love the review…think i’ll have to get one (even if i’m not a winner!)
September 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I sent in Tomatillo Chicken Soup with my son the other day! It was my first (and favorite so far) time sending the thermos. I’m looking forward to trying stews this winter and noodles in the spring!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
My favorite thermal lunch is a nice masaman beef curry with sweet potato and shallots!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
My favorite is Icelandic bean soup, we only eat it once a year so it’s really special! We put salted lamb and potatoes in the bean soup.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Lentil Stew, mmmmmmm. Great on cold days.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Ooooh! Exciting!
Your blog is fantastic, I check in every day. ^^
September 25th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
pasta salad with kidney beans, carrots and corn. it rocks.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Hi!
Thermos lunch jars are always awesome for fried rice, dumplings, soup, and noodles…I’m hungry now… (n_n)
September 25th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I usually like bringing pasta or soup to work, whatever is leftover from dinner the night before! Thanks for the opportunity!
September 25th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
You can take anything in these I bet?
I will take low carb chili and I bet my kids will ask for pasta in theirs
I LOVE this blog by the way!!!!!!!!!
September 25th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
My fiance loves chinese food and variety, and I’m always having a hard time packing him multiple dishes without blending all the flavors and without having him bring multiple containers to work.
thanks for the oportunity!
September 25th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Beef and vegetable stew would be a nice lunch for cold winters. My kids would love to have pasta and sauce packed for their lunches.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
You get right into the reader’s head with your reviews, considering real-world details we won’t find anywhere else. Thank you.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’d pack some extra spicy red beans and rice!
September 25th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I’d be old-fashioned and go for soup in one of these jars. But I’ve also been pondering doing a full italian meal (ie: cold pasta with salad, rolls, etc). Or possibly tomato soup + grilled cheese sandwich + toppings for the soup (cheese and crackers or sour cream).
September 25th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I must say I love everything about the bento concept… though I’m new to it as an adult.
This lunch jar looks exactly like the “tiffin” my mom packed me every day for lunch at school growing up in Bombay… a quarter century ago! Multiple layers to separate the different things… curry of some sort in the bottom one to prevent leakage from shaking, a dry vegetable in the one above that, rice and/or chapati (roti) above that, and then a small container of yogurt plus an extra surprise in the top one… something I wasn’t expecting, an extra little snack or a mini dessert.
While it sounds a bit elaborate, I like the idea of separating the courses, and I would probably take both lunch and a snack in this. Healthy eating, meal by meal… like mom.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I would love to pack a rice and meat combo as well as hot soup for my 12 y.o. son since he doesn’t like sandwiches. He would love that!
September 25th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Butternut squash soup with bread cubes or Polish bigos.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I’ve been ogling the Mr Bento for a long time… I’d take miso soup, inarizushi (sweet fried and seasoned tofu pouches filled with sushi rice, chopped seaweed & shiitake mushrooms), hijiki no nimono (black hijiki seaweed simmered with carrot in a sweet soy sauce-based liquid,) and a salad!
September 25th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
pick me!! I’m tired of turkey sandwiches….
September 25th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
My hubby is getting ready to go back on 24/7 snow call duty and this would be great to send him with warm things like chilli, chicken & dumplings, stew, and he loves potatoe leek soup.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
salad, grilled cheese/tomatoes, mushroom soup, breakfast sandwich.
yum. almost as yummy as being able to put it all into the mr bento…
September 25th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
mmm. def homemade mac and cheese. I make it at least once a week!
September 25th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I would pack one of my endless variations of beans and rice (seperately) and then you could even pack a side of steamed veggies. Yum! That would be a lunch even my husband would eat and he hates to take his own lunch.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
yayyy.
i pack boring foods like lunch because i don’t have a lunchbox. i think i’m going to start bringing lunches that are more creative such as sushi and udon with hot soup.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I’ve never been able to pack soups or stews because it always spills =[
they can never be reheated right with the bento boxes I have.
I’ve discovered the crock pot and making stews/stoup.
It would be an amazement to use a thermal bento and maybe I can share the contents with my classmates as well.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:16 am
My favourite meal for a thermal bento would have to be Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Shrimp. Served over top of rice, this is definitely a company-worthy dish that is prepared in the slowcooker!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to win a Mr. Bento!
September 26th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Homemade tomato soup is the perfect thing to pack for lunch on a rainy autumn day.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Count me in, please! I love bringing soup and pasta, but hate microwaving them. Thermal jars rock.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:48 am
noodle soup
September 26th, 2008 at 7:00 am
I really enjoy reading your blog and I love all the speed bento tips. Please count me in the giveaway!
September 26th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Thank you for this review, it was so complete! I’ve been trying to decide if Mr. Bento would work for me and you really helped.
September 26th, 2008 at 7:55 am
My favorite food would be a noodle soup and keeping the add-ins separate has always been irritating. This would work great!
September 26th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Oooh…Mr Bento would be excellent for piping hot miso soup and delicious yummy prawn fried rice
September 26th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I’m a big fan of Zojirushi. I would pack Japanese curry rice in mine!
September 26th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Mr. Bento would be perfect for curry-rice.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am
How wonderful!
Honestly my favorite thermal lunch to pack is a chicken pot pie I layer into the bento =)
Or pasta! Fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti. Anything that can be pre-mixed.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I love packing salads with all sorts of fresh veggies and home made salad dressing.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I’d have to vote for mac & cheese. Although it would be great to pack spaghetti in one cup, sauce in another, a variety of veggies, and then a piece of garlic bread. All home made, of course!
Thanks for doing this drawing!
September 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Since I generally pack a bento lunch, the Mr. Bento would be a great way to store my Thai food lunches.
I would be able to separate my hot dishes from my cold dishes in each of the separate containers.
I would use the bottom tier (which seems the most volumnious) with a great thai papaya salad (sans meat/fish); I’d make a spicy tom yum goong soup for the soup container; Rice with curry in a smaller container and a thai desert for the last container.
Otherwise, you can break up the containers into breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack (to cover a full day’s meal).
September 26th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Thanks for the great review!
September 26th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Biggie,
I’ve been enjoying your blog for some time now - thanks for the enjoyable techniques and creative inspiration.
-S
Here are a few suggestions:
Top jar (can be eaten as morning snack): Crackers with a small container of hummus -or - mini wrapped cheese and strawberries(in small cups), and/or small closed container of dark chocolate chips
Middle jar (can be eaten as afternoon snack): Steamed broccoli -or - cut fruit, -or- green salad with pears, blues cheese, and pine nuts w/ dressing in a separate container
Bottom jar:
Indian food: Matar Paneer (Green Peas and Cheese Curry) or Chicken Tikka Masala (Indian Roasted Chicken in Tomato Curry), with ‘cooked rice lid’.
Layers could also be tweaked to carry a greek theme - like hummus on top with olives, greek salad with cucumber in middle, and lamb stew on bottom -
or Japanese themed: miso soup on top, salad with miso or carrot dressing in middle, and katsudon at bottom (how to keep katsudon from getting soggy?? hmmmm…any suggestions?)
September 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I would pack a fruit salad, cold noodles with a Chinese tomato, shrimp, and egg sauce, and cucumber slices.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
hi. i’d put in rice and chicken curry or some whole wheat tortilla wraps with chicken, shredded lettuce,carrots, cheese with salsa or any other dressing on the side. thank you. here’s one wishing to win the bento box.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I would pack it for my son, left over stir fry with a zonza (those fabulous rice/pork beauties my mom-in-law keeps us supplied with!). Really enjoying your lunch ideas…
September 26th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I just pack some rolls. In the other containers are whatever pieces of fruit I can find.
September 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Sounds great for soupy and saucy stuff so not to mix up with your rice, pasta, or breads until eating time.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
With cold weather around the corner, hot steamed rice (maybe with beans), and Peruvian style chicken stew with lots of potatoes, carrots and peas.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Thermal lunch jar with four containers…..hmmm- I’d fill them with barbequed mini turkey meatballs, mac and cheese, veggie soup and apple crisp-yum! Great for a chilly day.
September 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I have used a thermal jar with 3 compartments before, and I love taking the large one filled with ceviche, a mid sized one filled with soup and the small one with yoghurt and chopped fruit. Yummy!
September 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
My son really loves when I send him to school with baked ziti and sauteed spinach with shallots.
He gobbles it all up and asks for more the next day!
September 26th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Chicken dumpling soup over rice. Delicious!
September 26th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Wow, that thing is great! It would be so nice to not get everything soggy when packed for lunch. I could keep my spaghetti and meatballs separate from my garlic bread and bring yogurt for dessert or something like that.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Thanks for all your yummy ideas!
I’d like to pack it with my “Amish Sausage Stew” (In your soup pot, sautee 2 big sliced yellow onions in some butter + olive oil until soft and beginning to brown. Scoop ‘em into a bowl. Brown up to a pound of plain sausage from the local PA Dutch Market in what’s left in the pan. No need (or ability) to drain as it’s so lean. Dump onions back in. Add a big jar or can (16 oz.) of stewed tomatoes. Simmer 15 minutes. Neither spicy nor bland; extreme comfort food. Even better the next day.), maybe with baked, mashed sweet potatoes and some pineapple chunks for dessert.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:18 am
I’m IN! I love eating soba noodles with all sorts of veggies chopped cucumbers, carrots, corn soy beans, I chop tofu to keep it healthy. I always have to have a fruit, a milk product (cheese or yogurt) and water. mmmm
September 27th, 2008 at 4:20 am
Ooh, chicken curry with rice for my mate. Usually his lunch has to be room temperature- this would change that dramatically!
Or maybe soup and noodles… or stew! Or pasta with sauce… alfredo! Maybe something with fish… oh, the possibilities are endless!
September 27th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Soup is an all time favorite to pack. But I bet hubby’s chili would be good in it too. Yum!
Thanks for the chance to enter. I just recently found your blog and heard of bento boxes. Looking forward to learn more.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:52 am
college girl here who desperately needs to efficiently pack her lunch!!! The food court is seriously taking its toll! lol I would love to win this bento box!!
September 27th, 2008 at 7:36 am
I’ve been reading about Bento lunches everywhere. I also work in a lunchroom at school and see a trend of ‘better’ home brought lunches. Hope I win!
September 27th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I love packing homemade spaghetti sauce and noodles for lunch. This jar would be perfect as I could store them separate and mix together for my husband and I to share at lunch! Count me in!
September 27th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Oh I hope I win!!! My daughter will only eat lunch from a bento box - no more hot lunches from school - YAY!! I envision lots of pasta, soup, and maybe a warm fruit crisp for dessert. Yum. Thanks for your great site.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
One of my favorites, Wanton or egg drop soup, rice, and of course pickled cabbage or cucumber. That’s what I would pack if I win.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I use George Forman to grill meat and veggie for a low fat healthy meal.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Soup - miso soup! So tasty and filling… and then some inari-zushi and other treats.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Honestly, leftovers. It’s lazy but still tasty.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
beef stew for a brisk autumn day
September 27th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
My favourite dish ever is a nostalgia dish - a marinated chicken that my mum used to make all the time when I was a kid. It’s nice the next day, but it’s much nicer if you can heat it up - a thermal jar would be a way better solution than wandering around uni all day looking for a microwave.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Definitely beef stew, especially in the fall/winter.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
roasted new potatoes with garlic and olive oil!
September 27th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
i will have to say wonton soup with crispy noodles,
September 27th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Some kind of soup or curry.
September 27th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I found your site this morning, and have been reading instead of studying for my exam.
Keep the posts coming!
September 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
My favorite packed hot lunch is rice with Japanese fried chicken and miso soup. Yum!!
September 27th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
That jar looks amazing. I’m newer to the bento box world, but I love bringing my own lunches to work. My favorite to pack is curried chicken. Goes perfect with rice!
September 28th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Stiff competition here, but maybe I’ll get lucky! I would pack potato-sausage-kale soup, with the smallest bowl holding the parmesan cheese that goes on top, and probably fruit or snacks in the others. Or maybe chicken and dumplings, since I could separate the dumplings from the chicken stew so they don’t get too soggy. Yum!
September 28th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Chili is my favorite thing to pack. It’s a healthy, hearty meal that my husband loves! Thanks for the giveaway!
September 28th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Oh, I love soup in the fall/winter, there’s a Mexican corn soup and a Gypsy vegetable stew that I’m a big fan of but would never bring for fear of spills. Even if I don’t win, I might have to buy myself a thermal lunch jar.:)
September 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am
My youngest daughter (12)has gotten into packing Bento box lunches and really enjoys them. She now has me hooked. It’s great to see a review for a product that will do well in the winter for soups, chili and stews. I would love to be able to take seperate fixings and put them all together at lunch.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Soup and potatos.Yum!
September 28th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I’m thinking about tortellini in a bento…
September 28th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
My daughter wants warm lunches now that she is at school and the weather is getting cooler.
She has requested noodles, loves matzoh ball soup and miso soup….oh and of course the good old dinosaur chicken nuggets..will they stay warm?
September 28th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Hi! I love inarizoushi in a bento (anything vegetarian really)
I’m a big foodie. Thank you for your time.
September 28th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Oh, there’s so many options! Right now, I’m thinking black bean, corn & potato stew, with some tortilla chips, and some rice & beans and fruit to go with it.
The Mr Bento looks really neat!
September 28th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Hi,
Thanks for giving me the idea of how to prepare kid’s lunch. Some other info are quite useful, too.
September 28th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I just discovered this site today whilst trying to figure out how to feed myself a lunch when I have a block of classes from 10am to 1pm
I went to Japanese immersion school so I’m quite familiar with bentos — it seems logical to go back to it!
My favorite dish that could be packed in a thermal lunch jar is leftover curry. Rice, chicken, cubes of potato and carrot, and onion, all in curry sauce…yum.
September 28th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Being a college student, it’s never easy to pack a good warm meal and I really do not enjoy the taste of reheated left overs. I would pack all the goodies that my mom has taught me to make into this bento–everything from rice porridge to rice topped with tangerine ribs and sauteed bean leaves…mmm mm!
September 29th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Filipino sinigang soup with rice for garnish in a separate container.
September 29th, 2008 at 4:07 am
split pea soup in one portion, thin baguette sections in another (ummm…maybe croutons - not sure!), few fruit sections…two pieces of Toffifee in the last…all set!
September 29th, 2008 at 4:41 am
My son just started kindergarten. This would be perfect for him.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Gosh! So hard to choose.. Soup, I think
September 29th, 2008 at 6:14 am
I’m looking at getting one of these for my husband. I would pack whatever I could fit, because my husband is a big guy. Sandwiches, fruit and vegetable chunks, rice balls, soup or salad, crackers, Hello Panda snacks, and more.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I’m all about the curry rice or soups/stews in the cold weather. In the Mr. Bento though, since it’s so huge, I like watercress pork bone soup in the soup portion, rice and meat in the rice bowl, and a bunch of good banchan (or banchan style) dishes in the smaller dishes. Yum…
September 29th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I bought one thermal bento awhile ago so I would have more options on what we packed for lunch. I love packing curry and rice in mind, although I’ve packed homemade chicken soup that is very tasty!
September 29th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I would use it for turkey chili or for leftovers. Hope I win as I really need one! \
\
Thanks for the chance to win!
Blessings
sue
marklovessue@numail.org
September 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I would love to pack samaso which are crispy fried fritters and only taste better if they are hot with some tamarind chutney.
Thanks for the chance to win!!!
September 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Japanese curry! Oishii!
September 29th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I’d love to throw away my old lunch box and upgrade to the Mr. Bento, count me in
September 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Beef stew. It’s great when just warm and doesn’t reheat quite right.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I’ve been drooling over a Mr. Bento for a while now, but haven’t made the plunge yet.
Would love to pack one of those with some lentil chili… awesomeness.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I love Bento boxes! Reminds me of lunches my mom used to pack me when I was a child. I use a thermos to pack hot meals for my daughter now. Would love to be included in your giveaway. Thanks for the review!
September 29th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I pack leftovers when possible. But since I’m gone from sun up to sun down (work and school), it would be nice to be able to pack a few meals that will stay cool/hot, which will help me go beyond my non-perishable PB&J. Thanks for the opportunity to win a Mr. Bento!
September 29th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Minestrone and a small sandwich!
September 29th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I’d pack a nice hot vegetable soup, maybe some veggie fried rice, boiled eggs, and a fruit salad. Yum!
September 29th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I would have a spring onion soup, then my special red miso salmon and jasmine rice….then maybe some boiled eggs with kitty faces made of Nori, peeking out to greet me at lunchtime
September 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Like so many folks here, I have also been wanting a Mr. Bento for its soup and stew capabilities!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Count me in! Love your site.
I love veggie stir fry packed for lunch, with fruit. Yum! Thanks for the op to win!
September 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
This would be great for packing beans and rice (if you dump them together ahead of time, the rice just gets mushy). What a great lunch item!
September 30th, 2008 at 1:44 am
Since it’s fall, I’d probably end up packing Sunshine soup; it’s one of my favorite dishes my Mom and I have come up with, and it contains pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes… well, anything orange that’ll taste good together, hence the name. That, or I’d pack some pad thai.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:04 am
personally, im just enamored with the prospect of hot soup for lunch.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I’d pack my hot sausage soup and use the extra layer for homemade bread. yummy!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Biggie, Thanks for you blog, it’s provided so much inspiration for our lunches. If I’m lucky enough to win, I’d do a baked potato bar - baked potato in one container, cheese and sour cream in another, steamed broccoli in the third and maybe some sprouts in the final container.
It’ been fun reading everyone else’s entries too!
September 30th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I love your blog! You have so many great ideas that keep me and my husband from falling into a boring homemade lunch routine!
September 30th, 2008 at 8:56 am
LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Not so cutesy… maybe my son will actually use it.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Love it! I look forward to packing lunches with the least amount of waste possible… hopefully others will follow suit!
September 30th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Beef stew or meat sauce to pour over pasta would both be great for this type of portable container. I’d love to have one to bring hot lunches to my office! Thanks for a great contest!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I bring my lunch to work every day, and I’ve been thinking that a bento would make things a bit more interesting!
September 30th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I love packing hearty soups, especially during the fall and winter.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I use them for everything-we eat a lot of italian so I love packing lasagna and spaghetti for my husband in these kinds of conatiners. I have the Aladdin container bowl with a lid and handle. It only keeps the food warm for about 4 hrs though.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I’m new to using bentos and lots of dishes come to mind that I could use this for that wouldn’t work for my current one and only cute little box. Curries, stew, pasta dishes, and definitely my dad’s super spicy chili–something I’ll look forward to as it begins to cool off around here.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I’ve just discovered how useful bento lunches are, and I now take them to work everyday
September 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Oh, I love bento… I would LOVE the super-duper Mr. Bento.I’d put a rice dish in it. My kids like catsup rice–this is really a Japanese dish–no kidding. You do fried rice but flavor it with catsup. It is better than it sounds. I put in sliced turkey franks, some egg, and frozen green peas. It looks appetizing and it tastes good. I am a big fan of cooking with turkey franks! I learned about catsup rice from my roomies in the hospital when I gave birth to my daughter in Japan!
September 30th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I would pack gumbo - yum!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Count me in! I have just rediscovered bento!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I love bento - I’d pack in some Thai-style chicken with rice and vegetables, along with some handmade Vietnamese spring rolls made with big whole spinach leaves, long-sliced carrots, cucumbers, and bean sprouts (with a small container for rice vinegar to dip them in). Yum! =)
September 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Love your site.
Bentos are great!! I like being able to pack lots of different things all in one spot–pasta, stewed meat/veggies, and dessert or fruit–without having to worry about endless plastic containers to keep track of and clean.
Thanks again for the ideas and inspiration =)
September 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I’d pack soup - Nilagang baka which is beef soup along with some white rice which is supposed to be eaten with it. In the other containers, I’d add sliced apples, cherry tomatoes, and a small wedge of cheese.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Count me in. I love this site.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:26 am
All kinds of things! Leftover Chinese takeout food is the first thing that comes to mind.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:22 am
I’d love to take some of my husband’s red thai curried chicken to school, but with a couscous lid instead of a rice lid.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:09 am
Oh how I covet the Mr. Bento!!!! How perfect he is for a 30-something college student!!
Please count me in!!!!!
October 1st, 2008 at 4:09 am
Looks very interesting…
October 1st, 2008 at 4:27 am
Please sign me up !
October 1st, 2008 at 4:36 am
Please count me in the contest
I would pack my homestyle beef stew, with a dinner roll and some snacks for the afternoon
October 1st, 2008 at 4:41 am
I would be a very, very good daughter and give this to my mother. She’s love it!
I love 1/2 mile from work and walk home for lunch.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’d love to be included in the drawing.
My favorite thermal lunch jar dish? Right now I’d have to say a Bengali fish curry like the one I ate in London this summer, topped with a complementary seasoned rice dish and some delicious Indian-style vegetables.
Thanks for your amazing site!
October 1st, 2008 at 4:46 am
I’d pack either curried chickpeas and rice, or else borscht. Thanks for sharing
October 1st, 2008 at 5:28 am
Awesome. I would love to get one for my husband to take to work…wonder how he would enjoy dainty sandwiches cut to fit?? haha
October 1st, 2008 at 5:31 am
I think I’d pack some of my jambalaya, gumbo or beef stew. They always make for a nice comforting meal especially when it starts getting cooler.
October 1st, 2008 at 5:36 am
Ooooh I could put spaghetti (although maybe line that cup with something so the sauce doesn’t stain), maybe some cut up ham/cheese sandwhiches with some rice and veggies or maybe stir fry. Blueberry muffins.
I’m hungry now
October 1st, 2008 at 5:53 am
Curry is my favorite - meat type is irrelevant!
October 1st, 2008 at 6:14 am
Would love to get my husband eating a healthy bento-style lunch. This would be perfect! I would pack leftovers, soups, chili, fruit, cheese, steamed veggies, eggs, whatever I found in the fridge that morning! That’s how organized I am. Hahahaha!
October 1st, 2008 at 6:55 am
Ooh! I would love it for pasta, crackers and cheese, fruits and/or veggies, sandwiches (cut to fit, of course… and more fun that way!)
October 1st, 2008 at 7:13 am
any kind of curry and rice
October 1st, 2008 at 8:15 am
We do our own stir fries at home, and my daughter’s favorites to take warm to school are plain lo mein, stir fried chicken with five spice, and simple garlic & soy sauce green beans.
My husband on the other hand votes for pasta and meat sauce.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:35 am
I love taking homemade soup for lunch. It’s the best thing to have in the winter!
October 1st, 2008 at 8:43 am
I would have to say my favorited would be chili or curry!
Thanks,
Michelle
October 1st, 2008 at 8:57 am
Soup! I love homemade soup at work - potato leek is best.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:58 am
Cincinnati Chili!!!
It’s sorta-Greek-by-way-of-Cincinnati, and it’s got ground meat, onion, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, chili powder, and cocoa powder in it!
It’s served over spaghetti tossed with butter and parsley, and topped with shredded sharp cheddar, diced raw onion, and if you’re really hungry, red kidney beans!
And that uses up all the containers!
October 1st, 2008 at 9:08 am
I don’t even have a name for my recipe, it’s basically rice noodles, a little soy, a lot of sweet chili paste, minced chicken and green onions!
Delish! And NOT good cold.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am
Hi Biggie, I love your blog! I would pack the usual assortment of dinner leftovers - mac and cheese, ravioli, arroz con pollo etc (not all at the same time though!)
October 1st, 2008 at 9:22 am
Love your review - I am looking into lunch options for my daughter and my husband. The bento seems like a great way to go. I would pack Mac and Cheese in one, Broccoli in another, and Chicken Nuggets/Meatballs/Hotdogs or some other meat in a third. That way my daughter could have a balanced meal and she won’t complain about everything being mixed up! (What we do for our kids)
October 1st, 2008 at 9:42 am
Oh wow, so many comments.
I just saw your post on Flickr!
Um… Xan would want noodles, of course. He’s a fiend. I’d prefer soup. Esp. in the coming winter months, nothing better than soup that stays hot when you’re out and about hiking or what have you.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Noodle soup! With lots of veggies and broth… perfect now that Fall is here.
Great review!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
I would pack on the top container with fruit salad, on the second container with sliced hainan chicken, and steam vegetables (could be broccoli, sugar snap peas, or english cucumber) on the third container are clear chicken broth soup, and in the bottom container are hot brown rice.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:09 am
Ooh, I’d definitely have to go with a nice, spicy cabbage & vegetable soup. Super yummy!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am
I’ve totally been wanting one of these! Usually I love to pack leftovers. Especially soups and stews now that the weather is cooling. (Currently I can only do that when I’ll be near a microwave).
Right now I like garbanzo bean curry– kept separate from the rice. Warm veggie sides (I don’t like the way many salads travel), and some fruit for “dessert”
October 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
I want this… four containers, Mmmm! One filled with my family’s italian wedding soup, another with crusty italian bread, ceasar salad, and uhhh…strawberries
October 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am
fave bento lunch: cold soba noodles with sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, and minced scallions. perfect for a summer day!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:31 am
In a thermal bento, I like to pack things that work well lukewarm. My favorite is a hearty miso soup on the bottom, full of tofu and mushrooms and lots of miso-y goodness. And then on top, rice with some fish with a little ziploc or small container of veggies and lemon juice to pour on top of the rice and fish. Delish.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:32 am
Chicken soup with matzo balls - you have to pack the two separately so the matzo balls don’t turn into sponges. And the multi-cultural metaphor is irresistable!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:42 am
i would use the mr bento to pack hubby’s breakfast since he works really early in the morning. pancakes, eggs, home fries, you name it!
i love your site and think it’s awesome that you’re giving the mr bento away.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:17 am
Mmm, delicious farfalle carbonara with creamy pesto. Using a thermal keeps the sauce from separating, and the joy of bentos is that you can pack a lovely salad with a drizzle of balsamic glaze along with.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
I’d definitely pack curry (the Japanese kind) with rice! It’s the most hearty meal, especially now that it’s fall and cold weather will soon be here. To have it steaming hot from a thermal jar at lunchtime would be perfect.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I think black bean chili over rice is awesome when packed in a thermos
October 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I like to pack chicken curry in a thermal jar!
October 1st, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I never bring a lunch to work, and I hate that because it’s not healthy, but getting things to work is a pain in my butt. Maybe if I had a cool Mr. Bento to put things in, I would actually have nutrition during the day!
October 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Love your site, Biggie !I would pack rice, curry and chicken cutlets.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Leftovers for lunch are great! Arroz con pollo, soup or pork adobo and rice.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Definitely tuxedo chili (vegetarian! with black and white beans, tomatoes and green chilies and onions, homemade veggie broth…mmmm….) with some cheese on top and a salad and some bread for the side. And a brownie! yum!
I’ve been coveting this lunchbox for a little while now…I read the reviews obsessively and dream about packing my lunch and dinner (I too work very long days) so I wouldn’t succumb to the allure of the junk food that’s always lying around a church. (sigh)
October 1st, 2008 at 1:21 pm
hi, love your site. i am in uk so not able to get a mr bento set yet, but in my food flask i have done a cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes and mushrooms. my children loved it lol.
christine
October 1st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Soup is probably my favorite thing, though chili is probably a close second.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:34 pm
My husband works all day and some nights on underground electricity. Sometimes it is not convenient to pack up the work truck and grab a hot lunch. If we owned a Mr. Bento, I would pack a container of brothy winter melon soup flavored w/dashi, then a container of Kalbi ribs w/yu choi veggies, the next container would have steamed rice sprinkled w/furikake, and the last container would have egg custard topped w/sliced peaches.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Navy bean soup…my favorite:
I never measure…cook intuitively and it always works out.
Saute 5-6 strips thick bacon drain and chop. Drain grease from pan, but do not wipe out. Add a large chopped white onion and saute until clear and slightly brown. Add bacon to onions with a few cloves garlic, a little olive oil, red pepper, seasonings you enjoy…
4 cups (or so) pre-soaked navy beans, cover with vegetable broth and simmer…after an hour or so add chopped celery…add more broth if needed, simmer when beans are just soft add chopped carrots and season to taste. Cook until carrots are soft. Allow to cool. Refrigerate and enjoy the next day. So good…so easy.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Pick me, Pick me, Pick me me me!!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite yummy things to take on the go are;
*steamed, spiced rice or noodles
*salmon with a little soy sauce and orange juice concentrate (sounds odd put it is great and fast to make)
*baby spinach greens
*a few slices of fresh fruit
It makes lunch feel special enough to look forward to it:)
October 1st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Soup or stew — especially now that it’s getting colder.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Since I prefer my meals small and multiple, I would thoroughly enjoy using the Mr.Bento for several meals in one day.
Hot cereal or separate sections for granola and yogurt in one. Cut veggies, quiche, salad, rice, or my usual veggie casserole mish-mash for later.
Then, my mid-afternoon nuts and dried fruit (good day) or cookies (bad day) to accompany my tea and keep me going through the rest of the day.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Oh man, this would be awesome for my chickpeas masala. Chickpeas, stewed tomatoes, onions and garam masala spice over rice.
I could separate the rice from the masala (the rice seems to soak everything up over the course of the day if it is packed together) and make sure they’re warm for luuuuuncchh
October 1st, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Please enter me, my husband would love it if I packed him Bento box lunches
October 1st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
organic chicken broth and noodles!
October 1st, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I don’t own a thermal lunch jar, so I haven’t packed anything in one, but I have two cassaroles that would solidly hold up to such a lunch treatment: weiner beaner (beans, franks, apples — YUM!) and corn cassarole. Pair either one with a green salad and you have a filling meal.
October 1st, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Enter me please! With the cool weather coming, any type of soup/stew/curry with rice on the side would be wonderful packed in a Mr. Bento!!
October 1st, 2008 at 6:07 pm
My favorite wide-mouth thermos meal has got to be “karee raisu” (Japanese curry rice) and I’d take a dessert too. apple crisp.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
hey there! i LOVE your blog and i check in just about every day ^^
my favorite food to pack in a thermal jar is my homemade chili. perfect with a pack of saltines on the side and a roll ^_- happy bentoing!
October 1st, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Corn and potato chowder, fresh fruit, cheese sauce and crackers and a piece of chocolate cake. Yum!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I’d pack Filipino tofu, eggplant and mushroom adobo, steamed rice, and fresh fruit! Here’s to hoping the random number generator pulls me up…
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 am
just started school… would love to give this a try!
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 am
I definitely love to pack stews — especially for the colder months ahead!
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:46 am
Sometimes I pack my daughter warmed hard-boiled-egg-whites plus a thick chicken stew - would go great in this.Also, Hungarian style chicken and peas!!!
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:52 am
This is perfect for leftovers. Lamb stew or homemade soup … now I’m getting hungry.
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:13 am
Count me in? I’ve been wanting to send chicken soup and split pea soup with my sister for the upcoming winter. (I make most lunches for her.)
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:38 am
We have been using laptop lunches for a few months and really like the concept. Now, I am looking for something for hot foods…this looks like a great idea!
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 am
I would pack baked sole, cheesy lemon rice, and steamed veggies…then no one walk into the break room and ask “Who’s been microwaving catfood?” >_<
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
I would pack some white rice, some fresh veggies and some mini muffins! Thanks for the contest!
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
Rice, bulgogi, kimchee and a few other banchan (spinach, rolled eggs, squid)!
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 am
My son was recently diagnosed with food allergies so bringing hot gluten-free pasta and rice lunches to school would be ideal because his teacher nor the school’s lunchroom can accomadate him by warming up his foods.
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 am
I would pack this amazing beef stew I make! Also some fruit for dessert.
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 am
I’d bring curry or laksa in it. Sometimes, the restaurants just don’t do it as well as my mum does. And since it’ll be kept warm, the coconut milk in either dish won’t go bad so quickly.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Thanks so much for your website, we just got into bento lunches before the school year started and we have sent a brown bag to school yet! With the 4 compartments I could take anything but would love to take soup now that the weather is getting colder. Curry and rice are also great to take! (I should say we havent sent one to school yet, no more boring lunches!)
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Count me in on the drawing! My 8 years old daughter eats only warm food - esp. rice & noodles. I have bought a thermal food jar for her, but did not keep the food hot. Wish I’d read your post first. She does not have access to microwave at school. I normally pack rice or noodle, teriyaki chicken, fish or meat balls, vegetables and fruits and a bottle of warm water.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’d love a lunch with some sort of curry, rice, and a few little salads… one with tomatoes and one with spinach.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
I’d love to try a risotto and a winter salad with greens and roasted vegetables - with cookies for dessert!
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Thai red curry with rice
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:53 am
Hmmm….so many things I could do….I really like doing what I call pizza pasta. I put noodles on the bottom then a layer of sauce then a layer of cheese, then I put my “toppings” (pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, whatever u want!) then more sauce and cheese. All the flavors meld together as it sits in the jar and it is Yummo!
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Ohhh, I meet my daughter at our college’s daycare in the afternoons and we eat together, so I’d be packing curry and using one container for my extra spicy with mushrooms, one for her sans-mushroom-or-heat curry, one for rice, and one for warm garlic naan. mmmmmmm, I’m getting all mouthwatery thinking about it!
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I’d pack warm french fries in a thermos container- they have an alright texture when reheated in the toaster oven at home, but nuking them at school makes them all soggy. Maybe packing fries in an insulated container would help them stay warm and keep some of their crunchiness.
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’m a tomato soup kinda guy, but Maybe some toppings in the smaller containers to bring with me would be nice.
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I’d use it to pack rice, leftover dinner, fruit, and nuts for my hubby’s lunch.
Thanks for the opportunity:)
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
leftover chinese foods! <3
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I would LOVE a Mr Bento- I follow Weight Watchers plan, and it would be an excellent container for my lunch and snacks!
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Cilantro corn chowder and chilaquiles for sure!
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Huge fan of soup, doesn’t really matter the kind!
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Whatever my wife will pack me and I’m grateful for it!
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I like a kids meal of meatballs, riceballs and some cut up veggies with maybe a bit of dressing in a little container.
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Leftover pasta. Especially lemon spaghetti. Yum!
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Favorite packed lunch: Korean-style pan-fried tofu with garlic-scallion sauce, rice, cold bean sprouts, and steamed spinch.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Hi! My favorite food to pack in a thermos has got to be Gumbo, made from an old New Orleans recipe. My husband doesn’t usually like to carry lunch to work, but he always makes an exception for Gumbo.
Cheers! em
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:49 am
My husband likes leftover spaghetti with meatballs in his lunch, and I like leftover Asian anything with rice or jambalaya.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:56 am
I would love one of these. I am disabled and if no one is going to be home during a meal time I pack a bento and keep it beside my bed. It would be great to be able to have hot meals when no one is home! I would likely put my soup or chili in it.
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 am
Perfect for the cool weather, time to start packing soup and vegetarian chili (the recipe I like uses canned pumpkin puree!).
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 am
My favorite hot lunch would have to be a good spicy chili. It’s so good for those cold winter days. I also love to use it as a “topping” for rice. Makes the leftovers stretch a little bit, otherwise I’m fighting my husband for them!
I would love love love to have a Mr. Bento. While microwaves are provided at work, there are only 5. During cold weather, it is difficult to get anything heated for a meal, since there are about 30 people trying to heat lunches, and my lunch time is only 30 minutes long. I have had to eat cold chili, or skip eating.
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:42 am
Cabbage and noodles with sausage like my half-Hungarian mama makes!
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:48 am
My fiance loves anything to do with pasta, sauce, and all their little friends, but he hates having to reheat (and dry out) his noodles. Solution: pack piping hot noodles mixed with extra mushroom sauce into the airtight portion of a Mr. Bento. Add a small baby spinach-berry salad spiked with reusable ice cubes to the non-sealing portion and he’s good to go!
Great contest — I hope we all get lots of ideas from each other!
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
Ah, hot mac and cheese for lunch, of course!
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
I’ve been packing bentos for both myself and my husband for a year now. The Mr. Bento thermal pack would be fabulous for packing Italian meals. I would put polenta in one tier, a dish of roasted tomatoes and fennel in another, a fruit and cheese layer, and a snack layer of almonds, whole wheat pretzels, dried fruit and probably sneak in some mini biscotti for desert.
Mr. Bento is big enough to hold enough food for a workday that lasts until 8pm-ish, which is the norm around here.
My spoiled Italian husband had to adjust to a room-temperature meals when he moved to the U.S. 8 years ago and a warm one would really make his day!
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
My husband would love one of these, I suspect…
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I like to put in yogurt with honey, slivered almonds and a maraschino cherry. Thanks for the chance to win!
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
I LOVE bento and I love packing lunch into great little packages–even if my hubby doesn’t truly appreciate the pretty, organized part, he definately loves that he gets custom food. =)
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Japanese-style curry! mmm so yummy. Maybe I’ll have that for dinner tonight…
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Yay! Count me in for the drawing!
My favorite dish to pack is Shopska Salata. It’s cubed nature makes it an ideal salad for bentos! I’ll usually pack it in one half of the container with pita slices on the other half. Mmmm…
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I love packing hot beans in my 3 year-olds lunch. I take either canned or (preferably) fresh cooked white beans, sautee with olive oil, garlic and whatever herb I have lying around, and it’s done! I top the beans with different things like olive tapenade, relish or something else tangy/sweet for variety.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Oops, commented on the wrong post. Pasta salad! Works great hot or cold…
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
spicy chicken curry!! with lots of rice and sauce.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I like having chicken curry or anything that I can pack separately from rice or noodles so everything looks and tastes great when I’m ready to eat it! Leftovers, of course are the easiest. My husband likes to take hotdogs in hot water so that he can have a hot one at lunch.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
honestly, there’s nothing i enjoy more than some rice and furikake. i can’t get enough!
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I’d use the thermal lunch jar for leftover beef stew. I always make more than we can eat in one meal.
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Mmmm…stew.
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Please enter me in your giveaway. I’m desperately looking for a good thermal bento container for the daugther’s school lunch!!! Thanks for the great reviews…will help if/when I go to purchase!
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I hope I win!
I’d pack my favorite brown rice sushi, edemame beans as a side, a little of my favorite salad with ginger dressing, and some fresh fruit to round it off. Oh, I can just taste it now!!!!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Curry and Rice! Curry and Rice! Way better than reheating it later!
October 4th, 2008 at 6:16 am
With our refrigerator at work becoming more problematic (too full, not cleaned, or stuff thrown out at whim) I want to pack more hot and cold lunches. The bento system looks perfect for that.
October 4th, 2008 at 6:52 am
I was looking for a bento box for myself so I can pack something else other than a sandwich for lunch. I had one as a kid - so nice to have homecooked meals for lunch as well. Thanks for the thorough review of the bento boxes!
October 4th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Whoops! Forgot to tell what I’d pack: rice with adobo chicken
October 4th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Dal and rice!
October 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Love to send chili or lasagna for my daughter’s lunch. She’s in high school but does not eat sandwiches.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
ooh, I’d bring Japanese curry w/ rice and dak guan (the yellowed pickled radish).
October 4th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I usually have rice, some meat, and soup all in different ToGo containers in a grocery bag. But hopefully with the lunch jar, I don’t have to go through that anymore. But the most important thing is separating moist food from crisp food such as noodles, eggrolls, salad, and sauce. I can’t say enough about eggrolls sogging up.
October 4th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Count me in on the drawing, but I can’t seem to choose just one favorite dish/meal to pack in a Mr. Bento thermal lunch jar, so you’ll have to settle for one hot meal and one cold meal.
Hot: Creamy chicken soup with wild rice, corn and green beans, apple crumble, and cheese and crackers.
Cold: Homemade yogurt with frozen mixed berries (the frozen berries keep it colder longer), salad, cheese, mixed nuts, and fresh orange wedges and grapes.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I just found your blog and love it!
Leftover homemade stirfry with tofu is my favorite lunch to bring to work.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Let me see…rice, chicken and cheese, tomato, olives and broccoli salad. If I win the Mr. Bento I will have a more beautiful and organized lunch at work.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
My favorite dish would have to be pasta salad and fresh tomato soup. My daughter has eczema and I would love to prepare her fresh allergy friendly lunches. Thanks for the contest.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Split pea soup!
I have good memories of bringing it to elementary school in a thermal jar, despite the other kids disapproval of the green color!
~Tara
October 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I would be packing a delicious Thai lunch of some Tom Yum soup with Pad See Ew noodles, and a side of stirfried green beans. YUMMMMY!
October 5th, 2008 at 5:16 am
please count me in. I keep coming back to your blog because I want to start bentoing.
October 5th, 2008 at 7:01 am
I’d definitely be packing cold soba and hot macaroni soup. Cold soba for hot days and hot macaroni soup to warm myself up on rainy days.
October 5th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Hi,
I love edamame and hot tomato soup. Also a small bagel with cheese and tomato. And some almonds!
October 5th, 2008 at 7:47 am
I love to pack very traditional…some rice, miso or clear soup, sometimes edemame or perhaps some homade quick pickles or seaweed salad, and fresh fruit (I adore clementine or mandarin oranges mixed with fresh raspberries)
I love the reaction I get from my coworkers when I unveil my lunch…initially it was “Oh that is so weird” now I have got them intrested and trying new things.
October 5th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I would pack yummy panang curry w/ chicken on bottom tray. brown rice in another tray with furikake sprinkled on top. fruit on the top tray for fresh snack to top the packed mr bento lunch jar. yummy! 0(^_^)0
October 5th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Our family doesn’t eat any “meat” other than seafood, but I worry that seafood will spoil more easily than some other types of proteins that we eat–such as soy, cooked beans, etc. My 10 year old could use this to keep her food at a safe temperature during the school day, as I like her to have protein each day because of her demanding (12 or more hours per week) gymnastics training schedule. Please enter us into the drawing? I can’t wait to pack crab cakes (either hot or cold!!) for her lunch!
October 5th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I don’t know what I’d pack in a jar like that, but I know that I’d make something really nice before going out on the road, and then share it with my co-driver that first day out. Something hot would be welcome, especially if it’s not a hot dog.
October 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
It’s getting cooler here and pretty soon I will be packing stew/soup in my son’s lunch.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Hot chili on a cold day. Yumm!
October 5th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I’m new to Bento (the food, not the software!) I’m looking to improve my eating habits by combining Bento with an eating plan that has worked for me before. . . . Mmmm. . . favorite meal to pack. . .that’s tough. . . Hot- possibly my homemade chili, maybe clam chowder. . . cold- pesto mozzarella balls. Such a great site you have here- will be back for second helpings, and third, and. . . .
October 5th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I do have a microwave at work, although I’m only now really getting some bento boxes that can be microwaved. So far my favorite thermal jar lunch items are leftovers from the Indian restaurant. Namely, mulligatawny soup with extra saffron rice. For my kindergartener, we’ve used her thermal jar to take leftover chili a’la daddy, which, according to her, is much better than school chili, and sliced turkey dog on a bed of rice and that has gone over VERY well.
October 5th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Your site has inspired me to learn how to pack myself a really good lunch! I’m a pretty picky eater and I now feel inspired to find healthy dishes that I can make and bring for myself. Starting in 2009 I will be living off-campus at my college, and that means no more college meal plan for me! I’ll be starting to take my lunch with me to school instead.
This Mr. Bento looks great for wintry days when I have to tote my lunch with me around campus; I should get one to put warm soup or pasta or rice and gravy into and that will warm me up at lunchtime.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
As a busy college student, it’s really difficult for me to pack healthy dishes. I could really use the product to make my favorite meals and enjoy them during study– such as beef wrapped asparagus, beef and potato croquettes, and fruit tartes.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
the best? stir fried veggies with chicken and nuts on top; garden salad; sliced peaches and small banana muffin……
October 5th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Fun contest! Count me in, please. I would like packing my homemade veggie chili in this lunch box.
Thanks!
October 5th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I would add stews and veggies to it. Soup, sml salad, fruit and yogurt would be ideal. Or chicken and dumplins, sauteed spinach, fresh fruit
October 5th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Ohhhhh…. Nice…….
October 5th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I hope i’m not late
i’d say my mini hamburgers or veggie chilli w/ mini corbread muffins
October 5th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I hope i’m not late
i’d say my mini hamburgers or veggie chilli w/ mini cornbread muffins
October 5th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I would probably use this to pack my boy’s lunch. He loves to take soup and other yummy stuff for lunch.
October 5th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
O, I would love a hard lunch box, considering I always smash my fruit on the way to classes, though if I wanted one hot meal, everything would have to be hot I guess.
If the bags are big, I don’t know how this would do in terms of weight, but I think it would be tasty, and is one of my favorite cooler weather foods-
Container 1: chili with cheese
Container 2: fritos (mixed with chili this is ‘frito pie’–I like to keep them separate so the fritos don’t get soggy)
Container 3: normally, I would say fruit, but warm fruit is weird to me, so maybe a roasted root vegetable salad
Container 4: desert - a tiny pound cake, with fruit syrup or chocolate
October 5th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
as i’m in college…
ramen!
October 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I like hot, easy, cheap food. Ramen and cheesy macaroni.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Isn’t it funny how many comments you rack up when you offer to give something away?
I think that my favorite would be chili verde, rice and beans.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I think I am sneaking in just barely at the deadline!
I’ve been dying for a thermal bento to pack hot Persian dishes (veganized of course). My favorite sauces are Gorma Sabzi (greens with black eyed peas), Fasenjoon (walnut and pomegranate syrup), or green beans in a tomato sauce. I’d definitely be putting in some warm Dolma (stuffed grape leaves) as well, and maybe some Tadiq (browned potatoes from the bottom of the rice pan).
Oh dearest randomizer, please pick me!
October 6th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
After reading some reviews from web, looks like Bento thermal lunch box is very good. But unfortunately it is not available in Canada.
October 14th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I love to take Indian for lunch. Some basmati rice and madras lentils. Some warm naan bread. Gives me something to look forward to during the day.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Now with autumn upon us, anything hot and healthy sounds great!!
September 25th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Would love to pack more lunches for family, especially during Autumn. We are thinking of trying broiled squash and think the Mr. Bento would do well with that, some rice, and maybe a little soup.
Love the site!
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:04 am
Put me in your contest! i love your blog!
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:06 am
Please enter me! i love your blog!
January 31st, 2012 at 3:05 am
noodles / hot kheer it’s a sweet dish