I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Forum highlights: Low-cost Bento of the Month Contest
The Lunch in a Box reader forum is going gangbusters, with over 3,000 posts a couple of months in. A few recent highlights:
- A step-by-step cheese character tutorial that PikaMama originally wrote for her bento blog, detailing how to make ornate characters out of sliced cheese and food markers (shown above). Thanks for sharing!
- The new “What did you pack your kid today?” thread, where we’re jotting down what we packed for our children’s lunches that day, along with a note of how old the child is. Photos aren’t necessary (but welcome if you have them); it’s more of a place to get quick ideas for kid-friendly lunches.
- We’re also discussing the social impacts of giving your kids bento; have you seen any interesting reactions with your own children?
Bento of the Month Contest: Cost
Congratulations go to Laura Bento, the winner of the second Bento of the Month contest on the Lunch in a Box Forum. Readers voted hers the best representative of the “Valentine” theme, and she will receive the Putifresh bento box set courtesy of Lethargic. Thanks to everyone who took the time to post your speedy bento lunches; it was interesting to read through the entries and see your cute Valentine-themed lunches.
The theme of the Bento of the Month Contest for March is “Cost: How Low Can You Go?”. I’m thinking of Japanese bento cookbooks I have that use sale items, cheap veggies, and staple foods to put together a cheap but balanced and tasty lunch. All containers are welcome (Laptop Lunchbox, Tupperware-type containers, thermal lunch jars, sandwich cases, etc.), not just bento boxes. (Read on for contest and prize details.)
To enter, make your low-cost packed lunch, post a photo and description of what’s in the lunch, along with an estimate of the food costs to the March contest thread on the Lunch in a Box forum by Thursday, March 26, 2009. We’ll compile all of the entries into a poll, and forum members can vote for their favorite.
The winner will receive the new three-tier Windax picnic bento set pictured here, compliments of last month’s winner Laura Bento. Thanks Laura! (Donations of bento-related prizes and shipping to future winners are welcome; just e-mail me at lunchinabox [AT} gmail {DOT] com).
Other bento giveaways include Not Exactly Bento’s March bento giveaway (deadline March 20), which I found out about on the Contest and Giveaway section on the forum. All you need to do to enter that one is just comment for her random drawing, so there’s a low bar to entry there!
FURTHER READING:
- How to cut your food bills
- How to cut food costs thread on the forum
- Bento recipes on Lunch in a Box
- Bento FAQ and Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and reviews
March 12th, 2009 | Categories: for kids, giveaway, tutorial or how to | 
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March 12th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
AH! super helpful! I love reading your blog and i love that you are so ready to share other blogs with yours : )
(and with hope have more skill to make beautiful bentos!)
thanks again for a great post ^_^ ill continue to read
March 13th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I just came across your site and can’t read enough of your post. I have a 13 month old. She is all organic and a vegetarian (like mommy) and I home make her baby food. I still send her puree food for lunch but I’m so tired of pureeing. You think I can do this bento lunch for a 13 month old? Thanks for your time!
March 14th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
My 15yr old daughter had to have a lock n lock for christmas so she could start making her own bentos. I make a big batch of rice on sunday and buy edemame and she teaches her friends about new foods. Today was black beans.
March 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Thanks so much for the forum update. I’ve been having LIB-blog withdrawals with the decline in posts. I realize the forum is your new baby and focus, and the few times I’ve gotten to hop on, it’s been helpful. I just don’t have time to peruse a forum as much, so it’s great to see “the highlights.”
March 16th, 2009 at 10:39 am
@2 from Kim: Yes, absolutely you can make mini bento lunches for a 13-month-old! I started packing tiny bentos for my son when he was about that old, so that we didn’t have to leave the playground early (and my diaper bag wouldn’t be packed full of little Tupperware containers). Get a small box and put a few balanced foods in it — voila, bento!
March 16th, 2009 at 10:40 am
@4 from Monica: Thanks for the comment, Monica. I’m guilty of spending too much time on the forum lately; I think I have a problem with balance.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Such a cute bento !
March 21st, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Wow! I thought I had the wrong page for a minute when I saw my lunch
I am honored to be mentioned on your blog which I have loved for so long!