Happy Bento! Lunches On the Go Book Giveaway

Today I'm happy to be sharing a bento from a new cookbook, Happy Bento! Lunches On The Go, by Anna Adden - and giving a copy away too!

There are a lot of bento ideas packed into this little book! And when I say little, I'm only referring to it's bento box sized dimensions of 15cm square... it's filled with 50 fun bento recipes covering themes for every season, holiday, special school days, & more.

Happy Bento! : Lunches On The Go is more of a how-to book than a traditional cookbook. It also features a guide to bento supplies, packing tips, & lists places to shop for bento gear. The author has spent several years building her own bento gear stash and shows how she organizes it all. The bento recipes are sorted into chapters according to theme. Each recipe lists the supplies needed, ingredients, & directions, however food amounts are not specified, so nutritional content is not given.

Bento makers who wish to replicate the bentos within will benefit from having a fairly extensive collection of bento tools and accessories, as most of them call for specific cutters and/or decorations to complete the theme... but those just looking for ideas and who don't mind deviating from the author's designs will find plenty to inspire them!  Anna demonstrates a variety of different techniques accompanied by detailed directions:

My girls & I chose to make the Spring bento.  The specialty tools needed for it were flower egg molds & a flower stem bento pick, which we have - and we even have a bento box the same size & shape as the one in the book!

I had never made carrot curls! Anna's step by step instructions were clear though & it was easy! I love how they look as flowers.

We made a few changes to the bento ingredients - no beans because my picky sproutlets said no way, grapes instead of blueberries, and watermelon instead of cantaloupe, because that's what we had in the fridge.  It's all good. Here's my Spring bento next to the Happy Bento one :)

I learned something while colouring the tulip egg - always mix the food dye before placing the egg in the water! I started out all right, mixing a drop of red & yellow to make an orange tulip, then adding the egg to the dye water - but then I decided to add another drop of red to make it a darker orange, and you can see streaks where the dye swirled in the water :)

Ah well, if you've ever been to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (near where I live) you know that there actually are variegated tulips in just those colours :) Oh, and at my sproutlet's request, I coloured the center of my flower with food markers rather than exposing the yolk as in the example in the book. My girls were very happy with the Spring bento they got to share :

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Enter my Happy Bento! Giveaway:

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The winner will be drawn & announced August 22nd. Check back here, follow me on Facebook, or check your email to see if you've won - the winner will have 48 hours to respond & claim their prize before I draw again!

Don't want to wait or take your chances? Happy Bento! : Lunches on the Go is available at Amazon.com & book sellers everywhere.

Disclosure: Other than a complimentary copy of the book to review, I received no compensation for this post. This post does contain affiliate links to products I used.  

Christmas Everyday Bento Giveaway!

Just in time for Christmas! I'm thrilled to be giving away 2 copies of one of my favourite cookbooks ever, Everyday Bento by Wendy Thorpe Copley. This beautiful book, written by the author of one of my favourite blogs, Wendolonia, would make a wonderful gift for anyone who packs a lunch for their family or even themselves :)

I just LOVE this book! Aside from being gorgeous to look at, everything in it is completely do-able for just about anyone. The lunches are kid-friendly, made with ingredients even my picky sproutlets will eat :) The recipes are more than text directions & a photo of a finished bento; Wendy shows us step by step how to create every detail, with clear, colourful photos. She also explains the basics of bento packing, the techniques, the tools, the gear, & gives ideas for what to put on your grocery list. There's even a list of foods sorted by colour! Everyday Bento is THE book I recommend to anyone interested in packing fun lunches. Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned bento packer, you'll find inspiration in Everyday Bento!

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I was inspired by the festive Christmas Gift Bento Box! My version is slightly modified for my sproutlet's preferences & the bento accessories I have - I realized that I do not own a Santa pick! What?! I must get one :)

I used a Merry Christmas pick instead of a Santa. I did have leftover ham! I cubed it with FunBites cutter. I subbed raspberries & honeydew melon for the pomegranate & kiwi.  Instead of crackers, I cut up a tortilla to stack with the cheese, but kept the red pepper ribbon, which I affixed to the top slice with a bit of cheese spread.

I also added some cucumber slices cut with a holly leaf cookie stamp, & cut some red pepper circles for a holly berry & stacked them together using more cheese spread. I filled the bottom tier of the Fit & Fresh Lunch Pak Carrier with popcorn, a cloth napkin, spork, & a Lunchbox Love for Christmas note. Bella loved it!

This festive bento was so easy to make, & quick! I find what takes up the most time when packing a bento is figuring out what to put in it, where to put it, & how to achieve the look. Everyday Bento does that for me & shows the steps for putting it all together! Love it ♥

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Here's your chance to win a copy for yourself or to give as a gift!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 2 winners will be drawn & announced the morning of December 17th. Check back here, follow me on Facebook, or check your email to see if you've won - the winners will only have 24 hours to claim their prizes so there's (hopefully) enough time to deliver them by Christmas!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. I was offered a complimentary copy of Everday Bento to review but declined it as I already have a copy :) This post does contain affiliate links to products I used. All opinions & images are my own. 

#GuacItForward for National Guacamole Day!

Happy National Guacamole Day! The folks at Wholly Guacamole are always looking for fun ways to celebrate National Guacamole Day & love the concept of paying it forward, so this year they're giving back to their community & encouraging fans to do the same, with the #GuacitForward campaign! And in partnership with Laptop Lunches, who also like to pay it forward, they're giving away some of the ingredients for a tasty healthy lunch! I'm pleased to be able to offer one of these giveaways to my guacamole loving readers :)

One lucky Wholly Guacamole fan in the United States will win:

• 1 Set of Laptop Lunches Avocado Bento Buddies
• An awesome Wholly Guacamole cooler filled with:
  • 3 Guacamole Trays (various flavors)
  • 2 mini cups (various flavors)
  • 1 Chip Clip
  • 1 Avocado Squeezie

▼ Scroll to the bottom of the post to enter via the Rafflecopter widget

Use the hashtag #GuacItForward on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to share how you are paying it forward!

I packed my hubby a National Guacamole Day bento! Sailor Boy's favourite Dr. Seuss book is Green Eggs & Ham so I thought I'd make him smile with a green eggs & ham salad sandwich in his lunch. Of course I had to tell him that's what it was to get the smile ;)

Guacamole Green Eggs & Ham Salad Sandwich
Ingredients:

• 1 Wholly Guacamole mini (or 2oz Wholly Guacamole) 
• 2 hard-cooked eggs
• 2 slices deli ham
• 2 slices bread

Directions:

1. Peel & chop eggs. 
2. Chop ham. 
3. Combine eggs & ham with guacamole in a bowl & stir/mash until desired consistency. 
4. Spread on a slice of bread, top with another slice, & cut if desired.
5. Pack or enjoy!

I also packed green grapes, a Babybel cheese, & NatureSweet Sunbursts tomatoes in the side containers of his Laptop Lunches bento. I used a bento cutting tool to carve OMG! in the Babybel wax coating, & spelled OMGuac! with alphabet bento picks in his sandwich :)

Last of all, I added a Lunchbox Love note atop his Laptop Lunches Bento Buddies lid to remind hubby to #GuacItForward too :)

Wholly Guacamole Minis come in Classic, Spicy, Ranch, Chunky & Organic varieties! I used Spicy in my egg salad sandwich - Sailor Boy likes it hot!

You can also enter to win a NatureSweet Prize Pack 

from the Wholly Guacamole OMG! Sweepstakes!

▼ Enter the Giveaway!▼

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► Visit Wholly Guacamole for more fabulous & fun ways to OMGuac Your Lunch! There are some delicious lunch ideas for both adults & kids!

International Chocolate Day Balance Bar Giveaway!

Today is International Chocolate Day! It's the perfect day to give away some indulgent exotic chocolate healthy treats from Balance Bar! They recently sent me some of their delicious Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars & new Dark Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Bars to enjoy & have offered to send a box of the same to one lucky reader :)

 

We've tried the Dark Chocolate Crunch Balance Bars before - they're now one of Bella's favourite energy snacks - but the Caramel Macchiato flavour is new! Caramel Macchiato is Sailor Boy's favourite coffee shop drink, and Bella's just crazy about all things caramel, so both were excited to try one. And you know I had to put them in a bento lunch :

I packed Bella's in a LunchBots Trio - the Balance Bar fits perfectly!  I also packed some grapes, ham & cheddar roll-ups, & broccoli florets. I added some sweet touches to this healthy lunch with candy & chocolate bento picks :) And can't forget the Lunchbox Love! I can always find the perfect note. This one's from one of the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles - the riddle side asks:

"Why does a flamingo lift up one leg?"

Answer: Because if it lifted up both legs, it would fall down! :)

I'll post Sailor Boy's lunch later this week - but I'll tell you now that he did say the Caramel Macchiato was awesome :)

I've recently started eating gluten free myself, and my on-the-go snack options have been feeling the impact - so I'm very happy that I can have both the Dark Chocolate Crunch & Caramel Macchiato Balance Bars. The Caramel Macchiato perfectly combines the rich flavour of roasted coffee & the sweetness of caramel, and the Chocolate Crunch hits the spot with a smooth layer of dark chocolate over a crunchy cookie base. They're both filling & delicious! There's also a gluten free Dark Chocolate Coconut Balance Bar that I'm pretty sure I'll love :)

Here's some nutrition info & a closer look:

• Gluten Free
• 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Cocoa
• 180 Calories
• 13g Protein
• 4g Fiber
• Balanced 40-30-30 nutrition (What's that about? Click here)
• 7 Vitamins & Minerals
• Excellent Source of Antioxidants

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Here's your chance to win a box of these yummy bars!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pin this!

Today is also Roald Dahl Day, in honour of the beloved children's book author's birthday. I find it very fitting that Dahl Day & International Chocolate Day share a day, since one of Dahl's best-known books is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - which is celebrating it's 50th anniversary, by the way :) I'll definitely be celebrating both days today - by enjoying both a Dark Chocolate Crunch & a Dark Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Balance Bar ;)

P.S. Check out yesterday's Dahl-icious lunches, they're part of a Roald Dahl Day Blog Hop!

Disclosure: I was provided with Balance Bars to sample. All opinions are my own :)  
Giveaway Terms: U.S. entries only. One (1) entrant per household please! Prize provided by Balance Bar

Back To School Giveaway: Lunchbox Love!

I love our Lunchbox Love for Kids notes, they're a fun way to connect with my sproutlets while they're at school, and we often enjoy discussing what their cards said when I pick them up.  They sometimes tell me that their whole lunch table enjoyed the fun trivia or joke as well :) I'm so pleased to be able to share some of that Lunchbox Love fun, with a giveaway! 

The folks at Say Please have generously offered to send one of my readers 4 volumes of Lunchbox Love for Kids, & the 2 volumes of the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles! That's 72 Lunchbox Love notes, awesome!

We love the new Lunchbox Love for Kids Riddles!

Just like the original Lunchbox Love for Kids, the new Riddles cards feature positive messages on the front, but instead of a fun fact or joke on the back, these cards feature a tricky riddle (and answer) that's sure to entertain your child & their lunch companions :)

You may recognize this lunch I packed for Bella,  I shared it earlier this week in a round up of lunch box note bentos, but I didn't mention that the Lunchbox Love note I included is from Volume 1 of those new Riddles :)

Bella & her siblings had fun trying to guess the answer to the riddle on the back of her Lunchbox Love, & made some funny guesses before Bella got it! And the message on the front made her smile right away :)

Do you know a riddle, joke, fun fact, or sweet sentiment you'd like to see on a Lunchbox Love note? Share it in the comments at the bottom of this post, then enter the Giveaway via the widget below:

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Connect with the Lunchbox Love community via the Lunchbox Love Blog 

or follow them on Twitter ● Facebook ● Instagram ● Pinterest & Google+

Back to School Bento Basics & Blooming Bento

If you asked me for a tip about packing bento lunches, I'd probably tell you ...
You don't need to spend a lot on bento tools & accessories - spend some time playing around with what you have on hand first! You may discover you already have more bento-worthy tools than you thought - and the most important tools - your creativity & ingenuity - are free ♥ 

But I know you want the fun bento stuff anyways, so be sure to do the Bento Bloggers & Friends Bento Basics Giveaway Blog Hop! 

I skipped the bento picks & went back to basics to make this simple flower-filled EasyLunchboxes bento. I made the cheese sandwich flowers with a cookie cutter from the Wilton 101 Cookie Cutters set I've had since I began making bento.  I've gotten so much use from this set! It has the complete alphabet, numbers, animals, vehicles, sports, seasonal & holiday shapes, flowers, hearts, stars, & more... a little of everything. I also cut some carrot blossoms, arranged grapes in a flower design, & filled a Tupperware Smidget with candy-coated chocolate sunflower seeds for a colourful treat:

The small blossoms are organic rainbow carrots! They came in a bundle with the usual orange carrots, plus yellow & purple ones (which have gold centers!) They're so pretty ♥ They all taste pretty much the same to me though, I don't think I'd be able to tell them apart in a taste test :) To make the carrot blossoms, I sliced a couple of rounds from the end of each carrot & cut it into a flower shape with a vegetable cutter.

 

To make the grape flower I arranged a few on their sides in a silicone baking cup, nestled one in the center of them, & filled the surrounding space with grapes of another colour. Cherry or grape tomatoes work well too :)

Before I put the lid on the EasyLunchbox, I added a colourful cloth napkin to the main compartment. Tip: use a cloth napkin to fill space & keep food from shifting. Lastly, I tucked in colourful Lunchbox Love note, to brighten my sproutlet's lunch & day :) And I did remember to put the lid on the Smidget!

Most of the stuff I used to make this lunch: 

 

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So, going back to my beginner to bento tip...  to help you get started building your bento toolbox from what's already in your kitchen, I've made a list of items that come to mind :)

Bento Tools & Accessories Already In Your Kitchen!

• A sharp paring knife is all you need to make striped cucumbers, checkered apples, & carrot stars.
• Drinking straws can be used to cut out tiny circles, ovals, & crescents for details & features.
• Tweezers are handy for placing tiny details where they go. 
• Cookie cutters can be used to cut sandwiches, cheese, lunch meat, & some fruits & veggies.
• Cookie stamps can be used to make impressions in bread, and even some fruits, like watermelon.
• Cupcake picks make awesome bento decorations! Save some from all the parties you give & go to :)
• A melon baller makes fun fruit shapes, & tiny rice balls (onigiri).
• Vegetable crinkle cutters can be used for more than veggies :)
• An empanada (dumpling) press makes fun filled mini-sandwiches.
• Cocktail picks & drink stirrers make great skewers.
• Bottle caps & medicine cups do double duty as circle cutters.
• Play dough cutters & accessories make brilliant bento tools! 

I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting, too. So while all those cute bento picks & themed cutter sets are fun to collect & use, you can take your time acquiring them while you use what you have. As you develop your skills & discover your style, it'll be easier to decide which items you really want  :)

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And hey, maybe you'll be a winner in the Bento Bloggers & Friends Back To School Bento Basics Giveaway ... the Grand Prize is a $70 gift voucher to BentoUSA ... what a bento shopping spree that would be!

Even if you don't win a prize, you'll get valuable tips from the Bento Bloggers & Friends that will make the blog hop worth your while - it'll be a bento learning experience :) Now, pay attention, here's how to enter: 

Take note of the letter & number on the blackboard puzzle piece below. Next, click the button beside it to hop to Lunches Fit for A Kid to see what tips Astrid has for you & get the next piece in the puzzle. Keep hopping & collecting puzzle pieces until you get to the Bento Bloggers & Friends blog, where you can enter the Giveaway! You'll need to put all your puzzle pieces in numerical order to spell the answer to a mandatory question in the Rafflecopter widget, then follow the instructions there to get more entries. Good luck!

   

More details about prizes & stuff in the Bento Bloggers & Friends blog post. Now go! Hop!

Earth Day Bento & Balance Bar Giveaway

Happy Earth Day! I packed Bella's lunch in her PlanetBox today - it seemed fitting :) She has yogurt with blue, green, & chocolate sprinkles,  honeydew melon balls, veggies with tree & leaf picks, & a Balance energy bar:

We were recently given a box of dark chocolate crunch Balance bars to try - which Bella proclaimed "Delicious!" Rich in both chocolate flavour and nutrition, Balance bar's new dark chocolate varieties are certified gluten-free and made with 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa, so I can feel good about giving them to her. Especially today, on Earth Day! 

Balance is giving away a box of their Dark Chocolate Crunch bars to one lucky U.S. reader! Entering is easy via the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Balance bars follow the 40-30-30 nutrition principle – a formula that provides the caloric ratio of carbohydrates, protein, & fat that your body needs for longer lasting balanced energy & hunger satisfaction. And they're delicious!

Visit the Balance website to learn more about 40-30-30 nutrition :)

Some stuff I used to make this lunch:

Disclosure: Balance Bar provided me with a complimentary box of energy bars and pledged to provide the same to one winner in the US. All opinions expressed are my own.