Create Your Own Bento with Saizen!

Follow my Bento IG account:
@momma_makes_imbento

Well, it looks like my Bento days are here to stay. I've been going at it for over a month now, and as you already know, my limit to Bento-making is 30 days, tops. But look, I'm already at Day 44 (thank goodness, I only have to make 'em on weekdays, unless of course, the little boy wants something special on a Saturday)!

The girls and I formed a Bento group on Facebook called BentoMommas. We realized, after almost a decade of friendship (for some) and a common love and addiction for Bento, that we work great as a team. Already, we have workshops and swap meets on the drawing board. Exciting times! But the deeper, common bond is hoarding. LOL! Yep, we are addicted to Bento-shopping, and have found ourselves scouring shelves and online stores for Bento items every single day.

Our favorite store is Saizen - the local and official Daiso distributor. Seriously, we are at Saizen almost everyday. Moneigh, my co-Bentomomma, is at their Market! Market! branch every Saturday. I do my rounds of Trinoma, Galleria, Magnolia and MetroEast at least once per week (sometimes twice a week, if I have store visits on my field itinerary). Yes, we are addicts. And we don't just get a set, we collect. Well, mainly because our kids tend to lose picks, barans, cups, etc. So it is a good excuse to stock up on tools. Hehe.

Here's good news. Saizen's theme highlight for the month is, you guessed it, Bento! All September, find Bento and food items at Saizen at their standard price of P88!

Visit a Saizen store near you and check out their CREATE YOUR OWN BENTO highlight for the month!

I am excited to check out their stores to see what new Bento items they have in stock. In the meantime, I shall start blogging about Bento more. Yes, do check back soon! We shall start a series on Bento (as requested by my friends who want to learn more about this new craze) this September.

Let me just say it again. I can't believe I'm past my 30-day Bento limit! Let's do this!

~~~

SAIZEN is a one-stop shop for all your necessities and Japanese goods for just P88! They offer a variety of products, ranging from household goods to hobby materials, stationery, school and office supplies, plastic storage and organizers, pet accessories and authentic Sanrio items - all at the amazingly low price of P88 each! 

Find Saizen at the following malls:
Robinsons Galleria
Robinsons Magnolia
Robinsons Metro East
Robinsons Place Manila
Market! Market! BGC
Trinoma
Robinsons Abreeza Mall - Davao
Robinsons Bacolod
Robinsons Cagayan de Oro
Robinsons Calasiao
Robinsons Centrio
Robinsons Meycauayan
Robinsons Place Iloilo.
Robinsons Place Palawan
Robinsons Place Tacloban
Ayala District Mall Imus
Pavillion Mall - Sta.Rosa

| facebook.com/saizenph
| twitter.com/SaizenByDaiso 
| instagram.com/SAIZENPH 

Preschool Bento!

RL came home with a circular from school the other day. Apparently, "Nutrition Month" starts next week and the kids will be required to follow a lunch schedule.

Monday: Cereals
Tuesday: Fruits (or any fruit-based food)
Wednesday: Vegetables (fresh or cooked as a viand)
Thursday: Sandwich
Friday: Rice Meal

And here I was thinking the usual Spam (with anything!) would do. Hahaha! Just kidding. Here's what he brought to school so far...

This was when Momma was thinking if she should start imBento-ing for the little boy.
| Tools | Bear Cookie Cutter and Ikea Cupcake Liner.

Hotdog pieces, rice and cookie - just because I wasn't feeling it that day.
| Tools | Sushi Rice Mold, Square Silicone Cup, Pick and Food Divider.

Star-themed imBento - Spam and Cheese Star Sandwiches and Honey Stars Cereal.
| Tools | Star Cookie Cutter and Mini Alphabet Cutter.

I thought he'd want more because he ate up the last imBento.
He didn't. LOL!
| Tools | Multi-size Heart Cookie Cutter, Mini Alphabet Cutter and Picks.

Cereal Day imBento: Cocoa Flakes, Honey Stars with Milk and a Cookie.
| Tools | Square Silicone Cups, Sauce Bottle and Mini Spoon.

Fruits Day: Banana Slices, Diced Fuji Apple + squeeze of Lemon,
Grapes and Strawberry Yogurt.
| Tools | Frog Bento Food Silicone Cup, Picks and Mini Spoon. 

And today's imBento for Veggie Day: Fresh Carrot Shapes and Broccoli with Caesar Dressing,
Sweet Corn Kernels.
| Tools | Mini Shape Cutter, Square Silicone Cup, Chick Food Silicone Cup, Picks and Mini Spoon.

I hope I don't get tired of making these for the little boy. Historically, I get tired after a month or so. Hehe. But it should be easier since preschoolers are so easy to please. I don't think I'd be waking up again at 430am just to make A one. Hahaha! Oops. Oh well, we'll see. Wish me luck! LOL!

How about you? Are you into making bento (imBento!) meals for your little preschooler, too? 

Bento's Back!

Sorry, no real post today. Nothing on the Birthday Blowout either, although I did draw the Clara Ole Gift Pack winners already. But yeah, will announce tomorrow.

I stayed home today. Had a really, really bad migraine, my left eye kept tearing up, and I wanted to chop my head off. I finally found a comfy position after two hours of trying to rest, but alas, it didn't work as it was flat-face down. Ha! So I stayed in bed all afternoon trying to calm my throbbing head. Sigh.

This was the culprit (plus staying up worrying if they'd suspend school right when my A was already on her way to school). Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the culprit. T'was because I got up to make A bento lunch. Nothing fancy but I wanted her to get a little excited with what she had - what, after that episode last week where she tries to bring her savings to buy food for recess. This, after buying all the snacks she could find at Shopwise.

Upper Box: Fresh Mango Slices (P49/kg at Shopwise), Mint 3 Musketeers (S&R),  Bibingka Hearts (Ferinos, VMall)
Lower Box: Bistek Tagalog, Rice, Pickled Radish and Carrot slices and Wansoy/ Coriander Leaves 

In fairness, she ate up everything, except for a few slices of the pickles. She ate the wansoy. Haha, we love wansoy.

And yes, after making this, I went back to bed. AND woke up with a headache.

So there. I think my body clock is telling me to just drink coffee and not go back to bed after waking up so early. So that's what I'm doing tomorrow.

Goodnight!

Whopper for Lunch!

Special thanks to Liee for the heads up!


Checked Twitter before leaving the house today, and read about Burger King Timog's 20-peso Whopper Promo. A and I had waffles and Turkey Bacon, but we decided our tummies had space for a Whopper today, so we went straight to BK before the office.

TODAY ONLY! And only at Burger King Timog!

The line at the Drive-Thru wasn't bad at all. Good thing you can avail of the promo even if you don't dine in.

Just two vehicles to get to our Whopper via the Drive-Thru.

You need to get the 22oz drink in order to avail of the Whopper at the 20-peso price. Comes out to P75.00 a meal. Not bad!

Whopper Lunch for me, A and my brother! Coke, Hi-C Apple and Sarsi to match our Whoppers. TOTAL: P225.00!

The promo is on for today only (April 10). So if you're in the area, get yourself a 20-peso Whopper today!

Burger King Timog is at the corner of Timog and Mother Ignacia Street in Quezon City. The store is open 24 hours but this promo ends midnight today. 

"How Was Lunch?

...I had asked A when I got home from work tonight. "Was the Beef Stroganoff still good?"

She looks at me funny and says, "Beef Stroganoff pala yun."

"Why, what did you think it was?"

"I told my friends it was called Beef Demonol."

And at that point, I started laughing and couldn't stop. LOL!

Kanino nagmana 'to? In fairness, she laughed at herself. We laughed all throughout dinner until we were crying from laughing too hard. Don't ask me, I don't know where she got that name.

Beef Demonol, anyone?

More ImBento.

Ok, I am running out of ideas. That, plus my Bento stuff is all stored in some box somewhere in the attic. So with what little Bento tools I have, I can only create much. Yea, yea, excuses.

What got me into Bento anyway? I would say my greatest influence would be Flicker accounts of Bento love. LOL! And JanDi of Boys Over Flowers. Hahaha! And multiple trips back to the homeland where Daiso stores abound (this was before Saizen happened in the Philippines).

Two years ago, I started making A (and myself) Bento lunch. Then the old nanny took it upon herself to make us lunch and Bento became a thing of our past. But sometimes, I get the itch to make one or tryout an idea, and voila, more imBento.

Yesterday, I made A an egg sandwich Bento. I was supposed to make her Hello Kitty hard-boiled eggs, but man, the XL eggs at Shopwise are puny! I need to go find extra-extra large eggs to get those to work with the mold. So I ended up making her an egg salad.

A doesn't like her eggs this way, so I ate leftovers when she got to the office after school. LOL!

Today, after getting a small dose of Bento pics on google, I made her this.

A loves Pancit Canton with rice. Was initially gonna make Rice with Squid Ball "hair" but A didn't like the idea (squid balls were too spicy) so I went with plan B.

Yes, Bento is love. I shall scour the boxes in the attic and make decent ones next week. I hope.

Tuesday...

...was an easy Bento day. I got up early to make A her lunch request of crabsticks. She had leftover DoubleStuffed Oreo so that went in as well.

Yup, that's Cinnamoroll there (rice mold).

I love those Bento picks, don't you?

I had extra time on my hands Tuesday morning, so I made RL his own Bento snack of Bear bread and Japanese Mayo on the side. Knowing my little boy, he licked up the mayo before eating the bread. Haha!

RL's "Special Agent Oso" Bread.

But the next day was a different story, so forget about seeing any pics. It was Bento FAIL. LOL! I should go dig up my Bento stuff.

Today is Big Mouth Burger Festival Day @ Chili's!

so yea, yea, i convinced my foodie buddy and brother, KW, to head to Chili's for lunch. for today only, they are serving their big-mouth signature burgers (original price @ approximately 320+pesos each) at 88+pesos each only. i received a text message from some unknown source (thank you!) this morning, and my tummy decided that it wanted a Chili's burger for lunch and nothing else.

i was wise (nagbuhat ng bangko!). hehe. i called up Chili's Tomas Morato to book a table for 4. :) anyway, KW and i escaped from our staff meeting at 10 minutes to 12noon to rush to Chili's. Jwas "shy" so she didn't come along (syempre, special mention! hmph!), good thing SS came to the office so we took her with us instead. we got to Chili's and there was this loooooonnnngggg line of people waiting for tables. of course, because i had reserved seats earlier, i went to the front of the line to get our table. but the girl says she doesn't have my name on her list. so i asked her to ask her manager. turns out the manager, Alex, has pretty bad handwriting. the girl did get his advisory on the reservation, but thought he wrote "China" instead of Catral. hohum. good thing my mobile number was on the list, so we were able to get our table.

Amy, our server, informed us that the waiting time for burgers was about 30-40 minutes (you should have seen the faces of all those people waiting for their burgers!). we placed an order for 2 Barbecue Ranch Burgers (for KW and SS), 1 Mushroom Swiss (for me) and a Peppercorn Burger-to-go (for R, who earlier gave his regrets because he was on a "diet" but later texted to say he wanted one...). 40 minutes came and went, and still no burgers. after about 40 more minutes (and after getting a Royal Flush on my Video Poker game!!! woohooo!) and a zillion follow-ups, i called Amy and asked about our burgers and she apologized for the delay, but also said she didn't know when they'd be out from the kitchen. so i asked if she could give us chips, and she gladly gave us a complimentary basket of Nachos and Salsa. :) of course, we gobbled up the chips since we were really hungry already. 10 minutes later, i was already calling Manager Alex's attention, because our burgers were already about 2 hours late! which brings me to conclude that i should have called his attention earlier, because 5 minutes after i talked to him (and a free glass of iced tea later), he came out with our burgers! :)

it was a hearty lunch (and a pretty affordable one too), but hopefully they do better next time. i don't mind the wait but because the burgers came out super late and we were already famished, we forgot to take pics of the meal (and remembered to do so right when we were halfway through our burgers, hehe). Alex says this is the first time for them to do this, so they didn't expect the long wait, alhough ok lang because we were served well anyway. :) yum!

ps. we were waiting so long for our burgers that R came over to Chili's to get his take-out right when we were finishing off our fries. :) walang diet-diet, half-pounder ba naman ang itapat sa yo. :) thanks, Chili's. sa uulitin.