tomorrow’s lunch was simple and easy to speed pack — which was perfect, since i went to happy hour with a friend and came home ready for bed!
i have one fairly thick cucumber maki here, rolled with rice that i mixed with shiso powder. in the bamboo box i also have two fat slices of a tamagoyaki that i pre-made the other night. a few citrus segments in the side box and i’m all set for a light and refreshing mid-week lunch. they can’t all be kyaraben!
i may steal mils’ idea for miso-soup-on-the-go to add to this, too… wouldn’t a nice mug of hot miso be great with these chilled maki pieces?
bento zen 
Love the way this basket conjures a picnic lunch. Perfect on a sunny spring day. Miso soup on the side does sound wonderful!
whoa, that was so fast sheri! yes, i was going for “spring picnic” with the basket and the cheerful patterns… it’s been in the high 20s and low 30s this week! unacceptable for spring! i am trying to *will* the temperature up, tee hee…
I love, love, love the basket and yellow striped paper! Is it a decorated wax paper? It looks amazing with the color of the maki rolls.
thanks so much heather! yes, the yellow striped paper is wax paper from korea – i purchased it on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68352985/beautiful-printed-wax-papers-set-of-20?ga_search_query=wax%2Bpaper&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5583415
she has some other lovely designs too, like lettering… i may have to place a second order!
Love your maki rolls! The shiso powder and cucumber really give a beautiful color for this bento. I bought shiso powder before and now I think I have to wait for couple of years until my kids say yes to it. I was just impatient wanna try that for the kids hehehe … (>_<)
thanks for your comment lia! i find the shiso to be a mild but distinct flavor… surprised to hear your kids don’t want to try it, they are so adventurous with your cooking for so many other delicious dishes! hope they give it a try so you get some pretty purple bento ideas to play with 🙂
oooo nice!! I’ve seen the basket style bento before but have never been quite sure of what to do with it – now I do!! And shiso in maki sounds deeevine!!
thanks mils! i have used the basket before for a sandwich, too ( https://bentozen.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/farm-sandwiches-bento/) — it works well for both types of food as long as you put a piece of paper inside (or wrap in a napkin once the box is closed) so things don’t get too dried out.
Beautiful maki rolls!I love shiso, gives so nice violet color ^_^
And the basket, so pretty with the contents!
thanks lilian! i love shiso too — both the color and the flavor.
ah, the beautiful bentos keep on comin’! shiso-rice sounds amazing with cuke, yummy! traditional bento updated with sweet style…in love with the pretty napkin and orange slices 😀
can I ask where you found this lovely bamboo bento box, had trouble finding a seller of this type of bento on rakuten who shipped to the usa…thanks!
thank you jenn! this was an easy one, the colors of nature did most of the work for me – i love the purple and green combo and it tasted great too! napkin was vintage from either ebay or etsy, can’t remember 🙂
and the box came from ultramix — there are cheaper ones on rakuten (not that is is a bank-breaker, but it *is* about twice the price of some others i have seen), but i have had very good experiences with ultramix and they have always shipped quickly to me in the US. http://en.item.rakuten.com/ultramix/2010070100111/
hi again, thanks for sharing this link and info! I’ve drooled over ultramix housewares before, here’s another great reason to do so again… :D!
These look amazing. I wished I had this for lunch today!
thanks gretchen! it was yummy and more importantly, EASY — you should try it!
I don’t bento, but this picture makes me want to! Awesome ideas and lovely blog. Congrats on being featured.
thanks greg/rufus! an honor to be featured, and i hope you give bento a try!
It’s simple yet looks sooo pretty. Wow, you’ve made perfect tamagoyaki 😀
thanks ta! exactly what i was going for: simple (aka fast!) but still elegant. worked so hard on my tamagoyaki in the last few months too, thanks for noticing! 😀
SO pretty…! And I am in love with the picnic basket ;)!
thanks so much! i am in LOVE with your blog, such a flattering comment :o)
Your pictures are always so artful so I love visiting just to smile at the beauty. Thanks for posting some visual joy!
thanks leah! such a poetic way of putting things, i really appreciate your comment and am so glad you enjoy my work!
I love your lunch! They looks so good at the same time they look delicious!
thanks so much for your comment! they *were* delicious :o)