Bento Shuffle

Sorry about missing an update the other day. I tried with my Android, but because I didn't have good reception on campus, I couldn't get the photos in. Oh well.

Yesterday's was a black bean burger, mozarella cheese, onigiri, and new potato fries box. It's really simple food, but what I wanted to show was how one of these boxes fair after a day of running around before you tuck in at noon. I've been taking the bus to the campus on Tuesdays to save a little driving for the hubby, so I'll admit that I kind of slide around and abuse the boxes a little more than someone gingerly carting theirs to and fro. That's alright, though. A well-packed box will have minimal damage. I used the extra spaces in the box to fill it out with broccoli. I can't tell you how I've converted to the little trees through Bentos; they are amazingly versatile and healthy. By lunch, mine went from the above to this:

Not horrible, but it's not perfect like the first, and you can tell the potatoes went soggy. Admittedly, I made this the night before, so the fridge can take a toll on the food. You can see why picking like flavors is a must, too. Even tightly packed, you're going to have them sliding into each other, so they better taste good together. The biggest thing I should have paid attention to was this:

That's condensation on the lid. I didn't pay it much mind the night before because this was going into the fridge for the night, but if you're making your box fresh, the moisture will really sabotage your food. As an added caution, moisture allows bacteria to grow at the warm temperature of the box, so by noon, you could have something awful-looking and dangerous on your hands. Make sure to give yourself time to cool the box before you close it, and you'll get something more like the first photo. Popping the box in the freezer for a few minutes will help draw out the moisture, but don't leave it too long in there. Rice gets dry really quickly. For best results, let your box sit out on the counter for about twenty minutes while you finish your morning ritual.