Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Bento

Reno-cation: Giveaway Winners!

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Happy Canada Day!

Today the ol’ country is 144 years old… not too shabby, eh?

Lately, I have become obsessed with the way I pronounce “about” – especially since Americans love to suggest that we say “aboot”…

A – BOUT. A – BOUT. A – BOUT. 

Nope, sounds nothing like aboot to me. WTF?

Anyhoo, I can’t think of a better day to announce a slew of Canadian winners from my recent Reno-Giveaways!

Congratulations all ~

HP e-Station All in One Printer #1168 Scott

Sharp Air Purifier #804 MommyNoob

SummerFresh Foods #409 cherdon

Delta Faucet with Touch 2O #321 David

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker/MTF Price Matters #397 Rae T. (Auqakuh)

Kodak Playtouch Video Camera #618 roswell

Bento Sushi #373 AHC

ConAgra Foods #62 Tricha

(Not included in the Reno-cation, but also a winner)

Daddy Diaper Changing Toolbox #46 Amy

I’ll be sending out winner’s notifications later today. In the meantime, if you see your name here, please send me an e-mail with your complete mailing address, plus phone number, so I can have the prize sent to you right away.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and to my fabulous sponsors!

My Reno-cation is Officially Over!

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That’s all, folks! I’ve re-decorated eight (8) rooms and have posted eight (8) equally awesome giveaways… my Reno-cation is officially complete!

If you’re looking for a little design inspiration, take a look at the reno-cation before/after photos. And if you’re looking to grab some of the loot for your own home – enter the reno-cation giveaways on the right sidebar!

I’ll be drawing for all winners at the end of June, so be sure to get your entries in! Good luck peeps!

Reno-Giveaway #7: Bento Sushi

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The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

If you’ve been following my recent Reno-cation, you’ll know that cooking wasn’t always a priority. Thank goodness for Bento; fresh, convenient and always delicious, their amazing products are the answer to sushi on demand.

“As the largest sushi company in Canada, Bento serves more than 10 million handmade servings of sushi per year through a network of 22 quick service ‘grab and go’ sushi bars in premier shopping malls and office towers; more than 350 on-site sushi bars in quality supermarkets and more than 2,000 supermarket and institutional food service locations. The brands which the company’s products are known by include: Bento, Bento Express and Bento Sushi.”

If you caught my previous Bento feature, you’ll know that no supermarket stop is complete without a tray of their famous “Handcrafted Sushi. Ready to Roll.”

Think you know all about Bento’s sushi? Think again.

Introducing Bento Kenzen, a line of innovative products which bring an eclectic mix of exotic, beautiful and, of course, delicious sushi items right to your grocery store. Available exclusively at select Loblaws, Zehrs and Real Canadian Superstore locations (where else?), you can indulge in truly inspired creations, such as:

Tropicali Roll – Strawberry Dragon Roll – Volcano Roll – Kamikaze Roll 
It’s a fresh new spin on my beloved maki! With tart and tangy ingredients such as strawberry and mango, plus traditional favourites like crab, avocado and fish roe, each bite is truly a culinary celebration. Don’t think you can handle strawberries and crab in the same mouthful? At first, I was a little skeptical too – but since I’m all about discovering tasty new foods, I kept an open mind and a willing tummy.

The good folks at Bento prepared a delectable platter for all to enjoy chez Lena:

If the old adage “You Eat with Your Eyes” is true, then this platter was quite likely the most delicious thing I’d ever seen.

After sampling the new Kenzen pieces, I had to declare the Volcano roll as my fave; cucumber and cream cheese topped with spicy tuna, masago (fish roe) and panko breadcrumbs. (Was there any doubt I’d be drawn to the roll with caviar?) To fully enjoy the experience, you should concentrate on the subtle combinations of tastes and textures – in other words, put away the wasabi for just a moment. It took a couple of bites for me to conclude that the new Kenzen rolls are pretty darn yummy.

If you’re new to Bento Sushi, start out with their famed, fresh and ready-to-go California rolls. But for those looking to add a little fabulous – the new Kenzen offerings will definitely hit the mark.


You can find Bento at more than 350 on-site sushi bars in quality supermarkets across Canada! Click here to find a location near you. (Note: Kenzen products are only available at select stores.)


One lucky Listen to Lena! reader will win a Mega Maki Platter and a Mega Maki Nigiri Platter – which is 90 pieces of sushi! (Value $75) To enter, simply visit Bento and pick out three (3) other products that are drool-worthy. Then, leave a comment here telling us your choices.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment for each. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena!
(2) “Like” Listen to Lena! on Facebook
(3) NEW Follow Listen to Lena! on Twitter
(4) “Like” Bento Sushi on Facebook
(5) Follow Bento Sushi on Twitter
(6) Tweet daily: Please use this Bento Sushi Giveaway Tweet.

I’ll draw for a winner on June 30th. Good luck everybody!

Bento Sushi… Winner!

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Thanks to everyone who entered the Lena Loves… Bento Sushi giveaway. My mouth is just watering thinking about that delicious Deluxe Sushi Platter!

Scanning through the entries, it looks like the ever-popular California Rolls are a universal hit. What is it about the combination of a few, relatively unremarkable ingredients, that come together so well when rolled with love?

As a reminder, up for grabs is a Bento prize pack, including a deluxe sushi platter, cooler and Bento jacket (value $125)!

Sharpen those chopsticks… the winner is Blue Sapphire! Congratulations!

Blue Sapphire’s three picks are Spicy California roll, Spicy Salmon roll and Mega Maki Platter. Sounds yummy to me!

Please send me an e-mail so that I may coordinate distribution of your prize. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Bento Sushi!

Lena Loves… Bento Sushi

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Back when we were dating, hubby and I officially declared Friday night as “Sushi Night“. We’d visit our favourite Japanese restaurants, grab a delectable takeout spread and a movie rental, or try our hand at rolling our own (I think we tried this once and failed miserably; although I usually fail to mention this when I say “oh yeah, I can make homemade maki”).

We continued this tradition when we were married, but all too soon I was pregnant with Ryder and had to say bye-bye to my beloved sushi. But as soon as the morning sickness faded, I developed insatiable cravings for the fresh little cubes of seafood goodness. Then one fine day, while grocery shopping at Loblaws, Mike stopped by the Bento counter and said, “Surely you can eat California rolls?” And that, my friends, was a poignant moment in time – for me it signaled the beginning of weekly (or more) Bento fixes, and for Mike – well, let’s just say that someone had to grab the yummy rolls at 10:58pm.

Today, I’m still hooked. Fresh, convenient and always delicious, Bento products are the answer to sushi on demand.

“As the largest sushi company in Canada, Bento serves more than 10 million handmade servings of sushi per year through a network of 22 quick service ‘grab and go’ sushi bars in premier shopping malls and office towers; more than 350 on-site sushi bars in quality supermarkets and more than 2,000 supermarket and institutional food service locations. The brands which the company’s products are known by include: Bento, Bento Express and Bento Sushi.”

Click here to view Bento products.

Recently, Bento celebrated its 15th anniversary and delivered on its promise to become the first sustainable sushi company in the country. Working in partnership with the SeaChoice program, Bento plans to supply only sustainable seafood by 2012.

“We want our customers to have an authentic, nutritious, and safe sushi experience that supports healthy oceans,” says Carl Sparkes, President and CEO of Bento. “Our mission is to deliver great sustainable sushi to Canadians anywhere, anytime.”

What is SeaChoice?

SeaChoice is a joint initiative of the the David Suzuki Foundation, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Ecology Action Centre, Living Oceans Society and Sierra Club British Columbia. Bento has already switched 65 per cent of its product offering to sustainable fish and seafood. It has also replaced its unsustainable red-listed tuna with sustainable troll-caught Albacore tuna from the Pacific Northwest. SeaChoice labels will appear on Bento products that meet sustainability criteria and have been ranked by SeaChoice through science-based assessments.

Love it. A company that produces delicious, high quality food while keeping a conscience. It’s vitally important for us to consider the impact we have on our oceans and the (often yummy) species that live in them – isn’t it wonderful to know that you have a choice? And that Bento makes it easy to make the right one?

To celebrate their partnership and quest for “healthy choices, healthy oceans”, Bento made a most welcome delivery to our home last week – three party boats packed with delectable Salmon Sushi, California Rolls and Assorted Maki! 

We sat down with friends, cracked open the sake and enjoyed fresh, beyond tasty food which Bento is famous for. I am constantly amazed at the quality of both the seafood and trimmings, and as expected, their traditionally generous portions and bright, bold flavours were appreciated by all. Thanks Bento!
BUY IT!
With more than 2,000 locations across Canada, you can enjoy Bento sushi… RIGHT NOW. Seriously, yummy sushi is at your fingertips. And even though my pregnancy cravings are over, Bento’s 2 for $10 California rolls are our snack of choice, and a ” must grab” on every grocery run!

WIN IT!

Now you know I wouldn’t just tease you with all this delicious food, right? Bento has generously offered one Listen to Lena! reader the chance to win a Bento prize pack, including a deluxe sushi platter, cooler and Bento jacket (value $125)!


To enter, simply visit Bento online and pick out three (3) of your favourite products – then leave a comment here, telling us what they are.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment for each. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena!
(3) Tweet about this giveaway (tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/2cknsg6)
(4) You may Tweet daily.


I’ll be drawing for a winner on Monday, December 13th – lots of time for the winner to wow guests at holiday parties! Good luck everybody!