Monday Already?

Well, I was sick on Friday and didn't feel well through much of the weekend. Rallied enough to actually cook dinner on Sunday - after procuring and putting up a Christmas tree! Anyway, I made a skillet lasagna with an eye towards leftovers. Veronica really liked it, so (predictably) it has made an appearance this morning in the bento.She also has a salad, two mini chocolate chip muffins, and some apple slices. She should be pretty happy with this I hope. The skillet lasagna was easy and healthy - Miranda told me it should become a regular in our dinner rotation so I was happy.

A Garden of . . . Ham?

Today Veronica has a ham sandwich. Thanks to my friend PJ, I cut them into little ham sandwich flowers on a bed of salad. In the other tier, she has a pickle, pineapple, two itsy bitty candy bars, and the ubiquitous Hot and Spicy Cheese Its. The rectangular container has her bacon bits and sunflower seeds for the salad; the salad dressing is in the little green bird container. And so it is, lunch.

Bento Moments of Zen

Have been having a craptacular few weeks personally; but, I have noticed that bento preparation is remarkably therapeutic when I actually make the time to do it. Today Veronica took some left-over steak on a bed of fresh rice (love, love, love my rice maker with a timer.) She also took a salad - because she loves her salads), some Hot and Spicy Cheese Its, and a Hello Kitty sidecar with some fresh pineapple.
I think just the fiddling with small things - choosing which box fits a particular meal, which containers, picks, etc complement everything, what balance out the meal with . . . ) all serve as a lovely distraction from other crap in life. That is all I have to say about that. Bento = cheaper than therapy.

Posting Again

Okay, so it has been weeks and I apologize - especially to those who keep mentioning my delinquency. The girls both bought their lunch today, so I was the only bento bringer. I thawed out some frozen peas and made a quick green pea salad, threw in the half of a pork chop from last night, some cauliflower and fruit and voila! Lunch is ready. It isn't thrilling, but it is kind of pretty and healthy.

Just Bento

There is a great post about the philosophy and practice of bento over at Just Bento. Maki discusses what bento is, talks a little about the art of charaben (the very decorative, elaborate bentos) and about making a box lunch. If you are interested in bento at all, I recommend looking this over. This site is a great reference and a fun read.

Bento and Distraction

I have been making bento lunches right along, but having time to take pictures has been problematic. This has been a weird couple of weeks, but I am back now. Here is a picture of just one distraction that occurred - her name is Luna and she joins Chloe, Sandy, Maggie, and Linus at our house.

 I love all the little fun things that set bento apart from a boring lunch. I took a quick photo this morning of some of the fun little touches that can go into a bento to make it a little more decorative with no real effort (Cause little effort is important on a busy morning, and aren't they all busy mornings?)

Here are some picks of various sizes and shapes - including my newest acquisitions the pandas and the mini forks. Also pictured are a few sauce/dip holders. These are lots of fun and perky to put in a bento.

And Veronica's bento for today is a quick one. I put the chicken in the toaster oven just before I hopped in the shower; took it out shortly thereafter so it could cool - critical to put things in a bento after they cool!

So she has chicken nuggets, carrots and ranch, strawberries, ketchup (in the blue), Hot and Spicy Cheese Its, and a few Teddy Grahams. Not a lot of prep time, but she will eat it and I managed to use the little fork picks that I just got.

Minor Distraction Monday

     A little distracted today by the appearance of a tiny stray cat in my driveway. She is at the vet now and will become a member of the (ever growing) family of cats that live with us.
So on to the bento. Veronica is taking one of the larger Hakoya boxes today. She needs it because she is taking leftover pizza. The bottom tier is large enough to accomadate the bulky pizza (two slices cut in half and arranged to fill the whole tier. She has some fruit and green salad in the top. Also, she has come to love the Light My Fire brand spork that you see here.

For me, I ended up eating lunch at the Indian buffet - a VERY kind PJ took me out to celebrate(?) my craziness in taking in another cat. So I stuck this bento in the fridge at work and will have it tomorrow. In the top tier, I have pasta salad and grapes. In the bottom tier, strawberries and a green salad with blue cheese. Yum, tomorrow will be tasty. Also, I really like this Hakoya box, it is the only bento box I have seen that has a little plate included. How useful is it? Occasionally very, but most importantly, it is really cute.

Give-Aways and Left-overs

One of the bento blogs I like to follow has a give-away going on. Cruise on over to Not Exactly Bento for a chance at chocolate and bentos! This is a nice blog to just look around and get some fun info and tips.

Today, Veronica took a hodge podge of stuff in the jaunty banana bento. She has hummus with garlic pita chips, tiny pbj sandwich stars (thank you Pj for the cutters!), a green salad, and a spot of tuna. In the lid, she has a few candy corns for color. This again points to the thrifty fun of bento. Everything here is just a bit or a dab. In the bento, it is a fun, tiny smorgasbord. You can have a lot of fun and use up all the little things left in the fridge putting together a healthy lunch. I do sometimes make actual food for bentos, but a lot of the time I don't.

Leftovers Again

My bentos feature left-overs quite a lot. This led me to buy a couple of Obento Ms. Bentos. Today Veronica took one of these. It has a small thermal container (with Chicken Lo Mein), and two small non insulated containers (with fruit and salad.) This is a cute presentation and it does a nice job of keeping the Lo Mein warm until she eats it.

Welcome Ruth and the Strawberry Bento

My guest bento blogger today is Ruth. She goes to school with Vanessa, K, and Veronica (they all range in grades from 1st through 8th). This is the first bento box for Ruth. Clockwise from top left it contains: chocolate, tune salad, a sliced peach, crackers. Thank you Miria and Ruth for sharing. I look forward to future bento pictures!

This brings the total of girls at school bringing bento to five. (Out of 190 students, that's not bad. We are slowly taking over one bento at a time.)

Vanessa's Bunny Bento

All of the kids are on Fall Break right now, but Angelina just got me pictures (after some technical difficulties) of Vanessa's new Bunny Bento Box. This is tied with the Froggie bento for my favorite.

Vanessa's bento from Tuesday. Chicken nuggets, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes, and peaches. Bunny and cat cups with bunny and turtle picks. Vanessa is the tiniest, cutest 6 year old you could hope to meet and the Bunny is the perfect bento for her. Thanks Angelina!

The bunny is ready to go.

 

Bananas for Veronica

Today Veronica got her hands on the new banana bento. She also brought the utensil set even though everything she has is finger food. She has taquitos, salsa and cheese dip (in the blue containers), cauliflower with ranch dressing (yellow container), grapes, and Hot and Spicy Cheese Its (just enough room under the lid.)

I hear Ruth has a strawberry bento bako now. I am waiting to see pictures of her lunches and will share them of course. Also I am hoping Vanessa gets well soon so we can see her new bunny bento. She has been waiting to get to use it but then got sick and isn't at school. Get well soon Vanessa!

And It All Matches!

Today I am bringing my all new, YELLOW, Putifresh bento set - thanks again Angelina! You can see the box, utensils, and contents below. In the top tier I have a crudites (carrot, celery, and cauliflower), the one chicken nugget that didn't fit in Veronica's lunch, and some baked potato. In the bottom tier,  I have grape tomatoes, sun dried tomato hummus, pita chips, and a little ranch dressing.

And here is the bento packed in the MATCHING banana bag. Too very cute. And Veronica has dibs on it for tomorrow.

Veronica's lunch today is in the giraffe on tiptoe bento. In the top tier, she has some strawberries and cauliflower, and two small containers - ketchup and ranch dressing. In the bottom tier, she has chicken nuggets (with some of my new food picks - a giraffe and a bear), some chocolate cat shaped cookies, and some baked potato. I did the chicken and baked potato this morning first thing - thanks to the microwave and toaster oven. You just need to be sure to let things cool completely before you seal up the bento.

Angelina Saves the Day

Miranda is still sick today. I am tired and a little under the weather. After a false start involving meatballs (that emerged from the microwave a disgusting mess), I shoved $3 at Veronica and told her to buy lunch. Fortunately, Angelina did not fall down on the job and she brought pictures.

As an aside, she also brought me a lovely Putifresh bento set. It was complete with the cheerful yellow banana themed bento box, matching cutlery, a matching belt, and the cutest matching bag. Did I mention it all matches? I will pack and photograph tomorrow. Friends are a wonderful thing! Thanks so much Angelina.

Now for her lunch. In the bottom tier are radishes and Twice Baked Mini Potato Dauphinoise (I'll be needing the recipe!) In the top tier are cherry tomatoes, green salad, and peanut M&Ms. Yum!

One Lunch Wednesday

Miranda is home sick; I will be going home to check on her and grab lunch at home then, so for today, Veronica is the only bento. Today is just a sandwich (crust removed with a heart shaped cutter), fruit, carrots and dressing, and granola bites.

I am waiting for pictures from Angelina and then will post her lunch.

Back to Bento

Today, it is with heavy heart that I finally come to grips with the fact that Miranda's pink bird bento box is gone. It was stolen at school. Who knew? With that, I welcome Miranda's new bento - a happy panda. I am not showing the lunch because it never (or very seldom) varies. Inside are a sandwich, grapes, and cheese. She pretty much uses the same box everyday because it is tiny and sturdy enough to fit (and now stay) in her purse. No more lockers for the bento box.

Veronica is taking her Froggie bento today. She has leftover Italian chicken fingers, potato sticks, grapes, some chocolate granola clusters and a salad. Ketchup, salad dressing, bacon bits, and sunflower seeds are in the various little containers.

Today's Bento . . . Isn't!

As much as I love the bento (and I really do), some days I need more room. Today I wanted to bring in half of a Newk's Mediterranean Personal Pizza (I ate the other half yesterday at lunch.) Bento boxes just don't accommodate leftover pizza, so I turned to India and reached for my Tiffin. A Tiffin is a stainless steel container with clips that hold the tiers together. I have a two tiered Tiffin, but have seen three and even five tiers.
So with no further ado, here is my Tiffin and the contents: a salad and my leftover pizza.

Another Day, Another Guest

Today in our guest spot, we welcome Angelina and her new Froggie bento box. This is one of the cutest I've seen; Veronica also has this box and loves it's cheerful expression. Angelina has chicken pot pie in the top tier and a green salad in half of the bottom tier. The other half of the bottom tier has cut up tomatoes and avocados. This is only the second time Angelina has packed a bento (yesterday being the first.) There seem to be two kinds of reactions to bento - some people look at you like you are ever so daft, and some people want a cute tiny lunch box of their own. Angelina is my kind of people.

Also, thanks to Chris (Angelina's husband and photographer) for capturing my favorite bento box picture ever:

Guest Spot Tuesday

Today my friend PJ sent me photos of bentos she made for her daughter - one this morning and one from yesterday. Her daughter has a "My Neighbor Totoro" bento. It comes with three tiers and is absolutely beautiful. Below are two of her recent lunches. She has a peanut butter and honey sandwich on homemade bread, carrots (in one) and salad (in the other), chips, and a doughnut hole. You can also just see the penguin dressing container peeking out of both. This is such a nice and waste free way to pack a kid's lunch - and her daughter loves taking the bento - the cute factor cannot be denied.

 

Thanks so much PJ for the pictures. I hope Veronica doesn't get too jealous of the Totoro bento once she sees it. Now I just need to get Angelina to give me a picture of her new Froggie bento box and its contents!

Another Monday, Another Bento

Sunday night, I made some potato oyaki (potato dumpling with soboro filling). Veronica and I each took one and I froze the others that didn't get eaten out of the skillet. Veronica's bento is oyaki, turkey and cheddar skewers, grapes, sliced pickles, and a salad. Mine is oyaki, pasta/tuna salad, green salad, grapes, and apple slices. Viva bento.

Veronica's bento box has cute kitties and it is a self latching box that does not need a belt. I love this one.

Bento Funny

One of my very favorite things about bento boxes is the visual presentation. I love opening the box and having a pretty, tiny feast; but I also just love the boxes themselves. Some are beautiful; some are cute; and some have the funniest sayings on them. They perk my day up so much when I use them.

Only had two to pack today. Mine is in a set of Tomo Tomo boxes. I love these little boxes. The saying on each box is: "Let's enjoy a time with me."

My lunch is some chicken/prosciutto tortellini, peas, some pasta sauce, apples, and grapes. 

 

Veronica took the Baby Zoo bento that has my very favorite inscription: "Today is a memorial day. The friend is a treasure of the life! The smile of the friends becomes my smile. The people of the around us let us smile, too." How can you not smile at that! I can't help but laugh every time. 

Her lunch today is a sidecar with strawberries, grapes, and apple slices and in the main box, tuna, a green salad, and some saltine crackers. She also has two pickle slices and her bambu spork under the lid. Remember bento is all about a lot of different tastes, but not huge amounts of any one thing.

Make an Effort Monday

I was somewhat motivated Sunday night, so I did a lot of prep work and packed bentos for Miranda, Veronica and I. I threw together a pasta salad that had Miranda's interest and she asked to take some instead of her ubiquitous peanut butter sandwich.
So Miranda's bento was pasta salad, grapes, strawberries, and a mini Snickers bar that I snuck in and she probably won't eat. It is in her traditional box. It is pink and bears the legend: "Bonjour les fleurs! Les deux oiseaux volent toujours ensemble, Que nous passions une bonne journee!"

 

  

Veronica took a mini shepherds pie I popped out of the freezer and cooked the night before, some salad (dressing in the blue case, sunflower seeds and bacon bits in the little green container),grapes and strawberries. The box is one of my favorites because is says: "Dolphins are the warm hearted guides to the masic world." We don't know what the masic world is, but we're glad dolphins can take us there.

Finally, my lunch was three shumai, soy sauce, strawberries, some pasta salad, a little hot mustard (in the yellow container),and a green salad (with a little cheddar cheese and sunflower seeds). This box is a Hakoya brand box - very elegant and simple. I like it a lot.

Meat and Potatoes Tuesday

The day after Labor Day brings us some leftover steak and baked potato. Veronica has this and some grapes, ketchup(little blue cup), and carrots with ranch dressing (in the other cup.) The bento is a new one that reflects (in an odd way), Veronica's interest in marine biology.

 

So, on a hectic morning I did manage to get three bentos made up and out the door. (I also managed to get the three of us out the door WITH bentos in hand.) The sidecar is full of chocolate cat shaped cookies for Veronica.

Slap Dash Wednesday

I have been coming down with something (a cold or whatever) so my energy level is low. The result is the following slapped together bento. Bottom tier: two hard boiled eggs, ranch dressing with carrots and lettuce for a salad. Top tier: strawberries, Hot and Spicy Cheez Its, cat shaped cookies, and a little container with bacon bits and sunflower seeds for the salad. In the bottom picture, the little monkey is a salt shaker for the eggs.