Bento (67) - Chickie Surprise

So I actually made these bentos early this week and I've been a horrible horrible person and procrastinated posting the pictures. Okay - truth be told, my teeth still ache from the dentist, and thinking about food hurts . . . so it's put a slight cramp in my bento style.

Goose had quail egg chickies with soumen swirl nests (topped with corn), strawberry/kiwi salad, and potato chips . . . because sometimes at 7:45 - creativity fails me. I added stirfry veggies to the corner - and he actually ate everything (except the green beans . . . and the red pepper). My bento and T.'s bento were roughly the same . . . with the addition of marinated beef in sweet soy broth instead of potato chips.


I'm actually getting pretty fast at making chickies! And I didn't cut myself or anything! Hooray!

Bento (66) - Beef and Burdock Riceball Potluck!

Presenting - my first attempt at filling a box larger than the usual one-serving bento box! Taa daa! Beef and Burdock Riceballs with apple bunnies! Actually, I had fully intended to just make the riceballs . . . but when I put them in the lacquered box they looked so . . . lonely. So I figured I'd add lettuce (which could also serve as little "plates" and a great way to grab your riceball without contaminating the rest . . .). And then I added apple bunnies and apple flowers for color . . . and then the stir-fry bag had somehow magically appeared out of my freezer (seriously - I have no memory of pulling it out) - and before I knew it, I was happily arranging carrots and baby corns and water chestnuts and peas and . . .

What can I say? It's a sickness. Some might call it an obsession. HA HA HA ha ha ha. (Are you laughing with me . . . or at me?!) >.< Regardless . . . I think it turned out well!

Bento (65) - Fun with Fishcake 2

Naruto was actually a pretty big hit with the boys . . . so I decided to try a fried noodle bento with naruto toppers. And jalapeno poppers . . . because they're yummy! (Though now there is a good argument that my bento is no longer healthy once I fill it with fried cream cheese balls. LOL!).

The red sauce container has soumen sauce for the noodles . . . I realized too late that I didn't have any udon sauce! (I have rectified that error by making a trip to the Pacific Mercantile today). The fried udon noodles have onion and carrot stir-fried in, and a little soumen sauce cooked in as well. The green fruit is kiwi. Overall - a simple, but delicious bento!

I wasn't going to make Goose a bento, but when he saw me loading in the noodles, he started dancing around the kitchen and asking if he could have some too. How could I say no? So I frantically washed his bento box . . . which had been . . . er . . . soaking in the sink - and threw in an egg for some extra protein.

I also took a picture with the lid on just for fun . . . and then when I placed it in Goose's insulated lunch box, I realized I had packed T.'s bento for Goose . . . and Goose's *smaller* box was sitting, nice and clean, on the shelf. So my little man had an adult-sized meal today! LOL!

And I've discovered that I LOVE udon noodles. I have to be careful when I'm ordering out because one of the commonly used spices (I think dashi/fish spice) violently disagrees with my system . . . and most of the time, udon dishes seem to have dashi . . . . so this was my first experience with eating a reasonable quantity of udon.

Bento (64) - Purple Pickled Veggies

Apparently I was still in an experimental mood . . . I recently found some purple pickled vegetables at the Pacific Mercantile - and thought I would give them a try. They taste . . . more salty than vinegary. Hard to explain - but yummy! I used them to surround my fishy egg.

Today's bento was truly a last-minute thrown together from leftovers bento - which turned out surprisingly well! The fishy egg is accompanied by apple/sweet potato salad, and the bottom level was rice, naruto, a commercial heart-shaped jelly, and a smattering of peas because . . . well . . . I can't take that much rice without mixing in some veggies for flavor.

Bento (63) - Fun with Fishcake

Today was apparently experimental bento day. I tried adding some Naruto fish cake . . . and jalapeno poppers. What a combo! LOL!

Top level is the poppers and apple/sweet potato salad. Bottom level is rice, naruto, a commercial heart jelly, and a smattering of vegetables from a frozen stir fry bag. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out to raid the stir fry bag when I need some pre-prepared veggies! The panda is, as usual, holding dumpling sauce instead of soy.

T.'s bento was very similar - except he has a lovely car boiled egg and blackberries instead of stir fry veggies. And a pink bunny . . . because it amuses me.

I reheated two of my poppers and left the other two cold. They are definitely better warm - but were edible both ways. I'll definitely keep them on my bento ingredient list!

Bento (62) - Free Form Bento 2

I felt it necessary to make something extra cute for Goose today. It either turned out cute. Or freaky. Or freakishly cute. You decide.

Left hand side is blackberries and a commercial fruit jelly. White portion is a PB&J sandwich which I used a cookie cutter on for the flower shape. The eyes are blackberry cuts inside carrot "glasses" and the mouth is a red pepper. For the right hand side, I did egg drops (scrambled eggs with corn mixed in) and topped it with a ketchup "flower" . . . . that didn't come out as clean as I wanted . . . but ::shrug:: I tried. The lower right corner is carrot stars and tomatoes.

Bento (61) - Peanut Butter and Jelly Bits

Today Goose got an all-American bento - PB&J, Cheetos, and blackberries/grapes (okay - maybe it's un-American to send your kid to school with actual fruit . . . it should have been some sort of processed fruit roll-up or something.) This bento was much more popular than carrot sticks. Imagine that :P :P :P.

And yesterday I did a standard 5-minute blue kitty bento (which I should stop posting, because they all look the same - but they're so darn cute!). And I nearly lost a kitty down the garbage disposal at work. There are very few things that I am willing to stick my hand down a garbage disposal for . . . .blue kitties qualify! And I was lucky - he hadn't made it down the drain, so now he is safe and sound at home.

Bento (60) - Blackberries and Vinegar

Okay - not really. But I did have a bento disaster today, when one of my blackberries plunged off my fork and landed dead-center in my triangle sauce holder - filled with walnut/basalmic vinegar salad dressing. That was an interesting flavor combination - boy howdy.

I think the kung pao chicken in the bottom tier needed a food pick for added cuteness, but other than that, I was very pleased with this bento. The top level is blackberry/swiss cheese flowers and a salad which consisted of a green lettuce divider, three tomatos, and carrot sticks. I'm still working out the best way to cut carrot sticks. The green triangle held the above-mentioned salad dressing. And just in case you were ever curious - it would hold one blackberry quite neatly.

T.'s bento was almost identical . . . minus the tomatos, since T. HATES tomatos. I couldn't even "contaminate" his top level with a whole tomato for color. :P :P :P

When I picked him up from school, Goose informed me he ate the chicken and the blackberries. But not the carrots. Because he HATES carrots. I said "That's why mommy gave you ranch to dip the carrots in." To which he replied "I didn't want the carrots OR THE RANCH!" Well then. Silly mommy.