Bento (87) - Jalapeno Poppers and Pot Roast

Desperation bento!!! Top level is strawberry/blackberry salad with jalapeno poppers (cut in half). Bottom level is pot roast with a side of rice and a pickled plum. Not sure how the flavor combination was on this one . . . but it certainly was filling!


Goose just graduated Kindergarten and I've almost completed my personal writing challenge (30,000 words in the month of May) - so with any luck, you'll see an increase in my bento output over the summer. Then again . . . warm weather, lazy days, long walks, and playing with Goose might actually mean a decrease! LOL! We'll have to see how it goes.

Bento (87) - Lasagna Leftovers

Yet another bento pulled together from random leftovers. I sliced the lasagna square in half and filled the gap with peas to make it a little more decorative. Top right is strawberry and blackberry salad. Bottom right is . . . vanilla pudding with a pickled plum (and a silicone cupcake holder to keep the flavors from mixing . . . because . . . because . . . ewww!).

Bento (86) - Blue Kitties Explore Frozen Rice

I've never been sure if freezing rice actually works. Part of me harbored the suspicion that when you unfreeze it, it retains some sort of undercooked texture. But today I took a deep breath, opened the freezer, and pulled out my experimental frozen rice.

Much to my surprise, the thawed out rice was wonderfully soft and still flavorful. YAY! Next time I make a batch of rice, I'll have to put it in 1-2 serving size ziploc bags. The rest of the bento is tangy chicken, lettuce divider, strawberry/blackberry salad, and peas and corn as toppers.

Bento (85) - Mochi Chicks

And . . . fun with mochi continues! The left is a frozen Jams PB&J (and the most attractive presentation I've come up with for this yet! YAY!). Top right are two quail egg chicks sitting on corn and peas, and half a MOCHI! Lower right is two frozen cherries floating in yogurt. Oddly enough, Goose didn't touch the yogurt . . . hmmmmm.

Bento (84) - Mochi Madness

Today's bento was Pizza Hut leftovers meet soy bunnies and mochi. It's a cross-cultural experience >.< I sliced the mochi in half (mochi is a sticky rice ball stuffed with red beans - for those who aren't familiar with it). The white powder is flour . . . not powdered sugar! My Japanese teacher used to bring mochi in as a special prize. The first four or five times I had it, I wasn't even sure I liked it! Then after graduation I had the worst mochi cravings . . . and no idea where to buy it! Which is why I now indulge in my mochi habit whenever the mood strikes me. Soy bunnies are sitting on peas. Lower right is yogurt topped with banana slices (which have been dipped in lemon juice to keep them white).

My bento was almost the same - except I have Spaghetti Factory noodles instead of Pizza Hut. Now that I'm looking at the picture - I should have added some corn or carrot to the peas for a splash of color. Though that means we would have been yet another 5 minutes late to Goose's school. LOL!.

Bento (83) - A Conglomerate of Leftovers

I would love to take credit for the lovely carrot/raisin/pineapple salad - but it came from Chick-fil-A. :P The rest of the top is filled with a boiled egg, sliced, on a bed of almonds. The lower level is pork lo mein leftovers, accented with edamame and asparagus, and garnished with a slice of naruto style fishcake.