Bento Lunch Box #13

Lucky number 13! I made the best homemade mac and cheese tonight, so although Melanie says she's "on a diet" this bento lunch is filled with mac and cheese and a brownie for dessert. Yum! I soaked the apples in lemon juice and water so we'll see if that holds their color. I decorated the mac and cheese with ham cut into flowers with lettuce centers. I just use a hole punch to make the lettuce circles. I bought letter bento cutters from TJ Maxx today. Only $4.99!!! Thanks Nana for my gift card. xxoo

Bento Lunch Box #12

Ah, leftovers. The bottom of this bento lunch features a bed of brown rice with chicken and garden vegetables on top. Decorated with sesame seeds.

The top of the bento box is the best part! Shortbread cookies with a little box of Nutella, Hello Kitty marshmallow, and blueberries with sugar. I'm not sure why this picture seems grainy to me (no pun intended!). I just can't seem to get the camera focused....

Bento Snack Idea

I am doomed! It is 8:00 am and I am soooo tired! How the hell am I going to drag myself out of bed at 6:00 am in two weeks when school starts?! I need to formulate a bento plan for the night before. This bento snack box is seriously lacking in cuteness!

Whole wheat pretzel sticks, grapes, and little apple trapezoids. Also a fantastic Mango juice box. Healthy bento!

Bento #11

This is a pretty healthy bento box for Melanie! Ham and cheese sandwich on 12 grain bread. Blueberries (we have about 1000 of them in the freezer from blueberry picking last month!) with sprinkles. Naturlich. Pastel colored Onigiri. Cherry tomatoes from the garden and a cauliflower tree.

Now I am off to a PTO meeting I completely forgot about! How many new Moms will I meet tonight wearing jeans (forgot to shave my legs. For a month.) no makeup and ponytail. Yeesh.

Bento #10

Ethan (my 10 year old) starts Camp Quill today!! It's a writing camp taught by journalist Meg Ferrante. I think he's a little nervous about making new friends so I packed him a special snack! Sour Cream and Butter Biscuit, grapes, and bunny egg. Hmmm...nothing says "Beat me up." like a bunny egg from your Mom....... Maybe I'll put something manlier in it's place.....

Sour Cream and Butter Biscuits

This recipe is the only reason I even have Self-rising flour!

2 sticks butter at room temp.
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the flour and butter together; add the sur cream and blend well. Place spoonfuls of the batter in greased mini muffin pans. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden.

Bento #9

Charge up those defibrillators! This yummy Bento for Melanie's Monday Lunch contains my favorite biscuit recipe: Sour Cream and Butter Biscuits! Also stashed in there is a Reuben Sandwich made with leftover corned beef and cabbage. Some baby carrots that were cooked with the corned beef. Grapes. And a salad with Sesame Ginger dressing. Tad got the same exact Bento.

Also I have been practicing my camera work! Let me know how I'm doing!

Bento #8

Mandi is coming over to babysit the girls tomorrow so I decided to surprise them with a special lunch! These Onigiri ladybugs were SO easy to make!! I got the recipe and idea from Yum Yum Bento Book. All it is, is sushi rice with a little salt (no rice vinegar). You put a dollop on some Saran wrap and shape it into a ball. Think of the possibilities!! I also made some pizza rolls out of flour tortilla, cheddar, pizza sauce, and pepperoni. Flower shaped carrots, an egg in the corner (it's hard to see!), some chicken and broccoli casserole, and edamame to make it look pretty and for some extra "green".
You can buy Yum Yum Bento Book from Amazon or you can try to win it at Maisie Eats Bento.

Bento #7

This one was a challenge. I had to come up with something quick because I was tired. So no cute animals today! After I fixed the meatballs with pizza sauce (in the box), I remembered one of the biggest "rules" of Bento boxes is keeping them colorful, therefore healthier. So I whipped up some rolls with flour tortillas, broccoli, red peppers, and medium cheddar. Perfecta! Boiled egg which I colored in with food coloring, carrot sticks and medallions (you can't see the sticks), and a Hello Kitty marshmallow treat.

Bento #6

Healthy and scrumptious Dumplings!! Pork and cabbage dumplings with spicy sauce in the Panda. (It's just chili oil mixed with soy sauce!) Brown rice with ham teddy bears. Broccoli and heart shaped sharp cheddar. Melanie will squeal with delight when she's sees the new Bento box it's in! I bought it from icecreamdrops.highwire.com. Killer prices!!

My First Dumplings!

OK! I had a major success today! I was able to make Chinese dumplings with more than half of them coming out properly and they were DELICIOUS!
This recipe made about 70 dumplings and I was able to get everything at the local grocery store.

I cheated and bought premade dumpling skins. It probably saved me about two hours worth of work.

You need a Dumpling press (if you have one), egg white wash, steam basket.


Filling:

• 1 head of cabbage, blanched, and cut up small
  
• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 Tbl green onions
• 1 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbl soy sauce
  
• 1 Tbl Rice wine (I used Rice Vinegar)
• 1 Tbl Dry Sherry (I used Cream Sherry >hic<)
• 2 tsp Sesame oil

Mix the filling ingredients together.


Swipe a little egg wash on one edge of your dumpling skin.









Then put about 1/2 Tbl in the middle of your dumpling skin.











Fold your circle in half and gently press. If you don't have a dumpling press, pinch hard and crimp your dumpling together.











If you do have a dumpling press (they sell for $1 online) use it to crimp your edges together.








Then steam in a bamboo basket or metal steamer for 12 minutes.

Bento Book Giveaway!!

One of my favorite bento blogs is Maisie Eats Bento. This week Maisie's Mom is having a giveaway for one of my favorite Bento recipe books! Go to her website to sign up!

Bento #5

Melanie and Tad got the same Bento today so I'm just showing one. I made California rolls and sushi rolls with smoked salmon and cream cheese. In pastel colors of course! Kawaii!! Cucumber, cherry tomato, and carrot salad. Edamame on picks. For dessert strawberries with powdered sugar, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles. The little box has Wasabi horseradish sauce (blech!) and of course mini animal filled with soy sauce.