New Bento's for Molly

So sporadically I will post Bento lunches for Molly. I got a ton of new Bento stuff for Christmas so watch for more Bento posts, it's and obsession! First I got the book Yum-Yum Bento Box... I would HIGHLY recommend it! It is a great tool, they have done a really fantastic job explaining things, giving you templates and ideas as well as resources to get more Bento stuff!

I tried a few new things for this Bento, I got two new egg molds so I had to try those out! The book also talks about coloring the eggs to make them fun colors. So I made a little bunny for Molly and dyed it pink! The book also mentioned little dabs of ketchup for rosy cheeks etc. So that is the little dots on the flowers.

Close up of this tier,. her pink bunny egg, grape tomatoes on a penguin pick, celery with peanut butter and two little candies from her Christmas stocking.

This top tier has cottage cheese in a lettuce cup with pineapple chunks, orange slices, underneath the peperoni and cheese flowers.

Daddy benefited by my experiments his lunch was full of fun stuff too!




Yum-Yum Bento Box review: Love this book, I find it very helpful not just in offering great suggestions for places to get bento supplies but also how you can create fun and easy bentos like the pros!
Four Forks!

Lunches Over the Past Week

This was inspired by the left over rice from our chicken stir fry last week. I love doing the onigiri, I don't have the spice packs like I should but she seems to be ok with just using the soy sauce on it, so you have a bear in the top left corner (eyes and mouth made with black food coloring pen) some apple slices and a rabbit onigiri in the top right and then some animal crackers and fruit snacks. Onigiri, or molded rice, is a great thing to do with left over rice especially if you have fun molds like these! See my other post for more details on this fun idea.

This bento was created by dad! I was grading papers all night and was just plain exhausted so daddy volunteered to do lunches, imagine my surprise when this is what he created. Even punched the sandwich with the bento box! Made a face for it and everything! PB&J with sugar eyes a half a grape and a fruit leather mouth. In the other tier grapes, the remaining fruit leather, and fruit snacks.

 

*The other lunches not posted were simple lunches in her lock and lock box that just had some deli meat, cheese, crackers of some sort and some fruit. I really love the lock and lock system for easy little lunches, and you can almost create your own little healthier versions of a lunchable. For my little two year old on the go this is the perfect lunch for her at daycare to nibble on while she plays.

New bentos

Sorry for the lack of posts this week but we have been hit with high humidity and hot weather, at the end of SEPTEMBER! My house has been 80 degrees when I get home after work and I have no been inclined to toil over a hot stove. So we have been having sandwiches and there really is only so many times I can post a picture about that!

The bento below for Molly has some pizza squares, & CSA apple slices on the top tier. On the bottom a few candy pumpkins, goldfish crackers, honey mustard pretzel pieces, carrot slices, and banana chips.

 In this lock and lock box bento we have some turkey pieces underneath the cheese flower cut outs (I think that is turkey underneath there!) and some celery pieces -Miss Molly apparently loved these because they were all gone when I opened it up to clean- some dried fruit medley (banana chips on the bottom, dried mango -Molly thinks these are candy, well honestly Mom kind of told her they were candy which I sort of feel bad about, but they are sweet like candy and I didn't want her eating too many of them. And then apple rings). Rolled out bread with some Nutela, then rolled up and cut into pieces. This was the first time she has ever had Nutela (a personal favorite of mine) and I wasn't there at daycare to really jazz it up for her and imagine my surprise when they were completely uneaten when I went to pick her up. What kid doesn't want to eat Nutela rolls? I then proceeded to get her to try and them and told them they were chocolate. WHOA! Did that change the tune. So needless to say it isn't just in how it is packaged for Molly, it is also how mom sells it.

A couple of bento lunches from this past week.

 I apologize for not writing more often, but with going back to school and all the reform that is taking place I am swamped. It is much easier to keep up with posting every day during the summer, during school not so much. I am still cooking although even I admit not every night, and there are sometimes when we are all so hungry by the time it is finally ready we dig in and I forget to take a picture until it is almost gone, and I am sure you don't want to see eaten food all the time. So even if I am not making dinner I still have to scrounge up lunch items, so Molly's bentos are still going strong here are a couple from this past week.

The top bento has some leftover roast veggies, herbed turkey rolls, cheese squares, and bananas with sprinkles and a little fish pick, the cheese fish has dots of fruit leather and a sugar eye.

This next series of bentos shows Molly's, Mom's, and Dad's lunch for the day. I had a left over package of tortellini that needed to be cooked, after they were strained I mixed them with some jarred sauce, 1/4 of a package of goat cheese, and some fresh basil it was soooo tasty! Starting with Molly's lock and lock system, she has some cheese squares, some carrot sticks and apple slices, pasta, and triscuits.

Mom and dad's lunches were all the same items just a little larger portions.

This last series of photos are for her lunch on Friday, we had slow cooker pulled pork for dinner and then the leftovers for lunch the next day. I used a hot dog bun for Molly's sandwich cut in half, it was just the right size. She also has grapes sitting next to the sandwich in the top tier of her bento box.

On the second tier she has a few candy pumpkins for a treat, goldfish crackers, a slice of cheese, and a few dried apples with a cherry tomato on top.

 Linked to Mingle Mondays, Meet Me Mondays.

Sandwiches and Bento

Since I haven't been feeling that well and we have been away from home I haven't had the opportunity to cook, over the weekend most of my husband's side of the family did all of the cooking so I have very little to share in terms of photos over the  last few days.

This was our dinner last night, as we had a late lunch before leaving the beach house and were not very hungry. It is a turkey and salami sandwich with Munster cheese on a French roll.

Molly's Bento/homemade lunch-able from last week. She ate so many of the carrot coins and even without anything to dip it in! It is rolls of garlic turkey breast, and salami. Triangles of cheese, and triscut crackers.

Today's lunch was bamboo skewers with ham and turkey rolls, heart cheese, and a grape tomato. At the bottom some great pears from our CSA. She also got a few chips in another container not featured here.

Leftover Makeover

I had leftover beef from gyros last night, a TON of CSA veggies so I decided to make a stir fry. I didn't have enough rice to have for dinner and leftovers for lunch...well I had some regular basmati which is our normal go to rice, but not enough, and then I had some brown basmati that I bought randomly when I was perusing the bulk section. I remember I was thinking about how everyone is always talking about brown rice being better for you but I had yet to find one that I actually liked. I decided to give this rice a try, and I also remembered from previous experience that brown rice can be so dry and that I read an article that talked about it taking a lot longer to cook. So I made the pot (I don't ever measure my rice and water... is that bad? I just eyeball it!) of rice and added a bit more rice to it. I then prepared all of my stir fry ingredients and checked the rice, it was even sort of ready. So even though I want to SING it's praises, because oh yes people, it is a brown rice you would LOVE! The downside though is that it takes forever to cook so be prepared.

Beef Stir Fry

1/2 lb leftover flank steak

1 onion thinly sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Cooked rice

1. Stir Fry the veggies and then add the stir fry sauce and sesame oil. Add the meat to heat through.

2. Layer rice first with some soy sauce to taste, then meat and veg on top. DONE! Super fast meal, and a great way to use leftovers!

Molly's Bento for Tuesday (I forgot to take a pic of today's lunch)! Leftover brown rice with some scallions with a little bottle of soy sauce, then some fresh sweet corn from our CSA -needs to be used!- and then on the bottom tier animal crackers, cherry tomatoes (CSA) and then Galea Melon from CSA again with some sprinkles and a pick. We will see how this goes, she generally really likes rice, she ate a lot of her dinner. The sprinkles help to draw her eye and eat more. But she has been shying away from the tomatoes lately -maybe we have ate too many this year already???

Linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, & Tasty Tuesday.

Bento Lunch for Thursday (I think??)

This is the bento I made for Molly on Thursday. Thursday was my official first day of school with students, and then after that horribly long day, full with lots of talking and standing on our feet, I then had back to school night. Friday my kitchen was still a mess from Wednesday's dinner, don't know why that didn't get cleaned up, but it was completely uninspiring to cook when I came home. Then yesterday we had a fantastic party for my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary so I haven't officially cooked since Wednesday? WOW! Anywho, this needed to be posted. I should have had Brian take a photo of Molly's lunch for Friday. I came home and was so exhausted, I sat down for a half hour or so and then said, "Ah man, I still have to make lunches and my feet are killing me!" And what did my darling husband do? He said he could do it! I then said, "Really?" and he said as long as I was good with PB&J he could totally do it. Ahhhhh, sweet bliss! And totally cute!

I had high hopes for this bento, the top half was left over Ragu and papardelle noodles (her daycare lady said Molly tried a bite and said it was, "Spicy." Which is just ridiculous, it wasn't spicy at all and she ate a ton of it the night before! It just goes to show you, I never have any idea what she will like and what she won't. I just give it to her and if she doesn't like it she doesn't like, I just have to remind myself she isn't going to starve!) On the bottom tier was grapes, strawberries and cheese bears (the eyes and mouth are cut outs from fruit leather I stick them on with peanut butter so they don't move around).

Happy 100th Post!!!!

YAY!

I find this very exciting, yet at the same time when you see the RSS followers at only 12 it is a little anticlimactic. I mean I know I have more followers with google friend connect but still, 12 it's a little depressing :-)

Bento Lunch
This was Miss Molly's lunch for today, and I found out that instead of doing a lunch every Friday I now "get to" (and yes I really mean get to) make Molly a fun lunch everyday!

This is Molly's new bento box closed, I have wanted this one FOREVER, and it matches her cute lunch box as well.

She had in the bottom tier two small sandwiches with fruit leather flowers, some cherry tomatoes, and carrot "coins," And in the top container some fantastic Rice and Bean Chipotle Chips from Costco, and some shredded wheat. She ate the whole thing (at daycare they eat all day long so it isn't like she just sits there and eats it in one sitting.) I have to think of snacks and stuff too!

This was her labor day lunch, PB&J with a cheese octopus -notice the breakage in the cheese, it is getting to it's last legs it isn't as pliable anymore (fruit leather spots and smile and sugar candy eyes)! Cherry tomatoes on a pick, and more of those great chips; thanks Grandma Carter for giving us some.

Steakhouse Dinner

For tonight's dinner I finally got to make Steak Diane, with garlic mashed potatoes, and a fabulous salad of mixed greens, pecans, shallots and chunks of goat cheese. The basis for this dinner was supplied by my favorite meal planning site Relish.  I will provide the recipes like always because I have noticed whenever I cook no matter where the recipe comes from I change it to suit my family's needs. This dinner takes me back, I can remember this being one of my mom's favorite things to order when I was younger (wasn't this the one where they would light it on fire at the table?) Relax everyone, this one didn't require a flambe.

Steak Diane

4 beef tenderloin fillets (4-ounces each)

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots , finely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks in butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan and keep warm.

2. Saute shallots in skillet 2 minutes over medium heat. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and Dijon, stirring well 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute more. Serve sauce on top of steaks and top with fresh parsley.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1in chunks
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
 
1. Cut up potatoes, put them in a pot and fill it with cold water, drop in the garlic cloves too!
2. When the potatoes are fork tender, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, strain the remainder of the water.
3. Put the potatoes back into the pot to keep the warm, and proceed to mash and alternate the cooking liquid with mashing until it is the right consistency.
Things to add in to help with texture and taste:
Salt & Pepper to taste
Touch of Milk and/or butter
1-2 tbsp of sour cream/ or plain yogurt
 
Goat Cheese and Pecan Salad
3-4 cups of mixed greens
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Prepared Dressing (for recipe click here)
1. Mix all together in bowl (careful not to "cream" the goat cheese you still want it in chunks)
 
Either my daughter is working up a hunger at daycare playing with her friends, or she really LOVED this dinner, she stayed at the table the whole time and practically cleaned her plate.


Linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, & Tasty Tuesday!

Bento for Back to School Week

Bento for today, left over rice with soy sauce in the little rhino bottle, cherry tomatoes from our CSA on the picks, butterfly cucumbers (CSA), checkered apples (CSA) and galea melon (CSA) I put sprinkles on it last night and then realized I didn't take a picture when it was super fresh and the sprinkles had already started to break down... not to self do it right before she takes off for daycare!

Moms lunch yesterday, half a peach, ranch in the sauce container, peach packed again at the top of the bagel, carrots and snap peas on the side, bagel and cream cheese, homemade granola bar, and cucumbers.

Dads bento for yesterday, PB&J, granola bar, half a peach, carrots cucumbers and snap peas as well (he also had a small container of ranch to dip the veggies in.

Moms bento for Monday, PB&J  carrots, cucumber flowers, and ranch in the sauce container.

Molly's bento for Monday, PB&J fruit leather flowers, cherry tomatoes from our garden on the sticks, checkered apples, cucumbers with ranch in the little rabbit sauce bottle (although I don't recommend putting anything really other than soy sauce in those bottles, thick sauces are hard to get in them.)

New Bento Stuff has Arrived!

I went a little crazy on J-list and bought some fun stuff that I have been wanting for awhile. It came much quicker than I thought it would, I mean honestly it came from Japan on a boat! But it seemed to get here in less than two weeks. I got all sorts of fun picks, a sandwich crimper/sealer (you put your stuff inside and then it seals it shut, I am thinking this would be great for Molly because she doesn't fully understand how to keep a sandwich together), and some silicone cups. Bonus was the fun Japanese newspaper that it was all wrapped up in! There are a few things that I know I bought but haven't arrived yet. So hopefully those are coming soon. But I can't wait to do a lunch for Molly while she is taking a nap. Nor can I wait for school to start back up so I can send her off to daycare on Friday's with a super fun lunch!

The sandwich sealer did a PB&J and you can see two new fun picks.
The flower steams were used with cherry tomatoes (she had 3 refills)
and the giraffe and monkey picks have blueberries. I used a new little
silicone cup for some pretzel balls, and there is a slice of turkey
deli meat for good measure. The only thing left on her plate
was a half of the PB&J and some of the pretzel balls. She ate
everything else, include three helpings on the fun new picks.

I have found that if I put these things on her plate sans pick she
might eat a few, but with the picks they are the first things off the plate.

Retro Bento #2

On the cafeteria tray again! Today we had a 1/4 of a Cinnamon raisin bagel, herbed turkey rolls on picks, tomato with salt & pepper, 1/4 of a carrot with honey mustard dipping sauce, butterflies and tulips cheese cut-outs, and a few remaining pretzels from the bottom of the bag.

**It is amazing to me that even when you think you HAVE to go to the store because you have nothing left to eat that the beauty of these bento style lunches is that it is little nibbles of different things. I think Molly loves the variety, she got excited about the butterflies, loved the tomatoes, ate all of her turkey -first, she loves that turkey!- all of her bagel, she left a little bit of carrot, pretzel, and tomato but overall did very well with her lunch. It is a success! And no need to go to the grocery store after all.

Retro Bento

This weekend my mother in law gave me these old school cafeteria style trays. As soon as I saw them I thought, oh! Those will make a great bento tray! And voila, the bento for today; after my neighbor came over to borrow a bike pump (that we don't have) and rang the doorbell and woke up Miss Molly from her nap. It was a hard day at the garden this morning, let me tell you! She was out for the count super early!

Above from top left clockwise, you see some herb roasted turkey rolls, tortilla chips, homemade salsa, star shaped PB&J, and carrot slivers with honey mustard dip. It looks like a lot, which I was thinking myself as I was making it, but she ate the turkey first (it is apparently her new favorite) then she ate most of the carrots - which surprised even me because she isn't much of a carrot fan, and the dip is a little spicy. Normally she inhales chips and salsa but she apparently thought the salsa was spicy, which is wasn't. And she didn't touch her PB&J, just goes to show you never quite know what they are going to love and/or hate.

Bento #5 (weekend bento)

So we were going on a small trip to go to Camping World; we needed a few things, we had never been, and with all of our upcoming camping trips this summer it seemed like a good idea. If you have never been to a Camping World or Cabella's store let me just tell you, if you like to camp that is, it could be a very dangerous place (meaning you could spend a lot of money there easily). We needed a new camping chair, to replace an older one that was extremely too cumbersome, and some leveling blocks. The new chair is fantastic and sure to be the envy of all at our next camp out this upcoming weekend, it is padded/insulated. It is like all the camping chairs now that fold up but it is more insulated. I am stoked, I don't know about you but my bottom gets cold sitting around when it gets really cold at night here on the Oregon coast (which is were most of our camp outs end up being). My idea was to make Molly a bento to eat on the road on our way down there, it is a good 25 minutes away and we were leaving right at lunch time, however once she saw me making it she had to have it. I have to admit I have been making these things and then sending her off to daycare with them, and I never get to watch her enjoy it -which I now know from experience it is enjoyment, I can definitely use that descriptor word- it was truly great to experience that. When she gets excited at this age she wiggles her little body/bottom sometimes she will even squeeze her hands into fists at about chest level, wiggle the bottom, and say, "Yummy, yummy, yummy." All of these things she did for this bento by the way. It makes me feel good to watch her eat it and enjoy it. Fun!

In this bento, packed in an easy  she has grape tomatoes in the little silicone cup, strawberry and blueberry kabobs on little bamboo picks (I bought these at the dollar store if you can believe it, they had them at Uwajimaya for more money but why not get them at the dollar store! Not to mention that they aren't that sharp so I don't worry about Molly hurting herself when she eats them... and there is something to be said about doing the fruit this way, I know Molly is a good eater but these things were like a beacon to her, she ate them all up before everything else.) I also have butterfly and honeycomb cut out cheese and triscuit crackers. Up at the top a quick trail mix of raw almonds, craisins, and yogurt covered raisins. Down below is a cut up kosher beef hot dog and a cute little Kitty bento pick. I have to work with Molly on using these and knowing that they can't be thrown away over summer vacation. I believe I have already lost a blue dog from this set.

Egg Mold

Second Bento lunch for Molly, remember she only gets her lunch on Friday's for daycare, so I wanted to try a couple of new things as I have been Bento buying happy twice since I have found my new obsession. I am using bamboo picks for the blue berries, and strawberry kabobs. The great thing about using the bamboo picks is that the bottoms of the picks are not super pointy and I am not worried about her hurting her mouth with them. I am also using the little grass separators, those came in a fun box from japan, and wasn't at all what I was expecting when I ordered them but fun all the same. I also tried the egg molds for the first time, and gave Molly the better egg of the two, daddy gets the other one, which I am still excited about regardless. I think the next time I need to put the pointier end of the egg towards the tail instead of towards the lips of the fish. I also made PB&J pocket sandwiches for Molly. She still isn't great with actual sandwiches because she peels them apart and then they just are left forgotten on the side of the plate. So I thought these would be a good thing to try, I will try the infamous pizza pockets next time, and probably do enough for mom and dad as well (I think Brian and myself would like these little calazones/empinadas in our lunches too). And then for good measure because she eats all throughout the day according to her daycare provider, I gave her one of her favorites aka cucumbers and pretzels.