Be My Bento

Bento Catch Up

2011-07-08T11:58:00.002-04:00

Pancake Face for Pancake Sunday

Time has been short of late. My husband and I are trying out some changes to our family's life. One change is that our weekly menus are following a theme per day: Pancake Sunday, Meatless Monday, Yummy Tummy Tuesday, Wokking Wednesday, Tex-Mex Thursday, Pizza Friday, and Grammie's Saturday. Pizza Friday is actually going to become something else though.

We've also been buying produce, meat, eggs, and some dairy at local farms and local farmers markets. We buy certain essentials at the grocery store, but our trips there are far fewer and much more controlled. We are also eating healthier and adding more beans to our diets to compensate for the proteins we used to get from meat. (We've reduced our meat consumption by well over 50%, and we weren't even eating much meat before!) Last week, we only bought a small pack of ground beef from the local dairy farm and 2 chicken leg quarters from a poultry farmer at the farmers market and that did us well in the way of animal protein for our week's menu!

Another change is that my mother and I have started a Health and Fitness blog together in an attempt to live healthier lives. This has benefited us in many ways and is actually part of what finally got me to stop thinking about buying local food, and actually start doing it! My mother has had amazing results with her own endeavors and I'm excessively proud of her!

So here's a post to "Catch Up" on the bentos I've made and ate (that I actually took pictures of).

Peanut noodles w/ peas and sesame seeds
Sweet-n-spicy cabbage w/ cherry tomatoes
Mango pieces w/ blueberries
String cheese

Peanut noodles w/ peas and sesame seeds
Sweet-n-spicy cabbage
Hard boiled egg w/ salt and pepper
Peach
Mango slices

Lentils and rice (w/ veggies) topped with
corn-black bean salsa and chipotle sourcream
An orange

Sour lime pickles, celery and radish slices
White rice w/ garlic scapes, Furikake on the side
"Cherry" made of pickled beets and celery
Pickled beets (snack) and peach

Close up of the pickled "Cherry" bento.

Dill pickle, pickled kielbasa sausages, cherry tomatoes
Stir fried veggie rice w/ seasoned spinach
Four pickled beets

1 stuffed tomato (cut in half, filled w/ GF bread bits,
shredded sharp cheddar, 1 diced smoked lit'l sausage)

2 smoked lit'l sausages, cut into hearts
Carrot sticks w/ bacon-ranch dressing
2 aburaage (fried tofu skins) filled w/ leftover veggie
stir fried rice (carrots, celery, onion, fresh garlic
from the farmers market, seasoned spinach)
1 sour garlic pickle
Kale chips

2 small baked potatoes w/ butter, salt, pepper
Leftover spaghetti
Zucchini sticks
Baechu Kimchi

Bento Lunch: 6/16/11

2011-06-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's bento was very tasty. I didn't eat the fruit for my snack, but did eat the yogurt. I loved how the salad stuffed raw peppers turned out and will be doing that again. I was able to eat them with my hands with no mess, which is always an added bonus on busy days. Even the smoked sausage filled mushrooms were good too, but really, the peppers were fantastic.

Lunch Bento:
4 mushroom caps w/ 1 Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies beef sausage (cut into 4 pieces, inserted into mushroom caps)
3 Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies beef sausages (uncut)
1 salad stuffed green pepper (cut in half and stuffed with leftover salad mixed with grated sharp cheddar and bacon-ranch dressing)
3/4 tomato cut into wedges

Packed Snacks:
Cantaloupe pieces w/ blueberries
Greek Yogurt - Mango or Cherry

Orange

Bento Meals: 5/6/11

2011-05-06T01:23:00.001-04:00

As my previous post mentioned, I am trying to rekindle my interest in eating by cooking foods I tended to enjoy making (and consuming) at my previous apartment. So... without further ado...

Dinner: Bibimbap

Containing:

Poached egg

Seasoned gochujang

Aehobak Namul (recipe: Click Here)

Seasoned ground beef (leftover bland burrito meat w/ bulgogi flavoring added... turned out very well)

Seasoned and sauted veggies (separately: carrots, onions, cucumbers)

White rice

Bento: Bibimbap Lunch

Containing:

Leftover seasoned beef

Leftover Aehobak Namul

Leftover seasoned gochujang

Shredded cabbage and carrots

White rice

Bento: Cucumber NaengGuk Breakfast

For base cucumber naengguk recipe: Click Here

Bento Meals: 5/5/11

2011-05-06T01:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, yet again, since I've posted my bento meals here. Many apologies. We moved in March, so a lot was and still is packed in boxes. We had to find our cameras and are still missing the wires for one of them (our better one, at the time). I did take a few pictures of meals over the past month or two, both bento meals and cute foods. I hope to share them soon.

However, I finally broke down and bought a nice DSL camera. I'm totally and completely in love with it! Finally, I can start getting the types of photos I want! I tend to have a strong love for macro images, so it's nice hanging a camera that can really handle them to the level I desire.

Anyways, here are the first bento images I took with this camera. It was a rush job, just before work, taking just enough time to wipe down the counter. :-p

Breakfast:
Banana LaYogurt
Coffee
Lunch:
2 gluten free burrito halves (my son's leftovers)
Layered - refried beans, burrito meat, raw onion bits, mexican cheese blend, sour cream, and "sweet & hot" peppers

Snack:
Hummus (Tribe 40 Spice)
Celery sticks
"Baby" carrots

I'm really trying to get back into bentoing, if for no other reason than to make sure I eat enough at work. Since my move, I would grab a cup of coffee and maybe a string cheese. I may or may not take a lunch, and if I took one, I may not eat one. I did grab some hummus and a bag of 'baby' carrots to be my lunch for a week, but that didn't settle well for every day as it hurt my stomach. I also had packets of oatmeal that I also picked up. Some days, I would just have tiny pickles with GF crackers and peanut butter. These aren't the worst things to eat, but definitely not the best especially when it was all I'd have for a full day at the office. Combine that with several cups of coffee... just not good. Usually, I'd end up noshing on anything I could the moment I'd get home, my husband making me a pre-dinner omlette a number of times because he's sweet and loving.

Today's full meal plans (yes, I'm counting the yogurt as a full breakfast!) was one of the few I've had at the office for about 2 months! And it's actually pretty nice. Granted, there's an awful lot of protein, but that's fine.

I do want to lose weight, but not by starving my body. Nutrition is very important right now because I'm nursing my daughter and she's just barely starting on pureed foods, so most of her nutrition is coming from me. I hope that a number of my physical ailments will subside by doing this (like the migraines and nausea) while also helping with my grumpiness and melancholy. What is sad, though, is that I've lost interest in food in general. To alleviate this, I am trying to really start cooking again. I haven't done more than just roasting and such since the move... so I bought supplies to start making simple Korean banchans (side dishes) and I'll go from there.

Bento Meals: 2/3/11

2011-02-03T12:32:00.001-05:00

Another semi-quick bento, containing two meals.

Top Tier (lunch)
Shrimp and broccoli cheesy rice
Smoked cheddar weiners
Sugar snap peas

Bottom Tier (breakfast)
Bacon-tomato-cheese omlette
Garlic pan-fried potatoes

Snack - String cheese and an orange

All were tasty, especially the breakfast tier. Will be making the omlette and potatoes again. :-)
The orange was the only survivor in this meal, having been brought home unconsumed.

Bento Meals: 2/1/2011

2011-02-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

Last night, my husband and I tried a new version of a chicken dish my mother has cooked a few times for Sunday dinner. The recipe is called Brown-Sugar BBQ Chicken, and it is delicious. Even my youngest niece and I tried it and loved it, though we were both avoiding chicken at the time.

My idea was to cut the chicken into nuggets, cover them in batter, and fry them. Then we would combine the nuggets with the sauce. Though my husband used a different batter than I intended, the recipe turned out well. Very tasty! We had it with sautéed french green beans and homemade french fries. Delicious!

So, today's lunch bento is made up of the following:

Bottom Tier
Brown-sugar BBQ chicken nuggets
Sautéed french green beans

Top Tier
Onigiri rolls, the rice mixed with furikake
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar snap peas, cut in half

As for my breakfast bento, I made mushroom mini quiches. I had the idea when I woke up. We had a bunch of mushrooms I wanted to use up, but also wanted to make stuffed mushrooms. This fullfilled both needs, in a way.

I removed the stems from the mushrooms and gently scraped out the ribs and placed the caps on a tinfoil lined cookie pan. Then I placed a small piece of cooked bacon in each mushroom, followed by some shredded Monterey Pepper Jack cheese. My husband mixed an egg with a little whole milk, and I spooned this mixture into each mushroom cap, making sure to only fill the caps 1/2 to 1/3 full.

I then put the cookie sheet (with the mushroom caps) into my toaster oven, preheated to 400 degrees. I baked them until they were done, checking every 5 to 10 minutes.

They turned otu great and my husband also enjoyed them. Not sure how my son liked them, as I had to leave for work before he woke up. I definitely plan to make these again, with different variations.

Bento Breakfast: 1/31/2011

2011-02-01T12:24:00.001-05:00

Well, this lunch was not terribly impressive, but was a quick throw together yesterday morning with my son clinging to me, and my husband trying to settle my daughter.

I made a quick Kimbap using leftovers. They were sautéed collard greens cooked with bacon, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and butter.

Even though it was a rush job, the kimbap was tasty and filling. I guess that's all you can ask for sometimes.

Breakfast Fun: 1/30/2011

2011-02-01T12:18:00.003-05:00

I've tried encouraging my son to try different types of food, especially vegetables, while also teaching him that even though he may not like certain items in one form, he may like them in another (like he may not like steamed carrots, but he may like diced carrots in his stir fries). I'm happy to see that he's been more receptive of late. I am also trying to make some of his meals cute, especially with food items he may be hesitant about or may have tried once and wasn't willing to try again. I'm actually impressed by how many things he has been willing to try and even likes (more often than not, anyways). The breakfasts below were inspired by my efforts.

This is the breakfast I made for my son. The star flower was actually inspired by the Sunflower Egg idea I found on Cute Food For Kids. I used small smoked cheddar weiners and a fried egg star mold for the flower, ketchup for the stem, and a sugar snap pea (lightly sautéed and cut diagonally) for the leaves.

He wasn't sure how to eat it, but seemed to like how it looked. When my husband cut it up for him, he gobbled it down. He tried the sugar snap pea, and left only some of the tougher fibers (which he has trouble with for some fruits and vegetables). All in all, a pretty good success.

My husband and I had an omlette seascape. I made basic omlettes with american cheese, sliced mushrooms, and minced garlic inside, topped with a small home-grown scallion. Sliced sugar snap peas, sautéed in in the oils from cooking the weiners, were the sea plants and some mushroom slices (also cooked in the meat oils) were subterrainean rocks. Each plate had one octopus made from smoked cheddar weiners with sour cream eyes. All our meals were delicious, and my son ate some of our mushroom omlettes.

By the way, the bananas a the top of the page were decorated using a tooth pick and a fork tong. All you do is lightly draw your design on using a tooth pick (or fork tong, or whatever else you think may work), and the drawing will show up within a few minutes. The messages on the above bananas were a day or two old. :-)

Finally back!

2011-02-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I last posted here. I can't believe 3 months have already gone by!

The last part of my pregnancy was difficult, but the delivery was surprisingly easy. My daughter is beautiful, though she brought a lot of changes with her, as every new child does. My son adjusted to her and accepted her pretty quickly. He's great with her and I hope this is a sign of how things will be between them.

I returned to work a couple weeks ago, and am slowly readjusting to the schedule. I'm also slowly getting back into putting together bentos.

So... today I hope to post the bentos and fun foods I've made thus far this week. Each will have it's own entry, most likely, so bear with me. I'm still trying to get this blog's new settings.

Bento Meals: 10/6/2010 and prior

2010-10-06T12:13:00.004-04:00

Due to a number of concerns, I'm trying to buckle down on my lunches. This is both for financial improvements, as well as health. See below for the last three I packed (from newest to oldest).

Today: Oct 6, 2010

Lunch Bento
Garlic Shrimp over white rice
Romaine salad with fresh sliced carrots and scallions
Small container of fat-free honey dijon dressing
Side container of homemade mak kimchi.

Tuesday: Oct 5, 2010

Lunch Bento
Garlic Shrimp over white rice (sprinkled with sesame oil)
Romaine salad with shredded cheddar, fresh sliced carrots and scallions
Small container of fat-free honey dijon dressing

Last Wednesday: Sept 29, 2010

Top Tier
Romaine salad
1/2 vine tomato
1/2 kirby cucumber
1 small container fat-free honey dijon dressing

Bottom Tier
Cheeseburger sauce with peas
White rice

Snack
Apple (forget the type)
2 Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses

Bento Meals: 9/21/10

2010-09-21T12:05:00.007-04:00

Last night, I made a lot of bento lunches! One for my son, my husband and myself. A bit of a strain on the back, but it made me feel good to do this for them. I also packed myself a nice breakfast this morning too, though I didn't finish it all. That just means I'll have some extra for tomorrow! :-)

Also, if you didn't know, chili is one of those foods that taste better after it rests. Last night it was okay, but today it was absolutely delicious! Good job, Honey!

Breakfast Bento

Harvest Grits
(grits made with diced apple, minced dried cranberries, a mix of brown sugar and white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, butter, and a dash of salt.)

Lunch Bento

Top Tier (Snack)
GF cornbread (made with yogurt instead of milk)
Miniature apple

Bottom Tier (Lunch)
Cheddar frico (cheese cooked into a crispy chip)
Chili over white rice
American cheese harvest cut-outs
Sweet green peas
3 Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses (I gave one of them to my co-worker)

My son's and husband's lunch bentos were similar to mine, except without the mini apple.

Thoughts on bentoing in my family

2010-09-20T10:28:00.003-04:00

The Sunday before last, my younger brother gave his fiance a nice Zojirushi Mr. Bento Lunch Jar and Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals On The Go (a cookbook for practical foods that are easy to pack into bentos, with little-to-no emphasis on the cute stuff). The package actually arrived on Thursday, when my husband, son, and I routinely visit my mother.

I thought it somewhat neat. I've been working with bentos for over 6 years and got my older sister and mother packing bento lunches as well. My mother even started buying a number of the cute bento box recipe books (having several in her collection and possibly her first repeat purchase of the same title). It's not uncommon for my husband or me to pack a family bento to take over to my mother's house or on trips. We have several different types of containers, ranging from the small cute children's bento boxes (snack and meal) to large picnic tiffin sets. I actually bought a Zojirushi Classic Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lunch Jar (before it was called "Classic") and a cheaper version from another company (which I forget the name of) for when my husband was working as an auditor, which kept him on the road and in remote locations with little chance of stopping for food or heating up what was packed.

I'm left feeling curious why my younger brother suddenly found this an interesting idea. Surely, he's seen my husband and I pack them, but he's expressed no interest. Surely, he's heard my husband, sister, or I talk about them, but again, he's expressed no interest. I asked him if his fiance is into making bento lunches (because she too has not shown anything that would say so, but there's admittedly there's only so much people get to talk about when time is so limited and she doesn't really post much on Facebook). My brother responded that he likes to buy her a new cookbook each year and that she likes asian cuisine. Ah... that explains it. He saw the book, thought it an interesting idea, and bought her a container to go with her. She seemed to think it nifty (my mother also got her compact chopsticks, with a container, that unscrew into four pieces for ease of travel... something I've been wanting for a while because they are pretty cool). Her response to him was, "So, you are going to pack my lunches for me?"

My older brothers were confused by it all, but that's okay. Everyone acted like this was a cool new concept... and I thought, "Wait a second... I've been doing this for years, guys!" But that's okay. Admittedly, even though my family (siblings, parents, etc) are not what you would call "normal", we all have our oddities in different directions. Mine is things like artistic endeavors, bento packing, cooking Asian dishes (mainly Korean), going to steampunk events (and helping create a steampunk larp), and so on. I would say that I don't really fit, because it's true. My brothers have their little grouping of oddities. My oldest sister is the most normal, which actually makes her a bit more odd in our family. My older sister is very heavily into middle eastern and belly dance things. I don't even really know what is considered "normal". The other things is that I tend to be more laid back about the things I'm into... I don't discuss them much because in my mind, they just "are". There's no reason to point out the bento meals or go into details about a particular design of steampunk attire I'm figuring out. I don't bring these things into the limelight. Perhaps it's because I'm somewhat humble, or perhaps I don't see them as all that special because they are normal to me. I don't know. I just know that the reaction to the bento gift to my youngest brother's fiance caught me off-guard.

Bentos are definitely spreading, and it's nice to see it catch the attention of yet another member (and soon-to-be member) of my family.

2010-09-20T09:21:00.008-04:00

Last Wednesday, I went on a Korean food cooking frenzy. My back felt it the next day... very much so. But the food was healthy and delicious. I made:
Mak Kimchee (easy nappa cabbage kimchee)
Galbi ( marinated beef short ribs)
Uhmook Bokkeum (spicy stir-fried fish cakes)
Sigeumchi Namul (seasoned spinach)
Kinpira (japandese sweet seasoned carrots and potatoes)

The bento I ate on Friday (though it was actually intended for Thursday) was made up of a number of the items made.

Top tier
Mak Kimchee
Sigeumchi Namul
Kinpira

Bottom Tier
White Rice with Furikake
Uhmook Bokkeum

I was planning on making some Oi Kimchee (stuffed cucumber kimchee) and Ggakdugi Kimchee (daikon radish kimchee), but was too tired and was still debating some of the recipes I wanted to use.

My husband actually helped with the Mak Kimchee. It didn't turn out quite right, but I was using a new recipe and we used fine ground red pepper powder instead of course ground... which means more pepper powder ended up being used for the same measurement. (Course ground lays in the measuring cup different, allowing more space between the pieces compaired to the fine ground.) I ran into this problem before, but forgot to mention it to dear hubby. I also didn't tell him to add extra ginger root, which is what we like. Oh well. Still is decent kimchee and we got to try new veggies we don't normally use for it.

Also, the Galbi recipe I used definitely needs some tinkering. A korean pear apple or kiwi or some other acidic fruit would have helped tenderize the meat better, but since I was using a new recipe, I figured it would be best to follow it properly.

Bento Meal: 9/9/10

2010-09-09T11:56:00.003-04:00

Yet again, it's been a while since I packed a bento. The week before last, I was in too much pain to be bothered (standing long enough to pack a decent bento would have been too much on my back). Then last week, I had the pains again, but also in the abdomen. Not round ligaments, but from an "Irritablility", as my doctor put it, from not drinking enough fluids. Great. So, I was a bit more focused on other things rather than packing food.

Earlier this week was as follows: Monday was Labor Day, so no need to pack for work. Tuesday, I had a frozen personal size pizza. Wednesday, I had leftovers from taking my hubby out to dinner for his birthday.

But today, I was determined to pack my lunch. Also helped that I don't really have much in the way of "grab and go" food ready at this time and I definitely didn't want to go out to buy food or order in, so a packed lunch was a must.

Today's Bento...

Lunch

Fried rice (beef, onions, tater tots, and white rice, seasoned with salt and sesame oil)

Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves)

Cucumber slices

Snack

Gluten-free chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filler and chocolate icing

Drink

Limeade (to be watered down further)

Pretty much everything was leftovers. The beef and tater tots in the fried rice was leftovers from my son. The beef was from Monday dinner and the tater tots from yesterday's lunch. I figured he'd not be interested in either today, especially with leftover homemade spaghetti available. The cake was also from Monday, which my mother made my husband for his birthday. The dolmas were leftover from my small dinner yesterday. I wasn't very hungry, so I had a few with some buttered rice on the side... 1/3 of which my son ended up eating, even though he had dinner and a small dessert prior. I'm not complaining though. He's at that stage where he's not really eating much (quantity-wise), so I didn't mind sharing. Besides, as I said, I wasn't that hungry.

Bentos from Parenting Magazine

2010-09-02T11:33:00.007-04:00

I always find it super spiffy when I see neat lunch ideas or containers that are obviously inspired by or at least similar to bentos. Usually, it's the containers that are seen more than actual examples of what to pack.

Lately, I've been going through my old magazines. When I get a new one, I go through it immediately. I save the pages I want to keep and recycle the rest, because they just take up too much space (and xeroxing the pages I want before donating the magazines just never seemed to actually happen).

A week or so ago, I saw in my newest copy of Parenting Magazine a mention of packing bentos. They actually used the term (which sometimes happens, but not often), and had a very cute example of a bunny. They gave a quick description and said that you can go to their website for more information. Of course, I had to do it and I'm glad they did. There are such cute ideas on there that I haven't seen before or for a while. They also give a "how to" in making the key elements. Here's some of the photos and ideas I liked the best. (Click here to go to the website.)

Jelly sandwiches... I would not have thought to make them like this! Thought I don't know how well gluten free breads will work for these.

A pizza sandwich and "cake" sandwiches. Now this is something I can make with the gluten free breads and I'm sure my son would love them. I also really like the mash potatoes in the secont bento's top tier.

I'm actually more impressed by the green peas "roll" and the cheese mouse, but the cat is very cute too.

Not too fond of the bear, though I'm sure kids would love it. I do like the use of the grapes. I tend to pack halved grapes often enough, so seeing them used like this, in so easy and yet pretty a manner really caught my attention. Only one draw back... less packed grapes! And note the cute cherry tomato with cheese slices in the center. How cute and interesting is that?

Obviously, I think the hedge hogs are adorable and a great idea. I also like the deli meat and egg ribbons gathered together like that. For the cute tiger... I've seen this done before, but still love the idea. The main thing I like in this second bento, though, is the idea of cutting a meatball in half and placing sliced cheese between the halves. Very similar to the cherry tomato idea above.

Onigiri cows... I mean, really! That's adorable!!! (And oddly, it reminds me of my husband.)

The main thing I like in the following bentos are the chicken nuggets. No need to pack dips if you cut the nuggets in half and put a dab of dip between them. That is an excellent idea! Of course, the spaghetti nest with mozzarella ball birds is very cute too.

And lastly, mini "hamburgers". Meatballs, halved like before, with lettuce, cherry tomato slices, and whatever else you wish on a nice pick... to make bento perfect mini hamburgers. :-)

Hope you all enjoyed. Definitely check out the website and the "how to" guides. I definitely plan to implement some of these ideas in future bentos (and maybe as nice touches to regular meals).

Week O' Bento: Meals from 8/16-8/20

2010-08-20T11:31:00.007-04:00

I am a bit behind on posting this week's bento images. It's been one crazy week (or should I say "month"). So, starting with today's bento (then moving Monday-Thurday)...

Friday

Lunch

Ojinga Bokkeum (spicy squid stir-fry)

Sigeumchi namul (seasoned spinach)

white rice

Snack

Edamame

The ojinga bokkeum was actually a different take on the base recipe from Maangchi. We had only a few of the vegetable ingredients, so the stir-fry had 1/2 of a huge white onion, extra carrots (though a bit old), only a few home grown scallions, and no green korean chile pepper. But one thing I love about more "rustic" dishes is that they tend to be flexible to a degree. This stir-fry turned out wonderfully, as usual.

Monday: I packed a small container of two chicken nuggest and some mac and cheese left over from my mother's Sunday dinner. I think I also had some snacks that I brought too, but I can't remember what they were.

Tuesday

Lunch

GF eggplant parmesan (using bread crumbs from homemade GF bread) with home made tomato sauce with old aged parmesan cheese on top of white rice

Wednesday

Top tier

Fried eggplant with mexican mix cheese and homemade tomato sauce over white rice

Bottom tier

Lentils and rice with carmelized onions

Cherry tomatoes from my mother's garden

Thursday

Top tier

Edamame

Bottom tier

Cheesy corn and rice with carmelized onions
Lentils and rice with carmelized onions

Snack

Blackberry Wegmans Yogurt

All in all, each bento was made quickly and of leftover food that needed to be used up. This was also an "Eat Down the Kitchen" week, which means we were trying not to go out and buy any groceries unless necessary (milk and cream cheese and yogurt being the exception, I believe). So, everything here was pretty much from items we already had waiting to be made into something delicious. Some were waiting longer than others, but all were nummy. :-)

Bento Meal: 8/12/10

2010-08-12T11:53:00.008-04:00

I haven't made a bento for a week or two. I mainly stuck to quicky stuff at work, like keeping a small container of crab salad in the work refridgerator to use with some bread from my desk drawer. I also had (have) some ramen in my drawer as quicky "emergency" meals. Lovely, no? Definitely not too healthy... so I hope to get back in gear, especially now that my baby bump is becoming a boulder and I'm starting to worry that it might be me packing on unnecessary weight due to these not-so-healthy choices. :-p

Today's bento was a quick "throw together" bento of various leftovers, but is also very healthy. The cherry tomatoes were grown in my mother's garden and are delicious. :-)

Notes on the food preparations are after the meal breakdown.*

Top Section:
sweet-tangy chicken, cut bite-sized
green leaf lettuce, torn

Bottom-Right:
steamed green beans
steamed carrot noodles
cherry tomato tops
white sticky rice
sprinkling of toasted black sesame seeds
monkey container of Dynasty Thai Spicy Mayonnaise

Bottom-Left:
spicy scallop stuffed cherry tomatoes
salted zucchini noodles

*To make the vegetable noodles, I use a julienne peeler. (There's actually a really nifty julienne peeler available in parts of Europe that I would really love to get, but so far, it doesn't seem available in the U.S.) After using the peeler, I take the resulting vegetable strands and salt, steam, or saute them according to the vegetable. The resulting noodles are great for infants and toddlers who can chew soft to semi-soft foods. (Salted foods should be introduced at the appropriate age.) These peelers are also great for cutting veggies for sushi or kimbap.

The spicy scallops were bay scallops that my husband steamed (though a quick saute would work too). After they cooled, I chopped them up and mixed them with a few spoonfuls of the Dynasty Spicy Thai Mayonnaise (to taste). This was part of our pre-anniversary dinner (spicy scallop kimbap rolls with home-grown scallions and vegetable rolls made of the lettuce, green beans, zucchini noodles and carrot noodles also seen in this bento. Yum!). I put one of the cherry tomatoes on top of one because, well, it was just too cute not to.

I'll have to ask my mother for the chicken recipe, as this is one of the best I've tasted. It's so good, that the first time my mother made it, when the idea of chicken made me sick, I actually gobbled down a drumstick with no "ew" reaction. My youngest niece, who also didn't eat chicken, also gobbled some down (she eats chicken now). My 2 year old son practically picked his drumstick clean. If/when I get the recipe, I will try to post it. :-)

Bento Meals: 7/23/10

2010-07-23T10:06:00.008-04:00

I haven't been making bento lunches the last few days. I had 2 packages of different types of bau (stuffed buns) and leftover bulgogi dolseot bibimbap (a korean dish of rice topped with vegetables, marinated/grilled beef, and an egg). As you can see, I was pretty much covered with food. Then yesterday, we also had a free lunch from Costco, though I enjoyed the last of my bibimbap over the items they brought in, of which I am glad I only took a small sampling.

Today's lunch bento, which I hope to start devouring soon, has a main dish of ojinga bokkeum (spicy stir-fried squid). Anyone who followed this blog for a while (or looks into older entries) will see that I am obviously a big fan of this dish. This time, my husband made it. We use Maanchi's recipe as a base (click here for her recipe) and it is always a win! That doesn't mean we don't plan to try other people's versions too, just to see what suits us best.

This time, we used squid slices that were already scored. My husband found we were low on green onions, but this wasn't a huge concern given all the other veggies I was going to have him add. We were also out of white sugar, so my husband added brown sugar. We added carrot and zucchini matchsticks; the zucchini pieces were salted and squeezed to remove excess moisture. The sauce turned out a bit thin, which we've never had happen before (but wasn't surprising), so my hubby added some tapioca starch. This concoction turned out very well, though I prefer our usual ojinja bokkeum.

Our son ate more of this new version than I remember him ever eating our regular version. A nice way to get him to eat more veggies given that he's still in that stage of veggie-pickiness. The squid was a lot easier to eat because of the scoring and the veggies toned down the spiciness. Still, the flavor was missing something, but I'm just happy my son ate the entire amount we served him within a short period of time (rather than his long period of pick-while-play method).

On to the bentos:

Lunch Bento

ojinga bokkeum (spicy squid stir-fry w/ extra veggies) topped with furikake

white rice

broccoli, lightly cooked

quicky dipping sauce (gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, salted green onion and garlic, and sesame oil)

Snack Bento

cantaloupe (musk melon)

celery

natural peanut butter w/ brown sugar

Thoughts inspired by processed foods in bentos...

2010-07-22T11:14:00.005-04:00

First, I wanted to mention that we found out the gender of our little Pinto. It's a girl. The running joke with everyone we've told thus far is that we now have "A Perfect Match". One of each and the oldest being a boy... not what we expected when we talked about having kids (before we had our son), but nice nonetheless.

Now on to the main point of this post.

I've been looking at a number of really nifty bento blogs. One of my favorites is E-Obento, which is run by a woman in Japan who is apparently very well known over there for her creative meals. The webpage is written completely in Japanese, but I've learned a lot from her blog by simply looking at the photos she posts (both of completed meals and of the prepping pictures). Heck, the broccoli "flower" I made recently was inspired by her carnations. Granted, mine was a "quickie" flower, but I still like how it turned out and owe the credit for the idea to her.

However...

After a while, a few things have become more and more clear, the more I look at most bentos...
1. There is a disturbing amount of highly processed foods used, especially processed meats.
2. A goodly number are unbalanced in their food choices (like providing mostly proteins, bread and cheese in a given meal, especially noticable on E-Obento).

For many parents, the processed foods aren't that big a concern, but unfortunately for my family it is. We seriously monitor how much processed foods we buy/eat and are slowly cutting out more and more, the main ones we avoid being most junk foods and processed meats. This isn't hard to do since we have to avoid so many foods due to my husband's issues with gluten. Sandwiches and wraps are nice treat for us, which means the need for sandwich/wrap fillers are far less. Add to that my limitted intake of red meats and poutry, and you cut out many deli meats. Bacon, sausage, and hotdogs are rare for us as well. (And I do see the irony that my banner here features octi-dogs.) Even before I started cutting back on meats, we were careful with these items when we purchased them, buying ones that didn't contain sulfites, nitrates, and other particular chemicals.

I'm not saying we don't eat any processed foods. We definitely do! We just try to limit them and we definitely read the labels to try to make informed decisions. We rarely eat ketchup or salad dressings, but I use a decent amount of soy sauce and red pepper paste. We avoid buying potato chips, but do buy tortilla chips (which I love to melt cheddar cheese on them with salsa... delish but I rarely do this now). We don't have a lot of condiments compared to most people I know, but I do try to always have one (and usually only one) container of icecream in the freezer and have been buying cereals more often rather than making oatmeal (cold breakfast is nice in warm weather). Donuts, cakes, breads, pastas, and the like are also considered treats (either being very time consuming to make from scratch, semi-expensive as a pre-made mix, or darned expensive as ready-made).

There have been many times that my typical diet (ie. the foods I eat regularly, not "diet" to lose weight) has been described to me as very healthy. I tend to agree. At the same time, I'm not sure how one doesn't eat healthy because I'm not sure what people usually eat. My family doesn't eat out often, and when we do eat out, we typically choose healthier places or make more balanced choices (substituting fries for a side of veggies and so on). It's just second nature to us because of years of avoiding gluten. Currently, I've been eating gluten because of this pregnancy, but still try to limit it and will continue decreasing the amounts more and more.

I'm not passing judgement on people who choose to each the items my family doesn't. It's not my place to... though I will if the parents are only offering their children junk food. We all have our pet-peeves. I really do feel that each family's dynamic is different and accept that mind is different. After all, how many middle-class caucasian families serve their children a diverse menu of foods, which regularly include Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Italian, French, and more? How many kids in a standard American family rarely has burgers, meatloaf, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni and cheese and so forth, and never even had fish sticks? We also tend to allow our son sips of our coffee (which is normally decaf but sometimes "caffeine-lite") rather than allow him to have sodas. Like I said, I know my family is not the typical when it comes to food. I also understand that you really can't get a real idea of the family's diet by just looking at one meal or one meal per day. How many people eat cereal, yogurt, a bagel, or oatmeal for breakfast without anything else but then eats full meals the rest of the day?

So back to bentos... I've just been noticing that so many people seem design their bentos with processed meats and the like and it's been making me think...

Bento Meals: 7/19/10

2010-07-19T13:30:00.008-04:00

I decided to start trying to incorporate red meats and poultry to my meals again. The reason I gave them up was mostly because they were making me sick, but that very likely could have been due to the pregnancy. The other reason was for the treatment of the animals and the right to live vs. die, but that reason is harder for me to justify... since fish and shellfish have as much right to live and the same applies to plants. I don't plan on becoming a fruitarian though! (Fruitarians are a group of people that eat only vegetation that doesn't kill the plants; their diet mostly consisting of raw fruit, nuts, and seeds.)

Today's lunch looks so lovely and yummy. Sadly, my belly isn't really cooperating today, so I'm not sure how much I'll actually eat.

On to the details!

Lunch Bento:
Thai coconut meat patties
dolmas (cut bite-sized)
potato-broccoli gratin (with Guyere, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses)
flower made of broccoli and green pepper

Snack Thermos:
Korean cold cucumber soup (Oi Naengguk)

Another close up of the Lunch Bento. I love how it looks. :-)

Savory Spinach Ricotta Crepes

2010-07-15T11:22:00.007-04:00

The crepes that are seen in my bento today was made by my husband. He wanted to make crepes for a dinner, to test out a recipe in one of our gluten free cookbooks, and I wanted something that would be fast for him to make and which our son might actually eat. My poor boy is teething again, so something soft would be great, but preferably not too mushy or hot. (He's also been steering away from cold things, so obviously we needed something just warm enough.)

So I figured, why not make some spinach-ricotta crepes. While figuring out our grocery list the other day, I did some research on different savory crepes. I didn't want nutmeg in it and wanted a decent amount of spinach AND ricotta.

There's a few factors to keep in mind:
1. My son has entered that stage of not wanting to eat most green veggies.
2. My husband and I aren't into the idea of "Sneaky Chef" type recipes. We want our son to be aware that he's eating veggies and fruits and get accustomed to their look, texture, and flavor in different dishes.
3. I wanted it to be quick and easy, regardless of whether my husband made the filling or I did.

All in all, the crepes were a success. My son devoured his, as long as they looked like they were coming off of my plate. After all, the food on Mommy's plate must be better. We were relieve and excited that he not only ate a decent amount, but he knowingly ate green!

This is definitely a family favorite now. The recipe below was written up by my husband.

Savory Spinach-Ricotta Crepes
1/2 pound frozen spinach, thawed, and finely chopped
1 cup ricotta
3 tbs grated parmesan
3 tbs grated romano
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbs olive oil
Crepes made from recipe in "Gluten Free Baking Classics" by Annalise Roberts

Cook onions in olive oil until translucent, add garlic, add spinach and cook out majority of water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix ricotta, romano, and parmesan together then add spinach. Mix thoroughly and spoon about 3 tbs into crepes, roll, place in microwave safe dish and heat until crepes are warm.

Bento Meals: 7/15/10

2010-07-15T10:44:00.002-04:00

Today's bento is much more interesting, though quite a lot of food! The only real problem I have with the Laptop Lunchbox is that it tends to hold so much... at least when one is packing it like a bento box (while using denser foods) and not like a typical American meal. These boxes are supposed to be used for a kid's lunch with maybe a snack, but it's at least two meals for me! My food weighed quite a bit, but given how my appetite seems to have returned, this might be a good thing... I already ate the green peppers and am trying to hold off on eating other sections. That's not to say I don't like using these boxes; I really do! I like how they have such easy compartments; I'm just not sure how I feel about these originally being marketted for kids. Then again, my son's not a teen yet, so my tune may easily change later on. (Side Note: I couldn't wait. Halfway through writing this, I grabbed the dolmas and yogurt.)

The typical meal I imagine would have a sandwich, a fruit, some cut up veggies with dip (or a salad with a little dressing), and maybe a 'treat' (like chips, cracker, pudding, or so on). I'm probably not far off, since that's what I mostly see on the website's customer gallery. Click on the following link to see: http://www.laptoplunches.com/LaptopLunchPhotos.html

Anyways, on to my lunch.

(Clockwise from the top-left)
Section 1: Savory crepes with ricotta-spinach filling
Section 2: Green pepper slices
Section 3: Nectarine pieces
Section 4: Dolmas and vanilla yogurt with ground cinnamon

Bento Meal: 7/14/10

2010-07-15T10:35:00.004-04:00

I think my little Pinto had a growth spurt and my body couldn't adjust fast enough. I had to cancel my plans on Sunday to rest, let work early on Monday, and then took Tuesday off because of how sick and out-of-it I felt. I did work a few hours from home on Tuesday though, and then stayed a half hour late yesterday. I really hate taking sick days, especially right now.

So yesterday, since I was still feeling off, I packed a light lunch. I had some snack in my desk in case I got hungry before or after I ate my bento, which worked out well. My boss saw my little bento lunch and even asked, "What's in your bento?" He then went on to say that if it came from home, it's bound to be interesting. I was actually surprised he remembered the word "bento." Unfortunately, this was one of my less interesting lunches, but it was still suited to my day and my appetite.

Lunch:
strawberries
sliced green peppers
pasta salad (homemade gluten free pasta, shrimp, celery, green pepper, and sauted onions)

Bento Meals and Etc.: 7/3/10 - 7/7/10

2010-07-08T13:10:00.009-04:00

I've been meaning to post for a few days now, but I've wasn't able for one reason or another. So here we go! :-)

Picnic Sushi Bentos: 7/3/10

These were made for a Fourth of July Firework event my family goes to every year with my mom, her boyfriend, and my oldest sister's family. Too bad the "red" rice looked more pink, but it was was very cute. I also didn't get a picture of the vanilla soy pudding, fruit, or other treats we took, but I think the pictures below make up for it. My nieces and mother thought they were neat and my nieces said the pieces we gave them were delicious. ;-)

The sushi rolls contain a mix of the following:

tamago (sweet omlette)

marinated shiitake

carrot strips

cucumber strips

scallions

nori stars

colored rice (red, blue, or white)

Bento Lunch: 7/6/10
My bento meal for 7/6/10 was rather simple and didn't warrant a picture. Half of it I didn't eat and repacked into my lunch for 7/7/10. What I did eat was my blueberries, grapes, and vanilla flavored soy pudding.

Bento Lunch: 7/7/10

This lunch was made of leftover items from my fridge or my previous day's bento.

Top Tier:

grilled seafood kabobs (shrimp and salmon with onions, different peppers, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms)

leftover grilled lobster tail cutlets (lobster tails curled around huge scallops)

Bottom Tier:

leftover dolmas

And Lastly...

And below is a sampling of the pancakes my husband made for my family for our Fourth of July breakfast. Nothing commemorates the rebellious actions of our fore fathers than Star Wars pancakes, right???

Bento Meals: 7/2/10

2010-07-02T14:37:00.004-04:00

No bento yesterday, but did pack a nice little set today!
The red-white-blue theme of the snack tier was a happy coincidence that I notice after having finished making it. Perfect for my last work bento before the Fourth of July. How funny!!!

Top Tier: (Snack)
vanilla yogurt
red seedless grapes, halved
blueberries

Bottom Tier: (Lunch)

dolmas (domades; stuffed grape leaves)

red romaine salad

sliced mushrooms

sliced radishes

dolma oil as a dressing

This was an incredibly satisfying bento. The dolmas and salad were perfect for lunch and the snack tier was very crisp and refreshing. I can see myself making something like this again, especially since it was so fast to put together! :-)

Bento Meals and Recipes: 6/30/10

2010-06-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited about today's lunch, I'm having trouble waiting till later! Of course, I now eat two meals at work (if I don't pack a breakfast) because my pregnancy is making me hungry more often (though I usually can't eat as much throughout the day). I eat one meal around 11am and the second around 2 pm. I know I call one tier of my bento "snack" at times, but it really is a rather nice sized "snack", sometimes nearly as much as my actual lunch!

You'd think I'd be gaining a lot more weight given the extra eating and the growing baby, but I'm not. My weight gain has been perfect according to my doctor. Most of the weight is very obviously in the "baby bump". Of course, eating healthy and not using the pregnancy as an excuse to over indulge is helping, though it would be very hard to over indulge when I can't eat much and my unborn seems to reject a lot of sweets, treats, and fried junk! Sadly, even decaf coffee is on the "No You Don't, Mommy" list. People thought I hate pretty healthy before, but it's even more so now!

Top Tier:
chopped and sliced cucumber and tomato
roasted pepper and curry salad dressing (in the monkey container)
vanilla yogurt
blueberries and halved seedless red grapes

Bottom Tier:
spicy fishcake stirfry (uhmook bokkeum) w/ sliced onion and julienned Portabella mushrooms
veggie fried rice

Now for a few recipes!
I apologize in advance, since I tend to use base recipes and then do my own thing with them, oft times, not noting the small changes I make or the amounts of other items I added. I usually eyeball these things each time I cook the dish. I will do my best to estimate how much I used of things. :-)

Spicy Fish Cake Stir-Fry (with onion and Portabello mushrooms)
To see Maangchi's original recipe, which I use as my base, click on the following link: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/uhmook-bokkeum

1 package assorted fish cakes, each ball cut into half
1 medium onion, sliced (white or sweet preferred)
1/2 to 1 cup baby Portabello mushrooms, julienned (measured after being cut)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 to 2 Tbsps gochujang (korean hot pepper paste)
1 Tbsp sugar

1 green onion, chopped
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
sesame oil, approx 1 to 2 tsps
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Heat vegetable oil in a wok (or large skillet).
Add the fish cakes to the wok. Stir until they begin to turn golden, watching the wok's temperature so they don't brown to quickly or burn. Mix in the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and stir fry for a couple minutes.

Add the gochujang (hot pepper paste) and sugar, mixing until the vegetables and fish cakes are coated, only a couple minutes. Gochujang tends to burn, so turn down the heat right before adding it.

Turn off the heat and remove the wok from the hot plate (if possible). Stir in sesame oil and green onion. Transfer the food to serving dish or individual plates and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

Veggie Fried Rice
I had a number of veggies and some cooked rice I needed to use. So why not a quick, easy, healthy, fun fried rice dish? Measurements here are nearly non-existent. Sorry.

Leftover cooked rice, appox 3 cups worth
1 medium onion, chopped (white or sweet)
1 small head of raw broccoli, chopped, approx 1/3 to 1/2 cup
1 small to medium yellow summer squash, shredded, squeezed of liquid, approx 1/3 to 1/2 cup
1 to 2 Vegetable oil
Sesame oil
salt

Heat vegetable oil in a wok. Add onion and broccoli; stir-fry a few minutes until onions and broccoli soften lightly. Add shredded squash and mix for veggies for a couple minutes. Add rice and mix in until each grain looks lightly coated in oil and separated from eachother. Add a small amount of sesame oil and salt, to taste. Transfer to a serving dish or on individual plates.

We had our uhmook bokkeum and veggie fried rice with a large slice of cantaloupe. :-)

Bento Meal: 6/28/10

2010-06-29T19:49:00.001-04:00

This meal was made of some leftovers from my oldest's niece's visit. We had taco death dogs (mine actually had sauted mushrooms and onions instead) and we had a number of items left. I've been transitioning to pescetarianism, but decided to try one of the cheese-hotdogs that were left. I used to love them and I really love making octo-dogs, so why not start the work week with a cute Monday meal?

Top Tier:
octo-dogs made of a cheese hotdog
steamed/seasoned broccoli
white rice
furikake (nori bits on the broccoli and rice balls on the rice)

Bottom Tier:
green salad (red romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes)

Side Container:
salad dressing (made of shredded colby cheese, sour cream, and mild salsa)

I will admit that I'm not used to the taste of hotdogs anymore. Very salty. The rice helped cut the saltiness. In general, I rather enjoyed this bento... though I think I'll continue avoiding any more hotdogs in favor of tofu dogs. Now to find a good gluten free tofu dog...

As for Tuesday, I didn't make a bento. I decided to scavenge instead, taking some prepackaged stuff. Monday night, I just wasn't in the mood (or mental place) to deal with making my lunch, especially since we didn't have any leftovers from dinner. I also didn't want to make it this morning, since I wanted to get to work early for various reasons.

Today and Fun Egg Faces from BentoLunch Blog

2010-06-24T12:04:00.004-04:00

First, here's a link to a Egg Faces Tutorial. Shannon from BentoLunch shows how to make these without the use of nori. The picture is from her tutorial.

Second, I didn't pack a 'real' bento today, per se. I grabbed one of my bento containers and put a bunch of cantaloupe in it for a snack. My lunch is going to be a packet of ramen noodles (drained and mixed with less than half of the seasoning and maybe some toasted sesame oil). I didn't pack my lunch last night because we didn't have any leftovers from our meal and I didn't get around to prepping food. This is all probably for the best because my tummy isn't too happy today. I think the coffee (decaf) isn't settling well, given that I almost never drink coffee now and I have an extra large cup I've been working on since this morning. Ugh... (I be a glutton for punishment, me thinks.)

Tomorrow, I might not have a bento either since I have the day off of work and will be going out to lunch with my mother and nieces... and I almost never pack bentos over the weekend (though we have a small Renaissance Faire we'll be going to, so I might actually pack us some stuff to nibble or have a picnic with).

Bento Meal: 6/23/10

2010-06-23T07:05:00.003-04:00

Another bento made of leftovers*. (See note after this bento's details.)

I tried to make the lunch tier look a little like a garden, with grass (scallions), ladybugs (nori), roots (zucchini noodles), dirt (zucchini-turnip side) with underground worms/bugs (dried shrimp), and a fence (nori strip). The yogurt was decorated to go with the theme, like a mosaic sun. My hubby thought this was a really cute bento, though I'm sure it could use some work. One thing he pointed out was that the bugs also looked like a ghosty face from an angle... Now I got that stuck in my head too!

Not a bad bento job for another quick throw together, though this time it was packed after dinner as I put our leftovers away. :-)

Snack Bento
vanilla yogurt with dried fruit (apricot, cranberries)
4 Hershey's Kisses (2 peppermint, 2 mint truffle)
Honey Nut Chex

Lunch Bento
risotto balls (3 cheese, shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes)
mashed potato balls w/ nori punchous and scallions
zucchini noodles w/ butter and garlic
steamed turnip slices cut as flowers
sweet turnip-zucchini side with three tiny dried shrimps

*Note:
On June 16, a member asked the BentoLunch LJ community, "Who has a bento stash and what is in it? Also what are your bento must haves on your shopping list?" The answers have been interesting to read, but mine seemed quite different. I was hoping a little that someone would also have the same idea or practice I do, but I didn't see any. That's okay though, because it reflects how diverse bentoing can be, from very practical to very artistic to both!

Here's what my response was: "I'm one of the strange ones that doesn't really have a bento stash in the way of food. I pretty much have whatever I bought from all of us to use for various meals, and I take pieces for my bentos. Or leftovers... especially the nummy leftovers. :-) I will admit that certain things are bought with bento packing in mind (like grapes). Usually, though, I do try to keep some sugar snap peas in the freezer and carrots and nori in the fridge for quicky bento sides and fillers. Rice is not uncommon to have at ready for general meals, so I don't really count that. ;-) Hm... maybe my bentos reflect this... heh heh.But this week, I did buy some broccoli, turnips, zucchini, avocados, and grapes with bento making clearly on my mind. (Though they will likely show up for dinner first...)"

But it did get me thinking about food stashes and such... and I find myself boggled. I don't think I can imagine having a food stash in my fridge or pantry that is mainly for bentos. I'm not sure why it's so hard for me to wrap my mind around. :-p

Bento Meals: 6/22/10

2010-06-22T21:16:00.003-04:00

My lunch bento was made mainly of leftovers from dinner, while the snack bento and breakfast drink used up some strawberries that were getting to that "nearly over ripe" stage.

The zucchini noodles were such a hit that I will definitely need to make them again. The risotto, however, could probably have done with a little less cheese, but it wasn't bad for my second attempt.

Lunch Bento:

shrimp risotto with three cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes

zucchini "noodles" with butter and garlic

carrot sticks with toasted sesame oil

Breakfast:

banana-strawberry smoothie (with unflavored soy milk)

Snack Bento:

balsamic strawberries with marscapone cheese and fresh mint leaves

Close up of the snack bento:

Bento Meals: 6/17/10

2010-06-17T17:04:00.000-04:00

Today's bento came together much faster. I believe this is due to my getting back into the swing of my bento making and because we had some leftovers from dinner that I felt I could stomach today. I used my Laptop Lunch box (okay... the blue one is technically my husband's box) and put both my snack and my lunch in it. I also packed my breakfast in my Hello Kitty Thermos container.

Lunch and Snack
shrimp Enchiladas with Tomatillo Bean Salsa
avocado half with sour cream
"hint of jalepeno" tortilla chips
yogurt with mini grape and dried fruit (apricot, cranberries)
halved seedless red grapes

Breakfast
unflavored soy milk

Steel cut oatmeal with:
dried fruit (apricot, cranberries)
walnut pieces
seasoning (brown sugar, vanilla extract)
a splash of unflavored soy milk (for creaminess)

I also have leftover fruit from yesterday's snack bento which I'll probably eat tonight or tomorrow morning along with any leftover fruit from today. I've been packing large bentos just in case I have a "big appetite day". I definitely don't need the strong urge to go get a snack or hit the vending machine at work.

Hopefully, I'll start packing most of my bento stuff at night and can get my bento boxes in order, to save time. I noticed today that I would find parts to my boxes but would be missing other key parts. Luckily, today the Laptop Lunch was all together and ready. Whew! I wonder if my son has been wondering off and hiding my bento box pieces in his secret treasure chests and hiding spots...

Catching Up: Another edition!

2010-06-17T13:51:00.002-04:00

I realized last night that I had this images in a draft entry from back in January! I meant to post these but never got around to it and then completely forgot. So... I figure I might as well share, mainly because one of the bentos I was extremely proud of! :-)

My bento meals from today will be posted tonight. :-)

So first... the bento I really thought turned out uber cute!

Lunch Bento
hard boiled egg with black toasted sesame seed detailing
sugar snap peas
white rice with indian salad topping
soy sauce in fishy container

Another bento that actually turned out pretty nice, but not as cute.

Lunch Bento

kabobs (pan-fried fish balls with sauteed red onions and garlic)
daikon seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar

carrots lightly cooked with sugar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds

two types of spicy korean red pepper paste sauces

This next bento was made for my son. He was going to Grammie's for a nice visit. (I can't remember if this was a dinner and dessert bento or a dinner and breakfast one.

Son's Bento
egg fried rice (homemade, of course)

gluten free pancakes

vanilla yogurt

And as an extra... some nice pictures of a veggie soup I made around that time. It was so yummy, healthy, and pretty, I couldn't bring my self to erase the pictures from the draft entry. :-)

Bento Meals: 6/16/10

2010-06-16T21:02:00.001-04:00

So today's bentos were also a semi rush job, but not bad. They gave me some fun ideas for later on. :-)

Lunch: 2 sweet potato balls with butter and brown sugar, 4 kimbap pieces with seasoned carrots and marinated mushrooms, a quick mashed avocado (with a little lemon and salt), and some "hint of jalepeno" tortilla chips. The sweet potato balls are decorated with a nori cat and rat.

Snack: cherry vanilla yogurt, strawberry pieces, and halved seedless red grapes.

The cat and the rat are actually a sentimental symbol for my husband and me. In college, he and his brother were the Ratones (rat-oan-aes) and one of their friends made a comic strip that featured these Ratone characters. When my hubby and I started dating, he called me his Kitty Cat (now I'm just a MankyCat) and he gave me a pendant with a cat holding a rat by the tail. To rats with cats (or mice with cats) are a lovey-dovey thing for us.

Bento Meals: 6/15/10 (and 6/14/10)

2010-06-15T13:53:00.009-04:00

For 6/15/10:
Yay for a bento meals! (Especially ones with pictures!)

The image is a little dark, but I can't guarrantee I will be able to post a lightened version when I get home. I'm just happy to have this! (Thanks goes to my husband, who downloaded and emailed me the picture to put up here.) So....

Lunch (bottom tier): Various types of Kimbap. Kimbap is like a korean version of sushi, using unseasoned rice. There are three pieces with marinated Shiitake mushrooms, two pieces with seasoned carrots, two pieces with the mushrooms and carrots together, two pieces with the carrots-tamago-scallions, and two pieces with mushrooms-carrots-tamago-scallions. Included is a small bottle of soy sauce.

Snack (top tier): halved gluten-free buckwheat pancakes and a small side dish of syrup.

The Kimbap was delicious and filling. So filling, in fact, that I'm not sure I'll actually get around to eating the snack, but we'll see. One never knows when hunger will strike an expecting mother!

For 6/14/10
No picture was taken of yesterday's bentos. I didn't have time and they weren't anything spectacular enough to drag a camera to work in order to get pictures.

But what I had...
Lunch bento: Cheese filled raviolis (containing wheat) with basil tomato sauce.
Snack: 4 mini gluten free buckwheat pancakes with a small container of syrup and cantaloupe cut into bite-sized chunks.

Side Note
Sadly, it's very apparent to me that I need to go grocery shopping. We are getting low on various staples. On the plus side, we obviously have enough to make delicious scrounge meals like the kimbap and pancakes above! Regardless... Me thinks I shall hit the store tonight or tomorrow and get some extra stuff. Besides, I would love to have more cantaloupe... The last one was so good...

Purchases!

2010-06-15T11:51:00.006-04:00

Star Wars bento hasn't happened yet, but I hope to make it soon... or three of them (one for me, one for my honey, and one for my baby).

We did, however, get some nifty items yesterday for belated Mother's Day, early Father's Day, and very early birthday gifts for my husband and me. Of course, we really got them to use for my son, but hey... why not? :-)

These are the items we got from Williams Sonoma:

Starwars Pancake Molds, Star Wars Cookie Cutters

Latticework Pocket Pie Mold, And Heart Shaped Pocket Pie Mold

My husband already broke-in the Latticework Pie mold last night. He made us apricot-pear pocket pies! I'm a lucky woman.

I hope to get the star shaped pocket pie mold, because the Williams Sonoma around the corner has some left, and they are not available online or in most places. I'd also love to get the Buttercup Cakelet Pan below.

Wouldn't that be just perfect for strawberry shortcakes and the like???

Today's Lunch and How to Egg Sheets

2010-06-11T14:50:00.006-04:00

Today's lunch was not really that pretty, but it was tasty enough for a stomach that isn't too happy. I will try to add a picture of it later, but if that doesn't happen, here's what it was.

One Tier: Brown rice mixed with leftover lasagna cheese filling, topped with basil cheese tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella and a side of corn. I also packed some spicy cucumber banchan for my ramen noodles, but don't think I'll be eating that today.

Now for a nice "How To" found on MyBentolicious. For her instructions, click on the following link: http://www.mybentolicious.com/2010/04/tips-009.html

I usually make egg sheets a bit more simply, but I want to try this method out, since mine don't look nearly as pretty as hers! And do I see another use for my tamago pan? Why, yes I do!

Carved Carrot Flowers!

2010-06-09T16:23:00.002-04:00

I found this 3D carrot flower carving technique on Bento Zen. The carrot flowers are amazingly cute and I love how they are steamed, making them more vibrant, easier to carve, and easier to eat! The image on the left is from her entry.

Click the following link to read the entry and instructions:

http://bentozen.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/carved-carrot-flowers/

Update

2010-06-02T14:23:00.002-04:00

Since my last post, I found out I am pregnant. Making bentos became low priority due to constantly feeling sick. Hopefully, since I'm in my second trimestor and food is looking appetizing again, I will start my bento making with renewed interest.

In the meantime, I found this link on a bento forum I frequent. The costs look really good and I know several of the items they are selling because I ordered them from another company that no longer takes online orders.

The website is All Things For Sale.

Enjoy! :-)

Lunch: Easter Bento: March 31, 2010

2010-03-31T21:57:00.009-04:00

Mobile pics of today's bento lunch! It was very pretty, healthy and inexpensive. I prepped and steamed the veggies, pealed and dyed the egg, cut the nori, and arranged the bento before heading to work, and took very little time. And it was very tasty and satifying.

What was in the bento:

dyed hardboiled egg with nori polka dots, steamed sweet potato flowers (held in place with gochujang, aka korean red pepper paste), sugar snap pea (sliced), scallion (cut into long pieces), pickled red onion slices, yellow cauliflower, furikake seasoned nori, brown rice

Catching Up

2010-03-28T00:57:00.006-04:00

Time to catch up on some of the bentos I've made and didn't post. I have more photos in my computer and camera, but these are some I took with my cell phone. :-)

(22 Mar 2010)
sigeumchi namul (korean seasoned spinach)
inari sushi
sesame shiitake namul
pea salad

Onigiri with furikake.

Homemade kimchee over white rice.

Nakji bokkeum (spicy octopus stirfry) over white rice.

Nakji bokkeum (spicy octopus stirfry) over white rice.

Target finds!!!

2010-03-27T22:18:00.003-04:00

Found these at our local Target store.

Tiffin picnic bentos: available in pinks (below, available online) and blues (not shown, stores only) These are like the Vivo 4 layer bentos on Amazon... I'm not sure how different they are, but they are only $19.99 at Target, compared to Vivo's version (priced at $39.99). I got both the tiffin color sets.

And Sassy baby bento: available in pink and blue. (Also available in Babies R Us, Amazon in varied colors, and elsewhere.) We already had one of the multicolored sets from a year or so ago (bento pictured in an older post). Since I loved that set, I figured I'd go ahead and get a blue and pink set. *grins*

Bento Meals: 1/25/10

2010-01-25T19:34:00.002-05:00

Today was "The Biggest Loser Club's" third meeting (and my first attendance... I'm so bad). Since starting, I've lost 3 lbs without really trying. *insert evil laugh here*

Mainly, I've been writing down my meals daily on a private setting in my personal blog, eating at three to five meals a day (I tended to skip meals), not eating out, and cutting certain items out of my diet (sodas and such). Making my bento lunches have been helping me to at least eat my meals. A friend asked me why I joined the BLC given that I eat pretty darned healthy, and well... there's always room for improvement and I really did want to cut down on certain bad habits and strengthen some good ones too. Needless to say... after tracking my food, I do eat a well balanced diet! Much better than the girls who came to the meeting with just leafy salads and too much dressing... I kid you not... I couldn't believe some of the info and such that was being shared there and how none of it seemed helpful (been there, done that, got the postcards). Now on to the bentos...

Lunch:

1 cup unseasoned sticky rice
1/4 cup steamed carrot strands
4 stalks steamed aspargus, cut into pieces
1/4 cup tamago (sweet omlette)
1 tsp gochujan (korean red pepper paste)
sprinkling of nori pieces

Snack: (Which I didn't get around to eating... so maybe tomorrow)

3 Tbsps homemade hummus
2 celery stalks, cut into pieces
2 cheddar mini-quiche men

And as a treat...

The kimbap rolls we had for dinner last night. The leftover ingredients became my lunch for today. Yum!!!

Ddukbokki (korean spicy rice cake stirfry)

2010-01-22T12:05:00.001-05:00

This dish is incredibly easy, inexpensive, and delicious. It is a family favorite in my household and with the addition of extra veggies and the tofu, it becomes a healthy, complete meal on it's own! There's usually enough leftover a second set of meals (or our bento lunches!).
If you are new to this dish, be sure to taste your dish, with clean utensils, as you cook it so you can adjust the seasoning or cooking times, if necessary, and check the veggie consistencies.

Ddukbokki (korean spicy rice cake stirfry)
1 lb pkg of cylindrical rice cakes (dduk), thaw if frozen
Vegetables, cut to bite sized pieces (sliced or diced)*
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsps Korean red pepper paste
½ tsp Korean red chili pepper powder (optional)
2 Tbsps sugar
2 Tbsps sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
1 pkg extra firm tofu, drained, lightly pressed, and either cut into cubes or crumbled
Olive oil or vegetable oil

Cut the dduk (rice cakes into bite sized pieces), between 1 to 2 inches. Boil water in a medium sauce pot and cook until they are soft and chewy, about 5 minutes. Drain and rince in cold water. (If you forget to cut the rice cakes before boiling, don't worry. You can cut them after... which is something I end up doing more often than not.)

In a small to medium bowl, mix soy sauce, red pepper paste, red pepper powder (if using), sugar, sesame oil and garlic. This sauce will have the consisency of cocktail sauce. Depending on how much veggies you put in the dish, you may need to make a second batch.

Stir fry the vegetables in a large wok (or frying pan) with a small amount of the cooking oil until the veggies are a consistency you prefer. If using harder vegetables like carrots, you may want to start them first and then add the faster cooking vegetables as the harder ones soften.

Add the sauce, tofu, and the dduk to the vegetables and stirfry, coating and heating everything evenly. Transfer to a serving dish and top with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with rice.

*Veggies that I typically use are sliced carrots, onions, green onions, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. I plan to use spinach some time soon as well. :-)
**You may add a crushed beef bouillon cube to the sauce, if you want. This adds a deeper roundness, but is not necessary.

Bento Meals: 1/20/10

2010-01-21T00:44:00.000-05:00

My belly was *very* content today!

Breakfast Bento

Cheddar/Mozzarella mini quiche-men
Golubsky (russian stuffed cabbage leaves) topped with tomato sauce
Horseradish potato hash

Lunch Bento

Ddukbokki w/ crumbled tofu, flower shaped carrots, onions, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, and black sesame seeds
White rice with toasted sesame seeds

I've Been Negligent!

2010-01-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

I've been packing my lunches diligently, but haven't been taking photos as much as I could or should. What can I say? I have so many time constraints of late that unless the bento is especially pretty, I don't take the photos. I'm not talking about just charaben (or the cute bentos with characters, flowers, and animals), but just generally photo worthy bentos. I'm sure I have a few I took pictures of, and will have to post them soon. Normally, I just scoop a bunch of leftovers into my containers in the morning and run out the door, or I pack it the night before and toss it in the fridge. Ah, such is the life of a mommy, wife, and full time employee! No complaints here, since I am very satisfied with both. :-)

I have been looking at wonderful ideas for cute bentos and nummy recipes. I would claim that it's for my son, who does get an occasional one for his trips to Grammies and such, but it's also for me because attractive food just seems to taste better. At the very least, it makes a tiny piece of me smile.

So... some examples of cute foods from various websites, and at least one interesting blog entry regarding bentos.

From Just Bento

These are corn muffins with tiger faces. (entry here)
I can see it working with little quiches too!

"What is a bento anyway, redux: It's not just about cute charaben" from Just Bento . This blog entry gives an idea of the realities behind bentos in Japan, especially the charaben.

From Martha Stewart

Peppermint Meringues with Chocolate Filling (recipe here)

By jokergirl on the livejournal Bento Lunches community.

Panda Bear Bread!

2009-07-29T00:35:00.000-04:00

Too cute! Recipe is located at Perfect Pandas. Hopefully, my husband and I can try this out with gluten free bread recipes. I can see our son loving these when he gets older. :-)

Breakfast Bento: 7/22/09

2009-07-28T22:42:00.001-04:00

Top tier: Black cherries and clementine segments

Bottom tier: Spicy shrimp kimbap sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds

Bento Collection

2009-07-24T16:27:00.000-04:00

I am a bento addict. I love them...

... I have too many that I don't use... and I would love room for more.

So, with that in mind, I have been gearing up to sell off a bunch. This would include various meal containers, sauce containers, ice packs, snack containers (which can also be used for a moist towelette holder), and more.

I will post more on this *hopefully* soon, though I'll probably post the items in separate entries... but we'll see.

:-)

Bento Meals: 7/9/09

2009-07-09T17:12:00.001-04:00

I apologize in advance for the blurriness of the photos. I figure it's better to have slightly blurry photos (from my cellphone) than no photos at all! :-)

Breakfast

Grits topped with scrambled eggs, sauted onions,

orange bell pepper, and cheddar cheese.

(I just noticed that the orange pepper pieces were a smiley face.)

Lunch

Ohjinguh-Nakji Bokkeum (spicy squid/octopus veggie stirfry)

with brown rice and toasted black sesame seeds

(I love how the baby octopi looked.)

Bunch of bento meals

2009-07-08T12:13:00.000-04:00

Though I haven't been updating this blog as often as I had hoped, I have continued to make bento meals. Some are prettier than others, but when it comes to packing these meals, I am more concerned about variety and nutrition than I am out how "cute" they might be. I still try to make them look appetizing, but they tend to be more serious (and less kawaii/cute) in appearance.

The bento meals below are some I've made that I thought were particularly attractive and tasty. Listed from the most recent to the least recent. Enjoy!

Breakfast bento: 7/8/09

I wish I got a picture of this bento meal. My husband made it for me. He used the top tier of our happy bunny family bento (which has dividers already in place). It consisted of a gluten free blueberry muffin he made, some small curd cottage cheese, and cantaloupe cut into small bite sized slices. Delicious, healthy, and so pretty when I openned the lid.

Bento lunch: 7/2/09

top tier:
Pickled broccoli (http://www.maangchi.com/)
Blueberries and quartered strawberries
Vanilla yogurt with a dallop of strawberry preserves
bottom tier:
Bulgogi (marinated grilled beef)
Romaine lettuce
White rice with toasted sesame seeds and utensil nori cut outs

Bento Lunch for my boss: 7/2/09

Bulgogi (marinated grilled beef)
Romaine lettuce
White rice with toasted sesame seeds and utensil nori cut outs

Breakfast Bento: 7/3/09
My husband made this for me.
Steel cut oats (gluten free) with cream and blueberries

Breakfast Bento: 6/25/09
2 pickled soy sauce hardboiled eggs
Pickled Broccoli (http://www.maangchi.com/)
2 Babybel cheeses

Breakfast Bento: 6/24/09
Kimchee scrambled eggs
Pickled Broccoli (http://www.maangchi.com/)
2 Babybel cheeses

My son's first bento meal. 6/21/09
Containing:
pureed peas
3 low sodium gerbers turkey sticks
apple sauce
2 rice husks (broken into pieces)

Bento Lunch: 3/1/09
Ohjinguh bokkeum (spicy squid stirfry. http://www.maangchi.com/ over white rice
Orange segments
Specialty cheeses with gluten free crackers

IchibankanUSA is closed!

2009-07-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

What horrible news for bento-ists! IchibankanUSA's online website is closed as of yesterday!

Such a nice online store with great prices that were very difficult to beat and wonderful shipping rates/times. Their SF location will still be open, but that doesn't do the rest of us much good. I'm actually a little surprised that they are closing their online store, given the extreme popularity they had. Items were consistently selling out, but perhaps that was the problem. Just as having too little business is not good, so is having too much. If you can't keep up with your customer demands, then you are not starving, but drowning.

Hopefully, they will re-open one day, but I do have to say that this makes me look at my bag of bento stuff I got from them with a wistful eye. I had quite a few items I was going to purchase from them soon.

Bento for 2.11.09, breakfast thoughts, and quiche recipe!

2009-02-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

One thing I have a tendency of doing, especially of late, is making breakfast bentos. I honestly have been making these more often than I do lunch bentos (mainly because my husband and son have been bringing me lunches he's gathered for "workday picnics"). Here, you can see some of the quick breakfast items I will make while getting ready for work.

Top tier: halved red grapes.
Bottom tier: personal pan crustless onion-mozzarella quiched (halved and stacked), 2 slices pan-fried mushroom-onion polenta (stacked).
Lid: Prenatal Multivitamin (not pregnant; breastfeeding)

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of the breakfast sushi rolls I made earlier this week. They consisted of a seasoned flat omlette (sliced, seasoned with a little rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and salt), bread and butter pickle slices, and sushi rice wrapped in nori. Very tasty and filling!

My breakfast food choices can sometimes be described as eccentric, but I feel it's just more interesting and possibly healthier that way. There's nothing wrong with putting eggs on top of rice with some pickled veggies and eating that for your first meal. I've also been known to eat smoked fish with a side of a quick avocado-salsa mix. Honestly, I don't see why that's all that strange. :-)

So here's a quick recipe for personal sized crustless onion-mozzarella quiches.

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk (we used skim)
shredded mozzarella cheese
sliced onion
a couple tsps butter
cooking oil (olive oil or veggie oil)

Directions
Preheat toaster oven to 425° F.

Heat pan with butter. Toss in onion sliced and cook until somewhat soft and translucent. Set aside. Take mini pie pans and coat lightly with oil to reduce sticking. Place onions in the mini pie pans, filling them about 1/2 way. Add cheese to 1/2 remaining space (or slightly more, leave room at top of mini pan for expansion). Do not press down to pack tightly.

Beat the eggs and mix with the milk/cream. Pour over the cheese in the mini pie pans until it is just a little higher than the bulk of the cheese surface.

Place pans in toaster oven and cook until the tops start turning a light golden color (check after 5 minutes, and every 5 minutes after that... this doesn't take long). Turn down the heat to 350° F and cook another 15 to 25 minutes until done (check every 5 minutes after the first 15, but remember to keep watch as all toaster ovens are different). If toothpick is poked in the center and comes out clean without liquid filling the hole it left, than the quiche is done. Remove from toaster over, let cool slightly, remove from pan and serve (or put into bento!).

Like I said, I can make these while getting ready for work, and it only gets faster the more practice you get. Also, you can use muffin tins, which has sped up the cooking time for me in the past. I just love mini quiches!!!

Pan Fried Buttered Skate

2009-01-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

I ate skate...

It was gooooooood!

Thursday, I bought a skate wing at Wegmans (after eyeing them up for a while), asked the fish person how to cook them, and did a quick search online for more skate cooking ideas. I finally opted to cook it my own way.

Recipe
Last night, as our late dinner, I took said skate wing, rinsed it off, patted it dry, and cut it into long slices across the muscle grain (which I don't think was necessary, but worked fine). In a large cast iron pan, I melted several (approx 4) Tbsps butter. I mixed some cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and coated the skate slices before gently placing them in the pan. I turned the piece when the meat started turning opague and the bottom was a light golden brown. After the other side was browned, I removed them from the pan. (This only took a couple of minutes.) I placed them on separate plates and spooned some of the remaining butter on top. They were served with leftover our leftover Oven Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes side dish from earlier that evening.

Review
The skate wing was tender. Very tender. Like a mix of flounder and cooked crab meat. The flavor was delicate like that of crab or lobster. It was almost disconcerting to eat something that you know *should* have a different texture and taste but doesn't (because... well... who would think a skate would taste or feel like that?!?). Some people do more to season the meat, but I wanted to get a good feel for the actual flavor. Hence why I used only butter, cornstarch, salt and pepper.Would we eat it again??? Hell yeah!!!! I'm already thinking about different stirfries to try with it!Too bad I missed when they were selling the eels... Guess I might have to make an order some time.

Oi!

2008-12-22T14:50:00.000-05:00

Oi! Oi! Oi!

I'm sorry I haven't updated here for a while. With the holiday season in full swing, my husband starting a new job (working evenings), and the baby, I just haven't had the time to post new bentos, let alone make ones that were all that pretty or interesting. I guess I could still put up pictures of them, but I feel like they have to pass at least one criteria (not just be rice with a topping or fried rice).

Hopefully, I'll be posting more soon, at least something more meaningful than this. Thank you all for reading!

Halloween foods and bentos!

2008-11-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

First the bento boxed lunches!

Single Tier: Sticky rice, steamed purple cauliflower "trees", snow pea "grass", nori bats, and American cheese moon. Packet of instant miso soup on the side.

Snack: Apple, two candy corn Hershey's kisses, and snack sized Snickers.

Single Tier: Four homemade smoked salmon and cream cheese "sushi" rolls (more like kimbap since there's no seasoning in the rice) with nori bats and pumpkins and cut up snow peas.
Snack: Black and white halloween dango with savory sweet sauce ("Troll oysters and Goblin blood"), blueberry daifuku, Hershey's dark chocolate snack bar.

Now for the "normal" foods!

Close ups of the Halloween Dango.

("Troll oysters with Goblin blood.")

Another close-up.

Spicy Shrimp Bokkeum over glutinous rice

("Witch Finders with Enchanted Giant Carrots")

Sauted Fennel with Lotus Seeds

Baked Fresh Beets

Seedless Watermelon carved into a brain.

(First time I ever did that... I think it turned out well.)
Close up of the Halloween sushi. :-)

Rice Buns a plenty

2008-11-05T09:25:00.000-05:00

I've heard of rice buns for a while now, well over a year. Not buns made with rice flour, but buns made with glutinous (sticky japanese) rice. Glutinous rice does not contain gluten. It's called glutinous due to it's sticky nature. I wanted to make some, but I never got around to it for whatever reason.

Well... I finally made some.

If you ever made onigiri, the concept is very similar. The steps are as well.

To make Rice Buns: Cook glutinous rice as usual. (Methods are slightly different depending on whether you are using a rice cooker or not. There are many websites that explain how to cook rice in each instance.) Let rice cool enough that you can handle it without burning yourself. Fill a bowl halfway with water and add some salt. Stir until the salt is mostly dissolved. Take a handful of rice and press into a bun shape, making sure to apply an even, firm pressure. Basically, the same thing you would do with onigiri, except you are making a bun shape. Keep rewetting your hands with the salty water as you work or the rice will stick to your hands and become hard to manage. Heat some oil in a pan, just enough to lightly coat the pan. Add the rice buns. Gently turn the buns over after a minute or so. There should be a light crispy coating forming. **If you want to add some flavoring and color, you can brush the cooked side with some soy sauce while the other side is cooking, turn the buns over and brush the freshly cooked side with more soy sauce and finish by toasting that side again as well.

Do NOT broil the buns or try toasting them in the oven. This draws too much moisture out and makes the texture unpleasant. I have yet to try toasting them on my kitchen grill.

Rice buns are so easy and inexpensive to make. We have had them with hamburgers, egg sandwiches, tuna fish salad, peanut butter and jelly, and even cream cheese and jelly. I actually prefer these over baking or buying gluten free bread, if for no other reason than the low cost, neutral flavor, pleasant texture, and how easily I can throw them together. I plan to try flavoring them in other ways, by adding other sauces as glazing or by adding herbs. Maybe add a little food coloring to make them look more like bread buns.

They don't store incredibly well, but I've used older, cooked, unformed glutinous rice with great results. Some people freeze them until ready for use, but I have yet to do that. I usually eat them fast enough that there's no concern. ;-)

Bentos for 10.20.08 - 10.24.08

2008-10-26T03:45:00.000-04:00

I didn't have a chance to post these last week. I was fighting a cold or something and my husband was preparing for his new job. So... Monday there was no bento, and I had instant miso soup for lunch on Wednesday.

Here's the Bentos for last week:

Tuesday Bento

Top Tier: Homemade kimchi, sugar snap peas, halved red grapes

Bottom Tier: "Go Bulgogi" kimbap with kimchi flavored furikake

Dessert (not shown): 1 dark chocolate and 1 milk chocolate with almonds snack sized Hershey bars.

Thursday Bento

Top Tier: Whole seedless red grapes, halved sugar snap peas, chocolate graveyard (chocolate pudding with chocolate "headstones")
Bottom Tier: White rice, smoked salmon, nori tree, furikake seasoning

Dessert: Dark chocolate Hershey bar, 2 candy corn Hershey kisses

Friday Bento

Top Tier: Two large and one small onigiri with minced carrot, nori faces, smoked salmon (on the small onigiri), halved snow peas
Bottom Tier: Sliced apples tossed in lemon juice, tapioca pudding

Dessert (not shown): 2 snack sized Snickers bars

Husband's "first day of work" snack bento (Friday)

Single Tier: Six small onigiri with minced carrot and kimchi

furikake, carrot slices with flowers cut out, sugar snap peas

Eye See You!

2008-10-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

I'm going to make some fake eye balls for my mother's Halloween dinner this Sunday, for a bentos this week, and for our smaller, but scarier dinner on Halloween night.

One idea I had was using Daifuku or sweet red bean filled mochi. The red filling with the mushy sweet outside would be a wonderful treat, and I could try using food coloring to paint on details (if it works). Dango (boiled mochi balls without fillings) was another option.

The other idea I had was for a more savory treat. My husband and I made some "Go Bulgogi", as he likes to call it. Basically, you make bulgogi (korean grilled marinated beef) using ground beef instead of strips. This made it easy to stuff into Onigiri and was darned tasty. So, for the savory Zombie Eyes, we were thinking about making the "Go Bulgogi" into meat balls before cooking. Then we would wrap the cooked meatballs in the mochi dough much like the red bean paste is wrapped in the mochi dough, though I'm not sure if I would use a plain flavor or a sweet. (I think the sweet mochi casing would be a nice compliment to the savory sweet meat filling!)

Here's one sweet recipe my mother sent me. It looks good and was very different than what I was originally going to do. Enjoy!

From About.com:
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaidesserts/r/scaryeyeballs.htm

Chocolate Rib Cage

2008-10-23T16:54:00.000-04:00

I found this last night, during my search. A chocolate rib cage! Couldn't you just die?!? The original project on the website was to fill the ribcage with organs made of cake with a filling that oozed out when the organs were cut. Pretty nasty looking, but a great idea! Click on the link at the bottom of this entry to see the full cake. Definitely worth looking at! (And then check out the zombie head cake!!!)

I fell in love with the rib cage part more so than the rest and it looks easy enough. I'm thinking about making this for my mother's Halloween Dinner this Sunday, though I might make it smaller. It's tempting to try to make it large so it can hold the Bone cookies, but we'll see. A smaller one might be cool and easier. We'll see if I have the time!

Hm... I wonder how chocolate bones would work in bento... Or if I can make one to work in it... hm...

Anyways, here's the link for the cake. The ribcage instructions are on page two: http://www.theyrecoming.com/extras/pumpkinfest03/

Halloween searches and Bone Cookie Recipe Link

2008-10-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

I'm working on finding Halloween recipes to make for my family. Of course, any that would work for bentos are doubly nice. So many cute ideas, and so many that can be altered to work for lunches. Ooh... the possibilities.

I'll definitely post the websites as I find them with my top pick from their selection (even though there might be a few from the site). Hopefully, I'll be able to make a few and post pictures too, along with a review. If I can't, at least some of you might be able to enjoy the spoils of my research. So, to start you off...

Bone Cookies from "How Stuff Works": http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/meringue-bone-cookies-recipe.htm

Blueberry Daifuku

2008-10-17T00:57:00.001-04:00

Tonight was my first attempt at making Daifuku.

Daifuku is basically a mochi dumpling that is stuffed with a sweet filling. Usually the filling is an anko paste (a sweet red bean paste), but they aren't limited to that. Daifuku is a popular treat in Japan.

My husband and I aren't used to mochi or its consistancy though we've tried it in a few forms. I know this might be an acquired taste, so we are going to give it more time. These were pretty good, given that we are still adjusting to the texture and that it was my first attempt. I didn't really bother with a recipe. I simply did a bit of research to get an idea of how they are made and then gave it a try. The consistancy felt right (from what I know about mochi) and the base ratios were correct. My husband liked that tang from the blueberries. This recipe is easy enough, I can see using it as a base for more different types of Daifuku.

So... I'm going to post the recipe with a few notes of changes I might try next time.

Blueberry Daifuku

1 cup glutinous rice flour (like Mochiko sweet rice flour)

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for covering

1/8 tps vanilla extract

1 drop food coloring (we used green)

Frozen blueberries

Potato starch, for dusting

In a sauce pan, heat the water on medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the vanilla extract and the food coloring. When water is at a boil, turn down the heat to medium and add the rice flour. Stir to blend until smooth. If it gets too thick to stir, add a couple tablespoons of water.

When the rice flour in fully incorporated, transfer it to a cutting board or other flat work surface with a spatula. Don't use your hands as the mixture will be very hot. You may dust the surface with potato starch before putting the rice flour mixture on it, which may help with sticking. A thin layer of the mixture will stick to the pot. Don't worry about scraping it all off. Spread the rice mixture evenly on the flat surface to promote even cooling.

Dust your hands with potato starch and start pulling pieces off of the dough. Roll them into balls (about as big as a quarter all around), then flatten into disks. Take a blueberry and put one on each of the mochi disks. Pinch the edges of the disks together and seal shut. Gently roll the dumpling in the sugar and set aside to eat. When finished, serve immediately or freeze.

*Notes: Next time, I want to used a fresh fruit or harder filling. Defrosted frozen blueberries were a bit soft and runny. Thickened blueberry pie filling might work well, but it would need to be a paste-like consistancy and would need to be set in the freezer to harden. I would also use some of the final sugar more in the process. I would like to see how these would turn out if they were lightly baked or cooked further in some other method. I do have to say that it was pretty good for first try and for something we just aren't quite used to.

Lunch 10.16.08 - Flowers and Stars bento

2008-10-17T00:48:00.001-04:00

Another attempt at cuteness. Fairly simple fare, but tasty, nonetheless.

Top Tier: Flowers made of carrots and snow peas, red pepper bits, sesame seed ground, white american cheese background, and white rice.
Bottom Tier: Carrot slices, cheese hot dog slices, nori star cut-outs.
Snack: Homemade Kimchi.

Family Fun: Strawberry Ladybugs and other ideas

2008-10-16T11:57:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine on one of my other blogs gave me a link to Family Fun when she was telling me about some adorable strawberry lady bugs that she makes her girls.

She uses a number of the website's tips and ideas to make her daughters' lunches and noticed that her children are much more likely to eat these cute food items. Seems to be the case, as many parents who bento have come to learn.

I took a quick look at the different sections and found them pretty nifty!!! Even the normal looking "kids foods" looked very tasty and bento friendly. (Like the Pickles in a Blanket.)

Anyways, here's a link to the basic Family Fun: Cooking With Kids section. http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/

All images in this particular post are copyrighted and belong to Family Fun. Thank you.

Lunch 10.15.08 - Seascape Bento

2008-10-15T20:26:00.001-04:00

My first attempt at a bento featuring scene. :-)

Top tier: Octidogs (a cheese hotdog) with sesame seed eyes, nori fish with sesame seed bubbles, nori and snow pea seaplants, American cheese (white and yellow) ocean, white rice
Bottom tier: sliced Roma tomato and red pepper, homemade baechu kimchi
Snack Side: halved red grapes over vanilla yogurt

Next time, I would mix salt and pepper to the white rice to add a bit more kick. Otherwise, it was very enjoyable.

Lunch 10.08.08 - Sesame Teddy Bear Bento

2008-10-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

This bento was extremely tasty and the dinner these foods were left over from was a "scrounge and cook" meal. Turned out better than I expected, and filled my bento wonderfully. :-)

Top tier: Homemade kimchi, sesame crusted chicken bites
Bottom tier: Carrot and turnip kinpira with a toasted sesame seed bear face.

I'll try to post the recipes, even though I need to work on them a bit. :-)

What is bento?

2008-10-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

What is bento?

Bento is a boxed meal. If you want to get technical, it's any boxed meal, including takeout from a fast food restaurant or a frozen TV dinner.

Bento, however, is also an 'art'. I'm not only talking about the uber cute bentos with cartoon characters or landscapes. To me, a well balanced meal, both in taste, texture, and nutrition, is a work of art. *Though I do have to admit that I love looking at the cute creations people put together!*

There are a couple ratio rules I've seen, but my thought is that if you have a little of everything, then you are doing well. I usually pack a starch, a protein, a vegetable or two, and some fruit. I'm not as worried about what ratio I am packing, though usually the items are about equal to eachother (though I sometimes forego the fruit).

And don't worry about whether your food is Japanese, Asian, or just plain old everyday food. Fact is, if you are going to bento and stick to it, you should enjoy the stuff that you pack and it should be stuff you actually *will* pack!

Why do I bento?

The answer to that is very simple... I love food. More so, I love well made, home cooked food. I like the fact that when I make bentos, I can use up leftovers easily. Even if I only have a few tablespoons of something left, those few tablespoons can be a wonderful addition to my meal. I love the versatility in textures, flavors, and colors. A well packed bento can be very filling and hold as much food as a normal meal (if not more).

I have made bento lunches, bento breakfasts, and bento dinners. It all depends on what's going on in my life. My husband loves to make and eat bento meals too, and we plan to make bento meals for our child when he's old enough to eat something other than breastmilk.

What do I usually pack?

Here's a list of what I normally have or prefer for each category:

Protein - Ojinga bokkeum (korean spicy squid stirfry), Bulgogi (korean marinated, grilled meat), garbanzo beans, and eggs. Sometimes I'll get some hotdogs and have octidogs. Yum! I do pack other meats (like chicken, pork, seafood, etc), but mainly, I love to eat the stuff I just listed.

Starch - Normally white rice. I know brown is better, but I have to watch my money and white rice is easier and cheaper to get (especially from the asian markets). Whether the rice is plain, has a little soy sauce, is in the shape of onigiri, or is fried doesn't matter. I like them all. Sometimes I have potatoes, usually made in a korean style. See a trend?

Vegetables - Frozen sugar snap peas, kimchi (spicy pickled korean vegetables... usually I go for the nappa cabbage or baechu kimchi), refridgerator pickles (just pickles in a vinegar-sugar mixture I make), sliced carrots, or whatever veggies are mixed into my fried rice. I've also been getting into vegetable curries.

Fruit - Usually oranges, apples, or grapes. I do add other fruit, but these are usually a staple in my kitchen and are my 'fall backs'.

Treat - Sometimes the fruit is the treat, but sometimes not. So, when it's not fruit, I will sometimes pack little licorce scotties, homemade desserts, small candies, etc. These are rare though.

Extra - A prenatal multivitamin pill is a semi-staple, due to the fact that I'm breastfeeding, though I would use a normal one in my bentos anyways. Also soy sauce, sesame seeds, and nori are not uncommon in my bentos.

Below are a few more examples of my past (and early) bentos: