Jags Tasty Bento

Bento #62

2008-11-27T13:56:00.001-06:00

Todays Box: My new Baby Zoo pink 1 tier box

(left to right): Tuna mac n cheese; chicken strips; slice of smoked swiss; frozen strawberries

Bento #61

2008-11-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: My new Clickety Click monkey box

Top Tier (left to right): Broccoli, cauliflower and squash around the edges; chicken fried steak with gravy

Bottom Tier (left to right): Pomegranite seeds; Roma tomato with sliced mushrooms; baby carrots; vienna sausage (not shown french onion dip for the veggies)

Bento #60

2008-11-21T13:50:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Baby Zoo yellow 1 tier (these are quite a bit larger than the top tier in a regular 2 tier set, it fits a lot of food without the hassle of 2 tiers)

Leftovers from KFC; coleslaw; big chicken wing; mac n cheese (not pretty but very tasty!)

Bento #59

2008-11-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Usagi 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Mini sauteed squash (these are so cute!); linguini with clams and clam sauce

Bottom Tier (left to right): Roma tomato slices; Baby swiss cheese slice; almond chocolate; mini apple rabbits

Bento #58

2008-11-15T13:44:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Grape 2 Tier

Top Tier: Homemade Yaki Udon with mushrooms, onions and broccoli

Bottom Tier (left to right): Tokatsu; bottle of teriyaki sauce; macadamia and white chocolate chip cookies

Bento #57

2008-11-12T13:40:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Tenmari Pink 2 tier

Top tier (left to right): Portabello filled rigatoni; Cheesy broccoli rice (still frozen); Cheese sausage in a biscuit; bottle of alfredo sause for the pasta

Bottom Tier (left to right): Pomegranite seeds; Candy corn hersheys kiss; Laughing cow cheese wedge; sesame cashews; chocolate chip mini muffin loaf, sliced

Bento #56

2008-11-09T13:39:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Banana 1 Tier snap box

Meatballs with noodles in a yummy mushroom and onion sauce

Bento #55

2008-11-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

Todays Box: Banana 1 Tier snap box

Yummy homemade onigiri! They were leftover from a huge batch I took to a party

Bento #54

2008-11-03T13:27:00.003-06:00

Todays Box: My new Clickety Click Rabbit 2 tier box

Top Tier (left to right): Baby carrots; 2 roasted chicken wings; carrots, cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce

Bottom Tier (left to right): Pomegranite seeds; Roma tomato wedges; smoked provolone and muenster sliced cheese; vienna sausages

Bento #53

2008-10-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Todays box: Natural green small 2 tier

Top tier: Cheese and chicken bake leftovers (didn't get it cooled down enough before putting the lid on so there was lots of condensation)

Bottom tier (left to right): Cherry bundinos (these are really good); golden cherry tomatoes; wee brie cheese wedge; crab wontons and a soy sauce fishie

Bento #52

2008-10-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Apple putifresh 2 tier box

Top tier (left to right): Chicken teriyaki rice; cheese sausage n biscuit dumplings; broccoli; shrimp and veggie potstickers

Bottom tier (left to right): Sundried tomato triscuts cut in half; crab and cream cheese star; candy corn hersheys kisses; animal cookies; cherries and strawberries

Bento #51

2008-10-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

Todays box; Clickety click snack box (a snack bento for a short trip)

(Left to right): Meatballs (cut in half); golden cherry tomatoes; 3 mini onigiri and soy sauce fishie (onigiri left over from yestersays box); container of bbq for the meatballs

Bento #50

2008-10-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

Todays box: Clickety click snack box (a snack bento to share with a friend)

(Left to right): Sundried tomato triscuts; Golden cherry tomatoes; jelly filled marshmallow; wee brie cheese wedge; laughing cow cheese wedge; 3 mini onigiri and a soy sauce fishie

Bento #49

2008-10-05T12:49:00.004-05:00

Todays box: Insulated round pink 2 tier

Top Tier: Golden cherry tomatoes and goldfish crackers

Bottom Tier: Garlic and onion sourdough bread on top of yummy clam chowder!

Bento #48

2008-10-04T23:20:00.002-05:00

Todays box: Putifresh banana snap box

(Left to right): Cherry bundinos; orange cherry tomatoes; wee brie cheese wedge; sausage in a biscuit; soy sauce fishie; crab wontons

Bento #47

2008-10-03T17:17:00.004-05:00

Todays box: Tenmari blue 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Mashed potatoes on bottom; meatloaf; corn (gravy in a small container not shown)

Bottom tier (left to right): New bundinos cherry bun; dried raisins, cherries and blueberries; wee brie cheese wedge; orange cherry tomatoes

Bento #46

2008-10-02T17:14:00.001-05:00

Todays box: Putifresh apple snap box

(Left to right): Broccoli, carrot and sweet potato tempura; crab dumpling; shrimp yakiudon

Bento #45

2008-10-01T17:11:00.002-05:00

Todays box: Putifresh grape snap box

(Left to right): Rainbow rolls with salmon, tuna and another fish I cant remember: Crunchy shrimp tempora rolls with sauce on top (these arent very pretty because the resturant box fell over in the car)

Bento #44

2008-09-30T17:09:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari pink snap box

(Left to right): Garlic chive mashed potatoes on the bottom with meatloaf on the top smothered in mushroom gravy and corn

Bento #43

2008-09-29T18:23:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Lucky clovers ivory 2 tier box

Top Tier: Pasta with the following; Lentils, edame, carrots, green beans, tomato, onion, mushroom, green onions, and nori for garnish (this lunch is pretty close to being the same as one earlier this week)

Bottom Tier (left ot right): Strawberries; jelly filled marshmallows; banana nut mini muffin; Sun dried tomato triscut with goldfish on top

Bento #42

2008-09-28T18:26:00.002-05:00

Todays boxes: Apple snap box

Clickety click snack box

Snap box: Spinach and cheese pastry puffs (found in the freezer section), udon noodles under sauteed chicken, onions and mushrooms

Snack Box (left to right): Sliced and cherry tomatoes; french onion cheese wedge and 2 nilla strawberry cakesters

Bento #41

2008-09-27T18:19:00.004-05:00

Todays Box: Natural pink 2 tier

Top Tier: Pasta with the following = Lentils, edame, carrots, green beans, tomato, onion, mushroom, green onions, and nori for garnish

Bottom Tier (left ot right): Sun dried tomato triscut with goldfish on top; jelly filled marshmallows; banana nut mini muffin; strawberries

Bento #40

2008-09-26T21:53:00.002-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari small blue snap box

(Left to right): Green beans; Fried pork steak (tastes like chicken fried steak); and mashed potatoes.

Not shown: Banana pudding cup for dessert

not a very big lunch, still feeling pretty worn out from being so sick lately

Bento #39

2008-09-25T21:53:00.005-05:00

Todays Box: Green Hello Kitty 2 tier plus my clear round box (from dollar tree)

Top tier (left to right): Mini chicken wings, bbq boneless chicken and a few shrimp for the salad (hubby ended up eating all of this tier, I wasn't feeling well)

Bottom Tier (left to right): Yellow tomato slices; portabello slices; carrot slices; cucumber slices; garlic cashews all for the salad (not shown is a small container of italian dressing)

Round Container: baby spinach and a few cherry tomatoes (I also stuck a wrapped up mini muffin in here for dessert but forgot to take a pic)

Bento #38

2008-09-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari pink snap box

(Left to right): Roast beef, mayo, garlic cheddar sandwich with some nori furikake sprinkled on top; We brie cheese wedge; cherry tomatoes; apple slices (too lazy for bunnies today lol)

No bentos for a few days

2008-09-19T23:38:00.002-05:00

I have a bad upper respritory infection so I'm going to take a break for a few days and rest. posts to resume around the 25th

Bento #37

2008-09-18T23:24:00.006-05:00

Todays Boxes: Banana Putifresh snap box and the top tier of the matching 2 tier box

Snap Box (Left to right): Teriyaki chicken rice with flower and nori flowers for garnish; sauce fishie; Tempura broccoli; chicken katsu all from Sakura

Second Box (left to right): Rainbow rolls from Sakura; gummy cherries; chocolate coin; chocolate seahorse; edame and soy sauce fishie

I ended up eating the bottom box for lunch and the top one for dinner, so very yummy!

Bento #36

2008-09-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Green insulated 2 tier

Top Tier: Sun dried tomato triscuts; hazelnut chocolate bar; candy corn hersheys kisses and cherry tomatoes

Bottom Tier: Yummy homeade beef and veggie stew

Bento #35

2008-09-16T14:16:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Usagi red 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Ham and cheese Bundinos; boneless bbq chicken; teriyaki broccoli; 3 cheese bowties with peas

Bottom Tier (left to right): Sun dried tomato triscuts; cream cheese and crab star; cherry tomatoes; sesame cashews; garlic and onion cashews

Bento #34

2008-09-15T19:22:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Natural Green small 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Cherry tomatoes cut in half; strawberries; dove hazelnut caramel chocolates

Bottom Tier (left to right): Cheesy broccoli rice; teriyaki broccoli; cheese and potato perogies

Tenmari Blue Set

2008-09-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

Tenmari Blue 2 tier box

Tenmari Blue small snap box

Fork and case; bento box belt

Insulated bento bag (I thought this would hold up better than the standard cloth bag)

Insulated wrap for smaller boxes (and a box for size comparison)

Tenmari Pink Set

2008-09-13T19:12:00.000-05:00

Tenmari Pink 2 tier

Tenmari Pink small snap box

Chopstick case, chopsticks and bento belt

Insulated bento bag (I thought this would hold up better than the standard cloth bag)

Insulated wrap for smaller boxes (and a box for size comparison)

Putifresh Grape Bento Set

2008-09-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Grape 2 tier box

Grape small snap box

Chopsticks, fork and spoon in a case; chopsticks and case; matching bento box belt

Insulated bento bag (I thought this would hold up better than the standard cloth bag)

Putifresh Banana Bento Set

2008-09-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

Banana 2 tier box

Banana small snap box

Chopsticks, fork and spoon in a case; chopsticks and case; matching bento box belt

Insulated bento bag (I thought this would hold up better than the standard cloth bag)

Putifresh Apple Bento Set

2008-09-10T16:00:00.005-05:00

Apple 2 tier box

Apple small snap box

Chopsticks, fork and spoon in a case; chopsticks and case; matching bento box belt

Insulated bento bag (I thought this would hold up better than the standard cloth bag)

Ichibankan order!

2008-09-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

(Left to right) More soy sauce bottles, fishies and rectangles; furikake stencils; rabbit and bear egg molds (I can't wait to play with these!)

(Left to right) Mini rice ball mold; adorable food picks; forks that will fit into the lid of a bento box

And a cute snack sizzed box! I wish I had bought the bear and monkey one too, maybe I'll have to place another order lol

I got my insanely huge order from http://www.ichibankanusa.com/ today!

I won't be able to fit everything in one post, so each day for the next few days I'll showcase one of the adorable bento sets I bought!

Today is the odds and ends :)

Bento #33

2008-09-08T16:05:00.005-05:00

Todays Box: Lucky Clovers ivort 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Cheese sausage cut into flowers with pea centers; cheese sausage in a biscuit; green beans; mac n cheese with beef; meatballs

Bottom Tier (left to right): Sour straws candies; apple rabbits; cherry tomato; babybel cheese; hazelnut truffle chocolates

Bento #32

2008-09-07T16:02:00.002-05:00

Todays Box: Green Hello Kitty 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Clam sauce fettuchini from Napoli's and cherry tomatoes

Bottom Tier (left to right): Everyburger cookies; hazelnut carmel chocolate; candy corn hershey's kiss (these are so good!); Babybel cheese and leftover fried calimari

Bento Belts!

2008-09-06T16:58:00.002-05:00

Check it out, I made my own bento belts! I couldn't stand the idea of paying $5 for one on ebay >.<

I dug around in the sewing kit and found some elastic, cut it to size and overlapped the ends and hand stiched them together. Then I took some leather scraps I had and cut them into strips and sewed it over where I joined the elastic. Made things prettier and stronger! Then I sewed a button onto the top to make it even cuter.

I'll have to start watching for some colored elastic, or I have seen black elastic before too.

They seem to work just as good as the store bought ones and I can customize them to match boxes that i don't have belts for!!

Bento #31

2008-09-05T16:53:00.003-05:00

Todays Box: Navy clovers box

Top Tier (left to right): Cottage cheese with worchester sauce; mini flower shaped sandwiches (smoked turkey, mayo and garlic herb cheddar) and some broccoli for color

Bottom Tier (left to right): Sundried tomato triscuts; luaghing cow french onion cheese wedge; creamcheese and imitation crab shaped into a star (leftover potsticker filling from last night); cherry tomatoes; 3 hamburger shaped cholotate cookies (everyburgers if i remember right)

Bento #30

2008-09-04T09:49:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari 1 tier

(Left to right): Leftver pork teriyaki stirfry; ramen with the suace powder mixed in dry (this is so yummy, I made a big pot full and then drained it and mixed in half the sauce packets with just a tiny bit of oil to keep them from sticking); and homemde shrimp potstikers (shrimp, onions, mushrooms and broccoli)

Bento #29

2008-09-03T09:45:00.005-05:00

Todays Box: Red bunny 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Portabello filled rigatoni (these are new to me and come frozen, great for bento!); cooked broccoli; wedge of Laughing Cow french onion cheese; sushi rice ball for filler

Bottom Tier (left to right): cherry tomatoes; frozen cherries; 2 bleeding eyeball marshmallows

Bento #28

2008-08-31T08:49:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari 1 tier box

(Left to right): Edame cooked in teriyaki; cherry tomatoes with bunny picks; sliced smoked turkey wrapped in garlic herb cheddar; sesame cashews in the heart silicone cup; 3 shrimp; babybel cheese; and 2 dove hazelnut caramels and not in the pic is a jelly filled marshmallow

Bento #27

2008-08-29T06:08:00.001-05:00

Todays Boxes: Small natural pink box and the bottom tier of the matching green one

(This is a snack and a dinner bento that I'm taking with me when I go out tomorrow)

Top Tier (left to right): Asian pear cut into hearts and a few dried cranberries; assorted nori rice crackers

Bottom Tier (left to right): Homeade sushi! Imitation crab nigiri; crab rolls with crab, cream cheese, cucumber, and avacado. Kinda a cross between california and philadelphia rolls

Bottom Tier of second box (left to right): I cooked everything together with soy sauce, teriyaki and garlic and it turned out great! Green beans behind the animals; pork potstickers with mushrooms on top; and teriyaki edame! (these are addicting lol)

Bento #26

2008-08-29T06:04:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Natural Pink box

Top Tier (left to right): Boneless bbq chicken from walmart; green beans; homemade mashed potatoes

Bottom Tier (left to right): Kiwi with dried cranberries; cottage cheese with worchester sauce (its really good, give it a try!); and imitation crab for filler

Bento #25

2008-08-29T05:59:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Tenmari pink 1 tier box (I think this is one of my favorites so far, I just ordered another in blue!)

Top Tier (left to right): Soy sauce fishie for the rice balls; broccoli blanched with a bit of teriyaki; sushi rice rice balls with salmon furikake; grape tomatoes and smoked gouda on a skewer; crab wontons

I packed this one for a trip, but ended up being too sick to go! I wrapped the broccoli cup in some plastic wrap after the pic to keep everything in place. Also the riceballs are wrapped in plastic wrap to keep them together in case i drop the box again lol

Bento #24

2008-08-29T05:55:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Small Natural green 2 tier box

Top Tier (left to right): Frozen raspberries; imitation crab; garlic cheddar and pepperoni duckies; smoked goouda on a skewer; grape tomato

Bottom Tier (left to right): Frozen corn; frozen fish; yummy teriyaki pasta

I thought I was going to eat this bento at home but I ended up taking it out with me. I learned that raspberry and smoked gouda do not taste good together! Nest time i'll repackage the fruit before I leave.

Bento #23

2008-08-29T05:44:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Clover navy 2 tier

Top Tier (left to right): Boneless bbq chicken from walmart deli; Tequila and lime wings from walmart deli; frozen corn for filler

Bottom Tier (left to right): Half a ufo/donut peach (they are flat and wierd looking, tastes good but this one was bruised); grape tomatoes; black olives; fresh mozzarella ball

Not a prety bento, but really yummy!

Bento #22

2008-08-29T05:39:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Small pink 2 tier (I'm really loving these small boxes!)

Top Tier (left to right): Kiwi (on a bit of paper towel to soak up the juice); dried apricots; under the apricots is a small container of veggie flavorred cream cheese for the cucumbers); and yummy cucumbers!

Bottom Tier (left to right): Small piece of smoked gouda; grape tomatoes and black olives in the cup; small piece of imitation crab as filler; tortilla wraps with smoked turkey; veggie flavored cream cheese; pepperoni; garlic and herb cheddar and sliced olives

Bento #21

2008-08-29T05:35:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Pink polkadot 1 tier box

(Left to right): Cucumbers and grape tomatoes; soy sauce fishie; caramel chocolate in the heart cup; pork and veggie potsticker; Healthy choice sesame chicken steamer leftovers (these are surprisingly good! I'll admit to buying it for the container so I can steam in the microwave lol)

Got my order today!

2008-08-21T02:08:00.000-05:00

I got my latest order from http://www.ichibankanusa.com/ the total including shipping for everything was under $20!! I can't wait until they get some new stuff in, I'm definately going to order more goodies :)
3 new boxes: Light pink small 2 tier bento box; light green small 2 tier bento box; pink dots one tier snap box. These are a lot smaller than my normal boxes, but they will work great for small lunches!

2 new 2 tier boxes: Natural Pink 2 tier box and Lucky Clovers tan 2 tier box; blue bento box belt (the pink one is kinda plain, but I really like it, too bad the other colors were sold out)

More goodies: Tan drink bottle (this has a really tight seal, so no leaks!); 4 silicone heart cups (these are nice and smooth and will be great for dipping sauces); 2 packs of different food picks (way too cute for words!!)

Bento #20

2008-08-21T02:03:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Brand new small pink 2 tier box (this one is a lot smaller than my others, but It is going to work out great for smaller lunches)

Top Tier (left to right): KFC mashed potatoes and gravy; KFC green beans

Bottom Tier: Two KFC chicken strips, I'll have some ranch to go with it

really small bento, but really tasty!

Bento #19

2008-08-21T01:59:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Green Hello Kitty

Top Tier (left to right): Leftover chicken and veggie lomein; two pork and veggie potstickers (I like the chicken ones much better); green pasta, green beans and tomato (same as in the panda bento) and a soy sauce fishie for the potstickers

Bottom Tier (left to right): Sliced roma tomato; garlic cheddar and pepperoni cut into stars; garlic and herbs chese wedge; trail mix for filler; and small pieces of chocolate and regular cheesecake

Bento #18

2008-08-19T01:11:00.001-05:00

I'm entering this one into the not exactly bento contest, I can't wait to see who wins!

I was inspired by the bento challenge at http://community.livejournal.com/bentochallenge/
it was panda themed! This turned out so tasty I'll definately make it again soon!

Todays Box: Lucky Clovers

Top Tier (left to right): The last of my chicken potstickers; soy sauce fishie for the riceballs; spinach pasta, greenbeans and tomato (made me think of bamboo); and sushi rice balls with nori furikake and nori cut for the panda faces! (I cut these out by hand, no pattern, I just eyeballed it)

Bottom Tier (left to right): The last roma tomato sliced; Key lime truffle and key lime yogurt (green for bamboo colors) and half a plum, I cut out a star with a mini cookie cutter and flipped it around and stuck it back into the hole I cut to make it pretty

Bento #17

2008-08-19T01:08:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Blue Hello Kitty

Top Tier (left to right): Super yummy crockpot bbq turkey thighs (shredded); home made mashed potatoes; green beans

Bottom Tier (left to right): /home made deviled eggs; garlic and herb cheese wedge; expresso truffle; roma tomato slices

Bento #16

2008-08-19T01:05:00.001-05:00

I'm entering this bento in the not exactly bento contest too!

Todays Box: Blue Hello Kitty

Top Tier (left to right): Yummy garlic mashed potatoes; Ribs from TGI Fridays; frozen green beans

Bottom Tier (left to right): Sliced roma tomato; garlic and herb cheese wedge; pistachio nougat chocolae; dried cranberries; plum wedges with dried appricots that were cut in half (the dried fruit soaked up the plum juices and were really good)

Bento #15

2008-08-19T00:58:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Blue Hello Kitty

Top Tier (left to right): Imitation crab chunks; soy fishie for the crab and tomato; garlic and herb cheese wedge; leftover cheese pizza from Little Caesars cut into stars (there were 2 more but hubby ate some before I took a pic)

BottomTier (left to right): Sliced roma tomato; smoked gouda duckies; cream cheese and chive star for the tomatoes; half a fresh plum

Shopping!!

2008-08-15T04:09:00.001-05:00

I got all sorts of bento goodies this week! I ran into stuff everywhere I went *evil grin*

I ordered from http://www.ichibankanusa.com/ this week, their prices are amazing!! I got everything in the top 2 pics for under $20 including shipping, and they sent me 2 mesh bags as freebies. I was so impressed I places another order on tuesday and I can't wait to get my new boxes :)

(Left to right): Top corner is my new mini rice ball mold, it works really well!; under the mold is my new plastic dividers, aren't they adorable?; then I finally found a dumpling maker, been looking for one for a while; in the other corner is my new silverware chopstick set. the chopsticks are tiny, but they fit perfectly in the top of a bento box if yours has the place on the top for them; under that are my new soy sauce bottles. it comes with 12 but I only took a pic of six.

The rest of my order: My lucky clovers box, its a tiny bit smaller than the rest of my boxes but I absolutely love it!; under that is my matching mayo cups; then the matching chopsticks and case; and the best thing of all is the insulated bento box bag (its folded flat) There is room for your box and maybe a juicebox or small sidecar plus your chopsticks and whatnot. (I ordered the ivory snack boxes that match but they will come in the next package)

I think this is one of my best finds! I found these round insulated bento boxes at Dollar Tree!!!
They are on the small side, but would be perfect for a salad or soup in the bottom layer and the top layer is pretty shallow but you could put your salad toppings or a snack in it, and it came with a folding spoon too!

Next to that on the left I found a silicone mold that fits very well into the top tier of my hello kitty boxes. I thought it would be nice to use for things that would stain my boxes (like spaghetti or goulash) also if I wanted to freeze something to fit in my box too (frozen soup is kinda nice if you are on the go and don't mind cold soup)

I got all these lovely goodies at Hobby Lobby!

The diamond cups were on clearance for $6 and there are 12; the round cups were on clearance for $4.50 and are also 12; I had a 40% off coupon for Wilton products so I got the heart mini cups for $4.80 (12) and the mini loaf paper cups (50) for a little over $1 (these fit perfectly into the top tier of my boxes, great for greasy things) and I got 2 little cookie cutters for 3/$1. They had some triangle and square cups that I'm thinking about grabbing too that were on clearance for $5

I dont have a pic but I found some pastel paper cupcake cups for $0.75

I'm wanting to get some pretty patterned ones, but haven't had much luck so far :(

Bento #14

2008-08-15T04:04:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: My missing green Hello Kitty box that got lost in the move!

Top Tier (left to right): Three cheese bowties with peas; frozen green beans as space filler; 2 frozen meatballs; frozen pizza bites (sausage and pepperoni if I remember right)

Bottom Tier (left to right): Hardboiled egg on the bottom quartered; quartered tomato on top of the egg; imitation crab chunks on top of the tomato; cream cheese balls on the bottom with the remaining tomato and a fishie of soy sauce for the egg; frozen black cherries in the heart silicone cup

Bento #13

2008-08-15T04:02:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: My new pink round insulated box (this is a pretty small box)

Left to right
Bottom Tier: Lomein in the silicone cup; yummy crab wontons; and teriyaki chicken hiding underneath

Top Tier: Mini peanut butter cups; shrimp crackers

Bento #12

2008-08-15T03:57:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: My brand new lucky clovers box (I ordered a second one in ivory, I can't wait to get it!)

Top Tier (left to right): Nori covered star rice balls (yummy leftover sushi rice!); hardboiled egg and soy sauce in a fishie; stir fry made from leftover fried rice, sausage link and veggies

Bottom Tier (left to right): Imitation crab and cream cheese on a pick; sliced tomato; celery sticks under the tomato; frozen black cherries

Bento #11

2008-08-15T03:53:00.001-05:00

Todays Box: Blue Hello Kitty box

Top Tier (left ot right): Celery sticks; cream cheese chunks seperated by celery on picks; sliced tomato; garlic and chive mashed potatoes

Bottom Tier (left to right): Garlic parmesan dipping sause for the boneless wings (from Wing Stop); ranch for the veggies; dried apricots

Sidecar: Boneless wings from Wing Stop (they wouldnt fit in my box, so I put the sauces there instead)

Bento #10

2008-08-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Todays box: Blue Hello Kitty (I really need to buy some different boxes, getting tired of this one)

Top Tier (left to right): Riceballs covered in leftover nori with cute tiki picks; crab sushi rolls; grab nigiri (did I spell that right?) We had fun tonight making our own sushi! It turned out really yummy :)

Bottom Tier (left to right): Macaroons; frozen strawberries; shrimp crackers

Sidecar: My last pack of miso soup

Tea: Tazo - Lotus

Today's project was to clean the veggies out of the fridge before they went bad!

I had carrots, broccoli and celery that were looking not so fresh. I chopped them up and simmered them in water, soy sauce and garlic (one type of veggie at a time)

Then I packaged them into half cup servings that I can eat, or add to a dish (like stir fry or soup)

I also took the onions that were hanging around and diced them and froze them raw in half cup packages too. they are great to grab and I don't have to chop onions every time I need some

Bento #9

2008-08-10T01:07:00.001-05:00

Todays box: Red bunny box (does anyone else think they look like alien heads? lol)

Top Tier (left to right): Garlic and chive mashed potatoes; fried shrimp; leftover ribs from Fridays (these freeze really well surprisingly)

Bottom Tier (left to right): Broccoli simmered with soy sauce and garlic; dried cranberries; frozen raspberries with vanilla syrup

Sidecar: leftover shrimp and nori crackers from yesterdays bento

Tea: Tazo - Awake (I hated this one, it was very bitter black tea)

Bento #8

2008-08-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

Todays Box: Blue Hello Kitty box

Top Tier (left to right): Fresh broccoli; under the broccoli some sliced teriyaki chicken is hiding; then some more yummy chicken potstickers; and fried rice; plus some carrots added for garnish.

Bottom Tier (left to right): Raspberry muffin cut into tulip shapes; dried cranberries; frozen raspberries with a tiny bit of vanilla syrup to sweeten it; seaweed crackers and shrimp crackers.

Freezing and Bento Food Storage

2008-08-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

I finally dug out my camera today, so I took some pics of some of my food storage for bento and snackies.
I froze some leftover turkey soup in silicone cups, then after its frozen, I pop them out of the cups and wrap them in plastic wrap. I make my bentos the night before normally, so i just pop the food back into a silicone cup and it is thawed out in the fridge by lunchtime :)

Here are some strawberries, some 3 cheese pasta and some lomein. I freeze fruit and loos items in snack baggies for easier handling, so I can grab and toss in my box.

Here is my chest freezer where I store everything. I use quart sized baggies and label them with the contents and the date, so I know what I need to use up first. Most of the stuff is in the baskets, but I'm running out of room so I'll probably buy a plastic basket for the stuff that won't fit. In addition to leftovers, I also have some store bought things like potstickers, chicken nuggets, perogies, ravioli etc.

These are 2 baskets i keep in my china hutch. I have a tiny coffee maker that is the perfect size for a cup of tea, so it gets used a lot! The left basket has hot cocoa and mocha, cappuccino, instant chai, and some others. I have some tiny baggies that you can get in the craft section at walmart and I measured out coffee mixes for 1 cup. it's a lot easier than trying to measure everytime.

The basket on the right is my teas. Instead of trying to fit all my teas in one basket I took one or two of each kind and put them in the basket. The rest went in a storage container. I took more of the tiny baggies and put the teas in that didn't have a wrapper (like celestial seasonings teas). This would also work great for loose teas too.

These are my snack baskets! The left one has salty stuff (chex mix, shrimp crackers and a lone packet of miso soup) Most of these are smaller portions than the bag said because they fit better in the baggies. Shrimp chip portions are supposed to be over a cup, but there is just over half a cup in the baggies. I need to get some more salty snacks for a better variety, but there werent any good sales this week.

The right one is sweet stuff (animal cookies, mini moonpies, granola and cereal bars, macaroons, and oh so tasty milano cookies) Portioning these out has helped me a lot. I don't reach into a bag and grab a handful of cookies now, I just grab a baggie and it is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Also i use these in bentos, it usually takes half a bag of the salty snacks, and a couple cookies out of the sweet ones.

I hope these ideas will help everyone out! It does work really good for kids snacks too. I got the snack idea originally from one of my friends who has 3 kids and it keeps them from wolfing down a whole bag of chips.

Bento #7

2008-08-07T16:13:00.001-05:00

Today's Box: Blue Hello Kitty box

Top Tier (left to right): Chicken potstickers; takeout lomein; fried shrimp from Fridays (so yummy! There were 4 last night, but one somehow came up missing *glares at hubby*)

Bottom Tier (left to right): Coconut macaroon cut into a flower; strawberry mini moonpies cut into hearts; frozen cherries; shrimp chips (these things stink so bad but taste so good)

Sidecar: some yummy chicken teriyaki ramen hubby made for lunch

Tea: Tazo Earl Grey

Bento #6

2008-08-06T23:34:00.001-05:00

Today's Box: Red rabbit box
Top tier (left to right): Mini dill pickles; mac and cheese with shredded beef; precooked meatballs with bbq n cheese

Bottom tier (left to right): Frozen raspberries; coconut macaroons, cheddar chex mix

Tea: Tazo green tea tips

I went shopping yesterday and picked up groceries and snacks.

The first thing I did after getting home was to take a box of snack baggies and package all the snacks into individual portioned baggies. This is a great tip to help cut down on your munchie intake. Instead of reaching into a bag and realizing you ate the whole thing, you can grab a baggie and get just the right amount to satisfy the craving (i'll post pics later)

also it makes it easier to add snacks to your bento since you don't have to open a whole bag, just grab a little one and use the amount you need for your box (and yes i'll admit to eating the leftovers in the baggie lol)

I bought a couple baskets at the dollar store and use one for sweets and the other for salty snacks. I have one for teas/cocoa and some others for gravy mixes and small things like that.

i really do eat a lot less junk food since I started doing the baggies!

Bento #5

2008-08-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

Today's Box: Blue Hello Kitty box
Top tier (left to right): pasta with lite alfredo and tomato; Potato cheese pierogies; cheese tortolini with leftover tomato and herbs

Bottom tier (left to right): TLC honey almond flax granola bar; carrot sticks with italian salad spritzer on it; dried apricots and cranberries

Tea: Celestial Seasonings honey vanilla camomile

Not my healthiest bento, but I was craving italian bad! i hope the bottom tier makes up for it.

i've also started drinking tea with my bentos too

Bento #4

2008-08-04T22:57:00.000-05:00

Today's box: Red Rabbit box
Top tier (left to right): Today is takeout from Oriental Garden Express! Orange chicken; beef broccoli; lomein

Bottom tier (left to right): Fried rice, dried apricots and cranberries; baby dill cut in half; fresh strawberries

not much to add about this bento other than the takeout was real yummy! I froze most of the leftover rice and lomein to use later for bentos

Bento #3

2008-08-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Todays box: Blue Hello Kitty box
Top tier (left to right): Tyson teriyaki chicken; crab wontons
Not real pretty, but it suuure was tasty!

Bottom Tier (left to right); fresh strawberries; Michelina chicken with plum sauce, i can't remember the exact name >.< (very good taste for the price!)

The tysons teriyaki chicken is AWESOME! It comes precooked and boneless and all you have to do is toss a few in the microwave and dinners done

Bento #2

2008-08-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

Todays box is my adorable red rabbit box from Lube Sheep (what a wierd name for a company lol)
Top tier (left to right): Lipton 3 cheese bowties; yummy baked squash; fried shrimp (from walmart)

Bottom tier: (left to right); cherries (these are a golden color, don't know the name for them); bread butterflies (i put jelly on these later); celery sticks; fresh strawberries

I've started freezing my leftovers from dinner in silicone cups, I take them out of the cups when they are frozen and wrap them in plastic wrap. I get bunches of bento sized portions that I just have to pop back into a silicone cup and toss in my box. It will thaw out in the fridge in time for lunch and then I just nuke it and eat :) I'll post a pic of my freezer storage when I have a chance.

enjoy!

Bento #1

2008-08-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I have read some awesome bento blogs and I decided to start one of my own! Bento lunches are a great way to control portions and will help me lose weight! I wish I had started taking pics sooner, but here is the first one for my blog :) Today's box is my cute blue Hello Kitty bento box (I have 3 of these lol plus one green one)

Top tier: (left to right) home made crab wontons and a few extra fried shrimp; more fried shrimp (from Walmart); BBQ boneless chicken (from Walmart)

Bottom tier: Fresh black cherries; TLC Honey Almond Flax gronola bar; celery sticks

I made a bunch extra of the wontons, expect to see them in future bentos.

Also I bought a ton of cherries, pitted and them froze them to eat later too!

A quick recipe for the wontons

1 package of 48 wonton wrappers

1 package of cream cheese

1/2 pound of imitation crab (finely chopped)

2 green onions

1/8 tsp fresh minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried chives

salt according to taste

water to seal edges

mix everything in a bowl

fill each wonton with approx 1 tsp- 1 1/2 tsp filling

dip your finger in water and run along 2 sides of the wonton, then fold diagonally

dot the corners with water and fold them in too

you can deep fry these, but I usually just put some oil in a pan and fry one side at a time until they are golden

these are sooo yummy! and you can substitute just about any cooked meat or veggie (frozen spinach is really good too)

If you try this, lemme know how they turned out