OMG! I hit 50 followers in my adsence :o

Hi everyone! And welcome to the new followers! I apologize for being absent for so long :( Between computer issues, sadly, a bit of a loss of inspiration etc etc, I didn't realize how long it had actually been since I posted! :o

So keep an eye out for a contest to celebrate reaching 50 Followers! Woot! :D

I think I will start small tonight before I go back and post a few bento from the last couple months - there were many days I didn't need to pack bento and still others that I was just bored with and didn't bother to photograph, but I do have a few and some that my girls packed to post.

April 16:

Fresh strawberries and blackberries, hummus and Curry Pumpkin Seeds :)

In the bottom Tier is a wrap cut into 3 pieces. It is Arugula Blend Salad, Goat Cheese, a drizzle of Olive Oil, Red Onion, Roasted Red Pepper and Sundried Tomatoes - yum!

He also has Pub Mix, red and green Bell Pepper strips and baby carrots :)

So, lately I have been trying to use less pre-made, processed foods - some of which started before I stopped posting, but watching Jamie Oliver has inspired me to try harder :)  I grew up eating healthy foods - My Mom was into healthy, natural foods - and I grew up in WV! :P  lol  Not Huntington, but the Parkersburg are (Waverly, WV mostly).

Last week a friend of mine and a super Mom to two little ones posted on Facebook that she was making fruit leather - I just had to be a copycat and make some too! lol

I had strawberries and raspberries in the fridge that were still good, but not as fresh and beautiful as I'd like for eating fresh and packing into bento, so I decided it would make great fruit leather.  I've mentioned before that I don't tend to measure, so I can't tell you exactly how much, but I pureed the strawberries and raspberries (probably between 2 and 3 cups), juice of half a clementine and a little lemon juice - maybe 1/2 Tbs and added maybe a tsp honey.

I have a food dehydrator that I have had for many many years, so I pulled it out, lined it w/ plastic wrap and spread in the puree.

The next morning, it was just about done:

and tore it into 3 and rolled them up! :)

It was pretty tasty and something I definitely think I'll do again :)

I also got the new appliance I have been eyeing for a while - but it ended up causing my poor, dear hubby a bit of work - lol :)

Can you see it?  It's a triple frikkin' crock pot baby! lol

I don't know why I didn;t ask Rob to add a shelf to this table sooner - I always thought it needed one and really wasted that space...