Back at it :)

Hey folks!  Sorry for the absence - Rob was gone on a business trip to Texas, so I didn't need to pack bento all week :o  But I'm back at it as of yesterday, so the posting will begin again :)

Last night for dinner, Rob wanted Harold's Deli - this is the same Harold's Deli that was featured on Man Vs. Food - you can see a YouTube video from the show here :)

So, anyway, he just wanted leftover deli today, but I couldn't just leave it completely plain, right?!

So, heart shaped sammies it was!

I just used the sandwich lunch container we've had for years.

So, he has Harold's Cole Slaw (I realized when I uploaded the photo, I could have done something creative on top of it, but I was feeling lazy :P)

He also has a new pickle and peppers from Harold's on the side.

At the bottom he has a pudding marshmallow, a kiwi gummy and just a little chex mix.

We'll be having Harold's leftovers for dinner tonight too - it's a lot of food, and being on Weight Watcher's myself, I don't eat a lot of the corned beef on my sammie!

OK, so the picks were too tall, so it was closed with them laying flat :P 

Yesterday's bento was very quickly thrown together; uncreative, but colorful and healthy!

Here he has organic mixed greens w/ southwest chicken strips, shrp cheddar and baby carrot slices in the bottom tier.

In the top tier, he has curried pumpkin seeds (I love these things!), tri colored pepper strips and baby carrots.

Last Friday we took another run up to Mitsuwa - to my disappointment, they no longer had the flower kamaboko, so I had to just get the naruto kamaboko again :(  Oh well, it's still pretty :)

They were also out of pink denbu :(  We were told the small Asian grocery right down the road also carries it, so we'll have to check there soon - we must have missed it (it's pretty small, so we don't go there too often)

Ahmetia got a gorgeous looking slice of cake

:Drool:

I should have stolen a bite!

I also finally got the Tamagoyaki pan this trip - Yay!

Don't you just love the bottom? haha :)

This was Kat's first attempt at a tamagoyaki in the new pan:

Her second attempt for was much better:

While Rob didn't need any bentos this last week, the girls did pack a couple, but I'll start with Kat's for today.  Apparently Ahmetia forgot to take photos of hers for today.

This is Kat's bento in her new set that I got her for Valentine's Day - I've included pics of the closed set below.

I got the set from ebay from a seller in Japan and she, of course, loves it :)

In the largest tier, she has rice, beautiful fresh raspberries that I picked up at Sam's yesterday and forgot to put in Rob's bento :o and her tamagoyaki I showed you above :)

In her second tier, she has some of the Harold's cole slaw, edamame, banana and sweet simmered sweet potatoes that she made this morning.

In tier 3 she has Harold's famous corned beef, shiitake mushrooms (I think also sweet simmered, but she may have done them differently this time - seems like she said something about it, but I was working...), and a pudding marshmallow.

In the 4th and smallest tier, she has half a clementine, a little more banana and sweet simmered black beans from her freezer stash.

Whew!  Yes, that's a lot, but it is her lunch and dinner since they are on campus from 11am until around 8pm tonight.

This was Ahmetia's bento for yesterday.  She has a fish sandwich on a wheat bun that she used black sesame seeds to make a face on, baby carrot sticks, ranch dressing in the container, kiwi and a pudding marshmallow w/ fruit leather flowers.

Just a close-up of her sammie...

This was Kat's lunch bento for last week.

She has sort of a Saboro bento here in the top tier - rice topped w/ egg, edamame and spinach namul.

In the bottom tier she has sweet simmered black beans, coconut jelly w/ blueberries (I think - if not, I'll come back and edit) and salad w/ dressing in the container.

This was Kat's dinner bento for her long Wednesday last week.

Looks yummy, doesn't it?!?

In the first tier, she has Kimchi, Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs (they were giving out samples at the grocery store last week - a nice healthier alternative and she says they're very good, but a little pricey for my taste - they were also giving out coupons) on a lettuce leaf bed, edamame and clementine segments.

In the second tier, she has rice and stir fried veggies.

This was Ahmetia's bento last week in her new bento box for Valentine's Day.

I added pictuers of the set below.

She has teriyaki veggies and rice in the bottom tier.

In the top tier she has an Asian jelly, blackberries, 2 quail eggs and pineapple chunks.

Whew!  That was a long one! 

And I'm not done yet! lol

I gave the girls their Valentine's gifts early - As you already know, they each got a new bento set.

This is Kat's set - the boxes all nest inside each other and I also got her the matching chopsticks in a case :)  As I said, this set was from an ebay seller from Japan.

(I also got some new Hello Kitty cutters and a new face punch, but we'll save that for another post!)

This is Ahmetia's new set.  This one came from Very Asia and is on sale for $11.99 - That's a deal!  Mitsuwa had this same set for $18.99.

It has a rice press/shaper and 2 dividers, a belt and a matching bag.

We also gave this set to their friend, along with the cute sandwich cutters she wanted :)

This set may very likely be the next bento giveaway when I reach 50 followers! :D

Happy Bento-ing!!

Bento roundup

Sorry I have been absent the last couple days.  Rob didn't need a bento on Tuesday, I was just plain too tired to post on Wednesday after having trouble sleeping without my hubby.  Then yesterday, I managed to burn my hair while cooking dinner - Chicken Tortilla Soup - and was just not in the mood to post after that :o

I guess it's just been one of those weeks for me...

So, anyway, Tuesday night's dinner was Feta, Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts - yum!  I didn't use a recipe - just sounded good and I had reduced fat feta that needed used, had the bag of sun dried tomatoes from Christmas and had Chicken Breasts that I had to decide what to do with - it all just fell together :)

OK, I didn't have the Spinach, but I had Ahmetia pick some up on her way home from class :)

Doesn't that chicken just look delicious?  I will definitely be making this again! :)

I was feeling tired and lazy, so it was nice to have the leftover chicken to add to the salad - and to make it pretty w/ no time investment, I added a few wheat gluten cakes to act as croutons.

Wanna make the chicken?  Here's the recipe:

Feta, Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Pkg Fresh Spinach (or you can use frozen)

1 Tbs. EVOO

1 Tsp Garlic (I use the minced in a jar)

4 oz Feta (I used reduced fat)

2 oz Sun Dried Tomatoes (I used the bagged kind - no oil) - chopped

Dried Basil (fresh would be even better)

Salt & Pepper

Pound chicken breasts either between plastic wrap or in a food storage bag - I like to use a heavier freezer bag big enough to do all 4 at once - to about 1/2 inch thick or less

Saute spinach (stemmed and washed) in olive oil and add garlic

Mix feta, tomatoes and spinach in a bowl and season with salt and pepper and basil to taste

Divide feta mixture between each of the breasts and roll tightly. If needed, secure w/ toothpicks - I didn't find this necessary.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.

The leftovers were really good in a salad - I think it may have been even better cold the next day :)

In the top tier, he has Macaroni salad, Tabouleh, Sun dried tomato hummus and pineapple and blueberries.

He also had gummies for a treat in the lid and in his bag I added half a whole wheat pita for the hummus and tabouleh.

So, last night for dinner, I decided to make Chicken Tortilla Soup again (I made some a couple weeks ago with leftover roast chicken - not sure if I mentioned it here.)  Anyway, I leaned over the pot to get a spoonful to tast and managed to singe my hair - I think it singed on the side of the pot, rather than in the flame.

Needless to say, my evening was ruined and I was not in the mood to post or to pack a proper bento.

The lack of sleep didn't help...

I didn't even remember that we had this Tupperware container.  It came with a little condiment cup that sits in the lid, but I didn't use it here.

This is a whole wheat pita stuffed with lettuce, hummus, cucumber slices and tabouleh.

I bought a little set of Wilton Valentines cutters at the grocery store last week and used the double heart on the cucumber slices and the plain heart on the red pepper to at least make it look a little nicer.

He also had a small container with Macaroni Salad that is not pictured.

And in case you want it, this is the recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I didn't use a recipe and it changes a bit each time I make it, but this is how it was made last night and it worked out to 3 points per serving before adding shredded cheddar (1 oz 2%), fat free sour cream and a sprinkling of green onion.

Makes 6 servings

Tammy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 8 oz chicken breast

Chicken base & 3 cups water (or canned chicken stock)

2 c canned diced tomatoes

2 c. canned tomato sauce

1 small can diced green chilis

1 c salsa

1 small onion diced

1 c chopped bell pepper

1 can progresso black bean soup

2 Tbs chili powder (or to taste)

1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

2 Tbs hot sauce (or to taste)

1 Tbs minced garlic (or to taste)

Poach the chicken breast in chicken stock or water and soup base until cooked through and tender (I buy the base at Sam's Club - this was the first time I poached chicken breast - kept it nice and moist).  Alternatively, you could use leftover cooked chicken or pre-cooked chicken such as tyson grilled strips.

I used a paper towel in a strainer and strained the stock into a large pot, chopped up the chicken breast and added it.  Then add all the other ingredients into the pot, bring it to a boil and simmer until veggies are desired tenderness, taste and adjust spices as necessary (you may want to start with less cayenne and hot sauce and adjust from there)

I like this topped with reduced fat sharp cheddar, fat free sour cream and green onions.

I also cruch up lime tostitos into Rob's, but leave that out of mine to save the points.

 

This was Kat's dinner bento on Tuesday.

She has her homemade Bean Sprout Namul, Spinach Namul, Wakame Salad (purchased) and clementine segments.

In the other tier, she has steamed rice with an umeboshi and tamagoyaki.

These were Kat's lunch and dinner bento for Wednesday.  They're on campus on Wednesdays from around 11am to around 8pm.

In the first bento, she has yakitori, rice and baby carrots and in the other tier, kiwi, pineapple and spinach namul.

In the second bento, she has rice, curry chicken & onions and sweet simmered black beans, blackberries, blueberries and more spinach namul.

Ahmetia also had a bento, but unfortunately the only photo she took of the entire bento was blurry...

Happy Bento-ing!

A very healthy bento after a very bad weekend!

Oh, we ate horribly this weekend, we did!  Friday was lunch at Chevy's for Mexican, along with beer for Rob and a Grande Mango Margarita for me :)  Then way too much to drink Friday night - Have I mentioned that Rob makes the most awesome Hot Toddies ever?!  Everyone loves 'em, but man are they a kick in the you know what :o

Then lunch Saturday was the leftover Chevy's and dinner was McDonald's - I did get the grilled chicken sandwich w/ no mayo, only 2 fries, just to taste - lol - but then I had to have a hot fudge sundae! 

So, needless to say, it was time for healthy food today!

I picked up some tomatoes on Friday and on Sunday night made the Tabouli (I prefer the tabouleh spelling, but it looks like the other is more common?)

I started by making the pitas.  This is my favorite way to have tabouleh - I place a piece of lettuce in to pita and spread it with hummus - Sabra is my absolute favorite - and place sliced cucumbers on the hummus and fill it with tabouleh - soooo yummy!

For the pictures, I have the pita standing up in the box surrounded by lettuce, but I put the halves in sandwich bags and stacked them before closing the box.

In the other tier is fresh pineapple, blueberries, red pepper strips and baby carrots.

In the lid he has the pudding marshmallow and Mango gummy for treats.

He also had a small container of lite hidden valley ranch dressing to dip the carrots and peppers.

How's that for healthy?!

This is a light dinner bento for Kat.

She lined this with lettuce and then put in her homemade pork bun, clementine segments from half a clementine, 3 quail eggs and the banana bottle is filled with dipping sauce for the pork bun.

Yum!

Happy Bento-ing!

We have a winner! :)

OK folks!  It's that time - time to announce the winner of the bento drawing :D

First, how I chose...  I used random.org to give me a random number, then counted through the comments, skipping my own replies and the one second comment from the same person, just to be fair :)

So the winner is - drumroll please! ;)

abcicantcount

Please email me at tammy@robtammy.com with your mailing address and let me know which set you want and I'll get that sent out to you :)  Congratulations! :)

Which came first... ;)

The other night, I was watching some youtube videos and came across one where they did cucumber cups, so I decided to try doing one.  In the video, they used more of an English cucumber than our typical fatter, shorter ones, but it came out ok and made a nice edible container for the hummus :)  I will likely keep that in my bento repertoire for the future :)

I started by putting the last of the carrot salad into the food cup that came with this bento box.  I then put in the cucumber cup and filled it with sun dried tomato hummus, then put in the oval foil food cup and filled it with pineapple and blueberries.  I love these oval foil cups - they are thinner than the baking cups and very flexible to mold into the space I want them to fit.  I ordered them from Ichibankan USA before they closed their web store.  I'm down to only one package now and will be sad to use the last of them!

Next, I squeezed a mini valentines cupcake baking cup on each dise of the cucumber and filled one with those Wasabi Almonds (yes, again - lol) and used the other for a nut cake from a package I bought at the Hong Kong Supermarket last Friday.  The cup provided a bit of a barrier from the cucumber.

I felt like doing something a little different with the egg for today, so I decided to do an egg chick :)  The yolk stuck a little to the egg, but he's still cute, I think.  Next time, I'll try letting the egg cool a bit more before I cut it and remove the top.  The eyes are nori and the beak is carrot.  I usually use black sesame seeds for the eyes, but with nori, I can add a dot of mayo and they stick nicely :)

 I made a little nest of shredded carrot in the center of the mixed organic spring greens and put my egg chick into it and then put the rest of the egg white on the side.

The pinwheels are once again ham, buffalo chicken breast and provolone.

Happy Bento-ing!

Onigiri shaped egg for a no rice bento :)

When I went to make the tabouleh the other day, I discovered that the package of tomatoes was bad - on the bottom of course, where it went unnoticed until the package was opened.  So, no tabouleh yet...

Today's bento was a fairly quick one. 

I started by getting the eggs boiling while I decided what else to put into the bento.

A while back, I bought a set of 3 egg molds that included the Onigiri, Pumpkin and Ice Cream Cone shapes.  They were purchased on ebay, and although they were a bit pricey, I haven't regretted the purchase :)

I've recently been seeing Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and even Disney's Stitch egg molds - the Winnie the Pooh is a temptation, but so far I've been able to avoid the temptation! lol

I started by putting in the 3 heart shaped silicone cups.  These are shorter than the Wilton heart shaped cups and are great for the shorter tiered bento boxes.

I filled one with the macaroni salad Ahmetia got at the grocery store (the one that isn't very good, but I feel was too pricey to just throw out - ugh, I may break down and throw it out anyway - life's too short to eat yucky food! lol). 

In the next cup, I added the carrot salad I made the other day.  Rob said he liked it, so I'm happy and it will likely become something I use on a somewhat regular basis :)  In the final cup, I put in some fresh pineapple and blueberries.  I love the colors together :)

I filled in the space between the 2 salads with wasabi almonds (I love those things!), then added the baby carrots (trimmed down to fit) and the red pepper strips and pea pods.

For the bottom tier, I put together his typical salad of organic spring greens, topped with the baby carrot slices from the trimmed down baby carrots, ham, buffalo chicken and provolone pinwheels and the onigiri shaped boiled egg with nori face :)

In the lid, I added a pudding marshmallow and a mango gummy.

Wednesdays are the girls long day on campus, so they each have bentos for today:

Kat was running behind this morning and didn't have time to make her rice, so she cooked up some pierogi in the microwave and put sour cream in the dog cup and filled the space with some ham (torn from the trimmings from the ham flowers in the single tier).  In the bottom tier she has clementine segments and blueberries and some wakami salad in the heart shaped silicone cup.

Being a long day, she needs both lunch and dinner.  So in the single tier, she decided to go with soba.  She topped the noodles with some ham flowers and has a dashi soup base in the cup.  She also has an ice cream cone shaped boiled egg that I did last night when I did the onigiri shaped egg.

To save time, I often do 2 eggs and store the 2nd in the fridge, left in the egg mold in a sandwich bad.  I still set the egg in the ice water before putting it in the fridge.  I find the moisture from the ice water helps keep the egg from sticking to the mold the next morning.

 

Ahmetia only packed one bento for herself, I hope she has enough food (Though she may have grabbed a lunchable or something...)

In the bottom tier she has a cheese omelet.  I always think she overcooks them, but this is the way she likes them.

In the top tier, she has grapes, the last of the veggie samosas, california blend steamed veggies and a pudding filled marshmallow.

It's not a bento, but this was my lunch today - doesn't it look yummy! 

I'm sure it's obvious, but it is a baked potato with a little fat free sour cream, chili and 2% shredded cheddar cheese and some green onion.  Very satisfying!

Happy Bento-ing!