Week 2 - here I come!

Life last week was a bit hectic.  I've added a second job to my schedule, and basically started with a little less than full time hours while trying to still get the kids onto and off the bus.  We'll see how long this lasts, but for now, I've decided to do blog posts every second day, just to make sure I have time in the evenings even to *make* the bentos!  So, onto bento we go.

My son's bento is first.  We had leftover chicken nuggets on Sunday night because it was my youngest daughter's 3rd birthday.  YAY!  So, I had to bring out the Lock and Lock for my son.  2 bentos, the same... for 2 lunch breaks.  They both have, chicken nuggets with plum sauce for dipping, sweet potato french fires, red mini tomatoes (one is a balloon!), strawberries, cheese stars, cucumbers and a gold coin for that chocolate treat!

 

My oldest daughter didn't want so much, so I pretty much did the same ingredients, but only a little less.

 

 The baby (whose 3) wanted the same thing, but no chicken nuggets.. she gets a little picky.  So, we did her normal wrap, with a few animal crackers.  The crackers came back!  Wow, I often wonder how this kid gets by.  But, then again, I added some apple sauce on the side with this meal!

 My lunch was great!  Homemade pizza leftovers, cukes, cheese, granola bites, granola bar for early morning snack, yogurt raisins, then chopped nectarines and strawberries!  YUM!

What's in your lunch?
Still lovin' bentos!
Rella

Of Men, stars and Meatballs

Slowly I'm getting the hang of bento making.  According to my list, this is bento #36 & #37.  Wow.  I should do something fun when I hit #50.  Funny... I keep seeing other people with bento #814 or Bento # 97.  Hmm... will I make it that far? Possibly.  Especially if my new bento boxes ever decide to show up!  ARGH!  Sometimes my patience just goes out the window.  I'm hoping that they show up tomorrow, one way or another.  So, onto the bentos.

I didn't go to work today, so I only made 2 bentos for the kids.  Pretty similar, with only a few substitutions.  Bento on the left, contents:  Meatballs on my nail skewers, yellow mini tomatoes, crackers with cheese stars, fresh raw peas, craisins and grapes, leftover spaghetti squash with a red pepper and cheese butterfly.  I also snuck in a chocolate coin and later was requested to put in a brownie mini-muffin.

My daughters on the right is pretty much the same, but since she didn't want meatballs, she got her regular bologne and cheese wrap.

I'm really surprised how empty the bentos came back today (and they remembered to bring back the fork!).  I also packed the regular milk, applesauce (daughter) and granola bar (son) for the kids.  My son ate everything except the squash and red pepper butterfly and star.  He said that he "couldn't handle it".  Meanwhile my daughter's came back completely empty.  I really thought that the spaghetti squash would come back for both boxes, but I guess that when it's just that little bit, it okay.  Strange, my son really liked it for dinner the night before.  Oh well.  I guess some things are just better warm.  I'm glad that at least the red peppers were tasted!

I did a little research on some of the charaben and other fancy designs that I have been following.  I just don't understand how some things can come together - what food are they using!  Well, Anna the Red came through.  It's an egg sheet (some with colouring). It is seriously cool.  I wonder what the kids would think?  I have to put it into the back of my mind and use it at home first before I send it out there with the kids.  I mean, I'm all for making things cute, but in the end if the food comes back, then my whole reason for doing bentos is out the window.

Okay, gotta go!  I got some good news today - interview for a new job on Monday.  I'm really excited, but I'm starting to come down, and now I'm wondering what the heck I have to offer them!  EEK!  Anyway, goodnight!

Flowers and Bones

Making bentos is starting to get easier and easier, but I find that if I don't have something in my mind, they all start to meld together.  I think that I'm going to go on a hunt for a few different cutters, or maybe I just have to go grocery shopping with bentos specifically in mind.  There are a few things that I wish we had around here in the markets - snap peas that are not frozen (none at the market, only in my sister's garden!).  I wish my kids liked broccoli more, then I could stuff a few of them in the bentos.  We did try some "pot stickers" (what I figure Gyozas are like), and next time I'm going to make more, so there are a few for lunches!

Lately my bentos have been coming back empty - the kids are eating everything!  This is both good and bad.  They aren't complaining that there is too much, but neither are they saying about there being too little.  Argh!  Either way I'm not happy I guess.

Here are todays bentos.

 The bentos basically had about the same things in them.  I'll start with the left one (flower) for my daughter.  Contents:  Bologne and cheese wrap, with a fruit to-go "leather" and a cheese flower, grapes, strawberries, brownie mini muffin, nectarine and cucumber.  I added some milk and applesauce to this as a side by request.

Bento #2 contents:  Meatballs on nail skewers covered with cheese bones, cucumbers, nectarine and fruit leather dog, brownie mini muffin in the corner, strawberries and grapes.  I added milk and a granola bar to this for extra carbs.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of little munchkin's bento today.  No biggie, it was pretty much the same, except it was in a pig bento.

That's it for tonight.  Here'e hoping I see those bento boxes SOON!  ARGH!

Cheese and cucumber - a good combo?

Today's bentos reminded me that I can get "fancy" without using many tools.  I've really been wanting to make something "cute" but my brain isn't working so well at 10pm, when I get around to making these things.  Instead I decided to swap some flavors/centers and see what the kids thought.  So, here's what I mean:

How about some cucumber and cheese?  I knew that I would put some cucumber in the kids lunches, but the circles were almost too big for the silicone cups.  So, I decided to cut out the centers.  Then I cut out cheese shapes.  Ding - light bulb.  So, I didn't get a chance to ask the kids (totally forgot), but everything in the bento was gone when they brought them home.  So, I guess it all went over pretty well.  I'll give you a run down, using the one on the right.
Contents:  Cheese stars, and cucumber circles.  grapes, mini red and yellow tomatoes, cucumber stars, strawberry, mini brownie muffins, bologne and cheese wraps.  All went well, and they all fit.  Yum.  I also added a applesauce to my daughter's lunch, and a granola bar to my son's - you know, just in case they were still hungry.  The extras were gone.

Little munchkin came with me to an appointment, so instead of just packing up some fish crackers, I packed up a snack size bento for her as well with finger foods that she could eat, and hopefully not get herself (or anyone else) dirty.  It worked out fairly well.  Actually she fell asleep on the way home, so it was mostly her lunch too!

Contents:  Fish crackers (so, I did need to have them there!), raisins, mini tomatoes, strawberries, and a granola bar that I won't include next time because it was dipped in chocolate.  Bad idea.  Live and learn I guess.  At least she had the granola at home after she woke up.

That's it for now.
Rella
BTW... still waiting for my bento shipment.

Gotta have it!

I'm amazed sometimes how much the kids are liking their bentos.  The other day I told them that I wouldn't be making a bento because it was Saturday - "Ahhh... Mom...."  I couldn't believe it.  I'm packing less "junk" in their lunches, and they aren't complaining.  Everything comes back empty, and I have no worries.  I really think that this is going to stick.  (so long as I don't get sick of making them).  At the beginning of the school year I bought all the regulars - granola bars, fruit cups, pudding, cereal bars.  And, as of yet, they really haven't been into them that much.  Sure, there was the request of a pudding yesterday, but really, out of the 20 some bentos that I have made, they really aren't wanting anything extra.

It makes me think that maybe I'm taking a step in the right direction.  I can't wait until the new bentos come.  I'm hoping that then I will be able to send them some rice balls, or something else since it will be contained a little better.  And, by that I mean that I will be having a longer, skinnier box, instead of the square.  Something different is always good.  And, each of the boxes has 2 layers, so maybe I'll be able to sneak in something a little extra.

Okay, onto the bentos.

Mia asked for the piggy bento box.  It's just the sandwich box that I had before, but I make sure not to pack it too tightly.  She also had some Mac&Cheese with this.  I know that it may not be the healthiest, but I worry that she doesn't have a "tummy filler" as Wendy from Wendolonia says.  I try to add fruits, veggies, a carb "tummy filler", and a protein.  Here we have nectarines, grapes, some black olives hidden in the middle, a few "balloon" yellow tomatoes, heart cheese ontop of crachers, and yogurt covered raisins.  I also snuck in 2 sour peach candy in the ears.  I knew that it would be a little much for miss munchkin, but she ate her fill, which sometimes is the goal with her.  My finikity eater.  One day it's all good, then the next - "no way".  Ahh... lovely.

The other 2 basically had identical lunches.  Watermelon, cheese, yellow & red grape tomates, crackers, nectarines, and star kolbassa pieces.  There is also some cucumber and 2 sour peaches candy hiding in there.  They didn't say much about the dried mango which they "had to have" at the grocery store.  I guess if it didn't come back, it's all good!

On another note, I do want to try to make more faces, something a little more fun.  I'm trying to find a recipe to make my own candy eyes that I keep seeing on the bento blogs.  They are kinda cool, but I don't want to spend a fortune on them.  (in case the youngest munchkin finds them, and eats the whole pack!).  Plus, I'm the kind of person that never buys anything because I think "hey, I could make that".  Sure, if I knew at all how to make candy.  Then again, I think that it wouldn't be *that* hard.  I mean, a white circle covered by a smaller black one.  Shouldn't be hard... right?

Anyway, that's another project that I'll have to add to the pile.  Right now, life is good, and the kids are loving what they are eating.  That's the main point.  I'll try for more  "cute" stuff later.

Thanks for following!

Meatballs and 5 lunches

Meatball night last night, so we have some goodies for lunch today.  5 lunches.. I think I was crazy!  My son loves meatballs, so I thought it might be funny to skewer the meatballs with my "nail" skewers.  He thought it was funny.  Didn't have much energy last night after I made Onigiri (rice balls) for us, so they aren't that "cute" or funny.   My 2 youngest didn't want any, so they got sandwices and mac& cheese... well, enough talking, onto the bentos!

In the piggy sandwich box is mosty dessert (mac and cheese as the main course)  Nectarines, grape tomatoes, Onigiri, grapes, and black olives!

Bento #2 was middle child.  cuke slices, Bol & Cheese circles, grapes and tomatoes, nectarines cut up (4 gummies on top), strawberry and a sandwich on thin flat bread.  Plus a Fruit-to-go slipped on it's side at the top.

Bento #3 is all about circles.  (from the top) cukes and cheese circles, tomato, meatballs with cheese dots, babybell, nectarine and a few grapes with 3 gummy bears.

Bento #4 was for myself.  I made wayyy too much food.  But, this is a learning process.  It's about the same ingredients as in the kids bentos.  I did add some cheese curds and grapes in one box with Onigiri with little black olives and soysauce in the top box.  It's funny after I make everyone's boxes, by the time I get to mine, I want to have a little of everything - it's all so yummy!

Bento #5 was for hubby.  By this time I was tired, and I just tossed everything in!  Same kind of ingredients.  Yeah, by this time it wasn't very exciting.  Hubby got teased for getting gummi bears.  I didn't realize it was his bento when I was putting the gummies in, until it was too late - oh well! :)

Edit:  Included in What's for Lunch Wednesday

The day before the First Day of School

Well, tomorrow is the first day of school, and I've made my bentos up.  I've also done some serious surfing of bento websites tonight, and found one that seemed good for supplies (out of Texas I think). fitjpstore dot com.  Nana is coming up from Chicago, and if I can get this stuff sent to her in time, I might have Bento goodies before the October trip to Toronto!  YAY!  That would be awesome.  And with prices being 2,3 or 6 bucks, I can get by with that!  I think I tallied it all up and it was around $39 .00 Great opportunity to buy a bunch of bento boxes for the kids and see how well they work size wise - before I start paying double digits for these!

Okay, so anyway, I'm here's my next two bentos I made a few weeks back.  Tomorrow I'll show you what I made for the kids first day of school!

This first one was for my girls (they got exactly the same).  Mini box has perogies and sour cream.  The big box has blueberries, grapes, cukes, honeydew melon, carrots, dip, and cheese stars and bones.  They loved it!  I was so happy.  The older one even ate the perogies, but told me not to bother with the sour cream next time.

Second box was pretty much the same thing.  Carrots, Honeydew melon, blueberries, grapes, cukes, dip and cheese shapes on top.  I forgot to take a picture, but he also had perogies.

See, nothing too exciting, nothing too different, but these went over very well.  They especially liked the "bones".  Kinda cute (this was originally a cookie cutter for dog biscuits).
I also made a bunch of mini brownie/muffins.  I hope that they work out.  I made about 2 dozen, and they went straight into the freezer.  Hopefully it doesn't just dry them out.

Okay, off I go.  I have to get to bed in order to be awake for tomorrow's exciting day! :)  Hope everyone has a great day with bento making for school!

BTW... anyone out there?