Banh Mi, Early Summer Version Bento

Banh Mi, Early Summer Version Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

What, you say we've already had a banh mi bento recently? Really? Let me check...nope, last one was 2 months ago! But it's true I've made other kinds of sandwich bento in the meantime. Let's face it: sometimes it's easier to make a sandwich bento than prepare "real food" and there's nothing wrong with that. Today was such a lovely day, we spent most of it outside and I didn't do any cooking at all. We got Vietnamese takeout and took home some banh mi for lunch. Today it is chicken. I cut it in half and added extra spinach and cilantro to fill out the green veggies, then wrapped in wax paper and snuggled them into the basket part of my Keroppi bento box. The lower tier is just big enough for some early summer fruits: white peach, rich red plum, golden apricot, tangerine, blueberries, and more homegrown strawberries. Oh, and some purple cauliflower because I am in love with the vivid hue. I live for summer fruits, and these are just the beginning. The plum is still a little tart, but I really do like them like this. The peaches are super sweet. And the strawberries -- well, these are bigger than the mini ones I packed a few days ago, and they are bursting with sweet flavor. It's such a treat to enjoy fresh picked fruit, and if you can't grow a fruit tree, you can definitely try a strawberry plant. They're very small and prolific; you can enjoy a handful of fruit with each bloom. And they're so cute! I'll try to remember to take pictures of the baby fruit as it matures from a tiny green berry into a luscious red one. You'll be hooked.

This is MisterMan's last bento of the first grade. It makes me a little nostalgic, just like at the end of kindergarten. He's growing up so fast and I always wonder how long he'll be agreeable to taking bento for lunch. He's still the only one in his class having bento for lunch, and so far the response by the other kids has been positive. The girls especially -- he says they come over and say "Awwww, so cuuuuute." I guess the boys are too manly for that. Anyway, I'll still have TinySprite to make bento for. She'll start preschool this summer, hopefully. She's much pickier than her brother, so it'll be more of a challenge!

End of school marks the beginning of summer for us so.. Happy Summer, Bento Friends!!

Pink Bunny Pizza Bento

Pink Bunny Pizza Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Sweet potato pizza was for dinner and I made some extra for MisterMan's bento. I adapted the recipe from Gourmet Mom on the Go. It's easy and quick to make, and it really does taste great! Really!

Here's what you need:
2 medium sweet potatoes (I used regular ones, satsumaimo, and Okinawan sweet purple ones. All good!)
Ready to bake pizza crust (I've used whole grain lavash wrap and pocketless whole wheat pita rounds)
5 oz. mascarpone cheese, or 5 oz. cream cheese mixed with 2T sour cream (I've used the cream cheese mixture and it's delish!)
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
shredded baby spinach
roasted garlic
garlic powder, rosemary, thyme (optional)

Here's what you'll do:
Drizzle olive oil on your crust and spread evenly with the cheese and roasted garlic.
Sprinkle with shredded spinach.
Layer the peeled, thinly sliced potatoes over the cheese.
Sprinkle with garlic powder and herbs, if using.
Drizzle top with olive oil.
Bake at 425F for 18-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and crust is crispy.
Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Slice and enjoy!

One of the best things about this pizza is that you can hide any number of goodies under the potatoes. My 3 year old will pull off all the spinach if it's sitting on top, but this way she never even sees it. It's awesome. I put two pieces of pizza in the basket part. These were baked on soft lavash, which crisped up very well. The one in the back has Okinawan purple potato, and the one in the front has satsumaimo. In the lower tier I put my pink bunny molded egg. You can see the details on this one better, whew! It helps to dye it in beet juice, I think. I also added some white peach, a half apricot, half strawberry, red grapes and a sprig of steamed broccoli. Yummy!

Bamboo Steamer Basket

This is the tiniest size, about 5 inches in diameter. I am showing its original appearance as purchased, as I plan to alter it for a special project! ^ - ^