Garlic Shrimp and Farro Bento

Today's bento contains farro topped with pan-fried garlic shrimp and spinach. This grain is pretty hearty and substantial, and I cooked it so that it had just a little chewiness to it. Seems like it would be good as a breakfast meal (like oatmeal, with cinnamon and brown sugar) to me. Or does that sound strange? Anyway, you can use this grain as rice, pasta, and tossed with just about whatever vegetables or meat you like. It's very versatile. I roasted some asparagus and added a steamed sweet potato bear face. Fruit section contains the usual strawberry and grapes. Pretty quick one, but healthy and satisfying for my growing boy.

Double Jacks Shrimp Bento

Double Jacks Shrimp Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

It was a double bento day, and I wanted to make a black jack-o-lantern to contrast with last time's ghost pumpkin. Is it creepy-looking? It sits alongside some garlicky shrimp in a bed of lettuce. It's almost the end of summer fruit, and I had to pick up some apples because I have a feeling the stone fruit are going to be rather unsweet these days. Sigh. To brighten up the lowly apple, I decided to carve another jack-o-lantern. I'm not good at the apple carving, and rarely do checkered apples because I always end up cutting outside the lines and digging out too much flesh. I took kind of a long time to carve this apple, and probably won't be doing this again unless I have lots of time to spare. Also in this section are grapes, carrots, purple cauliflower, a couple nectarine slices, and those teeny yellow pear tomatoes were actually picked from my homegrown vine. There are still a couple more hangers-on, clinging to the final days of "summer".

TinySprite got more of the shrimp, and I also tried out my new quail egg mold. Can you see the faces? I dyed them in beet juice to enhance the definition, but not quite long enough. The quail egg molds are so cute. They came in a set of two: one makes these cute expressions and the other makes animal shape imprints. I never realized how much quail eggs vary in size, but each of the three I molded was a different size. The biggest one actually didn't fit at all; it split and oozed out the edge. However, that didn't really make a difference on the face side. I just cut off the excess and it looked fine. I also gave her some grapes, nectarine slices, carrots, purple cauliflower and a carved crabapple. This apple was really hard to carve and you can probably see that it didn't come out that nicely. But she didn't mind! She loved it. Last week you might remember that she didn't show much interest in eating at lunchtime, and I have been slowly increasing the size of her bento to see if she might start to eat more. Well, today was the first day I walked in and she was already in the play area. I asked her why she wasn't eating and she said she finished already. Wow! The teacher verified it. And get this: she ate everything; even the lettuce! I guess her appetite is increasing, what with all the INTENSE playing she's been doing at school. Twitter pals will know what I mean. ^_^

Garlic Shrimp Bento and EasyLunchBoxes Review

Garlic Shrimp Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento is packed in a box you haven't seen me use before: it's part of the Easy Lunch Box System, which includes four BPA-free plastic boxes like this one, four different color lids, and a zippered cooler bag. When Kelly Lester contacted me to test and review these portable, reusable (bento-type) boxes, I was happy to do so. So here goes:

For the inaugural bento I packed garlic shrimp (pan-fried in olive oil and garlic, then sprinkled with parsley) in a green lettuce leaf. I like using lettuce as a natural divider (baran) because it's edible and healthy, and it looks so fresh and pretty. In this bento, it keeps the shrimp separate from the cherry tomatoes and the three colors of sweet potato (regular orange, Japanese white [satsumaimo], and Okinawan purple). I also added a spinach log wrapped in turkey, and finished the decoration with pink carrot and purple carrot flowers. All this food fit nicely in the main compartment of the box; in fact, if I had a complaint it would be that the box is a bit on the large side. I think the main section may be sized to accomodate a sandwich. Since I have been used to packing my kids' lunches in a typical bento box, I wasn't sure how the loose packing would work. I tried to fill in the gaps as best I could to minimize movement (and possible spillage). The other two sections were easy to fill, and in fact they may have fit less of the fruit than I usually pack, somehow. Grapes in the smallest section and yogurt plus fresh berries and sliced almonds filled out the box. After everything was packed, I put the lid on, and discovered that the lid had a concave quality that served to pack down the food a bit. The hard plastic is quite sturdy and seems like it will hold up well to washing and reusing without cracking or breaking. The lid is easy to remove, and doesn't have the suction quality that flexible (Tupperware-style) plastic lids have. I was afraid it might come off during transport, but actually it stayed on quite well. Be aware that they are not leakproof, so it's best to avoid liquids and foods with sauces and gravies. The set comes with 4 separate boxes and lids, so that you could conceivably pack lunches for several family members at a time. They stack on top of each other nicely. I packed this one in the included bag, and placed his stainless steel thermos on top. They both fit perfectly.

All in all, I would say that the Easy Lunch Box System is a very convenient and versatile lunchpacking system, and handy for parents needing to pack more than one lunch a day. It's also a great system for picnics and field trips. The divided sections are my favorite feature: they act as timesavers (no need to figure out dividers), and help with portion control. It's easy for kids to open and close, and the cooler bag makes a perfect carrier. It's appropriate for boys, girls, or adults -- the whole family! And as an alternative to a wasteful brown bag / ziploc bag lunch, it's ideal!