I Heart Chili Riceball Bento

Another cold day calls for homemade chili (I used this recipe but with lots of extra veggies thrown in, because you know me) in the 17oz. Stanley thermal food jar; this larger size is great for kids whose appetite is bigger than the usual 12oz. jar can hold (like my MisterMan). I also like this jar because it's virtually indestructible; very heavy-duty and all stainless steel. To pack alongside, I used two EcoLunchBox Eco Dippers: one holds a heart-shaped shiso musubi with a nori face in a lettuce cup and a grape tomato. The other holds sliced kiwi, blood oranges, and fresh (yes, fresh!) pineapple chunks. He'll take the very practical combo spoon/fork/knife with him too. Happy Wednesday, friends!

First Bento of the Year!

First Bento of the Year!, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Hellooooo out there! I haven't posted a bento for, um, it seems like forever. We had a school break over the Christmas and New Year holidays, and I didn't make a bento the whole time. Didn't even think about bento. I was afraid I'd forgotten how to make one again. But here I am, 3 weeks after the last one. It might look a bit messy and thrown-together, but it qualifies! I found a beautiful wild salmon filet so decided to roast it with a splash of olive oil, garlic powder and dried herb mix. And since the oven was on, of course I also threw in some halved brussels sprouts and sliced kabocha. While everything roasted away, I got the brilliant idea to try slicing the kabocha thin into chips. Could I get the kids to crave them if I called them kabocha chips? And would they get crispy? Wait til the end of the post to find out! I placed everything into some green leaf lettuce, and tucked in a red radish and some Okinawan sweet potatoes for color, and used the (included) stainless steel cup for cottage cheese with blackberries, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. There are also a few raw carrots in there. The cup comes with a tight-fitting plastic lid to ensure the contents stay put, which is very convenient. Oh, and about the chips? Although they didn't crisp up completely, I played them up, made lip-smacking yummy sounds, and sure enough they clamored for "More chips! Kabocha chips!" Success. Muahaha!

Mac and Cheese Bento

Mac and Cheese Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Look, it's a thermal bento. In summer. Is it wrong? I was just in the mood for mac and cheese, so decided to pack a couple in my kids' thermal food jars. It's not essential to pack mac and cheese hot, and in fact I bet my kids would be happy to eat it at room temp, but there's something about ooey gooey cheesy mac that sounds so good to me. Last time I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe (for this bento here), and that was really good, but this time I used a bacon mac recipe. It could have used more cheese, I think, but it was still pretty good. I know the side box looks absurdly huge in the photo, but trust me; it's an illusion (it's actually propped up on the thermal jar lid). There's a lot of broccoli in the mac and cheese, so all I gave him on the side is: corn, carrots, strawberry, cherries and pluot.

Bacon Mac and Cheese (based on the recipe here)

8 ounces macaroni
2 1/2 cups milk
4 ounces each grated provolone and Asiago cheeses
2 eggs
2 scallions, chopped
3 slices sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
3 strips bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T flour

Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 2-quart shallow casserole dish. Cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, transfer the pasta to the casserole dish along with 1/4 cup milk.
Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together. Beat the eggs with 1/4 cup milk in another bowl, add scallions, bread and half the cheese, set aside.
Cook the bacon, remove from pan. Cook the onion and garlic in the same pan, about 4 minutes, then add flour, cook another 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cup milk to the skillet, boil, and whisk until thick.
Remove the sauce from heat and whisk in the remaining cheese, add the sauce to the macaroni and stir to combine. [Here I added steamed broccoli, chopped fine]
Add crumbled bacon to the egg/bread mixture, spread over the top of the pasta.
Bake about 40 minutes.

Panda Rice Bento

Panda Rice Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today I made roasted sweet miso chicken a la hapabento's recipe... although I changed it up a bit... and I added a panda rice musubi because as I've mentioned before, I really like chicken with rice! I think they go together like peaches and cream! Or hugs and kisses! Anyway. I think I'm convincing MisterMan of this, as he is eating the riceballs every day, and I'm not hearing any complaints :)

For the chicken, I only had skinless boneless thighs, so that's what I used. I marinated the pieces whole in equal parts white miso and agave syrup, which is the juice from the agave plant and a sugar/honey substitute. I forgot the mirin, but I added it just before cooking. I roasted at 450F in my trusty toaster oven for quite awhile; I think maybe 40 minutes or so. I even had extra room in there so I also roasted some mini sweet peppers at the same time (though those came out after about 20 minutes).

After the chicken was done, I also roasted some baby bok choy, another hapabento idea. I had previously accidentally roasted some brussels sprouts leaves, and discovered the crunchy leaves are kinda fun to eat. Have you ever tried it? So, I thought I would try the same thing with the choy. It didn't crisp up as well, but it still came out okay, and I think it tastes neat this way. My kids swiped it through the miso sauce, and I guess it was acceptable, because they ate it all.

I added some raw carrots for extra color, and in the fruit section I put some chopped fresh pineapple, cherries, and blood orange wedges.
This bento came home completely empty; all the lettuce and sauce included -- it looked like he had washed it already! I guess he liked it :)

Crab Friends Bento

Crab Friends Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

For MisterMan today I made ma po tofu, but with a number of changes from the traditional recipe.

I used ground turkey, and I added chopped baby bok choy because I think it adds better color and nutrition. In addition, I had to omit most of the chili sauce due to the low tolerance level of the kids. However, I did add some! This is a big step, considering they used to cry whenever they tasted a chili pepper in months past. And finally, I don't make mine with lots of goopy sauce; it's actually kind of dry. We prefer it like this :)
All I do for my ma po is brown the meat, add some black bean sauce and chili garlic sauce, and cook a bit. Then add chopped fermented mustard greens, fresh chopped bok choy and stir to wilt. Then add in the cubed tofu. I used firm tofu just because the kids like it like that. I add some water for a little sauce, and thicken with cornstarch. You see, it's not like genuine ma po tofu, but it's close enough that I'm gonna call it that!

I gave him rice, so I could make two carrot crabs to display. I just got some new cutter toys, and wanted to try them out! They really make cute details a lot easier!

Finally, I made crinkle cut cucumber baran, a peapod flower, some romanesco and a cherry tomato. I put the fruits in a separate container so they wouldn't get sauce on them. He has a cute tiny mini mandarin, sliced kiwi and some cherries.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this is a new bento box from Marukai in Hawaii! It's stainless steel, with a tight-fitting plastic lid. I have these in lots of shapes and sizes, but this is the first time I've seen it in a flat square shape. It's shallow, so I can't fit large things in here, but it means that you can see everything pretty clearly in the shot. It's kind of cool :)

Sticky Rice & Wreath Bento

Sticky Rice & Wreath Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Made yummy sticky rice! Love to use sticky rice for bento. All the goodies are already in there, and the kids really like it. I added a small salad with marinated artichoke heart, carrot sticks, peapod vase with flower, and cherry tomato "wreath"! It's just a circle of tomatoes, but I'm calling it a wreath, and it's my festive Christmas detail in this bento :)
Plum and yellow carrot flowers for dessert.

Do you have any favorite "one-dish" meals you like to prepare because it's a fast and easy way to get the protein and veggies on the table all together? As you may have seen, I do... and I am always on the lookout for more!

Chow Mein Bento

Chow Mein Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Chow mein with various veggies, satsumaimo flowers, broccoli, peapods, roasted sweet peppers, garlic roasted purple potatoes. Fruit side has grapes, one whole satsuma mandarin, and purple carrot discs. I wanted some contrast to the orange, and wished I had blueberries. Oh well -- the purple carrots seemed to do a sufficient job.

This is a handy Monday bento, when after the weekend I am too tired to cook anything. A quick chow mein can be supplemented with onions and mushrooms, then roast a few other things on the side and add them too. Even decoration is minimal, with only simple florettes. Still, the effect may be pleasing, especially since the boy loves fried noodles (his favorite food, I think!)

Three Flowers Bento

Three Flowers Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

This round bento box always seems to call out for flowers, for some reason. It's also my favorite "box", because the food seems to look nice with minimal effort at arranging.

MisterMan has chicken lettuce wraps, red (Bhutanese) mixed rice with furikake, sweet potato maple leaves, purple and gold cauliflower, romanesco, yellow pear tomatoes. Fruit section has satsuma mandarins, strawberry, blackberry and raspberries. The lavender flowers are steamed purple potato with steamed purple carrot centers.

These purple potatoes seem to be different from the black-skinned purple potatoes I get from the farmers market in that the flesh is much lighter in color. Both types taste just the same as regular potatoes (to me), and perhaps next time I'll cook both together to compare. Maybe you have noticed that I like purple hues... if there is a purple food to be had, you can be sure I will be determined to obtain it :)

Vinegar Chicken and Rice Bento

Vinegar Chicken and Rice Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.
A simple yet brightly colorful bento lunch for my boy. Red wine vinegar chicken (recipe from maki at JustBento.com), 2-color carrot skewer, roasted tomato & artichoke with feta, brown rice makizushi with 2 color sweet potato detail, peapods and a tiny yellow pear garden tomato balloon. Fruit side has dinosaur egg plum, black grapes and blackberry.
If you ever find yourself out of ideas to beautify your bento, perhaps you can take a tip from me: sometimes just a small flower or leaf cutout is enough to draw the eye to a corner and bring a sense of nature and serenity. I will often not take the effort to cut any fancy characters or themes, due to lack of time or energy! But I think the bento still looks nice this way. I also like the contrast of an organized skewer of vegetables amidst the general randomness. You may notice that many of my bento look similar to this one. I think a simple presentation shows a calming kind of respect to the natural beauty of the food. Just my opinion.

Tiger Bento

Tiger Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

MisterMan gets a tigerrrr, since this pumpkin sage ravioli (from Costco) is ready-made with stripes and everything. Facial details are cut from red lettuce using tiny scissors. He also gets roasted asparagus, sweet potato and new potato sun and clouds, & steamed broccoli and peapods to add to the jungle effect. Fruit side includes green plum, rasp- and blackberries.
Rawr!

Bunny Pancakes Bento

Bunny Pancakes Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

MisterMan gets bunny-shaped zucchini-squash 10 grain pancakes, vinegar chicken, little rice "cupcake" with furikake and red pepper "cherry", colorful cauliflower and romanesco, peapods, cucumbers. Fruits include grapes (underneath), strawberries and tiny sugar plum.

For the veggie pancakes, I used Bob's Red Mill 10-grain mix, and added wheat germ as well as quick-cook oats. I shredded one zucchini and one yellow squash, and added this to the mix along with an egg, 1T oil, and some milk. I use only enough milk to moisten the batter; this makes the pancakes fluffier and cuter... Also, easier to form into shapes :) I tried making bears too, but the bunnies looked better to me.
It's a veggie pancake, and I didn't serve it with syrup (or anything), but the kids still loved them, ha! For packing, I had to rearrange the ingredients slightly. But I think it still packed okay. ^_^

A Bunch of Halloween Bento!

I have embarked on a mission to include a carved jack-o-lantern of some kind in each of my son's bento until Halloween! I know what you're thinking: huh? why?

Hmm. I don't know.

Because it's fun? For this one I made a cucumber witch too, with rotini pasta hair. The jack is made from an orange cherry tomato. There's also a skewer of multicolored carrots, and some watermelon radish.

Here I made chicken, and the jack is a tiny carrot disc. The fruit side has yellow plum and tiny sugar plum, with sweet kiwi and carrot/sweet potato detail.

This one had banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), and the side box has romanesco, fruits, and a plum carved jack-o-lantern!

And finally, a ravioli bento with sweet potato jack. Did it feel like Jack overload? Putting them all in a single post kind of makes me look obsessed...but really I'm just very festive. Really! Wait til you see the post of the bento from this coming week. Happy Halloween!

Koffing Bento

Koffing Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Koffing Pokémon, made of Okinawan sweet potato with satsumaimo and regular sweet potato detail. Toxic yellow cauliflower "gases", atop homemade vegetarian pad thai. Peapods, purple cauliflower, and "lotus cut" radish. True lotus should have been more curving at the bottom; I will try again next time. It added a bit of bright red accent to this side which I felt it needed.

Fruit section has red grapes, strawberries, raspberries, green plum, orange sunsugar cherry tomatoes. No-salt cottage cheese with pumpkin seeds and wheat germ. Usually I put fruit in here, but probably my boy will eat it with the berries anyway.

MisterMan has currently interrupted his Star Wars phase to obsessively read the series of Pokémon books he inherited from his cousins when we visited over Labor Day... he would stay up all night if we let him :|

Star Wars Bento #3

Star Wars Bento #3, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

It's.... Master Yoda (brussel sprout head, cucumber ears and hands, tortilla & hummus robe and cuke lightsaber -- too short, as MisterMan immediately pointed out : )

I made fishcakes using halibut mixed with wild rice, rolled oats, green onion, yellow pepper, an egg, dry mustard, Old Bay and some flour. I refrigerated it to try to get it to keep its shape better, but it still made kind of a crumbly patty...there are 2 patties under Yoda. He also gets broccoli, broccoflower, tomato, peapods, purple carrot skewer, and sweet potato "blossoms".

Fruit side has yellow plums (I forget what these are called; I was sure they would be sour and I wouldn't need to get them again...but actually they are very sweet and I love them...too bad I can't remember which to get again :( strawberries, blackberries, golden raspberry and champagne grapes.

For all of you younglings, remember the wise words of the Master: "There is no try, only do."

Pesto and Semi-dried Tomatoes Pasta Bento

Pesto and Semi-dried Tomatoes Pasta Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Besides the pasta, MisterMan has yellow peppers and enoki stir-fried with olive oil, garlic and shoyu. Purple carrot skewer, cukes, peapods, sweet potato flowers, tomato and Spanish olive salad with feta, and fruit section of strawberries, kiwi, red grapes and honeydew nectarines -- these smell fantastic, but sadly, they don't taste as sweet as the black plums or pluots, my all-time favorites.

3 pals pasta bento

3 pals pasta bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Pasta "ears" orecchiette with tomato basil sauce and steamed yin choy, with broccoflower and peapods stuck in there too. Yin choy look similar to chard or kale, and the reddish-green leaves turn quite red after cooking. Like beets! A side salad with sliced red zebra tomato, homegrown yellow pear tomatoes and Okinawan purple potato flowers. Fruit section includes honeydew wedges, lychee, black and red grapes, and raspberry.

Banh Mi bento

Banh Mi bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Let it be noted that this is my favorite sandwich bento basket. I love it a lot, and wish I could send more sandwiches to school with my boy just so I can use it :)
MisterMan gets barbeque pork Vietnamese sandwich (Banh Mi), and I added bean sprouts and extra cilantro (and removed the jalapenos). Sometimes I will add lettuce, but this time I just added a side salad in the tiny stainless box with tricolor tomatoes and pickled bittermelon. The pickling juice acts as a perfect salad dressing, too.
He will flip when he sees the fruit section! I don't think I've ever given him quite so much variety: blueberries, peaches, peapods (ok, not a fruit but I needed the vibrant green color), raspberries, blackberry, Italian plum, cherry and lychee. (doesn't the lychee look luscious?? .mmm, I am soo in love with them..)

MisterMan goes "beachcombing" for shells to make into artwork, halfway through Camping Week at Summer Adventures...

Chirimen Bento

This bento was said to resemble the colorfully patterned beautiful chirimen fabric -- by some very kind bento friends over on flickr. Perhaps it may be also due to the large variety of seemingly random food items in this bento! The egg scramble has all kinds of leftover veggies thrown in, which is often how we make egg scramble. Most times we only think of making it when we notice lots of veggies in the drawer nearing the expiration date. Anyway, this one has tomato, onion, mushroom, red pepper, and is sprinkled with homegrown chives. On the side are peapods, star cut radish, leaf cut golden beets, and tomato & pickled bittermelon salad. Also some sweet potato sticks. I had to put the fruits in a separate bowl because there were so many ~ this is why I love summer so much! You can see white nectarine, lychee, cherries, straw-, black-, blue-, and raspberries.
What do you think? Too much? Well, let's just say the boy came home with 2 empty boxes :)

"Shave Ice" Bento

Ginger fish over a bed of greens, with 2 yellow pear tomatoes and some roasted asparagus make up the main protein part of this bento for my 6 year old son. I made "shave ice" rice, using tricolor rice, shaping into a ball and placing into a cupcake cup. Do you think it looks like rainbow flavor? I used beet juice for pink, curry and turmeric for yellow, and nori furikake for green -- all natural colorings look best in bento, for a subtle (not garish) look. I also made caprese skewers, using very cool Japanese black cherry tomatoes, homegrown basil and fresh mozzarella. There are a few extra tomatoes next to the skewers sprinkled with feta as well. Fruit section has kiwi, blueberries, peaches, tangerines and Bing cherries.

I thought this bento would feel "cool" on a hot summer day, but too bad it can't be a real shave ice, right? :)

Caterpillar Bento

Lemon risotto with asparagus makes a fresh summer bento lunch. The caterpillar is made of yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and raw purple carrots, with chive detail. He sits on a bed of red lettuce. I find the vegetables are more likely to get eaten if they're cute! Don't you think? Fruit section includes kiwi, apricot, strawberry and blackberry.

This bento is for my 6 year old son, and he'll take it to summer fun, show his buddies, and get a healthy & nutritious meal all in one. Love this bento box, btw. When your bento is cute, the transparent lid serves to show it off ;)