Tacorice Bowl Bento

Tacorice is perfect for bento, especially if you have a bowl-type bento container, which we happen to have shown here. If you don't, a regular box will suffice as well, of course. I like this apple-shaped box because it has a separate top layer where we can put fruit and extras. The lid screws on to the bottom and has an attached handle. It's not super secure (or watertight) so I always remind the kids to support the bottom when they carry it around. It hasn't spilled yet.

Over rice: ground beef with taco seasoning, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, cilantro. You can also add avocado and salsa of choice; even tortilla strips or chips. Top layer: mandarin orange, blueberries, and steamed Okinawan sweet potato. Ultraman fork😊

Tacorice Bento

Tacorice! It's like taco, but over rice. So good. I used ground turkey flavored with taco spices served over rice with grated cheddar, shredded romaine lettuce, and chopped grape tomatoes. You can also add chopped or sliced avocado, and salsa. I put hot sauce on mine. I packed TinySprite's lunch in the bottom of this cute two tier pink polka-dotted bento, with peaches and strawberries (and carrot) in the top tier. The set even comes with a teeny tiny fork. How cute is that?

Tacorice LunchBot Bento

Tacorice LunchBot Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's tacorice isn't packed in a bowl for once; I thought I'd change it up, and the LunchBots Duo fits the bill perfectly. One side holds red and white rice topped with taco meat, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, grated cheese and a steamed Okinawan sweet potato heart shape. Other side is divided by silicone cups for: strawberries, pickled cucumbers, and blueberries. We ate this at dinner with tableside guacamole and tortilla chips. Yum!

Tacorice Bento Bowl

Tacorice Bento Bowl, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

You know that tacorice is convenient for bento (donburi rice bowl-type bento), is easy to make, easy to eat, and delicious, but did you know it's also a great gluten-free tortilla-less version (in case you're concerned about that)? Yes, it's true. For this bento I put a green lettuce leaf in the bottom, followed by a scoop of rice (it happened to be black rice, but you can use white or brown rice as well), then topped with taco-seasoned ground meat of your choice, shredded cheese, chopped onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. You can also add sour cream and sliced avocado if you so desire. I love this bowl type of bento; if I were making my own bento, I'd definitely make myself this type of bento very often. The cool thing about this apple bowl is that it comes with a top tier that sits loosely over the bottom section. I arranged some grapes and plum wedges in there, and screwed the lid on. It's not a watertight box, but that's not essential for this kind of food. We're closing out the week, and I have yet to make a Halloween bento...ooops! Next week. I think. ^_^

Deconstructed Pork Carnitas Tacos Bento

Deconstructed Pork Tacos Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Remember the slow-cooked ono pork roast from last week? This bento is an example of repurposed pork leftovers. I sliced some pork and fried it to get nice crispy edges, then packed it with tomato-onion-cilantro salsa and rolled tortillas for him to either build a taco at lunch, or eat separately as he chooses. I decorated with Okinawan sweet potato stars, and added late-season pluots, black grapes and raspberries. Yes, I know I'm using the same three-sectioned LunchBot Trio as I did for the original pork bento, but it's because this box is so ideally suited for deconstructed meals like this one. I've used it numerous times already, and it's still in great shape -- maybe a little scratched with tiny dents, but the lid still fits securely and the welded partition seams have held up without fail. Love it.
Added to What's For Lunch.

Orange Pepper Jack O'Lantern Bento

Orange Pepper Jack O'Lantern Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I happened to find the most perfect pumpkin-shaped mini orange sweet pepper at the farmers market last weekend. It just begged to be carved, so how could I resist? I stuffed it with cottage cheese and sunflower seeds after seeding and carving it. This box is convenient for deconstructed fish tacos in that the cod can go in one section while the tomato-onion-avocado-cilantro salsa goes in another. Of course, you can put them together, but it's prettier this way. You can pack the tortillas separately if you wish. I put a fruit selection (strawberry, plum and grapes) in the last compartment, and topped with a purple Okinawan sweet potato bat. I think it looks fresh and colorful. And my boy really did eat the whole pepper, cheese and all ^_^

Kalua Pork Carnitas Taco Bento

Kalua Pork Carnitas Taco Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

We're on day two of the kalua pork now (here's day one plus the recipe/method for making slow-cooker kalua pork), so I thought I would change it up and make carnitas tacos for the kids. Actually, they're deconstructed, so he'll make them himself (if he so chooses). For carnitas, I just pan-fried the pork so it gets nice and crispy. You could add garlic and lime juice if you like. I tucked some into one of the compartments of the Lunchbot Trio, along with a cup of pico de gallo (just chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic powder and lime). If you like it spicy you can add chili peppers but I omitted them for the kids. There are a few pieces of lettuce he can use in his tortillas, which just happen to fit perfectly in the long section. I was so happy to see that! Finally, he gets the usual strawberry, blackberries and chopped cara cara oranges for a sweet snack afterwards. A few purple carrot flower shapes brighten it all up. No fuss bento idea number two from the same meal. Gotta love that :o)

Fish Tacos and Hello Kitty Bao Bento

Deconstructed Fish Tacos Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Fish tacos, without the tacos, is what I packed for MisterMan in the 4-square bento, and I think it's what I packed in this box the last time too. There's grilled cod with lemon pepper on a bed of lettuce wraps, cabbage tossed with chopped cara cara oranges for citrus zest and topped with cilantro and green onions, a veggie cup with broccoli, yellow cauliflower, carrot, kabocha and peapods, and a fruit cup with grapes, blueberries and strawberry. Looks kinda nice and fancy, even, when you lay it out like this, right?

TinySprite asked for char siu bao Hello Kitty. I said, "Again?" But when I went back to see how many I'd done already, I couldn't find a single one. Could that be right? Am I missing something? I remember going through a huge Hello Kitty phase over the summer, but for some reason I never used baked char siu bao. The closest I could find was the steamed one here. So here we go: the first ever HK char siu bao. I whipped her out in a couple minutes; still not out of practice yet! I got a bow cutter from my cousin that I used with watermelon radish, then poked blueberries for eyes, carrot for nose, and purple carrots for whiskers. And cut two triangular slits for ears. Done! I thought it would be cute to add a separate HK box for the fruit and veggies. Awwww... ^_^

Breakfast Taco Bento

aco,
Breakfast Taco Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento arose from an idea amongst some twitter pals to have a virtual taco party; a #TwitterTacoParty. The idea was for everyone to come up with a taco meal with their own unique twist, then post and share it. Fun, right? There were lots of interesting and tasty-looking tacos floating around the twitterverse tonight, let me tell ya! I chose to make a breakfast taco, since who doesn't like breakfast for lunch? I used a whole wheat tortilla and stuffed with shredded cabbage, crispy soyrizo, fried egg, grated sharp cheddar, diced onion and tomato, sliced avocado and cilantro. I folded the large size round into a pocket and then folded down the top so that hopefully my boy can hold and eat with minimal spillage. I filled in the rest of the space with a rainbow of late summer tomatoes, and decorated the tortilla with some gingko leaves to add a touch of Fall. He also gets steamed broccoli and purple cauliflower, a star-cut radish, some watermelon wedges, a strawberry and red grapes.

Thanks to my twitter pals for giving me a bento idea along with a fun dinner "party"! If you want to follow along, come and join us. The more the merrier. Party on!

Taco Mac Bento

Taco Mac Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento is taco mac, which is just like mac & cheese but with taco-seasoned ground turkey and halved cherry tomatoes layered on top before sprinkling with grated cheddar and broiling. Also, instead of breadcrumbs I tossed crumbled shredded wheat on top for crunch. The kids had theirs like that, but the adults added hot sauce for some kick. It's yummy, and easier to eat than actual tacos. I put some in a green lettuce leaf on one side of my LunchBots, and filled in the other side with sliced peaches, a half plum, Okinawan purple potato, and some strawberries. I cut a few carrot flowers and filled in gaps with yellow cherry tomatoes for color. A few extra pasta and some picks made a face. Easy!
Linked this bento at What's For Lunch. You can too; go ahead!