Rachael Ray the Bento Way - Pretzel and Peanut Crusted Chicken

Since I didn't do a very good job of posting last week, I'm giving you two posts today...this is our dinner, and below you will see our lunch as well.

Okay, so first let me say that despite the fact that the recipe only calls for a 1/2c of honey roasted nuts, buy the large container anyhow!!!  I looked in several stores looking for a small jar of nuts because I thought they would go to waste if I bought the big one, but could only find the big momma jar of nuts.  WELL, you can probably guess that it DID NOT go to waste.  They are utterly addicting!  I think I ate half the jar before I even put any into the recipe!  Not to mention I had two little girls begging me for nuts the entire time I was cooking. Anyhow...getting back to the point. This is a very kid-friendly meal since they are just chicken tenders, so I didn't need to change antything this time...so this post is really just a "Rachael Ray, her own way" as opposed to "Rachael Ray the Bento Way."  Here's the recipe for the chicken and you can also click on the link for the accompanying "smashed sweet potatoes with honey". They have a bit of orange in them, which explains our fruit side today.  They went really well together, not to mention I had the other half of the orange to use up.  :)   http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/pretzel-and-peanut-crusted-chicken/

Rachael Ray Her Own Way Dinner - pretzel and peanut crusted chicken, smashed sweet potatoes with honey, orange, honey roasted peanuts

Rachael Ray the Bento Way! - Grilled Eggplant Roll-ups

I'm trying to introduce lots of new foods to my kids, and eggplant is something we don't eat often.  Other than eggplant parm, I really don't know what to do with it.  So I decided to give this recipe a try, and I am sooooo glad I did!!!  It was delicious and really easy.  My kids were really excited to eat it (partially because both of them thought it smelled like pasta, and I was not going to tell them that they were wrong as long as they were going to eat it!).  Basically, I followed the recipe as is for the adults, but made the following changes for the kids: left out the spicy ham and used regular spaghetti sauce out of a jar instead of the homemade one (because I was worried about it being spicy as well).  They LOVED it!  Oh, and you'll see a candy bar in one of the plate compartments because Grampa was visiting and he brought it for them...they were pretty excited to eat that special treat as well.  :)  Here's the link for the recipe. Give it a try...it won't disappoint! http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/grilled-eggplant-roll-ups/#

Grilled Eggplant Roll-ups Bento - grilled eggplant roll-up, spinach strawberry salad, candy bar

Rachael Ray the Bento Way! - Beef Pot Pie

So I've decided to start a weekly special called "Rachael Ray the Bento Way!"  I've always loved watching her show and enjoy trying out her recipes.  Many are quick and easy to make, and the ingredients are usually pretty easy to find.  Here is a recipe I've had for a while (and used to make frequently), but haven't made lately because I didn't think my daughters would go for it.  So I decided to "bento-ize" it for the kids!  Basically, I followed the recipe as is, except I used teriyaki sauce instead of worcestershire sauce (I thought the teriyaki sauce would be easier on the kids...worcestershire has a pretty intense flavor in my opinion).  I also added chopped shoestring carrots (only because I add these into almost everything...it's a way for me to sneak in a vegetable without them really even noticing).  :)   Then, instead of folding the pie crust into a wedge, I used a flower cutter to make it extra cute! Lastly, I added some extra fruit, veggies, and cheese and VOILA.

And the verdict is...both daughters ate it all up!  YUM!  And let me just clarify that my daughters do NOT like red meat.  So for them to have eaten this happily was a HUGE success!  Thank you Rachael Ray! 

I will be spotlighting another recipe next week on "Rachael Ray the Bento Way!"  In the meantime, if you'd like a copy of this week's recipe, check it out here.  http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/beef-pot-pie-wedges/#

Beef Pot Pie Bento - beef pot pie flowers, peas, blueberries, cheddar cheese flowers, organic cinnamon graham ABC cookie