Sunny Skies Bento

First I have to apologize for my lack of posts lately.  We've had a couple of rough weeks, with busy end-of-year schedules, recitals, graduations, a broken down car, etc.  So I've really neglected the blog and I am sorry for that.  Now, on the other hand, we've had some extremely nice (really warm) weather these last few days, so we went with a fun in the sun themed lunch.  I admit that these are not homemade empanadas, but they are a quick lunch, and if you bake them, they're not as greasy.  We realized Eve liked these when we vacationed in Jamaica one winter.  She was at the height of her picky eating at that point, but for some reason really LOVED the veggie empanadas that they served.  So she ate a lot of them that week!  Anyhow, these are beef, so I probably should have added veggies to her lunch today, but eh, I went with the cupcake tops instead (yes, just two tops smooshed together with icing in between...kinda like a makeshift whoopie pie). I know what you're saying...not so healthy, but you've got mix some of these in sometimes.  :)

Sunny Lunch - Jamaica-inspired beef empanadas, tangerine slices, cheese "suns", and cupcake tops

Under the Sea

A good friend of mine (Thanks Rosemary!) recently let me know about this cute little goldfish shaped sandwich bread.  I found them in white and whole wheat varieties in the bread aisle of my grocery store (they are Pepperidge Farm brand).  They are super cute and an easy way to dress up a meal.  We used them today for lunch and E went crazy over them.  I decided to go with a whole "under the sea" theme...I didn't have much in terms of ingredients, considering I desperately need to make a trip to the grocery store, but we did what we could. 

Under the Sea Bento - goldfish shaped turkey and cheese (grilled on our ever popular panini maker), string cheese "octopus", apple "starfish", and broccoli "coral"

Lunch for a Long Day at School

Today was a big day for my DD!!!  It is the first day that she stayed for the extended day program at school, which means she had to pack a lunch and stay all day.  We decided to go with something fairly easy because frankly, she eats at a snail's pace and I wanted to make sure she had a chance to actually finish.  So we went with PBJ "sushi" along with some fruit, veggies, cheese, and star cookies for dessert.  To make the "sushi", just flatten one slice of bread with a rolling pin (or your hand if you don't have a rolling pin handy). Then spread the PB on and a little jelly on top (not much or else it will squirt out when you roll it).  Roll it up and with the seem side down, cut it into small pieces. Voila!

Oh, by the way, this is the cutest little bento box.  It was marketed as a "jibbitz organizer" at the Crocs stand at our mall (on clearance!!!), but any bento lover knows that it is just a transformed two tier bento box. Thanks Crocs for the bargain bento box! Here's a pic of it assembled.

PBJ Sushi Bento - PBJ "sushi" rollups, cheese cubes, green peppers, strawberry and marshmallow kabob, star cookies

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

Ode to Pancake Week

Okay, so this week hasn't been so healthy due to National Pancake Week.  And in no way can I claim this as bento.  But it IS National Nutrition Month, and with that said, I am trying to focus on serving food with different colors (which is sort of bento...each meal having 5 colors).  Serving food that represents lots of different colors makes for a healthier meal.  Sooooo...here it goes.   Red strawberries, check.  Green spinach, check.  Yellow eggs, check.  Orange carrots, check.  Brown, um, chocolate?  Sure, that works, right?!  :)  Well, regardless, BOTH of my dear daughters cleaned their plate...I know, I know...not hard to do when serving chocolate and banana pancakes.  But they even loved the omelet! Oh, and if you want the recipe for the "Chunky Monkey Pancakes" (chocolate chips, bananas, and pecans), you can find it here.   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chunky-Monkey-Pancakes/Detail.aspx  They are to die for!

Chunky Monkey "Bento" - chunky monkey pancakes, strawberries, omelet (with spinach, carrot, mushroom, sausage, and cheese)