Very Simple Lunch

Today we are having an "easy" lunch. I made some udon noodles and tossed them with some sesame oil (to prevent sticking), soy, mirin and a shot of hot sauce as she has said that she likes things a little spicy. Who knew? Then I steamed some pork and shrimp dumplings for some protein. Added to that is some burdock root salad, a little pickled radish and three small cookies that we got in a gift basket from Ebisuya. The bento box I got for a steal from Ohayobento. I also got some picks, a lamb bento and some cut flower silicon cups I can't wait to use. I wrapped it using the napkins I got from Ecolunchboxes a while back. Pippy is not thrilled with the stainless steel, but I love it.
I am in the process of making new clothes for her bento that don't come with bags. We picked out the fabric, but now I just have to find the time and clear a space on the table to cut and press them for stitching. I am not sure if I want to use my eldest's sewing machine or do the more tradition running stitch by hand. We will see. Considering my crazy schedule I may use the machine.

Inarizushi

My alarm didn't go off, again. I didn't wake until 7:00 am and Paige had to leave in just a few minutes so I didn't have time to take a picture of the actual bento. I did put some more together though for some photos.

Last night I simmered the tofu skins in chicken broth (I had no dashi) soy, mirin and saki. I found the skins in the freezer from last year, and the rest I had left over from the year before. They were stuffed with fresh sushi rice that my husband kindly started when he got up in the morning. We just rinse it and set it up the night before so it is just a matter of plugging it in and flipping the switch. Still, I am grateful that he remembers in the morning fog.
I also made a variation of one of the Just Bento recipes. Thinly sliced cucumbers with shaved carrots that had some lemon rind, juice and sea salt. The other side was also from the cookbook and was some green beans that I have for dinner that were lightly steamed then tossed with a touch of light miso and butter.

This is going to be a trying time for us as we are having money problems like so many others. Buying things specifically for bento is not going to be happening very often as I try to conform our dinner foods into something different for her bento.

Picnic Bento and Two More Days

Okay, lots of bento going on today. It isn't that I have not had the time, I have just been lazy. I am going to post the picnic bento first because I am pretty proud of it. I used a two tier tiffin which is supposed to be one lunch, but this should feed three, maybe four kids.

On the bottom is the deeper tin, so half is filled with rice divided with lettuce with apple rabbits and a checkerboard apple, two donut peaches and tangelo segments. On the top I made a rolled omelet, a pork bun, some cheese sandwich triangles and a cup with fresh pineapple in it. All of the fruit came from Wilson's Farm which I would highly suggest anyone in Massachusetts to check out. Beautiful fresh produce everywhere, plus plants. There are also take out packages of mustard (for the cheese sandwiches) and soy for the rice. I am posting the pictures, but keep scrolling down as I have two more bentos to show you all.
It is also important to note that Paige helped a lot putting this together, even getting up 45 minutes earlier.

The next one was yesterday's. It isn't really very special, but I did give some frozen, cooked shrimp a try which she actually ate! Go team! It is very difficult to get seafood in her. She also had half a plum, fresh pineapple (again from Wilson's, but the pineapple was obviously not local here in Boston), some grape tomatoes (also from Wilson's) which she did not eat, no surprise, and her rice. (more below this one too)

This one was done the other day. I switched out the rice for some French couscous that we got at Hannaford's bulk bins, made with vegetable stock and some dried cranberries. For the rest, I rubbed some soy into a little bit of chicken and fried that up, she has a cup with cucumbers (not local) and grape tomatoes (Wilson's). She also had some nice raspberries which I am not sure are local because it is a little early in the season.

This is Paige in her sister's Naruto jacket, the first piece of cosplay she ever got. Paige is thrilled that it was cool enough to wear it for her field trip today to the Franklin Zoo. I took pictures because she actually let me, which is a miracle.

Pretty If Not Original

Yesterday I sent Paige to school with some leftover chicken and pasta salad. Oddly, even though it was in a regular, seal-able, plastic container it still fell apart in her back. It is so odd because the bento boxes rarely seal very well and are often only held together by an elastic band. Maybe I should have posted it, as it was a very pretty salad, but I didn't do anything to make it more bento-like.

Today's is better. Hubby made her rice as usual, and I sprinkled it with curry sesame seeds to make it look a little different than just plain rice. She also wanted the rolled omelet again. She really loves those. I make them with a splash of soy and some mirin. The mixture will look a little gross and dark, but it does go yellow once it is cooked. I also had some more mozzarella  which I tossed with some basil, which I know that she really loves. To fill out the space and get a little more fruit and veg in there, I adds a few snow peas and a nice ripe strawberry.

Soboro!

Today I pulled out the frozen ground beef soboro out of the freezer. I have another couple of bag, so it will make more appearances. I also made some egg soboro (both recipes are in "Just Bento") to go with it, cut up some carrots and a plum and put in some snow peas and of course rice on the bottom of it all. I do wish that my pictures weren't so fuzzy. It recently started happening all the time. I tried noise reduction and sharpen and that just seems to make them worse, so I apologize again for my lack of photography talent.

Lately I have been doing a lot of repeats, particularly with the potstickers because we had a lot of them in the freezer with different fillings. She is still not sick of them! I am hoping to make a few decorative ones before school ends since I have more time with the semester over. 

In school news I got two A's and two B+'s, so I am on the Dean's list again, Whee! This is so much better than when I was doing horribly in Spanish 101. Finally back on track. The Fall with be my last semester as an undergrad, then I look for work and see if I can get into a Masters program.

Put On a Happy Face

The apartment drama lives on. I was upstairs painting walls for a few hours after studying my buns off for two "midterms" at school. Catherine and I painted three rooms and half a bath. The orange room still needs more paint to cover it. Orange, really? Two coats of primer and two coats of paint. Yeah, it is unlikely that they will be getting much of a deposit back.

So, today it is study, study, study and hopefully finishing up the bulk of the painting so we can get the carpet folks in to take measurements and give us an estimate. A really sweet family looked at it today, but the mother didn't seem impressed because of the lack of closets. They tried to bargain on the price, but the price is already a bargain. I think that it may be a cultural thing because we rent at a very low price. And they wanted heat included, LOL, at that price? Nope, isn't happening.

Anyway, here is her bento for today. She has teriyaki meatballs, baby carrots split, some stir fried black beans and a sweet salad with cucumbers and radish. She wanted melon, but didn't put it away last night. The onigiri have been colored up a bit with different sesame seeds and a little furikaki, but I don't think she will like it. Whoops. The purple just looked so nice! I also peeled some circles out of two radishes. I am not quite ready for making mushrooms, but they still look pretty.

Two Days of Bentos

Because yesterday was a Thursday, which meant that I had very little morning time to post the bento, and by the time I get home on Tuesdays and Thursdays I just want to pass out, I am posting Thursday's bento today. As an extra surprise, Paige made two bentos of her own today for her and a friend so I could sleep in. She also took pictures!

The bento I made her yesterday was very simple (see above). Her protein was a rolled omelette with the nice white layer. I forget which marvelous lady on twitter showed me this technique, but I love it. I have posted the attribution on another entry though. Also there were raw snowpeas (which she loves) and strawberries. I dressed up her rice with some plum sesame seeds.

Paige took a more decorative approach. Her carrots were cut into hearts and my frugal sweetie used the outside of the cut outs also. Last night we made some fried tofu to put in there on which she put some kind of sauce that I had in the refrigerator and sesame seeds. She included a strawberry and a slice of orange. Paige also made some nori cut outs for her friends rice but she doesn't like nori so it isn't on hers. Both containers of rice had sesame seeds on them.

Too Busy!

Somehow, in the next couple of weeks we have to wash and paint all the walls, find time to have someone come in and re-carpet, find a good time for the appliance repair guy, study for two major exams, write a couple of papers, go to a school meeting for Paige, go to my appointment with Karen and then get my mammogram. I hardly have time for this entry. Things are crazy, and I just hope that we can get the place painted this weekend. Pete still hasn't called the carpet people. Ahhhh! These are the days I wish I did crack, LOL.

Yesterdays bento was not put up due to a long school day. She had teriyaki meatballs from Trader Joe's, a purple cabbage with green onion "pickle" and curried cauliflower. The cauliflower was actually this pretty orange, but it doesn't come through on the picture.
Today's bento may not be eaten today as Paige is staying home. There are Shu Maui dumplings, also from Trader Joe's nestled in some green leaf lettuce with was locally sourced through my produce people, Boston Organics, "baby" carrots from the grocery and a couple of strawberries that my daughter bought which are organic, but due to me being in New England, they were definitely shipped in. Oh how I miss the really good strawberries, small and so sweet. Oh, and there is a bottle of a tangy soy sauce for the dumplings and the rice.

Friday and Monday Bentos

I forgot to post Friday's bento, so here it is today. I thawed out the ground beef soboro and laid that on top of the rice. On the side is some uncooked baby spinach (which she likes), grape tomatoes (that she doesn't like) and broccoli and grapes which she likes well enough. It was very simple and took me about 10 minutes or less to put it together minus the cooling time.

Darned blogger wanted to make this text centered. Well I showed them with my HTML Fu. This next one is today's lunch. Again, this is pretty speedy. She has rice which is separated by green leaf lettuce, a tamagoyaki made with soy and mirin, snow peas and grapes. I expect an empty box if she is given enough time to actually eat.

A little rant about her cafeteria. She has eaten lunch there exactly twice all year. I paid for one meal and Pippy said that she put one on credit during my break because she didn't want to be bothered to make a lunch. Now they are saying that I owe them 6 dollars. This has been happening for the last three years and I can't seem to get them to believe that they are making a mistake. I am having the same problem with the library. She owes money on a book she never took out. They say she took it out when she was five, but I would have known and she refused to take out a book at that age. I love computers and all, but I have issue with the folks who like to mess them up.

Bento Salad

I am using the top half of my new tiffin for this one. I got a 2 tier, but it is really big. Thank goodness I didn't get the 3 tier as I was contemplating! This one just came in yesterday, but without the side kick. Amazon was pretty good about since they were just the shipper and the actual seller was someone else. Because of stocking issues my choices were: send it back at their expense and try to re-buy it, with the hope that there would be one in stock, or get 15% off my order. I went with the 15% because this box looks like it could be fun.
Pippy woke me up this morning complaining of being sick to her stomach and vomiting, so she didn't go to school today. She told me that she could eat this tomorrow though, so that is that.
The salad was made for dinner last night with the last of the lettuce, grape tomatoes, shaved carrots and celery. The tamagoyaki is self explanatory, and then there are some rolls that have been buttered. In the sauce bottle is her favorite, raspberry dressing from Trader Joe's, which I think they discontinued.

Nothing Will Be The Same

First I want to tell my friends and anyone else who is suffering because of the tragedy in Japan to know that you are all in my thoughts. I am watching with horror as things unfold and I feel deeply for everyone there. It is difficult to not feel useful in a situation like this, but I would like to recommend to my blog readers that you can donate to the Red Cross specifically for Japan relief. I am not always happy with the Red Cross, but they beat just about any other private relief effort out there.

This is the first bento I have posted in a while. My last one had a horrible picture, so I didn't post it, and on Friday I overslept. Pippy got herself off to school, but didn't make a lunch.

This bento is a new recipe. I purchased Golden Sesame Tofu in the refrigerator section at Whole Foods the other day, and Pippy loved it. A search online found a recipe that was similar, though the ingredients were slightly different than what was on the label. Undaunted, I gave it a try and Pippy gave it the good ole thumbs up. Have I mentioned how much I love the pre cubed tofu? I really do. It makes life so much easier for these types of recipes. With that is simply some baby spinach, raw and undressed as requested, two grape tomatoes and some mango which I also got yesterday at Whole Foods and had to use because it already had a soft spot. I have to check my produce a little better next time. I get lazy.

Below is the recipe for the tofu:

Ingredients 14 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup cornstarch or flour for dusting
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
6 green onions

Directions

1.Wrap tofu with paper towels and place on a cutting board. Put another cutting board or heavy plate on top to press out liquid. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, put honey, tamari, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and chili flakes into a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Keep warm.

3.Dry drained tofu with paper towels and cut into cubes. Dust very lightly all over with cornstarch or flour. Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 350�F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry tofu until golden brown, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup of the warm sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and toss gently. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping, or drizzle over vegetables on the side

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/whole-foods-pan-fried-sesame-recipe-r139629#ixzz1GWHtz6i2

Just Bento Cookbook

It is finally time that I write a review for the Just Bento Cookbook which came out around Christmas in 2010 in America. I wanted to try some of the recipes and use it for ideas for display before writing anything about it.

So far I have made the "hamburgers", which are actually flattened meatballs, chicken kara age, cucumber and cabbage pickles, different soboros, tofu nuggets and broccoli (I used broclaflower) with grainy mustard. All of these my picky child liked. With the hamburgers I actually glaze them in a fry pan with the sauce first thing in the morning straight from the freezer. The soboro is lovely if you cook it leaving some of the liquid in the pan because it mixes so nicely with the rice.  I still have so many things to try in this cookbook! This is perfect for someone who simply doesn't have the inclination, talent or time to make all those super cute bentos that are out there.

Personally, I sometimes wonder about the taste of some of the cute bentos I have seen. Does American cheese really taste good on rice? I have the additional issue with the fact that my daughter does not like nori, which really limits the decorative things I can do with the bento, since that is a staple of cute faces and onigiri. Whether you like the cute bentos or prefer a more sedate lunch, this cookbook has excellent recipes for everyone. If my daughter will eat it, there is a good chance that others will like it too.



Couscous and Tofu Patties

Today I made three bentos, one for Pippy, one for my eldest daughter and one for me. Since Cat and I have horrible school schedules today, I thought that making a lunch would be a good idea.
I am trying something a little different and that is couscous. This is one of those foods that really will not do well with the slippery chopsticks in the boxes, so they will be using forks for this one.
The tofu patties were from the Just Bento Cookbook, as before except this time I made them as per directions but without the edamame because I couldn't find ours. Also made the night before was some potato salad.  To fill out the kids' boxes I used some frozen peas, but it is not likely that they will eat them.
Pippy liked her bento yesterday for the most part, but the ham roll ups from the cookbook were a no go. On the other hand, her friend chomped them down, so it wasn't that it was a bad recipe.

Yep, I don't have any filler, so my box will probably be a mess by lunch time. I just can't find anything in the house that I both like and will not get mushy or something before lunch. I despise peas.

A Just Bento Bento

I took out my trusty The Just Bento Cookbook and made ham roll-ups. So far she is liking all of the recipes I have used with the small complaint that the chicken yesterday was cut too big. That is easy enough to fix. I made the roll-ups the night before as was suggested. I was a little worried that the spreadable cream cheese that I used wouldn't firm up enough, but it was easy enough to cut through with a serrated knife. The tamagoyaki is how I normally make it, not with the recipe provided for this lunch. I also made the spinach that surrounds it all with a little bit of soy. There is also rice in the other box, but I didn't decorate it like it was suggested in the book because I couldn't find the carrot I had used and didn't want to cut up another.

Chicken Kara-age

Here is another bento courtesy of the Just Bento Cookbook. On the top is the chicken kara-age, which I think tastes delicious, but will have to wait on Pippy for the final verdict, laid upon a leaf of green oak lettuce with a flower container of cooked spinach with a little butter and sprinkled with sesame seeds. On the bottom is rice decorated with pickled ginger and some kiwi which is currently her favorite fruit. I had planned on more, but although my husband heard my alarm go off at 5, I slept through it and stayed in bed until 6! Love that man, but geesh.
The soboro yesterday was a hit, and she ate the whole thing. They won't let her sit with her friends at lunch anymore because now everyone sits with their homeroom because things get loud otherwise, the horror! Because of this, her friends were not at hand to help her eat it.

Soboro!

Last night I made a delicious turkey soboro for today's bento. This morning I cooked the carrots as the Just Bento cookbook did, except I cut the carrots into hearts rather than thin sticks. I was dubious about the eggs because when you "over cook" scrambled eggs they tend to exude liquid, but it worked out fine. I also used the Just Bento recipe, a dash of salt and a little sugar. The green beans were called soboro in the book, but were easily made as they were simply chopped up and simmered in salted water. All of this was layered with rice that I had in the freezer. I do wish I had a slightly smaller one tier bento, as I had to nearly double the serving for the turkey and used two eggs instead of one. Pippy self regulates pretty well though, so I will either get a lot back or she will share with her friends. I sliced up some kiwi for her in the container that came with the ecolunchbox.

Twin Bentos

Since she didn't try the beansprout stir fry the other day, I made it again for today's lunch. When I asked her about it she said it was good. There was also her favorite standby of potstickers and of course rice. I also added some pickled radish for a nice splash of color. The twin part? I made another just like it for my eldest daughter. I also added a shot of her new lamb bento box that we got from Ohaybento.

Hearts

Today's bento has a heart theme. The container which holds the pickles (both a cabbage one from the The Just Bento Cookbook and the prepackaged burdock root pickle) and some pretty white and purply red ones on the rice. I heated up some pre made meatballs that I had in the freezer and made a sprout and red bell pepper stir fry that I also got from Just Bento. The tofu patties that I made from that cookbook were a success, so if these two go over well I will probably do a nice review for the book when I get a chance. In with the meatballs are some cut up red grapes. The meatballs are a little sweet, so it should work nicely together.

These are a Few of Her Favorite Things

Today I picked up some leftovers that she liked and added that to the omelet roll. She loved the tofu nuggets, so those were re-fried to get them crispy again. The omelet is made with two eggs, some soy and mirin. I blanched the broccoli because it looks so pretty that way and added the last of the burdock root salad that she said she liked. There is also rice and some soy sauce which is not shown.

Easy Going Monday

Today's bento has a few different elements. It was pretty simple and took about 20 minutes to cook everything and set it up. In the big tier there are udon noodles that I tossed in some sesame oil (to prevent sticking), soy, mirin and a little hot sauce. Pippy confided in me that she is not opposed to a little bit of spiciness in her food. On the other tier are some shrimp and pork dumplings that I steamed in the microwave using my microwave steamer. There is also some burdock root salad that I got from Ebisuya that is in the next town over. I love that place as I am always finding new things as I explore Japanese cooking. There is also some pickled radishes, also from Ebisuya.
I also noticed that I haven't shown off Pippy's new rabbit bento box that we got at Ohayobento along with a lamb box, some fruit picks and some super cute flower silicon cups that I can't wait to use. I wrapped it all with a cloth from my Ecolunchbox which Pippy doesn't really like but I adore. It is perfect for me as long as I pack it tightly.
Pippy and I picked out some fabric to make more clothes for wrapping the bento in. Only two of her boxes comes with bags. I also need to get some wide elastic because she has a couple that don't have them. Right now we are using one from another box. Hopefully I will get some time to make the clothes soon. I just need to decide whether to hand stick them in the traditional running stitch way, or cave and use my daughter's sewing machine.