Still sick and miserable but I managed to get most bento prep done last night. Kidlet loves cars (although ATM bakugan is trumping all) so I went car crazy. I picked up a lot of car theme things when I was gathering supplies in anticipation of packing bento. Even with all I used, I still have another pile of it, hehe. His k class is learning to read “I am” this week. Kidlet is way beyond that but I figured I’d include the lesson anyway.
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Ham and cheese sandwich, black flame grapes, blackberries, apple and peaches cut into car shapes in the blue cup broccoli and “am I fast?” spelled out in carrot. Can you even read that? I had to tuck them into the broccoli pretty deep in hopes that they’ll stay until lunchtime. He has been so hungry when gets home I’m trying to add a little more protein to see if that helps. There’s fresh mozzarella balls (itty bitty carrot cars stuck to them) and a car shaped egg.
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It doesn’t feel quite right though. I can’t put my finger on it (or I would have fixed it). Maybe the colors aren’t balanced – too much white, not enough … something?
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Time taken: about 30 minutes. I might have been able to go a little faster but I’m still tired, sick, and a bit foggy.
I stumbled upon this challenge last week, but not in time to fit it in. It’s a year of trying a new recipe weekly, a recipe from the featured chef of the week. Last week was Alex G-no-one-can-spell-my-last-name from the Cooking Loft and she had almost no side dish recipes available, and my main courses were already set. In a way I am boxed in for this week as well. I already had my menu plan mostly done, so I went looking for a dish that would go with my meal, rather than something I was really dying to try. I do like Alton Brown though. He’s probably my favorite TV chef, after Mario Batali (whose food I don’t make, but I just think he is adorable and fun to watch).
So, for the Challenge, hosted by I Blame My Mother, I prepared Vlad’s very garlicky greens. My family did not approve, but they don’t like any dark leafy greens. I’ve been trying to fit them in on a regular basis though, wearing them down with different preparations because they are so good for us!
Vlad’s Very Garlicky Greens
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Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
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5 to 7 cloves garlic, peeled, plus 2 cloves garlic, one sliced, one minced
Enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a wide sauté pan
4 big handfuls greens (baby mustard, turnip, chard), picked and roughly shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Place sauté pan over medium heat and then lightly crush 5 to 6 garlic cloves. [Next time I would grate or use a garlic press. I used a little salt and the side of my knife to mash and they were JUST this side of too salty in the end] When the pan is hot, add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and add the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). Remove from the oil. [It was hard to get all the garlic out; I ended up using a fine mesh strainer.]
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At this point, the greens can be quickly Sautéed for a mild garlic flavor.  If you’re looking for something a little stronger, thinly sliver 1 clove and add it to the pan stirring constantly (burned garlic is not Good Eats, nor is anything that touches it). Once the slivers turn golden, add the greens and toss to coat with the hot oil. [It seems like a lot, but really isn’t once it wilts down. I’d barely call this two decent servings.]
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Season with salt and pepper as soon as the greens start to wilt and plate immediately.Â
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If you’re looking for even more garlic flavor, finely mince a clove of garlic and toss it into the greens during the last 30 seconds of cooking and toss the greens to distribute. Keep the pan and the greens moving constantly, if you can. Â Serve as a side dish or toss with pasta and serve as a main course.
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I used a red swiss chard and I did all the extra garlic steps. You can see the red chard turned my garlic pink, hehe. I love garlic, and the boys would complain about greens with or without garlic ;) I thought it was yummy.
Edited to add pictures and commentary -K
I am sick sick sick. I put off making lunch until 20 minutes before kidlet needed to leave for school, and this is the result ;) He loved the rocket in practice lunches, so I went ahead and did that again for him, so it would be a *little* cute!Â
Ham and cheese sandwich with cheese bear (that looks kinds alien with the cream cheese showing through the eye holes — another sign of the “I feel awful and want to get done so I can lay down” rush!), surrounded by blueberries. Orange mini muffins and peas. Lemon pepper for his peas in the sauce bottle. (Lemon pepper is almost always a sure way to get him to eat something he is indifferent about; he likes the flavor a lot).
Time taken? 2 minutes on the bear and 5 minutes to throw the rest together. Super speed bento!Â
And now I’m going to lay down and hope Baby L lets me relax a little bit!
Ah Monday — a fresh start to a new school week and a new week of bentos to plan and prepare! Just what I don’t need when I am feeling really crummy! I’ve got what is probably just a cold, no fever yet. But runny nose, sore throat and coughs, and I feel achy and miserable. Taking care of Baby L should be fun this week. The rest of the week may be simpler bentos, or maybe I’ll duplicate the cuter practice ones since they are no brainers since I’ve done them before. We’ll see.
Jicama, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, watercress, strawberries, honeydew, black flame grapes. The beehive shaped sandwich is PB and honey (of course!) on whole wheat; the sesame seed “flight path” is black sesame seeds attached with honey. The bee is a wax covered babybel cheese, decorated with nori, honeydew wings, and a spaghetti noodle stinger. A couple of chocolate and biscuit mushrooms added to complete the look.
Total time: Very long.  Because of the cold, I was really out of it. I kept forgetting things I needed and had to go back to get them, which was very inefficient. I ended up cooking sweet potatoes and broccoli at different times because I spaced the sweet potato out, and so on. An hour at least, and it should have taken less than half that!
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Recipe review and cost breakdown
Creamy Spicy Corn Chowder with Chicken
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2 slices bacon, sliced in 1-inch strips (2 pkg. for 5$, .18)
1 medium yellow onion, diced (.37)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (.20)
1 russet potato, diced (.34)
1 small red pepper, diced (from farmers market 3/1$ .34)
3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (.84)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (pantry)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (used dried from pantry)
2 cups milk (.38)
3 cups chicken broth (free, from roast chicken carcass and leftover veggie bits from my freezer bag of stock veggies)
2 cups shredded rotisserie cooked chicken (I used leftover chicken (about 1/3 5lb bird) from roast chicken earlier in week  1.66)
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (.06)
1 lime, cut into wedges (omitted)
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In a large saucepot over medium heat cook bacon until crispy and all fat has rendered out. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat, add onion, jalapeno, potato, red pepper, corn, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. Add thyme. Â In a blender, puree half the mixture and add back to the pan. Add milk, chicken broth, and chicken and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Â Transfer to serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with cooked bacon, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.
Total for soup: 4.38 for 6 servings.
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This really wasn’t much of a “chowder”. It wasn’t thick and creamy at all, but much more soupy. You could probably thicken with cornstarch or add another potato in the beginning for more starchiness in the puree. I like soupy “chowders” so I was fine with that. Hubby thought it was too much onion. I like onion, and I thought it was fine, but it did seem like there was a lot of onion in there compared to the other ingredients. Maybe my onion was just too big. It also took longer than 5 minutes for the potato, corn, etc to soften enough that I felt it was pureeable; I probably cooked it at least ten. The kidlet refused to eat it like a soup, but would eat the chicken pieces or corn when I fished it out solo on a spoon.
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Post is linked to:  5$ Dinner Challenge at 5dollardinners.com
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Last week I did very well. I stuck to my list and came in under budget. Thanks for hosting MPM Organizing Junkie; joining the planners there was the kick in the pants I needed to start getting my budget under control!
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Monday: Cube Steak with Balsamic Glazed Onions (method below), Corn, Garlic Toast (whole wheat bread)
Tuesday: Shrimp & Grits, Whatever dark leafy green looks the best when I’m shopping cooked via Alton Browns Recipe for the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge.
Wednesday: Crockpot Roast Chicken, Onions and Fennel, Pea Salad (Sydney at Food for Foodies reminded me how much I love it!), Mashed Potato
Thursday: Shredded Chicken Paprikash, Noodles, Broccoli
Friday: Steak Tacos
Saturday: Honey-Jalapeno Chicken and Sesame Soba Noodles, Snowpeas and Mushrooms
Sunday: 5 Spice Roast Salmon, Wild Rice Blend, Green Beans
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For the balsamic glazed onions, I cook up the beef in a large saute pan, then remove it from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. I dump diced onions in the pan, adding a little evoo if necessary, and saute them until they are a little soft. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup stock (beef for this, but I do these onions on chicken cutlets too, and I’d use chicken stock then), and bring to a boil Add maybe a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar (not the aged thick expensive stuff, just a decent grocery quality is fine) and a good dollop of honey. The vinegar fumes up really bad, but it tastes so good in the end, you won’t mind. Stirring occasionally, adjusting heat to keep it at a low boil, cook until liquids reduce by half. Return meat to pan, turn to coat, sprinkle with fresh chopped herb if you have some on hand, and serve.
For breakfasts we always have oatmeal, cold cereal, scrambled eggs, toast, freezer muffins, yogurt, cottage cheese and fruits to choose from.  This week we also have waffles from the freezer and apple topping.  I also keep us stocked with lunch meats, cheeses, etc for bentos.  My lunches this week are clam soup (4x), shredded chicken wraps with cilantro mayo and veggies (2x) and leftover shrimp and grits (1x), Even when not specifically listed, I usually have a mixed greens salad and fruit available for dinner.
 Find more menus from other MPM participants
Danger, Danger Will Robinson!
I’ve avowed no more packages from Japan for a while. My stash of Bento goodies is ridiculous, it really is. I’ll snap some photos and post them later; you’ll see what I mean. You’d never know I’ve only been regularly bento-ing for a couple weeks; it looks like I’ve been at it for years from the pile.
Now, Bento Beginner has introduced me to a new shopping site! It’s in French, and I barely remember enough high school French to get by, but shopping is the same the whole world over it seems, for I’m having no trouble figuring out how to get things into my cart. And look, they even take paypal.
Aren’t these the most adorable mayo cups ever (click the picture to follow the link to see better shots of them)? I have no idea how much 2.50 euros are in dollars, but all I know is that this package wouldn’t be coming from Japan! 😉
Here’s a question though — if Bento is a primarily Japanese phenomena, and this site caters to French bento enthusists, why are the cups labeled in English?
If you read the old blog, you might recognize “Kristen’s Estrogen Balancing Life Changing Plan”. It was developed in part through several visits with a dietician, as a way to overcome my estrogen dominance and “symndrome X”. However, this was pre-band, and I am considering re-visiting, as the portions and amount of food is somewhat unrealistic for me now. I don’t plan on tackling everything at once. Right now I am working on the meal planning, the shopping, the water, and the food journal. I’ll add another task as I get a grip on these. Wish me luck. It’s time to get my butt in gear and lose the second half of this excess weight.
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Kristen’s Lifechanging Plan
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Keep Food Journal
Fluids: 64oz+ non-calorie, non caffeinated fluids daily.
3 meals + 2-3 Snacks daily
Never more than 5 hours between Meals/snacks
Plan meals 1-2 weeks ahead
Grocery Shop 1x/week with list
Emphasize high fiber carbs
Choose soy protein several times a week
Supplements [These need updated for current, so removed the list]
30m Cardio Exercise 5x / Week
Weight Training, 2x / Week
Non-Food Relief: Yoga, Massage, Visualization, Abdominal Breathing
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Protein (35-55 calories):Â 10-14 servings a day
Starches / Starchy Vegetables (80 calories): 6-8 servings a day
Fat & Oils (45 calories):0-3 servings a day
Fruits (60 calories):3-4 servings a day
Vegetables (10-30 calories): 3+ servings a day
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(230 – 385) Breakfast: 2-3 Protein, 1-2 Starch, 1 Fruit, 0-1 fat, vegetables as desired
(170 – 190) AM Snack: 1 Protein/Fat, 1 Fruit, vegetables as desired
(265 – 440) Lunch: 3-4 Protein, 2 Starch, 0-1 Fat, vegetables as desired
(170 – 190) PM Snack: 1 Protein/Fat, 1 Starch or Fruit, vegetables as desired
(265 – 440) Dinner: 3-4 Protein, 2 Starch, 0-1 Fat, vegetables as desired
(170 – 190) Evening Snack: 1 Protein/Fat, 1 Starch or Fruit, vegetables as desired
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I’m guessing I average 150 calories or so a day in vegetables.
Total: 1420 – 1985
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Proteins |
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Excellent Choice |
Fair Choice (limit) |
Not-So-Good (Avoid) |
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 Bison/Buffalo Cottage Cheese Chicken Breast (whole or ground) Clams Crab Egg Substitute Egg White Fish – Fatty (Salmon, Tuna, Swordfish, Arctic Char) Fish – Lean (halibut, orange roughy, red snapper, tilapia) Mussels Ostrich Protein Powder Soy Products   Bean Curd   Edamame   Revival Shakes   Meatless Alternatives (burger, sausage, chicken patties)   Tempeh   TSP /TVP   Soy Beans   Soy Cheese   Soy Milk   Soy Protein Powder   Tofu Turkey Breast (whole or ground) Tuna |
 Beef (lean cuts – eye of round, sirloin steak, ground sirloin) Chicken, Dark Meat Ham (lean) Jerky Lobster Pork (Lean chops or tenderloin) Oysters Scallops Shrimp Turkey Bacon Turkey, Dark Meat  I have questions about these to ask at next appointment Foster Farms Turkey Sausage (mild/hot) Italian Sardines Turkey Keilbasa Canadian Bacon Healthy Choice low fat Veal Ricotta Ff flavored yogurt |
 Anything fried Anything with Skin Bacon Duck Egg Yolk, more than 1 per meal and 4 per week Fish, Breaded, Frozen Fish Sticks Hot Dog Keilbasa – full fat Liver & Organ Meats Lunch Meat Marbled/Untrimmed Meat Ribs Refried Beans w/ Lard Sausage  |
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Mixed Proteins |
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Excellent Choice |
Fair Choice (limit) |
Not-So-Good (Avoid) |
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 Beans/Legumes Buttermilk Milk, Skim Yogurt, Plain non/low fat  |
 Cheese Sticks, reduced fat Chocolate Milk, rf or sf Peanut Butter Soy Nuts Wheat Germ Soy Chips |
 Cheese, full fat Milk, Whole Yogurt, full fat |
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Carbs – Starches |
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Excellent Choice |
Fair Choice (limit) |
Not-So-Good (Avoid) |
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Beans/Legumes  Black  Chickpeas  Fava  Kidney Beans  Lentils (even canned soup)  Lima  Navy Beans  Refried, nonfat  Soy Beans  Split Peas  White Beans Buckwheat Bulgur Bread, Whole Grain Breadsticks, Whole Grain Cereal, low sugar, high fiber. whole grain first ingredient Corn (on the cob) Dinner Roll, Whole Grain Grains, whole or sprouted Green Peas Millet Oatmeal, old fashioned Pasta, Whole Wheat Pita, whole wheat Pumpkin Quinoa Rice, Brown Rice, Converted Rolled Oats Rolled Rye (Flakes) Rolled Wheat Squash Rye Berries  |
 Bagel, ww Beets Cereal, low sugar, high fiber Corn Tortilla Couscous English muffin, ww Parsnip Pasta, White Popcorn Potato, New Potato, Sweet Potato, Yukon Gold Rice, White Rice Noodles Rutabaga Tortilla, Fat Free Tortilla, Whole Wheat Turnip Whole Grain Crackers (like triscuit, Ryvita Rye, rice snaps) Yam   |
 Bagel, white Biscotti Biscuit Bread, white Breadsticks, White Buns, white Cereal, sugary, low fiber Cereal, puffed Cream of Wheat/Rice Flour Tortilla, regular French Fries Grits Hash Browns, instant Jams & Jellies Oatmeal, Instant Pancakes Potato Chips Saltine Scone Soda / Sugared Drinks Sweets Sweet Roll |
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Carbs – Fruits |
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Excellent Choice |
OK Choice |
Not-So-Good (Avoid) |
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 Fresh Frozen w/o Sugar Canned in water, no sugar Apples Applesauce Apricots Bananas Berries (Blueberry, Strawberry,Raspberry, Blackberry, Loganberries, Marionberries) Cantaloupe Cranberries Dried Fruit (apricots, raisins, figs, dates) Carambola (“star fruit) Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Kiwi (green or gold) Peaches Pears Pineapple Pomegranate Plums |
 Canned, in Juice Papaya Cherries Grapes Guava Kumquat Mango Mandarin Oranges Nectarine Oranges Passion Fruit Tangerines Watermelon |
 Canned, in syrup Fruit Juice   |
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Fats |
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Excellent Choice |
Fair Choice (limit) |
Not-So-Good (Avoid) |
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 Avocado Canola Oil Fat in Fish Flaxseed, ground or oil Nuts  Almonds  Cashews  Filberts  Macadamia  Peanut  Pecan  Pistachio Olives Olive Oil Peanut Oil Peanut Butter |
 Corn Oil Grapeseed Oil Nuts / Seeds  Brazil Nut  Pinenuts  Sunflower Seeds  Walnuts Mayonnaise, lf Safflower Oil Salad Dressings, rf Sour Cream, lf Soybean Oil Sunflower Oil  |
 Bacon Bits Butter Coconut Oil Dairy Fats Fat in Meat & Poultry Hydrogenated Oils Palm Oil Shortening Trans Fats |
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Vegetables |
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Excellent Choice |
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 Artichoke / Hearts Arugula Asparagus Bean Spouts Bell Pepper Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chinese Cabbage Chives Coleslaw Collard Greens Cucumber  |
 Eggplant Garlic, raw or roasted Ginger Green Beans Herbs Jicama Kale Leeks Lettuce, all types Mushrooms Okra Onion Parsley |
 Pickles Radish Rhubarb Sauerkraut Sea Vegetables Scallion Snow Peas Spinach Sprouts Alfalfa Summer Squash Tomato Vegetable Juice Water Chestnut Watercress Zucchini |
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Free Foods |
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 Broth, 1 C. Club Soda Coffee Cool Whip Free Cream Cheese, ff, 1 T. Dill Pickle Dill Pickle Relish Drink Mix, sf Extracts |
 Gelatin, sf Hard Candy, sf Herbs & Spices Ketchup, 1 T. Margarine, ff Mayonnaise, ff, 1 T. Mustard Non-Dairy Creamer, Liquid Non-Dairy Creamer, Powder |
 Pancake Syrup, Sugar Free Salsa Salad Dressing, rf Sour Cream, rf Soy Sauce Taco Sauce Tea (Black, Green, Herbal) Chamomile Vinegar Worcestershire Sauce |
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Convenience Foods & Snacks |
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 – Frozen Ravioli (>3g fat/serving) – Frozen Tortellini (>3g fat/serving) – Frozen Fish, unbreaded (>10g fat), Mrs. Pauls Healthy Grilled, Gortons Grilled, Some tuna/salmon burgers – Frozen Meals, >400 calories, >800mg Sodium Soydance Pizza – Tofu Classics, Shells & Curry, Mandarin Chow Mein |
 – Frozen Meal Kits ( >3g sat fat/serving skillet sensations, Create a meal, etc) – Chili, Chicken – Ramen Noodles – Westbrae, whole wheat & Baked – Tumaros Homestyle Kitchen Soy Cheese Burritos – Soy Boy Ravioli |
 2x / month max Candy (under 150 calories) Sorbet Ice Cream Frosted Cake Frosted or stuffed Cookies Fudgsicles 3x/week max Frozen Juice Bars Graham Crackers Animal Crackers Whole Wheat Fig Bars Homemade Banana Bread Gingersnaps Pretzels Baked Chips |
Green Foods are ones emphasized by the dietician
Pink foods are additional foods recommended via dr. and research
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Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. — Thomas Alva Edison
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Why Do I Bento?
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1.  Health. Better control over your childs diet. You know what’s in it, and can make sure you are packing a nutritionly sound meal that your child will eat. You can’t necessarily count on your school providing that. My kidlet is only in Kindergarten and although there is a healthy option each day, there is also always a junk food option (deep fried nuggets, fries, pizza, etc). When the kidlet was our foster child he was in early head start and I learned that federal guidelines say that a little ranch dressing provided as a dip counts as a dairy serving. Boggle.
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2. Cost. Packing a lunch is almost always cheaper than a school lunch.
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3. It’s a “Green†Solution. It has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school. Packing a bento box means no plastic baggies, aluminum foil or other excessive packaging to go into the landfills. If you send a cloth napkin instead of paper (and the japanese make a lot of cute little “Oshibori†cloths for their lunch packing, so you can find something that appeals to your child, although you likely will have to shop ebay or the internet to find one if you happen to live in the US, as I do), and rely on a reusable drink container, that’s even better.Â
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4. Overcoming Picky Eating. Kids love colorful, attractive foods. It’s often more appealing for a picky child to eat something they normally would avoid when its shaped like a smiling animal or fashioned in the form of their favorite toy. A sandwich in a bag smushed under an apple in the bottom of the lunch bag sure doesn’t look very good next to a candy bar in its shiny wrapper or the deep fried chicken nuggets shaped like stars.
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5. Self Esteem. It’s a daily reminder that they are worth the effort of packing such a cool lunch. It’s not the food that is the love (I’m completely against the idea of food as reward or pushing food to show you care), but that you are willing to spend the time for them. My son also LOVES the attention that he gets from him lunches. Other teachers come by each day to see what he has. The kids in class think his lunches are super cool. It’s a little thing, but it makes him feel good. I remember that every time I think about sending a plain jane lunch =)
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6. Weight Control. Bento boxes are the perfect meal size (I know they seem small, but you pack them tightly, that’s the whole point!) so your child gets just how much they should be eating.
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7. It’s fun. I am a creative person. But I don’t always have time or space to dig out all my scrapbooking materials or to sit and work on a cross stitch. Creating a bento is a creative outlet that I can start and finish in an hour (usually much less than an hour).
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You don’t have to run out and buy nori and furikake and ongiri shapers to make an attractive bento lunch. Your normal every day lunch – sandwich, fruit, veggies (and maybe a snack food) will fit into a box just fine. Take the dinosaur sandwich lunch. The sandwiches were made in 10 seconds, using a 3 dollar crust-cutter found at targets, walmartss, even some groceries. Cheese suns were punched using a small cookie cutter, and the rest is just fruit and veggies (It was too much broccoli, and next time I’m pack less of that, but you get the idea!). There’s a little ranch dressing in the apple container, but you could easily send it on the side in a small tupperware (which is what I do now, those little mayo cups don’t hold enough dip).
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You certainly don’t have to wrap them in a scarf like the japanese do. I stick my sons bento in a regular cute insulated lunch bag along with his ice pack, stainless drink container, a side of dressing, occasionally a treat that won’t fit in the bento (like a gogurt, which I hate for the packaging, but he loves, so I give in occasionally), and a little note from me.