Gentle Bento

Bowling League Bento

2007-08-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

I made bento lunches for all the kidlets in our bowling league today and thought I'd share some pics. It took me 30 minutes to prepare and assemble everything.

On the menu:
Lemon curd & Earth Balance heartwich
Blackberry jam heartwich
Butterfly crackers
Heart kabobs with organic apple flowers and pineapple triangles
Baby Bell gouda cheese rounds with flower cutouts
Silver-wrapped chocolate treasure chest
Tiny square container with Juice Plus Jr. Veggie and Fruit gummies

Modified version for the baby:

Stuffed Shells Bento

2007-08-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

My sweet hubby brought home stuffed shells from Whole Foods prepared section...they were SO yummy! Here is Brave's, served in a two-tiered bento. The smaller tier holds 1 1/2 stuffed shells, cut into halves. An accompanying tier offers organic corn in a porcelain seashell cup, square cup of organic unsweetened applesauce (a staple in our home), and wedges of chilled mandarin oranges. Tucked in on the sides are butterfly crackers and Swiss cookie sticks. And of course, the prized chocolate globe!

And Meadow's new Hello Kitty bento, so cute! Half of a large stuffed shell was the perfect size serving for her. She ate all the fruit and veggies but rejected the butterfly crackers tonight, which I certainly didn't complain about! lol

Mini Quiche Bento

2007-08-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

I thought these miniature quiche would be such a fun and easy bento treat. They were for me, but the kids totally rejected them. Ah well, more for Mama, eh? lol Tiny quiche Lorraine and spinach quiche sit nestled in baked potato crisps, with a much-needed pop of color from maple-glazed baby carrots.

Dumpling Bento

2007-08-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

These bentos were super easy and definitely popular! Veggie dumplings served with cuplettes of organic soy crisp hearts, grape and cheese flower spears, and our fave Back to Nature organic oreo cookies. Yum!

Baby's included a bunny cup (repurposed rice mold) of cottage cheese and stack of snap pea crisps.

Everyone licked their bento's clean! :)

Kiddie Bento :)

2007-08-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

This GCM bento challenge was prepared entirely by my little boy...obviously a huge Pokemon fan! lol Entirely his creation, featuring his favorite Pokemon and their trainers, tucked around organic PB & J heartwiches, white cheddar matchsticks, organic strawberry shooting stars (the one fruit I INSIST on organic, due to pesticide layering) and a cupcake container of chocolate pudding. A dream bento for a seven year old boy!

For any Pokemon fans, you'll appreciate how Team Rocket is hiding, only to be battled by a plethora of good-guy Pokemon!

Bento Challenge #2: Scraps (aka Ugly Bento)

2007-08-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

So I guess this is what bento looks like when you're depressed. lol Lemon curd and Earth Balance heartwhich, red grapes, smoked almonds and banana chips for Daddy...

Big brother's included dried papaya and pineapple...and an off-camera cup of Batman Spaghettios.

And this is the "scrap" bento - made entirely from scraps todays bentos. L-R: heartwich crust squares, loose grapes that fell from the clusters, cuplette of rejected raisins and peanuts from the dried fruit mix, and kabobs made from Spaghettio meatballs that get picked out prior to serving and weglettes of cheese leftover from the star shape press. In a word, UGLY. lol

Our second GCM Bento challenge! T

Wooden Salad Bowl Bento

2007-08-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

My bento is getting looser and looser. I am certain that some of it doesn't qualify as bento at all, in traditional terms, but remember, this is Stay-at-Home-Bento. ;) Made by a tired and busy mama, mostly in a rush with hungry kidlets swarming about. So, you get what you get, eh? :)

I found these nice square wooden salad bowls at Walmart for $1.86. They are so pretty and just the right size for a child's lunch, though the sides are curved so it's impossible to pack it precisely.

Baby's lunch: a glass souffle ramekin filled with pasta stars and sauce, decorated with meunster cheese flowers. A paper cup of diagonally cut green beans sits next to a bundle of snap pea crisps, and Baby Mum-Mum rice rusks.

Big brother enjoyed an organic PB & J heartwich, with a cluster of chilled grapes, splattering of meunster stars, and cuplette of smoked almonds. I love the natural look of the wood and the way the oyster shell kind of hugs the sandwich while keeping it seperated from the wet grapes.

Comfort Food Veggie Burger Bento

2007-07-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight I prepared a comfort food dinner - veggie burgers, mac-n-cheese, tater tots, and fresh broc, stir-fried in Earth Balance. Yum!

Big brother bento - the broc was tentative, but the rest was gobbled up, along with a requested second veggie burger (which he loves to dip in organic ketchup).

Baby's bento - she ignored her tater tots, nibbled on the veggie burger, ate most of the mac, and devoured all the broc plus more from my plate. :)

This special Pokemon bento was made by our 7 yo, just for Daddy (who also got a regular dinner plate). They had so much fun at the dinner table tonight!

Meatloaf Minis Bento

2007-07-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of color in tonights dinner; I'm surprised I was even able to come up with a hot meal, to be honest. Up all night with a fussy, sick baby, home all day taking care of two little ones...I'm a tired (but happy) mama. So this was good for tonight! ;)

Baby's bento: mashed potatoes dotted with mini-meatloaf cubes on wee animal spears. She is obsessed with the little penguin for some reason! An Earth Balance covered organic wheat bread flower was cut in half to fit, and a small bowl of creamed corn that mostly wound up in her hair.

Big brother's bento featured a mashed potato flower (served in sandwich press "cup"), forklettes of tomato-sauced meatloaf, cup of his favorite creamed corn, organic wheat bread flower, Back to Nature chocolate chip cookie (YUM) and little green pup container which held daily vitas.

Just had to snap this shot of a lucky little penguin who was loved on the whole meal. :)

Animal Challenge Bento: Kissy Fishy French Toast

2007-07-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is a spur-of-the-moment entry for the first GCM Bento Challenge - "Animals". Organic wheat vanilla French toast fishies, served with an oyster shell of warm maple syrup and grape half "bubbles". The baby got a modified, grapeless version. She's recovering from illness and was more interested in her favorite comfort food standby (rye toast buttered with Earth Balance), but big brother *devoured* this plate plus about seven more French toast "fishies". The plastic fish cutter I used created four cutouts per slice of oversized bread, with mostly crust-only trimmings. I won't bother doing cutouts for French toast again, as you can see so little of the original shape after the egg batter and cooking process. This was a fun and yummy experiment, though! :)

BBQ Alternative Bento

2007-07-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

We went to a wonderful family bbq today, where we really enjoyed spending time with some of our favorite people in the world. :) But we also knew that hamburgers and hotdogs were being served, so I decided to pack bentos for my little people.

Baby's bento was barely touched today, as she was not in the mood to sit at the table and eat when her very fun brother and cousins were giggling on the nearby patio. She nibbled a few things but mostly just wanted to roam and visit. Spinach and cheese mini-ravioli, baby Goldfish, baked sugar snap peas (these are *wonderful*, Whole Foods has them in the salad dressing section, I guess they figure they're a salad add-on like croutons or sesame seeds), and a cheddar cheese flower. The pink spice container was just for visual appeal but never made it to the bbq as she snagged it while I was taking pictures.

Big brother loved his Pokemon bento-on-the-go, and thanked me for it on our drive home. :) Half a honey-wheat bagel with organic pb & j, TLC cheese crackers, a skewer of cheese flowers (which he was thrilled to help cut out), and a few tiny organic pb cracker sandwiches. The blue puppy dog held his vitamins, and of course you can't go wrong with a miniature chocolate bar added to the mix. ;)

Take-out Leftover Bento

2007-07-26T15:55:00.001-07:00

A quick lunch while we cleaned the house today...stir fried leftover Chinese takeout rice, mixed with fresh broc, canned corn, and canned organic black beans. For the baby, a side of organic unsweetened applesauce (teddy bear cup) and MF organic broc-cheddar nuggets cut into tiny flowers (served with smiley mouse spear). She devoured her entire lunch and sat in her seat for almost half an hour - ahhh the luxury for mama! :D

Big brother's lunch (served in this cute Clickety-Click teddy bear bent0) included an off-camera cup of applesauce, and halved bean burrito, as well as his own soy sauce container for squirting (yellow chickie) which of course was the first thing he did. ;)

Teddy Bear Brekkie Bento

2007-07-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

For my baby girl this morning...organic apple cinnamon oatmeal, vanilla teething biscuit, and teddy bear rye toast buttered with Earth Balance.

Saucy soy containers

2007-07-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Just look at these adorable little soy sauce (or liquid aminos) containers! They are so itty bitty cute...too small for baby (choking hazard) but delightful to my seven year old. I fill them all at one time, using a handy-dandy squeeamajigie that came with one of the sets when I bought them on eBay (links to the right).

I love that they are also perfectly portion controlled, as any parent will appreciate if you've ever seen a kid in charge of a soy sauce bottle before. ;) Just another of the little treasures that make bento'ing so much fun!

Cupcake and Butterfly Bento

2007-07-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

My 14 month old's breakfast bento - Stonyfield Farms organic strawberry yogurt, served in a plastic cupcake stocking stuffer container I picked up at W'mart last year and never figured out what to do with. :) She ate most of it with her spoons, but also enjoyed dipping with her banana cookies. Organic cheerios added an extra nibble. She ate very well this morning and played with her cupcake for quite a while!

Okay now, no laughing! Remember, I'm a bento beginner! :P This bagel butterfly was decorated with craisins, mandarin oranges, and strawberry jam, served with cuplettes of strawberry yogurt, and surrounded by organic grapes and organic strawberry flowers. Very amateur, I know, but who cares? My little man *loved* it! :}

Quickie Breakfast Bento

2007-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've been sick the past few days, and taking care of two sick kidlets as well. But this morning I whipped up this quick brekkie for my little guy. Honey wheat bagel halves, topped with Earth Balance and served with a tiny jar of blueberry jam (brought home from hotel room service a few weeks ago). Organic grape cluster and organic strawberry shooting stars (made with small metal cutter) were gobbled up happily, and he loved getting his vitas in the itty bitty carrot dish. Baby just had a cup of Stonyfield Farm baby yogurt and I soothed my sore parts with leftover egg drop soup. lol I'm looking forward to feeling better and more creative in a few days. ;)

Lazy Day Bento

2007-07-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here are our lazy Saturday bentos! My son was snacking much of the afternoon and said he wasn't hungry for dinner, but when he saw me cutting heart crisps, he requested a PB & J in his Pokemon bento. :0)

Baby's bento - pretty simple tonight. Two-bean chili, chunky cheddar slices, and Wasa light crisps (which worked surprisingly well with my metal heart cutter). The little chick seasoning container is just for visual appeal and my little trick to get her to sit in her highchair. ;)

My seven year old was thrilled with his "Pokemon" organic PB & J on wheat (gingerbread cookie cutter)! And hubs and I are thrilled to see the difference that bentos are helping to make in his eating habits (well, that and seeing the computer generated images on, "Honey We're Killing the Kids"). He's always been very texture sensitive, so fruits and veggies can be a challenge. Tonight he ate every morsel of his organic grapes (Pokeberries ;) and organic strawberry shooting stars (cut with small metal flower cutter). YAY!

Homestyle Bento

2007-07-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

When the baby and I got up from her nap late this afternoon, dh and ds were in the kitchen, fixing dinner together! (I told you he was wonderful!) I added something green, but the guys did everything else on their own! Yum!

Baby's bento was a huge success tonight! She loved everything - teddy bear broccoli nugget (Morningstar Farms, they are DElish and work great with plastic cutting tools), creamed corn, Stove Top stuffing ball made in a snap with our rice ball molds , asparagus spears seasoned with Earth Balance and garlic salt.

Big kid bento included Morningstar Farms soy protein nuggets (he didn't like the broc nugget at all), also in teddy bear shapes, a mustard-filled carrot dish for dipping, and a larger bowl of creamed corn off camera. Chocolate ice cream for dessert and everyone's happy!

Tired Mama Bento

2007-07-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

Finally, we made it to the grocery store for a few things! Well, actually, my sweet hubby went for me. Whatta guy! Seriously, he's the best. Still, we're all recovering from colds and the baby is SUPER clingy, so this was the best I could summon tonight.

The beloved Pokemon box! Wedge of pizza (one of two he ate), accompanied by an organic applesauce river (note to self - don't try to cram applesauce), strawberry flowers (LOVE my metal flower cutter!), mandarin orange wedges, honey roasted cashews, and spinach and bleu cheese salad tossed in olive oil and sea salt. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and yes, my 7 yo actually ate two bites of the spinach salad, proclaiming it, "not too bad". It didn't hurt that Daddy promised to play Monopoly Jr. with him as soon as he was done. ;)

Baby's bento shows her love of strong flavors. Bleu cheese crumbles (she ate every last morsel and licked her fingers clean!), diced thin Genoa salami, Arostica chicken breast, organic unsweetened applesauce, and a few of her favorite organic Cheetos to stir up interest so we could get her to sit in her highchair. ;) Off camera is a baby-sized pizza slice which bought Mama enough time to actually eat my whole meal at once! Small pleasures, eh? :D

Hillbilly Bento

2007-07-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, this is what newbie kiddie bento looks like in my house when everyone is sick, the family has just returned from a two-week vacation, and Mama hasn't been able to get to the grocery store yet. Gawk at your own risk!

I made this for my sick hubby. What else could I call it besides, "Hillbilly Bento" when I realized I was filling it with fried egg sandwich hearts with mayo and a heaping serving of Batman spagettios? Am I a hillbilly because I don't know how to spell spaghettios? lol Also included are the ever-elegant Flavor Blasted Goldfish crackers, freshly sauteed broc that somehow survived two weeks in a sealed fridge package (kinda scary if you ask me), and canned organic apricot halves.

My son's bento included a rolled slice of meunster cheese. He wasn't happy with his bento today - frankly he was insulted, he informed me, because he knew it was a baby bento box in disguise and incomparable to the Pokemon box. The discriminating taste of a seven year old....

Baby bento - fried egg yolk heartwich on wheat, teeny cup of spaghettios, organic apricot bits with puppy dog spear, baby sized broc and Gerbers sweet potato puffs (the only acceptable flavor). About half was consumed and the rest, worn, of course. ;)

Had to share one of our new adorable itty bitty forklettes. They are pure choking hazards so I keep them far from the baby, but today I thought they might cheer up a feverish hubbyman when he saw one hanging out on his favorite veggies. It kinda worked. lol

Bento organization

2007-07-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much fun it is to play with my new bento supplies! Everything is just so stinkin' cute and tiny!

To keep prep time to a minimum, I've organized all my supplies in these handy snap-lid storage containers I got from Costco months ago. (Wish I'd picked up several more sets; they are wonderful!)

The largest bin holds all my cutters and molds. Next are my separators and waxed paper cups. Another flat container keeps all the tiny dishes tidy, and a taller half-sized bin is perfect for a variety of sauce bottles and containers. The tiniest box holds our picks and teeny forks.

You can also see our large silicone baking cups (these are wonderful for rice for my baby - the cup is grippy enough to stay put on the high chair tray so she can scoop her own spoonfuls out, and the depth works beautifully for containing messes).

The top shelf holds our collection of four bento boxes:

Pokemon single tier with snap lid
Clickety click Chick double tier with snap lid
My Melody pink bunny single tier with band and removable dish
Clickety click soccer-playing teddy bear double tiered with decorated band

I purchased all my supplies from various eBay stores (links shown under "inspirations"). It was great fun watching them all drift in from Japan! A few other supplies have been picked up here and there at craft and grocery stores. You can definitely bento without having to purchase special items, but it really is so much fun if you possibly can indulge in a few goodies! Just look at this adorable miniature (1.5" x 1.25") monkey mayo container with itty bitty banana spreader:

A Bento Beginner!

2007-07-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Please don't laugh - this is my first ever homemade bento attempt. For all exusable purposes, I'm sick, we just returned home from almost two weeks away and have nothing fresh on hand, and even worse, my hubby is sick (because admit it, we all know what men are really like when they don't feel well). lol

The blue one is my 7 yo son's Pokemon bento, filled with Morningstar Farms veggie nugget flower spears, bbq dipping sauce decorated with a cheese star, baked organic fries, organic pineapple wheel, brown rice with peas and carrots, an Earth Balance and blackberry jam teddy bear sandwich on wheat, more meunster cheese stars, and Stonyfield Farm organic Chocolate Underground yogurt with whipped cream swirl. He ate everything but the fries, which I couldn't manage to serve warm tonight. (Fussy baby and weary/sniffly hubby)

This pink bunny bento belongs to my 13 mo daughter. She ate so well and really loved serving herself from the spears! Her meal included veggie nugget flowers (halved and speared) served with bbq sauce in a tiny carrot dish, meunster cheese stars, organic chocolate yogurt, speared organic pineapple pieces, Earth Balance & blackberry jam teddy bear sandwich, and a large pink silicone cup filled iwith brown rice, peas and carrots. She ate everything, which is highly unusual for her.

Yay bentos!!!