Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Mickey Mouse Bento and Muffin Tin

Missy Lulu has had quite a boost in her appetite lately. It's quite shocking for me to here "Mom I'm hungry!" .."You?" is my usual reply, but the Mommy in me is happy to hear it really! Lol. I've started making quick, smaller snack bentos for school now; and a large full lunch for her to sit at the table and have with me. It's a wonderful change to the day because usually I had to beg her to eat what ever picked through items she didn't eat at playschool. Now the box comes home empty and she's looking for lunch! I love it!
Today she had a Mickey Mouse snack bento and Muffin tin for lunch.
In this snack bento she has:
  • A "Mickey Mouse" Egg  "He's a mess, but I was sleepy this morning!" LoL
  • Edamame on Mickey Mouse sticker picks.
  • A sesame herb mix in the Mickey Mouse container to sprinkle on egg.
  • Orange wedges and a big strawberry.

When she came home from playschool she had this muffin tin.

In her Mickey Mouse Muffin Tin she has:
  • A  Mickey Mouse Onigiri with nori details
  • Salmon nuggets in a lettuce cup.
  • Sauteed butternut squash with cinnamon and maple syrup
  • Fruit of Grapes and orange wedges
  • Frosted Flakes for dessert
  • Milk
Not only did she eat the whole muffin tin,  she asked me for another onigiri...(in Mickey Mouse form of course  '-') I'm still in shock!





    BBQ Tofu Bento

    On Tuesday Daddy had another vegetarian meal, barbecued tofu with a cream herb sauce topped with chopped basil.
    With his main entree, he had steamed broccoli,  yellow cherry tomatoes, quick pickled cucumber and cabbage salad.          

    Princess Crown and Three Lions

    Tuesday's snack bento was a simple Bologna sandwich cut out with a crown cookie cutter.
    She had a yogurt, carrot flowers and raisins with her sandwich. The little chick container held little sprinkles to add to her yogurt!

    For lunch on Tuesday, Missy Lulu had bow tie pasta with a cream herb sauce, tomato and basil.

    Along with the pasta, there was barbecued tofu and edamame on a skewer pick. For dessert she had kiwi, orange slices and a big strawberry.

    Lentil Herder's Pie Bento for Daddy

    I found a wonderful vegetarian blog with a months worth of healthy, tasty menus. My dear hubby is not a big meat eater and I just can't bear to be bored so this was a win win for the whole family! The menus also have each of  the weeks shopping list to make all of the months meals listed...I love that! Check out the site for yourself here. Today for lunch daddy had the Lentil Herder's Pie and a smoked Salmon salad.


    Lentil Herder's Pie From Emily Springfield's Recipe
    • 1 sm. Onion, diced. Sautee in some oil and add:
    • 1c. uncooked lentils
    • 3c. water
    • 1 bay leaf. Simmer 30-45 minutes until the lentils are done. (I suppose you could use canned,
    too, and skip these steps.)
    • In the meantime…make mashed potatoes.
    • When the lentils are done:
    • Make a roux of 2 Tbl. Flour and 2 Tbl. Oil or melted butter. Add to lentils.
    • Also add something salty and flavorful to the lentils: veggie bouillon (2 tsp), tamari (1 Tbl), soy
    sauce (1 Tbl), Bragg’s (1 Tbl), or even just plain salt (1/2 tsp).
    • Simmer until thickened. You want lentils in gravy, not soup.
    • Layer lentils (use a slotted spoon and drain them a bit if they’re too soupy), diced cooked
    vegetables (frozen peas and carrots, heated through and drained, are great), and top with
    mashed potatoes.
    • You can bake this to get a nice browned top, but if the veggies are warmed first, you can eat it
    right away.

    It's a delicious recipe and he and both girls loved it! I pared this with a big smoked salmon salad layered with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, spring onion, basil,  cashews and grass onion. With the salad (in the little tomato sauce bottle) is a quick Dijon mustard dressing. For a sweet end to lunch he had Navel orange slices. It's a great meal!  Thank you Emily for the idea!!! Yum

    Not to Grouchy Oscar!

    On Monday I tried to make Missy Lulu a "Oscar the Grouch" for her snack, I mean how hard could he be! From all the photo images I've seen online, nothing looks too difficult...but then why I just couldn't get his face right I'll never know! This project was a fail...but at least she ate him!


    In this snack bento she had a rather pleased looking Oscar. (Made from spinach pancake, pepperoni, cheese and nori details.) Along with her Oscar she had a few whole wheat alphabet cookies and a strawberry.

    For Lunch she simply had a individual serving Shepard's pie (but made with lentils instead of beef or lamb.)


    It's nice to make one-pot meals like this, everything is all inside. Veggies like peas, carrots and leeks; also a rich protein filled lentil stew in a brown gravy sauce. Buttery mash potatoes are baked on top!

    Friday, March 2, 2012

    Daddy's Favorite is backs!

    My hubby loves Chicken Nugget Caesar Salad to pieces! He could probably eat it everyday for months...but he's sweet enough to eat whatever I make for him,( like the zucchini pasta with peanut butter sesame sauce from the other day!) But because he ate it all, and is open to trying all my little experiments! (Haha) I made his favorite today...again.
    Chicken Caesar Salad Bento  (Caesar Salad dressing not shown)
    • Chicken Nuggets (from Lidl, they are the best!)
    • Cherry tomato with basil (I gave them cute faces, couldn't help myself!)
    • Bean Sprouts
    • Grated Carrot
    • Sweet red peppers
    • Salad Greens under everything 
    • Fried Onions
    • Boiled egg
    • Grapes for dessert!
    It was a huge meal...even for my big man! He said "Cut back on the chicken...(a little)" Ok, Isi! ^.^

    Thursday, March 1, 2012

    In Like a Lion!

    Welcome March!! The promise of spring approaches and I have the faith, even though I'm surrounded by snow! Lol! The saying goes "If March comes in like a lion, it will go like a lamb" So though it's cold and snowy now I'm hoping for warm breezes and super sunny skies soon! So the Lion of March's arrival is today's theme!



    I've redone the fabulously gifted Natakiya's of Bento Anarchy lion pancake bento. See her amazing work here. She is so amazing with her ideas and precise layout (which isn't my strong point and I desperately want to practice and improve; so I know who my guru's are! Lol!!  In my Lion pancake bento we have:
    • A lion pancake made from Finnish carrot pancakes. They're really soft in texture and slightly sweet.
    • Green grapes with the March Lion and Lamb picks
    • Diced apple in a silicone cup
    • beef sausages
    • A quail egg decorated with a leaf pick and a carrot flower
    For Lunch we continued the Lion and the promise of Spring theme:

    In this muffin tin lunch we have:
    • A lion made from toast and chicken nuggets
    • Steamed broccoli with cute Spring icon picks
    • Spring comes salad, with a tomato fairy, carrot flowers,lettuce and blue cheeses salad dressing
    • Blueberry soup with cream stirred in.
    • Sliced apples and a big strawberry
    • Milk to drink
    She's going though a growth spurt lately because she ate so so well! I am so proud of her!