3 Bento #278 - Bacon Heart & Toast

Who doesn't need a little bacon now and then...and in the shape of a HEART?! This was completely accidental when I started arranging it, but it turned out really cute. Some Texas toast to go with the bacon, and cubes of cheese make up the entree, with fresh organic kiwi, organic cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

Bento #278 - Applewood smoked bacon, Texas toast, cheese, organic cucumbers, tomatoes and kiwi.  Snack - Organic black plum.

Items used in this lunch:

2 Bento #271 - Forgotten Lunch Non-Bento

Do you want to know what to do when your child forgets their lunch, lovingly prepared by you, when you can't get home and go get it?

This morning, I wanted to know too!  The moment before the carpool attendant opened my daughter's door, I heard a forlorn, "Mommy, where's my lunchbox?"  With quick promises to bring her lunch and not to worry, I headed to the closest grocery store that was open at 7am.  Walmart.  You see, it's not really practical for me to go all the way home, since it's an hour round trip with morning traffic and carpool lines.  Plus, I'm pregnant and exhausted.  So, Walmart.

The other day I posted a homemade version of a "Lunchable".  Today I was SO tempted to grab an actual Lunchable and call it a day.  But...I couldn't do it.  Could not.  I stood in the aisle for about 10 minutes looking over what pre-made lunches exist today.  Plastic bread, meat loaded with nitrates, preservatives, HFCS. tons of sodium and everything else artificial.  Even the so-called "healthy" brand option "Active Pack" had added corn syrup and lots of preservatives.

I seriously considered grabbing a pre-made salad bowl, but they all had cubed meat in it which is basically the same as Lunchable meat.  I don't trust it.  That meant it was up to me to piece-meal it.  Literally.

So, here's what I ended up with.

Produce aisle: Snack Fresh fruit/veggie pack.  Includes sliced apples, cubes of cheddar cheese, carrots and a pack of crackers. - $1.98

Deli aisle: Double pack of hard boiled eggs. - $.98

Dairy aisle: Activia strawberry yogurt smoothie drink. - $.88

Total cost: $3.84

Interestingly enough, this is just a little less than hot school lunch costs at E's school.  We attend a public charter school, but we don't get the same government subsidies as other public schools, so all food is ordered in advance and costs $4 per DAY.  And unfortunately, it's not all that great for the price.

This is also the first time in probably two years I've purchased paper lunch bags!  We ran out a few weeks ago when I packed the last disposable field trip lunch, so I did actually need a new package.

So there you have it.  This was a much better collection of foods for lunch than grabbing one of those pre-made lunches.  Though convenient, they will do your body no favors!  And now that I know exactly what to buy and where to get these lunch components, I'll be in and out in 5 minutes, instead of reading labels for 45 minutes!

[non] Bento #271 - Apples, cheese, carrots, crackers, hard boiled eggs and strawberry yogurt smoothie.

1 Bento #249 - Gyoza & Pico de Gallo

I'm back from my sister's wedding in Maryland!  It was beautiful, and she was absolutely radiant!

For lunch today we have some homemade pico de gallo with chicken gyoza.

How CUTE are the little containers?!  I got them on clearance at Target in the seasonal aisle.

All packed up in Greentainers.  

Bento #249 - Chicken gyoza, ponzu sauce, tortilla chips, fresh pico de gallo, cheddar cheese cubes.  Snack - Yogurt stars and carrot apple Crusher.

I'm so happy for the new couple, and I hope they are enjoying their tropical honeymoon. A shot of all the girls in my family in the bridal room - my three gorgeous sisters, our stunning mother and my adorable little Ella. :-)

0 Bento #219 - Vegetarian Cheese & Crackers

Enter the Bon Ami Giveaway!

Me and my gimpy thumbs are back in bento business!  My poor kid had to buy her lunches all last week (thankfully they really aren't bad, and she will usually grab a salad anyway.)  I decided that I didn't want to pay a $50 copay for 5 seconds so that a nurse could remove my stitches, so I did it myself yesterday MacGuyver-style with a pair of new sterilized cuticle nail clippers.  One-handed, even!  Looks pretty good, but I'm still black and blue over my entire thumb.  

My last few lunches have been vegetarian, not wholly by design.  This bento also happens to be vegetarian.  She's got an assortment of fresh veggies and dip, along with some cheese cubes and saltines.

Dessert is sliced apples (NOT done with an apple slicer...in fact I bought these in one of those pre-cut packages...can you blame me?) and grapes.

We have a special snack of a bunch of yogurt star cookies and an apple sauce.

Bento #219 - Celery sticks, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, broccoli, ranch dip, cheese, saltine crackers, sliced apples, and grapes.  Snack - Yogurt Stars and applesauce.

4 Bento #148 - Last Bento of 2010

Wow, I can't believe this is the last day and last bento of 2010, woo hoo!  I hope everyone has a wonderful 2011!!  We're on our way to go snow tubing!

Bento #148 - Mini meatballs, homemade dinner roll, organic edamame, clementine and cheese cubes.

9 Bento #145 - Shapes

Today's bento was all about basic shapes.  Circles, squares, ovals, triangles, etc. which E thought was quite fun and enjoyed identifying them all.  She had a big appetite today since she skipped snack and ate everything except most of the zucchini bread. We'll save that for after her nap, just before we head to ballet, when something small to snack on invariably puts her in a better mood after she wakes up.

Bento #145 - Spinach ravioli, mini meatballs, homemade zucchini bread, stewed cinnamon apples with honey, ranch dip and cheese cubes.