5 Bento #241 - Green & Orange

I am just in LOVE with these new all-natural food dyes from ChocolateCraftKits.com.  I had to order some after I saw Karen at What's In John's Lunchbag blog posting.  I have historically stayed away (in general) from artificially dyed foods.  These powders change everything.  They are all made of vegetables, and they are shockingly vibrant.  A little goes a long way!

I made some spinach ravioli and added some of the green powder to the cooking water (I used my "dumpling method".)  Look how emerald green they turned out!!  I went with a green and orange theme since they came out so well.

I also cut out some flowers in half an apple, and rubbed some of the green powder on the whites.  It's a little uneven, but I think it would have taken better and more evenly if I had pre-mixed it in a little water.  Live and learn.

Ugh, the lighting is atrocious!  I have a bulb out above the island.

We also have a brand new Hello Kitty lunch bag, compliments of my mom!  E is in love with it.

Bento #241 - Pasta Prima spinach ravioli, carrot coins, herb parmesan mix and an apple.  Snack - Clementine and Goldfish crackers.

17 Bento #240 - Dr. Seuss Bento Blog Hop The Lorax & Oh The Places You'll Go

As I mentioned in yesterday's Green Eggs & Ham post, this is Dr. Seuss week!  Some of my fellow bento-making-mamas have decided to do a Dr. Seuss-themed blog hop, so mosey on over to Nina's Mamabelly's Lunches With Love blog and see her Seuss bento too!

First of all, I want to thank my husband for making these most adorable humming-fish drawings on my pink-dyed gyoza.  I tried my hand at some, and they were atrocious.  I freely admit to stashing those rejects in another container which is also going to school, but in less fancy packaging.  I will have more on the blue rice "water" and my other natural coloring tomorrow, but suffice to say, I am HOOKED!

As you may imagine, this bento is inspired by The Lorax, and this being Dr. Seuss week AND the debut of the new movie with the same name.

I made two different types of Truffula trees, one being of mandarin orange and the other of a crazily-carved Baby Bel cheese.  The trunks are pretzel sticks.  Everything is laying in a pond of blue "water."

I also have a bunch of cherry "balloons."

I also made an after-school snack of naturally colored farfalle pasta tossed with olive oil and a side of basil pesto.  This one was inspired by "Oh, The Places You'll Go"

Bento #240 - Cherries, mandarin orange, pretzel sticks, jasmine rice, Baby Bel, and chicken gyoza.  Snack - Farfalle in olive oil and basil pesto.

Now don't forget to check out Nina's Mamabelly's Lunches With Love blog and see her Dr. Seuss bento too!

0 Bento #155 - Toast & Apple Cheese

Well, it's not really apple cheese, (though I'm sure someone, somewhere out there makes such a concoction) but apple shaped Havaarti cheese.  There are two slices, one is a "red delicious" and the other is a "golden delicious" with green leaves and brown stem.  The ham is also cut into the apple shape.  What's funny is that this bento is devoid of actual apples. ha!

Bento #155 - Melba toasts, Havaarti cheese, ham, carrots, cucumber, macadamia nuts and dried blueberries.

19 Bento #142 - Beary Good Bento

Pardon the corny title, it's late and my husband is whistling "The Chicken Dance" as he does the dishes, and it's a bad influence on me.

Yesterday I was online browsing luggage stores and came across this totally adorable lunch bag!  I have a real soft spot right now for owls (E's class is called The Owls and their class mascot is named Whooo.)  This one's by Skip Hop, and has a matching backpack.  Hold me back!  Utter cuteness.

As for today's bento, as the title suggests, I have some cute bear friends holding hands.   Right now World Market has their cookie cutters on sale, BOGO free, and they are the perfect size for a slice of cheese.  I made a loaf of sandwich bread today and that's what the bread in this bento is, Mr. Brown Bear was made using the heel piece.

You'd think that buying a fresh fruit salad is a waste of money on a small scale, however I've found recently that they've been a very cost-effective way of getting a variety of fruit that I'd not otherwise get, especially this time of year.  It's a huge bonus that it's already cut and prepared.  I bought a 2lb fresh fruit salad bowl this evening for $5.92, and I know I spend that much on just one type of fruit, let alone the five or six types that are included.  It just makes sense!

Bento #142 - Homemade bread, Monterey Jack cheese, celery sticks, homemade chocolate chip cookie and fresh fruit salad.

12 Bento #140 - Grilled Ham & Cheese Flowers

Here's a little experiment I tried today, and while it's not green eggs and ham, a green cheese flower will have to do!  Going into the new year my goal is to try some new techniques in my bentos, and since this turned out well, my confidence is bolstered.  It was really simple, I just dropped a dot of green food colouring on the cheese (provolone) and used the back of a spoon to coat it all over.  The color takes very quickly.  I blotted up the excess with a paper towel.  Voila!

Bento #140 - Grilled ham & cheese, coloured provolone flower, pretzel sticks, craisins, organic baby carrots and ranch dip.