Monday, October 29, 2012

Lunch For Two

A dear friend of mine just started teaching a new class today,
So I decided we needed to celebrate by sharing lunch together.
From time to time she has teased me, telling me I needed to pack 
her lunch too, so I tonight, I did!  After a few quick texts to verify
what she wanted in her sandwich, these are our lunches tomorrow :)


Both lunches contain basically the same thing, except her's has a few less black grapes
 and has a mandarin orange instead. Tomorrow's Menu:  Egg Salad Sandwiches
with sprouts, salad (half spinach, half red lettuce, with ranch and baco bits), cucumber, and red bell pepper.


I can't wait to share lunch with my friend!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Jack - O - Lantern Time!


I picked up some cute little pumpkin picks at Target the other day 
(they sold as picks/cocktail stirrers)So tonight I tossed together a quick little Bento, 
with a meatless meatball sandwich, sauce for dipping,
some mandarin oranges, broccoli, cucumbers, and some ranch. 
 I tossed in some yogurt covered
raisins for desert. YUMM!!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

There once was a witch with a hat...

There once was a witch with hat.
She rode on her broom with her cat.
Her nose was pointy and her shoes were too
and you better watch out, cause she might scare you...
BOO!!!!!!!!!!!
There once was a witch with a hat.


Take one tired preschool teacher, add a new produce delivery, subtract
lots of time, pull out a few hairs... and this is what you get for lunch!

Veggies are fresh carrots and broccoli with a bit of ranch hiding under the hat.
Fruit is a passion fruit to be cut open at lunch time and consumed with the spoon I 
forgot to put in till after I took the picture.... protein is some frozen edamame, and a
veggie patty sandwich.. oh and cheese... sharp cheddar.  The babybel is to go with my afternoon snack 
of some pirates booty.. I won't be done till late tomorrow as I am teaching in the morning, thenI have an IEP, and after that I am picking up a few hours of interpreting in the late afternoon.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Spoooooky...

Presenting a less than five minute Halloween themed Bento!!


A meatball sandwich topped with a skill and cross bones, and some marinara for dipping, 
red bell pepper with ranch, topped with a cheddar coffin,
some figs, a cheese stick, and tucked in with the cheese, one square of
ghiradelli salted dark chocolate with almonds... yummm..

So how did I do it in less than five?  EASY.. leftovers!!! The cheeses had to be cut,
quickly thanks to cookie cutters... the outlining is kept simple for speeds sake.  

YUM!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Just a Bit Corny....

Tomorrow's lunch is inspired by my favorite artist!  I even
have earrings based on the same design.  
So if you are feeling "Just a Bit Corny.."  you should swing over to
www.kimchikawaii.com and  check her out!


Lunch features some celery (only the top three have cream cheese),
yogurt with a few pieces of candy corn on top, an egg salad sandwich,
and two little cuties.  I was going to stamp the letters for "Just a Bit Corny.."
but ever since my trip to LA (I took some Bento supplies), I haven't been
 able to find one of my letter wheels!! EEEK! Maybe that means I
need to make a trip to Japan Town!


*** Disclaimer: I have been friends with Holly, the Artist behind Kimchi Kawaii since 
first grade.  She doesn't pay me to feature her art, I just love being inspired by her.  I
have her permission to feature her art in my lunches.  https://www.facebook.com/kimchikawaii?fref=ts

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Spooky Salad

Tomorrow's lunch is Soup (not pictured) and a Salad..

Radishes (and hiding underneath those some Thousand Island), Red bell pepper
Baco Bits in the pink container, a cheese stick, and a bit of quesadilla.  

I have a container of soup on the side to go with it.



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

There are witches in the air!

My student's LOVE all things Halloween!We have been counting and 
sorting colored spider rings, talking about emotions (using Jack-O-Lanterns), 
learning the song "Five Little Pumpkins" and the song
"There Once Was a Witch".  We have been exploring color concepts, like mixing red and 
yellow to make orange, discussing "real, vs. pretend/fake/costume"
 and of course,they have LOVED my Halloween Bento!



Lunch consists of leftover Garden Gold Pizza (thin crust,  TONS of veggies),
A nice big salad with dressing hiding under the full moon,
plain greek yogurt with one stevia and cinnamon, and of course
two cuties carved into Jack-O-Lanterns (which are  of course different than 
pumpkins, because they have faces) one happy and one sad.  

Happy Haunting!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

boo!


Boo!
I got the idea for today's bento off pinterest.. I do love pinterest!
They did use regular white spaghetti, where I used whole wheat angel hair,
but I think mine worked out just fine!  

To make the Boo, cook your pasta to al dente (follow instructions on package),
then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and make the boo out of pasta.  Cook for five
minutes, then place on top of pasta.  You can make a whole cookie sheet full at one
time if you are making these for a family or a party.

This lunch has salad with dressing, meatless meatballs with a provolone ghost, 
spaghetti with a thick layer of cooked zuchinni under the pasta, and two tiny cuties, 
the two containers on the side have baco bits and
fresh parm for the pasta.  YUMMMMMMMMMMMM

Monday, October 15, 2012

This is Halloween!

It's time to start on Halloween themed Bento!!!!


The cute little Mummies were inspired by http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/2010/10/mummy-sandwich.html
I built mine on two veggie sausage patties, and cut the circles from sandwich thins.  
The cheese is provolone, and there is a bit of nori and some candy eyes.

I added some cucumber, and red bell pepper, a handful of frozen edamame (it will be thawed
in plenty of time for tomorrow), a cutie, and some dressing on the side.

Boo!!!!!




Thursday, October 11, 2012

It's my blog, and I'll share some vacation pictures if I want to! (But I will be nice and post the Bento first!)



When I lived near L.A. I went to Disneyland a lot... and by a lot..
I really do mean, a lot.. at times, it was once a week.  Now before you freak out,
we didn't always stay all day, and we often brought our own food...

For example, here is tomorrow's lunch, a Micky Sandwich, pretzels, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, some dressing, and half an apple (checkerboard style) with peanut butter hiding underneath it for the apple and pretzels..  Although when I lived near L.A. I hadn't discovered Bento yet, so they were never this cute!



 If you are interested in seeing some of my vacation pictures, keep reading, if not, 
scroll down three pictures for some cute cupcakes that I didn't buy, but drooled over...

Much has changed since my last visit a year ago (gasp.. the withdrawals.... they were bad)
I teach on a modified year round schedule, so it is Fall Break!!!  That means ten days of Disneyland!
I must be totally insane because I am still working the Northern California Renaissance Faire 
on the weekends.. but hey, I can squeeze in ten days of Disney, right??????????????????????

 I have spent a lot of time in DCA just absorbing the new stuff.


There are these new style characters for the shows, their eyes and mouths move, 
they can even talk..but to be truthful, they kind of creep me out a bit.



They even have cute food at Disneyland. 


They also have cute Pumpkins carved by talented workers while you watch!




(I watched her carve part of it one day.. then went back another to get the finished pumpkin shot)


They have some not so cute, but totally awesome pumpkins too...




Lot's of cute kiddos in costume





           A place for kids to cool down in our lovely fall (over 100 the first day I was there..) weather... 
 totally crazy.  I am so glad it has finally cooled off!!! 


This little one was dancing in the water.



There are also some great street shows.. the Dapper Dans, Minnie's Fly Girls, 
The Red Trolley, and more....  I love watching them!
 



And some great stage/animatronic shows too... "In the Tikki Tikki Tikki Tikki Tikki Room"


And of course I had to watch Aladdin, though I must say I miss the flying carpet, 
that was one of my favorite parts of the show.  Oh well.  


One more dose of cuteness, just cause I can...




 And then to finish off, I love the flowers in the parks, they are always so well maintained..
I have a TON of flower pictures.



If you stuck with it to the end, thanks!!!!  I will soon return to my regular just Bento blog entries.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Beauty and the Beast

I decided to shake up the Disney themed Bento lunches.
This lunch, while containing pretty much the same food (sorry, I'm travelling...)
features Beauty and the Beast, one of my FAVORITES!!

I literally packed this lunch in a Starbuck's parking lot.  I would have done it at
the house I was staying at, but I needed some bell pepper and berries... 


Lunch is Salad with red bell pepper, Micky crackers (with a tub of salad dressing hiding in there) topped with a cheese rose in a bell jar... an avocado sandwich with a cheddar shoe, some berries with jewels, a cheese stick, and a little container of baco bits.


Oh.. and the most important thing I almost forgot to add.. down in the bottom, tucked under
the berries.. a square of Ghiradelli pumpkin caramel chocolate, my free sample from yesterday (I was
buying Sin in a Cup.. otherwise known as Midnight Reverie.. I didn't need it then...)


This.. This is Sin in a Cup... I enjoyed every bit of my half!!!!

Monday, October 8, 2012

M-I-C.... See you real soon. K-E-Y- Why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E....

As I prepare to go through the security check I always try to scout out the lines.
Watching which bag checkers are going through every inch of every pocket on a bag, 
and who looking, but not emptying out each bag. Not because I am sneaking anything in,
but just to save time.  Sadly on Day four of Disneyland my luck did not hold out... I had
unzipped the front pocket and main compartment of my backpack, but she asked me to also 
unzip my lunch box, then she asked me to open my laptop lunch box.. 
the bag checker then declared she would be eating lunch with me!

Lunch for today..

Top left, Mickey shaped pretzels with peanut butter, top right, a salad, bottom left an avocado sandwich, bottom left blue berries with one my my Mickey "corn cob holders".. and tucked in the the silverware some baco bits for the salad and a string cheese for a snack.  :)  YUMMM

Eaten while watching "Instant Concert, Just Add Water" 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I LOVE DISNEY

Today is day three of my Disney Trip, and day two of Disney Bento Lunches
I didn't pack a lunch yesterday as I ate at the Pacific Wharf Cafe instead.
So before I show you my bento for today, here is my nummy lunch from yesterday.
It's the Sonoma Chicken and Apple Salad, with no chicken, and the dressing on the side.
The Chef actually brought it out himself this time, and commented he had fun doing something
different!  He gave me a TON of walnuts and such on the side, so I would have lots of protein.


It was of course delish!  I didn't eat anywhere near all the yummy bread though, so some was a snack later, and the rest goes with  my breakfast today.  I also picked up some new cookie cutters while I was there.  
And the cutest set of "Corn Holders" which double in my mind as Bento picks!!


See the Yellow Micky in the blueberries???  That's supposed to be a corn cob holder...


The fork/pick part is NOT sharp and pointy like those little yellow plastic corn cob holders, it's a nice smooth metal, and two pronged.  And did you notice those cute little Micky shaped crackers???  LOVE.. they are like goldfish, but of course Mickey themed....

Any way, the food is pretty straight forward, blueberries, salad, crackers, dressing, and leftover mac n cheese (from Stonefire, my favorite!!!!!!!)

Monday, October 1, 2012

DISNEY TIME!!!

Believe it or not this Disney fan does not have a ton of cute Disney Bento stuff!
So, here is a quick toss together lunch for today's trip to the park.


Lunch for day one in the park is a provolone and avocado sandwich topped
with a cheddar Mickey, edamame, celery with cream cheese, bell pepper, and
an apple.  I'm hoping to find stuff to use with my bento... we shall see!!!


I am off to melt!! (It's way to hot, but I am going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)