I love spring! The colors, the flavors, the freshness, and the sunshine. Not the wind that we have so much of here in Oklahoma though.

Here are strawberries, blue cheese stuffed olives (they are like my crack), asparagus with avocado oil and white balsamic vinegar (raw), and chicken with brown rice, cheesy sauce, and roasted broccoli garnished with almond slivers.

Oh, and the color here is so much better than normal because it was taken at my desk at work and I have some natural sunlight.

Cool Bento

Cool as in I didn't have to use a microwave!

Raw asparagus with lemon juice/avocado oil/fresh black pepper, strawberries and grapes, Fage yogurt, a dried fig, and a two egg tamagoyaki. This was perfect for a night where I didn't cook, didn't have leftovers, but had odds and ends in the 'frig. The eggs take mere minutes to make. This is a very low effort, yet filling lunch.

Two Meals or a Game of "What Doesn't Belong"

I made a quick visit to a local Asian grocery on Friday. There are two decent ones in the OKC. I like the other one better (Super Cao Nguyen to anyone local reading this). This one is OK, and is more on my way home from work so it'll do. I left with two bags of produce for $18 (and also a container of fried garlic from Thailand. Yum.). I hope I can eat it all before it goes bad!

Last night I made some Thai-Style Dumplings for the freezer. OK, linking to that recipe is a bit misleading. It's the original dumplings I made years ago, but I didn't follow it closely. I ground up some pork chops and then added carrots, baby bok choy, onion, lots of ginger and garlic, and of course soy sauce and sesame oil. I ran out of wontons, so tonight's dinner was made with the leftover meat mixture. I did spice it up more with ginger and soy sauce, because after eating a couple of dumplings last night, I thought they needed more seasoning. Yes, I have a seasoning problem. I like a lot of it.

So, the ground pork mixture was part of my dinner. I just slow cooked it in a touch of toasted sesame oil until done. I ate it with some brown rice, a pickled daikon radish and carrot salad, some garlicky sauteed green pea shooters, and some maple-dill caramelized carrots. Guess which doesn't belong? :)

I bought some dill at the market and the smell has been enticing me. I HAD to use it tonight, and I have a plethora of carrots, so there you have it. The recipe I linked to was my guide, but I used maple syrup in place of the agave nectar, and added a teaspoon of butter because well, I like butter. This was a good meal, balanced, and notice in the picture of my salad plate that most of the plate is veggies. That's good right? And yes, that is a salad plate. Read: Small.

On to tomorrow's lunch. It's not much different, except I have sweet potatoes instead of maple dill carrots. Guess which doesn't belong? Food pairing has never been my thing. I eat what I have and/or what I like. It's also topped with some Organic Garden of Eden Gomasio.

And there is Cosmo in the background, hoping I drop it.

Bright and Cheerful

Tomorrow's lunch provides some splash of color that I desperately need to see! The weather has been so dreary and gray/white. I'm sick of it. I'm ready for spring. Until then, I can at least pack some colors in my lunch!
On the top, I have baby carrots and about 1 T. of goat cheese seasoned with some lemon juice, lemon rind, and pepper. On the bottom, I have some cucumbers marinating in rice vinegar and some crispy spicy pork (usually the filling for my pork carnitas) topped with cilantro/onion and a squeeze of lime juice. I put the cheese in a divider cup so I can easily remove it to heat the pork.

This lunch is sort of light on carbs, but I will probably eat a granola bar in the afternoon before I go run so should be in good shape there!

I Love My Lock & Lock!

I really do love these containers. They make me think twice when filling them-this is all I can have for lunch, so what can I pack in it that will be nutritious and filling? I don't want to fill it full, as that would be too much (seriously--it holds like 800 ml).
My lunch today consisted of leftover brown rice with leftover filet mignon, some baked sweet potato with cinnamon and cayenne, spicy garden mix with a pickle, and a tamagoyaki. This was perfect. Just a few bites of steak (YUM), a bit of rice, a compartment packed full of sweet potato--it's so good for you, and then the omelet and veggies. I didn't feel guilty; it really was just enough.

Have I mentioned that I love my Lock & Lock?




Tomorrow's lunch is very similar, except I made some fried rice with egg, broccoli, enoki mushrooms, and soy sauce. I have a little bit more steak, the same spicy garden mix with a pickle added in, and for "dessert", some new trail mix I saw at Sam's made by Back to Nature called Bar Harbor Blend. I've bought their products before and am really impressed by their ingredients. This blend is vanilla almonds, chocolate covered almonds, and dried cranberries. A serving is 3 T. I packed just under two. I think it will be a nice sweet finish to my meal.





And again, I love my Lock & Lock!

Tri-Color Bento

I finally cooked something from my new cookbook, Bento Love. I wanted something with meat, but only had thick cut pork loin chops in the freezer. The recipe I used called for ground chicken; I just ground two pork chops in my food processor and followed the recipe. I actually doubled the recipe, as I prefer to cook for more than one meal. I actually got THREE meals out of this double recipe. Yay me!

Anyhow, it just involved mixing your ground meat with a broth made of soy sauce, mirin, and lots of ginger. You then cook it on low heat until most of the broth has cooked away and the meat has browned. Stirring regularly is required to keep the meat from clumping.

The next color of this bento is from scrambled eggs. You beat the egg with some water, sugar, and a dash of sesame oil. When scrambling, use chopsticks moved vigorously in the pan to create small "scrambles". The third color is snap peas. I subbed green beans that I stir fried with some garlic and olive oil. This meal was dinner last night, lunch today, and dinner tonight. I served it over brown rice. Healthy, hearty, and flavorful--this is something I will make again!

The really surprising thing is that no one at work made a comment about it. I guess it looked too normal and boring. :)

The other layer of my bento consisted of some Kashi Stoneground 7 Grain crackers and a feta cheese spread from Central Market. These might be my new favorite crackers. Check them out!

Beans and veggies!

I made a weekend trip to Dallas w/ my dear friend Anna to hit some stores, see some people, eat some good food, etc. Unlike last time, I don't think we took any pictures this time around. Odd.
Anyhow. After all of that shopping, I couldn't decide what to make for dinner or lunch tomorrow. I finally went with the "minimal effort" path.

On the top left and moving clockwise, I have some pickles from Central Market as well as a spicy veggie mix that has some peppers and olives, then a grape-blue cheese-walnut salad, then some great Northern beans heated with garlic, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, s&p, then drizzled with balsamic syrup. Yum. Finally, a tamagoyaki (Japanese egg omelet).

The container I used is something I picked up at H-Mart, but could find here. Each section holds about 1/2 cup if packed (I measured the beans). You can't tell, but the grape section is just over 1/2 full, as is the egg section. The other is packed, but it's veggies. Hopefully this will be another aid in portion control!

Two Bentos=Three Meals

Tomorrow will be a long day-one of those that make you wonder if it will ever end. To help me get home quicker, I am taking my dinner with me rather than waste time stopping somewhere.

The lunch bento is some pork carnitas meat I made this weekend (it's cold here, hence the yucky look) and sweet potatoes in the big layer. The bottom layer had the cilantro/onion mixture for the meat, a quarter lime, some dried blueberries with a few dried cherries, and some Kashi Stoneground 7-Grain crackers. Looking at this now, I think that's too much meat! Haha.

Mr. Bento has my breakfast, the usual Fage yogurt. The preserves of the day are pineapple/mango. The main course is peanutty noodles with broccoli slaw, onion, garlic, ginger, and some thin sliced pork. It's topped with fresh cilantro. I ate it hot tonight, but tomorrow it will be cool after being in the 'frig all day and then in my cold car.

I have some cheese (Dubliner Cheddar and another Dubliner that is similar to Gouda), some Back to Nature sunflower and basil crackers, pecans, and a couple of Hershey's mint truffles for good measure.

Super Pho'

When the weather gets miserably cold, and my house is so chilly that I just want to cuddle under a blanket, I crave Pho'. It is one of the BEST.FOODS.EVER. The Pho' I can get here in my little town isn't quite as good as what is in the Vietnamese area of OKC, but it will do in a pinch. What is Pho'? Well, I describe it simply as a beef noodle soup. The depth of flavor is so much more than what comes out of my kitchen. Try it!

I was able to make two meals out of tonight's Pho' and pack it in my Mr. Bento, so I have it to look forward to tomorrow. However, I ate all of the beef tonight. The beef is very thinly sliced and added to the broth raw. The simmering broth cooks the beef quickly. You can then add whatever garnishes/spices/vegetables you want. My lunch tomorrow will be the Pho' broth with the noodles, vegetables, a shrimp spring roll (with yummy peanut dipping sauce), and sweet potatoes. Also yogurt with jam for breakfast. I really think this is more than I will be able to eat--so much food but oh so good!
I realize this doesn't look that appetizing, but it really is! I promise! :)

Back to Work, Back to Bento

Happy New Year! 2010. That just sounds so weird. And, since it is the beginning of the year and the holiday binging is over, it's time to get my fat a$$ back in gear. OK, it's not really fat. At least, it's not the area where the extra cushion goes when I over indulge. Anyhow, maybe bentoing (that can be used as a verb, right?) will get my back on track with my lunches. Now if only the Bentos could exercise for me, because that's my real issue. When it's cold outside, I just want to bundle up and hibernate!

Tomorrow's lunch:

Top layer: Baked sweet potato mashed with cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. As much as I wanted to, I skipped the brown sugar and butter. :) Also, some beef stewed all day in red wine, broth, onions, garlic, etc. It looks gross because it's cold, but is oh so yummy.
Bottom layer: Fage yogurt with Morello Cherry Preserves (which I am running low on--fortunately a trip to Central Market is in my NEAR future), and some True North Almond Berry Crisps. I'm sad because I can't find the Berry Crisps anymore. The lady at Sam's said it was limited edition. Bummer. The plain almond ones are good too though.

Mr. Bento

I got a Mr. Bento last week! It is so cool, and will be great to take my lunch along on our many work road trips. This really holds A LOT. This is my lunch and breakfast. From the top left, I have garbage bread, sweet potato salad and olives, Fage 0% Greek yogurt with mango butter, and tamajoyaki.

What is garbage bread you ask? Well, it's pizza dough- I prefer whole wheat-rolled into a rectangle, topped with whatever ingredients you like, rolled up, baked at 350 for about 40 minutes and then sliced. True to it's name, mine had ingredients I had to really get creative to put together. I started with sun dried tomatoes and bacon, but thought it needed more substance. I then smashed up a can of great northern beans, added some fresh garlic and just a tiny bit of water to thin it. I first spread this on the dough, then topped with the tomatoes and bacon. I also added some black pepper and crushed red pepper.

Surprisingly, the beans "disappeared" in the final product. I couldn't see them or taste them, but I didn't feel as guilty knowing that bit of healthy goodness was hidden away.

I've already made my bento for tomorrow. I doubt I have time to post again until next week, so I am posting it here. Tonight after visiting a sweet little old lady and then some last minute Christmas shopping, I decided that cooking was not in my plans, so I called in an order to O' Fusion, one of my favorite new restaurants in town. I tried something new--Garlic Pork, which was described as "fragant vegetables with meat of your choice (pork!) in a spicy red garlic sauce." Now, I like vegetables. I do. But this was the first dish from there that I have been disappointed in because those fragrant vegetables consisted of broccoli. Had I eaten in, I would have complained, but didn't realize until I was home. Oh well. I ate some anyway, and have enough for two meals left over! I also got an order of Tom Kha Gai soup. This is chicken in a coconut broth with vegetables. Very rich and flavorful. However, mine is better.

Here is tomorrow's breakfast and lunch. Garlic pork with broccoli and garlic rice, yogurt with pineapple/mango preserves, more sweet potatoes and olives, and Tom Kha Gai soup.

Three in a Row!

Wow, three days in a row to Bento AND to blog? Amazing! So for tomorrow's lunch, I have some broccoli and bok choy cooked in a bit of sesame oil with garlic and soy sauce, marinated flank steak, brown rice, more sweet potato goodness. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this salad? Have I mentioned that I bought 8.5 lbs of sweet potatoes yesterday? Also some more cranberry salad and a couple of my favorite blue cheese stuffed olives--pure goodness.

About the flank steak. Remember the sweet potato/peanut butter sauce I made for the noodles for Bento #1? I have some left over. I HATE wasting food. So, I thinned it with water, added sesame oil, lime juice, Sriracha, a bit more peanut butter, and marinated the steak overnight. Then I pan broiled because my grill is out of gas for the time being. I like my flank stake on the rare side of medium. Not quite rare, but more so than medium well, otherwise is gets too tough and is difficult to eat.

I got several interesting comments on my Bento today. The cold tamagoyaki turned one person off. Truly, I would have me too until I tried it. Something about adding the tiny bit of sugar makes it taste so much NOT like an egg. Not that that makes any sense. You just have to trust me on this. Try one. You'll like. I'm not crazy about eggs, and I actually LIKE this.

Another Bento!

So, two days in a row! I have the same sweet potato salad, but made with white balsamic vinegar and not as much so hopefully I don't drown out the sweet potato flavor again. In the silicone cupcake cup, I have a simple cranberry salad. The bottom layer is roasted broccoli with a dusting of Parmesan, blue cheese stuffed olives, and another tamagoyaki that is sort of hidden under the broccoli. I have to admit-I don't like broccoli. I buy it because I know it's good for me and with hopes that I'll find a way to incorporate it into my diet. I ate some tonight for dinner, along with an egg tamagoyaki because what is easier than a two minute egg?

Bento!

OK, so it's been a while. I'm back. I don't know if it will be permanent, but as for right this instant I am here.

I made my 2nd Bento tonight. The 1st really shouldn't count though, because it was more of a snack/breakfast. Not lunch. Tonight I made lunch. For tomorrow. I may try to do this a couple or three times a week. We'll see.

So. What did I put into my bento? Sweet potatoes. Lots and lots of sweet potatoes. I shredded a sweet potato, mixed it with a homemade balsamic viniagrette spiked with some cayenne and chili powder, added some chili-toasted pecans and golden raisins. Next, I shredded a sweet potato (do you see a pattern here?). I boiled it until tender. I pureed it with some peanut butter, garlic, S&P. I mixed this with some organic brown rice udon noodles. It looks ugly, but it tastes good so I am happy. That is the big layer. The small layer is made up of 5 blue cheese stuffed olives (my latest guilty pleasure-I can't get enough of them), some Food Should Taste Good sweet potato tortilla chips, and a 1 egg tamajoyaki (Japanese omelet). There was also room for one hershey's kiss mint truffle.

Oh, and here is a picture. I must say--it doesn't look appetizing. The pretty sweet potato orange is covered up by other things. Oh well. As long as it tastes good, right?

And many thanks to Avie at Avie's Bento for giving me my very first bento and answering all of my questions.