Witches Brew Bento

Last night I made some bentos for me and my fiance to enjoy today. I didn't have a chance to blog about it until now. Anyway, here is this weeks Halloween themed bento.

Here's my bento:

• Witches Herbs (Spinach)
• Fingers (Baby Carrots and Almond Slices)
• Toadstools (Cherry Tomatoes with Cheese)
• Eyeball (Hard-boiled Egg with food coloring)
• Bones (Celery Sticks)
• Witches Brew (Egg Salad with food coloring)
• Skin (Turkey Rolls)
• Witches Herbs (Celery Leaves)
• Jack-O-Lantern (Clementine)

 Close up of the Witches Brew and Jack-O-Lantern

Close up of the Witches Ingredients

This is my Fiance's Bento:

• Witches Herbs (Spinach)
• Fingers (Baby Carrots and Almond Slices)
• Toadstools (Cherry Tomatoes with Cheese)
• Skin (Turkey Rolls)
• Eyeball (Hard-boiled Egg with food coloring)
• Bones (Celery Sticks)
• Witches Brew (Egg Salad with food coloring)
• Fat (Cheese Rolls)
• Poison Apple (Extra Small Apple)
• Witches Herbs (Celery Leaves)
• Jack-O-Lantern (Babybel Cheese)

 Close up of the Witches Brew and Jack-O-Lantern

 Close up of the Witches Ingredients

Sandwich Rolls Bento

I'm coming down with a cold or something, so I am taking it easy today. staying in my PJ's and lounging on the sofa. But I made myself a sandwich roll for dinner, and put it into a bento box. I've been making lots of random bentos lately.
Anyway, here it is.

• Clementine Sections
• Unsweetened Apple Sauce with Cinnamon
• Sandwich Rolls (Gluten Free Teff Wraps, Peanut Butter, Milled Flax Seed, Craisins, Pumpkin seeds)

Halloween Candy Bento

My friend Julie had a Halloween Party last weekend, and there was a TON of candy for us to snack on. At the end of the night she had a lot of candy left so she let me fill a plastic baggie and take it home.
I love the way Halloween candy looks so I decided to make a bento filled with Halloween candy so I could take a picture. Don't worry, I did not eat all of this candy in one sitting. In fact I dumped it all out of the bento box after I took a picture and I only ate a few pieces when I was making the bento. I'll probably be eating this candy for the next few weeks.

 

Top Tier:

• Candy Corn Dots (Actually taste like Candy Corn... YUM!)
• Haribo Mini Gummy Bears (The best kind of Gummy Bears EVER!)
• Chocolate Marshmallow Peep Cat
• Black and Orange Reese's Cups
• Toasted Marshmallow Jelly Beans (Yum!)

Bottom Tier:

• Caramel Apple Lollipop (A MacIntosh Apple Lollipop with a caramel coating)
• Brown, Orange, and White Ghost Marshmallows
• Blood Orange Dots (They were black because they were supposed to be bats)
• Maple Leaf Hard Candies (Maple Syrup Hard Candy)
• Mellowcreme Pumpkins (One of my favorites!)
• Pumpkin Shaped Marshmallow Peep

 Here's all the candy and snacks spread out for the party..... before we ate most of it! lol

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween! And don't eat too much candy! lol

Veg and Hummus Bento

I wanted a break from all the Halloween candy and junk food so I made a super bright and fresh vegetable and hummus bento. I do have an apple cider donut muffin in the bento, but I didn't even eat it all. I think I overdosed on candy yesterday at my friend Julie's Halloween party.

• Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts
• Spinach
• Clementine
• Gluten free Apple Cider Donut Muffin (From a local Gluten Free Bakery)
• Cucumber
• Baby Carrots
• Cherry Tomatoes (From the garden)
• Hazelnut Nut-Thins

I enjoyed the healthy, vibrant, and fresh food today after eating so much junk food yesterday.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bento

I made myself gluten free oatmeal for breakfast. Here is my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe:

Makes one Serving:

• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Oatmeal (I used gluten free oatmeal)
• 1 Medium Apple (cubed)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed
• 2 tsp Light Brown Sugar (unpacked)

Boil water and add oats. Stir in apples and let cook til desired consistency. If you like your oatmeal runny you can add more water or milk if desired. I like my oatmeal to be the consistency of cookie dough, so I do not add any extra liquid.
When the apples are soft enough, add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and flax seed. Stir well.
Spoon oatmeal into a bowl or bento box and sprinkle with brown sugar if desired.

I made little leaf shapes with my brown sugar, but if you have those Maple Leaf Candies, you could used one of those instead of brown sugar. It will melt down and add flavor and sweetness to your oatmeal.

The leaves are kind of hard to see on the oatmeal because the light brown sugar was almost the same color as the oatmeal.

Vampire Apples

I saw someone make teeth with apple slices, and I thought I could use that idea (as well as the idea of wax lips) to make Vampire fangs instead.
So here are two bentos with vampire fangs... as well as a few pictures or me and my fiance playing with our Apple Fangs. lol

Here's my bento lunch:

• Clementine Jack-O-Lantern
• Spinach
• Apple Fangs
• Apple Cubes (under the fangs)
• Thai Kitchen Pad Thai (Gluten Free)

 Here is a close up of the fangs.... sorry the picture is blurry. My camera is old and cruddy.

Here is a close up of the Jack-O-Lantern made from a Clementine. (also blurry... sorry!)

Here is my fiance's Bento Lunch:

• Apple Vampire Fangs
• Corn Dog Muffin (My gluten free recipe)
• Spinach
• Turkey Shepard's Pie (also gluten free)

My fiance joking around with the apple fangs

My Turn! lol

Black Bean Salsa Chicken Bento

I made Black Bean salsa chicken for dinner last night, and I saved enough leftovers so I could have a yummy and filling bento today. Here is my super yummy bento!

• Texmati Vegetable Medley Rice
• Chicken Breast
• Black Bean Vegetable Salsa

This was such a yummy dinner, and it made a delicious lunch as well. I love when I make up dinners and they turn out so good that everyone raves about it and asks for it again. :)

Appetizer Bento Lunch

Here is my fiance's lunch made with some of the appetizers that were still leftover. Also some Morningstar Chick'n Nuggets. I wish I had added a Cherry tomato or something so it wasn't so bland looking.

• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Mozzarella balls with Basil
• Corn Dog Muffin
• Morningstar Chick'n Nuggets
• Spinach

I really should have added some red to this bento to brighten it up. I usually try to follow the 5 color rule when making bento, but sometimes the foods I have does not support that rule. Oh well, it was a good lunch nonetheless.

Appetizer Dinner Bento

I made a bunch of yummy appetizers for dinner last night and then I made myself a bento with them. So here it is.

• Gluten Free Corn Dog Muffin (My Recipe is Here)
• Gluten Free Stuffed Mushrooms (Recipe Found Here)
• Ginger Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
• Caprese Salad
• Fresh Spinach (Under everything)

Everything was delicious, and I will definitely make that again!  I Never was a huge fan of mushrooms, but lately I have been eating more things and trying more foods that I wouldn't eat when I was younger. I still would rather have mushrooms in something like a stir-fry or salad, but I'm getting used to eating mushrooms by themselves.

Healthy Gluten Free Corndogs?

That's right, I said Corn Dogs that are both healthy and gluten free. Well, this is my version of it. First of all, Instead of having a full fat fried corn dog at around 460 calories each, I have made a dairy free, low fat, gluten free, Corn Dog Muffin at about 142 calories each.

First of all You need a good gluten free cornbread mix. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix. Next I substituted 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce instead of the 1/3 cup oil.
I substituted 1/2 cup egg beaters instead of 2 eggs.
And last I used about 3/4 cup water instead of the 1 1/2 cup milk. I added about 1/4 cup of water at a time until it was mixed enough. Add more or less if you need to.
Next I heated up 1 whole package (8 hotdogs) of Thin n' Trim Chicken Hotdogs (only 70 cal each and low sodium and low fat and Gluten Free). I cut up the hotdogs in about 10 pieces each and sired it into the cornbread.
I put the corn dog mix into lightly greased muffin tins (use 0 calorie spray like PAM) and baked for about 25 mins.

Make sure you smooth out the mix well or the muffins will come out lumpy looking because the cornbread does not spread out while baking. Take them out of the muffin tins and let them cool on a rack so the bottoms do not get soggy.

Made about 18 muffins, but I could have made them smaller and maybe get about 21 muffins.
I tasted one out of the oven and they were very tasty and satisfying. They were a little bit dry, but I think that is because it was a gluten free mix and I always find them to be a little dry. I do not know how it would turn out with a regular mix, but I think it's worth a try if you do not have to eat gluten free.
These are the perfect size for a bento box, or as an appetizer. I made them as part of dinner where I will also be serving Stuffed Mushrooms (gluten free and vegetarian) , caprese salad (Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella Balls, Basil, Oil, Black Pepper), and Ginger Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs.

I Repeat!!!
It's important to take them out of the muffin tins because the bottoms will get soggy if they are left to steam.

Fresh Veg Bento

I felt like eating a fresh and light lunch today, so I made a bento packed with veggies and edamame hummus.

• Unsweetened Apple Sauce with Cinnamon
• Clementine Jack-O-Lantern
• Gluten Free sandwich Cookies
• Spinach
• Baby Carrots
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Red Pepper Strips
• Cucumber
• Red Pepper Edamame Hummus

This was a super fresh and light bento but because of the high fiver fruits and vegetables, and the protein packed hummus, it was filling and satisfying. 

Roast Beef Bento

Here is my fiance's bento lunch. She has the leftover roast beef from Sunday Night Dinner, plus the leftover mixed vegetables and some gluten free gravy.
I wanted the lunch to look a little Autumn-y so I added some leaves and an acorn made of cheese.

• Italian Bread with I Can't Believe it's not Butter spread
• Cheese Leaves and Acorn (Made with my mini food cutters)
• Mixed Vegetables
• Roast Beef
• Gluten Free Beef Gravy

Autumn Inspired Sandwich Bento

I took a wonderful long walk today and saw lots of beautiful fall colors. When I came home I was starving and decided to make a bento for lunch, inspired by my walk.

First I made leaf shaped crunchy peanut butter and craisin wrap sandwiches. Then I added fresh fruit and some Halloween candy!

• Gluten Free 'Leaf' Wraps (GF Teff Tortilla, Chunchy Peanut Butter, Craisins)
• Cocoa Pebbles 'Crunchy Leaf Pile'
• Pumpkin Seeds 
• Clementine Jack-O-Lantern
• Small Apple (left over from apple picking)
• Orange and Black wrapped Peanut Butter Kisses
• Almond Joy

I hope you enjoyed my bento as much as I did. It was delicious and very Autumn-y, and the hearty sandwich was nice and filling after the long walk I took with my friend Julie.

Jack-O-Lantern Bento

I have seen a few Jack-o-lanterns made out of different foods in a lot of bentos lately. Mini peppers, cherry tomatoes, clementines, etc. And Yesterday I saw some clementines at the grocery store, so here is my clementine Jack-o-lantern! I think it's super cute, and I plan on making more of them this month!

This bento was super easy because it was made with mostly leftovers.

• Italian Green Beans
• Cauliflower
• Baby Carrots (I used the carrots to look like a creepy picket fence)
• Gluten Free Turkey/Beef Meatloaf (I used GF Rolled Oats instead of breadcrumbs)
• The meatloaf is sitting attop a bed of fresh Spinach
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Ketchup Leaf and a cup of Ketchup for the meatloaf
• Apple Container filled with I can't Believe it's not Butter spray for the vegetables
• Jack-O-Lantern Clementine with Leaf Pick

Here is a better view of the Jack-O-Lantern!

It was super easy to make. I just used a sharp paring knife to cut out the face from the clementine peel, and the peel popped right out. I look forward to making more Clementine Jack-O-Lanterns!

Sandwich Wheels

I have seen a lot of pinwheel/wrap sandwiches in other blogs lately, and I have been wanting to make one for myself.... but since I have to eat Gluten Free, I haven't been able to make them.... Until now. My mother bought me some Gluten Free Wraps made with teff, and so I'm trying them out today.

• Applesauce with a Cinnamon Halloween Kitty
• Halloween Fruit Snacks
• GF Sandwich Wheels (Teff Wrap, Edamame Hummus, Turkey, Spinach, Cucumber, Carrots, Tomato)
• Cherry Tomatoes

The Wraps came out wonderful. And it tasted amazing! I am so glad I was able to try them and find a gluten free option. :)

Here it is without the cutter holding the cinnamon together. You can still kinda tell it's a Halloween cat.

Halloween is Coming Bento!

I made a Halloween Themed Bento because I just bought some Mini Halloween cookie cutters, and I wanted to try them out. I also had some butternut squash souffle that I thought would taste good in the bento.

Here is my fiance's bento lunch:

• Gluten Free Quesadilla
• Cheese Pumpkin and Moon
• Corn Tortilla and Blackberry Jam Cat and Bat
• Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets (Recipe found here)
• Butternut Squash Souffle
• Mini MacIntosh Apple
• Spinach Leaves

 And here is my bento lunch. It has all the same things as my fiance's bento. I added Ketchup later for my Chicken Nuggets.

These are the new Mini Halloween cookie cutters:

• Bat
• Moon
• Cat
• Shull
• Pumpkin
• Ghost

 I love the Wilton brand. You can find a ton of stuff that you can use for bento, even though they are originally for Fondant and Cake Decorating.

And now I must say, I probably won't be making bento for the rest of the week because my sister's wedding is coming up this week, and I'm a bridesmaid. So I'm going to be a bit busy. If I have the time, I might post another bento, but if I don't, you know it's because of being busy. I'll definitely be back next week!