PBJ 'Sushi' Bento

Well, Since I made a peanut Butter 'Sushi' bento, I thought the next step would making it PBJ! I haven't eaten Jelly/Jam in a while because of the added sugars, but I found some All Fruit Spreadable Fruit with Fiber and it uses fruit juice as the sweetener. It doesn't have any added refined sugars... Plus it has Fiber! So I tried the Blackberry.

• Lg Strawberry
• 10 Blueberries
• 4 Blackberries
• 1/4 Cup Rice Chex
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce w/ Cinnamon
• PBJ 'Sushi' (See Below)

Here is a close up of the PBJ 'Sushi'.
I cut the crust off of two pieces of Udi's GF Omega Flax & Fiber bread, Then I rolled them flat with a rolling pin. I spread one with 1 tsp Teddie Natural Peanut Butter. And I spread the other with the 1 tsp Blackberry All Fruit Spreadable Fruit w/ Fiber. I rolled them up the best I could, and cut them into slices.
Unfortunately the picture isn't that great, but believe me that the blackberry rolls were a pretty purple color.

This turned out to be a very high fiber bento! The whole bento was 11.4g fiber (46% of my daily value). Mostly thanks to the Udi's Omega bread (2 slices for 7g fiber).
Why is fiber important? Well, a diet rich in fiber has many benefits including:

• Filling you up and keeping you Full Longer
• Helpful for Weight Loss
• Keeps your Bowels Regular
• Decreases your risk of Colon Cancer
• Lowers Blood Cholesterol Levels
• Helps control Blood Sugar Levels
• Helps prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Peanut Butter Sushi Bento

I have seen a lot of sandwich roll up on other bento blogs, but I thought my gluten free bread wouldn't hold up to the rolling process. I decided to try it out this morning for breakfast, and I am so glad I did. Not only does it look cute, but it tastes great too. I can't wait to make more of these rolls!

•  Lg Strawberry
• 4 Blackberries
• 10 Blueberries
• Golden Raisins
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Peanut Butter Sushi (See below for information)

To make the Peanut Butter Sushi:

1. I took 2 slices of my favorite gluten free bread (Udi's Omega Flax & Fiber) and cut off the crust. (I enjoyed the crusts spread with peanut butter!) 
2. Then I put one slice of the bread between two pieces of plastic wrap and I rolled it flat using a rolling pin. 
3. I spread a thin layer of natural peanut butter onto the top of the bread and carefully rolled it up. 
4. I cut it into even pieces and placed it into my bento. 
5. I did the same for the other slice of bread.

I hope you all enjoyed my bento. I can't wait to make more cute sushi roll sandwiches soon!

Heart Snack Bento

I packed this snack bento into a leftover plastic container from Valentine's day. It had candy in it and I kept is as a decoration, but today I packed a snack into it. I think it's cute!

• Radish Star (I saw a tutorial on another blog... I think I need to practice a little more on them)
• 2 Blackberries
• 3 Spinach Leaves
• Cutie Clementine
• 6 Blueberries
• Strawberry Banana Crisps (Freeze Dried Fruit)
• Pretzel Sticks (Snyders Gluten Free)

And here it is with the cover on top! I think this is the perfect size for a small snack!

Yummy Sandwich Bento

I got home from work and I was starving, so I put together a big delicious sandwich, and I decided to put it into a bento box because it was so pretty, I wanted to share it with everyone!

Doesn't that look amazing? I love all the colors, and I am so happy I got to try this bread. It's Udi's new Omega Fiber & Flax Bread. It's higher in fiber then other gluten free breads (7g for 2 slices), and it is delicious! It reminds me of the handmade artisan breads I used to eat before going gluten free. I highly recommend it (especially to anyone who is having trouble getting enough fiber in their diet because of being gluten intolerant).

• 26 Pistachios (Unsalted)
• Yummy Sandwich (Udi's Fiber Bread, Whole Grain Mustard, Deli Sliced Turkey, Spinach, Tomato, Avocado, Shredded Carrots)

And now that I ate that bento, I am satisfied and I want to take a nap. Well, I want to take a nap because I got up early and worked non-stop for hours, not because of the yummy sandwich. lol

Tiny Dessert Bento

Instead of using a bento box for this bento I packed it in a tiny container that I use for my picks. It was the perfect size for a tiny dessert.

 I lined the container with plastic wrap because it's technically not a bento, so I was not sure about it's food safeness.

 This layer has the yummy fresh fruit I bought at the grocery store today.

• Strawberry
• 3 Blackberries
• 5 Blueberries
• Watermelon Cubes

 This layer has the delicious (but not pretty) Mock Muddy Buddies.

• Natural Peanut Butter, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, and Stevia blended to combine then mixed with Rice Chex.

 Here it is all wrapped up, The little yellow spoon fit perfectly beside the Muddy Buddies.
And now, Check out my Picks!

 This is what I usually have inside this container. All my food picks!

The top container holds all the picks that have faces on them (Animals, Food with faces, etc.)
The Bottom Container has all the other picks (Leaves, Bones, Rings, Hearts, Flowers, Etc.)

Dip-able Bento

Using the four compartments in my Quad LunchBots Bento Box, I put together a bento full of dips and things to dip into those dips... it's a very dip-able bento! lol I even made a dessert dip.

And what's a dip without chips?

• 1/2 Tomato Sliced
• 1/4 Avocado with Lemon Juice
• 10 Beanito Black Bean Chips
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Salsa
• Lots of Itty Bitty Carrots
• 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter Dip (Natural Peanut Butter, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract)
• 8 Animal Crackers (GF Animal Shaped Cookies)

First I ate all the baby carrots diped into the salsa, Yum. Then I prepared the chips with some avocado and salsa! YUM!!!

 Look at how good that is! MMMM... (I also ate my tomatoes at this time)

Then after that came DESSERT! YUMMY!
I dipped the Animal Cookies into the Peanut Butter Dip, and it was AMAZING!

 Oh No! The elephant smells the peanut butter!

Silly elephant! You have peanut butter dip on your trunk!

This bento was sooooo tasty and satisfying. I loved using my little spoons to scoop some avocado and salsa onto my chips. YUM! This Lunch was also Healthy and Nutritious and high fiber. Not to mention it being vegetarian, gluten free, and low sugar as well. 

House of Straw Bento

"The first little pig built his house out of straw..." -The Three Little Pigs.
A few weeks ago I made a 3 little pig bento, And I really loved the house of straw. It was fun to make and tasted great, so I decided to make a larger version of the straw house.

• 'Sun' (Clementine slice)
• 'Fluffy Clouds and Sky' (Rice Cake crumbled up with Blue Food Coloring added)
• 'Straw House' (Udi's GF Multigrain Bread, Teddie Natural Peanut Butter, Rice Chex)
• 'Grass and Flowers' (Spinach and Chopped Strawberry)
• 'Pig' (GF Animal Cookie rubbed with a Strawberry)

I am so proud of the pink pig. I cut open a strawberry and rubbed it onto the cookie and it made the perfect pink color. Plus it added a yummy strawberry flavor as well.
I really love this straw house. It's so yummy and I love the textured look the cereal adds. I used some of the crust to make the chimney and door.
To make the sky I crushed up a plain unsalted rice cake in a baggie and added a few drops of blue food coloring. I mixed it up to spread the coloring around then spread it out for the sky.

Earth Day Bento

Happy Earth Day Everyone! I made a special Earth Day Bento using healthy foods and I made a little earth cucumber. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

 I used my most eco friendly bento box for this lunch... and since it's a big 3 tired tiffin, I also packed a snack in one of the tiers for later.

 First off I have a Fresh Salad:

• Baby Spinach
• Shredded Carrots
• Tomato Slices
• Cucumber Slices
• Light Italian Dressing (In the blue container under the earth)
• Earth (Cucumber slice with Foodsafe Marker)

 Next I have the Earth Again... with all the Animals in a Rainbow!

• Zucchini Souffle

And last I have my snack made of healthy and natural ingredients:

• 1 cup Air Popped Popcorn
• 1 Tbsp Crunchy Flax Cereal
• 1 Tbsp Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Unsalted Soy Nuts
• 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds

And what does one do with a tiny edible earth...? Why they pretend to be a Hungry Goddess fed up with the bad treatment of Mother Nature, so She is taking matters into her own hands.... or mouth.

Wait, Am I the only one who would do this...? lol

Fiance's Lunch Bento

Here is the Sandwich Bento I made for my fiance to bring to work today.

• Turkey Sandwich (Whole Wheat Dinner Roll, Mayo, Cheese Slice, Deli Turkey, Spinach)
• 100 Calorie Cape Cod Potato Chips
• 2 Strawberries

She also has Baby Carrots, Hummus, and Pita Chips for snack. And Annie's Shells & Cheese with Turkey Hot Dogs, and Cheesy Broccoli For Dinner.

Breakfast Popsicles

That's right... These are Popsicles for Breakfast!
Made from wholesome foods that you may already enjoy for breakfast... Greek Yogurt and Fruit.

These are super easy to make, and you can put them in the freezer the night before and enjoy them for breakfast the next morning. The Popsicle mold is not required, but it makes things a lot easier!

Imagine a hot morning in summer, and you are running late for work. Instead of grabbing some disgusting fast food that will add inches to your waistline and make you feel sluggish all day, Grab a yogurt pop from the freezer and enjoy in the car.

I bought the pop mold last night, but I have been making these yogurt pops for a week using some small plastic containers and plastic spoons. (another option is to use plastic or paper cups and popsicle sticks.

My favorite so far, and the recipe I am going to share with you today is...

Orange Yogurt Creamsicle:

• Chobani Champions Orange Vanilla Greek Yogurt (These are single serving cups of yogurt, 3.5oz or about 1/3 cup)
• Clementine or Orange Segments
• Optional: Orange Juice (I do not use this, but I think it would be yummy. I suggest only using 1-2 Tbsp so it doesn't become too runny)

Directions:

1. Peel Clementine (or Orange) and make sure to remove as much of the pith (the white stuff under the peel) as possible.
2. Separate the segments and cut half of them up into bite sized pieces. (The other half of the orange you can use to make another popsicle).
3. Mix the ingredients together until smooth. If you are using orange juice, Pour in a tsp at a time and mix it so that it doesn't become too watery.
4. Spoon the mixture into your popsicle mold (or whatever you are using to freeze them) and insert the stick.
5. Freeze for at least 5-7 hours. Overnight would be better.
6. Remove the popsicle from the freezer and run the outside of the container under warm water for a few seconds.
7. Gently pull the popsicle free and enjoy for breakfast, snack, or a healthy dessert!

These popsicles taste great, and I have eaten them as a breakfast and as a sweet snack. Plus the flavor combinations are as limitless as your imagination.

Flavor Combinations I have tried so far are:
Honey-Nana Greek Yogurt with Blueberries
Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Chocolate Chunks
Orange Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Clementines
Layered (1/2 Orange Vanilla with Clementines. 1/2 Honey-Nana with Blueberries)

And ones I am planning to make soon are:
Cinnamon Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries
Various Smoothies (Made with Greek Yogurt, Juice, and Fruit Blended together)
Very Berry Greek Yogurt with Berries
Honey-Nana Greek Yogurt with Banana
Pineapple Greek Yogurt with Pineapple
Plain Greek Yogurt with Peanut Butter
Plain Greek Yogurt with Cocoa Powder and Peanut Butter (Sweetened with Stevia: for dessert)

Here I am enjoying my breakfast creamsicle!

And here I am later enjoying my dessert/snack Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Pop! Soooooooo Yummy!!!

I think this is the yummiest one ever! I love the creaminess and sweetness of the Greek Yogurt and the yummy chocolate chunks add texture and satisfy a chocolate craving.

 Look at all that chocolate! YUM!

This star was perfect!

Wrap Dinner Bento

I made myself a sandwich wrap for dinner, and I packed it in a bento box with lots of fruit. It was sooo delicious, but the gluten free brown rice tortilla was too dry and it broke apart too easily. I had trouble eating it because it all fell apart. I wish they would make a softer gluten free tortilla so I could make wraps that didn't break and fall apart.

• Wrap (GF Brown Rice Tortilla, Mustard, Spinach, Tomato, Deli Sliced Turkey, Shredded Carrots)
• Pickle Chips (No Salt Added)
• Clementine Pieces
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Honeydew Melon
• Animal Crackers (GF Animal Shaped Cookies)

If the wrap stayed together better, This would be a much prettier bento, but I still think it's pretty. I really like all the colors and the swirly look of the wrap.

Oh and check out the blueberries... they were huge! I just finished a box of tiny blueberries only to open a box of huge ones. It was a big difference. lol

Fiance's Work Bento

I made a Dinner bento for my fiance to bring to work tonight. It's made of leftovers from dinner the other night, packed in a large microwaveable bento box.

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Pork Chop seasoned with Cracked Pepper

She also has some snacks and other food:

• A Pear
• Baby Carrots
• Pita Chips
• Hummus
• Lg Water Bottle

I hope it's a good dinner and will be satisfying as well as delicious and nutritious.

No Bake PB Oatmeal Bites

These No Bake PB Oatmeal bites are a healthy alternative to a cookie, and pack in some fiber and protein. Plus they can help give you that afternoon boost you need to get you through the day. They are also Vegan, Refined Sugar Free, and Gluten Free!
These Bites are featured in an earlier Bento Here!

Plus they are the easiest thing to make, and only take a few minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter (I used Teddie Natural)
• 1 Tbsp Golden Raisins (Or dried fruit of choice)
• 1 Tbsp Plum Amazins/Diced Prunes (Or dried Fruit of Choice)
• 1 Packet Stevia (Or sweeten to taste)
• 1 tsp Chia Seeds (You can also use Flax if you prefer)
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon (I added a little more because I love Cinnamon)
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

 Directions:

    1. Measure all ingredients into a bowl.
    2. Stir really well until the ingredients are combined and make a dough (The dough may seem a little dry, but if you used natural peanut butter, the oil should help bring the dough together. you can add a little more peanut butter if you desire.)

 

     3. The dough should look like the above picture.

     4. Divide the dough into 4 even sections like the picture below.

    5. With clean hands, roll the dough into even balls. Make sure to press the mixture so that it sticks together.

  6. Enjoy!

Serving size: 1
Calories: 85
Total Fat 4.9g (This is healthy fat mostly from the peanut butter)
Sodium: 31 mg (If you want it even lower use unsalted peanut butter)
Total Carbohydrates: 8.4g
Dietary Fiber: 2.2g
Sugars: 1.4g (All naturally occurring sugars, no added or refined sugar. Check your dried fruit to make sure it is no sugar added!)
Protein: 3.2g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 4%

*Nutrition information may change due to the different ingredients you use.

Work Bento

I packed myself a dinner bento to bring to work. It helped me resist the frozen yogurt and the toppings (except for the 3 gummy worms I ate...)
Anyway, since I was working closing hours, I made BLT's for dinner because it was an easy/quick meal, and something I could bring with me without making a mess.

• Clementine
• 2 PB Oatmeal Bites (No Bake High Fiber Cookies, Recipe soon)
• BLT Sandwich (Udi's Multigrain Bread, Mustard, Spinach, Tomato, Turkey Bacon)

 Here it is packed up and ready to bring to work. It was pretty slow at work because it was so cold today, and it's the middle of the week, so I had ample time to enjoy my dinner. I resisted the frozen yogurt, but I did eat a few gummy worms... I am proud that I resisted a whole sundae, but I must not eat the candy next time. It'll get easier to resist if I keep bringing food with me.

Three Little Pigs Bento

This bento is inspired by the little pig shaped animal crackers I got the other day. When I realized that some of the animal crackers were pigs I just had to made a special bento for them. I decided on the three little pigs and their houses. I hope you enjoy it!

• 3 Little Pigs (Gluten Free Animal Cookies)
• House of Straw (GF Bread, Natural Peanut Butter, Crushed Corn Chex, Fruit Leather)
• House of Sticks (GF Bread Crust cut into strips, Natural Peanut Butter, Fruit Leather)
• House of Bricks (Berry Fruit Leather)
• Sky (Small Blueberries)
• Gravel (Pistachio Nuts, Unsalted)
• Grass (Honeydew Melon Cubes)

I took a separate picture using some of my cute piggy and grass baran. I only have two so one of the piggies is still a cookie. But this is showing that you don't need the cookies to make this bento, you can use whatever piggy item you have.

OINK!
My favorite house to eat was the straw house, but they were all very delicious! I would love to make something like this again!

White Snack Bento

This snack bento turned out so pale. I didn't mean for it to turn out that way, but The foods I wanted for snack were all pale/white. And I was silly picking out a pale pink bento box to pack it in. Oh well.

• 8 Animal Crackers (GF Animal Cookies.... soooo yummy!)
• 1/3 Banana
• Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding (The pudding didn't set up because I added too much almond milk, so I ended up putting it in the freezer and eating it like a pudding pop)

I am not proud of the fact that I have been eating sugar free foods made with artificial sweeteners. But I figured a little artificial sweetener here or there is ok, as long as I don't make it a habit. Plus sugar-free sweeteners consumed in large quantities cause laxative effects. So I'll definitely stick to small amounts spaced out.
About these Animal Crackers. I Love them! I found these at a tiny gluten free grocery store I stumbled across. They are crunchy and have just enough sweetness to them without being too sweet. I also love the shapes of the cookies (Including the PIG! My Favorite Animal), as well as the Elephant, Camel, Goat, Horse, and (what I'm guessing is a) Buffalo. The shapes are so sharp and easy to see (much better looking then the amorphous blob 'animal crackers' I remember eating as a child.

Mock French Toast Sticks Bento

I found a recipe for Polenta French Toast Sticks online, and I decided to try them out. I used Almond Milk instead of coconut milk, and I don't know if that affected the texture or not, but I ended up not caring for them much. They weren't bad, just eh.
But I made breakfast bentos with them anyway,

 My bento has:

• 5 Polenta French Toast Sticks
• Maple Cinnamon Dip (Vanilla Greek Yogurt, Maple Syrup, and Cinnamon)
• 2 Sm Strawberries
• 1/4 Cup Dried Fruit (Golden Raisins and Plum Amazins)
• 14 Blueberries
• Clementine

This was a lot of food, and I ended up putting the dried fruit aside for a snack later. And although I ate the polenta french toast sticks, I wish I didn't because they weren't worth the calories. I ended up throwing the rest out for the birds and squirrels to enjoy.

Here is my fiance's Bento:

• Polenta French Toast Sticks
• Maple Cinnamon Dip
• Blueberries
• Strawberries

Well, I'm glad I tried a new recipe even though it didn't turn out as good as I was hoping. Oh well. I loved the dip though, I could make that and eat it alone, or as a dip for fruit. Yum! My fiance didn't like the dip though. Probably because it's made with Greek Yogurt (an acquired taste).

Flower Salad Bento

It's very hot out today, and I worked very hard all morning, so instead of making dinner we ordered salads! I decided to take my salad and make a bento (as well as add some protein and my own dressing).

• Mesclun Mix Lettuce
• Tomato
• Red/Green Pepper
• Kalamata Olives
• Cucumber (Flowers)
• Shredded Carrot
• Shredded Red Cabbage
• Sunflower Seeds (Flowers)
• Chia Seeds (in the Piggy Container)
• 2 Deli Turkey Slices (Flowers)
• Light Italian Dressing (not shown)

This was a very delicious salad, especially with the seeds and turkey added in. YUM!
What do you like in your salads?