Almond Joy Truffle Bites

Refined-Sugar Free, Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy, Yummy

 Almond Joy Truffle Bites

Ingredients:

• 6 Dates (Pitted)
• 1/4 Cup Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened) 
• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1-2 tsp Coconut Oil (Melted)
• (Optional) 1 tsp Agave Nectar

Topping:
Mix together and set aside:

• Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened, Fine Shred)
• Chopped Almonds

Directions:

1. In a food processor or a high powered blender (like a vita-mix), blend first 5 ingredients until they are a fine powder or start forming a dough.
2. If your ingredients have already formed a dough you do not need to add any coconut oil. If not, add coconut oil and blend until a dough forms.
3. Taste the dough and see if it is sweet enough for you, if not, add some agave nectar and blend until combined.
4. Form dough into balls, then roll in the topping mixture to cover.
5. Put balls in the refrigerator/freezer to let them harden a little bit before serving.

 These delicious Truffle Balls are a Very Healthy alternative to an Almond Joy candy bar. Just see for yourself.
One Truffle Ball has:                    One Snack Sized Almond Joy has:
Calories 69                                 Calories 80
Total Fat 5g                                 Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 2.4g                       Saturated Fat 3g
Sodium 0mg                                Sodium 20mg
Total Carbohydrates 6.8g            Total Carbohydrates 10g
Dietary Fiber 1.7g                       Dietary Fiber .8g
Sugars 3.7g                                 Sugars 8g
Protein 1.8g                                Protein 0g
Calcium 2%                                Calcium >1%
Iron 3%                                      Iron >1%

Care for a Bite?

Frittata Cups Bento

I made Frittata Cups for dinner, and I saved 2 of them so I could put them into a bento.

 This is a super delicious, and surprisingly (for it's size) filling bento:

• Frittata Cups (Egg Beaters/Egg Whites, Hash-brown Potatoes, Spinach, Mushrooms, Tomato, Cracked Pepper)
• Garden Veggie Sticks
• Raw Almonds
• Raspberries
• Blackberries

 The Frittata cups are sooo yummy, and they are filling yet very low calories. One cup is only about 44 calories. If you make them with whole eggs instead of egg beaters and egg whites, the calories will be much higher and the nutrition facts won't be quite as good.

I think the raspberries and blackberries look so pretty together, and I will probably pack them together like this again. Not to mention they are super tasty and healthy as well!

Banana Dog Sandwich Bento

This would make a yummy snack or packed with some fruit and veggies it would make a filling and fun lunch. I introduce you to the Banana Dog.
Essentially it is a Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, but instead of having a boring flat sandwich I packed it in a hot dog bun.

Your little Monkeys will go Bananas for this Sandwich!

• Udi's GF Hot Dog Bun
• 2 Tbsp Teddie chunky Peanut Butter with Flaxseed
• 1/2 medium Banana (You could use a whole banana if you want)
• 1 tsp Chia Seeds

First I spread the Peanut Butter in the bun. I made sure to fill the whole bun with the peanut butter so there would be a bit of PB in every bite. Next I took half a frozen banana out of my freezer and  sliced it lengthwise. I positioned the banana in the bun and I placed the whole thing in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. I wanted to warm the bun, make the peanut butter melty, and thaw the banana at the same time.
When I took it out of the microwave I placed it into my bento box and sprinkled on some Chia seeds.

You do not have to warm it up, and you can use a fresh banana if you want to. I just have frozen bananas in the house right now, and I like when peanut butter is warm and gooey, so that is why I made the sandwich this way. Plus, Udi's Gluten Free Buns taste soooo good and fresh and they are nice and soft when they have been slightly warmed.

Well Rounded Bento

I was washing the grapes and blueberries earlier, and I set them on the counter next to the cherry tomatoes... and I realized I had a lot of round foods... so I decided to make a bento filled with round foods.

• Cup of Small Round Beets
• Chick Peas
• Blueberries
• Round Grapes
• Cherry Tomato
• Hazelnut Nut Thins Crackers
• Round Container of Vegetable Hummus

I even decorated with my round Face Food Picks, and my fork is round at the end. I was thinking of packing it all in a round bento box, but I decided I wanted some visual contrast with the rectangular bento.

Besides all the foods being round, I also have a well rounded meal. Fruits, Vegetables, Protein, Healthy Fats, Grains, etc.

Berry Blast Bento

I cut up a lot of berries this morning so I could mix them with Greek yogurt for breakfast. I thought the colors were pretty, so I grabbed a bento box and I went to work packing this:

• 1 Cup Corn Chex
• 1/2 Cup Low Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp Chia Seeds
• 2 Lg Strawberries (chopped)
• 1 Cup Blackberries (chopped)
• 20 Blueberries

Unfortunately, when I went to eat my bento I dropped it on the living room rug and it went everywhere. I was very upset that all my hard work and those berries went to waste so after my fiance helped me clean it up I made myself a simple bowl of cereal. :(
But I bet those berries had a blast flying out of that bento box.

Lab Work Snack Bento

I had to go to my doctor today to get some Lab Tests done (One of them is a test to see if I am celiac). I am afraid of needles, and I knew I'd have to get blood taken, so for some reason I thought I'd make a Needle and some Bandaids as a snack bento. I know I am weird.
I was such a wimp. I got three vials of blood taken and I was on the verge of having a panic attack. Luckily the urine sample is easy to do... lol
Sorry for the TMI...

 I don't know why I would even find this stuff appetizing... but it was really yummy!

 Needle Sandwich:

• Udi's GF Whole Grain Bread (Flattened and cut into shape)
• Red Raspberry All Fruit Spread with Fiber
• White Food Pick and Ring Food Pick (To make it look like a syringe)

Bandaid Sandwiches:

• Udi's GF Fiber Bread (Flattened and cut into shape)
• Teddie Chunky Peanut Butter with Flaxseed
• Red Raspberry All Fruit Spread with Fiber

Urine Sample:

• Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• Cinnamon (On the bottom; not mixed in so it wouldn't change the color)

There you have it. It may be gross, but I had fun making this bento, and believe it or not, It makes me feel better about the whole Blood/Needle thing. Though blood doesn't bother me at all, Getting mine taken out with a sharp and painful needle definitely DOES bother me. (Though it really didn't hurt that bad, I know it's all in my head.)

Chocolate Cinnamon Popcorn

Dessert Popcorn!!! Yummy Dark Chocolate with Cinnamon and a hint of sweetness. Adding a bit of salt will make it sweet and salty. Or you could use this popcorn in a party mix with nuts, pretzels, and cereal.
Makes 2 Servings,

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups Air Popped Popcorn
• 3/4 tsp Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 pkt Stevia (optional)
• Pinch Salt (optional)
• Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Lay out 6 cups of air popped popcorn on a cookie sheet or in a large container.
2. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle on the cocoa powder.
3. Shake or stir the popcorn to coat.
4. Spray again with a little bit of cooking spray and sprinkle on the cinnamon.
5. Shake or stir popcorn to coat.
6. Optional, Spray the popcorn one more time and sprinkle on the stevia, stir/shake to coat.
7. Scoop popcorn into a bowl and enjoy.

Make sure you have a napkin handy while eating this popcorn because the cinnamon and cocoa powder will stick to your fingers.

BLT Work Bento

Last night I put together a bento for my fiance to bring to work today. It was a BLT on Whole Wheat with a side of fruit. Check it out:

•  BLT (Whole Wheat Bread, Mayo, Spinach, Bacon)
• Watermelon
• Pineapple
• Grapes
• Cherries

And I added a LunchBox Love Note to make it more special. :) Now that I think of it, I should have cut the sandwich into hearts. But my fiance asked me to cut it in half, so that's what I did.

Playful Panda Breakfast Bento

I have a gluten intolerance test Tuesday, so I have to eat gluten this week so that it is in my system. Unfortunately it is making me feel sick and bloated and have other unpleasant symptoms. But the point of my telling you this is to say that this bento is NOT gluten free like they usually are.

I made myself some Whole Wheat French Toast for breakfast, and I added a ton of fresh fruit for my cute Panda Picks to play on. I hope you like it!

• 1/4 Cup Grapes
• 4 Blackberries
• 10 Blueberries
• 1/4 Cup Pineapple
• 1/4 Cup Watermelon
• 1 Med Strawberry
• 2 Slices Whole Wheat French Toast w/Raspberry All Fruit Spread

I prefer the taste and texture of gluten free french toast... I just wasn't satisfied with this whole wheat french toast, although it was made exactly the same way I used to make it before I started eating gluten free.
I am looking forward to eating gluten free again, although it has been a whole lot easier for me to order a meal at a restaurant this week.

Lazy Leftover Bento

I was hot, tired, and hungry today when I got home from work. so I grabbed some leftovers from the refrigerator and threw them into a bento box. I was so lazy I didn't really try to make it look nice, or even try to get the food to fit. I just tossed it in and took a picture.

• Leftover Garden Salad W/Light Italian Dressing
• 1/3 Corn on the Cob
• Turkey Burger Patty W/Reduced Sugar Ketchup

Yeah, that's a pretty lazy bento. I am looking forward to making some much nicer bentos soon. I have a yummy whole grain blend I want to try making onigiri with. I don't know if it will be sticky enough to hold together, but I want to try. I also saw a really cute idea on another bento blog that I want to try. I just need to buy a few ingredients first.

Hamburger Kabob Bento

This bento is super simple, but it was just what I wanted. We had Turkey Burgers for dinner, and I decided to slice up some large cherry tomatoes and make a hamburger kabob. I also cut my corn on the cob into thirds and decorated it with Mushroom letters.
All packed in my Hamburger Bento Box!

 A Hamburger inside a HambUrger Bento Box...

• Corn on the Cob
• Spinach
• Mushroom Letter spelling out YUM!

• Hamburger Kabobs (Turkey Burger cut into 8ths alternating with Tomato slices)
• Spinach

So I know this is a very simple and plain bento (I didn't even have pickles or any sauce to dip my burger in) but I felt like eating a plain meal because I am undergoing a Gluten Intolerance test next week, and I have to eat gluten before taking the test. But since I started eating foods with gluten in it, I have been feeling sick and tired, and moody. So I made a very simple bento for dinner.
But I thought it would be cute to at least pack it in a special bento box. :)

Fluffy Watermelon Snow

Cool, Refreshing, and Super Easy! Fully Vegan, Plus Free of Refined Sugars, Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Nuts, Etc.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Watermelon with all the juice (I used about 3 cups when I made it because that's all I had left after cutting up the watermelon and eating most of it)

You can use as much watermelon as you'd like, just make sure you have enough containers and room in your freezer.

Directions:

1. Cut watermelon into chunks that will fit into your blender, make sure to catch all the juice and keep it with the watermelon. You will need it.
2. Put watermelon and all the juice from the watermelon into your blender. Pulse your blender a few times until the watermelon has broken up and started to liquify.
3. Blend on high until all the watermelon has been liquified.
4. Pour watermelon liquid into flat freezer-safe containers, and freeze overnight.
5. Take container out of the freezer and let sit on the counter for 2-3 minutes.
6. Take a fork and start scraping the watermelon until you have enough for a bowl of fluffy watermelon snow.
7. Enjoy!

This recipe is low calorie, and free of refined sugars. The only ingredient is watermelon, so the nutrition facts are the same.

Say you blended 1 cup of watermelon, then ate 1/2 of the container:
23 Calories
0% Total Fat
0% Cholesterol
0% Sodium (1mg)
2% Carbohydrates (5.7g)
1% Fiber (.3g)
4.7g Sugar (All natural sugars)
.5g Protein
9% Vitamin A
10% Vitamin C
1% Calcium
1% Iron

Double nutrition facts for the whole container.

Mini French Toast Kabobs

I was in the mood for something different for breakfast so I thought I'd make myself some french toast. Getting creative I cut the bread into tiny triangles so I could make mini french toast. Then I made kabobs by alternating berries with the mini french toast. It was delicious!

Here they are! Soooo delicious. I was planning to make a dipping sauce for them with Greek yogurt and maple syrup... but they tasted so good on their own I didn't bother making any dipping sauce.

 I couldn't resist having one right away...

Mini French Toast Kabobs:

• Mini French Toast (Udi's GF Fiber+Flax Bread, Egg Whites, Almond Milk, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Vanilla Extract)
• 10 Blueberries
• 4 Blackberries
• 2 Strawberries Sliced

Wedding Planning Bento

I didn't have a plan when I started making this bento. I just knew I wanted a fruit salad as well as some veggies and the last of the hot dogs in the refrigerator... but when I finished making it I realized that I made a Love Themed Bento with a Purple and Red fruit salad. This is funny because I am planning my fiance's and my wedding, and I guess it has hijacked my brain because Purple and Red are our colors, and Roses are our flower... so this bento was very much wedding themed without me trying.
I pulled out my new Lunchbox Love Notes and added in a special message when I took the picture.
I hope you enjoy it!

 I added in the Lunchbox Love Note just for the Picture. I thought it was perfect to tie together the whole theme of the bento.

Red and Purple Fruit Salad:

• Watermelon
• Grapes
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberry

 Flower Garden Salad:

• Spinach
• Baby Carrots
• Cucumber Peel Leaves
• Tomato Peel Roses
• Chicken Hot Dog Tulips

 Here are a couple of close ups of the tomato peel roses. I am so happy with how well they came out. I look forward to making those again...

...and they tasted yummy too! ;)

Bento Picnic with a View of Boston

Yesterday a few of my friends and I went on a picnic at this park with a nice view of Boston. I packed picnic bentos for me and my fiance, and one of my friends didn't have a lunch so I made him a bento as well.

 Here is my bento for the picnic:

 I have yummy fruit as well as veggies and turkey to dip into the hummus...

• Small Tomatoes
• Baby Carrots
• Celery Sticks
• Turkey Breast
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• Watermelon
• Grapes
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberry

 And this is the side/snack bento:

• 100 Calorie Gluten Free Pretzels
• Gluten Free S'mores Cookies
• Mini Carrot Cake Larabar
• Yogurt Covered Raisins

This is my Fiance's Bento (she wanted a simple one):

• Cucumber Sandwich (Whole Wheat Bread, Light Cream Cheese, Sliced Cucumber)
• Light Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese Wedge (She packed pretzels to eat it with)
• Homemade GF Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (I made them from This Recipe)

And the only fruit she wanted to bring was Watermelon. I packed it in my Skull Bento Box with a few Bone Picks.

 This is the bento I made for my friend to bring since he didn't have a lunch:

• PBJ (Whole Wheat Bread, Natural Peanut Butter, Blackberry All Fruit Spread)
• Watermelon
• Grapes
• Strawberry

 Picnic!!!

YUM! I love Picnics.
That container to on the left has the rest of the Homemade Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. And the food at the top of the picture is what my other friend brought.

 Our Beautiful View. It was a little hazy, so the view of Boston wasn't as clear as it could have been.

BOSTON! 

You should see it at night. Except when there is a game at Fenway, Then the lights from the stadium overpower the lights from the buildings.

Lunchbox Love Notes

The other day I got a wonderful email. My name was picked for a wonderful giveaway I entered a while ago. I was soooo excited to have won. But What surprised me even more was that I got the package Today! I came home from work to these awesome Lunchbox Notes.
That was Fast!
Anyway, I grabbed my camera and snapped some pictures so I could write this blog post.

I asked for the Lunchbox Love Notes for Loved Ones because I will be putting them in my fiance's bentos. But these Notes come in a huge variety including Lunchbox Love Notes for Kids (32 Volumes!) as well as Birthdays, Holidays, Teens, and Adults. Including People you Work With, People you Appreciate, and Boyfriends/Girlfriends.
You just have to check them out!
The website is called Say Please and the price is a very reasonable $2.99!

I want to buy a set of the Holiday ones, as well as Birthdays. There is something for every day of the year!

Here is a sneak peek of my Lunchbox Love Notes for Loved Ones. I didn't want to take pictures of all of them because that would give away what each of the cards say. Instead I picked 4 to show you:

• I Love You!
• I'm happiest when I am with you.
• You are truly my best friend.
• You make my life better.

And I love that they come in a handy resealable box.
OH I almost forgot, there is trivia on the back of each of the cards. You simply must get some!

Work Salad Bento

Last night I put together this bento to bring to work. It was a Salad with some leftover turkey breast. As well as some yummy fresh fruit.

 

Here is the yummy Salad Bento:

• 1 Cup Spinach
• 2 oz Turkey Breast
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Cucumber
• 1 Mushroom Chopped
• 1 Sm Tomato Chopped
• 1/4 cup Shredded Carrot

 And here is the delicious fresh fruit:

• 1 Kiwi
• 1/4 Cup Watermelon Cubes
• 15 Small Grapes

 These are the add ins for the salad:

• 2 Tbsp Pepitas (Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds)
• 2 Tbsp Light Italian Dressing (In the green container)

And here it is all packed up and ready to go. Unfortunately, work was soooo busy, I was not able to eat it until I was walking home. Luckily it wasn't too hard to eat it while walking.