Healthier Onion Dip Bento

I was craving onion dip a few nights ago, and I happened to have everything I needed to make it, but as I pulled out the onion dip mix I realized I didn't want to make it with sour cream and mayo (even though I have low calorie versions of those) I wanted the dip to be healthier, nit just lower calorie. So I mixed one package of Onion Dip Mix with 1 1/2 cup Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt.
It was the easiest dip I've ever made, and it turned out to be delicious, as well as very low calorie and high in protein thanks to the Greek yogurt.

I finally got a cell phone Tuesday, and I took this picture with my cell phone. It's sad when a cell phone picture looks better then my camera pictures... I need a new camera...
Anyway, I brought this bento with me today:

• 3 Tbsp Healthier Onion Dip
• 16 Hazelnut Nut-thins Crackers
• 1 Lg Cherry Tomato
• Baby Carrots
• 1/4 Cucumber (Sliced into strips)

I really enjoyed this bento, and you will probably see this onion dip in a lot of my upcoming bentos because it's so tasty and low calorie.

3 Tier Bento

The other night I made a bento to bring to work the next day, but I forgot to blog about it until now. So here it is.

 I used an older bento box that my brother gave me a few years ago. It has several boxes that nest inside each other when they are empty, so it's easy to store in the cabinet when I am not using it.

 The largest box has:

• Healthy Onion Dip (I made onion dip using a mix and Greek yogurt)
• Baby Carrots
• Cucumber

 The medium box has:

• Pluot
• Cherries
• Cherry Tomato
• Frozen Edamame (These were thawed by the time I ate them the next day at lunch)

 And the small box has:

• Hazelnut Nut-thins crackers
• Kix

 The smallest box has the onion dip in it, and that is placed inside the largest box.
Well, I thought this was a yummy bento, but it was difficult to transport all of the separate bento boxes to work (it was easier to bring them back because they were empty and I nested them inside each other) but I think I will stick to using this box for picnics instead of for work.

Circles & Squares Bento

I used my new FunBites Cube iT! to make this Circles & Squares Veggie Burger Bento.
I had a little trouble making the burger cubes because I assembled the sandwich before trying to cube it, and it turned into a big mess.
*Note to self (and all future FunBites users): Cube everything separately first, Then assemble the sandwiches.

• Veggie Burger Cube Kabobs (Udi's GF Omega Flax & Fiber Bread, GF Veggie Burger, Spinach, Cucumber, Red Onion, Tomato)
• Peas & Carrots
• Kix
• Dip (I mixed circles and squares with this dip... Whole Grain Mustard and Pickle Relish)

Breakfast in Bed Bento

I got up early to make my fiance breakfast in bed. She hasn't been feeling well so I made a simple oatmeal bento with a few add-ins that she could add as little or as much in as she wanted.

• Oatmeal
• Granulated Brown Sugar
• Raisins
• Vanilla Soy Milk (Unsweetened)

I put the cover on the bento so I could carry it to the bedroom easier. I also was able to balance the coffee mug on top.

My New FunBites!

My friend gave me and my fiance some early wedding presents, and part of my present was these FunBites.
That's right, she gave me both sets of FunBites!

 Here they are before I excitedly ripped the packaging open to play with my new bento tools.

 On the left are the FunBites Cube iT! and the right is the FunBites Luv iT!

 I can't wait to try them both out, but today I used the Cube iT! to for both my breakfast and lunch.

 I was planning on making my new favorite Peaches & Cream Oatmeal for breakfast, so instead of chopping the peach by hand I grabbed my new FunBites to try it out.

 The cutting part was pretty easy. You really have to push down and rock the cutter in order to cut the food all the way through. The part I had some difficulty with was popping the food out with the included popper. It's a very tight fit and I had to force the popper onto the cutter in order to pop the food out.

 Here is the whole peach cubed. I love that it makes such uniform pieces. I can see myself using this to cut vegetables for dinner, or fruit for a fruit salad. Not to mention lots of bentos!

Here is my yummy Peaches & Cream Oatmeal! I hope you check out the recipe.

Eggplant & Lentils

This Vegan Eggplant and Lentils recipe is easy to make, and it super filling and low in calories. Plus it's easy to customize by adding in different vegetables if desired. Also this recipe can be split into smaller servings and eaten as a side dish instead of the main course.

 YUM!!!
Eggplant & Lentils
Gluten Free, Vegan
Serves 1, or as a side dish serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Lg Eggplant (Chopped)
• 1/2 Cup Carrot (Chopped)
• 1/2 Cup Mushrooms (Chopped)
• 1/4 Cup Shiitake Mushrooms (Chopped) [Optional, but I like the meatiness they add to the dish]
• 1/4 Cup Onion (Chopped)
• 1/4 Cup Dry Lentils
• 2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
• Pam Spray or Olive Oil [Calorie count does not include olive oil]
• 1 Tsp Italian Herbs [No Sodium]
• 1/2 Tsp Cracked Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp Celery Flakes [No Sodium]

 Who wouldn't want a huge plate full? MMM!!!

Directions

1. Cook the lentils in water like the package suggests. Add half of the seasonings to the water.
   
2. Chop the vegetables and mince the garlic.
   
3. Heat Pam spray or olive oil in a saute pan and add the garlic.
   
4. When the garlic starts to cook add the onions and cook until translucent.
   
5. Add the eggplant, mushrooms, and carrots and saute. Mix in the other half of the seasonings.
   
6. When the lentils are cooked and the water is gone, add the lentils to the saute pan and mix well.
7. Serve and Enjoy.

The whole recipe is 1 serving size. It can easily be doubled, and you can also make the serving size smaller and serve it as a side dish.

 

Calories: 266

Total Fat: 0.7g

Saturated Fat: 0.1g

Sodium: 67mg

Total Carbohydrates: 54.5g

Dietary Fiber: 18.9g

Sugars: 13.2g

Protein: 15.2g

Vitamin A: 215%
Vitamin C: 24%

Calcium: 11%

Iron: 21%

Veggie Burger w/Eggplant Buns

This is a crazy bunless veggie burger that I came up with for dinner. Instead of a bun, I used thick sliced grilled eggplant. YUM!

 MMM, Doesn't that Look Good? I'm going to walk you though it step by step, so you too can have a delicious Bunless Veggie Burger.

 First, You need to prep your toppings. I have Lettuce, Tomato, and Red Onion. I also have Cracked Pepper, BBQ Sauce and Whole Grain Mustard.

 Next, take your thickly sliced Eggplant and grill it one one side before adding your veggie burger to the grill. Veggie burgers grill quickly, so you want to start your eggplant first in order to have everything done at the same time.

 Place one slice of grilled eggplant on the plate (You can start adding your toppings now if you want.)

 Mmm, Look at all the veggies in that burger...

 Top the grilled eggplant with the grilled veggie burger...

 I brought it inside to add the toppings. Lettuce on the bottom, Veggie Burger, Sliced Tomato and Red Onion. Cracked Black Pepper, Whole Grain Mustard and BBQ Sauce...

Then I topped it with another slice of Grilled Eggplant. This is the type of burger you will want to use a fork and knife to eat because it can get messy. But it was amazingly delicious, and VERY filling. I had another slice of eggplant on the side and I couldn't finish it because I was full.
I hope you enjoy!

Hike Picnic Bento

I packed a simple picnic bento lunch/snack to bring on my long (2hr 45 minutes) Walk/hike today. I walked a mile from my house to a pond, and I stopped to eat half of my bento, Then I walked the two miles around the pond and the mile back to my house. On the walk back I ate the rest of my bento because I was getting really hungry.

• 1 Tbsp Sweet Potato Hummus
• 16 Pecan Nut Thins Crackers
• 1 Cherry
• 1/4 Cup Peas & Carrots
• 1 Plum
• 2 Tsp Golden Raisins
• 2 Tsp Pepitas (Unsalted pumpkin seeds)
• 1 Cherry Tomato
• 1 Tbsp Soynuts (Unsalted)
• 8 Almonds

I made sure to drink plenty of water as well.

I enjoyed my peaceful walk around the pond and hike through the trails in the woods. It was such a beautiful day out, and the weather was warm like an Autumn day with a cool breeze. I took a lot of pictures while I was walking, and on my way home I cut through the high school field and I saw a little brown bunny with a white diamond on it's forehead. So Cute.

Now I am exhausted, but it was worth it!

Piggy Sweet Potato Bento

I had a long day at work, and my fiance was making dinner, so I was going to relax and take some time off, but I kept thinking about bento and how I haven't been making them as much as I used to because of work and other obligations, so I wanted to make a bento with dinner... But since I was so tired I wasn't going to make one until I got a wonderful idea.
I made a Piggy out of my Baked Sweet Potato!

• 'Piggy' Baked Sweet Potato
• Broccoli
• Vegetable Mix (Carrots, Peppers, Water Chestnuts, Mushrooms)
• 2/3 Pork Chop (Sliced)

 I baked my sweet potato the same way I always do, but this one was vaguely pig shaped, so I cut triangles in the skin and propped them up for the ears, and I inserted uncooked wild rice and quinoa for the eyes, eyebrows, and snout. I used a Pink Bow pick behind one ear to make my piggy more femanine, and I used a heart pick as the tail.

I added the broccoli around the sweet potato for the vegetation, and I used a piggy and grass baran to separate/hide the pork chop.

Oink! :)

Peaches & Cream Oatmeal

Do you remember those variety boxes of instant oatmeal packets? I remember as a kid not eating the peaches and cream flavor because I thought it was gross. Now, many years later, I have come up with a recipe for Peaches and Cream Oatmeal that is sooo much better, and much healthier as well.
I hope you like it.

Peaches & Cream Oatmeal
Serves One (About 165 Calories Per Serving)
Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Peach (Chopped) The riper your peach, the better.
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats
• 1/4-1/2 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Soy Milk (Or milk of choice)
• 1 Packet Stevia
• 1/2-1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan bring water, stevia, and vanilla extract to a boil.
2. Add the chopped peaches (reserve a few for the topping) and the oats.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats absorb the water and the peaches are soft.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon.
5. Spoon into a bowl, and top with remaining peaches and soy milk.
6. Serve and Enjoy!

 Here's the peaches and oats when I added them to the boiling water.

 This is half way cooked. The peaches are soft but the oats haven't absorbed the water yet.

 Here it is after I stirred in the cinnamon and put it into the bowl. I haven't poured the soy milk in yet.

 Here it is all finished. YUM! It turned out better looking than I expected.

 And it tasted even better! Plus, check out the nutrition information below!!!

Calories 164

Total Fat 3.1g

Saturated Fat 0.4g

Sodium 15mg

Total Carbohydrates 28.5g

Dietary Fiber 6.2g

Sugars 9.0g

Protein 6.8g

Vitamin A 7%

Vitamin C 11%

Calcium 6%

Iron 13%

Stuffed Mushroom Bento

The other night my fiance made Turkey Stuffed Mushrooms for dinner, and they were so good I took one and put it into a container so I could make a bento with it later. :)

•  Baked Sweet Potato W/ Cracked Pepper
• Tomato Hearts
• Mixed Vegetables (Peas, Carrots, Corn) W/Cracked Pepper
• Tomato Wedges
• Turkey Stuffed Mushroom

 I baked the sweet potato in the microwave, and I sliced it open and mashed the insides before adding the pepper and the tomato heart. I know a lot of people do not eat the skin, but I LOOOOVE the sweet potato skin. That's my favorite part, and it has a lot of nutrients.

My fiance stuffed the mushrooms with a mixture of Ground Turkey, gluten free Bread Crumbs (thank you for making them gluten free for me!) Garlic, Mushroom stems, Egg, and Parmesan Cheese. The stuffing tasted kind of like my meat loaf, and it was sooooo goooooood. We even played around with the idea of making meatloaf stuffed mushrooms. YUM!

Thank you Kellie for making yummy dinners and taking some of the burden off of me. :)

Daisy Bento

I packed this bento late last night so I could just grab it and go to work this morning... but I ended up leaving the house later than I wanted to anyway. Oh well. lol

I didn't know how I was going to decorate this bento when I started, but I ended up with a Daisy/flower theme. Sometimes it's cool to start making a bento without a plan and see where my creativity brings me.

• Bean Salad (over Lettuce)
• Carrot Flower
• Watermelon Hearts
• Rice Pudding (No Sugar Added)
• Cinnamon Flower (It got a little messed up right before I took the picture...)

I sliced a baby carrot and arranged the petal shaped pieces into a flower, and I added one of my flower stem picks.

To make the cinnamon flower on top of the rice pudding, I put a daisy/flower cutter on top and I carefully spooned in some ground cinnamon. I slightly submerged the tip of a flower stem pick into the pudding, and I carefully removed the flower cutter. Unfortunately, I bumped into bento box and made the cinnamon spread.
I added little flower stem picks to the heart watermelon to make some Love-ly pink flowers. ;)

Hear-ty Veggie Burger Bento

This veggie burger is not only hardy, it's heart-y as well. lol

Yesterday we my fiance and my bachelorette party, so today we are taking it easy and relaxing as much as possible. I made us simple bentos for late lunch early dinner, and I packed myself a veggie burger and bean salad and decorated it with lots of hearts! I must be in the lovey mood because I was looking for more hearts I could add to the bento, but I made myself stop... lol

• Mini Sour Cream & Onion Rice Cakes
• Bean Salad (in Heart cup with 3 heart picks)
• Veggie Burger (with the works. See below)

I took a Udi's GF bun and I scooped out the inside of the bun so there was a nice big cavern to work with, and so I could save a few calories. (I threw the bread filling to the birds). While I toasted/cooked the GF Veggie Burger in the toaster oven I filled the bun with whole grain mustard/Relish/BBQ Sauce mix, Tomato, Onion, and Lettuce. I also used a large heart cookie cutter and cut out a heart from a lettuce leaf. I cut a smaller heart from a slice of tomato using a smaller heart cutter.

Rebel Without Paws Bento

Yesterday was my fiance and my bachelorette party, so today we are sleeping in/relaxing/recovering. I was going to make us a simple lunch (more like dinner by the time we ate it since we woke up so late) but I ended up making some bentos instead. Granted, they are simple bentos, but it's more then I was planning to do.
I wanted to make my fiance a dog because she loves dogs, but I was having trouble with the eyes, so I ended up making sunglasses instead. It makes this little puppy look like a cooooool rebel. lol And the frozen grapes add to the cooooool theme. ;)

• Mushroom & Cheese Sandwich (Sauteed Mushrooms with Melted Cheese on a Toasted Whole Wheat Bun)
• Cherries
• Frozen Grapes

I used two different sized heart cutters to make the face. The larger heart I cut in half and turned upside down for the ears, and the smaller heart I turned upside down for the nose/mouth. I also used the top part of the small heart cutter to make the sunglasses. I used a black foodsafe marker to add detail and color in the glasses, and I used a pink foodsafe marker to draw on the tongue.
The face looks like the puppy has stubble... what a rebel.

Deconstructed Salad Bento

I wish my workplace had a microwave because I would love to be able to bring warm food to work, but alas, I am stuck with cold food like sandwiches and salads. Oh well, at least they are healthy and tasty!

I made Chopped salads for dinner, so I took some of the ingredients I had out and made myself a quick bento to bring to work tomorrow.

• Butter Lettuce
• Cucumber (in the lettuce cup)
• Mushrooms (On top of the cucumber)
• Shredded Carrot (Next to the Mushrooms)
• Lg Cherry Tomato
• 2 Lg Blackberries
• Chia Seeds (In a piggy container)
• Light Italian Dressing (In the other piggy container)
• Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds under the chia seeds)
• 3 Cherries
• Plum
• Black Beans
• Chickpeas
• Chopped Onion (between the beans)
• Rice Pudding (No Sugar Added, to go with the fruit for dessert)

 I didn't think ahead very well, because it will be difficult to eat this salad at work since it's not already mixed. But I am too lazy to make another bento that is easier to eat, so I will just deal with it tomorrow. :)