Pasta & Meatballs Bento

What goes better with Spaghetti then Meatballs? They are a classic combination. But I have taken this classic combination and tweaked it. That's right, I changed it... But only a little bit.
This isn't Spaghetti, it's Gluten Free Brown Rice Penne with Flax. And those are Beef Meatballs, they are Chicken Meatballs.
Not only that, I took the Classic Italian Dish, and I packed it in a Japanese Bento Box...
Look at me; I'm breaking all the rules! lol

Pasta & Meatballs:

• GF Brown Rice Penne w/Flax
• Tomato Basil Sauce
• Chickpeas
• Chicken Meatballs

Rainbow Salad:

• Tomato
• Carrot
• Yellow Pepper
• Cucumber
• Spinach
• Red Cabbage
• Light Italian Dressing (In the Blue Container)

Roll:

• Flax Rolls w/Italian Herbs + Garlic (Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free)

Now doesn't that sound and look delicious? Well it was... lol ;)
I hope you enjoy your day!

Celebration Bento

June is a month of Celebrations! Not only is it a time for Graduations and the beginning of Summer, but it's also Pride Month and a time of Birthdays and Weddings/Anniversarys. In honor of June and my Birthday (only 10 days away), I decided to make a Celebration Bento, with a little Cake sandwich complete with candle.
I hope you enjoy it!

 Happy Birthday/Anniversary/Pride/Summer/Graduation/Etc.!
It's time to celebrate with some delicious Cake!

 Don't forget to make a wish before you blow out the candle! The Rainbow Candle.

Look Rainbow Confetti! And a few foodie friends to enjoy it with. Say hello to Dango Piggy, Ice Cream Kitty, Flan Bear, and Cupcake Tiger!

• Tomato
• Carrot
• Yellow Pepper
• Cucumber
• Red Cabbage

Want a slice of Cake?

• 'Cake' (See Below)
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Sliced Almonds

To make the 'Cake' I spread Teddie Chunky Peanut Butter w/Flaxseed between two circle cut slices of Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread.
Next I microwaved some Marshmallow Fluff with some Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, and mixed it together to make a yummy Chocolate 'Frosting'.
Then I decorated the top with Blueberries and Sliced Almonds.
And I completed the look with a Rainbow Candle.

I hope you all enjoy this bento, and Enjoy June! I most likely will make myself a birthday bento as well, so stay tuned.

Summer Squash and Kielbasa Bentos

I originally planned on making Kielbasa, Summer Squash, and Zucchini Kabobs on the grill for dinner last night, but it has been raining for the past week. I ended up slicing everything and sauteing them with Garlic, Cracked Pepper and Italian Herbs. YUM!
Not as good as grilled, but definitely worth making again.
I was just going to make a bento for my fiance today, but the apple was huge so I sliced some for myself, and then I decided to just toss stuff into a bento for myself as well. Why not?

 ere is my fiance's bento. Complete with a Lunchbox Love Note!

 This tier holds:

• Summer Squash & Kielbasa (Turkey Kielbasa, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Garlic, Cracked Pepper, Italian Herbs)
• Grapes (Skewered on Leaf Picks and arranged in a Star Cup)
• Raspberries

 This tier holds:

• Apple Rabbits
• Snyder's Naturals Veggie Sticks

And here's my bento! I have:

• Summer Squash & Kielbasa
• Tri-Color Coleslaw Mix
• Apple (I sliced a large chunk of the apple into the leaf pattern. It turned out really nice, and was the reason why I decided to make a bento box for myself.)
• Snyder's Naturals Veggie Sticks

YUM! I love those filling, healthy, and low calorie dinners that I make up. Sooo good, and I feel good after eating it as well. Last night we had it with Roasted Cauliflower and Brown Rice as the sides.

Peanut Butter Berry Bread Pudding

I was inspired to make a PBJ type bread pudding using some of the fresh berries we have in the house, so I took the rest of the Peanut Butter Bread I had from the other day, and I cubed it to make this yummy Bread Pudding.

Peanut Butter Berry Bread Pudding
Gluten Free, Refined, Sugar Free, Dairy Free
Makes 4-6 Servings (See Nutrition Facts Below)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Loaf Peanut Butter Bread (Cubed)
• 1/2- 1 Cup Mixed Berries (I used Raspberries and Blackberries)*
• 1/2 Cup Egg Beaters (or 2 Eggs)
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

*You can use whatever berries you'd like, but since my favorite type of jelly is raspberry or blackberry I decided to make this bread pudding using fresh raspberries and blackberries.  

Directions:

1. Grease a small/medium glass baking dish. 
2. Cube bread and gently mix with the berries berries. Place evenly in the baking dish.
3. In a bowl mix eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. **
4. Pour mixture over bread cubes and berries. Gently press bread down so that it is evenly covered by the mixture.
5. Let sit for at least 30 minutes so the bread can soak up the milk mixture. If you wish, you can cover and put it in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. If you put the bread pudding in the refrigerator, take it out and let it come to room temperature.
8. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and no-longer wet.
9. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Serving Suggestions:
Fresh Berries + Whipped Cream
Fresh Berries + a drizzle of Honey/Maple Syrup
Drizzle melted Peanut Butter + your Favorite Fruit Spread over the top
Sliced Banana
Greek Yogurt blended with Berries + Honey

**For an even more intense berry flavor, blend half of the berries into the milk and egg mixture before pouring over the bread cubes.

Nutrition Facts:
1/6th of the Bread Pudding
Calories 171
Total Fat 6.7g
Saturated Fat .7g
Sodium 191mg
Total Carbohydrates 24.5g
Dietary Fiber 5.6g
Sugars 3g
Protein 6.8g
Vitamin A 8%
Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 11%
Iron 4%

Under The Sea Bento

My fiance wanted Mac & Cheese and Hotdogs for lunch, and then she picked the spiral pasta that looks really cool. So I decided to make a bento. I started off by making Octodogs, and then I progressed to make an Under The Sea scene.

Those little Octopi are sooo cute!

• Sand (Spiral Pasta w/Butter and Parmesan Sauce)
• Octopi (Chicken Hot Dogs, Black Foodsafe Marker)
• Fish (Cucumber, Cucumber Peel)
• Seaweed (Cucumber Peel)
• Coral (Raspberry)

I packed this bento in my Skull Bento Box that makes me think of Pirates, and I added a Yellow Fork with a Fish on the end. The handle of the fork says 'Animal in the Sea'.

I am pretty happy with how this came out, but I wish I had picked a bigger bento box to make it so I could spread things out a little more and add some more fish. There is always next time! :)

Peanut Butter Love Bento

I love peanut butter, and what better way to show that then make a bento with heart shaped peanut butter bread toasted and a heart container with peanut butter?
With the added berries it's almost like an ultimate PBJ!

• Toasted Peanut Butter Bread Hearts (from this recipe)
• Chunky Peanut Butter (In pink Heart container under toast)
• Kiwi Heart
• Blueberries (on Heart picks)
• Blackberries (in Heart cup)
• Raspberries (in Heart cup)

So much Pink and so many Hearts, it's like Valentine's Day in June!!!

 Here is a better look at the PB Bread. Gluten Free, Refined, Sugar Free, Vegan bread that I adapted from another blogger's recipe.
I spread the peanut butter onto the bread and then I topped it with some berries. It was like eating a fancy Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich!

And here are the yummy berries pack in a pink silicone heart cup with a green, orange, and pink heart pick.
Can you feel the love? The Peanut Butter love?

I seriously love peanut butter, I eat it out of the jar with a spoon, and I love to add it to cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, chocolate, desserts, and don't forget Thai food! I love Peanut Noodles and Peanut Pad Thai or Peanut Sauce... YUMMY!!!

Peanut Butter Bread

It has been cold and raining on and off all day, and that made me want to bake something warm and yummy. So I searched through all the recipes I have bookmarked on my computer and I settled on one that I forgot about, and I had all the ingredients for.

Peanut Butter Bread!
This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite blogs Chocolate Covered Katie She is a dessert blogger who makes healthy desserts, all are vegan, and most of them also have gluten free/sugar free options.
I chose to take this recipe for Peanut Butter Sandwich Bread and try making it the gluten free way. I also changed it a little bit, so I will post my changed recipe.

Peanut Butter Bread
Gluten free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan

This version of the bread is not sweet, so if you want the bread to be sweeter I suggest going with the original recipe.
Ingredients:

• 2 Cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tsp Xanthan Gum (Also Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (I used Teddie Chunky w/Flaxseed)
• 2 Tbsp Applesauce (I used Unsweetened)
• 4 Pks Stevia
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk (I used Unsweetened Almond Milk)
• 1/3 Cup Plum Amazins (Diced Prunes... this is my add in)

***I omitted the salt and the extra sweetener. My bread was not very sweet, so if you want your bread to be sweeter I suggest following the original recipe. I think I might add some agave nectar next time I make it just to make it a little bit sweeter, so it's more of a dessert bread.

This is the bread right as I put it in the oven. Gluten Free bread dough is not like regular bread dough, it tends to be much more wet and sticky, and it is more of a batter then a bread dough.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray or oil of choice. I used Pam Spray.
3. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
5. Stir in your add ins. I used Plum Amazins, but next time I might add some more dried fruit and some chopped nuts.
6. Pour Batter into loaf pan and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
8. Let cool for at least 15-30 minutes before cutting.
9. Serve plain or toasted with Fruit Spread, Melted Chocolate, Butter, Marshmallow Fluff, or make the Ultimate PBJ!

I tried one slice right from the oven with some Red Raspberry All Fruit Spread w/Fiber. And the second piece I toasted and had with the same Raspberry Spread.

It came out of the oven with a nice crust, and it looked and smelled very yummy, but like I said it was not very sweet. I was trying not to make it sweet because I wanted to spread it with the Raspberry fruit spread, and that is plenty sweet on it's own, but I think the bread may have been a tiny bit bland. It probably didn't help that I omitted the salt as well.
I will keep experimenting with it, but in the mean time I am going to enjoy this!

YUM!