Bean Salad Piggy Bento

I woke up extra early this morning so I could make a bento for work. Instead of using my regular sectioned bento box I grabbed one of my piggy bento boxes and a piggy snack box. I love bringing cute bentos to work, but if I don't wake up early enough I have to bring a more simple lunch.

 Super Healthy Vegetarian Piggy Bento packed with Vegetables and Protein.

 The Main Meal:

• Bean Salad (My mother in laws 6 bean salad)
• Spring Mix (Mesclun Lettuce Mix)
• Small Tomato
• Baby Carrots
• Alfalfa Sprouts

 Snack:

• 5 Cherries
• Large Blackberry
• 4 Large Blueberries

 Here's a close up of the bean salad... YUM! This is my favorite meal that my mother in law makes (It's one of the only things she makes that I like... but don't tell her that)

 My Salad Fixings. :)

 Fruit!!! What could be better for dessert then some nice sweet fresh fruit? MMMM

OINK! I love these bento boxes. These two are perfect together, yet they were bought at separate times from different places. I love how things work out like that sometimes.

Vegetable Pho in alt Bento

If you have any of these plastic takeout containers handy, they are perfect for packing soup or any other wet/noodle type bentos without worrying about spilling, making a mess, or having a microwaveable bento box.

 In this bento I have Vegetarian Pho (Thai Soup with Rice Noodles) It is most often seen with chicken and chicken broth, or beef. But I prefer the vegetable broth with vegetables and tofu. It is really easy to pack this bento, just do it in layers, rice noodles/vegetables/broth...

• On the bottom I have about 1 cup Cooked Rice Noodles and some cooked Rrice (I had White Rice leftover so I added it in.)
• Next I have the Steamed Vegetables and Tofu. I just added what I had handy (Tofu, Zucchini, Carrots, Shiitake Mushrooms, Bean Sprouts, Green Onion, etc.)
• Finally, top with the Pho Broth (This is a Vegetarian Pho Broth, but you can use regular vegetable broth or to make Pho Ga use chicken broth and pieces of chicken.) You may think you'll need a lot of broth for such a big container, but you really don't use that much (see picture at bottom of page).

If you layer it like that you won't make a mess, but if you try to add vegetables and noodles to the broth you will end up splashing/overflowing the container.
To serve, just pop the lid to let steam escape, heat in the microwave, then stir the vegetables and noodles before eating with chopsticks. You can pack a spoon to eat the broth, but it may be difficult to use in the tall container. I just sip the broth from the container when done eating the vegetables and noodles.

Here's the amount of broth I ended up using (about 1 1/2 cups). It looks milky because of the rice I added to it, but if you don't add the extra rice like I did, the broth will be nice and clear and it will look pretty with the layers of noodles, mixed vegetables, and broth.


This is a great way to pack other kinds of soups as well as pasta with sauce, or even make a simple soboro bento and layer the rice, meat, and egg. Don't forget to add vegetables for nutrition and color!
So next time you get one of these plastic takeout containers, instead of tossing it in your recycling bin, wash it out and save it for an alternative bento container.

Spinach Pesto Zucchini Noodle Bento

Last night I made Spinach Pesto and Zucchini Noodles for dinner, and I made enough of each to bring leftovers to work today. It was a simple meal, but there was a lot of work involved making the noodles and the pesto.

• 2 Giant Blackberries (These were huge!)
• 1/2 Container No Added Sugar Tapioca Pudding (I thought I grabbed Rice Pudding when I was shopping, but the tapioca is good too.)
• Watermelon Heart 
• Baby Carrots (To add more filling fiber and a nice pop of color to the bento)
• 6 Blueberries (These were also pretty large)
• 10 Purple Grapes (I know they are called red grapes, but they are purple to me)
• Cherry Tomato (once again, this was a huge cherry tomato. More like 3 cherry tomatoes combined)
• Zucchini Noodles w/ Spinach Pesto

To make the Zucchini Noodles I used a vegetable peeler on a few large zucchinis and just made a lot of thin flat noodles. I blanched them to just make them softer. then I tossed them with some pesto.
To make the pesto I tossed a whole bag of baby spinach into the food processor and processed until it was ll chopped up. I then added the other ingredients (garlic, basil, cracked pepper, parmesan cheese, almonds/walnuts) and processed while adding oil and water until it was combined. I used a little water to cut back on the fat. I also used less oil then most pesto recipes call for so it was much thicker then most pesto.
This would actually be great as a spread on a sandwich, or a sauce on pizza as well as a sauce for pasta.

Gifts From Japan

My friend Alysse came home from teaching English in Japan. She's finally home!!! I was bummed that she would most likely miss my fiance and my wedding in September, but she came home early, so now she'll be there! I'm so happy.
She also brought us some awesome presents including something I can use to make some bentos. Possibly using my new cookbook Ten-Minute Bentos.
Sorry for the pictures being too dark/light. I really need a new camera.

 First up is the awesome silicone pot with cover that I can use in the microwave. I can use this to make myself bentos, or when I am making myself a vegetarian dinner while everyone else in the house is eating meat. Nice single serving size, and I can use it in the oven as well. So when I want to try out a new recipe that I am not sure how it'll taste, I can use this to make a small amount to taste before wasting all the ingredients on a large dinner.

 Here is the inside. The flexibility of the silicone pot makes it perfect for making a small loaf of gluten free bread or a small gluten free cake for myself that I can just pop out of the pot when it's done.

 This cute little piggy (buta chin) is a cover for microwaving food. This helps prevent splatters in the microwave, and the snout on the piggy face is open so steam can escape.

Oink Oink! It's soooooo cute! I just love pigs :)

 These are the awesome Katana Chopsticks with chopstick rest. The picture doesn't show it very well, but these are sparkly/glittery.

 I love the detail of the little Katana handles on these chopsticks.

 These are some Korean (She went to Korea before she came home) Black Ginseng Hard Candies and one lone Green Tea Hard Candy. I tried one of the Ginseng candies and I guess it must be an acquired taste. =P

 Here is the fan, I can't remember what she called it... Sorry my camera flash washed out some of the detail.

 And some cute cell phone charms. I don't know what Anime/Manga these are from, but I swear I've seen them before. If you know where they are from please let me know (if you are able to see them well enough with my bad camera pictures).

And the cute Kaleidoscope key chain! :) I sat there looking through it for a while before I remembered I was supposed to be visiting with my friend and not being distracted by shiny colors. lol

Thank you so much Alysse! I have missed you so much and I am so glad you are back! :)

New Bento Cookbook

I was browsing a local bookstore when I came across a Bento Cookbook that I haven't seen before. I flipped through it and each recipe and beautiful picture made me want it even more. I just had to have it. So I bought it and put it aside to take pictures and blog about. But my life got super busy with work, and visiting family, and car trouble, and a friend coming home from Japan, etc. So I didn't have a chance take pictures of this awesome cookbook until now.

Ten-Minute Bento 

Megumi Fujii

What caught my eye about this cookbook (besides the word Bento lol) was the fact that it boasts Ten-Minute Bento! Now I have been super busy lately, and I haven't been making as many bentos because of my lack of time, so this cookbook sounded like just what I needed.

As I flipped through the pictures of yummy yet simple looking bentos, I just knew I couldn't wait to try out these recipes.

 Mushroom Stuffed Hamburger Bento

The first recipe that caught my eye was the yummy looking mushroom stuffed hamburger bento. It looks so simple, but it sounds yummy and filling. There isn't much in the way of vegetables in this bento, and it is filled with rice, But that is an easy fix for me. I could just mix half the amount of rice with some mixed vegetables or cooked spinach, and that solves that problem.

 Chicken Teriyaki Bento

I love how simple these bentos are, but they are still pretty. It just goes to show you that you don't need to make a kyaraben bento to make an attractive and appetizing meal.

 Sliced Pork Cutlet Bento

I am impressed with the presentation of these bentos, and refreshed with how simple they are.

Saifun Salad Bento

Most of the bentos had rice as a base but this one used cellophane noodles (like rice noodles). And other bentos had pasta or green salads as their base.

 French Toast Salad

This one caught my eye because I never thought to eat french toast with a salad before (this is a savory cheese french toast). I also liked that it showed an alternate container to pack the bento in. This is a recycled plastic container.

 Avocado Bagel Bento

I'm including this bento because the recipe looks so good, and also because it is a simple sandwich with some fruit on the side. I know I keep saying the word simple, but what could be more simple then this? I can't wait to try this sandwich.

Beef, Asparagus and Namul-Style Fiddlehead Fearns Bento

I included this bento to show that not all of the bento recipes in this cookbook are simple sandwiches and salads. This recipe seemed more fancy and the presentation looked nicer than a through together salad/sandwich. Also, some of the recipes use ingredients that may not be common to you, such as the fiddlehead ferns in this recipe.

I am looking forward to trying some of these recipes soon! :)

Vegan Cheesecake Ice Cream

My fiance loves Cheesecake Ice Cream, so I resolved to make a healthier and lower calorie version of it. It turned out delicious and creamy, but not 100% exactly the same as cheesecake ice cream. But We both loved it so much, I am going to share the recipe with you.

Vegan Cheesecake Ice Cream

(Free of Dairy, Gluten, and Refined Sugars)

Makes about 8 servings (½ Cup each)

Ingredients:

* 1 Cup Soy Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla)

* 1 Cup Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
* 1 Cup Tofutti Cream Cheese (an 8oz tub)
* ½ Cup Agave Nectar
* 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
* ½ Cup Almond Milk mixed with 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
* ¼ Tsp Vanilla Extract

 1.      Combine soy milk, 1 cup almond milk, cream cheese, agave, and lemon juice in a saucepan. 

 2.      Heat and mix with a whisk to melt the cream cheese, and whip it to get frothy.

 3.      Once the mixture is boiling, take from heat and add cornstarch/milk mixture. The liquid should thicken slightly.

4.      Stir in vanilla extract.

 5.      Pour into a covered container and put it into the refrigerator for a few hours.

 6.      Freeze cream cheese mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

 7.      Ice cream will be soft, so scoop it into a covered container and freeze (stirring every 2 hours) until it reaches the desired consistency.

 

  

8.      Serve with fresh berries, warmed fruit spread/preserves, or crushed graham crackers.

 Here I have a serving of Cheesecake Ice Cream with 10 Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Warmed Blueberry All Fruit Spread, and 8 Gluten Free Animal Crackers (6 Crushed on the bottom, two reserved for the top).
What a delicious and indulgent dessert for less than 280 Calories!

Each ½ cup serving Vegan Cheesecake Ice Cream has about:

Calories: 146

Total Fat: 6.1g

Saturated Fat: 2.0g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 157mg

Total Carbohydrates: 20.8g

Dietary Fiber: 1.7g

Sugars: 14.7g

Protein: 2.3g

Vitamin A: 2%

Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 2%

For the same serving size of Baskin-Robbins New York Cheesecake Ice Cream:

Calories: 280

Total Fat: 16.0g

Saturated Fat: 10.0g

Cholesterol: 50mg

Sodium: 135mg

Total Carbohydrates: 31.0g

Dietary Fiber: 0g

Sugars: 27.0g

Protein: 5.0g

Vitamin A: 10%

Vitamin C: 2%

Calcium: 15%

Iron: 2%

Side-Dishes Bento

I was flipping through my Bento Cookbooks and I marked off some dishes I wanted to make, and I had the ingredients for... After a while I realized that all the foods I wanted to make were essentially side-dishes and fillers for bento. So I decided to make a bento of all side-dishes.

 It may be a bento made up of Side-dishes and bento fillers, but it was super delicious. I remember asking my mom if we could have a dinner made of side dishes, and I remember loving those dinners. I also remember asking for a school lunch made up of the sides (fruit, veggies and dip, snacks, and no sandwich) and those were the most fun lunches. That might be one of the reasons I love bento so much now!

• Strawberry Fan
• Raw Cashews
• Raw Almonds
• 1/2 Peach

• Spinach Tamagoyaki (Omelet Roll)
• Jyagatama/Potato Salad Balls (I used leftover Brussels Colcannon and added peas and Carrots before forming it into balls)
• Sauteed Carrots (W/ Garlic, Cracked Pepper, and a Cucumber Heart on top)
• Tomato Rose (Rose made out of tomato peel)

So there you have it, a Bento made with yummy side dishes and fillers... and you know what? I loved this bento. I often have trouble finding a main dish for my bentos unless I am using leftovers or making a sandwich, but maybe I'll just make more side-dish heavy bentos from now one because they are so yummy and easier to make.