Feisty Bento #227: Return Bento & Snack Bento for Airplane

I'm back and slapped together a bento this morning.  Do I sound grumpy?  Because I kind of am.  Well, I shouldn't say that.  I HAD A FANTASTIC TIME ON MY TRIP :) and full write ups of everything to come very soon on Feisty Foodie, but work is slamming me from all sides and I'm just trying to catch up... I can't wait to quit!  Ahhhhhhhh!  I even managed to cook yesterday despite attending a very sad baseball game indeed.

In this bento: a mango pudding (super artificial but it's cute! and an entire box of these was, I kid you not, $1.29); pitted Kalamata olives; gemelli pasta tossed with pesto, chopped broccoli, and corn niblets.  Super easy.

Lunch time!

Happy bento!!!

Psst.  I didn't pack an airplane bento this time, per se, but I packed a snack bento for us to enjoy on the plane.  I didn't pack airplane bento because our flight was early on Saturday morning; instead, I just ran over to Ragtime and picked up a couple of sandwiches for us.  Actually, just one; we split it during the flight and were both very full indeed.

I've got exciting news all around soon!

Feisty Bento #150: Friday Lunch Bento and Bento for Blood

My friend's sandwich yesterday.  Yes, I took a picture of my friend's glorious lunch.

MY glorious sandwich yesterday (the reason why I didn't post a bento).  The weather was so nice we went outside for sandwiches and to bask in the glorious sun!

Ok, so does anyone know what the hell?  I bought these for what I thought was super cheap at $1.49/lb. and decided, since (my dog) Keywee's 6th birthday is on Sunday, I would roast them (and eat the marrow), use them for stock, then give her the bones.  I roasted them, the marrow came right out and I put it in a container, and will make stock tomorrow morning, but now I'm reading that you're not supposed to give cooked bones to dogs.  I ALWAYS give her cooked bones!  Should I not fill the hollow with peanut butter and give it to her then?!  WTF? 

***I would go buy her some raw ones but I got these at Stew Leonard's which is not very closeby to me.

Another something I picked up there on Sunday.

Dinner - the other half of my sandwich from lunch, a half glass of Silk SoyMilk, and a bowl of lobster bisque.

BBQ short ribs (see previous posts this week!), rice, cucumbers, baby bell peppers with hummus...

Snack bento - because I was going to give blood today (but they wouldn't let me, again, because I went to Argentina this time!) - one chocolate chip cookie, broken in half, half of a sugar cookie, chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel, and a dark chocolate covered marshmallow...

Look at my baby tomato sprouts!  They were white, now they're green and growing as fast as they can.  No- they're not hairy, though the seeds were!

No real change for Mint & Basil... doesn't look like I'll be eating fresh basil anytime soon.  Boo.

Seriously, help me with the beef marrow thing.

Have a great weekend everyone and as always, HAPPY BENTO!!!

Feisty Bento #46: A Package for Me?

What could it be?

A friend of mine works over at Built NY and thought I'd like some new lunch goodies- and boy do I like 'em!  I received an assortment including Meadow the Munchler (top left- the ears are down but it's a bunny-shaped insulated lunch bag), the Rambler, the Gourmet Getaway Tote, and much more.  Thanks again<333

So of course, today I had to use one! 

Today's lunch.  The beauty of this is that the bag is still half empty.  I loveloveLOVE that the material, while stretchy and willing to accomodate bulky or misshapen items, is not so stretchy that when packed with heavy items, the whole thing drags down and looks retarded- it still maintained its shape fairly well and I didn't feel like I was stretching it at the handles or anything. 

**I chose my earrings, then my top, without knowing which lunch bag I was going to use.  I chose these turquoise dangly earrings that I got in Greece and have never worn, then a top that went well with them- also a turquoise blue shade- and when I went to grab a lunch bag, I'd already decided on using one of the Ramblers, whichever one didn't have tags on it, and it happened to be this one.  Which means I look really awesome today- I actually put makeup on, and I'm all matchy-matchy without being all one color since the bag has like, style to it.  GOSH I LOVE THIS BAG

What's inside?

Yup, count 'em- four boxes of food today!  Who's a pig? 

Left box, from top left: smoked mozzarella & salami; baby carrots; edamame (soy beans in the pod); grape tomatoes; pork floss onigiri and the last of the potato salad with scallions
Right box: three slices of takuan (pickled daikon radish) and three NOT GYOZA... they're Chinese dumplings I tried to use the same cooking method as the gyoza but had to make a few changes.  We'll see how these hold up at lunchtime... These are pork, leek and "mushroom added" (that's what the bag said). 

My snack/dessert portion boxes- watermelon and canteloupe.

Didn't use a bento belt because the containers are leak proof and are all stuffed into my beautiful new Built NY Gourmet Getaway lunch bag, along with a standard bottle of Poland Spring water, so if they bounce around it's not a big deal and I doubt they will!  This bag ROCKS!!!

I can't wait to use Meadow the Munchler- it's so adorable!  I love best how Built NY's lunch bags fit right in with the Bento Philosophy- namely, less waste, re-using and leaving a smaller environmental footprint, and food safety, since the bags are meant to keep food hot/cold for hours. 

Happy Bento!!!

Feisty Bento #43: Crooked Bento

(What's up with my pictures?  I even tried to make it straight but I took like 5 pictures and they're all crooked!  Haha... I haven't been drinking!)

Left tier: roast pork + scallion onigiri surrounded by tongue, steamed spinach
Right tier: seafood gyoza, edamame (soy beans in pods), takuan and potato salad topped with scallions

Argh, I messed up yet again.  When will I get it right?! 

I messed up for a number of reasons; I'd intended to put less edamame in there, just as a boundary/border, and way less potato salad with some spinach also in that tier, then fruit in the other tier.  That didn't work out when I decided to try to cram as much edamame in there as I did- oops.  Should have been more easy with the edamame and less potato salad... sheesh.  Too many carbs! 

(Crooked again!)

So I threw some fruit into a separate box and stuck it in my bag.  It will be a snack though because I will be full after that lunch.

Happy Bento! 

Feisty Bento #6: Snack Bento

I have lunch plans today... so no lunch bento.... so instead, I packed myself a snack/breakfast bento! 

Made more sickeningly cutesy by the tablecloth.  Don't look at me, I didn't put a red one down.

I didn't buy another bento set.  This one doesn't "match".  I'd bought last week, in my excitement and hurry to get bento-ing, a couple of smallish Lock & Lock containers that I've seen often on bento sites, you just mix and match.  So after I'd bought them, I quickly abandoned them to use all of the bento sets I subsequently purchased, especially because those came with their own matching bags. 

I did, however, use one for the tortillas on Monday (seen here).  Obviously it doesn't quite match that bento set, but it served its purpose.  Anyway, once my Mommy saw me with a bunch of small containers and all these kinchaku, she was like, "Oh, do you want a small bag, it has handles, look, it's a toy."  I was kind of like  when she said it was a toy, but that's what she handed me.  And it fits the Lock&Lock perfectly!!!  Of course, with only one box today, since it's only a snack/breakfast.

Mmm... yummy.

Almond Crush Pocky (courtesy of big bro's stash of Asian snacks); grape tomatoes, grapes, crackers and garlic & herb cheese
Perfect snack or picnic pack!

Happy Bento!