Feisty Bento #399: Back to Bento (again)

Whoa!  A bento! 

New box - bought it during my last trip to SF - isn't it cute?  Looks small, but it holds 555 ml.  Not bad.  It didn't seem to leak but I was careful with it today and I didn't have much liquid in it anyway. 

Roasted broccoli with garlic cloves, bean sprouts, and a piece of miso-glazed salmon.  I need to tweak the recipe, so I don't have anything to share right now. 

Brief background on this bento: I went grocery shopping and and managed to get some stuff together, cook a bit on Sunday, and packed myself a bento for Monday.  Unfortunately, I'm so used to leaving without anything from the fridge, that I wound up leaving it at home on Monday, sadface.  So I brought it today.  Don't worry - I know it's fish, but I usually eat fish for 2-3 days after I've cooked it (using the smell-test too of course), and I've been fine thusfar...

I'm so happy I had a bento today! but now the next one is 400 which requires a little extra advance planning... ;) which means tomorrow I can't pack myself a lunch.  Unless I go back and not-count 398, which you can see wasn't really a bento anyway...?  Haha, I didn't plan this very well, did I?

Happy bento!!!

I'm sorry

I have been subsisting on leftovers or buying lunch. It's awful and I can't even tell you how much weight I'm gaining all back (remember: in the first 3 months of bento, I lost 16 lbs.). I hate it and I hate being just short of 400 bentos but I can't even find time to cook for myself much less pack a bento. I am stressed and time crunched out the wahoo... I hope you understand and will still be here when I'm able to return to bento. <3 Yvo

Feisty Bento #398: To Bento or Not to Bento

Does this even count as a bento?  I just know it was labeled as 398 on my hard drive, so it's going up as the last bento I made before I dropped off the face of the bento-world.  Well, actually, I made a 'bento' last week (late December), which was a leftover slice of lasagna on its side, with two pieces of fried tofu crammed next to it.  And I didn't take a picture of it because I was in a rush.  Hmph. 

In any case, the above is BBQ beef from Hill Country, with a side of corn pudding (SO GOOD MMM I NEED THE RECIPE) smashed in next to the green beans.  All of it yummy... oh so good. 

Anyway, now that I'm all caught up, let me catch y'all up!  It is January 1 as I write this, though I will backdate this to when I had this lunch (November 2, 2009).  Finals ended on December 19 and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I waited to get my grades back and... four classes (full time school), plus working full time... begot me a 4.0 this semester!  (Yes, second in a row.)  Well, honestly, busting my ass studying every Friday night at Panera instead of going out is what got me that 4.0 - history is my hardest subject, but an excellent professor and a lot of hard work really paid off big time.  I actually scored a 99 on that final exam, which I would have told you was impossible until I actually did it - I almost cried from how happy I was.  I don't know, nerdy, but also... it just felt like, so validating, like it was so worth those nights of not hanging out, to get that grade.  Really, really rewarding.  I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Now, two weeks after finals ended, I'm done with the holiday swirl and really hope to get back into bento'ing.  I'm not making any promises, but I really do hope to get back in the swing of it over the course of the next few weeks, then it'll be time for more announcements and more changes... wink wink.  Stay tuned for that... I promise, it'll be a doozy!!!

I hope you are all having a lovely holiday season and the happiest of new years to you all. 

Happy bento, everyone!!!

Feisty Bento #397: One Last "Real" Bento

 I couldn't get the light right or something... not sure why I am holding it in my hand.  Also, I'm amused that I'm wearing a sweater... it was pretty mild weather until mid-December! 

I took another picture once I got to work, even though it all got smushed, and I don't know why there's a napkin underneath.  Anyway,

Mini-pita-pocket egg salad sandwiches with baby carrots, extra egg salad topped with cilantro.  Yummy!

Happy bento!!!

posted on 1/1/10, backdated appropriately - the last 'real' bento for a very long, long while... it's like I knew, so I put in extra effort - three days in a row!

Feisty Bento #396: Leftovers of Leftovers

More of the same of yesterday's rice... and a hard boiled egg. 

Happy bento!

posted on 1/1/10, backdated appropriately - I can't believe this is what I ate on my birthday... how depressing!!!

Feisty Bento #395: Leftovers

This bento actually contains leftovers from this meal at Sripraphai in Williston Park.  Yup, it's been so long that I am able to link to the respective meal and review. 

Top left corner: shrimp ball
Bottom left corner: the remains of roasted duck salad
Right side: special house rice mixed up

It's been a long time, yes?

Happy bento!!!

posted on 1/1/10, backdated appropriately

Feisty Bento #394: Bronx Zoo Woo Bento

What is that!

It's a bento I made to take to the Bronx Zoo this past Sunday.  I took my nephews (along with their mother and my boyfriend - I was actually there to be on stroller duty, for the exhibits you can't bring a stroller into, I stood outside and kept watch on the crammed-full-of-stuff strollers) and we really lucked out, because out of the two days this weekend, clearly only one was suited for the ZOO!!!  (It poured on Saturday.) 

Hard boiled egg; carrot sticks; dressing
Hidden under the horrifying ;) cilantro is mini banh-mi pitas. 

Yep, I stuffed mini-pita-pockets, that I snipped open with scissors, with pate, cha lua, pickled carrots/daikon, a schmear of Vietnamese mayo, and ate them with bites of the cucumber and the cilantro pieces. 

That's a close up. 

Envy me, I'm food's MVP :)

(Although I will point out that the pita bread doesn't quite have as much oomph as a good, crisp baguette does.) 

*I brought a bento to the Zoo because the Mommy packed ham sandwiches for everyone, and I decided that I would be good and eat some of the food in my fridge.  Plus it saves a ton of money - though we did 'splurge' and get fries for everyone, and nachos for me, we still saved a ton from buying the crappy pizza at the zoo...