Bento for Kidlet

Year of the Dragon Bento

2012-01-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

Kidlet has been eagerly awaiting this day! Happy Lunar New Year! This marks the first day of the Year of the Dragon, which is exciting for Kidlet because he was born in the Year of the Dragon!

I found this description of Year of The Dragon people: The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions.

Dragon is cheese and food color markers sitting on a soy ham and manchego cheese sandwich. On the side are carrots, checkered apple, strawberries, and blackberries.

Tiny little bento

2012-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

So, this lunch was inspired by these teeeeny little toasts that I found at the grocery store in the cheese aisle. SO CUTE! And I know this doesn't look like much food, but he didn't even eat it all. I have learned to no longer be stressed about that. Anything not eaten at school he eats after school as a snack. He's healthy and not starving so if he talks more than eats at lunch....oh well!

Packed in a small square snack box Kidlet has petite toasts, soy ham and manchego cheese on panda skewers, a clementine segment, and pomegranate. On the side is a small container of applesauce.

Cut the Rope Om Nom Bento

2012-01-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

Cut the Rope is another popular game that Kidlet has been enjoying on the ipod touch he got for his birthday. It features Om Nom, an adorable creature who loves candy! Now, I may be alone in this but I cannot play this game. If you miss getting the candy in to Om Nom's mouth he flattens and makes a really pathetic noise. It breaks my heart! So this is one game Kidlet has to play alone and with the sound off :P

Packed in our new Lunchbots box :Om Nom is cheese and food coloring on top of a Boca Chik'n patty sandwich. On the side are pomegranate, grapes, pretzels, checkered apple, and clementine segments.

Pancake Bento in a new box

2012-01-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

We've been in a bit of a bento rut lately. I've been sending Kidlet to school with a thermos of vegetable soup for the entire week. The only downside was then he didn't want to eat it again for dinner :P It's cold now, what can I say!

In an attempt to break free from the soup, I present pancakes. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but Kidlet was thrilled! I'm trying out this new box we got for Christmas. It's a Lunchbots Uno box that I have been wanting for a long time!

Kidlet has mini pancakes, Morningstar Farms Breakfast patties on skewers, checkered apple, and clementine wedges.

I am seriously in love with this box and Kidlet is too! Now that he is getting older he is less interested in the cutesy boxes we have so many of. The box is a bit bigger than most I have been using so there is a good chance more food will come home. I have hopes that one day he will eat more than a preschooler at lunch.

Christmas Pudding Bento

2011-12-20T18:10:00.000-08:00

We are knee deep in Christmas preparations now and it is very hectic! Kidlet has one more day of school before winter break and he is very excited. Today's lunch was a Christmas Pudding bento! Still trying to decide on tomorrow's lunch!

Christmas Pudding is a soy chik'n patty sandwich with cheese icing and dots as the berries. On the side are checkered apple, carrot, and cherries.

This is what my kitchen table looks like right now! 24 mini loaves of Almond Poppyseed Bread all packaged up for Kidlet's teachers tomorrow!

Almond Poppyseed Bread Guest Post

2011-12-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

*waves* No lunch today but if you are looking for an amazingly delicious recipe check out my Guest Post over at The Not So Modern Housewife!

This is my go to recipe at holiday time for teacher gifts! It is quick and easy, tastes delicious, AND makes your house smell amazing. Check it out!

Potter Puppet Pals Dumbledore Birthday Bento and Birthday Pics!

2011-12-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

There's a mouthful! Today is Kidlet's 11th birthday. 11th!! I never feel as old on my birthday as I do on his :P This year Kidlet requested everything to be Potter Puppet Pals themed. If you've never seen the videos you should check them out, they are quite hilarious. *some language warning if you have little ones around*

Lunch features Puppet!Dumbledore made from cheese and food color sitting on a soy Chick'n patty sandwich. On the side are blackberries, grapes, and carrots.

Kidlet this morning feeling very bouncy about his Birthday in his new sweatshirt!

Close up of the birthday sweatshirt I made for him

And the final Puppet Pals themed item of the day is cupcakes he took to school with him. Peanut butter with chocolate frosting. Toppers are fondant colored with food colors

Gingerbread Man and Tree Bento

2011-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with some winter theme bento, today Kidlet got a gingerbread man and a tree! I am happy every year that he grows older and still lets me pack cute bento for him! Of course now there are more rules....certain things are not okay and not always what I would expect! For now he still delights in seeing what I will pack for him and I love that!

Tree and Gingerbread man are peanut butter and honey sandwiches. On the side are carrots, striped apple, and grapes. All packed up nicely in one of our EasyLunchboxes

Winter Mitten

2011-12-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

I usually don't start winter themes until after Kidlet's birthday but decided to break that tradition this week :) We had Kidlet's friends at the house over the weekend for a Harry Potter birthday extravaganza. After all, it's not every day your young man turns 11!

Lunch today is packed up in one of our EasyLunchboxes and contains a mitten peanut butter sandwich with tortilla accents. On the side are carrots, grapes, and a little apple tree.

Kidlet's birthday cake which took several days to complete. Top is vanilla cake. Bottom is chocolate with oreo filling. Wand and scarf are fondant.

Angry Birds Attack! Bento

2011-11-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

It seems like the sun is against me making any bento lately! The pictures are turning out awful :( tsktsk mr. sun! I guess I really do need to make a light box one of these days.

Kidlet has one Angry Bird attacking two piggies (all made from cheese and food color) on top of a Biscoff spread sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, carrots, and grapes.

Check out more tasty noms at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving Turkey Bento!

2011-11-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today was Kidlet's last day of school for the week and boy was he excited! Of course he doesn't yet realize that I have a cunning plan to work him hard at home to get ready for the holidays. Mwahaha :)

Turkey is three peanut butter and honey sandwiches pressed with a gyoza press. The turkey head is cheese and food coloring. On the side are checkered apple, carrots, and grapes.

In preparation for the holidays we are switching rooms around. Kidlet is feeling more grown up lately and wants to redo his room accordingly. I was looking at comforter sets for him and ran across kids duvet covers and wondered if that is a better way to go. Any duvet lovers out there? What are the benefits and downsides?

Bento from Thanksgivings Past

2011-11-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be Kidlet's last day of school before Thanksgiving this year so I will have a new bento to add in :) For now, here is a round up of past Thanksgiving bento lunches that I have made!

The Great Pumpkin Bento probably counts more as a Halloween bento, but I think it's so pretty and fall looking that I decided to include it.

This Cornucopia Bento is very festive and fun!

And of course we can't have Thanksgiving without the Mayflower Bento

Double Pie Bento includes both real pie and cheese drawing pie!

Turkey Bento is very fun!

This Woodstock Bento is very festive with fall colors!

Angry Birds Bento

2011-11-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

So, I have never actually played Angry Birds but Kidlet has and he loves it. He has been wanting a bento with his favorite silly birds in it for a while and I finally got it together. Of course, as I went to pull out a piece of cheese from the drawer I discovered that the cheese I usually draw on *swiss slices* is not there! My only choice was gouda slices and let me tell you, never again! I guess it was too waxy or something because it did not want to take the food coloring. So Gouda, take note: You are delicious but you caused me so much strife...I don't know if we can ever be friends again :P

Kidlet has a soy ham sandwich with gouda Angry Bird, carrots, and checkered apple.

Ghostie Bento for Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Oh hai. Remember me? :D Happy Halloween everyone! I have been sadly lacking in bento material lately but I pulled it together to make a lunch today. It's nothing spectacular but Kidlet was happy :)

Kidlet has two ghostie sandwiches that are soy ham and cheese with sugar eyes. On the side are cheese crackers and a Jack-O-Lantern apple all packed up in one of our EasyLunchBoxes

Kidlet was The Doctor, Matt Smith style for Halloween. He is in love with his sonic screwdriver.

Candy Graph! Kidlet got quite the haul this year. The TARDIS bag he is holding up really was bigger on the inside ;) I made it from felt and hot glue and it held up really well!

I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.

2011-09-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

A tribute to the current Doctor with a bow tie and a fez! Every incarnation of the Doctor brings something new in terms of style and Matt Smith as the Doctor loves bow ties and funny hats!

Kidlet has bowtie and fez made from cheese and food colors sitting on top of a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, carrots, and grapes

Exterminate! Exterminate!

2011-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

We are continuing the week with more Doctor Who love! Today's lunch involves a Dalek, one of the recurring villains on the show. I decided to be lazy and just leave it in sketch form but I think it still works

Kidlet has a Dalek cheese on a soy ham sandwich, pita crisps, grapes, carrots, and checkered apple.

You're not the TARDIS, you're a mad bitey lady

2011-08-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

So Saturday night brought us a new episode of Doctor Who and the first episode Kidlet got to watch as it was happening. I didn't let him watch until the end of the last season and so we had a few months to play catch up and he loves it! I was worried about it being too scary for him still but I was wrong....he is braver than I am!

Kidlet has a TARDIS cheese on top of a soy ham sandwich. On the side are grapes, checkered apple, and carrots.

Panda in a cupcake

2011-08-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of the sweet comments yesterday :) It's nice to not feel outraged alone sometimes. Kidlet had another great day of 5th grade and we are happy to have a weekend ahead of us! This is actually a lunch from Zoo Camp that I never got to post.

Kidlet had a soy ham sandwich with panda in a cupcake made from cheese and food colors. On the side are carrots, checkered apple, hard boiled egg, and grapes

Hello Grade 5!

2011-08-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my little boy got on the bus this morning for his first day of 5th grade. I know I wonder this every year....but seriously.....how did that happen!?!

We had a rather traumatic day yesterday involving a doctor telling my son during a check up that he is overweight and will need to count calories and exercise 30 minutes a day. Wait....WHAT?!? He had gained some weight over the last year when he had to take steroids for his asthma....this was in his chart! Who tells a child to count calories?! Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like an eating disorder waiting to happen? And does running around outside chasing your friends all afternoon no longer count as activity?! Of course, when asked if there was anything wrong with his health the doctor could not say because he is in excellent health. Poor Kidlet was shattered and I was very close to becoming violent towards someone for the first time in my life. Of course we will be switching doctors....had never seen this one before and will never again. Phooey on him. Not a great way to start out a new school year.

Kidlet's first day lunch is a soy ham sandwich with cheese paper, carrots, and checkered apple.

Despite a rough day before, Kidlet loves 5th grade so far! He has a great teacher and wonderful friends! His shirt says Voldemort can't stop the ROCK! It's from the Harry and the Potters concert we went to over the summer!

And check out his awesome backpack! Harry Potter all the way!

You otter enjoy this...

2011-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

Kidlet requested an Otter bento mid week for Zoo Camp. They went on a little boat ride and saw otters playing. So cute!

Bento contains soy ham sandwich with cheese otter and water, carrots, grapes, cherries, and seashell apple.

Purple Narwhal

2011-08-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

On the first day of Zoo Camp the kids always pick what animal their group will be. Last year, Kidlet was in the Green Group and they chose to be the Sloths. On the second day of camp I made him a sloth bento of course! So this year I was very excited to find out what animal I would be making on the second day of camp! His group color this year is purple and.......they chose to be the Narwhals.

My reaction to this news looked something like this: ?!@#(@&$&#^ I have no idea what made someone suggest a Narwhal or what made them all vote for it....but they are the Purple Narwhals and naturally Kidlet felt I was up to the job of representing this in bento form.

Here we have a Purple Narwhal made from cheese and food color sitting on top of a soy ham sandwich. On the side are cherries, checkered apple, and carrots.

Hey, where's Perry?

2011-08-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Kidlet started Zoo Camp this week. It's his second year and he is really loving it! The bonus is bento lunches of course. That and now that he is in the older group he gets to spend the night on Thursday at the zoo!

When I asked him what he would like to see in his lunch he said "A Platypus.....Oh! Perry!"

In his three tier tiffin Kidlet has a soy ham sandwich with Perry the Platypus cheese, carrots, checkered apple, cherries, dressing container, pistacios, and pita crackers.

And since we've been gone for so long, here's a taste of what we've been doing this summer:

We saw Harry and the Potters perform in a free library concert! If you haven't heard of them, check them out. They make up very amusing songs about Harry Potter! :)

Kidlet was in the wedding of my buddy :) Here he is with the bride looking all cute in a tux with bowtie and chucks.

And of course what summer is complete without swimming lessons?! Kidlet finally hit his swimming stride and breezed through two levels in one week!

Amazing Giveaway at AllThingsForSale

2011-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

*coughs* So....yeah :) Sorry for dropping off the planet for a bit there. It's been a crazy summer break so far. I am hoping to have some new content for you starting next week! Woo! In the meantime, I could not go without mentioned this AMAZING giveaway that is going on over at AllThingsForSale.

They are giving away a set of Lunch Punch sandwich cutters (which I have been drooling over for a long time!) as well as a bunch of bento accessories!

So head over to AllThingsForSale and enter now!! Look at all the cute stuffs!!

Muffin Tin Monday - Memorial Day style

2011-05-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Kidlet is thrilled to be out of school for the summer, even if I am making him do math worksheets :P Don't feel too bad for him, he likes it! When he handed me his finished sheets and I told him I would grade them later he got extremely excited and said "Will you do the percents?!? And give me a grade card at the end of the summer?" Silly kid. I obliged and will be tracking his progress. If he keeps A's on his summer work he will get a treat before school starts! Check out other tins today at Muffin Tin Monday

Top L-R: Red white and blue layered jello, potato salad, mexican grilled corn
Bottom L-R: Soy hot dog half, cherries, soy hot dog half

Not too exciting as far as muffin tins go, however, CHECK OUT MY JELLO!! I've seen layered Jello before but figured it would be a big hassle to make. Not so! It was super easy and Kidlet could not get enough of it's silly wigglyness.

Doctor Who's cutest little villain!

2011-05-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

With this bento we say farewell to grade 4! Kidlet is thrilled to be on summer vacation now! We've been watching Doctor Who episodes lately and when Kidlet saw this Adipose creature in one episode he wanted it for bento. He also wants the plushie they make of it, it is a funny little villain. We'll ignore the irony of a fat blob creature in a bento lunch :D

Very simply today, Kidlet has Adipose cheese creature on top of a soy ham sandwich. On the side are potato salad and cherries.

While we say farewell to grade 4 we are also saying farewell to some bento gear! The above box has been hingeless for about half the year now....it's one of my favorite's but it must go. We have a few boxes that are in great condition that need a new home, thinking about a giveaway or series of giveaways in the near future.....

Here's a before shot of our out of control bento bin. Organized shots will be coming soon!

Picnic bento

2011-05-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit run over by end of school happenings this week. Every morning Kidlet likes to tell me just how many days are left.....only one now. He made me cry a little in the car when he said "In August I will have my very last first day of elementary school" WHAT?!? He's gotten very good at phrasing things just the right way to make me weepy.

I brought this bento to school for Kidlet on Family Picnic day. It holds oranges, grapes, checkered apple, grapes,cherries, gyoza shaped egg salad sandwiches, Trader Joe's honey wheat pretzel sticks, and colored bell peppers. Kidlet was sulky during lunch and when I asked what was wrong he said "You always put dessert in the middle......WHERE IS DESSERT?!?!" Ooops :/

And despite his insisting on growing up all the time....he still looks pretty adorable when he falls asleep on the couch during a rainstorm.

Annual Field Trip Lunch- Harry Potter Style

2011-05-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

So today was Kidlet's school field trip. This year they went to a local metro park to learn about plants. This of course means that he needed a completely disposable lunch, which of course grinds on me especially when they are teaching about conservation. Phooey. I mean, if they have to carry the lunches there why is it so hard to carry them back?

Anyway, Kidlet and his friends are REALLY in to Harry Potter right now. So much so that he actually asked his Grandma for chores when he went to her house so he could earn money for a wand. Kidlet has never been one to ask for more chores so this is serious love. You can see other Harry Potter lunches I have made here.

Today Kidlet has a cheese sorting hat on top of a soy ham sandwich. On the side are blueberries, strawberry, orange bell pepper, and blackberries.

Here it is closed up. In order to make the bento disposable I used a cherry tomato container. Not thrilled that it probably got trashed instead of recycled but what can you do? Alongside bento Kidlet had a chocolate soy milk and some cheddar bunnies.

And like last year's field trip, Kidlet had to have his paper bag become a little more fancy. This year he got Harry Potter drawn on with colored pencils. Last year he had R2D2.

Kit Fisto bento

2011-05-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Star Wars day everyone :) May the 4th be with you....he he. Kidlet rattled off a long list of characters he'd like for bento but finally settled on Kit Fisto. He found this cute little character of Kit and asked me to reproduce it in his lunch today!

Kit Fisto is cheese and food coloring and sits on a soy ham sandwich. On the side are grapes, checkered apple, and orange slice.

Of course I also had to make some cute little chocolate Darth Vader cookies. Recipe can be found over at Bake at 350.

A royal bento

2011-04-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Kidlet won't let me put princess crowns in his bento, so this was the closest I could get to making a royal wedding bento for him ;)

Kidlet has a boca chik'n patty on an english muffin, decorated with a cheese flag. Also included are cheddar bunnies, pistacios, oranges, checkered apple, and pears

Are you free?

2011-04-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

This one may require a little explaination. One of our favorite shows is Are You Being Served? I used to watch it as a kid and it's fun to watch it now with Kidlet. If you're unfamiliar, it's a British comedy that takes place in a department store. During one episode they are having a German week and only selling German goods. The gimic doesn't go over well and only Mr.Granger manages to sell anything, strumpfs! Which means stockings/socks! If you've never seen this show you should give it a try, it's hilarious.

Kidlet has a peanut butter sandwich decorated with cheese. On the side are checkered apple, orange, and grapes.

Kidlet even got his own pair of fuzzy strumpfs in his Easter basket over the weekend!

Bunny roll bento

2011-04-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

The sun has finally peeked out today! It's still pretty chilly out but hopefully the sun will start to warm us up! This is Kidlet's last bento for the week since they have the day off tomorrow! I found the instructions for these adorable bunny rolls at Lunches Fit For a Kid and just used my favorite quick dinner roll recipe!

Kidlet has a bunny shaped roll, Morningstar Farms veggie "sausage", checkered apple, red and yellow peppers, grapes, and a container of dressing

E.B. from HOP

2011-04-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the movie HOP yet you should put it on your list! It is super cute! More storms this week means more lighting issues. Come on spring weather, help me out! Check out other noms today at What's for Lunch Wednesday

Kidlet has E.B. made from cheese and food colors on an egg shaped peanut butter sandwich. On the side are grapes, bunny apple, sweet yellow peppers, and dip in a container

Egg-cellent bento

2011-04-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Trying out a new bento we got, review on it coming soon. I had a hard time filling it this morning and I'm not sure if that's because it's so much bigger than most of our other bentos or if it was the lack of sleep. Apparently no one told Ohio that it's spring now so of course it's freezing and rainy today. I left the windows open when I fell asleep and woke up as a popsicle!

Top tier has egg shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a side of yogurt with strawberry jam and sprinkles. The egg is decorated green with food coloring spray.

Bottom tier is grapes, apple bunny, red and yellow peppers, and a container of ranch dip.

Funny Gougere Bunnies

2011-04-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

I used to watch the Martha Stewart show as a kid. I'm not really sure what other kids were watching but I'm guessing it wasn't Martha. I've been really enjoying her new series Martha Bakes and bookmarked this recipe for Gougeres as soon as I saw her make them. I knew I wanted to try making these and even go outside of the box a little and pipe cute bunnies and bears. Now that I am thinking about it I wish I had tried puppies too. Oh well, next time. To make the animals just follow the recipe I linked and instead of pipping circles....pipe a circle then pipe ears attached! Super easy.

Bunny Gougeres are decorated with cheese mouths and candy eyes. Behind them are Boca nuggets, grapes, checkered apple, and carrots. Underneath the bunnies are a small container of ketchup and some granola.

The bunnies were a huge hit with Kidlet! I think these would be fun as an appetizer at an easter party also!

Bunny pancakes

2011-04-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

Bring on the bunnies!! Today we finally had some nice spring like weather :) This is the last of the pre-grocery store trip bento lunches so pics from now on will involve more color! Check out other lunches today at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Kidlet has bunny shapes pancakes with a container of syrup, checkered apple, and yogurt with granola. Not the most exciting things but I think the cute bunny makes up for it.

Pizza Bunny

2011-03-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

So apparently, Kidlet hates vegetables, making him the worst vegetarian ever. I've decided to just ignore his complaints so our mornings go something like this:

Kidlet looking at lunch: Ugh....I hate carrots and cucumber!! Blech
Me: No you don't
Kidlet: Yeah, I really do
Me: Nah, you love them
Kidlet: *exhasperated sigh*

He complains, but then he eats them! So next time your child claims to dislike something, just pretend you can't hear them!

Today Kidlet had leftover pizza with a cheese bunny, checkered apple, yogurt, carrots, and cucumber. Behind the bunny pick is a container of dressing. All packed up in one of our EasyLunchboxes.

A Little Lion Lunch!

2011-03-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

Back from Spring Break. If I were Kidlet I would say it was refreshing and relaxing. But really, it was exhausting! I am glad he is back in school :) I was silly enough to allow Kidlet to have a sleepover party here...only two additional boys but good lord! Who knew three boys could make so much noise....for so long....and never tire??!!? Never.Again!

Today Kidlet's lunch is packed in one of our EasyLunchboxes. It contains a cheese sandwich with lion decoration, pretzel rods, yogurt with sprinkles, checkered apples, and carrots.

Froggie Bento

2011-03-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Winter lighting rears it's ugly head again. I usually take my pics outside but when it is gray and rainy like today I am stuck. I've considered a lightbox or maybe Pendant Lighting to fix this but I'm having trouble making a decision. Anyone use a light source other than the sun they can recommend?

Kidlet's lunch today is a soy ham sandwich with a little froggie face. I finally found some sugar eyes and couldn't wait to try them! On the side are grapes, checkered apple, and orange slices.

Happy Pi Day!

2011-03-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Today is Pi day, 3/14! To celebrate Kidlet wore his Pi Shirt from Think Geek and I made him a special Pi bento!

Packed in his new bento, Kidlet has a soy ham sandwich with a cheese Pi symbol. On the side are grapes, panda cookies, checkered apple, and carrots.

Pardon the dust

2011-03-12T16:43:00.001-08:00

If the blog is being funky for the next few days, please bear with me :) I have purchased bentoforkidlet.com and we are making the transition to having a cool new address! Yay!

Fun Bento Finds!

2011-03-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Cental Ohio area, there are a couple of places to find cute bento boxes and a few accessories! Kidlet and I had a little birthday shopping spree in honor of my turning 28 yesterday or "becoming super old *according to Kidlet*"

Hana Gifts is a great place for all of your Hello Kitty needs. Since we do not have a Sanrio store anywhere near us, this is the next best thing. Half of the store is basically devoted to adorable stationary and Sanrio goods. The other half has books, kitchenware, and household decor. The prices aren't the cheapest but since we don't have to pay shipping I find it evens out.

I believe we used great restraint! Kidlet got an adorable Pochacco bento, the top left red Hello Kitty bento is a gift for Kidlet's gramma! the two lower boxes are mine, muwahahaha! They each hold two more boxes, another pic of that below! We also picked up some more baran and an adorable Hello Kitty ice mold!

Here are the box sets I found and I am so over the moon for them! One set is Rilakkuma and they are all sitting on cakes and sweets! The set on the right is Mamegoma and they are also on sweets! How adorable is that??! I could not resist them....

Next door to Hana Gifts is a grocery store called Tensuke Market. They have a great selection of grocery items as well as an attached restaurant. If you like sushi they also have a TON of that. While they do carry a few bento boxes, the prices are hilarious. Seriously I laughed out loud a little. They do have a few accessory type items that are more reasonably priced as well as rice molds.

The best find I encountered was packets of Pokemon nori cutouts!! Fantastic, Kidlet was so excited for this!

Among the tasty treats we found I also picked up a container of tiny paper bento cups and an adorable rice bowl with pandas on it! The Hi-Chew pack is open because Kidlet could not wait.

Puppy Bento

2011-03-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

So, today is Dr.Suess' birthday! I had an adorable bento planned for this event but I got the days mixed up! I thought it was tomorrow :/ bah! I didn't realize my mistake until I had already packed Kidlet's lunch. So, Happy Birthday Dr.Suess! Thank you for penning my favorite book ever written :)

Kidlet has a Husky Puppy made from food colors and cheese sitting on top fo a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, strawberries, and carrots

Prince Fluff

2011-02-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

So naturally, when I finally get a chance to bento this week, Kidlet has no school. We woke up to the snow coming down and an automated call from the school saying it was closed. Oh well, he enjoyed this at home :)

Kidlet and I have been playing Kirby's Epic Yarn and he plays as Prince Fluff so he needed to be in a bento!Bad lighting is brought to you by our lovely snow storm. pfft.

Kirby and background are cheese and food coloring markers. They sit on top of a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, carrots, and strawberries

And now, for all of you Facebookers, you cane now follow BentoForKidlet :) isn't that fun? Check the box to the right!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine's Day, a day most people either love or hate. Despite being single I am a fan of Valentine's Day! It's a good reminder to let the people in your life know how much you care. Plus it means I get to cook everything in heart shapes.

I made these heart shaped soft pretzels last night and they are delicious! Never having made soft pretzels before I didn't know how they would turn out but they were easy and so good! I used this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod and instead of making bites I shaped the dough in to hearts. Just make sure to pinch the ends together well so they don't fall apart and splash you with boiling hot water. Not that I know anything about that.

Kidlet has lunch packed in one of our EasyLunchboxes. Two soft pretzel hearts, container of mustard, strawberries, soy sausage, grapes, and checkered apple.

And here's a shot of the heart pretzels. So cute!

CSN Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

How did it become February all of a sudden? Hopefully next week we will be able to get back to bento! Kidlet is down with the flu this week :( boo! Soup and ice cream just do not make a pretty bento.

In happy news, here is the winner of the $55 gift card to CSN Stores. Congrats to Debbie!

House of Anubis Bento

2011-01-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

Kidlet and I have been watching a new show on Nick called House of Anubis. It reminds me a lot of old Nick shows I watched as a kid like Hey, Dude! and Are You Afraid of the Dark? We have a lot fun watching it together and wondering what will happen next! The symbol that pops up a lot and is even part of the logo is the eye of horus sideways. Kidlet told me it's important to mention that it's sideways...he informed me that the "real" eye of horus is like a real eye. Oookkaaay :)

House of Anubis symbol is cheese and food coloring and sits on top of a soy ham sandwich. On the side are strawberries, grapes, and orange slices.

Check out more fun noms today at What's for lunch Wednesday?

Snow Day Giveaway!

2011-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Kidlet has no school today because of the snow and cold temps. We're having soup and grilled cheese instead of bento today to try to stay warm! And what better way to celebrate a day off than with a giveaway! I want to take a moment to be mushy with you and say that I appreciate each and every one of my readers and bento buddies. You make this bento adventure even more exciting! Thanks for sticking with me :)
Now, what is being given away you might ask? Well, my super buddies over at CSN Stores have given me a $55 gift card to their site to give away to one of you! CSN has over 200 stores so I am certain you won't have any trouble spending it! They even have some bento gear now!

Let me make a few suggestions to entice you...

This Zojirushi - Classic Stainless Lunch Jar is just $49.95 plus free shipping right now!

A three piece Eco Lunchbox set is only $16.60! I've heard great things about these boxes!

A Nordicware Platinum Sweetheart Rose Muffin Pan would make great little muffins and cakes for bento lucnhes!

I could go on all day! There is a lot to choose from, but I will let you have fun and check out all CSN has to offer for yourself! On to the giveaway!

*Giveaway Rules* - You must complete the mandatory entry before any of the optional entries. Optional entries are just that, optional. Please do not feel obligated to complete them :) If your email is not visible on your Blogger profile, please be sure to leave it in the comments!

Mandatory entry:
Tell me what you might buy with your $55 gift code!

Optional Entries:

1. Follow my blog (publicly) (if you already follow just leave a comment saying that for extra entry)
2. Blog about this contest (with a link to my blog) and post a link to your blog in the comments here (3 entries, leave 3 different comments saying you've blogged w/link)
3.Tweet about this giveaway and provide a link to your tweet
4. Follow me on twitter: bentoforkidlet (you get an extra entry if you already follow too!)
The winner will be selected on 1/31 via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to my email. Thanks!

Tasty Chili bento

2011-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

With the cold weather sticking around, Kidlet has really been loving his thermos. He loves to watch me fix his bento while doing his homework on our modern dining room furniture. We're super exciting like that.

Kidlet has super bean chili in his thermos. On the side is coleslaw, carrots, checkered apple, and grapes. The coleslaw is in a little container that has a lid to prevent it from tumbling around.

Gregory the Terrible Eater

2011-01-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite childhood books is Gregory, the Terrible Eater. If you've never read this book you really should! It's message goes along perfectly with bento! It's all about trying new things and finding balance in your eating. Plus there are goats. Kidlet enjoyed the book with me for the first time last night and chuckled when I read the part about his food being "good and rubbery" because apparently I say that all the time and he wondered what it meant :P

Lunch contains Gregory cheese on top of a soy ham sandwich with a side of grapes, cherries, carrots, and dragonfruit.

CSN Review: L'Equip Stick Blender

2011-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

I am ridiculously behind in my reviewing now. Bad me. My super buddies over at CSN Stores gave me the opportunity to review the L'Equip Stick Blender and I have been having so much fun with it that I nearly forgot about the reviewing part ;) I've wanted a stick blender for a long time because we love potato leek soup and I hate scooping it in to my blender to smooth. It gets everywhere and dirties another dish....who needs that?!

Look how shiny! Makes you feel fancy just looking at it, doesn't it? I read a lot of reviews myself before finally settling on this particular stick blender. It is on sale at CSN Stores right now for $69.99 and has free shipping! There are lots of cheaper stick blenders out there, but this one is worth the price.

When I opened my stick blender I got an amazing suprise, it does even more than I thought it did! It came with lots of attachments including a whisk and a chopping accessory.

The first thing I made was potato leek soup and the blender worked like a dream! It creamed my soup quickly and easily with no having to transfer the soup to a big blender...such a time saver!

I used the whisk attachment to make some homemade whipped cream one night and it was fantastic! So easy to take the attachments on and off which is a big bonus.

Finally, the chopping attachment....how I love it! I don't own a food processor so this attachment has been so helpful to me in the kitchen. I've made quick breadcrumbs, chopped herbs and nuts....it's amazing! So quick and easy!

Clean up with the L'Equip is a breeze as well. Everything washes of easily and a lot of the accessories can even go in the dishwasher.

Overall I think you cannot go wrong with this stick blender if it's something you're in the market for. It has certainly made me one very happy camper! *or cooker? :P hehe*

Fried Rice bento

2011-01-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Kidlet is finally back in school for the new year. Not that I didn't love spending time with but honestly, if we spend any more time together we will merge in to one person. No one wants that lol. Even though this lunch is not super fancy, Kidlet was very excited about it.

In the thermos Kidlet has fried rice with veggies and cut up Morningstar Farms Chik'n strips. In the side container is a checkered apple, orange slices, and some organic fruit snack sharks.

Want some more lunch? Check out What's for Lunch Wednesday

So long 2010

2010-12-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

It has become an annoying tradition that I get sick for New Year's Eve. So instead of a fabulous new years bento I am jumping on the bandwagon and doing a year in reviewor a Top 10 of 2010I can't believe another fantastic year of bentoing is coming to a close. Here's to great new things in 2011!!

This Badtz Maru was a really exciting 2010 moment because it was the first bento that I figured out how to achieve that super black look using watered down gel food color and a paintbrush.

And of course 2010 was a great year for Star Wars which continues to be one of Kidlet's faves.

Adventure Time became another fave for Kidlet which promted several bentos. This was the first attempt at a separate background piece.

We tried out a new tiffin style lunch and Kidlet liked it a lot, especially this bento featuring one of his new tshirts!

Harry Potter was another constant in 2010. This Hogwarts Crest was so detailed that I don't think my hand ever recovered!

Kidlet studied Walt Disney and had a few bento featuring Mickey and friends

The Winter Olympics were properly celebrated with their cute little mascots

We used the tiffin a lot during summer Zoo camp! This porcupine was inspired by a friend they met at camp!

More Star Wars of course! These cookie cutters sure have gotten a lot of use in our house during 2010!

And we end with a funny little St.Patrick's Day fellow! 2010 brought a lot of changes in my drawing and apple carving skills!

Happy New Year to all of my super readers and bento buddies! I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for all of us!

Oh Christmas Tree......

2010-12-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes me feel older than Kidlet's birthday. As of Monday, he is now a whopping 10 years old. How did that happen?! No birthday bento is brought to you by the giant kid party we had the night before and my discovery that I am not in fact 12 people.

Trying to get in the holiday spirit now! Kidlet has a soy ham sandwich shaped like a tree with little star sprinkles. On the side are grapes, blackberries, apple, and carrots.

Check out other festive lunches this week at What's For Lunch Wednesday

And here is what I have been doing lately. Kidlet's birthday cake is Wicket with his tree house hut thing. The cake is chocolate with oreo filling and covered in marshmallow fondant. Wicket is made using a tiny bear cake pan and the hut is thanks to the giant cupcake pan borrowed from a neighbor :)

And this is what a 10 year old Kidlet looks like :) I made his birthday sweatshirt with fabric markers. They are awesome, just like food color markers!

Potter Mania

2010-11-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Lack of bento this past week was due to complete Potter mania at our house :) Deathly Hallows *part1* came out on Friday so Thursday night Kidlet attended his first midnight showing! Normally I never would have let him since it was a school night, but one of my best buddies came from out of town so we had to! It was so much fun!

This bento is inspired by Potter Puppet Pals. If you haven't seen these videos you really should, they are hysterical!

Puppet!Harry is cheese and food colors and sits on a Quorn chik'n patty sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, carrots, walnuts, almonds, and dried blueberries

And here is a celebration cupcake! The Deathly Hallows symbol is fondant and food coloring marker. The cupcake is pumpkin with cream cheese icing.....soo good! I got the recipe from Shannon @ bentolunch.net. The only change I made was using pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and of course making cupcakes :) They were delicious!

Woodstock Bento

2010-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I am sorry the news took so long, Kidlet and I have been sick this week, but the lunch bag was in fact returned Monday morning!! YAY!! :) Of course, it would be the one time he didn't finish everything inside....the smell was super *gag*. I am happy to have it back regardless :)

I have been feeling pretty low on autumn bento inspiration. Sure there are leaves.....but I felt pretty stuck! That is until I thought about Charlie Brown and Snoopy and of course, Woodstock!

Woodstock on pumpkins is cheese with food coloring and sits on a soy ham sandwich. On the side are orange slices, pomegranate, and apple leaf.

A bento tale of woe

2010-11-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

This bento was so full of promise.....delicious leftovers just right for sending to school!Kidlet watched me fix the bento, adding in his comments of what should be included, as he perched atop a counter stool. The bento made it safely to school where it was loved and consumed!

Bento includes leftovers from Olive Garden last night! 5 cheese ziti, salad, breadstick, pomegranate, orange slices, and checkered apple.

So far so good right? Where could the woe possible come in to play? It comes in after school, when someone else's child takes home Kidlet's lunchbag and we are now wondering if we will ever see it again :( Here's hoping they send it back to school on Monday. The two round bento in the picture are brand new! I didn't even get a chance to snap a pic of their tops this morning, they are so cute. I am hoping they will be returned!

Muffin Tin Monday: Dessert Style

2010-11-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

I missed out on the autumnal theme this week because I've spent all day baking for Kidlet's bake sale at school tomorrow. Since I was in the kitchen all day we had takeout for dinner :P but I put together some bake sale leftovers for Kidlet to take outside and share with the neighbor buddies! Please excuse the crappy picture, the sun was in a rude spot when I was trying to take this!

L-R: Lemon Cookie wedges, Pomegranate, Peanut Butter Cupcake, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pound Cake, Almond Poppyseed Cake, Apple Chunks

The kids all enjoyed their after dinner treat, the tin was wiped clean when I went outside to get it!

Check out other tins at Muffin Tin Monday

Final Halloween bento

2010-10-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to see Halloween go, but at least there will be no shortage of bento inspiration with more holidays approaching :)

Lunch Friday was a Boca Chik'n patty pumpkin (face done with a paper stencil and food color spray), oranges, pomegranate, and a boo apple

Kidlet in his Harry Potter costume. Yes, I know the scar is on the wrong side. Oh well :P

And a random cute picture of Kidlet with my dad's puppy Ralph. We visited for the first time since the new addition today and Kidlet had a blast :)

CSN Review: Ginsu Knives!

2010-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

I was *not so* recently given the opportunity to try out some Ginsu Knives from my awesome buddies at CSN Stores. I have always harbored a desire to own Ginsu knives. I must admit that I am easily swayed by commercials. Just watch this one and tell me you don't want to own some too!

I didn't cut branches before cutting my tomatoes but the knives have all worked amazingly well so far! My biggest needs were for cheese and apples, the heart of my bento work ;) The smaller paring and steak knives both worked for these purposes. Cutting through the apple skin to make intricate work was a breeze! The larger knives all chop beautifully and the bread knife even sliced through a soft loaf without squashing it.

The only downside to these knives is that if you leave them with wetness on them they will start to rust eventually. Not a huge deal, it just means I have to be slightly less lazy about my knives. If you don't tend to use, abuse, and then leave your knives you won't have a problem!

I'm really glad I gave the Ginsu knives a try because they are epic! And as always, working with the CSN team was epic also :D

Hogwarts Crest Bento

2010-10-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, quite some time ago I did a series of all the Hogwarts house crests. You may recall them here. Kidlet decided to be Harry Potter for Halloween this year so I thought I would tackle the one crest I hadn't done yet, the Hogwarts crest. My cramping hand is not thanking me for it :P

Lunch is a boca chik'n patty sandwich with Hogwarts cheese drawn on using food coloring markers. On the side are pomegranate, apple lightening bolt, and oranges.

Check out more lunch fun this week at What's For Lunch Wednesday

MTM: Halloween time!

2010-10-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Halloween is really coming on much too fast for my taste. We're booked solid this week with no rest, yikes! Please excuse the bad lighting, it's getting darker earlier now :P Guess I need to start dinner sooner! Check out other spooky tins at Muffin Tin Monday

Top L-R: Spicy witches fingers *fries*, Chik'n patty sandwich with Jack O'Lantern face, Vampire Blood *ketchup*

Bottom L-R: Pomegranate with spooky apple mouth, yogurt, and broccoli

Kitty in a Pumpkin

2010-10-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

Kidlet prefers his Halloween bento to be cute and not too spooky. This one is pretty darn cute all packed up on one of our Easy Lunch Boxes.

Lunch contains a soy ham sandwich with kitty in a pumpkin cheese, carrots, and dip in the main container. On the side are a pumpkin whoopie pie, pomegranate seeds, and an apple bat

Spooky eggplant pasta bento lunch

2010-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's sort of spooky....maybe :) We had a huge Halloween party here over the weekend for Kidlet's friends. This was his lunch on Friday to get in to the spirit!

Kidlet's thermos has pasta with eggplant and ricotta mixed in. Side container has a spoooky cornbread with cheese tombstone, apple mouth with almond sliver fangs, green beans under the mouth, and mandarin oranges.

Lack of muffin tin monday today is due to it being rainy and gross :P So instead of a proper meal Kidlet and I had Happy Meals and watched Men in Black 2. In my defense, the meals came in HALLOWEEN PAILS. That makes it okay ;) bwahaha

Koala Chili

2010-10-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, this chili is not made from koala. There's just one near it :) Cooler fall weather means more soups! This thermos is working out really well for us. Kidlet says it's still piping hot at lunch time! Yay! I fill it with boiling water with the lid set on top while I prepare the food. Then dump the water, dry off and add in the noms.

Kidlet has a thermos full of three bean chili. On the side is a tiny apple from our apple adventures, baguette slices with cheese Koala mama and baby, carrots, and dip.

Love lunch? Join in at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Muffin Tin Monday: Pumpkins!

2010-10-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today's Muffin Tin Monday theme is Pumpkins! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. The air grows cooler and crisp.....there are lots of apple and pumpkin treats, and lots of fun to look forward too! I always feel good once the fall begins :D

Top L-R: peanut butter pumpkin sandwich, homemade applesauce from our apple picking adventures, and another pb pumpkin
Bottom L-R: Broccoli in light cheese, Pumpkin cheesecake square, carrots and ranch

I met him in a swamp down in dagobah.....

2010-09-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

So, Kidlet is obsessed with Star Wars as you may have already figured out. I like it too but when he starts going in to extreme detail I begin to daydream about dining sets. No seriously I do. Our table is jacked up and old and does not fit in the space of our tiny apartment. But it's functional and there it stays.So anyway, Kidlet requested Yoda for his bento yesterday. WRINKLES ARE HARD. the end.

Cheese and food color Yoda sits smugly atop a soy ham sandwich. On the side are pretzels, grapes, carrots, and strawberries.

On Sunday Build-A-Bear Workshop hosted an awesome Star Wars event to celebrate their new Star Wars bear and outfits! Woo! Of course, loving both Star Wars and BABW, we were so there!

Kidlet with his bear and Darth Vader. This guys was like 7 million feet tall. Seriously.

Kidlet and bear with a Snow Trooper and a pilot of some kind. Please don't kill me for failing to know the name :P

Kidlet is so in love with this bear it isn't even funny. It plays the theme song and the lightsaber even makes action noises. Crazy!

And since you couldn't really see it in the other pics, check out Kidlet's awesome tee! Also, I don't know where his eyes go when he smiles.

MTM: Shapes

2010-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

This week's Muffin Tin Monday theme is shapes! This weekend Kidlet and I took our annual trip to the Apple Orchard and brought home a whopping 34 pounds of apples! So today's french toast is inspired by my kitchen table being covered in apples :P

Top L-R: Apple-Cinnamon stuffed french toast triangles, syrup, soy sausage rounds
Bottom L-R: Apple squares, oval grapes, and banana hunks *no, a hunk is not a shape but these are sort of square and sort of pointy so whatever :P*

The great news about Kidlet getting bigger every year is that this year I did not have to lift him up to the trees at all!

In case you ever wanted to know, this is what 34 pounds of apples looks like.

Kidlet says they are super delicious!

Apple Cinnamon stuffed French Toast
_______________________________
Ingredients:
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 grated apples
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP brown sugar
bread slices
1 egg
milk

1.) Grate the apples (Or if you like slice them in to chunks....Kidlet does not like apple pie type apples so I grated them)
2.) Combine cream cheese, sour cream, apples, cinnamon, and sugar
3.) Spread mixture between two slices of bread
4.) In a shallow dish, combine 1 egg and a small amount of milk. Dip toast sandwiches in to the mixture and cook in a skillet until golden brown

Luke, I am your pancake....

2010-09-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

So, thanks to a super amazing neighbor who had a William Sonoma gift card she didn't want, Kidlet and I scored some sweet Star Wars gear :D We got the Star Wars Pancake Molds as well as an apron for Kidlet.

So for lunch Kidlet had two Darth Vader pancakes, soy sausage on skewers, syrup, grapes, and orange slices. Packed up nicely in one of our EasyLunchBoxes

The set came with three molds: Darth Vader, Yoda, and a Stormtrooper. The molds were a lot of fun but a lot of work first thing in the morning. I was very glad I had made the pancake batter last night!

Kidlet holding the pancakes in his SW apron. So cute!

Floppy Kitties Bento

2010-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

When I asked what Kidlet wanted in his bento today he said "The floppy kitties from Azumanga Daioh". I couldn't have been more thrilled with the request, easy easy!!! :) For anyone who doesn't know, Azumanga Daioh is an anime.

Floppy kitties are cheese and food color marker and sit on top of a tofurkey sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, grapes, and dragonfruit

Muffin Tin Monday - Bhajis for Breakfast

2010-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, yes it is Tuesday but since it was a busy holiday yesterday we are going to pretend :) Bhajis are sort of like a vegetable fritter with Indian spices and Kidlet loves to eat them anytime of day but we usually have them at breakfast! Want more MuffinTin fun? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

Top L-R: Bhajis, scrambled eggs, more Bhajis
Bottom L-R: Plain yogurt with strawberry slices, ketchup, grapes

Bhajis are so delicious and versatile. Below I give you my standard recipe but you can put whatever you like in it or leave some things out! Any veggie you can shred up that you have on hand can go in!

Bhajis Recipe
_________

1 zucchini
1 carrot
1 sweet potato
1 red onion
1 green pepper *not bell, but any kind of spicy pepper you like, or leave it out!*
1 cup chickpea flour *any kind of flour you have on hand is fine but we prefer the chickpea*
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
oil for frying

Directions
________
Shred the first 3 veggies. Finely chop the onion and pepper and place in bowl with shredded veg. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Drop by spoonful in to hot oil and fry on both sides until golden brown

Panera leftover bento

2010-09-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Leftovers are my life saver :) Kidlet and I had Panera for dinner last night so leftovers went for lunch today! Low on the cute factor but extra points for deliciousness :D

Kidlet has half of a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich *this is tomato, onion, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, feta and hummus* On the side are strawberries and yogurt with granola on top.

This is packed in one of our super awesome Easy Lunch Boxes

Leftover Pasta bento

2010-09-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ack! It's Thursday! And do you want to know where all the bento has been? In my mind because Kidlet has bought his lunch almost every day this week. But don't worry, his school has gone with a new lunch company and has MUCH better options....even 2 daily vegetarian options! Woo! Bento won't be disappearing but it won't be daily around here for a little while. I started a job training thing this week and it is taking a lot out of me. I'm hoping that once our lives settle down a bit bento can become daily again :) I'm also very sorry for being a crappy commenter lately. All my time has gone out the window :( I'm still looking at all of your fantastic creations and I love every one of them!

Now, on to the bento! Also, even though it's not Wed anymore...check out more nomnoms at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Kidlet got this new thermos so we are trying out the hot foods. I'm hoping it at least stayed semi warm until lunchtime. In the thermos he has leftover pasta bake. On the side are a checkered apple, strawberries, and a skull candy coated oreo. WHAT?! I know. But I made it! I took a chocolate class at Michael's last night and Kidlet was in bed before I got home so I promised he could take one in his lunch :) I'm just breaking all the rules this week!

Mario time!

2010-08-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Since Kidlet recently beat all of the levels in his Lego Star Wars game on the Wii, he has now been playing much more Super Mario Bros. I get suckered in to being Luigi except for the rare occasion when Kidlet feels like being Blue Toad. Then I get to be Mario, muwahahaha :)

Bento today is Mario made from cheese and food color on a chick'n patty sandwich. On the side are carrots, checkered apple, and blackberries.

Last night was the last night of my cake class! So sad! It's been 3 fun months learning all kinds of new things! Our final project involved covering a cake with fondant which I had never done before, I was so nervous! And of course I had to make it Mario cake!

Mario cake is Italian Cream Cake with cream cheese frosting. The decor is all fondant and the characters were drawn on with food coloring markers

Domo invades lunchtime!

2010-08-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Kidlet really loved his matching bento yesterday and requested I do all of his new shirts. There are a few that I'm not sure if I can replicate but I told him I would try my best. Today's is easy! This is Kidlet's new Domo shirt from Think Geek. If you ever need anything nerdy, that's the site to go to! We love it!

Packed in the tiffin Kidlet has domo face made of cheese and food colors on a Boca chick'n patty sandwich. On the side are cherries, blackberries, checkered apple, oranges, and cheddar bunnies.

And Kidlet's shirt with lunch!

*Side note, none of these companies I have mentioned in my t-shirt bento posts have anything to do with us. I haven't received any kind of product or compensation to mention them. We just like them, so I guess they get some free advertising! :P

Hedgehogs do not share

2010-08-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today is Kidlet's first day of 4th grade. This year they will switch classes for Math and Science and get letter grades! What a big change! While the thought of my boy growing up often causes my eyes to tear, I also find great happiness at seeing the sweet young man he is becoming. I know he's having an awesome day :)

Lunch today was actually inspired by a t-shirt. Kidlet fell in love with Snorg Tees over the summer so we ordered some for when school started. He has been dying to wear them! He decided weeks ago that the first shirt he wanted to wear was the Hedgehog one and he asked me to make a matching bento.

Hedgehog is food coloring on cheese and sits on a Boca Chick'n Patty sandwich. On the side are blackberries, checkered apple, carrots, cherries, and cheddar bunnies.

The lunch and the shirt together! Isn't that shirt the cutest? Kidlet keeps asking me to ask him to share the hedge so he can say no.

Have a great 1st day Kidlet!

Sid the Sloth

2010-08-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

So, Kidlet's group at zoo camp became known as the Sloths. I asked if that was because they were slow and lazy but he said no, they just liked the sloth. Amusingly enough the sloth at the zoo is named Sid. If you've seen Ice Age you know what I'm saying :)

Our final zoo lunch was Sid made from cheese on top of a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are carrots, apple, cherries, and cheddar bunnies.

Cutie Kidlet in his zoo camp shirt. He wouldn't look at me without making faces so I told him to look down instead :P

Muffin Tin Monday - Indian Food under the sea!

2010-08-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, once again I almost completely forgot about Muffin Tin Monday. My brain is so scattered with back to school preparations! I added some fun under the sea theme picks to the tin this week to liven it up a bit. The picks came from grocery store cupcakes!

Top L-R: Dal, rice, Palek Paneer
Bottom L-R: Cherries, Pistachio fluff, and green beans

The pistachio fluff is just whip cream with a little pistachio pudding in it. It counts as dessert and a way to balance out the super spicy Indian food :)

Need more Muffin Tin Fun? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

Polar Bear Tiffin

2010-08-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of Zoo Camp and Kidlet can't wait to go back next year. I am thrilled that he had such a good time :) I just don't like to think about next year because he will be old enough to spend the night on the last day which in turn makes me feel old....where's my walker?!

Kidlet's lunch is peanut butter on a sandwich thin with a polar bear cheese. On the side are checkered apple, cherries, pineapple, and cheddar bunnies.

One more week until school starts.....*scary*

Porcupine Tiffin

2010-08-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's been so busy that I forgot to post lunch yesterday! We've finally decided that we're painting the house and so now there is so much to do. I've also been considering some bedroom furniture sets for Kidlet and I. So much to think about!

Yesterday's lunch for Zoo Camp is packed in our brand new Tiffin box. More about that below. Kidlet has a Porcupine made of cheese and food colors on top of a chick'n patty sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, cherries, green beans, carrots, and cheddar bunnies.

Need some more lunch-spiration? Check out What's For Lunch Wednesday

Now, about the Tiffin. It is amazing! I've always wanted one but the price can be steep and I've never seen one the right size for Kidlet. We were on our way to do grocery shopping when Kidlet begged me to first go in to a new store called Generation Green. If you're in the Cbus area check it out sometimes, you won't be sorry you did! They have a whole lunch area filled with Laptop Lunchboxes, Goodbyns *which incidently are way bigger than I imagined and seem a little silly*, Lunchbots, and Tiffins! We were in heaven! Kidlet was drawn to this tiffin right away

Please excuse the sideways picture. No idea what is going on there. But you can see on one side of the Tiffin it says Eat.Drink.Live in English and on the other it says the same thing in Hindi! Our neighbors are Indian and Kidlet recognized the Hindi right away and so this tiffin came home with us.

I must say I am very pleased with how durable and easy to wash it is :D Yay tiffin!

Panda Bento - Zoo Camp Edition

2010-08-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Kidlet has been going to Zoo Camp this week which is just a day camp at the zoo! He is in heaven right now being around all of those animals! They are talking a lot about animal conservation and Kidlet has been very moved by the stories of animals our zoo has rescued. So this week you will see lots of animal friends in his lunches!

First day of camp lunch was a Boca Chick'n patty Sandwich with a cheese Panda on top. On the side are cherries, carrots, and a checkered apple.

I've had a few questions about the soy "meat" products we use and about Kidlet's chosen diet so I will answer them here :D We call the Chick'n patty a Soy Patty and the Chick'n nuggets Soy Nuggets. Why? Because they aren't chicken and when spoken chick'n sounds the same. And that bothers Kidlet. I give the proper names of things here so you all know what product I mean.

Kidlet is a vegetarian by choice. He is a very empathetic person by nature and it didn't suprise me when he suddenly dropped his fork one day and said with tears in his eyes that he didn't want to eat animals anymore. That was 2 years ago and he has stuck to it. He eats a very healthy diet and is in great shape so there's no need to fear for his nutritional safety :)

CSN Review and Giveaway!

2010-08-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was recently given the opportunity to do another review and giveaway with CSN Stores. I have to say that the I was hesitant the first time I did this but I have found them to be a great site to work with! I have nothing but positive things to say about their selection and the ease of use of the sites. I could spend all day browsing through the vast number of items!

After about a day of browsing I finally decided to use my $30 credit for this 7 QT Hamilton Beach Slower Cooker. My old slow cooker was about half this size and the knob had broken off making it impossible to tell whether you were cooking on high or low....which is a problem lol.

I will admit to having no idea how big this was really going to be. I had it in my head that it would be slightly bigger than our other crockpot but man....this sucker is HUGE! I can feed an army :D You can get two racks of ribs in there or two giant roasts. I have been cooking up a storm and freezing the leftovers for easy weeknight meals. I've also made the world's largest batch of chili by request of the Kidlet.

I highly recommend this slow cooker, it works amazingly well AND clean up is a breeze! The only thing that I found sad was that the booklet of recipes did not come in English at all. I believe there was French, Spanish, and Chinese. But no English. Not a huge deal but I do enjoy the recipes that come along with a product so it would have been nice to be able to read them without getting out one of our foreign language dictionaries.

And now for the best part, you can have fun shopping too! CSN has graciously agreed to give away a $30 gift credit to one of my readers!

*Giveaway Rules* - You must complete the mandatory entry before any of the optional entries. If your email is not visible on your Blogger profile, please be sure to leave it in the comments!

Mandatory entry:
Tell me what you want to use your $30 credit for!

Optional Entries:
1. Follow my blog (publicly)
2. Blog about this contest (with a link to my blog) and post a link to your blog in the comments here (3 entries, leave 3 different comments saying you've blogged w/link)
3.Tweet about this giveaway and provide a link to your tweet

The winner will be selected on 8/17 via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to my email. Thanks!

Disclosure: I was given a $30 credit to CSN stores to facilitate my review. No other compensation was given and the views expressed above are entirely my own.

Muffin Tin Monday - Zoo Camp

2010-08-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Kidlet's first day at zoo camp. Bento from that coming tomorrow! Since he ate lunch at camp and we woke up late so breakfast was in the car....Muffin Tin Monday was for dinner :D

I was all set to make an awesome zoo theme tin when I dug through my cookie cutters and realized I have no animals?! How did that happen? I have all holidays, cars and trucks, dinosaurs...but no zoo type animals. So you'll have to use your imagination here with me

Top L-R: Flower shaped Bean and cheese toasted quesadilla (yes, it's hard to see the flower shape, remember that imagination we agreed to use?) sour cream, and Umbrella shaped quesadilla
Bottom L-R: Cheesy broccoli, pineapple with zoo picks! yay!, and cherries

Need more muffin meals? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

This is where I would normally put a picture of Kidlet going off to Zoo Camp looking all cute. I can't do that because I was shocked to learn that 4th graders ARE EMBARRASSED BY THEIR MOTHERS?!?!?!? Did you know that? I don't think I'm embarrassing. I only squish his cheeks and call him mushy bear at HOME, never in public! Sheesh. So my camera was not allowed this morning and I had to leave the grounds with no hug and not even a see ya later. Pfft. Boys.

Transportation Pandas

2010-08-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. Pandas need to get around too you know. This lunch was made possible by an awesome bloggy friend :) Thank you!

Here we have some funny car and boat sandwiches with Pandas driving! I didn't realize Boat!Panda was sticking out at the bottom until it was too late to fix. Oh well. In the back are checkered apple, grapes, and clementine slices

Need more lunch? Check out What's For Lunch Wednesday

Muffin Tin Monday - Hot Diggity Dog!

2010-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is the muffin tin meal that almost wasn't. After a huge morning of cleaning and organizing I fell asleep and almost ran out of time to fix dinner before Kidlet's piano lesson. Yikes! Mondays....I can never seem to get my act together :D

Top L-R: Half a tofu dog, carrots and cucumber with a little dip, and the other half of a tofu dog
Bottom L-R : Pineapple, pasta salad, and grapes.

Want to see more fun muffin tin meals? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

And I want to show off a delicious cake from this weekend! Kidlet's Gramma *not my mom, the mother of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named* mentioned that it was almost her brother's birthday *Kidlet's Great Uncle* and she had no idea what to get him. I of course offered to make a cake! He is a huge OSU fan so I made a Buckeye Cake!

Buckeye cake is peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting and candy Buckeyes on top!

Lazy Lunch and Flower Cake

2010-07-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, it's a lot harder to force myself to make bento in the summer when I don't have to. Confession : We've been eating easy mac for lunch. Kidlet makes it :P I make the salad. So by school year standards this is a lazy lunch for me. But, by summer standards it's amazing :P

Packed in one of our Easy Lunch Boxes Kidlet has a Boca Chick'n patty on a sandwich thin, carrots with container of dressing, and a checkered apple that fell over. On the side are cheesy veggies and yogurt with granola on top.

I finished my 2nd cake class of the summer and we decorated our final cake tonight. I've really been having a lot of fun in this class. We learned to make a lot of different royal icing flowers this time.

My finished cake! I am really happy with the way it turned out. I chose not to do the basketweave because I had a hard time not sticking my hand in it when we practiced. I opted for a swoopy bottom decor instead.

The inside of this cake is chocolate with and oreo filling. The neighbor kids approved!

Muffin Tin Monday - Eggplant time

2010-07-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

I often get comments on what a good eater Kidlet is. It's true, he will eat a large array of things but he didn't come that way. I think it's a misconception that kids will only eat certain things and that is it for life. Sure, he's had his food ruts like every other kid. But I keep feeding him good stuff and he likes most of it now. Also, sometimes I feed him vegetables and I don't tell him what they are. What? Like you don't :P

I told Kidlet I was making eggplant sticks and he went "blech" at me. So when dinner time came around I gave him Italian Crispy Sticks. And he loved them. I didn't tell him it was eggplant until he was done with seconds. Bwahaha.

Top L-R : Crispy Eggplant Sticks, pasta sauce, farfalle with pasta sauce and parmesean
Bottom L-R : Carrots with ranch, blackberries with cool whip, and a turtle shell apple

Want to see more tasty foods in tiny muffin tins? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

Eggplant Crispy Sticks Recipe:
_________________________
1 Medium eggplant cut in to 1 inch sticks
1/2 c. panko
1/2 c. grated parmesean cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
___________
Set oven to Broil

Mix panko, cheese, and seasonings in a bowl.

Dip eggplant sticks in beaten egg then in the panko mixture.

Spray lightly with cooking spray and set 4 inches from top of oven set on Broil for 4-5 minutes on each side.

Eat with pasta sauce!

Cake Class fun

2010-07-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, I took the first session of Wilton cake classes last month and now am in to the second. They have completely redone the curriculum and I must say I like it so much better!

This is the first cake I made in class. It's not actually lopsided it's just a funny camera angle lol.

It was a simple yellow cake with a Key Lime custard filling.....soo good.

Then we learned how to fill and frost cupcakes. Mine are triple chocolate with marshmallow filling

Our final class fell on the release date of Eclipse so you know I had to use my new skills to make a Twilight cake! So fun! The pic on top was put on using piping gel transfer method.

I put the names of the books around the edge! I'm no Duff or Buddy but I think the writing is pretty good for a n00b!

Team Edward or Team Jacob? I'm a Jasper girl myself :P

Eclipse was so much fun! We went to a showing of the first two movies followed by a midnight premier of Eclipse. Kidlet was super jealous of being left at home with his gramma

I heard that Breaking Dawn may be a two parter! Woo!

And finally the inside! This is Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake with cherry pie filling in the center. It tasted amazing!

I had a great time in my level 1 class and am excited for all the things we'll be learning this month! We've already started gumpaste flowers! Yay!

Sgt.Serge KungZhu Bento!

2010-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

So, I have made a ZhuZhu Pet bento before but in case you don't know about them, a ZhuZhu is an electronic hamster. They are super cute and have now come out with a more boy targeted set called KungZhu which features military and ninja hamsters. Kidlet and his friends have been dying for them and I was lucky enough to win a set from Sara The Savvy Shopper!

This is Sgt.Serge the KungZhu pet! He looks a bit more formidable in bento form. His cute little hamster self is just difficult to be intimidated by because he makes a little cooing noise when you turn him on haha.

Sgt Serge is made out of food color marker on cheese and sits on a soy ham sandwich. On the side are the usual suspects of grapes, carrots, and checkered apple.

Need some more lunchtime inspiration? Check out What's For Lunch Wednesday

The best part of the KungZhu sets is that they attach to the other ZhuZhu pet sets! The pink ones at top are our ZhuZhus and the red and grey battle arena attached right to it! This has been endless amounts of fun for Kidlet and his friends. Of course I have to keep taking the baby ZhuZhu away because they like to put it in the battle arena and let it get pounded. *sigh* boys.

Here's Kidlet and a neighbor buddy letting Moo the ZhuZhu go down the training field!

Yum-Yum Bento Box Review!

2010-07-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

I was recently given the opportunity to review the new book Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches. I have always been a fan of Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa 's work but I must say this bento cookbook exceeded my expectations!

Whether you are a bento novice or a seasoned pro, there is something for everyone in this 141 page bento lunch cookbook. I particularly enjoyed the photo walkthrough of some bento supplies in the beginning of the book.

The Author's have used a variety of ingredients and methods throughout the book, ensuring that there will be something for everyone regardless of taste preferences or abilities! I found all of the instructions to be clear and easy to follow.

For everything from smiling rice frogs to a simple summertime sandwich bento, Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches is an excellent resource for fun bento ideas and inspiration! I have really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to trying my hand at some new skills!

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of the above mentioned book to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and the views expressed above are purely my own*

Muffin Tin Monday - July 4th Style

2010-07-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know I said this same thing LAST week, but this week I really do have some awesome posts in the works! Woo! To be fair, last week turned in to an Asthma-related disaster with Kidlet who couldn't breathe and a middle of the night ER visit. Yuck. Luckily he is feeling much better now!

Today's Muffin Tin was for our 4th of July cookout. We celebrated today since Kidlet was a sickieface yesterday and I was exhausted after spending the night in the ER.

Top L-R - Corn, Morningstar Farms Soy Riblet, potato salad
Bottom L-R mini Pickles, blackberries and strawberries with coolwhip, grapes and a checkered apple

Check out other nommy Monday tins at Muffin Tin Monday

Along with our barbeque today we had parfaits of angel food cake, berries, and cool whip. Yum!

Amusingly enough this is the only use these glasses ever get since no one in my house drinks alcohol.

Kidlet and his friends had a fun time with sparklers!

Winner Time!

2010-07-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

So, yes this has taken me five million years, but we have a winner for the EasyLunchboxes set! Woo!

Congrats!!! I can't wait to see what you'll be making for lunch in these!

Muffin Tin Monday - Korean veggie pancakes

2010-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's Muffin Tin Monday again! This week there will be more activity on my part. We had some family drama occur last week which left me in no mood for bento or blogging. But this week will be some fun stuff! Woo!

Today's muffin tin dinner is the epitome of laziness. The item in the first bottom left spot wasn't even made by me! It is a Korean veggie pancake....I cannot remember the name but it has zucchini and green onions in it and is DELICIOUS! Having neighbors from many different countries who like to share foods RULES!

Top L-R: Carrots with ranch, Boca Chik'n Nuggets, Apples and checkered apple
Bottom L-R: Korean veggie pancakes, ketchup, and grapes

Check out more awesome MuffinTin nomnoms at Muffin Tin Monday

Kidlet was going insane today and trying to take me along for the ride. I needed to clean up very badly and he was wanting "fun" but had no kiddos around to play with. Pfft, cleaning with mama is fun I say! I was gathering the recycling and found some bubble wrap from a package that came this week. I laid it down in the hallway and he left me alone to clean for a solid amount of time. Of course, the noise was mind-numbing but you can't have everything!

Review AND Giveaway coming!

2010-06-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Those words are exciting aren't they? With the summer lull in bento making around here it's time to spice things up!

I won't tell you what I'm reviewing or giving away....let's make it a suprise! I CAN tell you that it has nothing to do with dining room tables but the results could go on top!

Panda face

2010-06-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Kidlet has been coveting this box for quite some time now. I finally gave in, not that we needed any more boxes....but it's a panda face! And what better way to fill a panda face than with a panda face!

Kidlet has a peanut butter panda shaped sandwich with cheese facial details. On the side he has coleslaw, checkered apple, grapes, and pineapple.

Here's a pic of the closed box, it's so cute! It's also smaller than I thought it would be which is actually a good thing because Kidlet doesn't eat much lunch. He eats a ton all other odd times of day, but not lunch. Go figure.

Want to see what else is being eaten today? Check out What's For Lunch Wednesday

Muffin Tin Monday - Lazy day

2010-06-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Kidlet decided that he rather enjoys eating out of a muffin tin and I have decided it's an easy way to make lazy food look spectacular!

Top L-R: Salad, Boca Chik'n Nuggets, more salad
Bottom L-R : Tri-color cheese tortellini, checkered apple and pineapple skewers, and more tortellini

Want to see more Muffin Tin Meals? Check out Muffin Tin Monday

TreeTrunks - Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

2010-06-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

"Jake, I just realized that TreeTrunks is old and bonkers." -Finn

Kidlet is currently obsessed with saying this over and over again. He now calls everything old and bonkers then breaks out laughing.

Tree trunks is food coloring on cheese and sits on a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are checkered apple, grapes, carrots, and some purple cauliflower.

Check out what else is for lunch today at What's For Lunch Wednesday

Lightbulb!

2010-06-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Kidlet started Camp Invention this week! He is very excited and has been having a wonderful time. I tear up everytime they send home the paper of activities for the day that states he is in the 4th/5th grade group.

Kidlet has a lightbulb of cheese and food color markers on top of a peanut butter sandwich. On the side are grapes, checkered apple, and carrots.

EasyLunchBoxes review and giveaway!

2010-06-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

I love bento for many reasons. One of them is the eco friendly factor. Eliminating the many baggie approach to kids lunches is just a bonus of bento lunch packing for us. So when EasyLunchBoxes asked me if I'd like to try out their product I was in!

I was skeptical of these containers before I received them. They look just like a set we have from the grocery store so what was the big deal about these? Well, to begin with they are BPA free which is a huge relief to many people worried about packing lunches in plastic containers. They are also extremely durable. I didn't realize how thick and strong they would be. The lid is also very strong which I find to be impressive. We can do series damage to poorly built containers. They are also dishwasher and microwave safe which is wonderful!

I decided the maiden voyage for the EasyLunchBoxes would be in a trip to the zoo!

For Kidlet I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain oatmeal bread. I cut the sandwich in to three pieces to allow for easy zoo muching. In the side containers are carrots with a dressing container, grapes, and a checkered apple.

For myself I packed a turkey, lettuce, and avocado on a sandwich thin. On the side are carrots with dressing container, grapes, and orange slices.

The bag option for the boxes is very roomy and I was able to fit both of our boxes inside along with freezer packs and juice boxes as well!

Kidlet and I had a nice picnic with our EasyLunchBoxes after hiking around the zoo for the morning. Everything had stayed cold and well protected until lunch time!

These Polar Bears wish they were having their lunch from an EasyLunchBox too! Our zoo has a new polar bear area with a large center focusing on conservation. We saw pictures of different places in Alaska many years ago and pictures of the same places today. The difference was really astonishing. Kidlet became a little teary at the prospect of the Polar Bears not having the climate they need to thrive. This was a good teaching moment for us. We discussed the things we are doing to help the environment and how we can encourage others to do the same. A perfect tie in with our new lunch boxes!

Overall I am very pleased with the EasyLunchBoxes. They are sturdy, have great compartments and fun lid colors! The bag is roomy and kept our food super cool while at the hot zoo.

I know what you're thinking. You love Polar Bears too. And like the Polar Bears you wish you had a set of EasyLunchBoxes too! Well, you're in luck! The lovely Kelly of EasyLunchboxes has offered to give one of you, my lovely readers, a set of them too!

*Giveaway Rules* - You must complete the mandatory entry before any of the optional entries. If your email is not visible on your Blogger profile, please be sure to leave it in the comments!

Mandatory entry:
Do you pack your lunch in an eco friendly way? Tell me how! If you don't, why not? Would you be willing to try?

Optional Entries:
1. Follow my blog (publicly)
2. Blog about this contest (with a link to my blog) and post a link to your blog in the comments here (3 entries, leave 3 different comments saying you've blogged w/link)
3. Follow me on twitter - bentoforkidlet
4. Tweet about this giveaway and provide a link to your tweet
5. Tell me how much you love Polar Bears

Giveaway ends 6/26/10 at 9pm EST. Winner will be chosen using random.org.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with the above mentioned lunchboxes and bag to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are purely my own*

Ersatz Gyoza

2010-06-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this bento from the last week of school. Too much was going on! Kidlet loves gyoza but not cold in his bento lunch so I used my press to make dumpling shaped sandwiches!

Kidlet got three ersatz gyoza made from whole grain oatmeal bread with peanut butter in the middle, checkered apple, green beans, and orange slices.

Muffin Tin Monday! Leftover Bonanza

2010-06-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to finally be able to participate in Muffin Tin Monday ! Normally, bento keeps me too busy to even think about anything else. I do love bento but it is nice to have a week off ;)

I told Kidlet I was putting lunch in a muffin tin and his response to me was "Whatever. As long as I get fed"

Top L-R: Paneer Shahi Korma, basmati rice, Dal Makhani
Botton L-R: Peanut butter on celery, grapes and checkered apple, purple cauliflower/carrots/ranch dip