Bentos are hard...
Really. How do you cram enough food to satisfy you in these small little boxes? *gives her pretty bento a puzzled, slightly miffed look* It shouldn't be so hard, right? All the pictures on the bento community pages make it look pretty simple...
Today, I'm having leftover pasta salad, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms. And not too much of the last two. That's all I could fit in! 1 cup of spinach leaf under 1 cup of pasta salad crammed into the larger top box, ~1/2 of a chicken breast (sliced), 3 cherry tomatoes, and 5 slices of mushrooms in the smaller lower box. I know I'm still being good about calories but really! *smile* I would have liked more mushrooms. And cucumber slices. And maybe some baby carrots. Those aren't unhealthy!
*smile* Yesterday, J and I dinned al fresco on my back patio. It was a surprise for him. He had no idea what was for dinner (restrained himself from asking so it got to be a real surprise) and he had no idea we'd be eating outdoors. It was so much fun! And a bit cooler than eating in the house.
We had the pasta salad and grilled chicken I'd made on Tuesday night, baby spinach, and hard boiled eggs decorated to look like little chickens. *grin* I'd seen some of these on the bento communities and they looked so fun and interesting I just had to do it. He loved it! And while I can't pack a pretty bento worth a darn, hahaha, I don't think I did to bad with this plating exercise.
Let's see if I remember how to code... (Warning, they're pretty big... I don't have a program at work to resize them)
My very first egg chicks:
A closer view. Neat little black sesame eyes, ne? So hard to get in. But the carrot beaks were harder!
My plate:
J's plate (aww, look... the beak's gone already. ^-^):
After we ate, we walked up to Walmart where I looked for cookie cutters, silicone baking cups, and other neat things to use for bentos. Alas, no real luck. I found one set of cutters (a huge one!), but I think they all would have been too big (2"-3" though I never found any real sizes given). I found a set of silicone baking cups, too, but they were $7 and after splurging on manga and concert tickets I didn't think I should be spending quite that much yet. So, I left with just a few essential household items and so did J and then we walked over to Anderson's for ice cream! Yeah, yummy chocolate chip! By the time we got back to my house it was almost 11:00 pm. *wince* On a work night. Ah well.
And now I feel happier 'cause I shared. ^-^
Ne, Ree? Thanks for the NSFW warning. You know I would have read it this morning... from work. Tai Chi tonight, but J's going home. We'll see what I scrounge up for dinner (maybe that beef and gravy idea), and then I'll think about reviewing, writing, or being sucked back into TRC. 'Cause the last chapter I read? Not a very nice ending. Not a cliffhanger since I'm a year behind and I've seen enough to hint that all is not what it seems, but still not a nice spot to end it. And I want to find out what happens to Sakura-hime! And whether or not another Sakura shows up! So far, no, but there are hints... Oh, there are hints...
So, off to read my friends list, finish this light lunch (okay, I bought in two slices of bread, grapes, and a peach to supplement it), and get back to work.
Have a wonderful day, all!
Today, I'm having leftover pasta salad, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms. And not too much of the last two. That's all I could fit in! 1 cup of spinach leaf under 1 cup of pasta salad crammed into the larger top box, ~1/2 of a chicken breast (sliced), 3 cherry tomatoes, and 5 slices of mushrooms in the smaller lower box. I know I'm still being good about calories but really! *smile* I would have liked more mushrooms. And cucumber slices. And maybe some baby carrots. Those aren't unhealthy!
*smile* Yesterday, J and I dinned al fresco on my back patio. It was a surprise for him. He had no idea what was for dinner (restrained himself from asking so it got to be a real surprise) and he had no idea we'd be eating outdoors. It was so much fun! And a bit cooler than eating in the house.
We had the pasta salad and grilled chicken I'd made on Tuesday night, baby spinach, and hard boiled eggs decorated to look like little chickens. *grin* I'd seen some of these on the bento communities and they looked so fun and interesting I just had to do it. He loved it! And while I can't pack a pretty bento worth a darn, hahaha, I don't think I did to bad with this plating exercise.
Let's see if I remember how to code... (Warning, they're pretty big... I don't have a program at work to resize them)
My very first egg chicks:
A closer view. Neat little black sesame eyes, ne? So hard to get in. But the carrot beaks were harder!
My plate:
J's plate (aww, look... the beak's gone already. ^-^):
After we ate, we walked up to Walmart where I looked for cookie cutters, silicone baking cups, and other neat things to use for bentos. Alas, no real luck. I found one set of cutters (a huge one!), but I think they all would have been too big (2"-3" though I never found any real sizes given). I found a set of silicone baking cups, too, but they were $7 and after splurging on manga and concert tickets I didn't think I should be spending quite that much yet. So, I left with just a few essential household items and so did J and then we walked over to Anderson's for ice cream! Yeah, yummy chocolate chip! By the time we got back to my house it was almost 11:00 pm. *wince* On a work night. Ah well.
And now I feel happier 'cause I shared. ^-^
Ne, Ree? Thanks for the NSFW warning. You know I would have read it this morning... from work. Tai Chi tonight, but J's going home. We'll see what I scrounge up for dinner (maybe that beef and gravy idea), and then I'll think about reviewing, writing, or being sucked back into TRC. 'Cause the last chapter I read? Not a very nice ending. Not a cliffhanger since I'm a year behind and I've seen enough to hint that all is not what it seems, but still not a nice spot to end it. And I want to find out what happens to Sakura-hime! And whether or not another Sakura shows up! So far, no, but there are hints... Oh, there are hints...
So, off to read my friends list, finish this light lunch (okay, I bought in two slices of bread, grapes, and a peach to supplement it), and get back to work.
Have a wonderful day, all!