42 + 43.

for me.

Top tier: Fruit and nut trail mix, fruit by the foot, mini tacos.
Bottom tier: Roast beef sandwich, quartered.

So after a weekend [thursday - monday afternoon] of being at my friends house, I came home, shucked my clothes, since my friend has cats and my mom is allergic to them, into a laundry hamper, showered and got into pajamas, I felt like making a bento. Partially because I was hungry, and partially because I wanted to. So this was the remains of what sounded interesting to me in my house. I made this while my mom was out shopping, so I didn't have any of the stuff she bought to use. Still yummy though.

for papa.

Round ziploc container: Cinnamon sugar cooked apples
Lock&Lock: Sweet and sour pork, sticky rice
Large ziploc container [top to bottom]: pan fried potstickers, soy sauce, orange segments, asparagus spears

I was going to make some teriyaki chicken for my dad for lunch tonight, but I realized that I didn't have the chicken marinated, so I threw some rice vinegar, brown sugar and some soy sauce into a bag with the chicken and threw it into the fridge to mingle for a few days while it gets nice and oh so tasty.

So I just threw together some leftovers, pretty much. Put the rice in the lock and lock and put the sweet and sour pork on top. Chopped up the apples and threw them in a bowl with cinnamon sugar and a bit more sugar with a little water, threw it in the microwave for 4 minutes, and then stirred them when they were done and then put a bit more sugar on it after tasting it and then put the apples, juice and all into the ziploc.

While that was going on I heated up a pan and cooked the potstickers, throwing them in the pan, frozen with some oil, letting them warm up a minute or three and then put 2/3 cup warm water in the pan and covered them for 8 mins to cook. Easier than microwaving them, I think. And they taste so much better. I also put some soy sauce into a little dixie cup and when the potstickers were done I put them on a plate to cool a little bit, and then tucked the soy sauce next to the potstickers.

I then peeled an orange, and peeled the orange segments apart to fan them out and look pretty, after putting a piece of foil down, so the orange didn't taste like asparagus in the morning. And then I decided I needed something green, and I found some leftover steamed asparagus in the fridge.

Now, I have no idea why, but my mother steams veggies past their peak. Like, normally broccoli is kind of a brownish nasty green. But I've been educating her recently that the longer you cook veggies like that, the nutrients get sucked right out of the veggies. But she does. And it kinda irritates me. Oh well.

Then put that all together and got some of our laquered wood [I think?] chopsticks so mom could put it with his lunch in the morning so he could eat it with that.

I hope he likes it! He generally does like the things I make for his lunches. I try to make them more like dinners, because due to his acid reflux, he can't eat past 4pm or so without feeling yucky. ):

St. Patrick's Day! [ 30 + 31 ]

for erika.

Clockwise: Bunny and star eggs, star peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, kiwi slices, tangerine

Yup, that's right. My best friend Erika went to school with me today. It was pretty rockin'. Although she just ended up eating the yolks of the eggs and I ate the whites. Since she didn't really want eggs. I did get some red white and orange in for St. Patrick's Day though, which I am quite proud of!

my bento today!

Main tier [ right ]: Hot dog chunks, ketchup in the kiwi sauce cup, salt in the apple for the eggs and avocados, craisins, fruit by the foot
Side car [ left ]: Avocado chunks, bear and heart shaped eggs, tangerine, grape tomatoes for fillers

Unfortunately after class, I was still hungry, so Erika and I ended up going to the Subway on campus and getting lunch and I got coffee [ I was falling asleep in Psychology AND World Religions ]. I wish I could get my bentos to be more filling. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated.

my favorite things - 27.

for a thing at my mom's church. [ explanation to follow ]

Left to Right: Cheese shapes [ tulip, bear, bunny, bird ], fruit by the foot, craisins, mint herb tea, clementine tangerine, oreos, 3 musketeers mint, more cheese shapes [ heart, bunny, star ]
Not pictured: tube of blue glitter I placed in the box after I shot this photo.

Okay, so my parents are Latter-Day Saints [ LDS, Mormon, whatever you'd like to call them ]. And the ladies have their own group called Relief Society [ I have NO idea why it's called that, but just go along, kay? ], and they had a birthday of sorts. They have a dinner [ this time it was various salads - regular lettuce kind, pasta, fruit ], and you bring a gift. And this year's theme was "my favorite things". So for the gift you have to bring your favorite things [ and less than $10, of course, but I think I might have spent more than that, but ah, what the hell ] and wrap them up.

So of COURSE I decide to do bento, since it's SO much fun (: It didn't help that I decided to go last minute [ like, 5pm that night, and the dinner started at 6.30pm ]. But, mom and I ran down to Wal-Mart and luckily found those lock-and-lock boxes that most people on bentolunch rave about. I also found a 3-set that I can use for Dad's lunches that have a smaller square and round one with a sandwich-size box.

So I get home at like, 6.25 and run in the house to throw my box together. I wanted to put things in that if they kinda weren't refridgerated, it wouldn't be too big of a deal. I mean, I think the cheese could hold up pretty well, since it normally does in stuff like sandwiches and the like. So I figured ah, what the hell.

I also got a purple stuffed lamb to put in with it. It was SO adorable. Luckily they had another one [ bought at Dollar Tree ] and Mom bought it for me, since it was so cute (:

bento #6

From L to R: pizza fillings [ ricotta cheese layered with sliced olives, mozzerella cheese, salami, pepperoni, mozzerella cheese and parmesean cheese on top ], home made sourdough bread, grape tomatoes (so sweet!), fruit by the foot, banana oatmeal to go (snack!), chocolate/vanilla pudding cup, and cinnamon applesauce

bento #3

Top: Broccoli coleslaw mix, oatmeal raisin cookie, tuna salad, ranch in dixie cup for coleslaw, fruit by the foot
Bottom: Hard salami rolls, chick peas, and cinnamon applesauce