Blog 20

Blog #20; a milestone to nothing, but a nice round number.  Another hectic week and busy weekend and here I am Sunday evening trying to both catch up and get organized for next week.  So another short blog of basically pictures and lists.

Monday is a basic salmon salad {just like tuna only with canned salmon} and apple in the small compartment.  A rice mix with peas, onion, and okra plus marinated carrots in the large compartment.

Tuesday a little nicer bento.  The large comparment is shrimp sushi {cooked shrimp, asparagus, & cucumber}.  The small compartment is sauteed red bell pepper with nori seaweed, avocado with scallions and black pepper, and a fruit mix of grapes and oranges.

Wednesday's bento included egg salad, broccoli, strawberries, cherry tomato, rice and black beans plus red peppers.   Visually appealing and quite tasty.

Finally Thursday and the end of my office week.  A bowtie pasta salad, cherry tomato, asparagus, plus bananas and grapes.

And that was it for bento boxing.  If anyone wants details sing out.

Cheers, Gary

Bento versus Work

Isn't it a bummer when work & life interfere with bento.  You have to have priorities; bento keeps me sane.  Another week and another 4 days of bento.  Friday we moved our office; quite a chore and we had pizza for lunch.

Monday was the typical shrimp sushi roll; always good and you can mix up the added ingredients.  This is shrimp, avocado, and scallion.  The small comparment is mushrooms with garlic, snap peas with red bell pepper, and the fruit is apple.

Tuesday is chicken and fried rice with peas, celery, and black pepper.  The small comparment is carrots, asparagus, cherry tomato, and the ftuit is strawberries and bananas.  The fried rice was nicely seasoned and moist; a winning and easy dish.

Wednesday features asparagus quiche by Jane {left over from an earlier dinner}.  Also in the small compartment is avocado.  The large compartment is a typical lettuce salad with olives, bell peppers, and scallion; plus blackberries and strawberries.

And since Jane is participating her is another collage by Jane; the  courtyard of a place we stayed in Oaxaca, Mexico {B7 - la casa de amor}.

Thursday's bento is a salmon {canned salmon} & cucumber rice medley.  Interesting but the salmon was a little strong for my delicate tastes.  A couple of cherry tomatoes {one on steriods} and in the small compartment carrots/radish mix with vinegar; dark purple beets with parsley, a banana/blackberry mix.

That's all from bento land for another week. 

Cheers, Gary

A Week of Bento

Well almost a week, 4 days, which often passes as a week for me.  A high stress, long day, 4 day work week so no mid-week bento blog.  Here are the four days with a brief description of each. 

Monday's plan is to make a shrimp sushi roll, no nori, what a way to start.  The shrimp sushi roll became rice balls with white & black sesame seeds; shrimp, avocado, scallion, celery, and a cherry tomato to complete the large compartment.  The small comparment is cauliflower and a fruit mix.

Tuesday has a cabbage and ham mix {in honor of the Easter pig}, and pear.  Plus rice with snap peas, red pepper, and celery; & carrots.

Wednesday went to the store and got nori, had to have it.   The roll is all vegetable; asparagus, avocado, & scallion.  In the small compartment is a red pepper saute with onion & cherry tomato, celery, and apple.  Notice a theme here; not a lot of special ingredients on hand so there are some repeats.

Thursday has a rice, black & pinto bean, red pepper, carrot, and parsley mix with the balance of the ham.  The small comparment is beets, a radish & olive mix, and a banana & strawberry mix.  The beets were good and that's about all I have to say.

After a lovely weekend at the beach, gardening, and fighting off a bunny attack on the vegetable garden back to work tomorrow for hopefully a more mellow week.  {Since I have been unintentionally feeding the bunnies from the vegetable garden if I can get my hands on one a lovely French rabbit dinner,  well deserved,  may be on the way.  I am considering a slingshot unless someone has a better suggestion.}

Cheers, Gary

Bento Meets Crock Pot

The rice cooker can also be used similar to a crock pot where all the ingredients go in and cook together.  Although it is not exactly slow; in fact it is not slow at all but very fast.  Wednesday featured a chicken & rice casserole from the rice cooker. 

Here are two photos of the prep.  On the left are julianned vegetables {celery, carrot, and turnip plus the diced chicken}.  The tuperware is a red pepper, mushroom, red onion, radish mix for the small compartment.  The rice and water are put in the rice cooker as normal, the chicken on top, and the vegetables on top of that.  And proceed as normal with the rice cooker; the chicken and vegetables cook and steam as the rice cooks.  Just be ready to take the lid off when the rice is finished so the whole thing does not overcook. 

This is the resulting bento.  Chicken, rice, and vegetables in the large compartment.  The small compartment is cauliflower, the pepper mix with oil and vinegar, and pineapple with banana.  Cooking the rice, chicken, and vegetables together definitely saves some work and the flavors meld.

Thursday was the last day of the work week.  This is the 21st century; four long days is enough work for anybody.

The large compartment is rice balls with scrambled egg mixed and black sesame seeds; plus a mix of shredded pork and cabbage; and a couple of olives.  The small compartment is a vegetable mix of potato, carrot, and celery sauteed with a cherry tomato added after, and a fruit mix of whatever was on hand.

A good week of bento; a lovely weekend of gardening and the beach; and back to work tomorrow.

Cheers, Gary