Balancing The Scales

A Back-Log Of Bentos.

Believe it or not, I have a back-log of bentos.  I've started taking the pictures from different angles because this straight overhead shot? I don't love it. These are all lunches from a while back, thus, straight overhead shots.

Welp.

You know how that goes, I suppose.

 

This is a bento(ish) snack that I took to work with me.  I worked for the afternoon & evening, so this is kind of two+ snacks, in lieu of dinner.  A babybel cheese, yogurt raisins, peanut butter cracker sandwiches, made on Back to Nature crackers and Newman's Own pretzels.

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In my dollar store 'bento container' there is: veggie turkey slices with animal mini-forks, applesauce with two fruit-leather flowers on top (I love the way these look but my kid has consistently rejected the fruit leather. *sigh*) cheddar squares, pepper strips and grape tomatoes.  The smaller side contains part of an almond croissant, raspberries and giant white beans.

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A silicone cup of beans & olives, cheddar squares, veggie straws, some Newman's Own alphabet cookies, tomatoes with a dolphin pick.  Cantaloupe & raspberries.

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Two veggie chicken nuggets with a frog pick, pickles, cheese crackers (Back to Nature,) grape tomatoes, alphabet cookies. Cantaloupe & raspberries.

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Black olives (part of dinner the night before, carrot 'circles' and a tomato, Babybel cheese, blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe and some BTN wheat crackers.

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Veggie turkey slices, red pepper rings, babybel cheese 'flower,' Fig Newman and some cheese crackers. Grapes on the vine and strawberries.

I have another post that's a week of bentos and then maybe I'll start posting them more frequently.

Maybe.

In-Law Dinner.

You know what I thought might be fun and interesting? (Maybe?) I thought it might be fun and interesting if I kept a record of the dinners that I served when my MIL comes for dinner.  I used to call them my MIL dinners but now my dad comes, too, so I've taken to calling them In-Law dinners.

Anyway.

This past week, I served Penne with Zucchini and a no-cook Alfredo sauce.  We had a green salad and for dessert, I made a chocolate oil cake with a half cup mini-chocolate chips added and a French Creme Frosting.

YUMMMMMMO.

Penne Alfredo with Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced
4 smallish zucchini, halved and chopped 1/4 in or so
Olive oil and a little butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Alfredo sauce

Penne pasta (with a little reserved pasta water, just in case.)

Instructions:

Put oil/butter into large skillet and saute onion until soft.  Add zucchini and stir to coat.  Cook until tender. (5-7 minutes, maybe?) Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, boil water for pasta, cook penne and make the Alfredo Sauce.

[Here's the recipe for the EASY PEASY NO-COOK ALFREDO.  I got it from All Recipes.

I fiddled with it a little.  I used 50/50 Smart Balance/Butter Blend instead of straight butter and I used half & half instead of heavy cream.  My whipped mess looked less like softly scrambled eggs and more like what I imagine curds & whey would look like, Miss Muffet, but it went onto the pasta just fine and it was great.]

When pasta is finished, drain it quickly and return it to pot.  Dump in zucchini mixture & give a quick stir and then dump in alfredo sauce and mix it thoroughly.  It will look thin and kind of watery but give it a few minutes and it will thicken up and be WONDERFUL.

(Sorry I don't have any pictures but it miiiiight be a little difficult to explain to my MIL why I am PHOTOGRAPHING my dinner.)

Anyway.

The oil cake recipe is the same as ever.  I added 1/2 cup of mini-chocolate chips to the batter.

I made this easy and awesome frosting:

French Creme Frosting

 Ingredients:

2 Tbsp flour
1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

-Cook milk & flour together until thick.

-Beat butter/sugar together until light & well blended. Add vanilla, flour & milk mixture & beat until creamy & light.

-Frost cake.

This frosting is not too sweet and it really is good.  I tried to use the 50/50 blend but it is much softer than butter and tends to be too loose to use as frosting.  If it seems to liquidy when you're making it (the flour/milk mixture can melt the butter if it's not all the way cool,) just pop the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes and VIOLA! Frosting consistency.

mmmm.

Week of Kind-Of Bentos

Who knows what I'm doing here, really?

Don't worry. It was a rhetorical question.

I suppose I'm posting pics of these lunches that I make my girl but I'd hesitate to call them 'Real Bentos,' if you know what I'm saying.  All I know is that it is fun and I enjoy it.  I think that for my girl, seeing a beautifully arranged plate that contains a modest amount of a variety of foods, holds her interest and stimulates her appetite.

I'm not even sure why I post them, except that for whatever reason, I like to look at other people's cute lunches that they prepare for their kids.

So, it's maybe...a hobby?

ANYWAY.

Here's a week of our kind-of bentos:

 

Applesauce with some cinnamon sugar, veggie turkey slices, organic American cheese flowers, yogurt raisins and grape tomatoes with what my kid calls the 'Hula Duck' pick. The small side contains raspberries & blueberries, cup of olives and a couple pretzels.

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These all start to look the same, I think. Applesauce, veggie turkey, pickles, colby-jack triangles, yogurt raisins and veggie straws. The small side contains a rice fish (shaped in an egg mold) and raspberries and blueberries.

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Trying different angles for the food because the straight-up overhead shot isn't always doing it for me. My girl has veggie turkey slices with animal picks, beet salad (yum) veggie straws, olives and a baby bell cheese with heart cut-out. The small side contains raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.

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Veggie turkey, blueberries and baby bell cheese, organic cheese puffs and a cup of raspberries & blackberries.  Cucumber slices and grape tomatoes with a cup of homemade ranch dressing and a couple black olives.

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A baby bell cheese, a few grapes and some apple slices. A Fig Newman cookie (which my kid inexplicably calls a 'Tin Tuman,' wth?) some cheese crackers, a silicone cup of sunflower seed kernels, grape tomatoes and a butterfly PB&J sandwich. (I made this lunch in a recycled Chinese food container, so..you know.)

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Car-shaped hard boiled egg, some cheese crackers, a Tin Tuman, carrot sticks and a cup of Newman's Own Ceasar dressing and a couple grape tomatoes. The small side containes orange/strawberry slices and a few grapes with a cute little stem pick.

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Veggie turkey slices, organic American cheese flowers, red pepper strips, cup of ceasar dressing, some Back to Nature poppy seed crackers (they are hexagons, which my daughter pronounces 'hoxagons,' which is so cute, I'm loathe to correct her,) and a cup of sunflower seed kernels.  Cut strawberries and some grapes fill the smaller section.

I love Bento Blogs that showcase things like themed bentos and the like.  I haven't been able to get myself past the 'Sorta Bento' phase but who knows? Maybe one day.