Bento #166

This bento sort of sums up my bento making rut. Mini quiche, string cheese and the ever present grapes and jelly. I need to go shopping, some inspiration and maybe just a break from photographing pretty boring bentos.

Maisie ate three of the quiches and most of the string cheese but finished all the grapes and jelly.

Bento #165

String cheese wrapped in ham, grapes & jelly.

Obviously I'm in a rut with food and ideas but Maisie thankfully enjoyed her bento and ate everything.

Bento #164

BBQ meatballs on udon & apple wedges.

Maisie ate all the udon & meatballs but only the white of the apple so the skins returned home all beat-up and chewed on.

Bento #163

String cheese wrapped with ham, grapes, fig bar & mango jelly.

This was a hit and Maisie ate every bite.

Bento #162

I know it's looking familiar here, time to do some shopping.

Mini quiche, grapes and jelly.

One quiche returned home uneaten and ended up in the bin as Maisie wasn't interested in eating it after her nap.

Bento #161

Homemade baked mac & cheese, grapes & jelly.

Maisie said that there was a bit too much mac & cheese but she ate the majority of it as well as all the grapes and jelly.

Bento #160

Mini quiche, grapes and jelly.

Always a favorite with Maisie and she ate it all.

Bento #159

Lo mein, grapes and mango jelly.

A small amount of lo mein and a couple of grapes returned home uneaten. Maisie said that she was too full to finish everything and really for the rest of today she didn't eat all that much. Some days Maisie is like a bottomless pit and other days she eats very little. I'm thinking that she's going through a growth spurt or something, we shall see.

No bentos for the next week as we're off for a week long western Caribbean cruise, woohoo! Hopefully when we return I'll be better about posting in a more timely manner.

Bento #158

Grilled cheese on wheat, grapes & banana jelly.

Maisie just adores grilled cheese sandwiches and if I let her, she'd eat them breakfast, lunch and dinner so I knew this bento would be a success. Sure enough, only a one-inch piece of crust returned home uneaten.

Bento #157

Leftover lo mein, grapes, fortune cookie and jelly.

Only the paper fortune remained in Maisie's box after lunch.

Bento #156

Cheese pizza, grape jelly & grapes.

I swear that Maisie is trying to mess with my mind. She told me that she was too full to finish her bento but when I opened it up after school there was one lone grape. Maisie laughed and told me that she was teasing me...silly girl!

Bento #155

Chocolate peanut butter and cherry sandwich on wheat, grapes & jelly.

Maisie specifically asked for this odd sandwich so I went with it. Come lunch time she on the other hand decided that she didn't like it very much so she only ate a few bites. She did eat the grapes and jelly. Once home I thought that she'd be really hungry but she really didn't eat anything much for the rest of the day. So, I 'm not sure if it was the odd sandwich or just one of those days where she wasn't up for eating much. Either way, she won't be talking me into making that sandwich again.

Bento #154

Baked macaroni & cheese, Hello Kitty carrots and grape jelly.

I had packed a lot of mac & cheese into this bento and Maisie told me that she was too full to finish it all but she did well eating most of it and all of the carrots & jelly.

Bento #153

Mini quiche, Choco Boy biscuits, strawberry jelly and grapes.

Maisie loves mini quiche and she hasn't had them in ages so when she saw them this morning she was all excited so I knew it was going to be a good eating day. Her bento returned home with only a couple of grapes remaining uneaten which she finished after her no-nap nap time.

Bento #152

Lasagna, grapes, mango jelly & Choco Boy biscuits.

Maisie adores lasagna and even asked for a repeat of this bento for her dinner. Needless to say, she finished every drop of her bento.

The jellies that I use in Maisie's bento are shelf stable, no need for refrigeration and I purchase them at the local Asian market.

Bento #151

Saffron rice with minced pork chop (so that Maisie can't pull out or pick around the pork pieces), grapes, strawberry jelly and Choco Boy biscuits.

Mincing the pork worked as Maisie ate every drop of the pork, rice and everything else in her bento, woohoo!

Bento #150

Per Maisie's request, grilled cheese on wheat girl monster with banana/chocolate Pocky hair, peanut butter filled cracker eyes with M&M's, pink fairy sprinkle lips and a necklace made of grapes.

Another successful bento as her box returned home empty!

Bento #149

Maisie has been on a major grilled cheese sandwich kick lately and loves when I decorate them as monsters and if I allowed it, she'd eat them three meals a day.

Today she had a grilled cheese on wheat monster sandwich decorated with grapes for her hair and mini-marshmallow eyes and mouth. The grapes and marshmallows are held in place with peanut butter.

Maisie ate every last bit of her bento today!

Bento #148

Ham & cheese roll-ups, steamed broccoli, light ranch dip in the Hello Kitty container, grapes, banana jelly and Choco Boy biscuits.

Only a bit of broccoli stem returned home uneaten. Maisie said that she loved the Choco Boy biscuits which were new for her today.

Bento #147

Udon noodle soup, mango jelly, Laughing Cow light cheese & raisins. I really need to go shopping!

Even though it was a pantry mish-mash, Maisie loved it and finished her entire bento and that's all I can ask.

Bento #146

Mini Farfalle pasta tossed in some Creamy Tomato Soup Florentine, meatballs, steamed broccoli, lite ranch dip in the Hello Kitty container and a marshmallow ice cream cone.

Another successful bento as only a couple of small pieces of broccoli returned home uneaten.

Three days a week Maisie's school offers lunches that the parents can sign-up for, purchase and have delivered to their child. One day it's food from Chick-fil-A, another is pizza and the third is Quiznos (I think, or some similar sub place), honestly not the type of food I'd want Maisie to eat on any sort of regular basis. Thankfully I don't have to worry about her wanting the food as she doesn't eat fast food and I know that she wouldn't eat a sub, she really doesn't care for chicken nuggets and wouldn't eat a chicken sandwich. I have offered for her to have pizza if she wanted but so far she's said no to the pizza and has told me that she prefers her bentos. Isn't that just oh-so-sweet, I sure love my bento loving girl!

Bento #145

Lasagna soup loaded with lots of extra pasta, Texas garlic toast, mini-marshmallows & grapes.

There was a lot of food packed in Maisie's bento today and she did real well eating it, leaving only a small amount of pasta and a couple of grapes. After her nap she asked to finish her bento and she did.

Bento #144

Udon noodles with pork, leek & veggie dumplings, mango jelly, fig bar and grapes.

As soon as Maisie got in the car after school she told me to check her bento and I know, if she wants me to check her bento it means that she ate every drop and she had, woohoo!!

I've had some new questions:

Yana asked: "I'm just wondering whether the rice tastes okay when it's cold?"

Maisie likes food at room temperature or just warm. When I pack rice, meatballs, noodles, dumplings, anything like that, I heat it up in the morning and so when Maisie eats it they're not cold and everything tastes great...if you like food at room temp.

Karen asked: "Can you post a recipe for the cilantro cream sauce? I just found your blog and everything is so adorable, not to mention delicious-looking! Thanks!"

In Bento #52 Maisie had Five-Spice Chicken with Cilantro Cream Sauce which was served with wilted spinach & wide egg noodles. Here's the recipe:

Chicken tenders ~ 1/2 lb
EVOO ~ 2 TBS
soy sauce 1 TBS
salt ~ pinch
ground pepper ~ 1/2 tsp
5-spice powder ~ 2 TBS
cayenne pepper ~ 1 tsp

Mix all of the above together and allow chicken to marinate. Brown the chicken in a little oil until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Sauce:
whipping cream 1/2c.
plain yogurt 1/2c.
cilantro 1/4c. coarsely chopped
lemon juice 1 to 2 tsp.

Mix sauce ingredients together and then add to the pan in which you cooked the chicken. Cook until sauce is thickened.

Enjoy.

Bento #143

Per request, a repeat from Friday. Grilled cheese on wheat monster sandwich with mini-marshmallow hair, eyes made of crackers filled with peanut butter and red peanut cracker balls, fairy sprinkle lips, grapes and strawberry jelly.

One peanut butter filled cracker, one red peanut cracker ball, a few grapes and a wee bit of crust remained uneaten. Overall a good eating day for my girl.

I love being asked questions about bentos and how Maisie eats them. Unfortunately, many times the person asking the question leaves no way for me to personally contact them to respond. Please continue to ask questions but if possible, please leave me a way to contact you with an answer. Also, check out the sidebar for bento questions and answers as I try to post and answer all the questions there. Thank you for your interest and following along with us.

Bento #142

Grilled cheese on wheat monster sandwich with mini-marshmallow hair, peanut butter cracker filled eyes with raisins and sprinkle lips, grapes and strawberry jelly.

Today we played with friends at an inflatable jumping place and Maisie was just too busy to fully eat her bento. At the jumping place she finished all the marshmallows, half her sandwich, the strawberry jelly and about half of the grapes. Hey, there were inflatables to climb, jump and slide on, you can't expect a girl to sit still and eat for oh too long. Once home and after a much needed nap Maisie asked to finish her bento and in the end ate everything.

Bento #141

Saffron rice, pork chop, grapes & banana jelly.

Not a great bento eating day today. Maisie's bento returned home with a few grapes and all the pork remaining. She does like pork and ate it last night for dinner but getting her to eat any meat always takes a little coaxing as she much prefers to eat the rice, starch and even the veggies before the meat. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Bento #140

Ham & cheese roll-ups, cantaloupe from our garden, banana jelly & grapes.

Maisie did fabulous eating her bento finishing everything but two little pieces of the cantaloupe.

Bento #139

Grilled cheese on wheat "M" sandwich, mango jelly, ham flower & grapes.

Maisie's bento came home completely empty and she asked for a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner because it was so delicious at lunch time. I love my girl!

Bento #138

Hot dog wrapped in wheat bread & boursin cheese, baked beans, fruity jelly, grapes & wafer cookies.

One l small bean returned home uneaten...poor little lonely bean.

Bento #137

Peanut butter on wheat monster with pink fairy sprinkle lips, raisin eyes, Pocky hair and two fig bars.

When I picked Maisie up from school today she told me that she only eaten a little of her bento. She was just being a little tease though because when I opened her bento, she had finished everything except a small amount of the crust.

Bento #136

Grilled cheese pizza, mango jelly & passport melon (from my garden).

Today Maisie ate everything but one little chunk of melon. She made me very happy when she told me how much she loves when I make grilled pizza and that it was delicious!

Bento #135

Udon soup, ham & cheese roll-ups, banana jelly & raisins.

Day two of school was another awesome day for Maisie and she did an excellent job eating her bento, finishing everything but one of the ham & cheese roll-ups.

Bento #134

Chicken & corn dumplings, ham flower, honeydew melon with apple fruit leather letters & numbers and a fruit jelly.

We haven't made any bentos for the past two weeks because Maisie and I were off, home playing together and enjoying our last two weeks of summer vacation. Today though was Maisie's first day of kindergarten!! My wee little Maisie looked so tiny standing next to all the other students, it was difficult to leave her. She though loved school, had a FABU first day, can't wait to go back and did a wonderful job eating her bento finishing all but a couple of pieces of the melon. I love wonderful days and successful bentos!

Bento #133

Peanut butter on wheat monster sandwich with cheese & semi-sweet chocolate bit eyes, pink fairy sprinkle lips, Pocky hair and a strawberry fruit leather & cupcake hat. On the side are peanut filled cracker balls.

Today was the last day of gymnastics camp and Maisie has been attending with our neighbors K & A so for their final day I made bento for all three of them.

How did they all do with their bento?
K: She ate all but one bite of the sandwich and the cheese eyes.
Maisie: Was the worst eater of the three leaving half her sandwich, a few of the peanut crackers and the cake part of the cupcake...she takes after me just eating the frosting!
A: He did well leaving only about 1/3 of his sandwich and a couple of peanut crackers.

When I picked everyone up from camp they all said that they enjoyed their bentos and then immediately wanted to know if I had ring pops for their treat on the drive home! I'm glad that they all liked their bentos and yes, I did have ring pops for the ride home.

Bento #132

Ham & cheese roll-ups, cantaloupe, blue jelly shark, two-bite brownie & mango jelly.

When I arrived at gymnastics camp to pick up Maisie she told me that she was hungry and when I checked her bento I found the blue jelly shark, two-bite brownie & mango jelly were all uneaten. Instead of finishing her bento she ate two small lollipops and ran out of time. She was quite hungry though and before leaving the gym she finished everything remaining in her bento and told me that it was delicious.

Bento #131

Mini quiche, peanut crackers, gummy shark, grape jelly & cantaloupe.

Maisie didn't care for the peanut crackers but finished everything else in her bento.

Bento #130

BBQ meatballs, cantaloupe from our garden & a cupcake.

Another successful bento as little Miss Maisie ate everything!

Bento #129

Ham & cheese roll-ups, green jelly, watermelon, cantaloupe & passport melon*.

Only a few scraps of watermelon returned home in Maisie's bento box so yeah on eating today!! Maisie is having an absolute blast at gymnastics camp and today I took a video of her on the rings doing skin-the-cat, check it out here.

Tim our gardener came by yesterday and let me know that the mystery delicious green melon that we've been enjoying from our garden is a passport melon. The cantaloupe also came from our garden and is just wonderfully sweet and tender, so different than the ones we purchase at the store. Next year I want a huge garden of melons, they're just so wonderful. In addition to melon we've been harvesting yellow squash, pattapan squash, long beans, Japanese and white eggplant & jalapeno peppers. Hopefully we'll soon have watermelon, zucchini, spaghetti squash and tomatoes (we started late).

Bento #128

Leftover dumplings & lo mein from dinner last night, more of the unknown type of home-grown melon and a brownie bite.

Another successful bento as Maisie ate every drop! I can't wait for our next melon to ripen so that we can enjoy more, more, more!

Bento #127

BBQ meatballs, carrot coins, melon* & a brownie bite.

Maisie finished off everything in her bento but that was no surprise as it was all her favorite foods.

We had a FABU time in SLC (see SLC posts here, here & here) but it's always nice to come home. We're now getting back into the usual swing of things and as Maisie's back at gymnastics camp bentos will resume.

* I wish that I knew what kind of melon this is because it's amazingly wonderful. On the outside it looks like a cantaloupe but the fruit is green like a honeydew and it does have a honey flavor to it. Our Gardener Tim planted various melons in our garden and this was the first one to ripen. Next time Tim is here I'll have to find out the type of melon it is as I definitely want to plant it (which really means have Tim plant it) again next year.

Bento #126

Peanut butter on wheat monster sandwich, Pocky hair, cheese & semi-sweet chocolate eyes, fairy sprinkle lipstick and grapes.

When I picked Maisie up from gymnastics camp today and checked her bento almost all the grapes and all but one bite of the sandwich remained. After a little investigation I found out that at snack time Maisie ate her snack and then one of the other little girls treated Maisie to not one, but two big bags of candy. Needless to say, come lunch time Maisie had no appetite left. Once home Maisie ate her grapes and most of her sandwich but oh the attitude she had after a day filled with too much sugar.

Tomorrow morning, obscenely early, Maisie and I are off to visit friends in Salt Lake City so more bentos next week when Maisie returns to camp.

Bento #125

Ham & cheese on wheat roll-ups, strawberry jelly, grapes, cantaloupe, marshmallow ice cream cone.

Maisie said that she ran out of time to finish her lunch today so one of the roll-ups and a couple of grapes remained but she quickly finished off everything once home.

Bento #124

BBQ meatballs, banana jelly, cantaloupe and grapes.

Maisie finished all but three of the grapes and told me that she loved her bento. I also found out that all the other children at her gymnastics camp are very intrigued by and love checking out her bento each day. Guess it's much more fun and interesting than a plain old sandwich or a Lunchable...and a lot more nutritious too!

I was asked about the meatballs and how I make them. I use frozen, pre-cooked Italian meatballs that I toss in some BBQ sauce to coat and then bake @ 350F for 15 minutes.

Bento #123

Angel hair pasta with butter, garlic & Parmesan cheese, ham flower and carrot coins and a marshmallow ice cream cone.

Maisie loves her pasta. A few carrot coins returned home but overall a very successful bento.

Bento #122

Maisie just adores BBQ meatballs so I knew that today she would love her bento. That along with super sweet grapes, her special requested treat, a marshmallow ice cream cone as well as carrot coins and low fat ranch dressing in the Hello Kitty container, I was guaranteed a good eater today and that she was.

A few carrot coins and a meatball returned home with her but later in the afternoon when she was hungry again she requested to finish her bento, which she did so another successful meal for my gal.

Bento #121

Per request it's quiche & grapes yet again. Also included is a grape jelly and a fig bar.

I'm tired of looking at the quiche but Maisie seems to love them and keeps requesting them. She did leave one quiche in her bento and told me that I gave her too much food and that she couldn't finish it all. I never offered it to her again so she didn't eat it later in the day...oh well... I did tell her that she had eaten all the quiche and that on Monday she'd be getting something different and she seemed fine with that but asked to have the marshmallow ice cream cone included back in her bento to which I agreed.

Bento #120

Maisie requested a repeat of Mondays bento so again it was mini quiche & grapes but today I added a strawberry jelly and a fig bar to the mix.

Maisie ate every last drop! I love when she's at gymnastics camp as she's not snacking and hungry at lunchtime so she eats well.

Bento #119

Mini quiche, carrot coins, grapes and a marshmallow ice cream cone.

Basically successful as only a few carrot coins returned home uneaten.