Bento #9 Three little monsters

What's for lunch Wednesday

This was a stay at home day, so I could spend a bit more time on my three little monster's bentos. They had a ham sandwich, veggies, a satsuma and my first tamagoyaki. The kids didn't care much for this particular recipe, too sweet, so I will try again, a bit more savory.

Don't forget to check out some more bento love at Heather's site, Ohayo Bento. She is having an awesome giveaway that would make anyone's heart patter, bento nut or not!

Thankful for Bento Love!

"Are you still doing that bento thing?"

That was the question from my girlfriend this week when I talked to her. Uhhhhhhh? How do you answer that one without totally talking your friends ear off about food and packing lunches... You can't, lol. She is used to that by now.

I think.

For those of you who don't know, bento is a form of lunch packing from Japan. It is a way for mothers to make food look more fun for kids, kids to show off their lunches and in turn, show off their moms... What kid wouldn't want eyeballs looking at them when they open their lunchbox? Other benefits are, more veggies snuck into their bodies, because they are more fun to eat, and portion control for adults. Boxes come in sizes ranging from 250 ml to 900 ml. If you pack them according to the recommended protein/starch/veggie ratio, you end up with approximately that many calories in the box. My younger kids use a 350-550 ml box, my older boy and hubby an 800 ml box. There are sites out there with information on how to choose the right size box for you. If you are really wanting to be amazed, just image google the word bento...but I digress...on to the good stuff!

I am so excited! Heather over at Ohayo Bento is having an awesome give-away on some really cute and practical bento items. I just got my first box from her, and boy were my kids excited. Even my 12 year old, who doesn't get excited about anything except extra time on the computer, was excited. I can't wait to post a photo of the new box packed full of #3's lunch. He has declared that it is his turn to get the new box and he doesn't care that it has bunnies on it, they are cool!

I also got some new bands (you never know if they are going to come home) some picks shaped like fruit and a bear shaped rice mold. Like Christmas I'm tellin ya!
If you are a bento nut, or if you have no idea what bento is, you should visit Heather at Ohayo Bento. Her boxes are beautifully done, and quite an inspiration for those of us just starting out.

I am so thankful I can stay home and do things like this. After you visit Heather at Ohayo Bento, be sure to go see what others are thankful for!

Menu Monday November 22

It is food week here at our house. Thanksgiving means our refrigerator is full, and so is the pantry as we always get together with several other families during this time. Tuesday we are meeting with our neighbors after all our kids go to bed, Thursday we have our annual "Oh ya, you can't go home for Thanksgiving because you work for a hospital, too" dinner, and Friday our other friend's families invite us to the shack party (it's a WI hunting thing). Needless to say, we have a busy week ahead of us, but my kinda busy, FOOD!

Breakfast
Oatmeal
Banana pancakes with pb
John Wayne (slap some bacon on a biscuit)
Pumpkin pancakes with whipped cream
Egg sandwiches
Kids choice
Apple cream waffles
Banana bread muffins and smoothies

Lunch
Chicken pot pie and fruit
Lunch at school (cheese fries)
Egg salad or pb, apples
Turkey, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, salad, pumpkin and pecan pie, rolls
Chili, rice, corn chips and pickles
Lasagna and salad
Brunch
Meatballs, rice, fruit

Supper
Potato soup and sandwiches
Hamballs, rice, green beans
Spareribs, roasted veggies, cornbread
Turkey Leftovers!
Pizza and Shack Party (buffet style, bringing chicken wings)
Leftover surprise or salmon
Pot roast with root veggies
Tuscan chicken panini and butternut squash-chipotle bisque

Bento #8 Meatballs

Italian meatballs with ketchup, tomatoes, grapes, rice and a satsuma

Menu Monday November 15th

Ok, so I spoke too soon about the beautiful weather, but even at 35 degrees, the frost that is following the light snow we had is beautiful. It is not a blizzard, and we have heat and food in our house. I guess there is nothing to complain about!

Breakfast
Banana muffins, milk
Eggs and toast
Oatmeal
Vanilla Soothers and pb toast
Waffles
Carmel rolls
Brunch

Lunch
Soup and crackers (sick kid)
Meatballs, rice, grape tomatoes and satsumas
Turkey roll-ups, broccoli and cauliflower
Boiled eggs, veggie fried rice, carrots, kiwi
Chicken chunks, rice, grape tomatoes and cucumbers
Egg head sandwiches, chips

Supper
Buffalo chicken wraps with coleslaw, grapes
Salmon, sweet potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower
Creamed chicken on a biscuit
Chipotle cream shrimp, carrots, rice, salad
Frozen pizza (yay)
Egg rolls and veggies
Leftovers

Budget
No photos: Hmong Grocery-$10.26
Downtown Grocery-$23.93
Mexican Grocery-$2.69
Milk and eggs-$24.00 and a free squash
IGA- $52.00 and a free 14lb turkey!
Total:$112.88

Hubby Bento

Hubby's lunch. There are sliced carrots and zucchini under the pickles, and the orange thing is a peanut butter cup from Halloween. I even snuck a pick in there to make it a little kyaraben like these.

Menu Monday November 7-13

Someone remind me, it is November right? I do live in Wisconsin, not Puerto Vallarta, right? The weather here is gorgeous! We took advantage of it and played outside yesterday, everyone doing their favorite, or most necessary, activity before the snow comes on Saturday. What a blessing!

Breakfast
Whole grain waffles with choice of toppings
Breakfast biscuits and blueberry yogurt
Bacon and egg sandwiches
Pumpkin pancakes
Apple raisin oatmeal
Peanut butter toast with smoothies
Kids choice Saturday

Lunch
Beef stew, and no-need bread
Turkey and swiss sandwich, carrots and zucchini
Crab sushi and apples
Noodles with sauce, cheese cubes, broccoli
Boiled eggs, cream cheese and jelly rolls, tomatoes and cucumbers
Sandwich Monsters and apples
Burgers and tater rounds (dad cooks)

Supper
Chorizo frittata
Peppercorn burgers and chips
Cilantro tandoori chicken with pineapple salsa
Fish tacos, grapes, rice
Tuna or ham panini, tomato or onion soup
Baked chicken, rice, broccoli
Take-out pizza

My groceriesCrackers x 2, tea, O's, apples, sweet potatoes, tortillas, soap x 3, eggs, grapes and chips
$60.10

Noodle and dumpling sauce, mango, lime, ginger, chopsticks, baby bananas, onions, cilantro, soba noodles, gyoza wrappers, cabbage and a shredding knife
$28.35

Toilet paper x 3, rice, pasta, klenex, swiss, olives, dish tabs, babybel x 2, ham, muenster, crab, drumsticks, ground pork x 2, tomato soup, humus, yogurt, English muffins, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, bananas, grape tomatoes, dinner rolls, flatouts x 2, bagel thins, kaisers
$96.34
Not shown milk and eggs $21.00
Total for the week $205.79 Much steeper than normal, but I was out of nearly everything, and got a couple things that will extend into next week, so feel ok about that.