Mommy Bento - Taco Leftovers

Sometimes the best lunches are the ones that are super simple. No frills and easy to make. I have a hard time remembering to eat until about 3pm when my stomach is growling and making me nauseous. As all moms know, you think of everything the kids need first and you come last. So when I can throw the nights dinner leftovers into my Easy Lunchboxes container I feel that at least I have accomplished one meal for myself that hopefully, I will remember to take out of the fridge before the girls get out of school.

Ready salad mix is perfect for an easy taco salad. Layer some taco meat, re-fried beans, diced red onions, chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. I love to add crushed crispy salty tortilla chips to my taco salads. It is just hard to add them to a plate you know you won't eat until the next day. Why? Soggy chips. No one likes soggy chips.

This is where the extra compartments in the ELB comes in handy. It will keep my chips crispy until I am ready to add them to my salad. In the smaller compartment I have two sauce containers. One has taco sauce and one has Thousand Island dressing, that's right....dressing. The BEST taco salad dressing is a mix of taco sauce and Thousand Island dressing. Instead of making my blend I kept them separate because some days I want more zing from the dressing and some days more spice from the sauce. Since it is unknown what direction I will go until I pull my lunch, this was a good solution.

P.S. Did you notice the beautiful hot pink color of the ELB lid? Easy Lunchboxes introduced recently their new "Brights" collection. Awesome colors of Pink, Teal, Yellow and Purple. My girls have already claimed their favorites and of course, ohhh'd and ahhh'd over the new colors. I must say, they are pretty spectacular.

Mommy Bento / LunchBots

I finally purchased my first LunchBots. It's so pretty and shiny I almost didn't want to get it dirty...lol I bought the Duo because I loved the size and that it was divided. Inside I have leftover Boeuf Bourguignon with rice and a cherry blossom nori detail. The other side has a veggie mix of edamame, carrots, black beans and snap peas in the blue cup. Bread with hummus in the pink cup.

Linking to this weeks Whats For Lunch Week 24

Halloween Bento #16 For The Family

Happy Halloween!!! Today we decided to spend the day at Legoland and let the girls "Brick Or Treat" before the actual neighborhood Trick Or Treating event. So while I did not have a ton of time to make super fancy lunches to pack along today I did manage to squeeze these out before running out the door.

C Lunch

Ghost pb&j with peanut butter pretzels, mini cranberry & pomegranate muffin.

Grapes, sliced strawberries, carrots, quail egg o'lantern and a purple potato flower.

M's Lunch

Cat pb&j with peanut butter pretzels, mini cranberry & pomegranate muffin.

Grapes, sliced strawberries, carrots, hummus, quail egg o'lantern and a purple potato flower.

Daddy Lunch

Roast Beast and Pastrami sami, parm pita chips, grapes, carrots and two (because he's special like that) cranberry/pomegranate mini muffins.

Mommy Lunch

Pastrami & cheese in a soft potato roll, veggie crunchers, quail egg o'lanterns, black grapes

carrots, hummus and a mini muffin.

This is one of the new boxes I found at Marukai last week. It seemed so big after I filled it but it fit great into my Easy Lunch Boxes cooler with daddy's lunch.

Cinna-Mummy Wrapples

I was visiting Lick -A-Plate yesterday and saw these awesome treats and knew I had to make them for today's lunch. She found the recipe from Better Recipes. So I made them to pack along as a dessert after lunch and let me just say not only was it wicked easy to make...it is so delish!! I think these are a perfect alternative to baking a whole pie if you have company over, and easier to eat. This is defiantly become a dessert staple in our home!

This post added to What's For Lunch Wednesday Week 23 and Sweet Sunday!!

Mommy Bento #16

It's been awhile since I have posted a mommy bento, frankly I just haven't had the time for myself.  Yesterday was my 35th birthday and I guess I am still in the "me" mode...lol

Regular long grain white rice decorated with a nori flower. Left over Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence with steamed yellow cauliflower. In the bottom tier baby carrots with hummus and the most delicious cupcake with homemade raspberry butter cream frosting courtesy Muffin Tin Mom. 

Yesterday was the best day. Both girls were in school so I got to go shopping by myself! Joann's, Michaels and even some bento shopping at Marukai Value. Later hubby came home and surprised me with my present...a membership to a local cooking school!!! I know awesome right? I am so excited..eeeekkk! Then to top off my already wonderful day, I was taken out to dinner by my darling hubby and beautiful girls and then surprised to find out Muffin Tin Mom and her family was joining us...yay! Apparently our hubbies had been scheming all week behind my back...lol It was an awesome surprise and we had the most fabulous time.

Halloween Bento #5

C's Lunch

Batty sami's, mini cupcake, wheat thins, cheesy bats,

 grapes and grape tomatoes.

M's Lunch

Batty sami, cheesy bats, baby carrots, container with hummus,

 grapes, pumpkin and spider gummies.

Mommy Bento

H&C on Orowheat Thins, everything bagel chips, hummus, 

sliced red plum, mini cupcake.

I am still a day behind posting the bento's so this was yesterday's lunches but also it is today's entry for What's For Lunch Weds Week 20!!

Kanga, Flowers And An Airplane Bento

C's Lunch

Kanga PB&J with cheese overlay and mini heart sami's. Grape tomatoes, Sliced pluot and Annie's cheddar bunnies.

M's Snack and Lunch

Since we were visiting Muffin Tin Mom today I knew assumed M would want a snack and then lunch while we out and about. I was wrong. She actually didn't eat it until several hours later when we arrived home..oh well. 

In her snack box she got salami, cheese and mini muffins. In her lunch box was leftover baked ziti with a cheesy flowers and mini gummy bugs. Grapes, yellow carrots, and Annie's cheddar bunnies.

Daddy's Lunch

Pastrami, roast beast and cheese sami with a cheesy airplane. Grapes, mini muffin and cheddar bunnies.

Mommy Lunch

Broccoli Beef with Hawaiian Fried Rice

Yellow carrots, pluot, and a mini muffin

This was actually my lunch from late yesterday. Weds night we went to Taste Of Thai in Del Mar and it was awesome! I have been dying to take the family to a Thai restaurant but we just never have. So Weds I told hubby we were going. Of course he was skeptical but that was soon far behind him when the Satae came to the table. It was delicious and cooked just how hubby would do it himself.

Hubby ordered the Beef with Thai Fried Rice, I got the Broccoli Beef and the girls shared a plate of Hawaiian Fried Rice with Chicken. All the food was amazing and hubby was so impressed we will defiantly be making it a regular place to eat. I am already planning my next meal...Beef with Choochi Curry...yummm!

Mommy Bento #15

I love leftover meat loaf sami's so trying to figure out what to have for lunch today was very easy. With my super delish sami I have strawberries, a sliced pluot, orange cauliflower, broccoli, english cucumber flowers and in my little pink peek a boo cup is dressing for my veggies. Isn't the little cup so cute! I bought them just because they were adorable and today decided to use one...love it!

Thank you everyone for commenting on last nights post. Nice to know it's not just my family that thinks about food in that way...lol We are so close to 1000 followers I am just in awe of all you awesome peeps. Thank you for making me so loved and special on a daily basis. I still plan on having a Giveaway when we hit 1000 so today I stopped by Marukai to do some shopping but found the shelves to be pretty well picked through. They said they hope to be restocked this weekend so you know i'll be there shopping on Monday  ^_^

Mommy Bento #14

Fried chicken breast, olive oil and garlic couscous and flower carrots.

Red grapes, yellow cherry tomatoes, orange bell peppers and a mini blueberry corn muffin.

Bentos For All

Last night while preparing to make C's lunch for school today she had two suggestions for me. She told me #1 what she wanted to eat and #2 to "keep it simple". Keep it simple? What 5 year old says that...lol What she meant was no decorative "salad"..lol  So that is just what she got...simple. PB&J sami's in a tulip, heart and bird shape, mini tomatoes, carrot flowers, heart watermelon, flower cantaloupe and cubed pineapple. Simple :)

M on the other hand does not care yet about the "salad" so today she got dino shaped chicken, seedless table grapes, watermelon and carrots.

And as important as it is to always watch the health and nutrition of our kids we must do the same for ourselves so packed in my Easy Lunch Boxes container today is cranberry pecan chicken salad on Orowheat Thins with green leaf lettuce. In the two rear compartments are watermelon and Wheat Thins.

Mommy Bento #13

It's been awhile since mommy had a bento for lunch so today was the perfect day. As always my bento is packed into my Easy Lunchboxes containers.  This weekend we took the girls to SeaPort Village and while we were there stopped at a cafe for lunch. I got the chicken caesar wrap which for 10 bucks was awful! I didn't know it but they put down a layer of rice..which you would think would have been yummy, but oh no, the rice was severely undercooked and crunchy and there was no flavor or seasoning, not even salt and pepper in this wrap..it was a mess. Hubbz also for 10 bucks got a BLT. Now again I thought for that amount of money it would have thick slices of tomatoes and maybe a special bacon like black pepper or maple bacon or something...wrong again Steph, C could have whipped up a better sandwich than what he had. Oh well like I told hubbz, we tried it, it sucked and we move on...you live and learn.

Today I decided to make my own BLT and it was delish! Thick slices of ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon and cool crisp lettuce all layered inside a soft, fresh from the bakery croissant. Now this I would have spent 10 bucks for easy. Paired with some sliced English cucumbers with champaign dressing and ice cold grapes, this was the best lunch I have had in awhile.

Mommy Bento #10

Today was a busy day. Morning playdate across town and then errands into the mid afternoon, so when we got home I was starving! I wanted something yummy of course but also easy to make so I could sit in front of the computer and catch up on work. This is what I came up with all packed in my handy dandy Easy Lunch Boxes container.

Spinach with mini heirloom tomatoes, chicken strips, Gorgonzola and the most fabulous cranberry, walnut and Gorgonzola dressing from Trader Joe's. A pepperoni and provolone Stromboli from Stouffer's and 2 mini fudge brownies from Pillsbury. The other day I stumbled on this wonderful new product called Sweet Moments from Pillsbury. OOOOOMMMMGGGGGGG! They are the most decadent, delicious, amazing little brownies I have ever tasted.

They are so rich I literally can only eat 2-3 at a sitting (probably a good thing for me). These little 1 x 1 squares are pure orgasmic heaven..no joke! I am so glad I found them and they will always be a staple in my fridge like ice cream is in my freezer...lol





Disclaimer: The opinions expressed about Pillsbury Sweet Moments are mine and mine alone. I was not contacted in any way by Pillsbury to write a review nor was I compensated with product or money.

Sliders & Mommy Bento #9

Identical boxes made for C & M

In our Easy Lunch Boxes containers is a Slider burger, carrots with hummus,
 celery with cream cheese and carrot flowers,

 mini heirloom tomatoes, watermelon stars and flowers and baby bell cheese. 

Mommy Bento #9

Cheeseburger sliders with the works and my ultimate favorite pasta and spinach salad.

It has been a wicked busy weekend. Actually my weekend started last Thursday when my girlfriend from high school came into town with her two teenage daughters, niece and nephew. I was blown away! It had been 7 years since I have seen her girls and now their all grown up and gorgeous. As for my girlfriend she looks just like she did in high school, beautiful. We realized it's been almost 21 years since we first met...wow what a lifetime. So they crashed with us Thursday and of course we stayed up until after midnight catching up. Friday my girls and I spent most of the day with them in Mission Beach and then her and I met up with another high school buddy for cocktails at the beautiful Se Hotel in downtown San Diego.

Then Saturday we had family from LA drive down and we had a small combined birthday get together for my Grams, hubby and M. We BBQ'd, played cards and Password which come to find out I am pretty good at giving the clues...just not guessing them..lol Sunday we headed to Temecula to hang out with friends for their daughters 4th birthday. So this is why I have not been as active on my blog or stalking yours as I usually am. Frankly I do not see it getting any calmer. My "sister from another mister" is getting married next month and I am so excited for her. She is truly a beautiful girl inside and out and never thought she would meet "the one". She resided herself to living single for the rest of her life until fate stepped in and brought her her fiancée. Congrats baby girl, you deserve all the happiness life has to bring you and I am so thrilled that he makes you feel like the queen that you are!!

So these bento's are made from the leftover slider burgers we bbq'd on Saturday...so delish! In the mommy bento is my ultimate favorite salad ever!!! Pasta and Spinach with crumbled Gorgonzola and Champagne dressing. Sharon from Mama's a Mess first introduced my to this at a playdate when we were in VA. Ever since then I have not been able to stop craving it. I will literally eat it for days and never get sick of it. It is so simple to make and so delicious you have to try it for yourself! To get her recipe click HERE.

Mommy Bento #8

So...looks like I have resorted back to my diet. I say "diet" and "resorted back to" because I never know what will trigger me to start my small obsession with restricting and counting calories. However this time I do realize it and I am trying to be way better and way healthier about it. I can not let my self become so controlled by myself that I shake, sweat and have a brake down at the very thought of eating more than 300 calories a day.

Thinking healthy, thinking healthy...it's okay, it's okay.

So for this lunch I have (now this is how I brake down everything...just a little insist into me you never knew about...lol)

2 oz cucumber, raw = 7cals
2 oz spinach, raw = 13 cals
0.5 oz Gorgonzola = 50 cals
1 Tbsp Light dressing = 12 cals
4 oz grapes = 78 cals (originally I had 5 oz of grapes but after seeing the cal count I took out an oz)
5.7 oz Mahi Mahi grilled = 150 cals


Total = 310

So with my breakfast of 1/2c egg beaters = 60, 3oz watermelon = 26 and 1 oz cantaloupe = 10... my total for the day so far is 406

That is amazingly good for me. I am over 300 cals and the day is not done yet...baby steps, baby steps. And I have to say that using my Easy Lunch Boxes containers for my food has not always been convenient, but doesn't it look like there is a TON of food packed in that thing? It's a good trick of the mind and I love it. Wow, I am stuffed!

Everyone Loves A Bento

Little Bears Bento Box

Sister Bears Bento Box

Papa Bears Bento Box

Mama Bears Bento Box

So this past weekend was papa bears birthday and for his birthday we bought the girls a pool. So on Saturday while him and the girls were splashing around and having fun I made everyone including papa bear a bento. Even though I had bought a box for him months ago, this was the first time actually making him one.

Last week on Susan's blog Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook she made the most adorable and delicious looking mini owl biscuits. I loved the idea and planned to make the biscuits for the girls. However I could not find the regular sized biscuits so I went with Croissant rolls. Defiantly not as perfect as hers, but were supper yummy. I filled ours with ham and cheddar cheese...yummmm!

The girls and papa bear had cheese, fruit, veggies and leftover b-day cake in their boxes and papa bear had some fantastic brown rice chips we just found at Costco. In my Easy Lunch Boxes container I had my ham & cheese croissant with a spinach/pasta salad, baby carrots and snacking heirloom tomatoes. The dressing on my salad is this amazing Cranberry, Walnut and Gorgonzola from Trader Joe's and the little cheddar fish's has the perfect sharpness to match the sweetness of the dressing. My girlfriend Sarah turned me onto it and now I can not stop eating it on everything!

Mommy Bento #7

Cilantro Lime Chicken burger on an Orowheat Thin with spinach. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, with raw purple cabbage, mini baby bell cheese, spider bellies (dried apricots) and organic corn chips. Everything packed up nicely in my Easy Lunch Boxes container and mostly all of this food except for the Orowheat and the cheese was bought at Trader Joe's. I just love that store and if you haven't tried those Cilantro Lime Chicken burgers...oh baby are you in for a treat!

Mommy Bento #6

This morning I woke to the sound of the garbage trucks on the next street over. In my shorts and tank I jump out of bed and run outside to get my bins out before they hit my street. As I throw open the door and jet outside I suddenly realize not only is it chilly (which has been normal the last few days), but it is raining! No shoes, hair a mess in a tank and shorts I am cold and wet. Screw it, I get my bins out and dart back inside before my neighbors could see me.

Very weird weather we are having here in (not so) "Sunny San Diego". Mind you my favorite time of year at the beach is when it is cold and overcast so for me I have been in heaven with this extended "June Gloom", but not sure the rest of San Diego would agree with me..lol

So the weather today inspired my breakfast. I do not know why but I love omelets on a cold day. It would be made more perfect if I was sitting beach side but beggars can't be choosers. So I decided to do my Mommy Bento for breakfast!

In the box is an omelet with a sauté of spinach, red onions and red bell peppers. It is finished with melted Gorgonzola. Also in the box is country sausage links, strawberries, melon and grape cabob and a happy sweet snacking bell pepper.

I very rarely have time for breakfast, usually it consists just of coffee, but today I thought I would treat myself and get the day started off right.

Mommy Bento #5

This was a bento I made before I went on vacation. It was the perfect lunch and not just for me but for M as well. She never misses an opportunity to "try" my food and after she did she realized she loved 3 cheese tortellini and finished my meal. I would think with how many times during the week she takes over my lunch that I would be a lot skinnier ...lol. Also packed into my Easy Lunch Box container is sliced cucumbers with Champaign dressing and garlic & butter toast. The tortellini is tossed with EVOO and topped with fresh grated parm.

Mommy Bento #4

Last night it was just me and the girls. My mom was visiting with my grandmother so I didn't have to worry about cooking. The girls are always easy when it comes to a :throw it together" dinner as long as it includes mac n cheese..lol For myself I wanted needed something easy yet healthy with a side of fun.

So I came up with a spinach salad (the normal stand by) with carrot flowers, halved cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, a radish toadstool,  left over bbq chicken from the night before and topped with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. A heart shaped onigiri with sweet/spicy chili sauce and strawberries drizzled with chocolate syrup for dessert. It was quick and delish! All served nice and pretty in our Easy Lunch Boxes containers.

Mommy Bento #3

I got into a tuna salad kick after my last mommy bento, so here is another reworked box. Tuna salad with cheddar cheese on Orowheat Sandwich Thins. Cantaloupe and cucumber slices. Leftover Somen noodles tossed in EVOO and garlic and a strawberries and Cool Whip for dessert.