Tonights bento dinner was too big for the bento bowls, so we used tupperware instead. Our menu included BBQ ribs, home-made banana pudding, and baked baby lima beans as a side.

I really enjoyed making the banana pudding. I’ve never (at least not in my working memory) made home made pudding before. Errr, at least not unless it came out of a box. lol. So to find out that it was as easy as raw milk, cornstarch, raw honey, and a little vanilla… who knew!

About the only thing I would change would be that instead of doing “baked” lima beans (ala “baked beans”) I would steam the lima beans instead. I just think it would have been a better balanced meal without two dishes covered in sauce.

But maybe that’s me. I tend to like clear and distinct flavors on my plate.

Either way, this meal was a much bigger hit than yesterday’s. Both girls gobbled down the pudding and ate respectable amounts of ribs. DD1 wasn’t too keen on the Baked Lima Beans, but both DD2 and I happily finished her portion. Dh didn’t get to eat any of it. He had to work and was sorely disappointed that he missed “rib night.”

He made me promise that we’d do ribs again next week when he is home for dinner.

Tonights dinner was a delicious honey-baked tilapia with chilled lentil salad and sliced fresh carrots. It was an easy meal to fix and really had amazing flavor. Too bad the girls wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole!

Aargh.

DD1 has decided “I no like fish” and her younger sister will happily mirror everything her older sister does. Including boycott dinner. Neither girl ate anything on their plate. Including the sliced carrots. Which I KNOW they love. They’re going to be hungry later.

Gah. The frustrations of fixing well rounded nurishing meals for kids who would happily live on PB&J.

Tonights dinner really was delicious. Fresh grilled wild Alaskan samon marinated in Terryaki sauce and served on coconut rice. Steamed green beans and fresh sliced figs for sides. Too bad it went over like a lead brick with the girls. lol. DD2, who ALWAYS loves salmon refused to eat it. She ate the rice instead. Her older sister declared she was”too full” and her “tummy hurts” and refused to eat anything except her green beans. And even then she didn’t eat much.

I’m not sure why this went over so poorly when the last salmon meal we had did soo much better. I don’t think it was how the salmon was prepared. Honestly it was delicous. I just think the girls were having an off night when it came to food. I was certain they’d be begging me for something to eat before bed, but they both went down happily. So who knows, maybe they just weren’t hungry?

And in case your wondering. Yes, that is white rice. I’ve been trying to make only brown rice, but haven’t figured out how to do it without soaking it for 8 hours first. Anybody have a fool-proof brown rice cooking instructions for last minute rice making?

In other news my kefir cheese is aging beautifully. I hope it tasts as good as it looks. Tomorrow I’m bringing some sour kefir over to my mom’s and we’re going to make some sharp cheese with it. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Today, after my midwife appointment, Dh and I stopped into a Japanese supermarket and picked up some genuine bento supplies. You know. The kind with “made in Japan” stamped on the back and little bento specific items like seaweed grass dividers, miniature forks, bento boxes, soy sauce containers… And the best part of it all, it was super CHEAP! The price range was from .99 cents to 1.70.

I even picked up two rice steamers for $1.29 each. I plan on using them as bento containers, as well as steamers. Although, right now, one of the rice steamers is doubling as a cheese mold for my first ever attempt at Kefir Cheese.

Yum!

P.S. I tasted the curds before I put them in the mold and all I can say is delicious… I don’t think I’m going to have the patience to wait 6 months to eat this cheese. Instead, I think I’ll eat it soft while it’s still in a brie state.

I’ve become a bento-holic. Everything I see, I wonder “How could this be used effectively in a bento lunch?” Everything from little toothpick decorations to cupcake cups. At Walmart the other day I found a little picnic set with two plates that came with lids and a small fork & Spoon that attached to the top. The set also came with two sippy cups and two little containers. Only $9.99. I didn’t get it, and now and freaking out that by the time I go back ALL those little picnic bags will be gone.

Gulp.

Then at JoAnns I saw a 101 cookie cutter set for $15.00. They had a 50 dollar cookie cutter set for $9.99 as well. Alphabets, numbers, shapes… Can you imagine the bento fun? And then Wilton has these really silly cupcake “Silly Feet! Baking Cups” that I absolutely WANT RIGHT NOW. Think about it. I could put stir fry in one cup and little egg rolls in another!

My good friend Cheri has even fed the bento-madness by sending me these uber cool sandwhich cutters. They slice sandwhiches into the shape of hearts or dinosaurs. Do you have ANY idea how absolutely cool dinosaur shaped sandwhiches are for little kids? Seriously, these shapes make take PB&J to a whole ‘nother level.

Speaking of fun shapes, Taste of Home has a new “Kid-Friendly” special edition out for food and fun with kids. The recipes are not all going to line up with our move towards more nurishing tradition foods… but, there are an awful lot of great ideas for food presentation. Including hard boiled eggs made up like chicks and butterfly pancakes with fresh fruit. Yum. (The magazine should be out on stands through September 2007. After that point I have no clue how you go about getting a copy.)

Anyway, I fully admit that bento meals have hurt my own personal attempt at compacting. It’s feeding that little consumerist side of me that LOVES buying little cute things. In a terrible, fabulous, absolutely compulsive way.

Just consider yourself warned.

“ala Nurishing Traditions”
I’ve subscribed to the Traditional Foods mailer from Cooking Traditional Foods. I’m still on the sample week, and today’s dinner was honey baked lentils, glazed salmon, and steamed broccoli. Everything was soo delicious.

I packed the girl’s bento in two silicone bake dishes I picked up at the dollar store. I’m not sure that the lime green is the most flattering representation for foods, but the size of the containers is exactly perfect for the girls. PLUS, they (*cough* DD2) can throw their dish on the floor without fear of breaking it!

DD2 really lovd her food. She practically ate the salmon in one bite and then spent the rest of the meal inhaling the honey baked lentils. DD1 concentrated on her broccoli and then the lentils. She only ate a few bites of the salmon before she declared her tummy was too full.

I think, honestly, she’s just not used to eating fish. A fact I fully intend to rectify.

I stopped by the Dollar General earlier today and picked up some little containers for Bento lunches. These two containers come in a set of 4 that nest within a larger white tray. Each container is the perfect size for a child’s bento lunch.

For lunch today, I used last night’s dinner. Soaked brown rice in bone broth, baked carrots, pot roast, and fresh broccoli for color and added texture.

P.S. The green container is already broken. DD2 tossed it down from her high chair when she was done with dinner and it broke! Gah.

The day before yesterday I was wandering around Walmart and ran accross ice cream sandwich molds. I actually stopped and stared at them awhile before passing them up. Deciding that ice cream is already too much of a temptation for me. The last thing I need is a REASON to play with and eat the stuff!

So, imagine my surprise when I got home and read about moulded eggs made from ice cream sandwich molds! (Detailed instructions available here.) Not only moulded eggs, but molded rice as well!

Spurred on by the novelty of it all, I went back today to pick up my ice cream sandwhich molds and started boiling a couple of free-range organic eggs. I placed them in the molds and secured them with yarn. (Note to self: Stop throwing rubber bands away!) Then I soaked them in a cold bath and allowed them to sit until it was much closer to time for me to use the eggs.

I also prepped sliced carrots and star shaped red bell peppers on shredded organic spinach, cut up green grapes as desert and used a cookie cutter to serve “duck” pizza on Iowa Peaches-N-Cream Sweet Corn. We’ll see how the girls like it.

Our First Bento Lunch: