Wednesday, February 27, 2008

23 - cleaning out the fridge

Well, it's a good thing I made a decent sized batch of baked penne last night! Had a late meeting tonight, so I didn't make dinner. The bf made some chicken and rotini pasta dish for himself, but I will leave that for him for dinner tomorrow night (my bowling league night). I had a wee bit of baked penne left from last night, so it just took some veggie fillers to finish off tomorrow's lunch bento. =) Our weekly lunch meeting has been cancelled until we move into our new office in about one month, so I will most likely have bento's every day unless I have a lunch date with the girls. This lunch is the last of my rasberries... it's ok, they weren't really in season. The only time I had out-of-this-world rasberries was when I picked them myself! There's an apple/berry farm about 25 minutes from my home that we went to last year. It took me about 2 hours to pick two pints worth (I was very picky!... might also be the pick two, eat one that slowed me down...), but they were SO GOOD! I have to remember to go again this coming season.

By the way... I got my reusable grocery shopping totes!!! The pictures on Amazon does not do them justice... they look so much better in person! Super excited to use them on my next grocery restock, which probably will not be until Sunday since I am going away this weekend. Two more days until I'm in Virginia visiting my college girlfriend/drunken partner! =D Oh oh, can't wait. *smiles*
top tier: plain cole slaw mix, organic carrot sticks
bottom tier: more leftover baked penne, steamed broccoli
snack box: rasberries, seedless red grapes, thai peanut sauce (for cole slaw & carrots)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

22 - Breaking habits

Do you sometimes find that you fall into a food rut? I don't mean bad food by any means, but I mean when you keep falling back on the "safety" foods. It wasn't obvious until I realized I couldn't stop craving things left and right. Ack! In an attempt to "freshen" things up a bit, our goal this week is to think outside the box. A quick inventory of the fridge found some sweet italian sausage, hot italian sausage, bell peppers, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The light bulb goes off... baked penne! I sauteed the sausage, peppers, and sliced baby bella mushrooms with some white wine, cilantro, sundried tomatoes and a bit of tomato sauce. This was tossed with cooked penne, layered with some shredded cheddar and baked until cheese melted. Yumm! The only thing I would change next time is eliminate the sundried tomato and use less hot sausage. =)
sausage, pepper and mushroom baked penne, plain cole slaw, thai peanut sauce
snack: rasberries and seedless red grapes
organic carrot sticks (not shown)

Monday, February 25, 2008

21 - primavera

The work week started off slow due to server technical difficulties. We are moving to a new office in about a month and everything is getting moved to a new server... but things didn't go all too smooth with the transition. During our downtime today, my food-lover side came out and I was inspired to try a new recipe. First thing that came to mind was... SEAFOOD! The bf is a true asian... meat and rice, that is all he asks for. But I was drooling over something other than chicken or beef... shrimp it is! I went to the market after work to pick up some fresh shrimp and other groceries for the week.

Oh oh, before I forgot this... I can't wait until the end of this week! I ordered a set of five reusable grocery shopping totes from Amazon. They come in five different colors, plus a thermal hot/cold tote as a free gift!!! I felt kind of guilty for not buying them sooner, so I tried to buy only the absolute necessities until they come in. =D

For dinner/lunch, I know I had some coconut milk and broccoli at home. Do I smell primavera? *smiles* A little bit of onion, carrots, broccoli, shrimp, and coconut milk with a hint of lime over fresh spaghetti. I didn't follow a recipe, but I kind of wish I did. The outcome was good, but I wish I had a recipe nearby just for reference on spices and such. I need to remember that for next time.

I leave you with a pic of the world's cutest kittens...
Nimmie & Nikkie
darn that flash! pardon the scary glowing eyes, they are very cute!

lunch: shrimp primavera with coconut lime sauce
snack: organic carrot sticks, rasberries

Sunday, February 24, 2008

20 - California Rollin'

Cheers to a full week back at work! I had a bunch of my coworkers over at my house on Saturday for a poker tournament. Yes, you heard right. There has been a "trophy" and prized "green jacket" that gets circulated to the new poker champion for several years, and we take turns hosting the party. It was my first time hosting at our house (we moved in almost two years ago... two years on 3/10!), so an assortment of finger foods was prepared! I need sure to include all those recipes in my Thursday recipe post this week. All the foods were a huge hit and barely anything was left at the end of the night. I made a few california rolls, but had leftover ingredients so... I made two rolls tonight to bring for lunch tomorrow! Happy Monday all!
california roll (imitation crab, avocado, flying fish roe) and wasabi in red silicone cup

18 & 19 - tis the season

Last weekend thru the first part of last week was a complete blur. I think it was the flu bug going around, but I was in bed with a 102 fever for 3-4 days. The lunches below were packed for Tuesday and Wednesday, both which I ended up calling in sick because I was so dizzy from all the heat and dehydration. Ok, enough about something completely not related bento... here they are! I wish I had a more exciting reason for the lack of posts, like I was whisked away to a romantic getaway to Paris but... nupe... just the flu. BLAH!

I am hoping this week will be a more promising week for lunches! I need to stock up on more chinese veggies for this week. They are almost my staple everyday. I usually just saute it with a bit of olive oil, minced garlic and salt.. that's it! Simple and delicious.
hong-kong style egg noodles with chicken and bell peppers; sauteed chinese broccoli
mini apple and mandarin orange

top tier: fried rice with mushrooms and chicken
bottom tier: spring mix salad, laughing cow swiss, grape tomato, bell peppers and rotisserie chicken
l&l snack box: sliced kiwi

Thursday, February 14, 2008

17 - leftover love

My bf and I have been dating for a very long time, but he still tries to out-do himself every year. <=) I used to always want to go someplace fancy for dinner, roses delivered to work, and all the other typical gush. But after so many years, doing that over and over gets old and takes the romance out of it. Instead, he made us dinner (ny strips!!!) and we enjoyed it by the fireplace. so romantic!... and warm!!! Like a candlelit dinner, but better! It gets better... guess what I got as a gift?!?! ok ok, it's not an easy guess... it's a season pass for the local golf course!!! OMG OMG! I got into golf two years ago and am completely hooked. The passes allow for unlimited play until October. How awesome is that?! See... no more typical gifts... a gift from the heart of something I love. It was a total surprise! Ok... enough exclamation marks... onto my lunch....
The steaks were just huge and neither of us finished. I cut the steak into smaller pieces, sauteed a bit more to get rid of pink on the outside (I like my steak medium-rare... drool) to go with a warm spinach salad. It will be very hard to wait until lunch time tomorrow!
top tier: spinach salad with grape tomatoes and red pepper feta
bottom tier: new york strip steak

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

17 - My second love...

I could have melted the chocolate chips and made chocolate covered strawberries for an extra "oomph" effect but.... this was a lot easier! =D Pop a few chocolate chips in, then bite into the strawberry. That is almost the same, isn't it? Chocolate is my go to when I'm feeling crappy... not that I feel crappy about anything, just still in a bit of pain.. and strawberries? That's just the cherry on the sundae.... haha... get it? Ok... the corniness will stop.

Happy Valentine's Day!
organic strawberries and dark chocolate chips

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

#15 - Jambalaya Madness

I am in a lot of pain in what is suspected to be either an ear infection or a combination jaw & ear infection. why suspected? Because my doctor sucks, and is not available to see me until thursday... 5 days after the pain started! I am looking to switch doctors... but until then, I am going to go back to ice-packing the left side of my face. Sorry... =\ I am so grumpy now...
top tier: bean sprouts, applesauce w/ sprinkle of cinnamon, steamed broccoli
bottom tier: jambalaya with chicken breast

Monday, February 11, 2008

#14 - Steamed goodness

I'm using my new lock&lock bento box!!! It came as part of a 3-piece set of 100ml round, 180ml rectangular, and 600ml square (two shown here). I tested out the leak-proofness last week with soup, and it passed with flying colors. The two-tier bento has made enough appearances on this blog, so it was time to let l&l shine!

To be honest, I had absolutely nothing to pack for my bento except the bit of leftover stir fry noodles shown... or so I thought! Desperate to pack a healthy lunch (or attempt to... noodles is fairly heavy), I am so happy with the results of a well-stocked vegetable drawer and pantry items. The applesauce is organic, made with a hint of cinnamon... it's really good! The broccoli was thrown in the microwave with a splash of water, some minced garlic, salt and pepper. Bean sprouts were steamed in microwave, tossed with sesame oil, salt, pepper and a bit of soy. Yum!
bento clockwise: steamed broccoli, cinnamon apple sauce, beef & wide noodle stir fry, bean sprouts
snack box: happy cow swiss & water crackers

Sunday, February 10, 2008

#13 - ugh

Here's to another beginning to the work week! This past week has not been my best. The first part of last week was spend battling the stomach bug, and the second part to an ear infection. Won-der-ful! Hopefully, the ear infection will go away in another couple of days... until then, here's to ringing ears and dull pain.

top tier: sauteed greens with garlic, bean sprouts, pork chop & green peppers with garlic bean sauce
bottom tier: chow mein with shitake & pork strips (red vinegar in bottle)
l&l snack box: happy cow swiss & water crackers

Friday, February 8, 2008

Curry Veggies

Ok guys n' gals... here is my first recipe post! Oddly enough, I rarely follow a recipe when making dinner. It depends on what we have in stock in the house. Carrots? Sure! Baby bella mushrooms? Sounds good! So... yea, you get the gist of it. I try to stay on the safe side by using a pretty set collection of spices and sauces so that the bf doesn't give me odd looks when he takes a bite into dinner. If I strike gold (i.e. we both inhale our dinner), the recipe gets archived... in my head. On my wishlist now is a blank recipe kit (blank book, box w/ index cards and dividers, etc.) so I can file all these recipes away. Soon!
Anyhow, onwards to the recipes! (Yvo - the garlic chicken was really good!... but, it was from a restaurant. I will have to experiment to try and replicate it...)


Curry Veggies (chicken optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tbsp. jarred minced garlic)
1 cup raw chicken, diced (breast or thigh)
1 tspn cooking wine (I prefer ShaoXing brand... it's dark and sweet)
1 cup frozen sliced carrots, defrosted
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 potatoes, diced
1 1/2 tbps indian curry powder (bright yellow/golden. it's spicy)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
salt
white pepper
sugar

Marinade chicken cubes with cooking wine, salt, pepper, and sugar for about 10 minutes. The cooking wine will help tenderize the chicken pieces.
Place large skillet with oil (I prefer olive) over medium-high heat until oil starts to smoke.
Add onion and garlic while stiring constantly. Don't burn the garlic! Season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken cubes and toss with onion/garlic mixture until outside of chicken is cooked.
Add veggies and potatoes, sprinkle curry powder and sautee until curry turns golden brown and slightly crispy (this cooks the powder and releases more flavor... but beware, the smell is fairly strong).
Pour in half of the chicken stock to de-glaze the pan (be careful of steam!). Make sure to scrape those yummy bits off the bottom... yum.
Add remaining stock and bring to a boil; then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Serve hot with some rice or baguette!

Indian curry is a lot stronger in smell than japanese curry sauces, but I've found that the reed diffusers do a pretty decent job at combatting the smell. By the next morning, your house should smell normal again. =)
Since I have lunch meetings every Thursday, which means no bento, I will try to make that my recipe post day! Pictures will also try to make its way to these posts. Stay tune for more...

Thursday, February 7, 2008

#12 - crock pots rock

sorry for the short post... my brain is fried from work. but i'm planning a recipe post this weekend on some of my bento components (coming soon yvo!)
top tier: yellow bell pepper, happy cow swiss, red pepper feta, grapes, turnip cake
bottom tier: beef stew with carrots and celery, jasmine rice, furikake heart & yellow bell pepper

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

#11 - rainbow bright

All the different colors in tomorrow's lunch bento makes me so happy! I didn't want to overload on "whites", but the turnip cake only last a couple of days... and I was really craving a wasabi tuna onigiri. After last weeks mistake of forgetting the soy sauce, I made sure it was the first thing I put out. Yum!
top tier: tuna onigiri, raw yellow bell pepper, garlic chicken
bottom tier: curried veggies, sauteed baby bok choy, turnip cake, grape tomato halved

Monday, February 4, 2008

Bento #10 - new years feast!

I had a lunch date with a gf on Friday and made a long weekend trip to NYC this weekend for the upcoming CNY celebrations, but bentos are back for a short work week! CNY is this Thursday and do you know what that means? FOOD!!! *drools* I went home to have the annual family reunion dinner, but this year was a bit different. Instead of mom & dad spending all-day in the kitchen, we had dinner at a restaurant instead. The food was great, but there was sooooooooo much. My family knows that I am deprived of chinese food in Rochester, so I had the honors of bringing a lot with me! My bentos will be so happy this week. =)

Along with dinner leftovers, you are probably wondering what are those white cakes. They are turnip cakes that have little bits of dried shrimp and chinese sausage... yum! Dad makes them the best.

top tier: sauteed broccoli, turnip cake, oyster sauce in bottle
bottom tier: soy-glazed chicken breast, one small spare rib, two slices of steak, soy in fishie bottle
dessert dish: kiwi and mandarin orange slices
I forgot to mention... it's the debut of my lock&lock set! The round container is just one piece of a three-piece set. I was skeptical about the "leak-proof" claim, but put it to the test last week. I poured leftover soup into the round container shown (180ml) and not a drop leaked! L&L rocks.