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)

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

#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

#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

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.

Bento #2 - a lil extra space...

Colors - check. Carbs - check. Protein - check. Veggies - check. Fruit - check. Attractive and exciting - negative. The good news is that my bento order thru Ebay will be arriving in the next 7-10 days (thanks CookingCute for the website recommendation!). I have been browsing bento blogs, in hopes to get some inspiration, but am held back with the lacking tupperware. *sighs* There are so many ideas in my head that I want to try, I hope I remember them when my bento package is delivered. If there was a local store with bento items, I would not have been able to control myself. Unfortunately (or rather, luckily... for my wallet), the east coast seems to be lacking in this market. If I am ever in the San Francisco area, you can bet that I am going to every store on LunchinaBox's shopping list! So jealous of all that they have. Anyway, here is my lunch for tomorrow...

Chicken with broccoli and scallion; Rice
with sesame seeds and carrots; Blueberries