Being that I have been a bit slow in posting bentos in this here blog, I am creating a rather picture centric entry. These are most of the fall blogs of 2009, all the way through Christmas.

Last Bento of the School Year! Angel Sandwiches with mandarin oranges, Kamaboko Trees and Stockings including cherry tomatoes.

Christmasy Bento! Mini Christmas sandwiches on cherry tomatoes with apple trees and carrot soldiers surrounding a cup of tomatoes and Kalamata olives.

Fall Leaves! I made another bento that I named that last year... well, that was girl in leaves, this one is more just leaves. Heirloom tomato and Kalamata olive salad with white mozzarella oak leaves and a pumpernickel sandwich accompanied by sweet peas and grapes.

The Final Flower of Summer! Pressed egg flower over basil leaves surrounded by carrots and grapes with a tomato cheese salad.

I Heart Bunnies Bento! Mini Bunny sandwiches on carrots and sweet peas and tomato roses with cheesy hearts with a heart pressed egg on a carrot ribbon, mandarin orange and blackberries.

Bunny Sandwich! This bento has a whole sandwich in it. Something Annie usually shuns but she liked it as long as it was on sourdough. A lettuce salad with cheese heart filled tomato flowers and a bunny sandwich with mandarin orange and carrot slices. The little cup is dip for the carrots and the black pig bottle is balsamic for the salad.

Bear Bento! Kamaboko bears, bug and frog covered dumplings, mandarin oranges, sprout and sweat peas.

Yesterday was good but turns out, the lunch provided by the ranch is
McDonalds! Annie, of her own accord, requested a cold lunch. Yay! She
also requested the snack NOT be a Bento. Oh well, at least I can still
make a lunch one. In this one, there is a turkey, provolone, tomato
and olive sandwich on whole wheat bread with a little mayonaise. It's
been cut into a bunny shape with olive eyes and is resting on some
carrot grass and flowers. On the other side are sone cherry tomatoes,
raspberries from the back yard and a treat, some Newman's Own mint
creme filled cookies! Here's to a great 2nd day at horse camp!

Tomorrow Annie will be back in the saddle again, literally. She's
headed to horse camp and although they'll provide lunch, they
requested a snack. Woohoo!!!! It's bento time in the summer!! Even if
it's just a snack one. In this bento, I reverted to one of my favorite
standbys, tomato roses with cheese hearts. Learned a little lesson
though, sharp cheddar cheese does not like to keep it's shape when
cut. And there's another standby, carrot flowers with a Hello Kitty
container of ranch dressing. Since she is also bringing a strawberry
yogurt drink and tube, Annie requested strawberries. Finally, I threw
in some cheddar bunnies. Ride well Annie and eat even better!

This shows the food! Most important part of a Bento of course. In the deeper container is a mini cinnamon raisin bagel partnered by strawberries and raisins. In the shallower one there is a mixture of Annie's Chocolate Bunnie Grahams and Cheddar Bunnies with a container of cream cheese for the bagel. What a great idea the girls had. Hope Ani enjoys it!  Oh, I almost forgot, there is dessert! A Pumpkin Kiss tossed in with the bunnies, yum!

It has seriously been too long between Bentos. Cousin Ani got a new
German Shorthair puppy named Olivander (yes, from Harry Potter but
they call him Oli). Today, she is taking the girls park hopping and as
a treat, the girls wanted to make her (as well as themselves) Bentos!
Here is Nissa's. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of hers.
It's accompanied by a Hello Kitty container of Pirate Booty.

Today I learned, due to the fact that I almost forgot again that it
was a bento day, that Chinese dumplings don't need to be boiled but
can be nuked! In this bento is an Easter egg, olives, grapes, fruit
leather, fishy oyster sauce bottles, bamboo pick and the nuked
dumplings! Enjoy Annie!

The house is full of fruit and spring is in the air... sort of, it did snow yesterday and it's frigidly cold today so right now it's more the like thought of spring is in the air. And Erica and Dave are here bringing us a blast of freshness for spring break. So, in the bunny bento it's blueberries, grapes, a mandarin orange, flower fish cakes, flower carrots, and a hello kitty container of Greek honey yogurt.

Annie Finally Smiles

It has been a week of sickness in our house. Only fitting because of all the hospital visits, going to school, and mall of america visits... lots of germs! Once again, we are all for building strong immune systems! However, this week was, of course, the week of Bentos planned for school. So, today since the fevers broke and they are actually up and moving around, the girls decided to make their own bentos for lunch.

NISSA'S BENTO

Nissa decided her bento needed a lot and lot of dipping sauce so she mixed ranch dressing and ketchup together and, as efficient as she is, skipped the whole part of putting the sauce into a small container. She just stuck the whole little bowl of sauce into her bento and found it better to eat it before it was done! She also used up much of the bread "cutting" different shapes (as best she could, she didn't really care how they turned out, she just liked using the cutters) and dipping them into her own private recipe sauce mixture (oh shoot, I already gave the recipe away!!). She also filled up two containers of raisins (which she never ate) and cut some deer sausage shapes (which she also never ate!). Mostly, Nissa just had a lot of fun!

ANNIE'S BENTO

Ever the perfectionist (no idea where that comes from! ;), Annie made tomato roses with white and yellow cheese hearts (her absolutely favorite bento item) and cut lots and lots of carrot shapes. In the end, I think she included some raisins too as well as a container of apple pear sauce. 

It was good to see the girls up and moving again but I have to add, I absolutely love having the girls home with me. Sure, they can drive me nuts, they can pick at each other, they can get incredibly bored but still, I just love these times and am soaking them up as much as possible. They are certainly fleeting and I don't want them to fleet away unappreciated!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR BENTO

The entire month of January, Annie chose hot lunch!  I only mourned a little at not being able to make any bentos but at the same time, it was a nice break too.  Finally, I got to use the punch tools Santa put in my stocking for today's bento. 

Since we just went waaaaaayyyyy south for vacation (central Illinois is pretty darn south when you live in Minnesota) and experienced spring like weather, I made a springy bento today.  In the smaller part, carrot flowers, soy sheet frogs and lady bugs, olives and cheese curds are accompanied by a bamboo pick to eat them all.  In the bigger part I was not too creative today, just trying to cover the protein and fruit part.  In it, I put Annie's favorite, pork and veggie dumplings with soy sauce for dipping.  Also some cranberry pomegranate apple sauce with a Hello Kitty container of ranch dressing for the carrots.  Ah, it feels good to be bentoing again!