Today’s Bento Lunch. Still need to get some extra large eggs for those molds!! Tried to spruce up my wabbit with some nori, but he kinda looks worse.

Box 1: Hard boiled egg rabbit, grapes, carrot flowers, mini egg rolls Box 2: Green plum slices, cheese under the carrot cutouts, green olives. Small cup: Roasted green peas 415 Calories.

Crazy for kabobs.  I got a little “skewered” away here.

Salad with lowfat italian dressing, meatless italian sausage and yellow pepper kabob, fruit kabobs, pretzel sticks and celery with PB2/Cream Cheese dip, almonds and yogurt raisins. 450 Calories.

Panda’s in paradise.  Love my new little sauce holders!

Box 1 = leftover sushi rice with tofu, snow peas, green olives, veggie sushi, pandie bottle holding soy sauce Box 2 = yogurt raisins and almonds, strawberries, mango, melon, grapes and a single 'lil pandie cookie just to up the cute factor. 360 Calories

So I tried for the first time to make sushi.  I was slightly askerred but I did a bunch of research and just dove in.  Everything turned out brilliantly!  My biggest worry was the sushi rice.  It ended up being perfect.. well as perfect as it could be for someone who didn’t train for ages on just making rice.  Of course, it was all vegetarian.  Pete was going to get tuna to put in his but he didn’t know exactly what type to get so decided to just suffer with only veggies.  Boohoo, Poor thing!

Ingredients and supplies for the sushi:

Ingredients for the miso soup (Pete made this (shocking right?) – it was awesome by the way!)

Rice done and cooled… fanning it was oh so much fun!

Sushi rolled:

Sushi rolled using sesame soy wrapper:

Final dinner.  Had a bit of sake with it too as a treat.. oh yea, we don’t screw around up in here!

Used my new egg mold today.  Supposed to be a bear but didn’t come out great… thinking I need some bigger eggs.

Vegetarian Noodles, Broccoli, Edamame dumplings, soy sauce fishey, carrots, grapes, mini banana muffins, hard boiled egg. 332 calories

I FINALLY got my stuff I ordered from Japan weeks ago!  Bento is totally my new addiction, but it’s a healthy one so that’s allowed.  I decided every time I reach a certain weight loss goal, I’m going to buy myself something.  So for the last 4 pounds I lost, this is what my reward is.

Here’s the stuff I ordered from:  www.From-Japan-With-Love.com

Clockwise from top:  Snow bunny and cherry blossoms bento, animal sauce holders, natural leaves bento, fishey sauce holders, flower cutters, bear and bunny egg molds, heart and flower rice molds.   Everything is a lot smaller than I thought it would be.  Just to give you an idea of the size, that is a regular sized placemat that they are on top of.  I’m not disappointed in the size at all, I find it even more endearing!  Next bento (for next 4 pounds lost) will be a little bit larger and maybe one with a set of chopsticks attached.
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I also made it out to Joann Fabrics this morning and scored some paper punches.  These make awesome punches for nori sheets to decorate with.  These were on sale for $2.50-$2.99 each.

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And lastly, I popped into the Asian Market this morning (they are going to get sick of seeing me!)  Finally found my sushi rice along with some nori sheets (might have to be sushi weekend!).. as I was walking along they had some candy on the end cap and I couldn’t pass these up.  I probably will send them up to my niece and nephew – or Pete will eat them.  I just love the packaging!

I’m addicted to this bento thing!  The udon noodle nests were so good, not very easy to eat with chopsticks though!  And of course our beloved mango tofu pudding makes another appearance.

Mine is on the right with veggie dumplings, asian mixed salad, udon noodle nests with spring onions and spicy dipping sauce, mango tofu pudding with graham cinnamon sticks. 450 calories

Ok now I’m showing off.  LOL  Just kidding.  I’m still not high on the skill level, but I’m learning!  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  The teddy grahams were having fun.. till I ate them all up!

Chicken Egg, Udon Noodles, Ginger Dressing, Cheese stars and carrot pinwheels, Green Plum, strawberries, teddy graham slide with cream cheese and celery, mango tofu pudding. 470 calories.

Simple.  I’m tired today and not feeling great so didn’t put much effort into this one.  The umbrella cookies cheered me up.

Brocolli kinpira,veggie eggroll bites, pear slices, umbrella cookies. 326 Calories

Had some left over ‘nanas from V-day fondue so decided to make some little mini naner muffins.  I popped in a scoop of protein powder into the batter too!  Shhh, don’t tell!  Oh and you just gotta love the cherry tomato and cheese lil mini baby barbie sammies.  Got the idea from www.lunchinabox.net

Broccoli Pancake, roasted corn, mini banana muffins, greek yogurt with blueberries and almonds, carrots, cherry tomato and pepper jack cheese sammies. 358 Calories.