Ratatouille Bento
·
Thai Meatballs Bento
·
Today's lunch is a leftover from yesterday's dinner : rice, thai meatballs, snowpeas, minicorns and pak choy with a bit of chicken broth. For the fruity vitamins I packed an apple which didn't make it in the picture though.
Chicken Shawarma Bento
·
Horrible colours in this picture, because it was way too late/dark for picture taking by the time I sat down last night.
But if the colours are off, the taste is very well there.
Chicken, Nectarine & Mozzarella Salad
·
The start of the last week of August already, time flies. It is also the last week at the office for me before I move off for a week of sightseeing in Spain's capital Madrid.
In order to capture the essence of the last days of summer, I packed a salad in my bento today. It holds a savoury/sweet combo which is always a hit in my book : I have a mix of young lettuce leaves with rucola, panfried chicken & yellow nectarine and (light) mozzarella, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts.
For fruits, today and probably the rest of the week, I have a selection of plums as they were in promotion this week when I went for groceries. And the usual apple.
Chicken, Nectarine & Mozzarella Salad recipe (2 servings)
Ingredients:
200g chicken filet
2 tsp olive oil
2 nectarines (or peaches if you prefer)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
0.5 tsp sugar
120g mixed lettuce
1/2 ball of light mozzarella
1 tbs pine nuts
Ingredients:
Cut the chicken filet in strips (or dice the meat if you prefer). Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and panfry the chicken for 5 minutes until they are brown and ready. Reserve.
Heat the remainder tsp. Wash the nectarines, remove the core, cut them into pieces, put then in the pan and panfry them for 1-2 minutes until they are soft and brown.
Add the chicken pieces, the balsamic vinegar and the sugar and finish the cooking by stirring everything for 1 minute. Let cool.
Wash the lettuce. Put the chicken and nectarines on top. Dice the mozzarella, roast the pine nuts without adding any oil or butter. Sprinkle them on top of the salad.
Bon appetit.
Meatless Friday - Pasta Ricotta Bento
·
Last day of the week again. Time does seem to fly this week, probably because I am looking forward to a week's holiday starting September 1. Next week will therefore be my last bento week before enjoying some welldeserved time off.
Friday is meatless bento day and for a change I didn't use any meat substitutes. I found the recipe for this vegetarian salad in this month's WW magazine and decided to give it a try. So, what's in there? I have tricolore penne pasta, carrots, green asparagus, green beans, snow peas and the creamy dressing is a bit of ricotta mixed with 2 tbs of skimmed milk.
Bon appetit.
Bulgur & Nectarine Salad Bento
·
For today's lunch, I have a salad of bulgur, mint leaves, cumin chicken, green tiger tomatoes and white nectarine. For dessert, I added some blackberries, bigarreau cherries, the last quarter of the nectarine and some reine claude plums.
Bon appetit.
Chinese Buckwheat Crepes Bento
·
During the heatwave that came over our little country these last few days, standing in the heat in the kitchen was the last thing on my wishlist. Hence the lack of bento, since the beginning of the week.
Temperatures are again down to a more manageable 25 degrees, so I decided I could make myself a bento for tomorrow. I made savoury buckwheat crepes and stuffed them with chicken and a selection of stirfry veggies. For seasoning, I used grated ginger, shoju, liquid honey, lime zeste and lime juice.
For dessert, I have some mirabelle plums, blackberries and a couple of bigarreau cherries. I am learning to eat cherries and although the regular ones are still definitely a no-no, these ones are becoming a favourite.
Bon appetit.
Chicken Jambalaya Bento
·
I made a dish last night that is always received with much enthousiasm at our table : Jambalaya. I slightly altered my usual recipe by incorporating diced chicken breast and diminishing the amount on shrimp and breakfast bacon. This new version was welcomed as much as the other ones.
For dessert, I have some black grapes, mirabelle lums, apple and golden kiwi.
Bon appetit.
Chicken Tikka Masala Bento
·
I didn't have much time last night, so I whipped up a easy dinner : some chicken breast simmered in WW tikka masala sauce, rice and steamed cauliflower rosets. And today's bento has another portion of that tasty meal. The dessert tier has diced peach, apple, dark grapes and mirabelle plums.
Bon appetit.
Chicken & Mushroom Risotto Bento
·
This week has had fewer bentos than I initially planned, because I was out with a major backache for the last couple of days. On that front, things are going a bit better so I whipped up this little bento last night in order to celebrate the end of the week as I should.
In the bottom tier I have a chicken and mushroom risotto, decorated with some cherrytomatoes and cucumbers. In the top tier, I have a little plum, half a small cantaloupe melon and half an apple.
Bon appetit and have a great weekend!
Yellow Beans Bento
·
A very easy and plain bento (yet again) : panfried pork, steamed potatoes and some yellow beans with shallot. For dessert, I have apple, golden kiwi and some nectarine.
Bon appetit.
Arroz caribeño bento
·
For lunch tomorrow, I have a portion of Arroz caribeño, Carribean Rice. I found the recipe for this on the Spanish Weight Watchers website, and because all the ingredients sounded appealing, I decided to give it a try. And it is a hit: empty dishes at the table and a green light to make it again.
For dessert, I have a piece of apple, half a golden kiwi and a plum.
For those who don't really master Spanish, I am adding the recipe in English below.
Carribean Rice (4 servings - 11pts)
2 fresh chilies - I omitted those because we're not into hot food
2 leeks
480 g skinless, chicken breast
1 (small) red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 tsp olive oil
250 g white rice, uncooked
200 g water
250 ml pineapple juice
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
1 pinch of turmeric
1 medium sized pineapple
2 tbs of dessicated grated coconut
How-to
Cut the chilies and the leek in rings, dice the chicken breast and cut the bell peppers in julienne.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown everything together for 5 mins. Add the rice, stirfry it for a while and add the water and pineapple juice.
Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 mins and finish off with salt, pepper and turmeric.
Cut the pineapple into pieces, sprinkle with the grated coconut and brown them in a non stick pan.
Divide the rice over 4 plates, decorate with pineapple pieces and serve.
Thursday's Pork Bento
·
A very plain bento in yellow, oranges and greens. I have diced lean pork, sprinkled with cucumber and bellpepper, steamed potatoes (more cukes and peppers), and a selection of steamed veggies (carrots, baby corns and snowpeas). For dessert, I only have two types of fruit : half an apple and a plum.
Bon appetit.
Chicken & Oyster Mushroom Bento
·
Horribly flashlight picture, that's what happens when you start later than usual on your bento.
I picked my M4SB for tomorrow's lunch and filled it with yummy goodies. In the yellow box, I have wite and wild rice, topped with orange bell pepper, cucumber and a cherry tomato. The purple tier has baked chicken on a bed of lettuce. The green veggie box has more lettuce as well as oyser mushrooms tossed in light boursin cheese. For dessert, I have half an apricot, a piece of pear and a plum.
Bon appetit.
Epigramme d'agneau bento
·
For lunch today I have leftovers from yesterday's dinner : lamb with celeriac. To fill out the rest of the bento, I used some steamed potatoes, shredded leek and cucumber/orange bellpepper for decoration. The sweet section has a variety of fruits I found at the freshmarket last weekend : yellow and blue plum, strawberries, apricot and pear.
Bon appetit.
BBQ Bento
·
With the hot summer weather, we had lots of BBQs last week, which almost invariably (at least for me) consisted of chicken skewers, salad, spring onions, cucumbers and potatoes ... exactly what's in this bento. I just added some leftover green beans from lunch to fill out the box.
This box heralds the end of my week holiday. Ready (but not exactly willing) to go back to work.
Have a nice week everybody and ...
Bon appetit.
Meatless Friday Toscana Bento
·
Last bento of the week before I have a week off and after today, I won't be needing/making any bento until August 30.
For this lunch, I made again a vegetarian bento with another of the Valess products. If last week I used the filet with chives and camembert, this week it is a Toscana filet, stuffed with tomato and mozarella. Otherwise for the vegetables, it is a bit deja vu, because reviewing last week vegetables, I just realised I used the same ones : steamed asparagus, sugarsnaps, pumpkin, broccolini and carrot; mixed up with orzo.
The fruit section contains blueberries, peach, dark and yellow plum and a strawberry.
Bon appetit and see you all in a week.
Salmon Bento
·
I'm on the last straight line to one week off work and I hope these days will fly by, because I am in desperate need of some free time. We're not going away, as P. can't take time off right now, but at this point even a week at home sounds heavenly.
Back to bento. For today's lunch I have some purple rice, baked salmon and an assortment of steamed veggies (babycorn, asparaus, sugarsnaps and zucchini slices), The fruity vitamins are composed of the usual blue, black and strawberries, plum, apricot and half a saturn peach.
Bon appetit.
Chicken & Beans Bento
·
I prepared P's favourite dish last night: green beans à la provençale with chicken, and made enough to fill a bento as well. For lunch today, I have therefor green beans with chicken in tomato sauce, steamed baby potatoes and some carrots slices to fill up the bottom tier. In the top tier, I have the usual fruit assortment (black-, blue- and strawberries, half a saturn peach, a tiny plum and an apricot) as well as two wedges of WW cheese and some crackers.
Bon appetit.
Stuffed Zucchini Bento
Labels:
apricot,
blackberries,
blueberries,
peach,
plum,
strawberries,
tagliatelle,
tomato,
zucchini
·
For lunch today, I have the leftovers from last night's dinner. I found some round zucchini during grocery shopping, so I immediately knew what to make : zucchini stuffed with ground pork/beef with tagliatelle and a sauce of tomato and the zucchini innards. A guaranteed success dish at our place.
For dessert and snack, I have a bunch of fresh fruits : apricot, plum, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and half a saturn peach.
I wish you all a great start of the new week and ...
Bon appetit.
Meatless Friday Bento
·
To accompany the proteins, I have some udon noodles mixed with carrots, pumpkin and sugar snaps and some broccolini and asparagus spears to fill out the savoury part. For dessert (& snack) I have a lychee, a strawberry, an apricot, a piece of apple and a cut up saturn peach.
Have a nice weekend and see you on Monday.
Bon appetit.
Ham & Veggie Stirfry Bento
Because I had a lot of different vegetables left in the fridge and the weekend is already looming closer, I decided to use them in a stirfry with some noodles. So in this stirfry, you find (besides the udon noodles) ham cubes, zucchini, eggplant, green asparagus, snow peas, spring onion, a mini corncob, a few shiitake and the last shimeji.
For dessert, I packed an apricot, a few lychees, a saturn peach, white grapes and half an apple.
Bon appetit.
Endives Casserole Bento
·
Again a very plain bento, with leftovers from last night's dinner. I made an endives casserole with potatoes, minced meat, lean bacon and as the name suggests, endives.
Bon appetit.
Beef Sukiyaki Bento
·
A very plain bento today, with in the bottom tier plain rice and in the upper tier, beef sukiyaki (leek, beef, shitake and shimeji mushrooms) with just two cherry tomatoes for decoration.
Bon appetit.
Nicoise Bento
I was planning on taking a salade nicoise for the bento tonight, but I haven't figured out how I can pack lettuce without the leaves becoming all mushy. So this is my alternative for nicoise : steamed potatoes, tuna with black olives, green beans, carrot and an orange tomato with radish and spring onion.
For dessert I have a couple of litchi, a piece of apple, white grapes and a piece of peach.
Bon appetit.
Tomates crevettes bento
Labels:
apple,
apricot,
brocoli,
brown rice,
cauliflower,
cherry tomatoes,
nectarine,
radish,
tomate-crevettes
·
Today I have a skinny version of a typical Belgian dish in my bento : Tomate-crevettes. Tomate-crevettes can be a starter or a main dish and is basically an raw tomato, emptied out and filled with a shrimp stuffing (peeled sand shrimps with mayonnaise in the original version) which is commonly served with fries and salad.
Instead of the kcal bomb that is mayonnaise, I used a light petit-suisse and blended everything together, adding a bit of herbs and a radish for more taste. No fries neither in the bento, but the usual amount of rice and some brocoli and cauliflower rosets for greens. The cherry tomatoes and radishes supply the necessary dash of colour. For dessert, I have half a nectarine chopped up half and apple and a little apricot underneath it all.
Bon appetit.
Bobotie Bento
Labels:
apple,
apricot,
beans,
beef,
eggplant,
plum,
strawberries,
white rice,
zucchini
·
I prepared Bobotie last night, a Southafrican dish which always encounters a vivid success at home. As usual I made sure that I cooked up enough to fill a bento for today. Little mishap in the kitchen though: my rice cooker had a shortcircuit :o( I smelled something burn and was looking all over the place for the source of the smell but couldn't detect anything unusual ... that is until I wanted to check on the rice to see how near to readiness it was. And obviously it wasn't ready at all. Guess who has to go shopping for a new rice cooker this weekend?
Back to the bento. I have a serving of bobotie, some rice topped with radishes and the last of the tian as extra greens. For dessert, I packed a piece of apple, more strawberries, an apicot and a mini plum hidden beneath it all.
Bon appetit.
Ham Salad Bento
Labels:
apple,
apricot,
blackberries,
bread,
carrot,
cucumber,
green asparagus,
ham,
strawberries,
yellow tomato
·
For a change, no rice, pasta or potatoes in my bento but a bit of bread, ideal to accompany the homemade ham salad in the purple box. The salad (minced ham with 1 Tbs of philadelphia cheese, herbs, onion and radish) is topped with two green asparagus spears.
In the green box, I have a veggie salad composed of yellow tomato, cucumber, carrot, shallot and green asparagus, sprinkled with chives.
Dessert is coordinated with the colour of the box it is in : mini strawberries, blackberries, a sliced up pink lady apple and a little apricot.
Bon appetit.
Tian Provençal Bento
Labels:
blackberries,
cherry tomatoes,
cucumber,
eggplant,
garlic,
onion,
plum,
strawberries,
white rice,
zucchini
·
Another workday, another bento.
I cooked a tian provençal this weekend (with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic and onion) and made sure I had plenty left over to fill couple of bentos this week. It's such a summery and savoury vegetable dish, that I could eat it every day. And thus I will :o)
To accompany the tian, I have some plain white rice topped with diced cucumber with two sliced up meatballs left over from last night's dinner. I added a little cucumber/cherry tomato skewer. Dessert is all red and blues : mini strawberries, blackberries and hidden beneath all that goodness a little dark plum.
Bon appetit.
Sea Flavours Bento
For my bento today, I have several things coming from the sea, hence the title :o)
I cooked a small piece of salmon (below the shrimp) and used the oil released by the fish to fry a couple of shrimp I still had in the fridge as well as another sea related item, i.e. sea aster leaves. I never made those before but they are advertised as a healthy green that goes well with all type of fish. They can be eated raw in a salad, blanched or stirfried. In this bento I used shredded raw leaves to top the potatoes and stirfried ones with spring onion to accompany the brocoli rosets. Nothing special in the fruit department today, just a couple of sweet apricots and physalis (cape gooseberries).
Bon appetit.
Terriyaki Beef Bento
Labels:
apple,
apricot,
banana,
bean sprouts,
beef,
mushroom,
snow peas,
strawberries
·
Another day, another lunchbox ... and this one has an old favourite (and regular feature in my bento), Terriyaki Beef (incidentally also the leftovers from yesterday's dinner).
I took out my three tier purple box again and filled it with all this yummy goodness. My terriyaki stirfry has beef (obviously), snowpeas, bean sprouts, spring onions and mushrooms. I was unable to find any shitake at the supermarket and had to make do with ordinary brown mushrooms. I guess they might be out of season, after all mushrooms are more of a autumn vegetable.
The stirfry is accompanied by some white rice sprinkled with carrot pieces in a second tier and the last tier has half a banana, some strawberries, half an apricot and an apple quarter.
Itadakimasu !
Summer bento
Although the weather is far from summery at the moment, I decided to go for a sunny bento today. So, in the bottom tier, I have a quinoa salad (with mint, spring onion, tomato and cucumber), a grilled piece of corn and a few slices of zucchini and feta terrine. The top tier has the usual suspects : srawberries, a tiny plum, apple, nectarine and the last two mini clafoutis.
Bon appetit.
Beef chimichurri bento
Labels:
apricot,
beef,
bell pepper,
clafoutis,
corn,
plum,
snow peas,
strawberries
·
After a long hiatus, I am back to bento (again). I need to get on the diet train (again) as well, so doing both at the same time seems appropriate.
For lunch today, I have the leftovers from last night's dinner : Beef Chimichurri. I doubt that it is the true version of the Argentinian dish, but it's the one I make and that is liked by all joining me at the dinner table. Looking back to my last post back in February, it seems I am still on my tour around the world. :o)
So in the bottom tier, beef chimichurri with snowpeas, corn and red bell pepper, accompanied by rice, a small sauce container and a little cucumber skewer for decoration. In the top tier, I have two mini strawberry clafoutis I made yesterday, as well as the usual fruity vitamins i.e. apple, apricot, plum and strawberries.
Buen provecho.
Siam Chicken Bento
·
After Louisiana and its creole cuisine, I continue my world exploration. Today we stop in Thailand with this Siam Chicken. Snowpeas, yellow bellpepper, bean sprouts, chicken, cashew nuts and rice is all we need to make this yummy dish.
Bon appetit.
Jambalaya Bento
·
Lunch today has flavours of Louisiana and creole cuisine as it features leftovers from yesterday's dinner : Jambalaya. For dessert, I have the usual suspects : strawberry, apple, clementine and white and black grapes.
Bon appetit !
Beef Terriyaki Bento
·
My two tools to fix a quick meal : a wok and a rice cooker :o) Today's bento has terriyaki beef (with shitake, snowpeas and spring onions), simple basmati rice and the usual selection of fruits for dessert and snacking in the afternoon. No lunchbots box today because I might nuke the bento (without the fruit obviously). But I am definitely hooked on the stainless steel boxes :o)
Bon appetit.
Bobotie Bento
·
Today's bento's main feature is a traditional South African dish, which we had for dinner yesterday : Bobotie. It is an oven dish made up of mainly of ground meat (pork/veal in my case), green beans and apple. I didn't make it from scratch but used a spice mix I had in one of my cupboards. However you cqn fnd many different recipes around the net, if you want to give it a try.
The bobotie is accompanied by rice cooked with raisins, a carrot baran and some steamed brocoli.
And as they say in Afrikaans "Eet smaaklik". :o)
And to get you in the right mood :
Cordon Bleu Bento
·
Running out of time so the post will be very short. I tried the duo lunchbots today to pack my bento. Not completely convinced by this separation, but I'll have to try a few times to get the hang of it.
In the left part I have a small cordon bleu, with snowpeas and carrots, covered with brocoli rosets. On the right side, I have some basmati rice covered with a mushroom stew (brown mushrooms and shitake, apple and a bit of goat cheese), decorated with asparagus, carrot and yellow cherry tomato.
Bon appetit.
Polpette bento
·
Yesterday was a bentoless day, but today I am back in my routine ... and **rolling drum** I am packing one of the coveted Lunchbots :o) I found them all on amazon.uk, including the trio and insulated bowl, but for some odd reason they refused to ship it across the Channel. So, I had to continue the search and I found some on a Dutch site, specialised in organic stuff. I still want the trio and quad ones as well as the insulated bowl, but I have a few new boxes to work with now. And did you see? The cover is purple <3.
Today's bento main ingredients are polpette, italian veal meatballs, which are accompanied by some black rice, brocoli, carrots, snowpeas, green asparagus and mini corn slices. I need to buy more fruit today, so I just have an apple for dessert.
Bon appetit.
Uninspired bento
·
The title says it all. Uninspired. I had great expectations as to my bento planning for this week but somehow it fell flat. So I've just got steak, boiled potatoes and steamed brocoli for lunch and some fruits for dessert. Hopefully better tomorrow ...
Garlic chicken bento
·
Today's bento is composed of yesterday's leftovers so there isn't too much to describe : boiled potatoes, garlic chicken and green beans with a tiny bit of bacon in it. For dessert, I have black and blueberries, grapes, apple and for once, a little piece of dark chocolate.
Have a great weekend everybody and see you back on Monday.
Shrimp Pad Thai Bento
·
Another day, another bento ... more noodles and more shrimp. Comfort food par excellence :o)
Today's noodle dish is Shrimp Pad Thai : rice noodles, shrimps, carrots, cabbage, peas, chili and sprinkled with peanut brittle.
Bon appetit.
Garlic shrimp noodle bento
·
Quick bento for today : rice noodles with garlic shrimp, carrots, shitake and baby pakchoi in the lower tier and grapes, blueberries, blackberries, clementine, apple and a little goat cheese in the top tier.
Bon appetit.
Stuffed zucchini bento
·
After spending a weekend with hot tea, cake (because I bake when I feel crappy), tablets and a box of tissues, I have to go out and confront the world again today. I don't feel up to it. I have been struggling with a very annoying cold for the better part of the past week and despite the amount of medication I throw into the battle, the victory over the germs is still not in view :o(
But I keep going ... I'm not going to let some louzy germs rule my world.
For lunch today, I have a round zucchini stuffed with pork/beef ground meat, white rice, a bit of tomato sauce (tomatoes, olives, zucchini), steamed brocoli florets and a cherry tomato. Fruits are the regulars.
Bon appetit and happy Monday !
Tikka Massala Chicken Bento
·
Last bento of the week because it's Friday. :o) Not sad to have the weekend finally arriving. With the Siberian temperatures we have had this week, getting out in the cold has been a chore, so I really look forward to be able to sleep in and stay inside. Moreover they have announced snow for this weekend, and sitting on the sofa under a blanket with some hot cocoa while watching the snowflakes fall down sounds like a great plan :o)
But that's for tomorrow, now back to today. For my lunch, I have some brown rice, chicken tikka massala, an assortment of steamed greens (cauliflower, brocoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, snowpeas and mini corn) and the usual fruits.
Nothing left to say but to wish you "Bon appetit". Have a nice weekend and see you all on Monday.
Candlemas Bento
Labels:
apple,
blackberries,
brocoli,
cauliflower,
crêpes salées,
grapes,
ham,
strawberries,
zucchini
·
In the christian (catholic?) tradition, one celebrates Candlemas on February 2. Depending on whether you live north or south of the linguistic border, you will either call it Maria Lichtmis (Flanders) or Chandeleur (Wallonia). But no matter where you are in Belgium and regardless of the name you give to this Feast, a recurrent item is ... the crêpe (pannenkoeken in Dutch).
In order to honor the tradition, my bento of the day holds savoury (for the recipe see this old post) and sweet crêpes. The savoury crêpes are filled with zucchini and ham, decorated with weaved zucchini peel and a little radish and accompanied by some steamed cauliflower and brocoli rosets. Dessert has a little sweet crêpe aumonière filled with strawberry and banana and the usual suspects from the fruit department : grapes, strawberry, apple, blackberries and pomegranate.
Bon appetit.
Fennel Mushroom Risotto Bento
Labels:
carrot,
cherry tomatoes,
cucumber,
fennel,
oyster mushroom,
risotto,
shitake,
steak
·
After seeing Gamene's post featuring fennel, I remembered I still had a fennel bulb in the fridge. I bought it a while back, meaning to prepare it with sometype of fish but never came round to it. Luckily for me, my fridge is an excellent one with the vegetable drawer being at a constant 0 degrees. So more than two weeks after purchase, it was still nice and fresh. :o)
I searched for a recipe that would combine fennel and mushroom as I still had some oyster mushrooms and shitake in that drawer too. And that's when I came across this recipe. Because cups aren't a regular measuring unit over here, I had to wing it a bit as far as quantities were concerned but it came out perfectly. To accompany the tasty risotto (containing shitake, oyster mushroom, fennel, asparagus and spring onion), I cooked some steak and added a little tomato skewer and carrot sakura for a bit of colour. For dessert I have a little sidebox, but I didn't take a picure of it.
Bon appetit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
