leftovers rule

Before I even serve dinner, I'll often put aside enough of whatever I'm making for the next days' bentos. Some leftover vegetables, rice kept warm in the rice cooker, frozen mini muffins...all I had to do was slice the orange and season the rice!Ryan & AJ's lunches: rice; asparagus, carrot & onion stirfry w/chik'n strips; mini banana apple blueberry muffin; orange slices.

whatever you've got

And then there are those days when you've got little time (or at least it seems that way right after daylight savings time begins) and not much variety left in the fridge.
Leftovers, snack cupboard, and the remains of the fruit bowl!

Ryan's lunch: leftover Italian pasta salad; mixed nuts; orange slices; peach soy yogurt on the side.

I don't believe it when people say their kid had to buy lunch because they had nothing left to make them. Was there any food for breakfast? Then make a brunch bento. Did you eat dinner the night before? Save aside a bit for a leftover bento. Went out to eat the night before because the cupboards were that barren? Leave a bit, get a doggie bag, and put it in a bento. Voila. It might be a challenge, but I like a challenge. And besides, it makes you use stuff up in the back of the cabinets and fridge that often get ignored. And it saves some money!

Off to go grocery shopping...LOL.

Oh yeah, for me yesterday:
9am- sprouted quinoa
tabbouleh over baby
spinach.
10:30am- raisins, dates,
almonds; an apple.
12pm- marinated broccoli
& portobello mushrooms
(in shoyu, olive oil,
balsamic vinegar).
3pm- blueberries; flax crackers.
5pm- Italian salad: , zucchini,
broccoli, tomato, olives, onion,
olive oil, red wine vinegar,
salt, raw sugar, oregano.
8pm- Raw Revolution
chocolate coconut bar.

In the bag

...or in the lunch box as it were. I do enjoy days when lunch packing basically takes care of itself. As much as I love creating fancy custom bentos, it's a happy monday when there are leftovers I can just arrange nicely and close the lid.

Ryan's
lunch:
top tier:
leftover
birthday
cake;
straw-
berries;
bottom
tier:
leftover
smiley
potatoes;
carrot
sticks;
leftover
veggie
green
burrito
from
Acapulcos
(which I
reviewed
here). They have changed their burrito filling recipe slightly to include mushrooms, which I really enjoyed, though AJ wasn't thrilled. Ryan loves adding LOTS of extra guacamole to his.
Here are the kids at the Mexican restaurant, which Ryan chose for his birthday dinner...








Ryan








AJ








Nate








Maia

Bottom of the Barrel

This is lunch-packing on a day when I really needed to go grocery shopping! The fruit bowl was empty & we were completely out of bread.

Ryan's lunch: mini gel cup; baby carrots; mashed potatoes; steamed broccoli; almonds; mixed fruit cup. Side car of biscuit w/grape jelly.

There was one (smushed) gel
cup left in the fridge, 1/2 a bag
of potatoes, and a leftover fruit
cup from a trip a few months
ago. I felt like Rimmer on Red
Dwarf in the episode "Marooned"
listing off the edible supplies left.

I had bought this Heart Smart
Bisquick a while back when I
saw it at the supermarket,
figuring it might be worth
experimenting with some day. What better occasion that when I'm pressed for time with no food in the cabinets!? I made 10 biscuits and spread one with Earth Balance & grape jelly (all we had left) for Ryan's lunch. The boys thought they were great. I've always been reluctant to buy Bisquick because I don't buy products with hydrogenated oils except on very special occasions, so their new Heart Smart version looked great. I just mixed it with some almond milk, kneaded it momentarily on a floured cutting board, pressed it flat & cut out circles to bake. Ten minutes later, voila, biscuits. Not bad.