Skewers & Sweet Pea Stuffed Mini Peppers - 204 calorie Bento

Today had skewers made out of Organic Lite Italian sausage, grape tomato & an olive. I found these sausages (Neshama brand) that are quite low in calories (just 90!) and surprisingly low in sodium (250!). Unfortunately, I had to mess it up with the olive (high in sodium). But, they were yummy...what can I say.....

I also have a large bag of raw red, orange and yellow mini peppers. I wanted to include sweet peas, so I stuffed the peppers with them. Prevented tons of rolling around in the bento box!

Bento Content:

• Skewers on top of shredded Green Leaf Lettuce (124)
• Mini Peppers stuffed with Sweet Peas (30)
• Blackberries (30)
• Grapes (20)

Total Bento : 204 calories

Mini Knishes & Riblets - 242 calorie Bento

This was thrown together in quite a hurry. Good thing I had the salad already prepared from the night before!

I basically nuked the Soy Riblet (Gardenburger) and at the same time threw the knishes in the oven while I got dressed. I just love those mini knishes! I have bought them plain, with spinach and with mushrooms. They taste exactly like the bigger versions, but they are indeed a bit lighter - less heavy on the tummy (and the calorie count!). I wanted to bring some deli hot mustard to go with the knishes, but it totally slipped my mind. Oh well, next time!

Bento Content:

• 2 Mini Spinach Knishes (107)
• 1/2 Soy BBQ Riblet from Gardenburger (110)
• Mixed Salad (25)

Total Bento : 242 calories

Sealed Cheese & Mustard Sandwich - 269 calorie Bento

This weekend I rediscovered an appliance I bought a long time ago. It is a sandwich toaster that seals in the contents of the sandwich. I was looking for something else and I bumped into it. It is perfect for bento sandwiches - the filling doesn't ooze out and you don't have to worry about it moving around and coming undone. Plus it has these designs that makes the sandwich look so pretty!

I also chose the right bento container - the grids on the collapseable one is perfect to prevent condensation from the toasted sammie. By the time I ate the sandwich it wasn't gummy nor moist on the outside. Happy me!

Bento Content:

• Toasted Sandwich filled with Trader Joe's 3-cheese blend lite with Dijon Mustard (219)
• Blackberries (20)
• Green & Black grapes (30)

Total Bento : 269 calories

Broiled Feta Cheese & Veggies Three Ways - 222 calorie Bento

I love feta cheese - the down side is the sodium. But, once in a while, I indulge.

This time I made Broiled Light Feta Cheese with Oregano and Lemon Juice. I found a light version - that tastes like the real thing - at Trader Joe's. I plopped the cheese in a broiler-safe pan, cut a few campari tomatoes around it, doused with lemon juice and sprinkled with oregano. Then I broiled until the top looked toasty. That's it!

Then the veggies where three different ways: Steamed (the carrots and Chayote - hubbie loves this combo), Broiled (the Campari Tomatoes and the Beets) and Baked (the Batata Fries).

Bento Content:

• Broiled Feta Cheese with Oregano and Lime Juice (80)
• Baked Batata Fries (100)
• Broiled Campari Tomatoes (6)
• Broiled Beets (18)
• Steamed Carrots and Chayote (18)

Total Bento : 222 calories

Pinwheels- 264 calorie Bento

Pinwheels - gotta love them! You can stuff your pinwheels with almost anything you might have rolling around the fridge!

For example - I took a leftover meatball, mashed it up. Then I mixed Fat-Free cream cheese and mixed it with Trader Joe's Red Pepper spread. Then I added baby spinach. Rolled it up, cut it up and stuffed my bento!

That's why I usually have a bag of wraps or Lavash bread or something I can fill and roll which won't break while I'm rolling.

Bento Content:

• Pinwheels (198)
• Celery Sticks and Baby Carrots all cut up (30)
• Red Grapes (36)

Total Bento : 264 calories

Roasted Chicken plus Black Olive & Tomato Skewers - 180 calorie Bento

This was a very low calorie bento and partly a 'deconstructed' chicken soup.

Let me explain : the night before I had quickly roasted some skinless and boneless chicken breasts to make hubbie a quick chicken soup (he has a cold and is convinced chicken soup makes him better). I always have frozen homemade chicken broth for such an occasion - just add roasted chicken, celery, carrots, seasonings and at the vey end some spinach!

So, I put aside some of the roasted chicken for this bento - plus the carrots, celery and spinach.

Bento Content:

• Roasted Chicken (110)
• Black Olive & Grape Tomato skewers (25)
• Baby Spinach (7)
• Celery (10)
• Carrots (18)
• Lime Juice (4)
• Ken's Lite Italian Dressing Spray - 6 sprays (6)

Total Bento : 180 calories

Olive Stuffed Meatballs & Batata - 206 calorie Bento

I put a spin on meatballs - I stuffed each with a black olive. I didn't tell hubbie and when he cut into one, he smiled - he loves black olives! To make this a little less fattening, I used a simple tomato sauce. I also made the meatballs with a teensy bit of matzah meal and instead of whole eggs, I used a little bit of egg whites. That cut down on quite a bit of calories.

The sides were roasted (except for the grape tomatoes). The distorted little squares are Batatas. Some call them Yams, some Boniato. A batata is in the sweet potato family - it sort of looks like a sweet potato, but when you cut into them they are white. They are also have more consistency to them when cooked - a little bit more starchier. I love them and try to cook them as much as I can find them.

Bento Content:

• Beef Meatballs stuffed with Black Olives (110)
• Grape Tomatoes (21)
• Roasted Asparagus (8)
• Roasted Batata (67)

Total Bento : 206 calories

No Fuss Salmon & Potato Croquettes - 192 calorie Bento

I wanted to try baked croquettes instead of frying them. I also wanted to see if I could skip the usual 3-step batter process (the flour, the egg wash, the breadcrumbs). I used the Pereg brand breadcrumbs. I really like that brand - the crumbs are chunky, it is well-seasoned and has a bit of sesame seeds. What's not to like?

And I took shortcuts - I used instant Potato Flakes (Bad Zetty!), but everything turned out well. The breadcrumbs stuck very well to the croquettes and with a little oil spray they remained crunchy.

Bento Content:

• Baked Salmon & Potato Croquettes (120)
• Blackberries (15)
• Grape Tomatoes (21)
• Green Grapes (36)

Total Bento : 192 calories