Salmon Salad Sandwich & Apples: 301 calorie Bento

I made my go-to homemade salad - salmon salad. Everytime I make it different - this time I added low calorie mayo, dill weed, tomato, onion, parsley, yellow peppers and celery, plus a can of wild salmon packed in water. I put tons of the veggie in it to fill me up.

Notice the tea bags - the funniest tea story ever. Every time I go to my favorite chinese restaurant I have their tea. After years of wondering, I asked the owner for the brand of tea they use. He said "Hum - I don't really know the name. I just ask our supplier for restaurant tea". That struck me as odd and thought that maybe he wasn't willing to share. Oh well. A few weeks later I ventured into an Asian market and walked down the tea aisle. There were dozens and dozens of different teas and lo and behold, what do I spot? CHINESE RESTAURANT TEA! Can you believe it? That is exactly how it is called! And here I was thinking my guy in the restaurant was unwilling to share! And guess what...it tastes exactly like his! Live and learn...

Bento Content:

• Salmon Salad Sandwich (231)
• Mini Apples (70)
• Tea bags (0)

Total Bento : 301 calories

Balsamic Chicken - 252 Calorie Bento

I haven't been bento-ing much lately and when I have, I haven't been taking pics. And guess what...it shows! I truly believe that taking pics and keeping count definitely helps the battle of the bulge. I'm going to try my best to get back into the groove, eventhough it means getting up earlier than than regular 5:40am to do my thing. Fingers crossed, here I go!!!!

Bento Content:

• Balsamic chicken with Snow Peas and Red Peppers (200)
• Grape Tomatoes (42)
• Yellow Pepper Strips (10)

Total Bento: 252 calories

Salmon Salad & Lentil-Potato Curls - 292 calorie Bento

I have found some crunchy thingies at T.J.'s - Lentil and Potato Curls. There are not greasy nor salty at all and a serving is 31 curls! Say what? 31? Yup, 31! And they are made out of Lentils and Potatoes - what more can I ask for? (Another bag, maybe?!?)

Bento Content:

• Chopped Carrots (9)
• Chopped Celery (9)
• Mini Challah (so cute!) (56)
• Salmon Salad (without mayo) (50)
• Lentil and Potato Curls (58)

Total Bento: 292 calories

Beans So Green & Chicken - 317 calorie Bento

Ok, I usually don't purchase anything that comes with some kind of butter sauce on it, but I saw this frozen bag called Beans so Green at Trader Joe's (I practically live in that place!) and couldn't resist the temptation.

It has String Beans, Romanescu, Cauliflower, Broccoli and Peas in a light Butter Garlic sauce. Let me tell you - it is super yummy plus not that high in sodium (my nemesis) and in fat (my nemesis's sidekick). Wonderful!

Bento Content:

• Beans so Green mix (180)
• Grilled skinless & boneless chicken breast (92)
• Grape Tomatoes (21)
• Black Olives (24)

Total Bento: 317 calories

Turkey Meatballs & Cauliflower Bake - 273 calorie Bento

An yet another unposted bento...

Bento Content:

• Butternut Squash Baked 'Fries' (18)
• Cauliflower Bake (86)
• Roasted Batata (100)
• Turkey Meatballs in Light Tomato Sauce (69)

Total Bento: 273 calories

Chicken & Potatoes & Israeli Couscous - 231 calorie Bento

Another unposted bento....

Bento Content:

• Roasted Chicken Breast (110)
• Herbed Roasted Potato (43)
• Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes (10)
• Israeli Couscous w/Mixed Veggies (68)

Total Bento: 231 calories

Chicken w/Red Bell Pepper & Onion - 236 calorie Bento

I have been on a Batata & Butternut Squash kick lately. Making them all kinds of ways - but I'm loving the roasting of the two. Hubbie agrees!

Bento Content:

• Chicken with Red Bell Pepper & Onion Stirfry (120)
• Roasted Batata & Butternut Squash (55)
• Sweet Lime (61)

Total Bento: 236 calories

Salmon & Asparagus & Butterbean - 243 calorie Bento

This turned out to be a pretty good combination - I love asparagus and salmon together, but adding a creamy side of Butterbeans? Gotta love the mouth feel on this!

Bento Content:

• Roasted Asparagus (45)
• Baked Salmon (125)
• Butterbeans in light Tomato Sauce (63)
• Romainne Lettuce & Grape Tomato Salad (10)

Total Bento: 243 calories

Chile Lime Chicken Sammie - 307 calorie Bento

I have a bunch of lunches that I took photos but did not post, so here we go....

Bento Content:

• Sandwich (Arnold's Multigrain Thins+Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken+Shredded Romaine+Red Bell Pepper+Cucumber) (261)
• Classic Mixed Veggies (22)
• Grapes & Blackberies (24)

Total Bento: 307 calories

Hot & Spicy Baked Chicken & Veggies-244 calorie Bento

Hello! I have been gone for a while - bentos, but no pictures! Bad Zetty! Well, I need to get back into the groove (resolutions and all...). So, here is the first of the year!

Bento Content:

• Steamed Tayota or Chayote (50)
• Steamed Carrots (18)
• Salad with a pinch of Bacos (16)
• Baked Hot & Spicy Chicken Breast (160)

Total Bento: 244 calories

Mushroom & Pea Risotto - 331 calorie Bento

I was in desperate need for comfort food. Risotto is one of them for me. It must be the creaminess that soothes me. Ahhh!

Bento Content:

• Mushroom & Pea Risotto (275)
• Mandarin Orange Segments (56)

Total Bento: 331 calories

Chickenless Nuggets & Veggie Skewers - 181 calorie Bento

This one turned out to be a bit low in calories so I had to add a Banana to this lunch. The banana is not shown in the picture nor in the calorie count. It was tasty, though!

Bento Content:

• Trader Joe's Chickenless Nuggets (130)
• Romaine & Cucumber Salad (9)
• Black Olive and Grape Tomato Skewers (42)

Total Bento : 181 calories

plus Banana (120)

Total Lunch : 301 calories

Nuggets, Veggies & Fruit - 372 calorie Bento

My Doc tells me that I need to eat a bit more bananas - it seems that I am low in potassium. Groovy. Well, I bought a bunch of Baby Bananas, but appearances fooled me. They seemed ripe to me, I bit into one and my lips stuck together. Ha! Luckily, the one in this lunch was good to eat. This turned out to be a not very pretty bento, but it was pretty tasty!

Bento Content:

• Chicken Breast Nuggets (115)
• Spinach & Artichoke Veggie Bites (127)
• Carrots & Celery (10)
• Baby Banana (80)
• Clementine (40)

Total Bento: 372 calories

Pastrami 'Bacon' Sammie - 358 calorie bento

Today I was a little scatter-brained...I wanted to heat up some pastrami and I put a few slices into the microwave. A bit too long it seems, because instead of heating the pastrami, I made 'bacon' strips out of them! Surprisingly, they were quite good! Hah! I now have a bacon substitute! Gotta love when that happens! I think I will be repeating the 'mistake' often!

Bento Content:

• Pastrami 'Bacon' on Whole Wheat with Spicy Mustard and Shredded Romaine Lettuce (325)
• Carrot and Cubanelle Pepper Skewers (33)

Total Bento : 358 calories

Chicken Roulade - Sundried Tomatoes - 238 calorie bento

I had pounded out a few chicken breasts and frozen them. I bumped into one of the packages in the freezer and roulades came to mind.

They are really easy to make: You'll need a chicken breast (which I cut in half lengthwise and pounded out); sundried tomatoes (the ones that come in oil - but you need to drain the oil!), any seasoning of your preference (I used Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash), and a pinch of salt.

All you do is sprinkle the seasonings & salt on one side, lay sundried tomatoes on top of the seasonings, roll up and secure with toothpicks. Put in an oven-safe pan, sprinkle with a little bit of water, cover and stick in a 375 deg Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes, turning over once. You do not need to add any oil - the oil in the sundried tomatoes is plenty!

Bento Content:

• Chopped Salad (cabbage, carrots, mini peppers, capers) (38)
• Chicken Roulade (186)
• Greens Beans (14)

Total Bento: 238 calories

Pinwheels & Veggies - 352 calorie bento

I wanted to have a Morningstar vegan griller 'burger', but I didn't have any bread, except for Roll-Ups from Damaskus Bakeries. No problem - pinwheels to the rescue! I basically cooked the Vegan griller and mashed it up. Then, I spread Laughing Cow light on the roll-up, added Trader Joe's Pineapple Salsa and the mashed up griller. Rolled it and cut it up. Yum!

Bento Content:

• Pinwheels (300)
• Grape Tomatoes (12)
• Hanover Latino Blend vegetables (40)

Total Bento: 352 calories

Chili Lime Chicken & Tomato Skewers - 258 calorie Bento

The meat for this lunch came from Trader Joe's. One Chili Lime Chicken Burger sure went a long way for this bento! I basically cooked it and cut it up into squares, added grape tomatoes and skewered them all. For skewers I used food picks I found at The Cristmas Tree Store. This was one spicy meal!

Bento Content:

• Chili Lime Chicken Burger (150)
• Grape Tomatoes (21)
• Shredded Romaine Lettuce (4)
• Savory Thin Mini Crackers (53)
• Spicy Fat-Free Black Bean Dip (30)

Total Bento : 258 calories

Organic Black Bean Soup & Salami - 254 calorie Bento

I found an organic black bean soup at Trader Joe's during the weekend. I bought to give it a whirl and it was quite tasty. I like a little spice, so I added a little bit of hot sauce. Perfect!

Bento Content:

• TJ's Organic Black Bean Soup (130)
• Shredded Romaine Lettuce (4)
• Small Grape Tomatoes (10)
• Mini Sausage Rounds - cooked (110)

Total Bento: 254 calories

Falafel in Mini Pitas - 260 calorie bento

I found packaged falafel in Costco - brand Meal Mart and they are calling them Vegan Falafel balls. I was a bit aprehensive regarding them, but I stuck them in the oven and they are really, really good! The sodium was on the low side (which is a good thing for me and hubbie). So, we have another helpful, pre-cooked addition to our 'don't have enough time to make' list!

Bento Content:

• 3 Baked Falafels in mini pitas (224)
• Shredded Cabbage (5)
• Diced Tomatoes (8)
• Hummus - in the red container (23)

Total Bento: 260 calories

Kitchen Sink Omelette Pinwheels - 274 calorie bento

I call the stuffing for these pinwheels The Kichen Sink Omelette. Basically it has a lot of stuff except the kitchen sink! This time, it has eggs, bacos, Mrs. Dash Table Blend seasoning, 3-cheese lite from Trader Joe's, diced grape tomatoes and a bit of ketchup.

Bento Content:

• Pinwheels (214)
• Black Olives (48)
• Frozen Grapes (12)

Total Bento: 274 calories