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

Bento for 2: Roast Beef & Shaved Pastrami Sandwiches - 329 & 320 calorie bentos

Hubbie and I were working at the same client site today, so I made a combo bento for us. Regarding the celery - he likes his in sticks, I like mine sliced - go figure!

Bento Content for Hubbie:

• Roast Beef Sandwich on White w/Mayonnaise (243)
• Apple (81)
• Celery (5)

Total for Hubbie: 329 calories

Bento Content for me:

• Shaved Pastrami on White w/Hot Mustard (194)
• Pear (121)
• Celery (5)

Total for me: 320 calories

Mediterranean-Style CousCous & Fruity Tuna Salad - 222 calorie Bento

I visited a new higher-end delicatessen that opened a couple of weeks ago in my neighbourhood. The food look absolutely amazing - the prices were not! I took notice of what they had in the display counter and replicated some of them at home. Way less expensive, and more control on the added salt. Every little bit helps!

Bento Content:

• Mediterranean-Style CousCous (98)
• Fruity Tuna Salad (90)
• Pommegranate Arils (17)
• Campari Tomatoes (17)

Total Bento : 222 calories

Grilled Salami & Roasted Potatoes - 233 calorie bento

I found the cutest Beef salami - only 4 ounces each and perfect for bento portions! One serving is 2 ounces and since the whole thing is so small, the slices seem like a whole lot! I grilled them and they were quite tasty! To the roasted potatoes I added Turmeric - hence the yellow hue on them. Those were leftovers from dinner.

Bento Content:

• Toasted Potatoes (71)
• Grilled Beef Salami rounds (110)
• Blistered Grape Tomatoes with Herbs de Provence (28)
• Raw Carrot rounds (17)
• Rommaine Lettuce (7)

Total Bento : 233 calories

Anellotti & Salmon - 308 calorie Bento

This one was thrown together quite rapidly. I have been buying all these different pasta shapes - many of them in small sizes. It fools the eye, you see! A serving of pasta is 2 oz dry. On ziti, for example, 2oz is about 10-12 pieces. In mini ziti you get a bunch more. It seems to fill the plate more and it fools the eye. Hey! Anything that will make me eat less (while my brain thinks it is eating more) is good eats!

Bento Content:

• Anellotti pasta & Wild Pink Salmon & Tomato (296)
• Strawberries (12)

Total Bento : 308 calories

Gyro Meat on Tomato Wrap - 247 calories Bento

I went during the week to a diner - places that are disappearing before my eyes - and had gyro meat over a greek salad. Yum! I had tons of leftovers and they are making their appearance here!

Bento Content:

• Tomato Wrap & Gyro Meat & Rommaine Lettuce (180)
• Tomatoes (12)
• Trader Joe's Ginger Senbei Snacks (55)

Total Bento : 247 calories

Bento for 2 - Lime Chicken Sandwiches & Dolmas - 458 calorie per person

This was a bento for 2 people. It contained both lunch & snack. For the sandwiches I used Ciabatta rolls and Chile Lime Chicken Burgers from Trader Joe's. The cheese was Lite Mild Cheddar cheese sticks from TJ's cut up into squares. The dolmas were pre-made - I didn't do these from scratch!

Bento Content:

For Lunch:

• Sandwich (265)
• Tomatoes (8)
• Frozen Grapes (10)

For Snack:

• Dolmas - Stuffed Grape Leaves (105)
• Cheese Stick (70)

Total Lunch : 283 calories

Total Snack: 175 calories

Total Bento: 458 calories

Campanelle Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes & Peas - 272 calorie Bento

Hubbie wanted pasta, so I had made a bit more so I could have some for my bento. The basil is from my terrace 'farm'. I have so much basil that I think I'm going to zap some in the magic bullet and freeze it to be used in cooked foods.

Bento Content:

• Campanelle Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes. Peas and Fresh Basil (250)
• Grapes (22)

Total Bento : 272 calories

Chicken Shu Mai & Veggies - 198 calorie Bento

You know how you see things in the supermarket and you never decide to pick it up? Well, I made a discovery in Trader Joe's - Chicken Shu Mai. I am very happy that I took a chance and bought some. Very yummy! One of these days I am going to try to make them from scratch, but for now... frozen ones!

Bento Content:

• Trader Joe's Chicken Shu Mai - without sauce (160)
• Classic Mixed Vegetables (30)
• Grape Tomatoes (8)

Total Bento : 198 calories

Egg White & 3-cheese Pinwheels - 262 calorie Bento

This was a very easy bento and surprisingly filling! I found these Tomato Wraps which taste yummy and filled one up with egg white omelette, Mrs. Dash Chipotle seasoning plus a bit of Trader Joe's lite 3-cheese blend. I sprinkled the cheese on the omelette while it was still hot, so the cheese would slightly melt - a little trick that helps with the rolling...the melting cheese acts like a binder in the wrap!

Bento Content:

• Pinwheels (242)
• Carrots (13)
• Strawberry (7)

Total Bento : 262 calories

Tomato Couscous & Riblets - 229 calorie Bento

I used to like the Gardenburger BBQ Riblets and they disappeared. Can not find them anywhere. Then in the supermarket I see Morningstar Hickory BBQ Riblets. I gave them a try and they tasted very, very close to the Gardenburger brand. I have found a substitute! Love when that happens!

Bento Content:

• Tomato Couscous with Corn Niblets (93)
• 1/2 Morningstar Riblets cut into small pieces (110)
• Cantaloupe (14)
• Salad (12)

Total Bento : 229 calories

Spicy Mini Turkey Meatballs & Baby Lima Beans - 271 calorie Bento

During the weekend I made a few things to freeze for when I didn't have anything handy. One of these things were the Spicy Mini Turkey Meatballs. I froze them then I nuked them before putting them in the bento (I let them cool, because then my spinach would have wilted!).

The baby lima beans were from a frozen bag. I simply took the frozen baby lima beans, put in one of those microwave bags, added a cup of tomato sauce and a pinch of Pizza Seasoning. Nuked it and that was that! Very tasty!

Bento Content:

• Baby Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce (117)
• Spicy Mini Turkey Meatballs (138)
• Campari Tomatoes (11)
• Baby Spinach (5)

Total Bento : 271 calories

Cauliflower Bake & Vaggies (192 calorie bento)

I found a perfect baking pan - exactly the right size to fit in one of my bentos. This time I made a Cauiliflower bake.

Really easy to make: Steam cauliflower, with a fork make it into crumbles. Make a mixture of eggs & egg whites, season to taste (I switch from different Mrs. Dash combinations plus a pinch of salt). Combine egg mixture with cauliflower crumbles and bake until set.

Bento Content:

• Cauliflower Bake (76)
• Olives (48)
• Taboule (56)
• Carrots (13)

Total Bento : 193 calories