Tuesday, December 29, 2009

My First Bento - Archive 2




I've been digging into my archive of food photos for some inspiration. This was my very first bento box. I remember being shocked at how tiny it was. Finding something to fit into this box was a challenge for someone used to PB sandwiches ...

The lunch box contains tofu noodles and sugar snap peas with a soy sauce, plus cherries and a clementine.

In the breakfast tin, there's a steamed bean paste bun, red and green grapes, and almonds.
This reminds me of how long it's been since I've been to the Asian grocery in town. I miss those bean paste buns!


Color Score
Lunch - 30pts
  • Sugar snap peas 10pts
  • Cherries 10pts
  • Clementine 10pts

Breakfast - 20pts

  • Green Grapes 10pts
  • Red Grapes 10pts

That's 50pts total for the two meals.

Hummus Bento - Archive 1



It's Day 1 for me. Making a basic, but good looking, bento is harder than I thought. Those bitty cutters are a new skill I'll need to grasp. Of course, I made it even harder than it had to be by cutting sun-dried tomatoes. The little stars looked like blobs, so I settled for one big star. Photographing these guys was tough. I played with the settings on my camera, wandered to different rooms, and turned lights on and off until I think I got it about right. There's definitely room for improvement, but it's a start in the right direction.

Bento - The lunch bento is filled with pita bread, salad greens, fresh raspberries, Tuscan white bean hummus w/ a sun-dried tomato star, and baby carrots. The snack bento contains blueberries, half a banana (the scraps are under the berries), and raw pecans.

Color Score

Lunch - 40pts

  • Carrots 10 + 5 bonus
  • Raspberries 10 + 5 bonus
  • Sundried Tomatoes & Spinach 10pts (Note: Normally these would be 10pts each plus 5 bonus points each, but the portion is too small to merit full points.)

Snack -25pts

  • Banana - 10 pts
  • Blueberries 10 + 5 bonus

The total for lunch and one snack equals 65pts.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Color Code

My son is 6 months old already! Time is speeding by at record pace. One of the milestones of his newly acquired age is the introduction of solid foods. The little man has greeted these new tastes with everything from absolute delight to utter disgust. He will eagerly ingest sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and banana mixed with rice cereal, but has downright refused carrots after flashing a priceless series of faces clearly reflecting his feelings on the matter. This new stage in his life has me once again focusing more time on the topic of healthy eating. Nourishing my son with the healthiest foods available, as well as, taking care of my own body has me searching for inspiration. Recently, I came across a book called The Color Code that I had stashed away in the back of my closet. It's just what I need at the moment. The concept is simple: eat your fruits and veggies! Every serving of fruit or vegetable eaten per day is worth 10 points. Bonus points are also designated for produce on the "super-foods" list, getting servings from all four color groups, and trying a fruit or veggie you haven't eaten in awhile. The goal is to get as many points as possible per day, 100 being optimal. I've already put together some color packed meals for tomorrow. In this season of cookies, candy, and nog I think we all could use some more fruits and vegetables.