List of M Foods

On Monday, I blogged about the Letter M AlphaBento that I created. Now, I present you with a non-comprehensive list of foods beginning with the letter M. Perhaps, this will inspire you to create your own letter M AlphaBento for your child ... Or for yourself!

Breads/Grains:
Marble rye bread
Mezze rigatoni pasta (small rigatoni)
Mezzelune pasta (half-moon shapes)
Mostaccioli pasta (larger than penne)
Muffins
Multigrain bread

Dairy:
Marscapone cheese
Milk
Monterey Jack cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Muenster cheese

Desserts:
Macaroon
Marble cake
Marshmallows
Milky Way candy bar
Molten chocolate lava cake
Monkey bread
Mousse

Fruits:
Mandarin oranges
Mango
Melon
Mulberries

Meats/Protein:
Macadamia nuts
Meatloaf
Mutton

Vegetables:
Marinara sauce
Mashed potatoes
Mushrooms

Combos:

Macaroni & cheese

Manicotti

Monte Cristo sandwiches

What will you create?

M Bento

"And now we return to our regular scheduled bento-ing..." It's been a while since I've posted any alphabentos on the blog. There's been quite a few wonderfully delicious interruptions. First, there was the Olympic Torch and the Olympic Rings - Take a Guess, followed by the Olympic Rings Reveal. Also wedged into February was Valentine's Day. Lastly, I followed up with some Olympic sports - Ice Hockey, Curling, Figure Skating and Snowboarding. What a busy few weeks!

So for now, I'm back to posting about what I call "alphabentos". In case you're new here (please tell your friends about my blog!!), I am working my way through the alphabet, making a bento lunch for each of the 26 letters. Here's how I began bento-ing. I hope to be an inspiration to you! You too can create a fun, delicious & nutritious lunch. Okay, enough about that. Moving on to the Letter M lunch.

The previous night, I whipped up Meatloaf and Mashed potatoes for dinner. After serving up the portions for my family, I reserved enough food for the next day's bento lunches. Then - and only then - did I allow seconds. I mean, I make a terrific family-recipe meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and my growing-like-weeds-kids know it. If I don't reserve some food for the next day's lunches, there might not be any leftovers!

Rolling up slices of Muenster cheese, I tucked these orange-rimmed "cigars" into a corner by the meatloaf.

On the second tier of the M bento, I placed Mandarin oranges and Melon into a silicone cup; this keeps the fruit juices from soggifying (yup, I just made up a word) the Mushrooms next door.

Lastly, for dessert, I added a silicone cup of Monkey bread, which is basically cinnamon-sugar, pull-apart bread. For sake of ease, I used a store-bought monkey bread from the freezer section; honestly, it was just alright, but it did the trick. I see that Pillsbury has its own Monkey Bread recipe. Click on the link, and you will be salivating in seconds. I sure wish I had used that recipe! Oh well, next time.

So if you decide to make your own alphabento, I'd sure love to know about it! Look for a more comprehensive list of M foods to be posted later this week. Maybe your first alphabento could be the Letter M!

Olympics - Snowboarding

Snowboarding became an Olympic sport at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Shaun White, a leading US snowboarder, has participated in three Winter Games, earning a total of 18 Olympic medals.

My kids love watching Shaun White, performing his flips and tricks. (Sorry, I don't know much about snowboarding lingo.) I read somewhere that Shaun White loves Chinese food, so this bento lunch is in his honor.

The first layer of the bento is filled with a peppery stir fry. Strips of marinaded beef combine with matchstick carrots, broccoli florets, sliced onions and baby bok choy to create a delicious, veggie-packed meal.

Packed into the second layer is a bed of white rice, sprinkled with diagonally sliced green onions and topped with a nori snowboarder.

Olympics - Ice skating

Growing up, my fondest memories of the Winter Olympics were watching ice skating with my family. My favorites in women's figure skating were Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan. In the men's competition, I favored Paul Wylie and was awed by Viktor Petrenko.

This Winter Olympics, I chose to highlight Gracie Gold as the Olympian athlete of this ice skating-themed lunch. I read an article that Gracie and her twin sister enjoy sharing ahi tuna and sushi. Therefore, I give you 'Ahi Tuna Sushi Deconstructed.'

Beginning with a bed of brown rice (it's what I had on hand),  I arranged slices of cooked ahi tuna, layered with baby spinch (for color and definition). Sliced avocado and julienned carrots line the outskirts of the bento. A few florets of broccoli add color and act as a side dish to the deconstructed sushi. Lastly, upon the rice, I laid a nori figure skater.

Olympic Games - Curling

One of my friends requested a bento featuring the Olympic sport of curling, so here it is. But first, a little background.

Curling is a sport in which 4-person teams slide granite stones across the ice, using special brooms to guide the stone towards a circular target area. Curling has been an official Winter Olympic sport since the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.

This bento is loosely based on the favorite lunch spot of US Curling Olympian, Jared Zezel - Erbert & Gerbert's in Hibbing, Minnesota. Taken from Erbert & Gerbert's Facebook page: "Hibbing's own Team USA Curling Member Jared Zezel's favorite Erbert & Gerberts meal: Flash on wheat no mayo and a cup of Fiery Chili. Eat like an Olympian!!!!"

On a bed of cauliflower florets lies a curling Olympian made out of nori (edible seaweed sheet). I placed a small portion of chili in one section of the lunchbox, while a sandwich of capicola, ham and salami graces the other section.

My reality, in the midst of lunch making

Today, I want to share with you some of my reality. I struggle to balance my time - don't we all? (Please tell me you do too!) As the focus of this blog, I desire to create fun, healthy lunches for my kids and husband. However, I am learning that I am not SuperWoman. If making lunches for my kids and writing this blog becomes more important than living life and being with them, then I've got my priorities mixed up.

I planned to create 3 Olympic bentos for this week, posting them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, life happens. My kids happen. I'm choosing to snuggle up WITH them today, instead of crafting a 'really cool' lunch FOR them.

That is why there is no Olympic Curling Bento today. Perhaps, I will post it tomorrow. One thing I do know, I'm gonna choose to enjoy time with my kiddos while they are on winter break.

So I'll see you tomorrow, or maybe the next day.

Olympic Games - Hockey

"Ice hockey originated in Canada in the early 19th century, based on several similar sports played in Europe, although the word “hockey” comes from the old French word “hocquet”, meaning “stick”. Six-a-side men’s ice hockey has been on the program of every edition of the Winter Games since 1924 in Chamonix. Women’s ice hockey was accepted as an Olympic sport in 1992, and made its official debut in 1998 in Nagano." (www.Olympic.org, regarding Ice Hockey)

 In a 2010 interview with NHL, Zach Parise, the captain of the USA hockey team, mentioned that his favorite food is chicken tacos. Well, tacos are way too messy to send as a portable lunch. So as a tribute to Zach Parise, here are "Chicken Tacos Deconstructed".

This lunch is SO easy to make, sort of. Here's the difficult part - cutting out an Olympic hockey pictogram from a sheet of nori (edible, pressed seaweed). The good news - the rest of it is easy to create.

The nori hockey player is laid on a packed bed of rice. Packed into the opposite corner is cooked, shredded chicken, topped with shredded cheese. As a barrier between the rice and the chicken, I placed three small silicone cups. Each lunch recipient chose which toppings go in the cups - sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese or guacamole. Instead of tortillas (which are too messy for the kiddos!), I sent along some tortilla chips.

At lunchtime, the kids will be able to mix together the rice, chicken and toppings, and then scoop it up with the tortilla chips. Delicious!