bento #21

Steamed rice with tuna, sliced avocado, and tamari

Process: Steam rice. Fill bento with rice, top with sliced avocado and tuna. Drizzle with tamari.

Feedback: More, please

(kosher, gluten free, vegan)

bento #18

White rice, kidney beans, olives, and cheese

Process: Steam white rice and cook kidney beans in oil or butter. Fill container 2/3 with rice, then top with beans. Garnish with shredded cheese (omit for vegan) and green olives.

Feedback: More olives!

(kosher, gluten free)

bento #16

snack bento: steamed rice and nori

Process: Fill a container with steamed rice. Pack in sheets of nori and season with oil, salt, and pepper.

Feedback: The boys requested this specifically, as they were just getting over an illness.

(kosher, gluten free, vegan)

bento #15

black beans, cheese, and rice

Process: steam rice, cook beans, fill bento 1/3 with rice, top 1/3 with beans and top with cheese.

Feedback: One of their favorite meals.

(kosher, gluten free)

bento #13

Seasoned brown rice, steamed vegetables, and nori with cashews and soy sauce.

Process: Steam vegetables and rice. Fill bento 2/3 with mixed vegetables and rice, top with nori and cashews. Drizzle on soy sauce. I tried to cut shapes out of the nori (that's a magen david in the upper left) but my cutters weren't a good tool with the dry nori.

Feedback: a little dry, but tasty

(kosher, gluten free, vegan

Bento #12

 Steamed rice with spinach and falafel

Process: Steam rice. Slice up falafel of choice into bite-size chunks; warm in pan with some oil. Wilt spinach in same pan, mix all with rice and fill bentos.

Feedback: Tasty, but a little bland. Some sort of sauce next time.

(kosher, gluten free, vegan)

Bento #11

Steamed rice with mixed greens and black beans in tomato sauce.

Process: Steam rice. Warm beans in tomato sauce with some oil; season to taste. Fill bento halfway with rice, cover with mixed greens. Ladle over beans in sauce. Yum.

Feedback: Beans were a hit, some of the greens were not.

(kosher, gluten-free, vegan)

Bento #10

Steamed white rice, pan fried tofu and wilted spinach

Process: Steam rice. Cut tofu to desired thickness and fried in light olive oil over medium-high heat with a splash of tamari until browned. Remove from pan and throw in handfuls of spinach. Stir briefly until wilted. Fill containers halfway with rice, top with spinach, tofu, and a drizzle of tamari. I normally like to jazz this up with spices or sauce, but we were getting over an illness so I kept it light.

Feedback: Can I have more tofu?

(gluten-free, vegan, kosher)

Bento #7

Steamed white rice, garbanzos in tomato sauce

Process: Steamed rice. Warmed a can of garbanzos and a can of tomato sauce on stove with butter and salt. Fill container 1/2 with rice, 1/2 with beans & sauce. Serve with napkins.

Feedback: Is there more?

(kosher, gluten free, veganizable)

*substituting olive oil for butter would make this vegan.

Bento #6

Steamed brown rice, black beans, sauteed chopped vegetables

Process: Warmed up the leftover brown rice from the previous day and filled bentos halfway. Warmed veggies and beans in some oil. Placed cookie cutter in each, filled with veggies and surrounded with black beans. Removed the cutters before eating, so the boys could mix everything together, but the shapes were completely lost without them in there, so for the picture they stayed in. 

Feedback: Can I eat it can I eat it can I eat it?

(kosher, gluten free, vegan)

Bento #4

Steamed white rice, tuna, steamed vegetables

Process: Steamed rice and the cut vegetables. Mixed rice with canned tuna and filled containers halfway. Placed veggies in rows on top; broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Later added some tamari, as boys selected that rather than butter or oil. Quick, simple bento, and easy on the stomach.

Feedback: none, but they did eat all of it :)

(kosher, gluten-free, vegan)