Spring Forward

I've never really enjoyed the time changes of Daylight Savings Time, so I thought I would try to make it a little cheery today.

I made the "spring" from cucumber peel. I tried several times to peel the cucumber so it would be curvy but I am not talented in the ways of peeling fruits and veggies... so my next try was to slice the cucumber as I normally would, then slice the peel off, in a circle, which worked much better. I wrapped the peel around one of my bento basket clothes pins to sit while I made the rest of the lunch. I cut the little leaves with scissors out of the peel scraps from when I was trying to peel the cucumber. Sliced grape tomatoes in half, arranged them on some fresh rice as a flower.

I hardly ever use my veggie cutter but today I found a big fat carrot and got to use my cutter to make a cute little inside to the flower, then I made a bunch of extras for my little one's lunch just for fun.

Grammar

Happy National Grammar Day! 

Yes, I am not always the best writer ever, although I do enjoy expressing myself through writing at times. I still at times get confused with some rules, but grateful for some great websites out there! 

Today, we have a semi-colon, a comma, and a colon for your grammar day needs. 

Rice balls with nori, made with a regular hole punch and the eye of one of my face punches. Side of red peppers, carrots, kiwi, and some salami. 

February, a new beginning

It's been awhile since I've done any playful food.  There are times in my life I think the next stop will be the psych ward. I cease creative activities and cite my ever growing stress and frustration as the reason to stop doing what I love. Then, I realize... I'm stressed,  I *have* to go back to doing what I love~ pouring creativity into our world. Happy February. 

Rice with turkey bacon heart, with sides of cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, raisins, hearts and apples. 

Sesame Street

Sesame Street premiered on PBS November 10, 1969.

Here's to Elmo and all of our friends, that we grew up with, new and old. 

Tomato sauce and rice, corn tortilla and nori eyes, mustard nose and a nori mouth. 

Spiderman

My spidey senses are tingling!

I printed off a spiderman face and realized how much crazy work that would be to try to do it all with the lines and everything, so I just went with the eye lines. I feel like he is still definitely recognizable.

National Comic Book Day

Our favorite character of all~ Batman!

An interesting little quote for you:

"In his editorial, “A National Disgrace,” the literary critic publically assaulted the medium and accused parents of being “guilty of criminal negligence” for allowing their children to read comic books." ~Sterling North.

Read more cool comic book facts here. 

Today's lunch is rice with a nori cut out of the Batman emblem.

Sides of fresh raspberries, baby carrots, some leftover peanuts and cashews, and some gluten free cookies that was a super special treat! 

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Me sprogs love pirates and this has been such a fun day for us t' celebrate!

 I love writin' li'l love notes  t'em. 

This lunch be made with a rice ball, nori, and rice cheese. 

Ahoy, matey! 

Some piratey smoothie for breaksmartly: 

Fancy for a minute?

My friend Chef Ron and his partner are always making beautiful, fancy fresh food from their garden and market. Today, I was inspired by them, trying to make something pretty with a fancy description. I will never be able to compete with them, but sometimes it's fun to give something different a little try.

Brown rice ball smothered in mint sauce on a bed of fresh spinach, garnished with a pecan and sliced baby carrots. On the side are seaweed squares, baby carrots, peanuts in the shell, and sliced oranges.

Rosh Hashanah

Shanah Tovah! 

Rice with nori star and shofar, sliced carrots, raisins, apples ~ no honey, too messy! 

Frolicking Fall Faces

I love Portland in the fall! I am use to cold, windy Septembers, bundling up our homes and preparing for a long winter. And here we are enjoying the beautiful warm sun! We have been riding bikes to school in this lovely weather! I feel so great and the kids love it.

Rice smiley faces made with rice molds, and nori with the nori face punches. Included in the lunch are peanuts in the shell, cashews, dried mango and cut apples. 

Rice and hot dog flowers

I love my little rice molds, as they are easy and fast to use on days I am not feeling terribly creative. I also have the Fagor 3 in 1 cooker, so I can cook rice pretty quickly!

I cooked up some rice, added coconut oil and garlic salt and pressed them into the flower molds; sliced up some leftover Applegate Farms turkey dogs, and, tada! Quick, cute flowers that my kids gobbled up. Included in the lunch were fresh peaches, apples, raisins and almonds.

My youngest is allergic to rice, peaches, and grapes, so this was her alternative lunch with turkey dogs octopuses, pistachios, cashews, and apples.  

Dragon

My oldest is studying Ancient China in school and wanted me to make a hot dog dragon. I wasn't really sure how that was going to be done, but there it is. And yes, I forgot the eyes! Anneka told me I was right though, in adding the mustard, as it was supposed to be red and yellow, so I guess I did it right!

This all beef hot dog dragon is slithering across a street of forbidden rice (cooked in chicken broth).

New package in the mail!

I have been wishing for nori punches for some time, and since it was the beginning of the school year, I splurged and bought a little back to school present for me!

The mailman came by yesterday and my little one tore open the package to find these three little punches, so much excitement. 

I was excited to have these face punches so I just made... well, rice balls with faces. 

Sides of apple, carrot, seaweed or raisins, and cashews. 

Later, little one decided she wanted to try them out and decorate her dried pineapple. 

Can't wait to come up with more fun creations I can do with these! 

Sunshine

I've got sunshine... on a cloudy day...

Actually it's been pretty sunshiny here lately which has been absolutely lovely!

We had some leftover yellow rice from the school buses, which was rice and honey mustard sauce. Smiley face made from raisins and goji berries, sun rays out of carrots. Remember the sunscreen! 

Summer flower

Another bowl of rice... wondering what to put with it, I found a can of olives and was just going to toss some olives in, but I guess I can't even do that, I have to make something out of it! So they became flowers...

Last Day of School!

Hooray!

School buses from rice and nori.

Camping Trip

My oldest daughter is going on a camping trip with four other schools today, she is very excited, but nervous too! Here is a little camping lunch; rice and ground turkey, rice cheese tent and fire, broccoli. The cheese "logs" are from this new cheese from Heidi Ho Organics I found at Whole Foods, locally made right here in Portland, made from hazelnuts! Excited to see what the kids think of it.

Sunset

Since we are doing the beach and ocean theme, my son decided he wanted a night time/sunset scene for lunch, so this is what I came up with for that. I still had some blue rice so we were good to go. 

Nori for the dark ocean, rice cheese sun and stars, mustard reflection and sky. 

Dreaming of the beach

Such lovely warm days are upon us... and I had a couple of friends that took their young ones and escaped to the beach for the afternoon!

Natural locally made food dye for the blue, slivered almond and nori for the flip-flops, nori for the birds, and a carrot sun. Sides of mango, carrots and apples. 

Spring garden

It was Mother's Day yesterday, and we had a lovely day with handmade gifts and my son making me breakfast in bed. The sun was shining, the birds chirping, the flowers blooming in abundance.

Today, I made a "Spring Garden". Rice and quinoa medley with coconut aminos, a couple of pieces of broccoli with some mini turkey pepperonis my youngest snuck into the grocery cart while we were shopping the other day!

The lunch, and some lovely flowers my girls potted for us on our doorstep.