Playing With My Food

It's been said before that I am only ever interested in my next meal... & there's a lot of truth to that. You may recall from my first ever Want. Need. post that I absolutely had to have a Zojirushi Mr. Bento to pack my lunch in. AND I got one! Well, not the Mr. Bento but the Mini Bento (it's cuter and more my style). My Mom wrapped it up & put it under the x-mas tree for me, Thanks Mom! I have been packing my lunch in it everyday since the new year started & I gotta say - there IS an art to packing your bento. You want to get a variety of things in there with out all of them "contaminating" each other and you want to pack items that are to be eaten at the same temperature together.. it gets complicated! I'm all about becoming a pro though. To reach this goal I've been taking notes from The Food Pornographer, lunchinabox.net & Anna the Red. Anna creates some lunches that are so incredibly cute & creative that it would be almost impossible to eat them. She even customizes her own cookie cutters to make crazy little tasty creatures! AND if that doesn't make you want to get on the bento box wagon how about these awesome bento's made to look like some of the greatest albums ever! I found these on Jacket Lunchbox & my stomach is glad that I did!
So, the inspiration is there, now I need some tools & a little more time to pack my bento each night. I guess I could get up earlier & do it but, a girl needs her beauty sleep. I've really been enjoying putting them together so far. Not only is it a chance to make edible art but, it gives me a chance to think about my meal. It is so very important to think about not only what you are eating but the portions. It's all about portions. As my mother always told me "Moderation in all things". When I was a kid I wanted to jam a fork in my eye when she said it but of course she was right. That's why she kept saying it... and kept saying it and kept saying it. Thanks again Mom. I mean it! As I mentioned before, my camera is broken, so I can't take a photo of my lunch today, which is delicious & nutritious but doesn't smile up at you or make you want to rock the casbah. I will soon be enjoying a cup of 15 bean soup, with *you guessed it* 15 beans, an onion, some celery, carrots, a sunchoke, quinoa & some herbs and spices. Then I have a small salad with greens, sprouts, walnuts, grape tomatoes, with a few crumbles of gorgonzola & topped with a drizzle of olive oil. For dessert? Vanilla yogurt & a dab of apricot jam.

....dang, I wish it were time for lunch!

*big thanks to Red Anna for letting me use the picture of her Katamari Damacy bento*