Eclectic Lamb

Chocolate Chip Dog Pancake Lunch

Posted on November 21, 2017 by eclecticlamb

dog pancake lunch

I made this lunch for my 13 year old nephew. He loves fruit and chocolate chip pancakes!

Left Side: Dog – chocolate chip pancakes cut with cookie cutter, green grapes

Top Right: Dog bone cinnamon tortilla chips – cut flour tortillas with cookie cutter, brush the cut tortilla chips with olive oil and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Put tortilla shapes on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes (bake until lightly browned and crisp).

Bottom Right: Raspberries

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Funny Cat Rice Lunch

Posted on November 17, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Cat Onigiri Lunch

This was a simple meal I made for myself using a tulip rice mold.

Container: U Konserve

Left Side: Cat – Nishiki rice shaped with a rice mold, carrot and spinach details, black beans and salsa

Right Side: White carrots, blueberries

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Mashed Potato Rocket Lunch

Posted on November 15, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Rocket Potato Lunch

I love space! So it is surprising to me that in the 6 years since having this blog, I have only created 10 space, alien, and planet themed lunches. In contrast I have made over 20 sheep / lamb themed lunches.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Rocket – cheddar mashed potatoes cooled then shaped with a cookie cutter, cheddar cheese, black beans and salsa

Top Right: Moon – cheddar cheese, blackberries

Bottom Right: Sweet and Salty Chex Mix

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Elephant Salad Lunch

Posted on November 13, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Elephant Salad Lunch

Often my best themed lunches are ones I make for other people. I wanted some inspiration so I arranged to make lunch for a co-worker. She wanted the theme and food to be a surprise. I picked elephants since it is the theme of her daughter’s nursery and salad because she often buys salads for lunch. She loved it!

Container: Cloud box from Japan (set of 3)

Large Box: Elephants – dill Havarti cheese cut with a cookie cutter, romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper

Medium Box: Elephants – cut flour tortillas with cookie cutter, brush the cut tortilla chips with olive oil and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Put shapes on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes (bake until lightly browned and crisp), red box – shelled pistachio nuts, blue box – oil and vinegar (for the salad)

Small Box: Elephants – apple (cut with cookie cutter), plain Greek yogurt with honey drizzled on the bottom

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Camel Mashed Potatoes Lunch

Posted on November 6, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Camel Mashed Potato Lunch

I made this fun camel themed lunch for my companion Dennis to take to work. Cookie cutters made this cute meal quick to make. I put the sides in silicone cups for easy removal before heating the rest of the meal in a microwave.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Camel – Cheddar mashed potatoes cooled then shaped using a camel cookie cutter, peas

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Camel – apple (cut with cookie cutter), plain Greek yogurt with cinnamon

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Pumpkin and Bat Lunch

Posted on October 31, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Halloween Blue Potato Bats Lunch

I made this meal for my companion Dennis to take to work. I enjoy making food for the people in my life. This looks a little strange but it was for Halloween and I am told that it tasted great.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pumpkins – roasted butternut squash, Bats – roasted blue potatoes cut with mini cookie cutters – put aluminum foil on a baking sheet, coat butternut squash and pumpkin shapes with olive oil and roast 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender. Saute a diced onion and add it to the squash and potatoes after roasting.

Top Right: Skull shaped hard boiled egg

Bottom Right: Ghost cinnamon tortilla chips – cut flour tortillas with cookie cutter, brush the cut tortilla chips with olive oil and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Put tortilla ghosts on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes (bake until lightly browned and crisp).

Above the Box: Mini Dippers with diced strawberries (to serve with the ghost tortilla chips)

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Fall Squirrel and Leaves Lunches

Posted on October 25, 2017 by eclecticlamb

squirrel rice lunch

My 19 year old niece and I enjoyed these fall themed lunches.

Container: Book Bento Box

Contents: Leaf pasta with a little butter, Squirrel – press cooked hot Nishiki rice (or short grained sticky rice) into a cookie cutter using plastic wrap then carefully remove rice from cookie cutter, broil shredded cheddar cheese on top, almond, salad with lettuce, sugar snap peas, radish and carrot cut with mini leaf cutters

leaf pasta lunch.jpg

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Cherry tomato, tree pick, snow peas

Bottom Left: Peanuts

Right Side: Leaf pasta with basil, butter, and cheddar cheese

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 2 Comments

Monkey Lasagna

Posted on September 7, 2017 by eclecticlamb

monkey lasagna

I made this meal for my 15 year old lasagna loving nephew. I put the sides in silicone cups for easy removal before heating.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Homemade lasagna baked without mozzarella cheese on top, mozzarella cheese cut into monkey shape with a cookie cutter and added to cool lasagna

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Pistachios

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Sheep Mashed Potatoes Lunch

Posted on August 30, 2017 by eclecticlamb

sheep mashed potatoes

I made this healthy lunch for myself. It features a white cheddar mashed potato sheep shaped with a cookie cutter.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cheddar mashed potatoes cooled then shaped using a sheep cookie cutter, cooked broccoli

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Strawberries

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Fish and Horse Rice Lunches

Posted on August 10, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Fish Shaped Rice Lunch.jpg

I made these lunches for my 18 year old niece and myself (she picked the fish lunch). Japanese plastic rice molds made it easy to shape the sticky rice. Also using basically the same ingredients in both lunches is convenient and quick.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Fish – (cooked Nishiki rice shaped using plastic rice mold), raw spinach eyes cut with a straw, sauteed baby zucchini and carrots in vegetable broth

Top Right: Cashews

Bottom Right: Blueberries and raspberries

horse rice lunch.jpg

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Horses – (cooked Nishiki rice shaped using plastic rice mold), soy sauce brushed on top, raw spinach eyes cut with a straw, sauteed baby zucchini and carrots in vegetable broth

Top Right: Cashews

Bottom Right: Grapes

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Caterpillar Lasagna

Posted on August 8, 2017 by eclecticlamb

caterpillar lasagna.jpg

I made this lasagna meal for my 15 year old nephew. I thought that it looked a little gross and I think he did also. It did not matter too much because with this method, when he heated it in the microwave the shapes disappeared. I put the sides in silicone cups for easy removal before heating.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Homemade lasagna baked without mozzarella cheese on top, mozzarella cheese cut into caterpillars with a cookie cutter and added to cool lasagna

Top Right: Cashews

Bottom Right: Cherries

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Picnic Lunch

Posted on August 3, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Cottage Cheese Potato Salad Lunch

I made lunches for a new companion Dennis and myself. His work is not far from mine so we met for lunch at a park along the Erie Canal. You can see both lunches in the last photo. I think it is funny since I told him to sit there and not eat yet so I could take a photo of both lunches. It is not the most natural photo but it makes me laugh. The lunches are basically the same but the fruit and nuts are different because I used up what I had left in my kitchen. It is natural for me to make food for the people in my life and it is special to have a new person to eat my meals.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, olive oil, feta, salt and pepper, spinach leaves (underneath), potato salad (instead of mayonnaise, this recipe uses a dressing that contains cottage cheese and milk)

Top Right: Walnuts, (the other lunch had cashews)

Bottom Right: Blueberries, (the other lunch had Rainier Cherries)

Henpeck Park Greece NY.jpg

Henpeck Park

picnic lunch with companion

Posted in Adventures, Bento / Cute Food, Food, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Mickey Lentil Salad Lunch

Posted on August 1, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Mickey Lentil Salad Lunch

I cherish the important people in my life and it is my thing to make food for them. I made this lunch for my friend to show my appreciation for how good she was to me during rough times and anytime.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Lentil Feta Salad with Romaine

Top Right: Oats, honey, peanut butter, and chocolate chips – it was supposed to be energy balls but they did not ball and I did not love the recipe so I will not link to it here.

Bottom Right: Mickey shaped watermelon (cookie cutter)

Above the Box: Mickey Veggie Chips

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged Mickey Mouse | 1 Comment

6 Year Blogiversary Giveaway

Posted on July 18, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Edited: The giveaway is now closed. I will notify the winner.

Unbelievable but it is my 6 year blogiversary! I am celebrating with a giveaway in appreciation for my readers. I have one large prize (all of the items in these photos will go to one person!) this year for a person with an United States of America address. A majority of these items were purchased in January when I was in Japan.

Assorted bento boxes, egg molds, rice mold, and small mayo cup.

Assorted silicone cups and silicone baran (food divider).

Assorted bento food picks.

Assorted cookie cutters.

Assorted Disney themed bento food picks.

How to Enter:

Please submit a comment (if you have an U.S.A. address).
Make sure that I have your email address with your comment.
For an additional entry please subscribe to my blog by email (top right of the page between the header and the social media buttons) and tell me in your comment that you subscribed.

Important!! Please read the Terms and Conditions of this giveaway!
Prizes cannot be shipped to P.O. Boxes. Winner will be randomly selected by a random number generator and notified by the email submitted with your comment. Entries that do not fulfill the mandatory requirements will be deleted. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are in no way associated with this giveaway. If you’ve chosen to subscribe by email for an additional entry, you must still be doing so at the time of the drawing or you will be disqualified, and I will draw again. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner. This giveaway ends Friday, July 21, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. (Edited: The giveaway is now closed.)

Posted in Uncategorized | 43 Comments

Kermit the Frog Lunch

Posted on July 5, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Kermit the Frog lunch

I made this fun lunch for myself.

Container: U Konserve

Contents: Kermit – cheese and broccoli mashed potatoes, cheese details with food coloring, edamame, pineapple, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe

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Elephant Rice

Posted on June 6, 2017 by eclecticlamb

elephant rice lunch

I made this simple meal for myself. The elephant rice was easy to shape using this mold.

Container: Book Bento Box

Contents: Elephants (cooked Nishiki rice shaped using plastic rice mold), spinach details, carrots, broccoli, toasted sliced almonds

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Coffee Cake for a Crowd

Posted on May 31, 2017 by eclecticlamb

overnight coffee cake

Last month I needed to make a morning sweet to go along with coffee for a crowd. I wanted something easy since I was adjusting to a new job and did not have most of my kitchen supplies yet. My niece suggested that I make coffee cake. I borrowed 2 pans and creamed the butter and sugar by hand since I did not have my mixer yet. I baked one the night before and the other was prepped the night before and baked in the morning. I cut them into small pieces.

I made Blueberry Coffee Cake and Make Ahead Coffee Cake (without the icing). The Make Ahead Coffee Cake is very convenient and delicious and I have made it twice now (also for a bring and share food day at work). My co-workers said that I can make coffee cake anytime.

blueberry and cinnamon coffee cakes

Posted in Food | 2 Comments

Radish Sheep Salad Lunch

Posted on May 18, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Radish Sheep Lunch.jpg

I made this sheep themed salad for myself on a day that my niece and I went furniture shopping. We ate our lunches in my car. I used “daikon“, (Japanese radish) for the sheep. It is larger than typical radish and great for using small cookie cutters.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Sheep – daikon (cut with cookie cutter), cheddar cheese, pistachio nuts, mixed lettuce

Top Right: Raspberries

Bottom Right: Triscuit crackers

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Butterfly Salad Lunch

Posted on May 16, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Butterfly Salad Lunch

I made this salad for my niece on a day that she helped me go furniture shopping. We ate our bentos in the car between furniture stores.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Butterflies – melon (cut with cookie cutters), raspberries, pistachio nuts, mixed lettuce

Top Right: Butterfly crackers

Bottom Right: Butterflies – carrots (cut with tiny cutter), celery with peanut butter

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 2 Comments

Dog Bread for Lunch

Posted on May 11, 2017 by eclecticlamb

dog bread lunch

I made this dog themed bread lunch for my nephew to bring to school. He loves my homemade rolls and requested them for lunch. I enjoy making shaped bread.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Dog shaped bread (used this recipe), added chocolate chips after the bread was cooled, bone shaped cheddar cheese (cookie cutter)

Top Right: Carrots

Bottom Right: Raspberries

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15th Birthday Lasagna Lunch

Posted on May 9, 2017 by eclecticlamb

15 birthday lasagna

Last week my lasagna loving nephew turned 15. I made this lasagna lunch for him to bring to school.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Homemade lasagna with a cheddar “15” cut with cookie cutters

Top Right: Pistachios

Bottom Right: Blackberries and raspberries

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 1 Comment

Kodomonohi Dinner

Posted on May 5, 2017 by eclecticlamb

I made this simple Children’s day or kodomonihi dinner for my parents and me. The garnish for the main course and dessert is pie crust.

Main: Partially cook broccoli, carrots, potato, and celery. Make a cheese sauce. Mix sauce with vegetables. Put vegetables and sauce in individual baking dishes. Put panko breadcrumbs on top and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until topping is browned.

Dessert: Berries, Greek yogurt, cinnamon

Garnish: Pie crust cut with koinobori cutter and baked until browned, pie crust cut in the shape of a kabuto hat and baked until browned

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Dark Side of the Force Taco Salad

Posted on May 4, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Dark Side Force Taco Salad

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you! I made this easy lunch for my taco loving nephew.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Black beans mixed with a little salsa, iceberg lettuce, Mexican cheese blend

Top Right: Cherry tomatoes and black olives

Bottom Right: Blackberries

Above the Box: Mini Dippers with Taco Sauce, tortilla chips with a hint of lime

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Daffodil Lunch and Walk

Posted on April 22, 2017 by eclecticlamb

daffodil lunch

This week one night after work, my niece and I took a walk to a daffodil meadow and had this themed meal (I made 2 identical bentos). We ate our dinner sitting on a log under trees. It was a perfect setting and enjoyable company.

When I shopped Sunday night at Wegmans they were out of radishes! I asked the produce person what to substitute that is white, crunchy, and can eat raw. He said daikon (Japanese radish). I never thought of them before but it is perfect for cookie cutters since they are larger than the radish I often use. But with my multitude of cookie cutters, I actually did not have a flower cookie cutter appropriate for a daffodil.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Daffodils – daikon (cut freehand), carrots (cut with mini cookie cutter), the daikon and carrots are held together with spaghetti, edamame in the pods, rice pilaf with vegetable broth, carrots, sauteed onion, and pistachio nuts

Top Right: Mini peanut butter cups

Bottom Right: Grapes

Powder Mills Park Daffodil Meadow

Daffodils

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Punched Paper Easter Egg Ornaments

Posted on April 14, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Punched Paper Decorated Eggs

I am happy to say that this was the 7th year for my niece and I to make Easter Egg Ornaments. Both of our lives have changed and she is in college now so we ended up doing the craft in her dorm room. I made themed lunches for us that we enjoyed before decorating the eggs.

We started with blown-out eggs that we kept white. I attached 1/8 inch white ribbon hangers by using a very long needle. Then I used a little bit of hot glue if the hole was large and I was afraid the ribbon would fall through.

I already had two types of butterfly paper punches. I bought two mini flower punches. We used assorted blue paper that I had in my craft room. Some had patterns. We used quick drying tacky glue and put the glue on the eggs with toothpicks. Then we attached the paper cut-outs. It was relaxing to punch out the paper and glue it to the eggs. I think the result is beautiful!

Year 7 – Punched Paper

Year 6 – Diorama

Year 5 – Marble

Year 4 – Ribbons

Year 3 – Quilling

Year 2 – Simplified Ukrainian

Year 1 – Paper Cut-out

blue butterfly paper punch egg

Butterflies

flower cross egg ornament.jpg

Cross of Flowers

butterflies flowers paper egg ornaments blue

Butterflies and Flowers

Flower K paper decorated egg ornament

Flowers “K” (both of our names start with “K”)

butterfly and flower paper decorated egg ornament

Butterflies & Flowers with Beads

Butterfly punch decorated egg

Butterflies

point flower punch paper covered egg

Pointed Flowers

punched flower circle egg ornament.jpg

Flower Circle

round flower punch decorated egg

Round Flowers

We enjoyed this project and hope to enjoy these on our Easter trees for years to come. Please share if you have an Easter tree with homemade ornaments. I would love to see it!

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Easter Egg Bunny Lunches

Posted on April 12, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Easter Bunny rice lunch.jpg

This year I have 2 bunny themed lunches and 1 Easter egg lunch. I made the rice lunches for my niece and myself on a day that we did our traditional Easter egg craft. I will share our craft later this week.

I gave my niece her choice of rice lunches and she picked this cute bunny.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Bunny – Hot cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, carefully remove cookie cutter, spinach details (use a straw to cut the eyes), sauteed bell peppers and green beans with vegetable broth

Top Right: Homemade Reese’s Eggs

Bottom Right: Raspberries and blackberries

Easter Egg lunch.jpg

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Easter Egg – Hot cooked Nishiki rice pressed into a cookie cutter with plastic wrap, carefully remove cookie cutter, spinach details (use a straw to cut the dots), sauteed bell peppers and green beans with vegetable broth

Top Right: Homemade Reese’s Eggs

Bottom Right: Raspberries and blackberries

bunny pizza lunch

When making pizza for dinner I reserved some dough to make these bunny shapes with cookie cutters. It made a fun and easy make ahead lunch.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Bunny pizza (cookie cutters) with mozzarella cheese

Top Right: Pineapple

Bottom Right: Salad with mini cucumber eggs (mini cutter), and carrot bunnies (cookie cutter)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged easter | Comments Off

Tokyo Travel and Bento Lunch

Posted on April 10, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Tokyo Bento Lunch

Today I have my last post in my 2017 Japan travel series. After Osaka / Kyoto, I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo. I stayed with language partners in Yokohama, Tsukuba, and stayed overnight at a hotel near Disneyland with another language partner.

This bento lunch is a combination of my Tokyo area experiences. I have Mount Fuji, Honey Flavored Popcorn (Disneyland), and a Panda.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Mount Fuji – pizza with basil pesto and mozzarella cheese, sugar snap peas

Bottom Left: Honey flavored popcorn

Bottom Right: Panda – peeled radish, black olives (held on with toothpicks so not safe for kids), sugar snap peas

Mt Fuji from Shinkansen

I took the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Yokohama. I was not on the correct side of the train because I opted not to pay extra for reserved tickets and seats on the left side of the train were full. I did get a glimpse of Mount Fuji as seen in the photo above.

Mt Tsukuba Sign.jpg

My language partner Ayumi, lives in Tsukuba. I stayed with Ayumi and her family for 2 nights and she showed me around her area. We went to Mount Tsukuba.

Mt Fuji in Distance

From Tsukuba I was able to see Mt. Fuji again.

Pottery Studio Teacher.jpg

Ayumi arranged for us to have a lesson at a pottery studio! It was my first time to use a pottery wheel. At first I was very bad but once the instructor put his hands on mine to show me how to hold my hands, I got much better. It was an amazing experience.

pottery made with wheel

These are the bowls that I made.

Cookie Cutter Heaven.jpg

I spent a day in Tokyo by myself but met another language partner Maho for lunch. Before lunch I wandered around Kappabashi (shopping street lined with restaurant and cooking supply stores). In one store I was in cookie cutter heaven as they had many I did not already have. In that store I heard John Denver singing on the store music. So strange and memorable.

Mt Fuji Chopsticks Rest

Tokyo Disneyland Monorail

I went to Tokyo Disneyland with a language partner who traveled to meet me. It was a little cold for area people but not for me (a New Yorker) and it was wonderful to have very short lines for rides.

Tokyo Disneyland.jpg

Speciality Popcorn at Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland has flavored popcorn in various sections of the park. My favorite was honey – found near the Winnie the Pooh ride. We tried Milk Chocolate, Soy Sauce, and Honey popcorn.

Another view of Mt Fuji

Another view of Mount Fuji from my hotel near Tokyo Disneyland.

Panda Food Ueno Station

The train station at Ueno had a lot of cute Panda food since it is near the zoo.

Sheep dessert statue in Ueno station

Panda in Tokyo.jpg

Craft Store Yokohama.jpg

I took a craft class in this building with a sheep. I was a little slow with my craft because it was a wonderful Japanese speaking opportunity. The ladies in my class kept asking me questions about me and the United States.

Sheep in Store Window

My 2017 trip (my 6th trip to Japan) was amazing! I was able to have many authentic cultural experiences by staying with my friend and language partners across the country.

Posted in Adventures, Bento / Cute Food, Food | 1 Comment

Osaka – Kyoto Travel and Bento Lunch

Posted on April 6, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Glico Sign Osaka Bento Lunch

Continuing in my 2017 Japan Travel and Bento series I have Osaka and Kyoto. After Niigata, I flew to Osaka. A language partner who lives in Ibaraki City graciously invited me to stay with her and her family for a week.

This bento lunch is my interpretation of the Glico Sign as a quesadilla. I am sorry to say that my “o” looks like an “a”. I thought about re-doing it but decided to keep it as is.

Glico Sign Osaka

preschooler Japan

Simple Japanese Garden

Name Chopsticks

My language partner gave me chopsticks with my name on them! Very special.

Tale of Genji Museum Uji

I went to the Tale of Genji museum because I went to Uji for the day and read the tale in college. The last time I was in Uji, in 1992, the museum did not exist. My favorite part about the museum was the film.

Winter Home Garden Uji

Torii near shrine Japan

River in Uji Japan

I had a quick lunch on a bench by the river in Uji.

Byodo-in Uji Japan

Byodo-in Temple in Uji

Meal at Green Earth Vegan Cafe Osaka

Vegan lunch in Osaka. My language partner was very kind to find a vegan restaurant for us to have lunch. It was delicious!

McDonalds Delivers Osaka Japan.jpg

Flower Cut Carrots.jpg

I had the opportunity to have a decorative cooking lesson from my friend’s mother. These carrots were part of the lesson. We also did eggs, shaped omelet, and lotus root.

Shrine Ibaraki City Japan

Cucumber Cutting Demonstration.jpg

My language partner’s husband did a demonstration of cutting decorative cucumber.

Koala and Penguin Bread.jpg

I love bakeries in Japan. These Koala and Penguin breads were very cute.

My next post in my Japan 2017 series will be Tokyo.

Posted in Adventures, Bento / Cute Food, Food | 2 Comments

7 Lucky Gods Tour Kyoto

Posted on April 4, 2017 by eclecticlamb

This is the third in my 2017 series of travel photos and food inspired by my trip to Japan. When I looked for things to do in Kyoto in January, I found the idea to visit each temple of the 7 lucky gods intriguing. I certainly liked the idea of getting good luck for the upcoming year. In January it is popular for people to pilgrimage to the 7 locations and there are bus tours offered.

I did not make a bento but made rice shaped as each of the 7 lucky gods. For the details I used cheese, food coloring, and spinach.

I took a bus tour – 7 hours, (I was the only foreigner on it) and traveled to all 7 temples in one day. I was pleased that there were several Japanese woman on the tour who were traveling alone also and they befriended me. They enriched my experience. I was pretty much clueless about the gods and they answered my questions (in Japanese) and told me what to do. For example at Ebisu’s location I was told to knock on a wooden wall. I did not find out until later that it was because Ebisu was hard of hearing. Ebisu is the patron god of fair trade, fishers, sailors, wealth, sincerity and good fortune.

This site has good explanations of the 7 lucky gods. In Japanese it is called Shichifukujin (七福神).

Giant prayer beads.

At each location we had a set time to meet the group. This is my tour guide with the time we had to meet.

One location had a special festival going on so there were lots of people and entertainment.

There was an option for an addition fee to get stamps at each location or buy it stamped at the end. I decided to spend the money and wondered if I would regret not buying it. It is not my personal belief was it was an amazing experience to take the tour. Recently things in my life seem to be falling into place so maybe I did get good luck from completing the pilgrimage.

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April Showers Bring May Flowers for Lunch

Posted on April 1, 2017 by eclecticlamb

April Showers bring May Flowers lunch

This simple lunch has a bit of whimsy with an umbrella handle pick and flower cookie cutters.

Container: U Konserve

Contents: Apple with cut side dipped in lemon juice and water, umbrella pick, salad with spinach and romaine (underneath), Near East Rice Pilaf with bell pepper flowers and sugar snap peas

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Sado Island Travel and Bento Lunch

Posted on March 16, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Today I have the second in my 2017 series of travel photos and bento inspired by my trip to Japan. I am sharing photos from Sado Island and a Toki, (Japanese Crested Ibis) made from cheesy mashed potatoes.

The Toki was a natural choice for my inspired bento lunch since I was fortunate to actually see them in the wild and at a preserve on Sado Island. Scroll down to see a photo of one. My day trip to Sado island was an adventure that I will tell you about later in this post but I also had a bit of a mishap in making this bento. I carefully planned out this lunch before shopping and bought radish to use for the tuft of wings on it’s head. An alternate title for this bento could be, “My dad ate my radishes”. I am still laughing about this. Especially since I had them in a special spot in the refrigerator to use for making bento. Anyway, we went to the store to get radish and then I finished making my potato bird.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Toki – Cheddar mashed potatoes cooled then shaped by hand, Eye and legs – carrot, Beak – Cheddar mashed potatoes with soy sauce painted on with a pastry brush, Tuft of wings on head – radish, edamame

Top Right: Peanuts

Bottom Right: Mandarin oranges

I was able to see Toki in the wild. It was better viewing in person than it seems like from this photo.

Character representation of a Toki.

Toki – milk cartons

Rice fields and mountains on Sado Island.

My friend Akiko reserved a bus tour so I could go alone to the Toki preserve, gold mine, and see the scenic coast of Sado Island. I walked from Akiko’s home (10 minutes) to the nearby train station. I took the train to Niigata station (about 25 minutes). Then I took a bus to the port (20 minutes). At the port I took the Jetfoil (over an hour) in the Sea of Japan to Sado Island. At Sado’s port I found the tour bus with the help from a kind man at the information desk. The other people that reserved the tour canceled but they still honored my ticket! I had a whole bus, a tour guide, and bus driver to myself.

The shore of Sado Island was very beautiful. My photos do not do it justice. I am often happy traveling alone but at that moment I wished that I had someone with me (besides my private tour guide) to share the gorgeous scene.

This photo was taken on my Jetfoil to Sado Island. I decided to pay the higher fare for the experience but planned on taking the cheaper ferry back. Because of rough seas which sometimes happens in the winter, the small ferry I planned to take back to the mainland was cancelled. I would have needed to wait 4 hours until the next large car ferry. But since I was the only person on my tour, my tour bus was ahead of schedule. We were due to arrive at the port 5 minutes after a car ferry was supposed to leave. My tour guide called the ferry company and pleaded with them to wait for me. She said I was a foreigner and I would have to wait 4 hours. The bus driver did his best to get us there as soon as possible. When we got to the port, the driver dropped me off at the door closest to the ferry. The tour guide ran with me until we met a ferry worker who ran with me until the ramp. (my legs were sore the next day from all the running). Another ferry worker boarded with me and closed the doors. I had to buy my ticket on board. I was very surprised when they showed me where I would ride. He said I was in second class. See the photo below. I was a little shocked that there were no seats. I had to sit on the floor with strangers for the 2 hour and 30 minutes trip.

Here is the link (scroll down to see photos inside the ships) if you want to see the seating options available on car ferries. I was not given a choice so I don’t know if anything else was available. But it was exciting to have a new experience and it gave me a good travel story.

Posted in Adventures, Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged bird | 2 Comments

3 Saint Patrick’s Day Lunches

Posted on March 15, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Are you looking for fun and easy food to celebrate the Irish and all things green and shamrock? Well, you came to the right place. I have 3 new ideas this year (Shamrock Potato Salad, Shamrock Salad and Shamrock Egg, and a Rainbow Quesadilla with a Potato Pot of Gold) as well as 19 lunches from other years (links are at the end of this post). Plus I have a Irish Vegetarian dinner and Irish Heritage Card.

This first lunch features a fun salad of shamrock shaped potatoes, cheese, and bell pepper. If you are interested in other themed vegetable potato salads, I also have a Fall Oak Leaf Potato Salad and a Heart Potato Salad.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Shamrock Potato Salad – peel white potatoes and cut with a shamrock cookie cutter, boil potato shapes until tender with a fork, cut green bell pepper and Cheddar cheese (not sharp because it crumbles) with a shamrock cookie cutter, use the vinaigrette of your choice (I used a mix of olive oil, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar).

Top Right: Shamrock kiwi (cookie cutter)

Bottom Right: Shamrock salad – romaine lettuce with mini carrot shamrocks (mini cutter)

My Dad enjoys salads for lunch. I made this simple meal with the aid of cookie cutters and a plastic cupcake ring.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Shamrock – Cheddar cheese (cookie cutter), romaine lettuce, broccoli, snow peas

Top Right: Hard boiled egg with mini shamrock cut-out (mini cutter)

Bottom Right: Green grapes, cupcake ring

Go over the quesadilla rainbow to find a delicious twice baked potato pot of golden Cheddar.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Rainbow quesadilla – flour tortilla with Cheddar cheese (coat frying pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil, saute over medium high heat on each side until cheese is melted and tortilla is lightly browned), add rainbow with food coloring pens or a paintbrush with food coloring and a little bit of water, blueberries, sour cream in star silicone cup

Top Right: Cucumber shamrocks (cookie cutter)

Bottom Right: Pot of Gold – potato bite – boil small red potatoes until tender, carefully hollow out a hole but leave enough potato so it does not fall apart, mash removed potato with a little bit of butter, Dijon mustard (to taste), salt and pepper, fill hollowed out potatoes with mashed potato mixture, add shredded Cheddar cheese on top, bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

2016 St. Patrick’s Day Lunches – Shamrock Rice, Shamrock Sandwich, Green Shamrock Quesadillas, Shamrock Pizza, Celtic Cross Rice with Cheddar Cheese, Cream Cheese and Olive Sheep

2015 St. Patrick’s Day Lunches – Broccoli and Cheese Shamrock hand-pie, Cheese Leprechaun, Ireland Tortilla Chip Garnish, Claddagh Ring Quesdadilla, Irish Flag Vegetables, Sheep and Lamb Stencil over Quinoa

2014 St. Patrick’s Day Lunches – Shamrock Bagel, Shamrock Rice, Shamrock Pasta, Shamrock Sandwich with Cheese Harp, Broccoli Shamrock with Rice, Irish Flag Vegetables

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged St. Patrick's day, themed potato salad | 2 Comments

Niigata Travel and Bento Lunches

Posted on March 12, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Niigata Swan Bento Lunch.jpg

I was on vacation in Japan from December 28, 2016 until January 24, 2017. When I returned from my last trip to Japan in 2014 I shared travel photos with themed bentos inspired by my trip. I will do the same this time. I stayed with a friend I have known since I was 19 and did home-stays with 3 language partners. My language partners are women who live in Japan. For many years now, we speak weekly via video chat on Skype for 30 minutes in English and 30 minutes in Japanese. I was able to visit with 5 of my language partners during my stay in Japan. It was an experience of a lifetime to spend time with my friend, my language partners and their families. I tried to be a good house guest but it was a time of transition in my life and I was not always at my best. I was fortunate to experience many cultural experiences not normally accessible for a tourist. My friends were generous, kind, and patient. I am truly touched.

My college friend, Akiko lives in Niigata. It was my first time to travel there in the winter. It seemed like almost everywhere we went there was a swan in a rice field. We also went to a swan lake to see the swans. Swans migrate to Niigata in the winter because it is warmer than their summer home in Russia. This simple bento lunch is a reminder of the beautiful swans I was able to see in Niigata.

Container: U Konserve

Contents: Swan – Cheddar cheese (cookie cutter), rice cooked in vegetable bouillon with carrots, blueberries

swans-at-swan-lake-niigata

We could not get as close as usual to the birds in this lake because of the Avian Flu. It was still a memorable experience.

niigata-swan-lake-statue

swans-flying-over-rice-fields-niigata-japan

My second bento lunch inspired by my trip to Niigata is a girl wearing a kimono. Akiko’s daughter is 20 years old. In Japan 20 year olds celebrate Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day). At 20 they are considered an adult and they dress up and gather in their city to celebrate and hear speeches. I was given the opportunity to see many 20 year olds gather before the ceremony. It was an experience of a lifetime to be near so many women wearing colorful kimono.

kimono-bento-lunch

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Girl wearing Kimono – Cheddar cheese mashed potatoes with cooked broccoli florets cut small, spinach details (hair, kimono dots decoration), green bell pepper, cooked carrots

Top Right: Green peas with plastic flower

Bottom Right: Mandarin oranges with flower food picks

Coming of Age Day Niigata.jpg

gathering-at-coming-of-age-day

I was fascinated by the various beautiful hair decorations. I actually considered asking women if I could take close-up photos of their hair ornaments. But I did not want to seem too strange and provide an unusual memory for their special day. So instead I quickly snapped photos with my smart phone.

Men at Coming of Age Day Japan.jpg

In-case you are thinking that only young women attend this event, here is a photo of some 20 year old boys. The young men wore ordinary suits so I took a lot more photos of the women in their colorful kimono. (The 28 in this photo refers to the 28th year of the current emperor’s reign.)

Now I will share other photos and experiences from my time with Akiko in Niigata.

Divided Plate at Buffet Lunch.jpg

I stayed nearly 2 weeks with Akiko, her husband, 14 year old son, and the 82 year old mother-in-law. I wanted to be in Japan and with them for New Years and Akiko wanted me to be at her house for the Coming of Age Day. While planning my trip she wanted to find things for me to do while she worked. I asked for opportunities to tutor English and have language exchanges. She was very kind to arrange opportunities for me.

In exchange for tutoring a 16 year old boy in conversational English, his mother took us and Akiko to a charming buffet restaurant in the mountains. The place was very cute and I loved the divided plate and enjoyed filling my plate. Yes I know it is full of carbs but that is the life of a vegetarian at a buffet.

foot-onsen-japan

After lunch we went to a foot onsen. At this special onsen, people remove their socks and shoes and lift up their pants and just soak their legs and feet. I participated and my skin was very soft afterwards. The experience was very smelly -sulfur, but after awhile I became a little accustomed to it.

frog-pillar-owner-name

In Japan it is common for the family’s name to be outside their home. I discovered this one on a walk in Akiko’s neighborhood.

Neighborhood Walk.jpg

This river scene is not far from my Akiko’s home. I am glad that I took an opportunity to go for a walk.

japan-new-years-eve-food

Akiko made many beautiful meals for me. This was my meal on New Years Eve. Gorgeous! Most of it was delicious. One of the mini sushi is natto. It was my first time trying it and it did not go down well. But at least I tried it.

new-years-eve-burning-at-temple

I went with Akiko, her husband, and son to a nearby shrine for the between the two years event. There was a fire where people could bring old things to burn (maybe mostly religious items from home shrines). Some people put dried fish on fishing poles and held them over the fire. People believe that if they eat it they will receive good luck.

Japan Buildings.jpg

I took this photo as a passenger in Akiko’s car. We were at a stoplight and I thought that these buildings looked like quintessential Japan to me.

cat-socks-japan

I found these socks in a store and thought that they were cute. This was on a day that I went shopping and out to lunch with two 14 year old girls as part of a language exchange.

teddy-bear-bouquet

This bouquet of teddy bears and fabric flowers made a huge impression on me. Who can be sad if they see a bouquet such as this? I told myself that if I ever felt stressed or sad to just to think about this bouquet of teddy bears.

Near Yogurt Factory Japan.jpg

For most of my trip to the Niigata area there was very little snow. It was unusual for the time of year. But on the day we toured the Yasuda Yogurt factory there was a little bit of snow. Beautiful!

yasuda-yogurt-cow-waffle-meal

bakery-japan

I love bakeries in Japan. This is an example of an especially pretty one.

niigata-aquarium

I took this photo at the Niigata Aquarium. It was a nice aquarium to spend an afternoon.

Sea of Japan Niigata.jpg

The Sea of Japan was only a short walk from the Niigata Aquarium.

latte-art-and-bear-bread

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my photos from Niigata, Japan. The next travel post will be my photos from a day trip to Sado Island and my bento depiction of the Japanese Crested Ibis.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Photography | 2 Comments

Hinamatsuri Food Art

Posted on March 2, 2017 by eclecticlamb

hinamatsuri-food-art

This year for Hinamatsuri (Girls Day) I was inspired by this.

Emperor: Face – Cheddar Cheese with food marker details, hair – spinach, hands – Cheddar cheese, baton – orange Cheddar cheese, body – green bell pepper, crown – food pick

Empress: Face – Cheddar Cheese with food marker details, hair – spinach, hands – Cheddar cheese, fan – orange Cheddar cheese with food marker details, body – red bell pepper, crown – food pick

Background: Mashed potatoes with Cheddar cheese and cooked broccoli florets cut into small pieces, chill until firm, use your hands to shape the mashed potatoes into rounds

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged hinamatsuri | 2 Comments

March Lion or Lamb Lunches

Posted on February 28, 2017 by eclecticlamb

march-lion-bento-lunch

This is my 6th consecutive year to make Lion or Lamb themed food for the beginning of March. Since I like lambs it is natural for me to make lamb / sheep themed food and crafts. These are simple meals but I think that they look cute in my new cloud boxes I bought during my last trip to Japan (in January). I made the Lion themed lunch for myself. The Lamb themed lunch was for my Mom.

Container: Cloud box from Japan (set of 3)

Larger Box: Lion – cheese tortilla (cookie cutter), snow peas, red grapes

Smaller Box: Fresh mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, letter picks

march-lamb-bento-lunch

Container: Cloud box from Japan (set of 3)

Larger Box: Lamb – shaped hard boiled egg, romaine, broccoli, snow peas

Smaller Box: Greek yogurt, blueberries, letter picks

Lion or Lamb Food (from previous years)

2016 – Sandwiches

2015 – Macaroni & Cheese

2014 – White and Sweet Potato Individual Shepherds Pies

2013 – Tortilla Roll-Ups

2012 – Rice balls with Cheese

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged lamb, sheep | Comments Off

The Grouchy Ladybug Book Lunch

Posted on February 24, 2017 by eclecticlamb

the-grouchy-ladybug-book-eric-carle-themed-lunch

This week I met a friend and her family at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. I was happy to take the opportunity to make another Eric Carle lunch. At the museum I was pleased to also see illustrations from a favorite childhood book – Thy Friend Obadiah by Brinton Turkle.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Ladybugs – grape tomatoes, black olives (attached with spaghetti), Text Signs – cheese with food coloring text, Aphids – snow peas (cookie cutter), silicone leaf, romaine, broccoli, carrots

Top Right: Stars – tortilla (cookie cutter), blueberries

Bottom Right: Crackers, ladybug picks

Above the Box: Mini Dippers with toasted pepitas and pine nuts

grouchy-ladybug-book-lunch

Other Eric Carle book themed lunches

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Alien Pasta

Posted on February 21, 2017 by eclecticlamb

alien-pasta-lunch

This is an example of how to make leftovers (spinach linguini with garlic and olive oil and a little bit of pie crust) fun. It became an Alien / Space themed lunch. With the aid of cookie cutters you can transform cheese (not extra sharp since it crumbles), carrots, and pie crust into a themed lunch.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Spinach linguini tossed with garlic sauteed in olive oil, Cheddar cheese stars (cookie cutters)

Top Right: Carrot aliens (cookie cutter) with spinach leaves

Bottom Right: Pie crust alien (imprint cookie cutter), blueberries

Posted in Blog, Food | Tagged EasyLunchboxes, pasta, space | Comments Off

President’s Day Lunches

Posted on February 17, 2017 by eclecticlamb

presidents-day-food

In celebration of President’s Day I made George Washington and Abraham Lincoln themed lunches. These were easy to make with cookie cutters. It is convenient and often healthier to have make ahead meals for myself in the refrigerator.

george-washington-lunch

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: George Washington – hot cooked Nishiki rice packed in a cookie cutter (press down with plastic wrap between your fingers and the rice), carefully remove cookie cutter then put shredded Cheddar cheese top and broil until melted and slightly browned, broccoli with toasted pine nuts

Top Right: Blueberries

Bottom Right: Raspberries

abe-lincoln-lunch

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Abraham Lincoln – hot cooked Nishiki rice packed in a cookie cutter (press down with plastic wrap between your fingers and the rice), carefully remove cookie cutter then put shredded Cheddar cheese top and broil until melted and slightly browned, green peas with toasted almonds

Top Right: Raspberries

Bottom Right: Blueberries

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Uncategorized | Tagged EasyLunchboxes, lincoln | Comments Off

Heart Shaped Valentine Dinner

Posted on February 14, 2017 by eclecticlamb

valentine-heart-dinner

Happy Valentine’s Day! I made this heart themed dinner for my parents. They loved it! It was a little labor intensive since I made homemade ravioli. But I did use store bought ricotta cheese. My Mom said that I can make homemade ravioli any day.

Menu

Heart Caprese Salad – I cut the basil instead of keeping the leaves whole.
Homemade Heart Shaped Ravioli – I used this dough but cut the ravioli with a heart shaped cookie cutter. The filling was a combination of ricotta cheese, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. We used the leftover ricotta for calzones on another night.
Heart Shaped Cinnamon Chips with Fruit Salsa – I reduced the sugar in the chips and did not add any sugar in the fruit salsa. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter for the tortilla chips.

heart-valentine-caprese-salad

homemade-heart-shaped-ravioli

heart-cinnamon-tortilla-chips-and-fruit-salsa

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Hand Embroidery NY Towels

Posted on February 8, 2017 by eclecticlamb

all-ny-stitched-towels

I am a maker. I delight in producing something that I make with my hands. I find it relaxing but it is more than that. It is part of who I am. When life gets rough and I find myself thrown in a different direction, crafting keeps me grounded. Creating something that I find to be beautiful whether it be food or a towel, helps things seem normal even when life is not normal.

Before a recent trip to Japan, I stitched dish towels as part of the gifts I gave to my home stay hosts. I wanted the towels to be New York State themed. Since I was stitching four towels and I wanted it to stay interesting for myself, I did 3 different motifs on 4 towels (made 2 of the Statue of Liberty) but stitched the state of New York on all of them.

I found images on the internet (I like using coloring pages), resized them and printed them out. Then I used a lightbox (or you can use a window) to trace the pattern onto the towel using a water soluble embroidery transfer pen. I designed the towels to hang from the center and orientated the images so that if it was hung that way, the image would be positioned correctly. I mostly stitched with 2 strands of variegated DMC thread. I like variegated thread because I think it makes the finished work look more elegant.

Rose: I simplified the pattern found in this post.

New York State: I used this pattern but typed my own text.

Blue Bird: I simplified the first bird on this page.

Statue of Liberty: I used this image but could not find the actual source.

hand-embroidery-rose

ny-state-hand-embroidery

NY bluebird and state stitched on towel.jpg

statue-of-liberty-hand-embroidered-towel

Posted in Embroidery | 6 Comments

World Cities Bento Lunches

Posted on January 19, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Today I have four world cities represented in lunches – Sydney, London, Paris, and New York. They are not very accurate from a food standpoint but it was a fun way to celebrate the spirit of each city. I hope that it inspires you to make your own city themed food. I used this cookie cutter set for each of the lunches.

The Sydney lunch features a Sydney Opera House fairy bread sandwich.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Sydney Opera House sandwich (cookie cutter) – instead of butter as is traditional for fairy bread, I used peanut butter and added sprinkles on top of the cut-out area, sugar snap peas

Top Right: Macadamia nuts

Bottom Right: Cherries

Big Ben toast is prominent in this London lunch.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Big Ben toast (cookie cutter), cucumber, radish, snow peas, Cheddar cheese

Top Right: Double Decker bus fruit treats

Bottom Right: Plums

Eiffel Tower cinnamon tortilla chips add sweet and crunchy fun to this Paris lunch.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Homemade french bread with brie, green beans

Top Right: Blackberries

Bottom Right: Eiffel Tower – homemade cinnamon tortilla chips, pistachios

Tortilla Chips – Cut flour tortillas with a cookie cutter, brush olive oil on each side, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

This New York City lunch features the Statue of Liberty in Cheddar.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Statue of Liberty Cheddar cheese (cookie cutter), bagel chips, snow peas

Top Right: Cherries

Bottom Right: Wegmans individual cheesecake

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged cookie cutters, EasyLunchboxes | 2 Comments

4 Meatless Lunches

Posted on January 17, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Container: U Konserve

Contents: French bread with brie, green beans, blackberries

Container: Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kit

Left Side: French bread with broiled mozzarella cheese

Top Right: Peaches, blackberries, cinnamon

Bottom Right: Carrots

Container: U Konserve

Contents: Burrito – flour tortilla with rice, black beans, salsa, sour cream (in green condiment cup), Nutella, strawberries

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Vegetarian fried gyoza (dumplings)

Top Right: Rice, dumpling dipping sauce (in fish)

Bottom Right: Edamame

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged Fit & Fresh, LunchBots, U Konserve | Comments Off

Leftover Ravioli for Lunch

Posted on January 12, 2017 by eclecticlamb

I found these beautiful ravioli and served them for dinner. They made perfect leftovers for lunch meals. I don’t mind eating cold ravioli but these lunches can also be heated in a microwave.

Mushroom Ravioli

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Mushroom ravioli, with a tomato and blue cheese sauce

Top Right: Peas, butter, almonds

Bottom Right: Pineapple

Spinach Ravioli

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Pineapple and blackberries

Bottom Left: Grape tomatoes

Right Side: Spinach ravioli with butter and a little bit of garlic powder

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Butternut squash ravioli with Cheddar sauce

Top Right: Peas, butter, almonds

Bottom Right: Mandarin oranges and pineapple

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged EasyLunchboxes, ravioli | Comments Off

Panda Rice Lunch

Posted on January 10, 2017 by eclecticlamb

I made this lunch for my 14 year old niece. She requested a panda themed meal with rice and I was happy to oblige.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Panda – rice inside CuteZCute Animal Friends cutter set, black olive details, broccoli

Top Right: Cherries

Bottom Right: Panda – donut hole with chocolate details (pipe melted chocolate onto parchment or foil and set in the refrigerator – when firm attach to donut)

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged CuteZCute, EasyLunchboxes | Comments Off

A Year of Bento Lunches

Posted on January 3, 2017 by eclecticlamb

Happy New Year! My niece Ella came up with the idea to create a themed bento lunch for each month of the year. The beginning of a new year seems like the perfect time to share this set. Enjoy!

January

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Snowman – Cheddar mashed potatoes, Hat – pumpernickel bread, Nose and Scarf – carrot, Eyes, mouth, and buttons – black olives, broccoli

Top Right: Green Peas

Bottom Right: Hazelnuts

February

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Heart Taco Salad – lettuce, taco cheese blend, salsa heart, black beans (under lettuce)

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Greek yogurt with heart strawberry

Above the Box: Mini tortilla chips

March

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Tricolor pasta, olive oil, garlic powder, bell pepper

Top Right: Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Bottom Right: Orange slices

April

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Umbrella – wheat bread, peanut butter, snow pea, Sky – tortilla, peanut butter, food coloring marker details

Top Right: Flowers – watermelon (cookie cutter) with dried blueberry centers held on with small pieces of spaghetti

Bottom Right: Flower cucumber (cookie cutters)

May

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Flowers – homemade pizza (cookie cutter) with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Cheddar cheese, olives

Top Right: Peanuts

Bottom Right: Mini sweet pepper rings

June

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Graduation Cap – pumpernickel bread with spinach details, spinach

Top Right: Brazil nuts

Bottom Right: Diploma – tortilla rolled up with Nutella, grapes

July

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Stars – hot Nishiki rice mixed with corn or peas and packed into a star cookie cutter by pushing down with plastic wrap then carefully remove the cookie cutter, lettuce

Top Right: Cheddar cheese stars (cookie cutter)

Bottom Right: Grapes

August

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Mango muffins

Top Right: String beans

Bottom Right: Sun – mango, mango Greek yogurt

September

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Apple Tree – oakleaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, baked tortilla, romaine lettuce

Top Right: Walnuts

Bottom Right: Snow peas

Above the Box: Apple

October

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pumpkin rice – cook rice in vegetable broth, add some pumpkin puree, pumpkin shape cinnamon (stencil)

Top Right: Pumpkin seeds

Bottom Right: Crinkle cut carrots

November

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Falling leaves – paint with food coloring on a cheese quesadilla

Top Right: Applesauce with cinnamon

Bottom Right: Pretzel sticks

December

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pretzel twists, lettuce

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Candle – confectionery sugar (stencil), brownie

Please be sure to follow my blog so you don’t miss any of my new posts.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 2 Comments

Top 16 Bento of 2016

Posted on December 30, 2016 by eclecticlamb

The end of the year is a typical time to reflect on the activities of the year. I reviewed all of the lunches I made (there were a lot!) and selected the top 16 to share today. These lunches are particularly meaningful this year because in December my life drastically changed. I am glad to have this blog as a scrapbook of memories.

Cream Cheese & Olive Sheep

I have made a lot of sheep/lambs and continue to find new ways to make them. I was proud of this cream cheese and black olive sheep plus it was tasty over a Zesty Lemon Quinoa blend.

Corduroy Mashed Potatoes

I know that my mashed potato version of Corduroy looks a little goofy but he makes me smile. The peanut butter button cookies were delicious.

Waffle Ice Cream Cones

I made these for my nephew who likes bell peppers, waffles, and kiwi. I enjoy making lunches for loved ones.

Seagull Rice

I made this lunch for myself and it received more reader attention than I expected. Sometimes simple is best for design and taste.

Mashed Potato Fish

I made this cheesy mashed potato fish as a meal for my husband to heat up after a long day at work. I hope that the fish made him smile.

Astronaut Toast

I love my vintage astronaut cookie cutter! He looks so cute as toast on top of salad.

Cardinal Salsa Rice

I was very pleased with this Salsa Rice cardinal bento that I made for my niece.

Frog Broccoli Mashed Potatoes

I made this adorable broccoli and cheese mashed potato frog for my niece before she graduated from high school. I love the carrot and celery string diploma!

Ladybug Salsa Rice

I made these ladybugs out of salsa rice and spinach. They sit on black beans mixed with salsa.

Canadian Flag Waffle

This was part of many waffle flags I made for my nephew. The Canadian flag was my favorite.

Mardi Gras Rice

My Dad helped me make this colorful and fun lunch since it was during my recovery from shoulder surgery. He even strung the peas on the spaghetti and cooked it for me!

Cheese Pokemon

I made this for a young nephew. I love it when I receive food or theme requests.

Salsa Rice and Beans Chess Board

I made many chess lunches this year but this was my favorite. I especially like the mini cherry tart.

Robin Hood Crackers

My nephews and I ate Robin Hood themed lunches during one of our summer camp days with Aunt Kathy – good memories!

Snowboarding on Lasagna

I am glad that I came up with the idea of not baking the mozzarella on the lasagna and adding it later (to melt when heated in microwave). It gave me new theme options for my nephews favorite lunch.

Mr. Mustache Taco Salad

I often take on the challenge to present the same food in different ways. I was delighted with the Mr. Mustache taco lunch I made for my nephew.

Happy New Year! May your 2017 include delicious and attractive food.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | 5 Comments

Favorite Non-Lunch Posts from 2016

Posted on December 28, 2016 by eclecticlamb

While a majority of my content in 2016 featured lunch, I am particularly proud of some of my non-lunch content. These are my favorites from 2016.

It was enjoyable to create this fresh fruit cake with my niece and nephews and I am told that it was delicious and memorable to eat. It was a perfect gift for their Mom (my sister-in-law).

My niece and I have a beautiful tradition of using a different craft technique each year to decorate eggs. This year was one of my favorites – Diorama Easter Eggs.

This birdseed covered miniature corn husk angel was time consuming to create but it paid off. I won a blue ribbon and best overall in the Flower Show Artistic division.

Sometimes the second try works out best as was the case for this Yoda ice cream treat. My nephew and I enjoyed making and eating this fun treat.

After making these 3D gingerbread table decorations for a house tour, I am interested in making more 3D decorations in the future.

I was very pleased with the cat themed ice cream sandwiches I made for a cat themed pool party. Adorable!

From watermelon cake to cat ice cream sandwiches, 2016 was memorable. I am looking forward to see which non-lunch posts I create in 2017! Any ideas for what I should make?

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

16 Make Ahead Lunches or Dinners

Posted on December 22, 2016 by eclecticlamb

I consider myself a vegetarian foodie. The meat eaters I normally make meatless lunches for are not. A majority of these meals I made for myself. They are wonderful make ahead lunches or dinners. I love the cottage cheese potato salad in this batch so much that I am thinking about making it again soon.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Sun-dried tomato scones, romaine with radish

Top Right: Broccoli

Bottom Right: Ricotta with basil and pine nuts

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Green grapes

Bottom Left: Pistachios

Right Side: Mixed lettuce, potato salad (instead of mayonnaise, this recipe uses a dressing that contains cottage cheese and milk).

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Polenta with red bell pepper and zucchini – slice prepared polenta (from tube), put slices on baking sheet, broil on each side for 5 min, add mozzarella cheese, broil 2 min or until browned. Saute red bell pepper and zucchini in a little bit of olive oil

Top Right: Pumpkin seeds

Bottom Right: Orange

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Zucchini and cauliflower served with this coconut sauce

Top Right: Jasmine rice with cashews

Bottom Right: Pink grapefruit

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Silver dollar pancakes, strawberries

Top Right: Granola

Bottom Right: Blueberries with plain Greek yogurt

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Celery with peanut butter, pretzel goldfish in Mini Dippers, Cheddar cheese

Top Right: Raspberries

Bottom Right: Saltines

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Raspberries, blueberries

Bottom Left: Mexican cheese blend

Right Side: Olives, tomatoes, black beans with salsa, lettuce

Above the Box: Mini Dippers with Taco Sauce, tortilla chips

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Cucumber with romaine lettuce

Bottom Left: Strawberry and green grapes

Right Side: Bow Tie pasta instead of linguine from Garden Veggie Linguine with Cilantro Pesto

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Apple, Cheddar and Walnut Toast

Top Right: Blueberries and plain Greek yogurt

Bottom Right: Mixed greens

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Strawberry cheese ball, carrots, mini pretzels, cucumber

Top Right: Blackberries, pineapple

Bottom Right: Focaccia

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Mixed Berry Salad with Orange Honey Dressing, romaine- in Mini Dippers

Top Right: Flower tortilla chips

Bottom Right: Corn and Black Bean Salad (without sugar and cumin)

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Broccoli, pumpkin seeds, carrots, hummus

Top Right: Blueberries

Bottom Right: Pretzel bites

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Crepe with honey and berries

Bottom Left: Cucumber, carrots

Right Side: Taco crepes – black beans corn taco seasoning

Above the Box: Mini Dippers with salsa

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top Left: Strawberries

Bottom Left: Mixed nuts

Right Side: Rice with smoked paprika, cooked zucchini with broiled cheese

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Green olives with pimento, ricotta with dried seasoning mix, sugar snap peas, tomatoes

Top Right: Strawberries

Bottom Right: Corn, tomato, bell pepper, lime, salt, chili powder

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Pepper jack cheese, pretzel twist

Top Right: Cucumber

Bottom Right: Mixed nuts

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged EasyLunchboxes | 2 Comments

Transportation Themed Lunches

Posted on December 20, 2016 by eclecticlamb

Transportation themed lunches are fun for anyone to eat and easy to make using cookie cutters. Hot air balloon waffle, car shaped rice, mashed potato train, apple canoes and airplane pizza are sure to put a smile on your loved one’s face.

I made this lunch for my waffle loving nephew. I enjoy finding new cookie cutter shapes to use with waffles.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Left Side: Hot Air Balloon – waffle (cookie cutter), blueberries

Top Right: Hot Air Balloon – cucumber on bento pick, carrots

Bottom Right: Mini Dippers: Strawberry butter – I mixed fresh chopped strawberries with softened butter and added a little bit of confectionery sugar with a Hot Air Balloon cupcake ring.

I don’t use this book bento box often but many of the lunches I serve it in are often a favorite of mine.

Container: Book Bento Box

Contents: Car rice with spinach details, black beans, salsa, Cheddar cheese, blueberries, raspberries

I enjoy making Cheddar mashed potato shapes and most of my loved ones will eat it.

Container: EasyLunchBoxes

Top: Cheddar mashed potatoes (cookie cutter), black olives and Cheddar details, green peas

Bottom Left: Watermelon train (cookie cutter), blueberries

Bottom Right: Cashews

This simple meal was made fun with mini canoe cookie cutters.

Container: LunchBots Trio

Top Left: Quinoa with Cheddar cheese

Top Right: Hummus, carrots

Bottom: Canoes – apples (cookie cutter) – dipped in water with lemon to prevent browning

Fly away with cheddar airplane pizza and an cinnamon airplane in Greek yogurt clouds.

Container: ECO Lunchboxes

Contents: Airplanes – Cheddar cheese pizzas (cookie cutter), cauliflower, cherry tomatoes

Round Container: Airplane – cinnamon sugar (cookie cutter as stencil), Greek yogurt

Posted in Bento / Cute Food, Food | Tagged book bento box, Cookie Cutter, EasyLunchboxes, ECO Lunchbox, LunchBots | Comments Off

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