This week it’s an attack of plums. Usually I pack a lot of apples but I was feeling like I wanted to pack plums instead but they look so dire in pictures? Hopefully it’ll be a mix next week.

miso ramen with boiled egg, salad, plum potato au gratin, salad, grapes, carrots and hummus vegetable pad thai, couscous salad, plums winter vegetable biscuit bake, couscous salad with golden raisins, plum chicken kerala, rice, grapes, carrots and hummus

A big round number of bento week posts! How nice. Not a lot to say but I’m working on this thing where 4 out of the 5 bentos are vegetarian or vegan and I don’t know how long I can  keep that up without Andrew noticing but this was a really successful week.

Arancini, dipping sauce, salad, mandarins Sweet potato and turkey meatballs and spaghetti, salad, apple Mushroom and wild rice soup, carrots and hummus, rye bread, grapes Latkes and sour cream dip, grapes, chili-vinegar roasted vegetables Chickpea tikka masala, rice, salad, apple

I thought about renumbering these for the new year but I don’t think anyone cares and I’m more curious how long I can keep it running before I just get sick of the number thing so for 2018 we’re just going to keep it rolling.

Spätzle with sausage and mushroom ragu, salad

Shrimp and green beans over rice, carrots and hummus

Chicken and Dumplings, salad, apple

Lentil falafel, couscous with vegetables, salad, grapes

Hurrah! It’s the first bento of the year. I actually made over 150 bentos last year which is pretty impressive and hopefully this year will be as productive (or more).

Pasta with green peas and spinach, salad, apple

Tortilla soup, extra cheddar and tortilla strips, salad, and Apple and probably the worst picture of the year

Sausage and roasted vegetables, salad, grapes

Breakfast burritos and apple. Burritos contain: eggs, beans, rice, onions and pepper, chopped jalepeno, cheddar, salsa, and sour cream

There’s only one more week in the year so it’s okay that this weeks food is boring and next week might also have boring food but…

Japanese Style Chicken Curry, rice, salad

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche, salad, mandarins

Minestrone, salad, apple

Fried cauliflower, rice, soy sauce, carrots and hummus, apple

This felt like a lot less plums when I was packing them but I guess it’s fine. I was thinking about trying persimmons because they’re pretty cheap here and I don’t quite remember what they taste like? We’ll see.

Egg fried rice, scallion pancakes, plums Creamy orzo with roasted vegetables, tomato soup, plums Chicken noodle soup, Danish carrot roll, apple Bean and Rice Bowl, carrots and hummus, saladTurkey and Cranberry Jam Sandwich, boiled eggs, salad, yogurt with plums

I had a kind of sad week but actually the food ended up looking really good? Clearly this means I should just be sad all the time :p

Spinach Quiche, carrots and hummus, apple tart, apple

Smoked salmon and cream cheese on black bread, sautéed potatoes and green beans, mandarins

Mac and cheese, loaded salad, apple

Chicken Tikka Masala, rice, carrots and hummus, apple

Lentil Falafel, yogurt dip, salad, tomato soup, banana

This week Andrew has off from work so I think I’ll take a week off from lunch box making and just stick to good old fashioned things in regular dishes but in good new, I’ll probably have made and taken photographs of 150 lunches by the end of the year anyway 🙂

Taco Salad, chips and salsa, mandarins

Pasta with cream and cheese sauce, salad, apple 

Popovers with mushroom ragu, boiled egg, mandarins, chocolate, tomato cucumber salad

Chicken noodle soup, mini biscuits, salad, apple

Chicken pot pie, salad, walnut/raisins/cheese, apple

I’m sort of curious how many actual bentos I made this year because it was my first year of really tracking making lunch. So I think I’m going to go back and count and give a grand total at the end of the year.

Pasta with vegetable sauce, crackers and cheese, apple

Corn Cakes, salad, carrots and hummus, boiled egg, apple

Bao zi, salad, rice, apple

Shrimp with green beans, mashed potatoes, red peppers and dip, apple

This was a really impressive week or great and complex recipes that I think I’ll go ahead and take next week off (joking!). I made not just two new recipes but also two twists on recipes I’ve made previous with great success across the board. What a week!

Mushroom and pea risotto, salad, apple

Mini chicken pot pie, salad, carrots and red pepper hummus, grapes Falafel Scotch Eggs, couscous, grapes, apple Black Bean Chili, Cornbread, Avocado, Cheese, Apple

Sandwich (tomato babka bread, sliced ham, cream cheese), salad, spicy pickles, apple