Bento #10-Lentil Salad

Number 10! My first milestone! I'm very happy about it ^_^ though it sure has been a long time since I've posted, or even made, a bento. Yesterday I was finally able to make one but by the time I got home I was too tired to post it so without further adue here is yesterdays bento:

Inside this lovely bento we have: Lentil Salad, Shoyu Chicken, Hard boiled egg and various frozen fruit.

The lentil salad is the star of this bento despite the fact that they are in the background, you see though the lentils are delicous they are not pretty nor are they photogenic.

This was my first time cooking, or really even eating lentils, I may have over cooked them a tad but they were still very yummy.

On a side note: I am making a sister blog to this one, that will be more of a food blog not really about bentos. I am trying to live a better lifestyle and that means I need to eat on a more consistent basis (see previous post for more information.) So I believe that cooking will help me accomplish this and I want to share my journey with others who may be in a similar situation-or who really like food ^_^

I feel that this blog is not the right place to do that so I have started a seperate one but I will be keeping this blog, and updating it with all bentos, and bento items, that I make!

A Note:

I wanted to post this as an apology for not posting much of anything recently.

Something you must know about me is that in July 2009 I had Gastric Bypass Surgery which drastically reduced the size of my stomach, and thus the amount of food I could take in. However, even shortly before the surgery I did not have much of an appetite and I am sorry to say that this continues even today. There are many days where I realize that all of a sudden it’s three in the afternoon and I haven’t eaten all day simply because I’m not hungry. I know that this is bad, and my surgeon would probably yell at me (along with my dietician). I do want to make clear that this is in no way done on purpose; I just do not possess much of an appetite most of the time.

I know that this needs to change and so I am making a promise here and now that I will eat regular, full meals every day. I will try my best to make these meals as healthy and well rounded as I can. I am going to try and do some more cooking to help me in this endeavor and also to help expand my culinary abilities. I am also going to try to stop snacking; I admittedly have a fondness for Animal Crackers.

Thank you for reading this and for reading Akai Bento ^^

Bento # 9- Project Pink Bento

I know its been quite awhile since I've posted anything, and to be honest I just haven't been making bentos lately. My appetites been off and I've been eating at school so there was no need for bentos but today I made one for an excellent cause!

October is the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and so today's bento was created in honor of all those who have battled breast cancer! In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month many bento making friends are making pink themed bentos.
Here is my contribution:

Whats inside: Stir-fry broccoli, roasted beets, frozen mango, grape tomatoes and a red beet egg. Beet pasta with beets and stir-fry cabbage.

I went a little beet crazy but I really like beets and they are in season now!

Raising awareness about cancer is very dear to my heart, though breast cancer has not had a significant role in my life, other forms of cancer have been found in people that I love and hold dear to me. I believe that Susan G. Komen and Relay for Life are doing excellent work in striving to find a cure for this horrendous disease. Don't forget that regular visits to your doctor are very important, it is not something you should skip to save time or money! Early detection can make a huge difference in your life! You only have this one body so please take care of it!

Here are some other Pink Bentos:

Hapa Bento

Notabrownbag

Susan of  Hawai’i's Bento Box Cookbook

If you are on twitter and see hashtags saying #thinkpink and #projectpink you will find more to raise awareness about Breast Cancer