5/9/11

Bento #57: Near-death Bento, Attempt II

leftover rice, grilled teriyaki salmon, and blanched spinach (approx. 450 cal)

a very simple box to try to ease back into the bento-making groove wheeee

w-welp a lot of things sure have changed since my last post orz

for one i um passed my second assessments which means i can officially bout now

i'll be debuting either the 14th against burlington (unlikely) or on the 21st against NHRD (definitely)

freaking out aaaaa

and um i also officially hit 70 lbs lost \o/ just a few more to go aha it'll be weird getting used to not counting again haha

b-but the semester's over and i'm getting back into the vacation-y groove

at least until summer courses start on the 16th

sigh

but hey um lunchtime's back?

i'm calling this near-death attempt II because i'm gonna take it on the same bike ride i took when i smashed myself to smitheroons last summer

w-wish me luck aaaa

4/20/11

Un-Bento #17: Ffffffinals

Tortellini soup, kind of sketchily old milk, and an inch-thick grilled cheese sandwich.

sooooo um wow a lot has happened in twenty days

like elm city's season opener and uh i skated the boston marathon with the ladies

my weight is in the 120s which it hasn't been since iiii don't know fifth grade?

and i'm almost done with my third year of college how scary is that

i have reading logs for five textbooks and a presentation due tomorrow at 4 that together make up 40% of my grade for my theater class

and two C++ programs due at 6

which is actually 3:30 because that theater class meets from 4-6

basically what i'm saying is i shouldn't be blogging right now but i wanted to show off my sandwich

it was a good sandwich

n-now back to the books before i have to strap my skates on again orz

3/30/11

Bento #58: BENTO ON WHEELS

skates all pimped out thanks to shauna yeahhhhh \o/
s-so i've been really bad about keeping up with this blog and thinking of new things to cook orz

it's getting to that point in the semester where i go to class and then basically want to pass out in bed afterward but i can't because i have homework and skating and blah blah

i'm trying thoughhhh

l-like today even though i was late i still cooked
we sorta got homework to do a daily chore on our skates and well i sometimes do the dishes on wheels and i try to do the roller derby workout with them on on most days we aren't skating 

but i'm not falling on my face every four seconds anymore even if my apartment floor is slanty (nothing like roller skates to figure that out) soooo i figured why not try handling hot pans and knives on roller skates

i mean what could possibly go wrong
surprisingly nothing
so um um tl;dr i know my cooking is a little less impressive lately but give me until the end of the semester and i'll get back on track like i was last summer i promise

3/24/11

Bento #57: Leftover Sandwich Bento

Meatloaf sandwich on low-cal bread, sourdough pretzels, hummus, mushrooms, 
and grapes (approx. 400 cal)

w-well i've got food again!

but i don't have any ideeeeassss hnngghhh

i'm so sick of winter i just want it to be spring and then summer and then fall and anything but winterrrr

s-seriously march this year came in like a lion and is going out like a shittier lion

at least it's been consistently above 20 degrees lately

at least this weekend is MORE DERBY \o/ taught by the amazing Muchacho 

b-by the way while i'm linkspamming

we are skating the boston marathon on april 18th to raise money for a scholarship fund in the memory of one of our skater's sisters

it's for a great cause and web donations work now so please 

y'know

hint hint

a-and i got to bring two bentos today! <3

3/8/11

Bento #56: Curry Beef Bento

I feel like using punctuation today. WOAH okay breathe i'm kidding

s-so tonight will be my first contact practice now that i've passed my assessment

i'm kinda nervous but i got hit at get skool'd and i lived so i'm also kinda excited

i probably won't pass my next level before our first bout against the killah bees on april 10 but still it's one step closer and i'm So Assitedddd

and hey even debuting halfway through the season is better than never at all hee;

p.s. u-um does anyone actually care about my derby stories or should i just focus on the food aaa i don't have a recipe today just make s&b curry and put it on stuff i don't knowww /flee

3/2/11

Bento #55: Carb-tastic Bento

Chicken ravioli, apple slices, vanilla cookies, konpeito, and broccoli
(approx. a lot of calories)

w-well today's the big day

if i pass the assessment today i'll officially stop being fresh meat

i'll be able to hit and take hits and scrimmage within our own team

after level 2's i'll be able to scrimmage outside and after level 3 i'm ready to bout i think

it won't be in time for the first bout of the season but better late than never

i just really hope nobody takes my name before i get my stuff / it doesn't get rejected

there's one 'high' match when i check it against the database but the two that even remotely match it are closer to one another than mine is to either of them

crossing fingerssss;;

UPDATE: i passed!

i thought my left t-stop needed work and i didn't know we were actually being scored on tomahawk stops so i kinda fucked that up but i finished my 25-in-5 in 4:46 which is a full 30 seconds less than the last time i tried it

s-so bonus

expect a lot more complaining about how much i hurt and stuff now okay

2/21/11

Bento #54: Did I Say Hiatus?

Lentil soup (which is very hard to photograph to make look appetizing btw), 
honey-wheat bread, and strawberries and blueberries. (approx. 320 cal)

s-so when i said i'd be awhile i didn't count on my wonderful awesome lovely mom coming up to visit and take me shopping hee <3;


i have no longer eaten myself out of house and home


just wait until next month if you're here for the dregs-of-the-cabinets bentos


for today have some soup i made 


i'd never tried lentils before last night but i figured what the hell


cheap and full of protein can't beat it


overall that pot of soup cost maybe $2 to make tops


and it is delicioussss


have a recipe because i'm nice like that
reeeeally hard
delicious lentil soup (barely adapted from vegetarian.about.com)


1 tsp vegetable oil
1 whole onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
3-4 mushrooms, chopped
4 cups chicken broth (i didn't have vegetable HA VEGETARIANS)
1 cup dry green lentils
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2  bay leaves
1 dash salt
1 tbsp lemon juice


1. sautee all the vegetables in a big pot in the oil for about 5 minutes or until the onions are see-through and the carrots are softer
2. add everything else except the lemon juice and bring to a boil
3. turn the heat down and cover and simmer until the lentils are done (about 45 minutes but it took me closer to 50 hurp)
4. fish out the bay leaves and add the lemon juice right before serving
5. NO SOUP FOR YOU

2/15/11

Un-Bento #16: Baby Hiatus

From left to right: Ronnie (ECDD), Shauna (of MARD), and yours truly (also ECDD).
hey remember when i had no food last week


still haven't found a ride to the store


bentos will be sparse for a little while


p.s. no mom i will not take a taxi to the grocery store until i am completely out of food


oh well i got fed this weekend at the great derby social


and learned how to clean and replace my bearings as you can see above


i'm really hoping for another round of assessments before the season starts (first bout in Providence April 10th) but i know i won't officially be on the track for a long time


oh and i didn't get my job


it's been an up-and-down week

2/9/11

Bento #53: Need To Go Shopping Bento

PBJ on low-cal bread, sharp cheddar, clementine, and snacks, approx. 650 cal.

welp it's that time of the month again

where i um

have no food not

uhmm

y-yeah i've been eating on campus a lot orz

snaaaaaacks
because i don't have too too much at home besides sandwich stuff

which isn't good because i need to bring something to the great derby social potluck this weekend

WELP HOPE THEY LIKE COOKIES

although i don't even have butter for that ffff

2/3/11

Bento #52: Group Process Bento

Steamed rice, sesame teriyaki chicken, carrot kinpira, and grapes.

SO MUCH FOR POSTING SATURDAY AND OR SUNDAY HUH

s-so um as some of you may be aware i'm working on becoming an RA on campus next year

i'm really excited about it

and uhmm WELL on sunday i had to do the first step toward getting the job which is group process

basically you go make up a pretend program you would put on for your residents and get observed doing some RA-type things and they then decide if you can get an individual interview or not

soooo i did a program on what i like to think i'm good at

I forgot how to draw since high school I KNOW THERE'S AN EMPTY SPACE THEY 
DIDN'T NOTICE SHHH

so i cooked up a bunch of different little things that could be made in a res hall kitchen and fed them to my group of observers while i explained nutritional benefits and then made a which-of-these-things-has-more-calories flash card game to fulfill the educational requirement

winner of the game would win a bento set or something 

aaaand i got my interview aaa i'm so nervousss i have to call today and make an appointment for friday

then we don't find out until valentine's day

thankfully the great derby social is the 12th and 13th so i have a lot of skating and buying and socializing to take up the time and ease the SUSPENSE

INCREDIBLE SUSPENSE also carrots

1/25/11

Bento #51: Higgely-Piggely Bento

Grilled rice ball, carrot kinpira, turkey, veggies, and fruit; approx. 225 cal

well sort of a grilled rice ball i sorta tried making one and then it fell apart in the pan and so i kinda half fried-rice'd it and then made a rice ball out of the fail rice and um LOOK I MADE KINPIRA

it's not as stupidly cold today just dreary and snowy i wish it would be sunny so i could take nice picturessss

aaand well my 10:00 class got cancelled so i guess i should go eat this thing and play ragnarok

i mean

work on my c++ homework

p.s. we have a facebook group now! and a little widgety thing on the right there 

p.p.s. like ussss

1/24/11

Bento #50: 50th Bento! Also COLD AUGH

Leftover steamed rice and seafood-and-spinach stir-fry (approx. 350 cal)

sssoooo i pretty much froze my face off on the walk to campus this morning


on the bright side: have a new bento box for the blog's 50th bento


bunniiiiessss

it's another donburi and it is the cutest thing

BUNNIIIIIESSSSS

and now it is full of lunch and i can't think of anything else to say i know this blog can be riveting sometimes

oh well thank you marisaaa <3


c-can i go back to bed now?

1/23/11

Un-Bento #15: Breakfast of Champions

Poached egg on low-cal toast with fake butter; approx. 175 cal.
if there's one good thing my old stepmom ever did it was making this for breakfast 


it freaked me out at first mostly because of the runny yolk i just couldn't get around it not being cooked


i'm slowly getting over that 


mostly because uncooked yolks are freaking delicious
mmm yolkssss
now i bet you would like to know how to make this masterpiece of cooking wouldn't you

I BET YOU WOULD

WELL SCORE

poached eggs on toast

ingredients
an egg
two pieces of bread OR JUST ONE IF YOU ARE A SISSY
butter for your toast
vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

  1. get a pot of water alllmost boiling but not quite
  2. when there are bubbles all along the bottom put in a little splash of vinegar but not a ton (you want the egg to hold together not taste like pickles)
  3. stir in the vinegar and make sure the water is moving in a circle (this wraps the bits of egg around the middle when you put it in see)
  4. crack the egg into the water
  5. turn the heat down and let the egg cook for a few minutes until the white isn't clear anymore BUT DON'T LET IT BOIL unless you like a potful of vinegar-smelling egg foam (hint: you don't)
  6. YEAH TOAST
  7. scoop out with a slotted spoon or a fork or something and put on a paper towel to drain
  8. put between pieces of toast
9. devour

1/19/11

Bento #49: FRUITS OTL

PBJ on low-cal bread, apple slices, cucumber, and a turkey roll. (approx. 300 calories)

s-so it's been a little bit since i cooked anything

i'm going to have to go shopping soon

BUT

we are finally back in school

after a first-day-snow-day aha

who cares about that though

have some fruit
pea-grapes, kumquat orange, and a lemon-zest banana
three classes and practice today FINALLY I CAN USE MY OWN GEAR

s-sorry history club

i'll be aroundddd

1/15/11

Un-Bento #14: Completely Smitten


mmmm cookiessss
so my biffle shauna came to visit for a fancy-dress party this weekend how cool is that

it is so cool

what is also cool

is we both like to cook

QUICK

PHOTOMONTAGE

a-am i a real food blogger yet?;
now i will extoll the virtues of smitten kitchen to pretty much anyone who will listen and also um anyone who won't

i love this woman and her cooking 

i have never been disappointed and i've made like

a lot of things by deb's word

if i want to make something or have a question i go there first

so today's post is sort of inspired by her awesome photography
haven't been failed yet mm
i- i mean 

yeah i need some work but i tried aha;;

um um here have some recipes

delicious blueberry crumb bars mmm (barely adapted from smitten kitchen)

for the crust:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (we used salted and skipped the extra salt it was all we had aaa;)
1 larg
 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon (the yellow part of the peel but not the white part)

for the blueberry part:
juice of one lemon (use the same one as you zested don't be like us)
4 cups blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

  • preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (or 190 degrees if you are european or from canada) and also grease a 9×13 inch pan
  • stir together 1 cup sugar, the flour, and the baking powder in a bowl and then mix in the salt and the lemon zest
  • use a fork or pastry cutter (or a food processor HA SHORTCUTS) and cut in the egg and butter
  • take half the crumbly delicious dough and cover up the bottom of the pan with it 
  • take another bowl and whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch and sugar
  • wash the blueberries and dump them in there and mix it around but don't smoosh the berries!
  • pour the blueberries over the crust in the pan and then crumble the second half of the dough over the top
  • bake this masterpiece for about 45 minutes until the crumbles are slightly browned and the blueberries are bubbling
  • let it cool completely and then eat itttt



india's current favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (also barely adapted from smitten kitchen)

ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet MINI chocolate chips
  • preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (or 165 C) and either grease up your cookie sheets or put down parchment paper or a silpat or something
  • stir together the flour and baking soda and salt and set them aside
  • in a different bowl cream together the melted butter and brown sugar and white sugar
  • beat in the vanilla and egg pieces until it gets big and smooth and fluffy and then mix in the floury ingredients BUT DON'T MIX IT TOO MUCH
  • stir in the chocolate chips and drop tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto the prepared sheets (about 3" apart or they'll moosh together which is totally okay but not very pretty)
  • bake them for about 10-12 minutes (it took 14 in my mom's oven so just take them out when they start to get a liiiittle toasty around the edges)
  • let them cool a little if you can stand it then eat themmm

    1/10/11

    Bento #48: Aquarium!

    BENTO FROM HELL leaked all over my favorite tokidoki bag 
    grumble grumble

    s-so on sunday the derby damez went to the new england aquarium \o/

    it was kind of a blast 

    i got to the pub too early and actually ran into another skater at the works while i was getting a bagel to kill time (I'M SO BAD WITH NAMES HNNGH I'LL HAVE THEM ALL DOWN SOON I'M DOING BETTER) which was funny but she wasn't going on the trip sadly

    BUT aside from a lot of stops on the way and death ann almost blowing up having to pee on the way to alewife we made it and it was very fun
    bubble teeeeea it's not tea stop but it's better than nothing 
    which is what i get here
    i don't have a lot of pictures of the aquarium partly because it was dark and my phone does not take the best pictures and partly because we were being given a lovely tour by the lovely leah (as seen gesturing conversationally in the photo above- she works with the sea turtles how fricken' cool is that) and i didn't want to miss anything

    but i do have pictures of the improv everywhere no-pants subway ride we ran into

    CALLED IT BEING A FLASH MOB

    b-but i don't like to brag <3
    'we forgot our pants' YEAH RIGHT 

    1/5/11

    Bento #47: Donburiiiii

    Chicken and beef stir-fry and steamed rice. (approx. 350 cal)
    another new box to try out todayyy


    i-it's got bunnies on it which makes it super-exciting


    this one was from my sister thanks evaaa <3
    bunnyyyyy


    i haven't had a donburi box before (one tier specifically for rice, one for stuff to put over the rice) and now i have two so you'll see another soon \o/


    peace!