Autumn

Okay, first the lunches, then the news.

-- Raspberries;
-- Turkey sandwich; orange bell pepper;
-- Cucumbers;
-- Dried cranberries.

-- English muffin;
-- Cucumber slices;
-- Raspberries;
-- Almonds and raisins;
--  Frittata; bacon.

-- Pluot; carrot sticks;
-- Hummus; date-coconut bar;
-- Lemon (knife is included, not shown;
-- Sandwich.
Yes, my husband will cut up a lemon and eat it plain. I don't, but I see the appeal; at least lemon tastes better than grapefruit.


So now the news. As faithful readers (all six of you?) have noticed, I have not been posting often. No worries: life here is good. The lapses in blogging have happened because, to be completely candid, I have better things to do.

Don't get me wrong: we love food around here, and I still pack my husband's lunch two to four days a week, plus the occasional meal for a picnic or whatever (we're looking forward to one Saturday, in fact). But I'm no longer finding food blogging rewarding enough to merit a commitment to posting very regularly. I am homeschooling my Toddlebug, I've somehow wound up on two church committees, I have to put time into keeping the house from sliding from "lived in" to, um, slovenly (yay for the FLYLady!), and my cat apparently considers me full-time staff. And for some reason my dear husband would rather have me make dinner than tell the Internet about lunch! (Actually, I prefer that too--if he is in charge of dinner... well, he can't be in charge of dinner. Did I mention I'm a picky eater?) Plus, if I don't read a couple of books a week, get some exercise, knit for charity occasionally, cuddle up to my husband often, and get outside once in a while, I have trouble with my AoG (attitude of gratitude) and slip into more of a B---- range, which is not how I like to be.

TL; DR: It's time to make sure my time is invested in ways that meet important needs and support my personal goals.
Therefore:

• This blog will revert to its old URL, http://www.basicbento.blogspot.com, in a few weeks.
• I will update if and when I have something interesting to show you.

Meanwhile, go visit the other blogs in the blogroll over on the right. Surf Pinterest for something veggielicious instead of all those crazy Cool-Whip-based desserts. Shop at the Farmers' Market and make something awesome for yourself and the people you love!

Take care.
--M.

Chicken and veg

Here's my husband's lunch for today:

-- Chicken (I made our favorite roasted chicken, so this is left over; I simmered it with some taco spices this morning before packing it);
-- Baby carrots;
-- Hummus;
-- Red bell pepper and broccoli;
-- Dried cranberries.

September!

-- Ham and cheese roll-ups; broccoli and hummus; apricot;
-- Strawberries;
-- Pretzels.
 That wouldn't be a good lunch for me (I love grains!), but it was for my husband, as was the one below.

-- Grapes;
-- Hummus; pretzels; dried cranberries;
-- Date bar;
-- Broccoli;
-- Sandwich, halves and stacked to (mostly) fit.

If you're just taking up packing lunches (or trying to pack better ones), welcome! Your best bet is to have a variety of produce in the fridge--and if you're like me, no lunch money handy, so you won't be tempted to buy something that wouldn't be as good as homemade anyway. If you're not a morning person, by all means get your lunch made the night before and refrigerate it until you're ready to go.
In the right-hand margin, you'll find a blogroll of inspiration from other bento websites I like. Tell 'em Basic Bento sent you. :)

August 28

With apologies for Blogger's occasional stubbornness about photo direction:

-- Pepper;
-- Chocolate-covered pretzels;
-- Wrap;
-- Grapes.

.

-- Sandwich;
-- Grapes;
-- Pepper (only my husband likes peppers, and we got several);
-- Pretzels.

-- Turkey and cheese sandwich; green grapes;
-- Pretzels;
-- Almonds mixed with chocolate chips;
-- Apple.
That one was for me.

-- Tortilla chips;
-- Pepper;
-- Ground beef;
-- Orange;
-- Salsa.

-- Orange;
-- Hummus for pretzels;
-- Pretzels, chicken, grape tomatoes, plum, graham cracker PB sandwiches.