Pumpkin Muffin, More Bento Action, Sweet Ginger Chicken

This makes three meals in a row thanks to Japan. I think that song by The Vapors might be appropriate. All I need to do now is have rice and miso soup for breakfast...

Sweet Ginger Chicken

Bam! Another win. I had some Home-Juiced Green Apple Juice from making Kombucha, so I worked in a little sweetness, but a few tbsp of Fresh Apple Juice is probably nothing bad nutritionally.  Another clean (only difference from normal is low sodium/sugar) Japanese influenced meal worthy of providing instructions! I used a Wok, sort of a stir fry in a way.  All the Onion really compliments the Sweet Gingery flavor well.

1) Take chicken breast, slice or cube and brown the outside on medium-high heat in Olive Oil, let it cool a bit (so the sauce doesn't just boil into thin air) 

2) Add the following Apple Ginger Sauce along with Dino Kale, Almonds, and Purple Onion, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender to your liking

3) Top with Green Onion and Sesame Salt (Gomasio) as needed.

    It was also good with some Granulated Onion w/ Parsley. If you don't care about the clean/healthiness, go with 1-2t Mirin or Soy Sauce as well. I could have browned the Chicken more, and the photo also doesn't do the meal justice because you can't see the sweet gingery liquid underneath everything!

-Baked Sweet Potato and Fresh Tomato

-Chicken Breast sliced and sauteed with Apple Ginger Sauce

    -Apple Ginger Sauce (4t Fresh Apple Juice from Green Apples, 1t Sake, 2t Ginger Juice, 1/2t Olive Oil, 1t Rice Wine Vineger, Ginger Powder)

-Kale, Almonds, Purple Onion for the stir fry

-Green Onion and Gomasio to garnish

 More from Lenny and Larry!

Lenny and Larry continue to support, so expect to see more on here in the future. Here is a Pumpkin Muscle Muffin I had as a snack. A fluffy not overly dense muffin, moderately Pumpkin flavored (not spiced), but also kind of tricked my mind into thinking about Banana the whole time I was eating it. And it was definitely a good thing! All real good ingredients and a nice balance of carbs/fat/protein. The way things should be.

Bento Regularity

The bento starting to make a regular appearance! Remember, 30% more enjoyable. Took some leftovers and added a Nori Ponzu Tofu Onigiri, and some more Tofu/Sesame Seeds/Ponzu Sauce. Simple, but good! Ponzu is a wortthy investment. A ready to go Citrus hinted Soy Sauce for the win. I also had a No Bake Oat Bar, those things are literally my go to supplement/snack and always have a batch in my freezer. Tasty and a solid balance of carbs/fat/protein. I just had to eat it during 4th period before this photo was taken!

-Brown Rice Onigiri w/ Ponzu Marinated Tofu Filling and Nori Wrap (sushi seaweed)

-Bok Choy and Gai Lan Broccoli Leftovers added Tofu/Sesame Seeds/Ponzu 

Blueberry Vanilla Cereal, Burger Bento, Aroma Cafe

 Aroma Cafe

Med Plate every time, trade Feta Cheese for extra Falafel! #1 Tea from home is cheaper and taste better. It's a new Digestive Blend from Gathering Thyme.

-Hummus, Falafel, Cucumber, Mixed greens, Onion, Dolmas, Tomato, Balsamic, Tabbouleh, Olive, Jalapeno 

-Pitas

Bento Box 2.0

Eating out of my bento box last time got me all motivated to do it again. I think the presentation/Japanese affiliation and overall experience makes my lunch ~30% better!  This one was little less Japanese, and modeled after this Bento. I finally sacked up and bought some frozen veggie patties, of the black bean variety in hopes that they might suffice. #2 They are definitely better than any boca/soy/solely veggie burger, but definitely not a be-all end-all lentil or black bean delicacy. Good enough for an easy or on the go meal! My lunch ended up being totally satisfying and clean!

-1 Chipotle Black Bean Veggie Burger

-Cucumber, Tomato, Nori Seaweed, Avocado

-1/4c Quinoa (measured dry)

-Green Onion and Parsley to garnish, Soy Sauce

Lydia's Blueberry Vanilla Crunch

A worthy breakfast of Lydia's Vanilla Crunch Cereal! I often use Lydia's just with soy/almond milk and blueberries as a quick and healthy but still tasty option, but today wanted to try it out with my Epic Homemade Blueberry Yogurt (just add 1t my favorite Bberry Jam), and more fresh Blueberries! #3 Perfect amount of sweetness and protein, a little from the yogurt and little from the cereal.  It was a sweet crunchy blueberry party for sure.

-4oz Homemade Blueberry Yogurt

-65g Lydia's Vanilla Crunch Cereal

-Blueberries

Lydia's Lovin Cereal, Bento Box Lunch, Bobbilicious, Fish!

 Fish.

Almost a go-to order for me at Fish in Sausalito now. The White Bean and Tuna Salad which i've tried to recreate on numerous occasions. I don't think i'll ever have all the right ingredients or technique to do so! It's too good, especially with a side of delicious braised mixed wild mushrooms. So many ingredients of only the best quality. 

The Last of Bobbilicious!

Man this brownie was good! I would probably need to to do a side by side comparison with the hemp version, but I feel like this one really hones in the delicious dark chocolatey goodness more. maybe there's more of the delicious super high quality chocolate chips. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not too sweet or bitter by any means! The perfect fluff to density ratio as well.  Definitely impressive.

Bento Box Lunch!

    Finally used the Bento my sister got me for Xmas. Just a few months late... I mastered the Onigiri technique with this one, just need to make some epic fillings now! It was perfectly shaped, nori wrapped well, nice and moist/together.  It had a little Ponzu Tempeh filling, but I think I can do better (fish/turkey/chicken combos in the future for sure). Accompanied by a Cucumber Salad, which I also am much more pleased with than before (getting the dressing sweet/salty enough but not overdoing it is tough). I'm very pleased with my first time using the Eden Ponzu Sauce I bought (a citrus soy sauce mirin combo).

-Onigiri with Nori-Wrap and Ponzu Tempeh Filling (Short Grain Brown Rice, Tempeh, Ponzu, Sea Salt, Nori)

-Super thin sliced cucumber (use a peeler), Rice Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Ponzu, Toasted Sesame Seeds

Cinnamon Honey Lydia Sprouted Cereal (and new Arte Sempre sticker!)

    The perfect amount of sweetness is something that's hard to achieve in food, but its incredibly satisfying. It changes constantly based on how hungry/low on energy you are, which is why you crave different foods at different times (dessert vs salad).  An awesomely crunchy bunch of Cinnamon and Honey flavored goodness! So many healthy and yummy seeds, nuts and grains in this breakfast! All matched with my own Yogurt, a hint of Bee Pollen, and a bit o' Honey (no, not the candy, although I used to love that stuff!). Quinoa included!

-60g Lydia's Sprouted Cinnamon Cereal

-4-6oz Homemade Plain Nonfat Yogurt

-Some Honey and Bee Pollen

-Some Chia Seeds

   I've been trying out these cereals by Lydia's Organics, and finally decided to include one here.  They are a bit pricey, but I was totally drawn to them after looking at the nutrition and ingredients on a few. So healthy on their own, which is hard to do for most cereals. #3 You don't need to add any extra fat or protein to achieve the right balance like if you were eating granola or any other cereals. I'm mainly talking about the Sprouted Cinnamon and Vanilla Crunch versions (the others either have less protein or a bit too much fat), the Cinnamon not having any sweetener and plenty of protein, and the Vanilla Crunch having less protein but enough sweetener in it already.  I definitely like them both a lot and they are perfect easy breakfasts that are so good for you! They also led me to learn all about sprouted grains.  After some quick googling, basically a super healthy way to eat grains but i'm not about to spend the time making them myself, so will continue to buy these cereals. Totally worth the cost! 

Unmixed