Kitchen Tip: My Frugal Bento Part 2

For More Kitchen Tips Go here.

I just posted about bento here.
Be sure to read the first post for more frugal ideas!
This post I would like to share how to make bento lunches frugally. Now before I get started, let me tell you, there are tons of cute little character boxes, shapes etc . that you can find on Ebay. The problem is that the main reason I love bento: is 1. it is cheaper than eating out. 2. it is healthier . Hence, Buying all that stuff makes it so Non- frugal :). Although cuteness is a reason for some, it is not my main focus. I do admit to wanting some egg molds really bad. You can get them on Ebay. I have done my homework and have learned a few tricks along the way.

You can use cookie cutters to cute cute sandwiches, or to mold rice into really cute shapes, using plastic wrap or just plain balls !:
http://lunchinabox.net/2007/07/02/tip-use-cookie-cutters-as-onigiri-molds/

You can make Jello in cute shapes buy using silicone Ice cube molds or candy molds.

Here is a photo of my free or cheap Bento items:

From left to right :

The : Test Tube used to contain liquid protein. I have used it to freeze water - making a long ice pack. I have also used it to hold sauces for picnics.
The small glad ware dishes are used inside the larger container.
The Muffin cups are paper dividers.
Across the front from L to R is empty Crystal Light containers- Great to pack empty - for picnics I use these as disposable sauce dipping containers- no need to keep them, I have an abundance of them . The small bottle with a red lid is a empty spice bottle that I use for salt/pepper , A medicine cup form cough syrup also used for dipping, Food color bottles for soy sauce. ( Just pour sauce into a small cup and draw up like a dropper. next is a vanilla extract bottle and the pink silverware case was a pencil case from a Burger King happy meal! I also have found flat tooth brush travel holders that would work!
Now for Ice and drinks:

Of Course you would want a thermos for hot drinks and soups.
Keep those water bottles to refill,
Use Plastic jars like Mayo or Peanut Butter, Buy a small rubbermaid bottle .

They Crystal light tube I use for food like chips, crackers etc and should be in the other picture (oops) I also use these for damp towels to wipe my hands! Or just carry sanitizer wipes or a small sanitizer bottle.

Not shown: My reusable Blue ice packs :)

Now pack it all inside your bento bag: In My case I have used old gift bags, Wal-mart sacks,insulated bags and a freebie canvas bag. Traditional bento ether use a bandanna type cloth or a drawstring bento bag :
















Here are some post of other folk's frugal bento ideas:
Dollar store
Freaking tasty Bento (warning: Some Bad language)
Bento Box-A great site that explains it all so well

If you want to see the "Real" bento stuff look here.

Take a look at these Bento Lunches- True art !

This could be me...

I love this.. I wish I could say I write it but no, visit the author's page here

Letter to My Body

Dear Body,

Soon, very soon, you will be meeting someone who is going to change us for the better. He is a skilled and accomplished surgeon who's job it is to help people like us to have the right tools and the right start to lose pounds. Now, before you get upset, I want you to listen. We've been through this before, I try on jeans, you want to eat ice cream, so I appease you and get yoga pants. I want to wear high heels, you are happy in flip flops because our feet hurt, so I appease you. But the other day, when you wouldn't let me bend over to tie my shoes, well that was just too far. You have taken this completely out of control.

I tried to be nice. I tried to look the other way. I have let you lead me with every whim, every fancy. You want cookies at 4am, you have cookies. You want a milkshake, you get a milkshake. You would rather sit, we sit. You want a hamburger, a hamburger it is. You want to nap instead of going out, we nap. But now, it's time for me.

I want to wear pretty clothes. I want to wear high heels. I want to look at us in the mirror and think WOW we can totally do this-- I want to feel gorgeous. I want to run and have our heart beat as fast as it can. Those muscles that have been hidden for so long-- well, we are dusting them off and bringing them out for show. I promise, this is going to feel so good-- we are cleaning house.

Yeah, that's it, we are cleaning house, getting rid of all that stuff we don't need anymore. We don't need the layer of protection, because we've outgrown it. We don't need the layer of sorrow because we have completed and grieved and moved past it. We don't need the layer of safety because we can handle any kind of attention that comes our way. We could use a strong back and core to build a new foundation. We will build powerful legs to keep us grounded when we need to be, and keep us moving to new adventures as they call to us. We can develop strong arms for new loves to hold onto, for friends and family to be enveloped by. We can allow our body to be hard, and our heart to be soft, so that every soft hug comes from inside, not from outside.

So body, here's what has to happen. We are going on a plan for two weeks to loose some fat around our liver. This is going to be tough for both you and me and I am going to need your help. When we are on the road, I want you to pay extra special attention to all the things that bug you about travelling-- out of breath, sweating, going through security, taking off shoes, putting them back on, getting an extender, not being able to put the tray table down-- etc. I mean everything. Look at all the little things that are annoying. And then on the way back, we'll see if any of them have changed. While we are away, I will need you to tell me when you are hungry. Not bored. Not deprived. Not interested in eating because you can... but actual no joke hungry. And when that happens, I'll give you some nourishment. It won't be much, but it will be something. Because I have to start using nourishment as fuel, not a reward, not as a pastime, but as fuel. This will be difficult at first, but then, you'll see that we will run better in sync. You will be hungry, and I will feed you. Thirsty, you'll drink. We will together work out-- first walking and stretching, then running. Body, it is going to be a whole new life.

Soon, very soon, we are going to play again. We will jump and feel freedom-- and every step won't feel like the earth is trying to pull us down. We will be light-- our breathing will be light, and wait until we get Mind involved with us-- omigosh-- it will be like we are 5 years old again.

So body-- you get whims until the end of next week. Then after that, we will work together to do what's best for this house cleaning of sorts. Because I love you body-- you have been very very good to me-- indulgent, but good. And I want you around for a long while. So let's work on this together, okay?

Now, it's time we put ourselves to bed. I know, you want to check out myspace, but it's late and we need our beauty sleep.

Goodnight. I love you, Body.

My OBIT

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

WFMW: Bento Lunches- quick and easy prep!

Bento is the Japanese tradition of packing lunches to go into small portions in a Reusable container- This can be any small plastic container with or without dividers. The Japanese have made this into a art form by using egg molds, hot dog cutters,rice molds , decorative dividers and creativity. Now I have not gotten too fancy but I have always packed lunches, yes it is easier to eat on the run at McDonalds drive through but I have found that if I keep a few basics on hand it is not a problem it takes little time and effort, we save money and make better choices. So if I am going out I always pack food and drinks. If we don't need it then I just bring it home for later!

My staples:
cheese sticks, baby carrots, pre-cooked grilled chicken strips, small pretzels, animal crackers, grapes,dried fruits, small refillable "sauce cups" or condiment packs from the occasional drive through trip, already cut celery and other fresh veggies (fill a small container at the grocery store salad bar). Refillable water bootles, ice packs, juice pouches or boxes and a small lunch box cooler. Be sure to look at the "ethnic food aisle for cool candies and cookies!

Be creative- use leftovers that are not messy.

Now if you want to be traditional or just plain cute then by all means buy a bento and the tools. However if you are like me and have a hubby who would rather chew off an arm than to eat out of a Hello Kitty box then pick up one of the Rubbermaid divided plates.

If you are inclined to be cute- you do not have to spend much! You can use cookie cutters as "stamps" or to cut foods, paper muffin liners as dividers, Reuse small containers for sauces. I have even seen where people reused the mini bubble bottles from weddings for sauces 9by cutting off the wand)! Me I just use small tupperware containers, I reuse medicine cups from liquid meds. and yard sale tupperware!


Be sure to check out more Works For Me Wednesday ideas Here!

Here are some of my favorite links to help you get creative:

Bento TV
Check out her archives

Bento Lunches

Lunch in a Box

Cooking Cute

Laptop Lunches

In an effort to make some cash dollahs

I have signed up for Pay per post. To those of you think that this is wrong- too bad so sad.. to those who wanna know more... Check it out- I will let yall know how it goes :)
I get to choose what post I blog about, and if they are Pay Per Post then they are clearly marked. The tens of readers I have cannot miss it :)
Any way, lets see how this works :)


Wanna try it? Then please Check it out!

Click here

WFMW: Homemade Yogurt without a yogurt maker!

My Family LOVES yogurt but there are four issues here:
1. We are ALL Lactose intolerant
2. The amount we consume is tough on the budget
3. I like to control ingredients and eat as healthy as possible.
4. I did not need or want another appliance (yogurt maker)that I would have to store in my tiny kitchen.

My Solution- Homemade yogurt- so easy- and fits the above criteria!

Before I share the recipe, here is the link for Rock's in My Dryer - please visit there for more tips!


And Now the recipe:

Yogurts

Materials:
1/2 gallon milk (can be any kind)
3/4 C. instant dry milk
2-3 tblsp. yogurt with ACTIVE CULTURES Please read the label and make sure this is active yogurt
several sterilized jars (can be glass, ceramic, metal or plastic)
You will need a candy or meat thermometer
Sweetener( see the notes below)

Sterile mixing spoon and jars by immersing them in boiling water.

Bring milk to 180 degrees F, remove from heat and cool to 110- 115 degrees F and add the cup of yogurt WITH ACTIVE CULTURES, remove a bowl full and mix in dry milk . Add back to pan and stir. Please read the label and make sure this is active yogurt. It will say on the label. Mix well with sterilized stirring spoon. Pour into sterilized jars and cap loosely. Hold at 100-110 degrees over night. ( at least 8hrs. how o below) But remember 100-110 Degrees are the magic numbers. Over 110 and the yogurt culture dies. Under this and it "sleeps." By morning you should have nice yogurt for breakfast!


Suggestions below:

I always use prepared yogurt as my culture. I buy a large container of plain store brand yogurt from the store. I bring it home and scoop it into a couple of ice cube trays. Then I freeze it. When it is completely frozen, I take the frozen yogurt cubes and pack them in a plastic freezer bag. Each time I make yogurt, I use one cube as the starter. You can use your own fresh yogurt as a starter too, but eventually it loses it's power due to the introduction of foreign bacteria, usually after using it about 3 or 4 times. I like to use a new frozen yogurt cube each time I prepare yogurt. I've had my best results this way.
Sweeteners and flavors: If you plan to use this as a substitute for sour cream then leave plain, Or add flavors and sweeteners as you serve. Flavors: Use any extract or Davinci syrup flavor or use jams and preserves. jams and preserves would be added as you serve, the syrups and extracts can be added while heating or when served. I prefer vanilla. Sweeteners: can be added while heating or as you serve add to taste: Sugar, Splenda, honey, Maple syrup, molasses.

There are lots of ways to incubate your yogurt:
I prefer to do it in my electric oven. I set the stove dial half way between OFF and 200°, or at approximately 100°. The light which signifies the oven is on, pops on for a moment, and then pops off when the temperature is reached. I set my jar of yogurt in the oven and leave it for between 6 and 8 hours, usually overnight, or while I'm out for the day. I take out the yogurt when it is thick. This method works for me*. My yogurt has a very mild flavor.
Some people pour the warm milk combined with the starter, into a large thermos and let it sit overnight.
Another friend uses a medium sized picnic cooler to incubate her yogurt. She places the jars inside the cooler and then add two jars filled with hot tap water, to keep the temperature warm enough. After 4 hours, check the yogurt to see if it is thick enough. If it isn't then refill the water jars with more hot water, return them to the cooler, and let the yogurt sit another 4 hours. When I tried this method, it worked very well. It took a full 8 hours, but the yogurt was perfect, and I liked not having my oven tied up during the day.
Other folks set the yogurt on top of a warm radiator, or close to a wood stove.
In a gas stove with the pilot operating.
On a heating pad set on low. You set it on low and then cover the heating pad with a towel, place the yogurt on top of it, and put a large bowl or stew pot upside down over the yogurt. This makes a little tent which keeps the heat in. I don't have a heating pad, and have never actually used this method myself, but a good friend swears by it.
Sometimes I have placed the jar in a pan filled with warm water, to keep the temperature even. This worked pretty well when I incubated the yogurt next to the wood stove. It kept the yogurt at a uniform temperature, even with occasional drafts from the front door opening and closing.

*Now in the event that it does not turn out as thick as you like, DO NOT THROW AWAY!
I have had only 2 batches turn out a little thinner than I like (in 8 years) I just used these for smooothies and as "drinkable yogurt!

Weight Loss surgery is abuse?

Abuse may be stretching it , but I do think it is extreme for a 12 year old. Now before I sound two- faced, I am 36. I made an adult informed lifetime commitment. Can a 12 yr. old do that? Comment and tell me what you think?

My family as a Simpson

In order:

Super Boy (3), Princess (4), Me and Prince Charming- Wonder Dog is not Shown-

Simpsonize your family here.

This One's For the girls...

Men.. Proceed with caution- this may be TMI for yall!



I received this in a e-mail, I don't know who originally Wrote this but it is too funny not to post!


The Art of Waxing...

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck
together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out
the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I
move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip)
I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!.... OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the
hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.
So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret
of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know
exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor . Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and .... OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out
of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works !!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!
So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Full Of Hot Air

That would be me, good Lord the one thing NO one warned me about was the gas pain from the surgery! I was so full of air it was painful! Other than that all has been well. I have been home since yesterday. I will be updating yall soon and getting back on the blog wagon- but for now- I need to rest. Thanks for all of the well wishes and support.

Blessings, Dolly

Today is the day!

I am off to the hospital in 1 hour ! See yall in a few days!

WFMW: Keeping Notes on the Number

I (heart) WFMW- and lately there have been so many post that I now get to enjoy it all week! In order to keep up with were I left off - I write the next number down on a post it and just change it as needed. Write it down works for me! Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more wonderful ideas!

Reflections

Just two more days before WLS.... I have spent the last few days having a last meal. Right or Wrong it is kinda like "break up" sex. 'Gotta get the last one before you go. I am not nervous, just excited . I am just waiting to exhale. ...... Literally, I think I ate too Much (LOL).

See yall on the loosing side.

Things I Love: Modest, Fashionable and Affordable clothes!

Christa Taylor

Adorned with Modesty

Now I just have to loose enough to fit these!

Be sure to take a look here :) Moms For Modesty

Things I Love: Retro And Funny things! or What I would buy if I could....

I adore retro items and even more when they are funny! If you agree then take a look at these cute sites:

Warning: Some are a little ... shall we say ... risqué :)

http://www.annetaintor.com/

http://www.plushliving.net/magnets.html

http://www.watchyourfigure.com/magnets.htm

http://www.allposters.com/-st/Retro-Humor-Magnet-Posters_c18328_s20017_.htm


and a place for some accessories:


http://www.bettysattic.com/