Rice Stash

Frozen rice balls on a cookie sheet; plastic measuring cup in the upper left corner.

You can't have too much rice. Rice in the freezer is like money in the bank. Here is an example of stash-building: When you're cooking rice, cook extra rice. Cook a LOT of extra rice. Then freeze it. When it comes to convenience, frozen rice is the gluten-free equivalent to sliced bread.

For these rice balls, I used a half-cup measure; use whatever size is appropriate for your diner. Dip it in water between scoops. Lay the rice balls on a plastic bag on a cookie sheet. Freeze. When they're frozen, pop them into a ziplock bag for future lunches. Knock the loose rice off the plastic bag and use it again.

Most of the bento sites recommend reheating in the microwave; however, I don't own a microwave. To reheat frozen rice without a microwave, just put the balls into a small pan with a little water, set the heat on very low and it will steam while you go about your morning. (If you pull a couple out to thaw before you go to bed, they'll heat even quicker.) Begin heating the rice as soon as you get into the kitchen so it will have time to heat through then cool down again to room temperature. The reason you heat-then-cool the rice is that rice is unpleasantly hard right out of the fridge--warming and cooling softens it up again.

Here are a few easy staples you can prepare ahead and keep on hand: rice, fruit-juice gelatin cups, boiled eggs, homemade cookies, toasted sesame seeds, steamed broccoli. Keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer, and buy things like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, baby carrots, tangerines and apples for the fridge. All these foods keep well and will ensure that you have plenty of food and color for a beautifully packed bento.

Last Minute Lunch Box

Bean thread noodle stir fry, black olives, mango, tomatoes, baby bananas, fruit-juice gelatin, and applesauce

These sandwich boxes are so much fun! This lunch demonstrates a few bento concepts. One is that almost any shallow container with a tight lid can be a lunchbox. These are two sandwich boxes I found on sale at Wegman's. The lids have gaskets and snap on, making them pretty leak proof. Once filled, they stack together snugly and, with a wide rubber band securing them together, they make a beautiful lunch box. You could even go Japanese-style and tie them together with a napkin that will become a little tablecloth. How elegant is that!

Another concept is to scout out and hoard small lidded containers. The gelatin is made in a lidded cup that holds only 4oz of liquid; it's the perfect size for making little desserts or holding small treats like chocolate chips. The cup fits into a slightly deeper square container and can be used to hold hummus or ranch dressing surrounded by veggies--the lid keeps the dip from sloshing out when La Segunda flings her backpack, lunch bag and all, at some unsuspecting boy with cooties.

This lunch was made entirely from stash in 10 minutes. La Primera was attending an all-day babysitting class and I realized that very morning that she would need a lunch. Yikes! She is going through a growth spurt and has a massive appetite these days. Luckily we had leftover noodles and enough produce to make a presentable and filling meal. At $1/pound, the baby bananas cost twice as much as the regular ones, but still, for a buck I got about 7 baby bananas--they fit into containers where they don't get squished, and they bumped up the envy-factor of two day's lunches.

One last tip: If you plan to send leftover rice or noodles in a bento that will be eaten directly from the box, always warm them ahead of time and let them cool back down before you pack them. Noodles and rice become unpleasantly stiff when served cold from the fridge. Except for the hottest days of summer, most foods can safely sit at room temperature from morning till afternoon. We use a pan on the stove, but many bento "pros" keep a stash of cooked rice portions in the freezer, then nuke and cool it in the morning. The first bento blog I ever found has great tips for stash-building and food safety. Check out Lunch in a Box. Biggie's lunches are the bomb!

http://lunchinabox.net

How to Get Started Packing Delicious Lunches for Special People

Potato salad, cucumber, apple, meatballs, catsup (in bear), edamame beans

BENTO really does put the "special" back in "special diet"--in a good way. Instead of feeling like they have second-rate lunches because of their dietary restrictions, my kids are often the envy of the table. That is what we are after!

Some people think you need special tools or containers to make bento-style lunch boxes. In fact, any shallow container with a tight lid can be used. The trick is to pack the food tightly so it doesn't shift around. Keep a "stash" handy to fill spaces--small vegetables, hard fruits, boiled eggs, olives, pickles or wrapped cheeses all make good fillers. These can also make good dividers.

This lunch is in a SnapWare sandwich box. The lid is tight, but does not have a water-tight seal, so I did not pack anything runny or juicy. To keep the edamame contained, I used a silicone baking cup. These come in a variety of colors and sizes, and can be reused a long time. The cup also creates a barrier on one side of the potato salad--on the other side I needed a filler, so I made a wall of cucumber slices. Easy! I have cute little bears to put dressing in, but baby food jars or 1-oz lidded containers also work. Once you begin packing lunches this way, you will start to save take-out containers and buy little containers you see at the store.

Some people are hard on their lunches. Daughter number two, La Segunda, tends to have her lunch pretty well mixed up by the time she is sitting in the elementary cafeteria--of course, she is the one who likes her food separate. For these people, silicone muffin cups are not going to hold anything. Purchase containers that have plastic dividers in them. These do not have as much flexibility when it comes time to pack the lunch. At home, La Segunda's lunch is never as pretty as La Primera's, but by lunchtime it remains pretty enough for her to eat it, and that's what counts.

Simple, Colorful Potato Salad*

Potatoes, plus other colorful roots: Yellow beet, Carrots, Parsnip, Rutabaga
Green vegetables such as celery, peas or parsley
Mayonnaise, salt, pepper, vinegar to taste

Use organic roots if you can; they're usually sweeter and more flavorful. Cut the vegetables into chunks and steam them. Meanwhile, dice up the green vegetables you are using. When the roots are cooked, turn them into a bowl and dress them with mayo, salt, pepper, and a drip of vinegar, if you like. Stir in the greens and portion into containers.

*This keeps well and can be prepared the night before to save time in the morning.