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