Dinner...with bento leftovers

Dinner is served...

This is what is looked like first...

I'm a mommy of a 5 year old and almost 3 year old...boys, so I can't always take my time in the kitchen. I've learned from a few cooking blogs and tv shows to cook in stages. For instance, I cooked off a 1/2 pound of ground beef last night, used some of it for sloppy joes and some tonight for quesadillas. I make a small batch of guacamole for snacks, and add to it if needed. I keep some frozen vegetables on hand, like corn. I threw half the bag in a hot skillet with a little butter, add 3 sliced tomatoes (from my mom's garden...still growing!) and it's done...about 2 minutes of my time. The slaw...is a quick version of spicy slaw. Half a bag of slaw mix, 3 onions diced, lime juice (I was already squeezing it for the guacamole), a little chili powder and salt, and I'm done. My boys were playing outside while I made this...maybe 20 minutes, but I can see them from my kitchen.

I often get asked or criticized about wasting when I use cookie cutters for sandwiches for bentos. For the most part, the birds and squirrels get the crust. It's cheaper than birdseed:) The meat usually goes in a sandwich for me and the cheese...perfect for quesadillas or nacho night! It melted. No one cares if it's the scraps!