I’ve gotten in to a pretty nice groove with making lunches these past two months. I feel like I do it really well and this is probably also the most consistent I’ve ever packed lunches that were unique in my life. In college I often packed the same thing for 2-3 days out of the week because of time contrast and here the only problem is storage space (it’s always something).

Pancakes, boiled egg, grapes, salad, orange

Meatball sandwhiches (turkey and sweet potato meatballs on brioche bun with cheese, red sauce), carrots, salad, apple

Pea Soup with goat cheese drizzle and brioche croutons, apple, salad, strawberries, grapes

Japanese style curry, rice, salad, apple

Grilled halloumi salad, spiced couscous with yogurt sauce, orange

Last week was only four days of work because Good Friday is a day off here which means I only made four bentos and we just ate leftovers on Friday which is a lot easier anyway. Tried to do a little change up with including a salad as the main course for one of the days but Andrew still insists on salads nearly every day so there’s a lot of boring salads.

Lemony Vegetable and Lentil soup, bread, grapes, boiled egg

Greek inspired salad (balsamic marinated chicken, tzatziki sauce, feta), rice, mandarin, walnuts

Cheese and spinach Piroshki, side salad, spicy pickles, mandarin, boiled egg, salad dressing

I think salads are boring but it’s what Andrew wants so I guess I’ll just keep packing them and be bored out of my mind looking at these pictures. I keep wanting to shake things up but I’ve been really slacking on my meal prep so I never get around to it. I was hoping to get some back end stuff done this weekend but it didn’t really happen so we just gotta march on.

Baked len

Baked Falafel, Chili-Yogurt Sauce, Salad, Roasted Spiced Potatoes, Apple

Chicken Goulash, Rice, Salad with Carrots, Apple

Minestrone, Bread, Salad, Cherry Tomatoes, Apple

Aloo Dahi (pan fried potatoes in yogurt sauce), Rice, Carrots and Hummus, Strawberries

It was too hectic this week and I was only able to make 3 bentos and honestly they’re even more boring than average but it’s still better than zero bentos (in theory). I missed cooking though so I’m kind of looking forward to getting back in to the swing of things next week. Also I’m excited to study Estonian again! Four days was a good break but I feel like I forgot stuff!

Stir Fry Vegetable Noodles, Carrots and Hummus, Apple

PB and J on Black Bread, Chips, Boiled Egg, Apple, Salad

Savory Turnover (pear chutney, Havarti, walnuts), carrots and hummus, apple, salad

Even though I have more time to make food, I am still trying to keep things simple. When you I have an unlimited time frame to do something one of either two things happens: I procrastinate and never get anything done OR I pick extremely over elaborate things and I waste all the extra time I had on making it. I don’t want to replace 8 hours working with 8 hours cooking. I’m trying to remember that going forward.

Potato latke, sour cream and hot sauce, spicy pickles, carrots and hummus, apple Coconut Curry Chicken and Rice Soup, salad, banana Roasted vegetable pasta (sauce on the side), breadsticks, grapes, cheese, cherry tomatoes Shrimp fried rice, spicy pickles, boiled egg, orange Cheese and bean quesadillas, sour cream and salsa, spiced rice salad, oranges

Lotta salad this week. Can’t help it because Andrew loves salad so much but I tried to keep it interesting by shifting the types of salad and the mix-ins. Also all of these salads do have dressing on them but because it’s oil based it’s basically invisible and just kind of makes the whole thing look wet. Sometimes I have to remind myself that food needs to taste good too and not just look instagram good. Honestly that’s the hardest part because you want people to think your food looks great but also you have to live your life and eat it. I know for a fact a lot of the food made for food blogs goes uneaten because no one is baking three cakes in a week and chowing down on them.

Vegetable Baked Ziti, salad, orange, apple, boiled eggs

Chicken burrito, cornbread, grapes, salad, orange

Salmon onigiri, salad, orange, apple

Onion and goat cheese tart, grapes, carrots and hummus, apple Double bean soup I ruined with too much masa, cornbread, salad, apple

I’m thinking of going back to one new recipe per week since I feel like I post a ton without really getting anything back or having an audience. Part of me thinks I should attempt to build an audience and the other part of me is too busy worrying about having to pass my Estonian exam in two months. Oh well.

Chicken Teriyaki, Rice, Salad, Carrots and Hummus, Apple Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato, Grapes, Nuts, Chocolate Arancini, Cheese and Tomato Salad, Dipping Sauce, Carrots and Hummus Chicken Noodle Soup, Salad, Bread, Apple Baked Falafel, Couscous, Spicy Dip, Thai Pickles, Apple

Going to try the numbering thing so I don’t have to think about it. Only 4 bentos this past week and I think they’ll only be 4 for this week too but honestly we’re going to quality not quantity, right?

Vegetable Tortellini Soup, Salad, Grapes, Orange Bean and Cheese Quesadilla, Spiced Rice, Salsa, Sour Cream, Salad, Orange Vegetable Quiche, Pan Fried Potatoes, Black Grapes, Goat Cheese Salad, Yogurt with Jam and Honey and Walnuts Shrimp Red Curry, Rice, Thai Cucumber Salad, Apple

It’s so hard to come up with names for these so I’m wondering if I should just number them? I mean it just takes off a lot of pressure. I’ll think about it.

Homemade bagel with tomato cream cheese, omelette with salsa, tiny salad, strawberries and oranges Vegetable ramen, boiled egg, pickles, apple Pasta with vegetables and red sauce, salad, carrots, strawberries Turkey and cheese sandwich, salad, potato chips, carrots and hummus, grapes Cheese and spinach Piroshki, salad, red pepper and carrots with hummus, apple

Despite Andrew eating one of these before I could photograph it so I had to re-make it, this weeks bentos were a triumph. The funny thing is Andrew accidentally ate one of the ones last week too. How strange.Minestrone, salad, bread for dipping, apple

Bubble and squeak, salad, banana

Creamy paprika chicken, pasta, side salad, mandarins

Bean burrito, corn salad to switch it up, carrots and hummus, apple

Thai spiced falafel, rice, chili sauce, side salad now with walnuts, apple