No Bento Today

Normally I post a picture of Samantha's Friday Bento but this week school was canceled on Friday because of snow. Well not really snow, it was really more the threat of snow! So Samantha spent the day here. Her mom  gave her breakfast before she dropped her off, but around lunch time she asked for breakfast foods. I recently found an egg cuber and she had been dying to get some square eggs in a bento. I decided to make those for her brunch on Friday. 

On Friday evening, my sister in law came over to learn how to make chicken and dumplings. I know not the healthiest meal, but it is something that I do make on occasion. So she commented on how long it took to make the dumplings, cook the chicken etc. vs. simply opening a can. She asked how I find time to do that every night. To be fair, I only work part time now while she works full time. But most of my adult life, with the exception of the last three years, I have always worked two jobs-a full time one and a part time one. I do have more time now. But I did explain that no matter how much or how little time I have, I have always prepared most of my own food. I told her it boiled down to a couple of things for me. Number one is that I have made the decision to try and reclaim a healthier life and body and for me that means not eating so much food that is so overly processed that they contain more chemicals than food. The other thing is planning my meals. We usually eat chicken twice a week so if I know I am going to be preparing that twice, I will try and only cook it once. Then later in the week if I want to make chicken and dumplings or chicken soup, or fajitas, then that step has already been take care of so that the main time that it takes, is only assembling the soup or other ingredients needed to make that second meal.

I know she also struggles with packing herself a lunch instead of relying on drive-thrus. I pulled some of my lunches out that were already ready to drop in my lunch box. I showed her my Easy Lunchboxes and told her that as I am putting away dinner, I put them into these containers and pop them in the fridge. Presto, dinner leftovers are put away and lunches are packed in the same step. Not only does this allow me to eat healthier lunches, it saves me money and time, especially in the mornings.