Bento with the BlindBaker

The BlindBaker and I actually have classes together this semester, Monday through Thursday, including chemistry.  When we registered, since chemistry sounded like a class I would struggle with, I asked her if she wanted to form a study group with me, and she agreed.  Then we realized that the way our schedules were structured, we’d be eating lunch together a lot… and I hate eating on campus.  The cafeteria is disgusting (all fried, fatty, bad for you foods).  Eating off campus is possible, given the large gap of time between classes, but it gets expensive.  So it dawned on me… we should bento.  For each other. 

I took the first week, since I’m fairly accustomed to bento as a practice and wanted to show off my ideas and skillz 😉

My 480 ml box contained: skewers of sungold cherry tomatoes with cubes of mozzarella (3); a skewer of balls of canary melon; and a simple tuna pasta salad. 

More of the same for BlindBaker, just separated with baran. 

A few days later, more of the same…

Except this time, the caprese (minus the basil, since I forgot to pick some up) was splashed with a bit of Cherry Gold balsamic vinegar.  Above, my 480 ml box. 

BlindBaker’s lunch, ditto.  Oh, and topped with some dried parsley for color.  You wouldn’t believe it to look at it, but the square box is actually bigger than the oval box. 

And then Thursday, a day when I have 20 minutes between my 10-12:50pm class and my 1:10pm class… I packed myself a quick lunch so I could eat a real meal instead of resorting to garbage from the vending machines between classes.  The same salad, topped with sungolds, and on the side are mini bell peppers stuffed with roasted pine nut hummus (Sabra brand).  So good… and goes to show you don’t need any special equipment or cute crap to bento properly 😉 

See?  Eating healthy while juggling a super busy, full class schedule is still possible.  🙂  I can’t wait to see what BlindBaker comes up with! 

Tuna Pasta Salad

1 can of Bumble Bee tuna in olive oil – do not drain!!!
1/2 lb of cooked bowtie shaped pasta (or any small-form pasta)
juice of one lime
a teaspoon or so of capers
half a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, along with some of the marinade
minced up 1/4 onion
dash or two of Red Devil, to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Drain the tuna oil into the bottom of a bowl.  Set aside the tuna for later. 
Add lime juice, onion, Red Devil, the bit of artichoke heart marinade and whisk.  Salt and pepper to taste (you want it a touch saltier than normal). 
Add pasta, capers, artichoke hearts, and tuna, tossing with the dressing to coat.  Chill overnight to meld all flavors. 

Enjoy!  I found this really delicious and not fishy despite using the oil the tuna had soaked in, and really quite simple to throw together on Sunday night.  You could play with the additions – I wanted to add tomato wedges, but because it was going to spend time in the fridge, I worried about the deterioration of the tomatoes; try adding chopped up olives, roasted red peppers, fresh herbs like parsley, dill – play around until you find the combination that best pleases your palate! 

Happy eating!