Deconstructed Fried Rice

Some mornings I have all the time in the world...this was not one of those mornings.  My favorite meals at restaurants are deconstructed versions of classic dishes.  I love creating the perfect bite and I can often sub out or eliminate any gluten element.  So for today, I created a deconstructed fried rice which came together very quickly.

From left to right I have leftover white rice and green peas, edamame, diced grilled chicken, a tasty but nowhere near authentic tamagoyaki, apple slices and a gluten free sweet and sour sauce in the container.  I was able to eat lunch in the office this afternoon so I removed the apples and sauce container and microwaved the fried rice ingredients.  (I was not very confident on the sauce container and did not want to risk making a mess in the office microwave.)  Once mixed up, everything was delicious - exactly how I like it, veggies, egg and protein with a little rice.  I only wish I had the forethought to pack green onions and carrots to round out the dish.

This rubbermaid premiere 3 cup container travels very well, however the silicone lid makes it difficult to pack.  I cannot wait for my lunchbots set to come in the mail.  I have caught the bento bug and it is a blast!


                            

TGIF: Italian Themed Bento

What's the worst thing about Gluten Free Pasta?
The gummy leftovers.

I'm resigned to the fact that pasta will never taste the same without gluten, but as an Italian I'm not ready to give up my leftover pasta lunches.

Enter What's For Lunch at Our House's Spaghetti Cupcakes!  I was super excited to test this out with a few modifications:

• I made my own turkey meatballs and intentionally made a few small enough to fit in cupcake tins
• Worried that the pasta would overcook after boiling and baking, I cooked half of a package of Quinoa Pasta according to the package directions but draining and rinsing the pasta three minutes short of the time required.
• To up the protein and make sure the corn-quinoa mixture stayed together, I used two whole eggs plus four additional egg whites.

And the verdict?  They were DELICIOUS!  As you can tell from the photo, they did not stay together as well as the original, however for a minute I thought I was eating real spaghetti.  Expect to see more of these in rotation!

To complete my box, I have steamed green beans, baby carrots, sliced string cheese, a few walnuts and - surprise surprise - the last of the strawberries.  Here's to the weekend and hopefully more creativity next week,