A Light Tuesday Lunch

I was surprised when I added up the points for my bento today. I usually try to keep my lunches between 5 and 6 points, but then I realized that my daily points allowance just dropped to 19, so I guess a smaller points lunch is in order. We'll see how much it fills me up, though. My bento comes to 3.5 points.

This bento contains:
1 cup Ginger Sesame Cabbage Salad (1 point)
1/2 filet of Ginger-Wasabi Glazed Talapia (2 points)
1/4 serving of Beet & Orange Salad (.5 points)
1/2 cup green beans with garlic and soy sauce (0 points)

My husband's bento comes to points 6 points.

This bento contains:
1 cup Ginger Sesame Cabbage Salad (1 point)
1 oz hard salami (2 points)
1 slice Cheddar cheese (2 points)
10 baby carrots (.5 points)
1/2 cup edamame (.5 points)
1/4 of an apple with sugar and cinnamon (0 points)

While I have been very very good at planning out all of my bentos for the week, the fact that my husband now wants bentos has thrown me off. I find myself scrounging around for things to put in his bento, while trying make sure that it's well-balanced. Doing this adds about half and hour to my prep time, which is just way too much time. I usually make mine while I'm making dinner, and then finish it up in maybe 5 or 10 minutes after dinner. But last night, I was still in the kitchen half an hour after dinner trying to find things to put into his bento. Of course, looking at his bento, you probably wonder why it took me so long. :) I just need to find a better, and faster method for making both our bentos. Any tips or suggestions?

Shrimp Lo Mein Bento

This bento was partially composed of leftovers from dinner the previous night. I made a Weight Watchers version of Shrimp Lo Mein because we had tons of veggies that we really needed to use. This was one of the few WW recipes that I have not had to excessively season because it was too bland. (Their Minestrone being the only other example I can think of that actually had enough seasoning). The recipe was a hit at home, is quite low in points, and will definitely go in my regular dinner rotation. I am hesitant to post the recipe here, because it is a Weight Watchers one and I don't want to violate any copyrights or rules. But it is really just soba noodles with shrimp, veggies of your choice, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Pretty simple. This bento comes to a grand total of 6 points.

Contents of this bento:
1/2 serving Shrimp Lo Mein (2.5 points)
2 Seafood Gyoza Dumplings (2 points)
And my ever present bento salad (.5 points -- because of the chickpeas)

Not pictured:
2 tbsp Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing (1 point)

Sorry about the crappiness of the picture...my camera seems to be acting up.

Monday's Bento

Today's lunch bento comes to only 6 Weight Watchers points. I try to keep my lunches between 5-7 points, so this was perfect.

In the top layer is a salad composed of:
1/2 cup mixed greens (0 points)
4 cherry tomatoes (0 points)
2 sliced shiitake mushrooms (0 points)
2 tablespoons chickpeas (.5 points)
2 tablespoons beets (0 points)

The bottom layer has:
Half a serving of leftover Pasta with Olives (2.5 points)
1 slice (cut into leaf shapes) of Havarti cheese (2 points)

Not pictured:
2 tablespoons of Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing (1 point)

Recipe for Pasta with Olives

WW Points: 5 points per serving
Serves: 8

1 lb uncooked penne, bow-tie, or any other pasta of choice
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
10 large kalamata olives
1 tbsp. capers
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp oregano
1-2 tbsp thyme
1-2 tbsp basil

Boil pasta according to cooking time on package. Meanwhile, slice olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Once pasta is done boiling, strain, and return to pot.

Mix olive oil, olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices.