Bento of the Day – Valentine’s

For this heart-filled Valentine’s day bento, 80 percent of it was prepared the night before. Avocado slices sprinkled with lime juice, sea salt, and smoked paprika gave some healthy fat and vibrant green to the pink and red decorated bento.  Most of the silicone cups were heart shapes, but they were all pink or red.  The hard boiled egg was covered with nor furikake rice seasoning. Slicing fresh strawberries in half, I took a couple more moments to make them look a little more heart-shaped.  Those three sections were peppered with swiss cheese flowers cut from kotobuki vegetable cutters.

The middle lower section contains dried fruit ends and pieces from Trader Joe’s.  I used a veggie cutter to make flowers and re-inserted them, so they looked like little puzzles.  I’m pretty sure they weren’t even noticed and were gobbled up instantly.

The final treat prepared this morning was a homemade spelt dough biscuit (made a couple days before).  I added a touch of salted butter with lingonberry preserves for a special sweet treat.

Just as a reminder of how much I love my little guy, I cut out a heart from scrapbook paper with a message.

This bento was a huge hit.

“Mommy!  I ate my whole lunch.  And, I ate it quickly!”