my new boyfriend

I figure if I'm not working hard on this house cleaning project, I might as well post about my favorite new/old thing...

Chris got me all excited about Mr. Bento, the handy dandy lunch carryall while I was still living in HI. So upon my arrival in GA, I acquired one. But the nature of my work (part time, coming home for lunch) didn't necessitate it til this year, when all I did was work and found myself with not a lot of time to eat and not wanting to go into the teacher's lounge to heat food up. Enter, Mr. Bento, my new boyfriend! A handy dandy way to serve a multi-course meal at work. The only thing missing, as far as I can see, is the glass of wine that I was able to enjoy last year when I was working part time. sigh...the compromises we make. It DOES necessitate some advance organization to use this setup. The little bowls stack into a main container, and the bottom two are thermal, so if I heat food up it keeps them warm. I usually layer the bowls as such, starting from the bottom: soup, rice or quinoa w/ veg n' meat, a salad or fruits, and the final smallest bowl holds stuff like nuts, cheese, hummus, or on rare occasions, yogurt and granola. Once the food is organized, it's a cinch to eat a decent meal at the desk. I never thought I'd be so spun about being shackled to my desk, but Mr. Bento is soooo cool. Another co-worker has one, and she is equally thrilled with him. It has helped me to keep my food portions reasonable, as the bowls aren't tremendously big, and has also forced me to keep it interesting. Mr. Bento can be acquired at Amazon, or in your local H-Mart or other purveyors of Japanese innovatia. He is not cheap, for a lunch box, alas, but love has its price, and anything that keeps me eating leftovers and out of the school cafeteria or off the vending machine porkskins (no kidding, I love them) is a significant life improvement.

Here is what grows outside my acupuncturist's office door. Prickly pear cactus, complete with its fruit, known as "tunas." They are edible, but I wasn't sure at what point they become ripe or how to eat them, so I didn't harvest, though I was a bit tempted.