Piggy Sammi Bento's

C's Lunch

M's Lunch

Rotisserie chicken salad Piggy Sammi's. Snap peas, carrots and barley in EVOO and garlic, grapes, cheese, kiwi flowers and carrot sticks.

Our little piggy's were inspired by the book Yum-Yum Bento Box. Pikko of Adventures in Bentomaking created an adorable Piggy burger and I knew it was perfect for today. This is the first item I have tried to recreate from the book since I bought it and I am excited to do more.

Our piggy's were made with the mini slider buns from Trader Joe's, bologna and nori. Inside the bun is a salad made from last nights rotisserie chicken with some mayo, stone ground mustard, black pepper and paprika. This is the first time the girls have had chicken salad and I am happy to report they loved it. However I think the piggy made it more fun and appealing...thanks Pikko!

How I pulled these boxes together shows the love for my girls. I woke this morning with a nasty pitched nerve under my shoulder blade. I have intense pain shooting up the side of my neck, limited mobility and a wicked headache. All I want to do is lay in bed and hide, but they begged for a bento and I didn't want to let them down. Both boxes only took 10-15 minutes total... just proving you can make fun and fab lunches in just minutes.

I just realized I am behind in my Bento Summer School assignments..well how perfect that I should make this for Week 5..wahoo!

Sliders & Mommy Bento #9

Identical boxes made for C & M

In our Easy Lunch Boxes containers is a Slider burger, carrots with hummus,
 celery with cream cheese and carrot flowers,

 mini heirloom tomatoes, watermelon stars and flowers and baby bell cheese. 

Mommy Bento #9

Cheeseburger sliders with the works and my ultimate favorite pasta and spinach salad.

It has been a wicked busy weekend. Actually my weekend started last Thursday when my girlfriend from high school came into town with her two teenage daughters, niece and nephew. I was blown away! It had been 7 years since I have seen her girls and now their all grown up and gorgeous. As for my girlfriend she looks just like she did in high school, beautiful. We realized it's been almost 21 years since we first met...wow what a lifetime. So they crashed with us Thursday and of course we stayed up until after midnight catching up. Friday my girls and I spent most of the day with them in Mission Beach and then her and I met up with another high school buddy for cocktails at the beautiful Se Hotel in downtown San Diego.

Then Saturday we had family from LA drive down and we had a small combined birthday get together for my Grams, hubby and M. We BBQ'd, played cards and Password which come to find out I am pretty good at giving the clues...just not guessing them..lol Sunday we headed to Temecula to hang out with friends for their daughters 4th birthday. So this is why I have not been as active on my blog or stalking yours as I usually am. Frankly I do not see it getting any calmer. My "sister from another mister" is getting married next month and I am so excited for her. She is truly a beautiful girl inside and out and never thought she would meet "the one". She resided herself to living single for the rest of her life until fate stepped in and brought her her fiancée. Congrats baby girl, you deserve all the happiness life has to bring you and I am so thrilled that he makes you feel like the queen that you are!!

So these bento's are made from the leftover slider burgers we bbq'd on Saturday...so delish! In the mommy bento is my ultimate favorite salad ever!!! Pasta and Spinach with crumbled Gorgonzola and Champagne dressing. Sharon from Mama's a Mess first introduced my to this at a playdate when we were in VA. Ever since then I have not been able to stop craving it. I will literally eat it for days and never get sick of it. It is so simple to make and so delicious you have to try it for yourself! To get her recipe click HERE.

Culturelle Giveaway Winner

#8 Birdy's Boutique

Quick On The Go Bento Snack Boxes

C's Snack Box

M's Snack Box

My Veggie Snack Box

Quick and easy on the go snack boxes for the girls and I. I was so excited by the new Hello Kitty stamps bought last week I just had to use them!

They didn't come out as perfect as I would have liked but the girls still loved them and I think next time it will be better looking...and it was fun! So we as always were on the go and this was our little quick fire snack boxes and it worked perfectly to tide us over until we got home.

A few weeks ago my girlfriend Michelle from Muffin Tin Mom had come over for a visit and she had mentioned she was going to our new favorite store Marukai. She asked if I needed anything and as usual my head was spinning...but I settled on needing a bento box for myself. I have several for the girls...even one for hubby but not for myself! Well this girl can shop and came knocking on my door with the most perfect box. Not only was it the best size for me, but it matched one I had bought M a few months ago...yay!

Outside of M's Bento Box

My New Bento Box

How perfect is that? She had no clue I bought a similar one for M so it was pretty cool when she came over with it. Thanks again Michelle you rock!!!

Mommy Bento #8

So...looks like I have resorted back to my diet. I say "diet" and "resorted back to" because I never know what will trigger me to start my small obsession with restricting and counting calories. However this time I do realize it and I am trying to be way better and way healthier about it. I can not let my self become so controlled by myself that I shake, sweat and have a brake down at the very thought of eating more than 300 calories a day.

Thinking healthy, thinking healthy...it's okay, it's okay.

So for this lunch I have (now this is how I brake down everything...just a little insist into me you never knew about...lol)

2 oz cucumber, raw = 7cals
2 oz spinach, raw = 13 cals
0.5 oz Gorgonzola = 50 cals
1 Tbsp Light dressing = 12 cals
4 oz grapes = 78 cals (originally I had 5 oz of grapes but after seeing the cal count I took out an oz)
5.7 oz Mahi Mahi grilled = 150 cals


Total = 310

So with my breakfast of 1/2c egg beaters = 60, 3oz watermelon = 26 and 1 oz cantaloupe = 10... my total for the day so far is 406

That is amazingly good for me. I am over 300 cals and the day is not done yet...baby steps, baby steps. And I have to say that using my Easy Lunch Boxes containers for my food has not always been convenient, but doesn't it look like there is a TON of food packed in that thing? It's a good trick of the mind and I love it. Wow, I am stuffed!

Everyone Loves A Bento

Little Bears Bento Box

Sister Bears Bento Box

Papa Bears Bento Box

Mama Bears Bento Box

So this past weekend was papa bears birthday and for his birthday we bought the girls a pool. So on Saturday while him and the girls were splashing around and having fun I made everyone including papa bear a bento. Even though I had bought a box for him months ago, this was the first time actually making him one.

Last week on Susan's blog Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook she made the most adorable and delicious looking mini owl biscuits. I loved the idea and planned to make the biscuits for the girls. However I could not find the regular sized biscuits so I went with Croissant rolls. Defiantly not as perfect as hers, but were supper yummy. I filled ours with ham and cheddar cheese...yummmm!

The girls and papa bear had cheese, fruit, veggies and leftover b-day cake in their boxes and papa bear had some fantastic brown rice chips we just found at Costco. In my Easy Lunch Boxes container I had my ham & cheese croissant with a spinach/pasta salad, baby carrots and snacking heirloom tomatoes. The dressing on my salad is this amazing Cranberry, Walnut and Gorgonzola from Trader Joe's and the little cheddar fish's has the perfect sharpness to match the sweetness of the dressing. My girlfriend Sarah turned me onto it and now I can not stop eating it on everything!

Muffin Tin Monday - Dessert

This week I thought it would be fun to do a dessert tin for Muffin Tin Monday. The girls seemed very thrilled about the idea and the endless possibilities of sugary concoctions that was sure to keep them awake all night.

* Left over birthday cake (Happy Birthday hubby)
* Vanilla/Cherry Ice Cream

* Fruit salad..strawberries, grapes and blueberries
* Cool Whip
* Oreo Cookies

* mini choc chips
* chopped nuts
* sprinkles

Looks delish right? Well my girls will never know since they decided to have a revolt of dinner and was put to bed immediately in the middle of their temper tantrums at around 1830 (that's 6:30pm to all my civi lovely's). So mama and papa sat down to watch the DVR of Tosh.0 and had a quiet (except for our hysterical out bursts of laughter) and very tasty dessert. Yummmmm.

So stop by Muffin Tin Mom for some more awesome MTM tins ....that kids probably actually got to eat.

Culturelle Review and Giveaway

My family and I are no strangers to digestive/intestinal health, eating right and using what supplements we may have to in order to be well. As a matter of fact when ever the girls get a tummy bug the first thing my mom says is "do you have acidophilus in your fridge"? Possible food poisoning...grab the charcoal. Trouble pooping...prune juice it is. The home/natural remedies approach goes on and on. Something both my mother and grandmother mentioned to me in the past is about probiotics. So when I was contacted by Culturelle about running a review and giveaway for them I was all ears.

Culturelle® is the only probiotic dietary supplement containingLactobacillus GG, the “good” bacteria strain used to restore and maintain a healthy balance in the digestive system.

Culturelle works to help promote overall digestive and immune health. Diet, stress, travel and even some medications encourage bad bacteria to flourish in your intestinal tract. When bad bacteria outnumber good bacteria, your digestive and overall health is open to a host of potential concerns. Culturelle, with Lactobacillus GG, safely and naturally replaces the bad bacteria in your digestive tract with good bacteria leading to healthier digestion and a stronger immune system.


Unlike most-probiotic-fortified foods, Culturelle gets to where health benefits are needed the most! The Lactobacillus GG found inCulturelle is one of the few probiotics that survives the strong acids of the stomach and intestines and then has the ability to colonize the intestinal tract (where 70% of the immune system resides). Culturelle is also the most researched and clinically proven probiotic supplement on the market. Lactobacillus GG, which is only found in supplement form in Culturelle, is the subject of more than 450 clinical reports and studies, making it the mostly widely researched strain of probiotic in the world proving its safety and efficacy.

Culturelle® is all-natural, and does not contain any wheat or gluten. There are trace amounts of dairy proteins (less than 15 ppm in each capsule), but it is also available in a dairy-free formula.





I have been taking Culturelle for the past several weeks and have to say I have noticed a change. As you have seen from my "mommy bento" posts, I am a good eater. I try to have a daily balanced diet but what you do not see is that on most days that bento lunch  may be it for that day. So because of this I am prone to getting "backed up" or the complete opposite...cramps and sitting on the pot for a few hours. I also have a gastric ulcer, so throw that into the mix and my digestive health is crap. Since starting the Culturelle I have not had to resort to my stash of laxatives or Pepto and I have been much happier. Less gas and bloating..even with the increase in spinach and raw veggies to my diet. I defiantly have to give Culturelle two thumbs up!

Want to make your body happy? Get a $1.00 coupon on your  purchase of Culturelle HERE


WIN IT HERE!!!!

One lucky reader will win a 30 day supply of Culturelle Digestive Health and this fun T-Shirt..

How To Enter:

Mandatory Entry:   Go to Culturelle and have a look around. Then come back and leave a comment  telling me something you learned that I did not mention. 
Please make sure if you do not have a valid email address on your blog or profile, add it to your comment so I can contact you easily.

NOTE: If you skip the mandatory entry, none of your entries will count for the giveaway.


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Culturelle Digestive Health 30 Day Supply & T-Shirt Giveaway! @sewfierce @Culturellehttp://apocketfullofbuttons.blogspot.com


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Giveaway open to US Residence Only

Giveaway closes July 26th @ 10:00 pm (PST) Winner will be picked July 27th by Random.org and notified by email, a post will follow. Winner will  have 48 hours to reply to my email otherwise a new winner will be picked.



Disclaimer: I was contacted via email by a Culturelle rep and received the above mentioned product to review. Any and all opinions expressed are mine and mine alone and are unbiased.

Something New Bento

I am in love with the awesome sammi stamps that my BFF Sharon from Mama's A Mess surprised me with (see this post). Aren't they just adorable and I think the rabbit looks like Miffy whom C and I both love. M got the lion because she defiantly has the heart of one, plus it's just too stinkin cute!

Also in the sammi box is mini heart carrots and cucumbers. C has onigiri in hers. The fruit box consists of blueberries, a strawberry, grapes, a scalloped carrot baran and a lychee. This was the first time the girls have tried it and they both really liked it so yay..we are broadening our culinary paletes...lol

Cinderella Kyaraben Bento

Today I attempted to make my first real kyaraben bento...Cinderella.

Made from :

Face = Bologna
Hair = American cheese
Crown, Earring and Pearl Necklace = Pepper Jack Cheese
Lips = Red Bell Pepper
Eye Browse & Nose = Nori
Eyes = White Bread & Blueberries

Cindi packed in our Easy Lunch Boxes with bowtie pasta tossed in Girard's Champagne dressing, Flower and mice PB&J sammi's (I know the mouse looks like it's dead and bleeding..didn't think about that when I decided on jelly...lol)
A fruit salad of strawberries, blueberries and grapes topped with Cool Whip and a awesome princess ring to top of this royal lunch.

Not too shabby for my first real attempt. I tried to add depth by scrapping or cutting lines into the "hair cheese" to add definition but it turned out looking like cracked cheese...crack is whack yo!

Flirty Aprons Winner

#30 Marie 

Wordless Wednesday - Triplets/Cousins/BFF

Girls with their cousin (and new BFF) "A" in Mission Beach. I was asked if they were my triplets...not this mama...lol

Quick N Easy Dog Beach Bento

Salami & cheese sami's, mini orange, sliced apple, strawberry, grapes, blueberries, snap peas and a mini bell cheese with a little dog cut out.

This was our quick made bento's. The other day we took Sookie to Dog Beach to run and frolic in the surf while the girls collected sea shells.  I knew my girls would say they wanted a snack as soon as we got in the car....and they did, so I made these simple bento's to take with us. I could have made it more exciting but I did do a doggie cut out on the mini bell...kinda ties in with what we did that day...lol

Sew Fierce on Vacation

Yesterday I finished a 3 outfit order for Ang at Mommy PR. Not only is she just the sweetest but I am so excited for her because her hubby came home safely from his deployment..wahoo! So now that this order is complete Sew Fierce is taking the summer off. I promised my girls more trips to the beach, Sea World, Legoland and wherever else they want to go this summer. I'm thinking I may have signed my life away...lol

I am very pleased with how these outfits came out, I feel very accomplished after this order for some reason. Maybe because for the first time I had to make my own pattern for the "The Dress That Mice Made". I am not a pattern maker, I love buying patterns and using them, but the one I bought to use as the base turned out to be crap and because of that I had to completely tear down the dress.... twice! So I used all my "knowledge" of clothing construction I have learned and got it made. It is perfect, I could not be more proud.

"The Dress That Mice Made"

"Ariel's Dream"

"Tink's Princess Corset"

Have fun at Disneyland Ang, your daughter is going to totally fit in with all the Princesses wearing these outfits. Can't wait to see pictures!!