Lamb stew, Hoppin’ John bentos

I got the Daisy Cooks! cookbook for Christmas and have started experimenting. Her yellow rice was really standout (but best to cut back on the salt), as was the chicken with figs (photo soon). I’ve now got homemade sofrito in the fridge/freezer and achiote oil in the pantry, so I’m due for a Puerto Rican cooking frenzy! My son had some New Year’s leftovers:

• Hoppin’ John (black eyed peas, rice, ham and veggies)
• Puerto Rican yellow rice
• ham
• the requisite cheese cubes

Here’s another bento from last month — I’ve been lazy about photographing and posting our bentos lately. It’s all homemade except for the pita chips.

• Macedonian lamb stew with spinach and vermicelli in the food jar to keep it hot
• Southern cornbread (not sweet)
• pita chips
• hummus

READ MORE:

• Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
• Food safety for packed lunches
• How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillers”
• Choosing the right size bento box
• Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews