Bento at Home

Love to pack my bento lunches. In fact, I have a new bento system on the way after I found a great online sale last week. I can't wait til it gets here. In the mean time, the Carby Boy and I were out junking today. He needed some new shorts, so he was my captive in the Goodwill Store. I found the most awesome set of divided baking dishes. This is kinda like a small TV dinner tray, only better. Granted, there is not room for a lot of food, but then, I always use a small plate anyway to trick my brain into thinking I am eating more. Bento meals always pack in more than you'd think--just because they use space so efficiently. This dish is great, because not being plastic, it can go in the oven or microwave. I took advantage of that feature for tonight's meal.

I had already prepared Chipotle Chicken Shreds for our dinner tonight. Filling this new dish was a snap. In one section, I simply microwaved an egg with a cube of defrosted green chilies. A sprinkle of Jalapeno Seasoning and a pinch of cheddar is all I needed to finish that up. It filled the space perfectly and baked in a little over a minute. That was easy. Next I made some cheese crisps in the microwave--my replacement for tortilla chips and extra yummy. I sliced some grape tomatoes and sprinkled them with some Jalapeno Seasoning too. Then, out of the crockpot came the shredded chicken. A sprinkle of cheese and some salsa, and my meal was ready to go!

It is almost like eating chicken enchiladas--just no tortilla. All the same great flavor, though. Even if you never find a wonderful little dish like this, a ramekin would work just as well for the egg and green chili bake. This is a great meal when you don't want to fire up the stove or the oven.

I'm thinking this dish would also come in handy on Burger Buffet Night. The divided sections would be excellent for extra condiments to choose from. Can't you see pickles, onion, ketchup and mayo in there? My guys can put away the burgers, that's for sure!