Bentos #40 and #41... My incoherent Monday...

I believe I mentioned in the last entry that I've been a bit sick. And by a bit sick I mean I've been still able to go to work and go geocaching in the middle of the night and do other dumb things you shouldn't actually do when you are sick. Except for Monday.

I don't remember most of Monday. This is what I've pieced together from my phone history and talking with my boss...

He stopped by at 8:30a to pick up my keys because another employee had borrowed his and not returned them yet. He asked if I wanted to go to staff meeting. Apparently I said yes.

He called at around 10:00 to tell me not to come to staff meeting. He could tell I wasn't feeling well. And we usually don't accomplish much at staff meeting anyway.

I called him about 20 minutes later to ask if he had just called and told me not to go to staff meeting.

I became coherent-ish at 12:30 or so, realized I was an hour late for staff meeting, and sent him off a text that said the following: 'Crap! I'm late for staff meeting! Am I in trouble? Nobody called me. Crap.' And then I went digging through my dresser for something to wear to work.

He called to see if I was dead. And then told me to go back to bed. I did.

I'm not usually like that, even when I'm sick. It rattled him and he spent the next three days calling to make sure I hadn't forgotten how to function.

*****

I packed both of these meals on Friday. But when you work in the industry I work in, mealtimes don't always happen when you want them to, so I only ended up eating this one.

It has the last of the Bamboo Hut bbq chicken leftovers, asparagus, and yams. The bottom has a bit of a banana, mango, orange slices, and a little cup of those minty chocolate chip things. And two chocolate frogs. I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of those... They are SO GOOD!

Please. Somebody. Give me some new ways to cook yams! This one (baked and sprinkled with mrs dash) was not good. They were all dry and almost... chewy. That's not right.

*****

My other bento...

I was a bit worried about how this would keep overnight. I haven't had the best of luck with pasta salads and taste after they've been around too long... as in... more than a few hours. I went in prepared Saturday with a microwave fried rice thing. But. I didn't have to eat it. The pasta salad kept great. Probably because I made my own dressing, which was surprisingly good for just dumping things in a bowl...

I used tri-color pasta that supposedly has a whole serving of veggies mixed in and topped it with tomato, diced ham, and parmesan cheese. I made the dressing with garlic red wine vinegar, a few shakes of garlic and herb seasoning, and some olive oil. It didn't smell all that appetizing when I made it, but I was in a hurry so I dumped it in anyway. I'm glad I did. It was tasty, and it didn't leave a funny aftertaste like the dressings I usually use.

The bottom layer has mango, orange slices, and carrots with hummus in the little cup. I put in a little bottle of balsamic dressing after I snapped the picture. I've decided it's kind of like a punishment to have to eat the lettuce last... I'd much rather end on the fruit, since it's kinda desserty, but since the lettuce is on the bottom... I'm still eating it, but I feel the need to whine about it just a little.

*****

My bountiful basket update:

Yesterday I picked up pineapple, apples, bananas, champagne mangoes, grapefruit, spinach, baby gold potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, yellow squash, an acorn squash, and turnips.

Confession... I didn't know they were turnips. I've never had one before. I went to work and somebody asked me if I had anything cool in my basket. Since I had no idea what they were called, I said, "Remember the vegetable they use to demonstrate the catapult in Chicken Run? I got four of those..." Yeah...

Here's what my fridge looks like right now...

Aside from the nearly empty box of fresca, that's all produce.

It makes me happy. Now I just have to eat it all.