chef salad, dino egg pluot, cheez its, home-made light ranch dressing. (9 WWPP)

You maybe wondering “What the heck is a Dino Egg Pluot?” I know I was when I saw them in the store. So much that while in the produce section I had to Google them just to see what it was. Turns out they are a cross between a plum and an apricot; I figured since both are delicious, then a Pluot must be delicious too… so I bought a few.

Honestly, this fruit was the best I’ve ever had. It tasted more like a candy than a fruit. It is truly a delight getting to find interesting new things at the market but finding a new type of fruit is a rare treasure! Seriously, run out and find these at your local produce stand or food market… they are a must have before their season is over!!

mango couscous, yogurt raisins and dried pineapple, veggies in peanut sauce, peanut satay chicken. (13 WWPP)

I’m a big fan of Thai flavors and I found this really great jarred peanut satay sauce. So, I decided to marinate some chicken in it and grill, and stir fry some veggies in the peanut satay. The mango couscous was a great accompaniment to this quick dish. In smaller portions than dinner and served up with some dried fruit made for a really great lunch on remix.

I think not enough of us out there use couscous as a viable side dish. It can be flavored in so many way and is great chilled as a salad or hot with dinner. An entire cup is 5 points plus, which for me is way too much—I am completely happy with half a cup.

peanut butter and strawberry preserves on whole-grain sandwich round, dried fruit, buddy fruit, baked cheetos, and red grapes. (11 WWPP)

I have been battling being sick the last week, so please excuse my lack of posting my bento. I wasn’t feeling very in the mood for being in the kitchen and my appetite was very small if any at all. I swear I must have been hit with one of the worst sinus infections I’ve ever had in my life!

Happily I am feeling nearly 100% and was ready make some bentos this week! I was feeling in the mood for lots of fruit today; so I loaded up on fruits of all different kinds and ways- strawberry preserves, dried berried and pineapple, pureed fruit and fresh grapes. It is fun to play with ingredients in different forms than usual, simply changing your usual thing from fresh to pureed or frozen can give you the creativity and diversity to keep you on track with eating healthy.

Who doesn’t love a big cheese burger smothered in sautéed mushrooms and onions and oozing with lots of cheese with a side of fries? It’s delicious but seriously hard on the waistline. My Cheese Burgers in Paradise Casserole takes all that is amazing about a delicious burger and fries and makes it healthier and one dish. This casserole will be sure to please the entire family and has been a staple in my family for years.

Ingredients: 1lb lean ground beef. 2 cups 2% mild cheddar, shredded. 1 can (14.5 ounces) 98% fat-free condensed cream of mushroom soup. 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt or fat-free sour cream. 1 medium onion, diced. frozen tater tots (enough to line a 9 x 11 pan, about 60 tots, a little less than a small bag). cooking spray. salt and pepper to taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and sauté the diced onion and the brown the ground beef. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. Drain the ground beef and onion mixture and set aside. In a medium sized bowl combine Greek yogurt, cream of mushroom soup and about 1/3 of the cheese. Take the tater tots and line the bottom of the pan with them, making sure to only allow them to be in one layer.

Spread on top of the tots half of the yogurt/mushroom soup mixture. Then evenly cover the tots with the ground beef and onions. The spread the other half of the yogurt/ mushroom mixture on top. Cover the casserole with the shredded cheese. Place foil over top of the casserole for the first 20 minutes of the cook time. The final 10 minutes uncover and let the cheese get bubbly and browned.

Remove from the oven and resist temptation and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, otherwise your pieces of casserole will just end up a pile of mush.

Servings: 8                                                                PointsPlus: 8

Serving Suggestions: Serve with a big garden salad and have on hand your favorite burger condiments for dipping.

tuna salad and mixed greens on whole-grain sandwich round, fat-free greek yogurt and pureed fruit, pretzels, and clementines and cherries. (8 WWPP)

So, I bought some new containers for my bento, a few in orange and yellow. I love that Laptop Lunches let you buy the whole system or just the parts as you need them. I had some how lost all my medium square containers and was just using the medium rounded ones. In my new containers I filled them with yummy faves like tuna salad (made by my Granny) and pretzels. The cherries I’ve been finding in the store this time of year have been fantastic. Also, a great way to sweeten up your plain yogurt without adding to your points in fruit puree. I buy it in the store in the produce section (can be done yourself), no sugar added and 100% fruit, which means 0 points plus.

cheese burgers in paradise, mixed greens salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots, honey-yogurt vinaigrette, dried pineapple, dried berries. (12 WWPP)

I was feeling in the mood for a cheese burger but wanted to be creative and my Cheese Burgers in Paradise Casserole is just the fix for that. This casserole is loaded with everything that is on your favorite burger and then some. So, in today’s bento I was happy to remix my casserole dinner with some dried fruit and a salad for flavorful lunch that got lots of oooh’s and aaah’s at work.

Look out for the recipe for Cheese Burgers in Paradise this weekend.

mixed berries with greek yogurt, honey and granola, chicken hot dogs, and carrots with cucumber and ranch dip. (12 WWPP)

In today’s bento I combined sliced strawberries, blue berries and black berries with a generous serving of fat-free greek yogurt. I love to drizzle over just a little wild flower honey to sweeten it a touch. I’m a big fan of hot dogs and the chicken ones make it possible for me to enjoy them with way less fat and eating them without the bun saves a lot of calories. I was having one of those really uninspired days making this bento so it seems it was just a hodge-podge of what seemed yummy to me at the time… somebody’s got a case of the Mondays!

I love to create new and interesting sandwiches to spice up an otherwise boring lunch. In this bento I used some deli sliced ham with a Mexican cheese called queso blanco (that is a cross between a feta an a mozzarella.) For a bit of crunch and a fresh peppery taste I added dandelion greens instead of lettuce. If you have a Whole Foods or Fresh Market (in some better chain grocery stores) you can typically find interesting greens that make a great alternative to your typical Iceberg or Romaine. For me sticking to eating healthy means coming up with new and creative ways to put a spin on the hum drum.

So over the weekend I celebrated one year of my healthy journey. I’ve lost 60lbs to date and I am keeping on truckin’, trying to get myself more and more healthy all the time. I’ve been slacking on my bento lately but the realization that it was exactly one year has given me a renewed momentum and I am ready to lose weight and get healthier.

My life has gotten crazy busy with work and the families hair salon. I can’t promise that I will have a bento daily but I will be posting with much more regularity than I have been in the past month or so. Doing this keeps me accountable for what I’m doing and friends, family and followers comments here keep me motivated to succeed in the journey. I’m excited to see what the next year holds in my journey to a healthier me!

Cool and refreshing pasta salad with my remixed marinated chicken makes for a quick, easy and healthy lunch during the work week. Both the salad and the chicken I made ahead of time, over the weekend. All I had to do to prep this bento before work was slice up some strawberries and wash some grapes, less  than 5 minutes and out the door.