Fried polenta cakes are surprisingly good cold, so they make a nice change-of-pace carb in a bento, especially if you just happen to have some leftover polenta from dinner.

The Guy (also known as Max) and I have a shared resolution this year: We Must Lose Weight And Get Fitter Or Else. He has high blood pressure, I have high or disturbingly fluctuating blood sugar. But we both have this basic problem, that we love to eat good food. And, especially during the day, we need our tummies comfortably filled or we get cranky.

One solution to this problem: soup for lunch!

The Guy comes up with a manly meat-and-potatoes bento with not a rice grain in sight.

The guy steps it up with a riff on an Okinawan speciality, taco rice.

It's hard to believe that I have never posted this really basic basic, but looking though my archives I have not. So here it is, a 'taco meat' mix that I make all the time in some quantity, freezing in portions. It can be used in tacos of course, as well as a sort of Western-tasting soboro to top rice. I try to get as many vegetables as I can into it. This most recent batch was made by The Guy by the way, proving that it's quite fuss-free...provided your Guy (or Girl, whichever designation fits the non-cooking partner in your household) doesn't mind chopping vegetables, or else can use a food processor.

An Indian-influenced complete-meal recipe, great for thermal lunch jars or cold in regular bentos. Vegan, gluten-free, and even diabetic-friendly, but I promise it still tastes terrific!

A nice, simple fall comfort food bento that might give you some ideas for what to do with the leftovers from a certain feast day coming up soon...

Here's another low-carb, gluten-free muffin recipe -- a remake of an old favorite.