Hello... Penguin? World Animal Day "Zoo" Hop!

After scrolling down to finish my agonizingly long post, check out Glory's Mischief and see what animal she chose!

Since onigiri is a more traditional bento food than what I normally use, I decided to try and pack my box to look more traditional as well! Because she'd be eating this at Baby E's preschool, as well as in the car, I didn't want to use a traditional 2-tier box, but I needed one deep enough for the very thick tuna-stuffed head! My usual go-to, EasyLunchboxes, don't look as traditional, and need so much more food than she would eat in order to look all tightly packed and carefully arranged, so I dug through my stash to see if anything else would work. Lunchbots Eco, which is larger than the other Lunchbots styles, fit all my criteria.

Chilly Willy: I used little silicone penguin-shaped cups as molds to freeze some L'il Yami lime-flavored yogurt.
And now I'm smacking myself, because I never checked the ingredients before getting it ready and it has fake colors! I ordered this with my weekly organic milk delivery, so assumed it would be safe. AAARGH! Well, that explains why she was suddenly so much rougher with her sister, screamier and frustrated-i-er, and terrible at cooperating with us after school. *sigh* I should have used a Chobani Champions Verry Berry and made purpley penguins. Dagnabbit!
I gave her 1/2 tsp of baking soda in some milk, since I read at Die, Food Dye! that that can help with an accidental additive exposure. Fingers crossed!

I added blobs of Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt on top and smoothed them around to make white bellies, and carefully placed black sesame seed eyes and little carrot triangle beaks before freezing overnight.

Gone Fishin': I used another mini fish cutter on some orange and yellow carrots, as well as a slice of golden beet, just to try her out on it. I've been making my Pink Dip out of our CSA beets (only it's been either Very Pink, or else kind of orange, depending which kind I use,) but it's much sweeter than the radishes and I don't like it as much. So I'm trying something else with our latest beet!

Hello Penguin!: The black rice was made by grinding black sesame seeds with some random roundy tool thing and a bowl a "mortar and pestle" and tossing them in with the rice before cooking. Pretty neat huh? Thanks to Ming from Bento, Monsters and Daisy Selalu for basically holding my hand through the whole process by giving me advice, suggestions, links, and spoon-feeding me a tutorial. And to all my fans and friends on Facebook and Instagram for instructing me on how to cook rice... 

After using a lot of plastic cling wrap, taking step-by-step photos of my efforts, and double checking the rice layering tutorial photos sent to me by Daisy, I managed to cobble together a decent-looking tuna-stuffed Hello Kitty Dressed As A Penguin onigiri! Wooot!

I used a little oval cutter to make a nose out of a very thin slice of yellow carrot. I tried using it on some dried seaweed for eyes, but the Trader Joe's Seaweed Snack was too brittle. My regular nori tasted funny and was sooooo old, so I threw it out last week. Doh! I ended up using my kitchen scissors freehand on the fluffy TJ stuff. 

The feet and beak were also cut freehand out of carrot, using a steak knife. I used a tiny fish cutter for the fishy she's holding, and I used bits of uncooked spaghetti noodle to secure everything in place. For the finishing touch, I added a red bow pick.

The mini fork and spoon were from Daiso, but I haven't seen the ocean set again in ages. They seem to just have the regular animals utensils set anymore. I love them because they fit in virtually any bento box! The penguin pick is from the same company, and also no longer available.

Strawberry, red grapes, orange and yellow carrots, golden beet, frozen lime and vanilla yogurt,
Trader Joe's Liquid-Tummy Penguins, tuna-stuffed black sesame and white rice onigiri

My little princess got to start in on her lunch on the way to Baby's preschool, and was super thrilled. She chipped away at the frozen yogurt and nibbled on gummies to start.

Before getting distracted by the zucchini bread snack for the mamas (she had FOUR slices!) she ate the face and attacked the head zombie-style, eating out the tuna fish braaaaaaaainsssss during E's class. That's my girl!