I love Ponzu sauce!

Ponzu Sauce
On my last trip to Whole Foods I bought ponzu sauce thinking I'd find some use for it. I had no idea what it tasted like, nor what to use it for, but I remember I had a Japanese recipe book that mentioned ponzu sauce.
Taste wise it's comparable to soy sauce with citrus juice (which is basically what it is), but what I really love about it, is the fact it can completely cover up unpleasant fishy flavor! The little sauce container in the bento above was ponzu sauce, and it was a prefect accompaniment to the salmon.

Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA)
My mom and I have a subscription to Prevention magazine and they recently had an article about eating monounsaturated fats (olives, avocado, nuts, etc.) to help reduce belly fat. My first reaction was, "Yeah right, eat more fat, lose fat." It just didn't make sense to me. But, I did what to increase my MUFA's and decrease my saturated fats after learning about my dad's heart problems.
Now, I'm not going to say I had amazing results, but I did notice a difference in the amount of fat sloshing around my middle :) I wish I had taken measurements, but I'm very happy with the results; besides I get to eat more olives ;)

This is why my bentos have so many olives and avocados.

Snacks

If you were curious as to what snacks I like to eat; the above rank very high on my list, all though I only have them about once a month. The long item in the back with four mochi rice balls, is called dango, the flat pink item is daifuku, and unusual brown item is a wagashi (japanese snack eaten with tea) made from kantan jelly, I think.

Dango
Of the three dangos are my favorite, especially with the sweet soy sauce glaze. Following are a few recipes (I have tried any of these yet):

http://www.recipezaar.com/120390

http://www.c4vct.com/kym/bento/kushid.htm

http://www.c4vct.com/kym/bento/kushid.htm

Daifuku

I also enjoy daifuku (see my first attempt at making them) and they come a wide variety of flavors. I buy mine fresh or frozen at a local japanese grocery store.

For more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifuku

http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/2006/12/ichigo-daifuku-recipe.html (I like this recipe)

http://www.c4vct.com/kym/bento/ichigod.htm

http://www.youkaimura.org/mochidai.htm

Kantan Jelly Wagashi

As for the last item, I liked the taste of it alright, but the texture was not pleasant; it reminded me of konnyaku, something I don't like to be reminded of.

I do recommend checking out Obchan's wagashi posts for more information; lovely pictures and more detailed. :)

(My Bento Diet is not affiliated with Prevention Magazine)