When I still worked I used to take bentos all the time since there were no readily available food sources near my office. Leaking was not a problem with the ones I had. Www.justbento.com has lots of good ideas, not all of which are Japanese. Maki at Just Bentos also talks about storing a "stash" of bento fillers in the freezer. Other than that, dinner leftovers were my staple. I would also pack bread, filling, and lettuce separately to combine on the spot into a nice, non-soggy sandwich. Also, if you look around a little you can find small packages of real cheese (processed cheese is just industrial (i.e. "cheap") cheese melted with salt -- nothing yucky or chemical added to it despite the name) from France where cheese is more highly respected. A handful of crackers and some fruit will round out a meal. Pink Lady apples resist browning when cut and will be perfect in appearance at lunch time if tossed into a solution of a pinch of Fruit Fresh (vitamin C) and water as you cut them. If nuts were not an issue, then almond or peanut butter would be great accompaniments instead of cheese.

hi woodnymph, glad to hear things are going better. My English mastiff isn't a picky eater but will detect pills in anything after about a week, so I have to alternate what I hide the pills in. I use a variety of foods: peanut butter cream cheese hard cheese hot dogs liverwurst bologna slices cooked chicken livers By alternating foods, I avoid wrestling with his jaws (and his slobber!)-- he scarfs those "hidden" pills right down. Hope this helps.

Tastes vary and recipes vary, and the way people make a recipe can vary so the end product and whether someone would classify it as yummy or not would depend on a lot of things. Try a loaf and see if you and yours like it. It's not a huge loss if you don't.

My favorite is Peanut Butter fudge,only problem is i can't make it!! Mine never turns out the way it should.I don't mean the one on the marshmallow fluff jar either.So my sisters and niece send me some at xmas time. Also like pb&j sandwiches with either apricot/pineapple jam or blueberry jam,like grape jam,but not grape jelly. On a spoon,straight from the jar. On crackers,especially graham with some marshmallow fluff.But even though i love that last one,i don't eat it anymore,too addicting and too fattening. I also have a recipe for PB frosting on a chocolate cake,YUMMO. Just give me PB and i'll eat it someway. Kathi