Bento for Baby 62: Squash Blossom Risotto

I think risotto is a great food for little ones.  For babies starting out with baby led weaning it is a great soft texture that's easy to eat.  They can also eat it easily with their hands since it gets sticky and clumps together when it is cool.  You can also throw all sorts of vegetables in it and it always tastes fantastic.  For older kids learning to eat with utensils, it is easy to scoop up and doesn't fall off a fork or spoon.   It's the kind of dish that will satisfy both adults and kids for dinner.  And it comes together in less than half an hour!

We got some beautiful squash blossoms with our CSA share, so I thought a nice way to appreciate their delicate flavor would be to use them in a risotto.  I made a classic risotto and then stirred in the sliced squash blossoms with the last couple additions of stock right before the risotto was finished.  The risotto was delicious, as it always is, but I didn't think that the flavor of the squash blossoms came through as much as I was hoping.  But the beauty of being a member of a CSA is I will likely get more squash blossoms in the future and can experiment with fun new ways to cook with them.

So, for Baby Girl's bento on this day, I gave her some of the leftover risotto from the night before.  I packaged it in a 4 ounce glass canning jar so that it could be heated up in the microwave at daycare. To round out her lunch, and to eat for morning snack, I gave her a multi-grain blueberry muffin from the freezer, two sun butter oatmeal balls, some sliced green grapes and a mix of garbanzo beans and frozen peas in the red silicone cup.  This was packed into the top layer of my favorite little green tiffin box.

Similar items to those used in this bento: