Hi there! I'm a little overwhelmed as to where to start with the vegetable portions of my bento boxes. Most boxes I see have raw, cut veggies that are cute - but I can't eat them. I'm allergic to nearly every raw fruit and vegetable out there - with few exceptions (citrus, lettuce, raspberry-family, and olives are safe, along with most beans -- except soybeans, which HAVE to be cooked well for me to eat). Key word here is 'raw'. I've learned that I can eat salsas with little problem, pickled fruits and veggies without problem, and cooked fruits and veggies with no problem whatsoever. So here's what I'm looking for: Vegetables that are crunchy (or at least nice and solid) enough after being roasted, pickled or boiled for a long time that are still tasty, and that can be cut to make those 'cute' shapes, because lets face it - cute is GREAT for diets. The more entertaining the food, the more I'm going to enjoy it, and the less I'm going to focus on the *amount* I'm eating. Carrots are one, I know. I can even boil them and still get a decently solid form. I think I can grill pineapple and still cut it into cute shapes. My other issue is that I need to be able to cook these things a week ahead of time without them going bad in our fridge. I want to start my bentos next week (when my box gets in, as well as my ordered sauces and seasonings.... \^_^/ ), and I have access to a few asian food markets so I *can* get my hands on some not-so-local fruits and veggies. Yay! So. Ideas would be GREAT, because at the moment, my brain is on overload trying to think about all of this at once! Sometimes a girl just needs someone on the outside to point her in the right direction(s). Thanks ahead of time! ~Gwaeren