In this Bento, hello kitty rice balls, lamb steak, hushed sweet potatoes, steamed broccolis, carrots and beans.
Lunch Box – Pooh Bear Egg Rice September 24, 2009
Inside this Bento, pooh bear egg rice (mix rice with boiled egg yolk and add salt and tomato sauce to taste, then use cling wrap to make pooh bear shape, all facial parts are from Nori), steamed beans, avocado (use lemon juice to prevent them from browning), mini tomato, rissoles (made from 50% organic minced beef and 50% vegetables – celery, carrot, onion and garlic).
My daughter’s morning snack will be cut up oranges and strawberries.
Afternoon snack is mini blueberry muffin, rice crackers and cheese.
She will probably say “one one” = meaning puppy dog in Japanese when she opens this lunch box though…
Rissoles Recipe
Ingredients – 300g minced beef (organic if possible), 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup Japanese bread crumbs soaked in 1/3 cup of soy milk (or milk of your choice), 1 egg, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon vege stock (powder)
1. Grate all vegetables in food processor
2. mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
3. mould into patties
4. fry them in oil in a pan
Lunch Box – Minnie Mouse Rice Balls
Ok this is for an advanced bento artist (if there is such a thing!!) only.
Inside this Bento, minie mouse rice balls (eyes-cheese and Nori, nose-Nori, mouth-carrot, eyerash-Nori, Ribon-red capsicum and cheese dots), heart shaped carrot, mini tomato, karaage chicken, brocolli.
This took me about 45 mins to make. So only for those who have plenty of time to make lunch box.
Karaage Chicken (Japanese deep fried chicken, absolutely yummy!)
Ingredients-500g chicken thighs, 3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 table spoon Mirin, 1 table spoon Sake, 2croves garlic crushed, 1 teaspoonful of grated ginger, half cup of potato flour
1. Leave chicken (cut into 1 bite size) in Karaage sauce mixture for more than 4 hours (you can do this in the morning and cook it for dinner)
2. Add half cup of potato flour into Chicken and sauce mix (this makes like a creamy thick sauce, may need to add more potato flour)
3. Heat oil in fryin pan and deep fry chickens
Again you can freeze these chicken and they keep well frozen.
Lunch Box – Puppy Dog Croquette with Teriyaki Chicken
Croquette (small fried roll with mashed potatoes and vegetables inside) is quite easy to make. You can make lots of them and freeze them too!
Inside this bento, puppy dog faced croquette (eyes, nose and mouth with cut-out Nori and cheese, ears with croquette), egg roll, teriyaki chicken, broccoli, mini tomatoes, fried rice underneath croquette.
This croquette was actually meant to be a teddy bear but I have given up on cutting ears like a teddy bear.
Puppy dog’s ears were alot easier to make.
Here is how to make croquette and teriyaki chicken.
Croquette
Ingredients- Boiled and mashed potatoes (2 large potatoes), half cup of frozen vegetables, Japanese bread crumbs, flour, egg, salt and pepper
1. mix mashed potatoes and vegetables. add salt and pepper to taste.
2. make a roll and coat with flour
3. dip rolls into whisked egg then coat with bread crumbs
4. fry them in small amounts of oil (i usually use coconut oil or rice bran oil for frying foods)
In case you don’t want to fry foods, there is a way to make croquettes without frying them in oil.
What you do is to roast bread crumbs in a frying pan (no oil) till brown in colour, after making rolls with potatoes, roll those into roasted bread crumbs until evenly coated.
Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients- 500g of free range chicken thighs, half cup of potato flour, 2 table spoon of soy sauce, 1 table spoon of Sake (rice wine), 2 tablespoon of brown sugar, salt and pepper, oil to cook
1. salt and pepper chicken and leave them for 10 mins, then coat chicken thighs with potato flour lightly.
2. Add about 2 table spoon of oil into a frying pan, cook chicken well.
3. Pour teriyaki sauce mixture on chicken then cook for another 10 – 15 mins on low heat.
I usually add a little water into sauce , put lid on frying pan and stir chicken occasionally so they don’t get burnt.
Lunch Box – healthy wrap and a chicken faced boiled egg
I will upload some pics of my daughter’s lunch box for daycare.
Chicken faced boiled egg, heart shaped carrot, healthy wrap (spinach, carrots, cheese and ham), grilled asparagus and bacon, grapes in a lunch box.
This chicken faced boiled egg is quite easy to make, you cut out an egg white part of boiled egg (in zigzag so it looks like a cracked egg), make eyes from baby spinach, and nose (little triangle) from a carrot.
My daughter loves this egg! Although she calls it “one one” which means a puppy dog in Japanese, I like the fact that this little egg gives her a big smile! It only takes 15mins to boil an egg and 5 mins to cut an egg white, eyes and nose. Eyes and nose are attached to an egg by a small amount of mayonnaise.
Morning snack is blueberries and strawberries (both are from local farmers market).
Afternoon snack is rice crackers and Leda apple and Cinnamon bar (from health food shop).
Nothing in the Fridge… September 15, 2009
I usually pack my daughter’s lunch box the night before and keep it in the fridge.
Found nothing in the fridge today..
So what do I do about my daughter’s lunch box tomorrow???
Hmmmm let’s see what I can do with what I have…
There are a few things I am always careful when I make her lunch.
1. Protein content
2. Fresh vegetables&Fruits
3. Colourfulness (Natural)
4. Carbohydrates
Well, I think kids these days eat far too much carbohydrates (or sugar) anyway, so I am not so concerned about that.
Protein is building blocks for the body. It makes muscle, immune cells, neurotransmitters… Kids need good quality protein with each meal.
And make it as colourful as you can!! Green, yellow, orange, red or purple, deep pigmented vegetables are rich in vital nutrients, such as vitamin A, Bs, C, E, anti-oxidants, magnesium, potassium and other minerals!
That’s why you have to make your children’s lunchbox as colourful as you can!
But only from natural colour from vegetables and fruits (or eggs).
Do not use food colourings, they are not good for your little one’s body or mind…
Anyway all I had in the fridge today was Eggs and Cheese as protein source. But they both are an excellent source of protein!
So here is my daughter’s lunch box and fruit for daycare tomorrow.
Boiled egg with Smily face, egg omlette, Broccolies, heart shaped carrot, Sandwich with potato salad (potato, carrot, cucumber, onion and mayonnese) and cheese.
Although I would usually have more protein in my daughter’s lunch box, this still gives her more protein than peanut butter sandwich or vegimite sandwich. And certainly healthier.
This only took me about 20 minutes to prepare. Broccolies were already cooked and potato salad was made for dinner.
So easy done!
She will also have fresh strawberries, grapes and a banana which I have bought from farmers market on the weekend.
Good luck with making healthy lunch box for your children!
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