Monday, July 12, 2010

Happy Pancakes Toddler Bento

I have been thinking about pancake sandwiches ever since I saw the picture of one in Yum-Yum Bento Box cookbook that I referred to in my mouse post. Well, I didn't get around to making a real sandwich because I wanted to try adding vegetables to the batter in order to improve the nutritious quality of these pancakes, and by then the little girl was too impatient to wait for a sandwich. I used beet juice and grated zucchini to this batch and I was hoping it would turn red so I could cut them into cute heart shapes, but I think I need to use a lot more beets for that to happen. The zucchini bits made the batter less than smooth, so the reverse of the pancakes turned out kind of lumpy as well. At least one side looks pretty good, and it's cool that she's getting a whole grated zucchini and a baby beet (for the entire batch -- which made about 12 pancakes) along with her lunch! I used a silicone flower shape to pour the batter in, and it works a lot better than metal shapes (in my experience). You don't even have to spray the silicone at all; it just pulls away cleanly as soon as the pancake is cooked on the bottom. For my 3 year old, I smeared cream cheese between two pancakes and added a chocolate chip face. She also got a little cup of edamame, a homegrown apricot, some sweet cherries and a lychee. All packed up in our new Hello Kitty bento box that I got in Little Tokyo over the 4th of July weekend. So cute.

Happy Monday, bento friends!

16 comments:

  1. Clever and yummy recipe, and ya know, I've been thinking about that delicious pancake stack from Yum-Yum Bento Box, too! The image is so yummy, and combined with the high kawaii factor...it made a big impression :) Very sweet new Hello Kitty bento box...Little Tokyo sounds like a bentoist's dream :)

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  2. Looks delicious!!! I love hiding the veggies in food :D I do this and then tell Kidlet "Aha you DO love this veggie!" :D

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  3. I haven't used my silicone heart shape yet to make pancakes. I think I better bust it out tonight. Besides, we have lots of eggs at home, and a bit of sausage. It is breakfast for dinner night! :-)

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  4. Thanks Jenn! Pancake sandwich has just always seemed so decadent and a why-didn't-I-think-of-it idea to me! Will have to do it one of these lazy weekend mornings.

    Thanks Jenn -- you are just as sneaky as me, and it pays off, doesn't it? Really, more moms must try the same!

    Sonoma Bento, Breakfast for dinner, or breakfast for lunch. It's really the best meal of the day :D

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  5. I haven't tried silicone shapers for pancakes yet, but now I'm encouraged. Thanks! And what cute smiley face pancake.

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  6. Very cute pancakes! It's a good idea to put pancakes in the bento box ... They are yummy plus kids love to eat them. I might borrow your idea later ;)

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  7. The silicone pancake molds are so awesome! They work like a charm. Very cute and yummy pancake bento... I bet Tiny Sprite will ask you for more! :)

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  8. Love your idea in improving the nutritious quality of the pancakes :D. And the silicone molds did a really great job!

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  9. Sheri, this is such a sneaky and amazing way to add veggies to a kid fave!! You are a top Mom!! LOL. I've got to try this too. : )

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  10. yeah gotta try this hiding veg into kids meal. my kids dont eat any type of veg. the only way for me is to boil veg soup and take out any visible (veg) bits! love the HK box! =)
    cheers/karen

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  11. Thanks Debra, Lil'chan, Lia, Susan, tatabonita, Chantale and anna2003!
    Kids are funny. If you have to "hide" it, then you should. They might realize they like it so you won't have to sneak around anymore. My kids can see what's in there and you're right -- they ask for more. They always ask for more, haha!

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  12. I tried using my silicone mold to make heart shaped pancakes and it worked pretty well! Thanks for the inspiration, Sheri!

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  13. Woo hoo! That's awesome. Thanks for sharing with me!

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  14. I am a grown up now but I always love Kiddie Bento a lot. It looks very pleasing and I always try to do something like this for picnic.

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  15. I agree it's a fun idea for a picnic. Thanks a lot Patty!

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