Friday, May 13, 2011
Gyoza Field Trip Bento
It's field trip time! I just realized today that there are only 3 weeks left of school. Where did the time go? And there are 2 field trips scheduled in the next 2 weeks as well. Seems the teachers want to take a break too, I think. For this bento I decided to pack potstickers (gyoza), which are a great finger food and easy to pack in a disposable container. I used a recycled strawberry basket lined with wax paper, and piled a bunch of gyoza on one side. I've made gyoza before (see this post), and I've used whole wheat wrappers before (see this post), but this is the first time I tried NOT-PLEATING them. It sure goes a lot faster this way, but for some reason they look skinnier this way. Maybe I subconsciously underfilled them. When you pleat them, you can put a bigger ball of filling inside, I think. I'll definitely go back to pleating next time. Anyway, the kids still loved them.
This time I used a mixture of chicken and pork filling, with chopped green onion, spinach, and a bit of shoyu/salt/pepper/oil/cornstarch. Pan fry to get the golden bottom, then add water to the pan and steam. My kids pick these up and eat them as is, but if you like you can pack along a dipping sauce. I found a little fruit sauce container (with lid) that was perfect for yogurt topped with blackberries, sunflower seeds and wheat germ so I put that next to the gyoza. After that I wrapped the wax paper around to keep things sealed, and I put the rest of the food (corn, broccoli, strawberry and cara cara oranges) on top.
I was just able to close the container, as you can see. I put a rubber band around it to keep it from popping open, and slipped a fork and spoon underneath. This bento and a water bottle went into a plastic bag and he was good to go. Yes, it's a lot of plastic, but at least they're all repurposed containers that got another use before disposal. Interestingly, he's going to visit a local grocery store for a behind-the-scenes tour of what it takes to get the food on the shelves and most importantly, how to pick healthy fresh foods. Is that awesome or what? ^_^
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Oh MY!!! Sheri, you are amazingly full with great ideas. Will copy this next time my kids has a field trip! gyoza looks yummy BTW.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Thanks Lina. Usually I make a sandwich (boring!) but gyoza works well too. Tastes good at room temperature too.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I've been saving berry containers for summer trips already. :)
ReplyDeleteAlright! We'll banish the brown bags eventually! Curious to see if any kids in MM's class will bring berry containers...
ReplyDeleteSheri! You are so amazing , even berry containers looks luxurious and cute ^__^!
ReplyDeleteI can have a couple of those gyozas too, thank you :P.
So nice idea to use whole wheat wrappers, do you buy them ready? I wonder if it would work to make them by myself...
Hope Mr is going to have a great time :)
Sheri, this is awesome! I think just about everything here is recyclable too. I've never kept any of this stuff! I just put everything in the recycle bin.. Ingenious! Those potstickers look so yummy. Hope the lil dude has a great field trip!
ReplyDeleteGyoza are perfect for a field trip! Delicious, portable, and easy to eat!
ReplyDeletei love to recycle too. I keep those plastic baby food containers for salad dressings and sauces too. my little man also has a field trip tomorrow, that means I will have to hand it to him in containers/plastics that can be thrown away. I think it's spam musubi time again!
ReplyDeleteMe too, I love to recycle "throw away" containers to pack my bentos!
ReplyDeleteI felt a bit stupid at first, but as a recycle bento box still looks by far better than a standard uncarefully arranged tuperware lunch, I just do it all the same and often get compliments.
Great to see I can share this awareness with others!
Thanks a lot karaimame, Chantale, Heather, Mrs. P and "you" -- it's good to see other committed recyclers out there.
ReplyDeleteLily, you would be great with homemade whole wheat wrappers! The texture is different. Maybe a hybrid mix might be better.