Tebasaki Chicken Wings Bento

Tebasaki Chicken Wings Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is another TinySprite bento from last week. She got her favorite salt grilled chicken wings (recipe here), of which she can eat massive quantities. If you make these, be sure to make an extra large batch so there will be enough for bento. They taste best fresh, hot and crispy, but the kids do love to eat them at room temp just as well. The adult version has Japanese seven spice pepper (shichimi togarashi) sprinkled liberally, which makes it mouthwateringly delicious for spice lovers. Make sure to pack lots of napkins, as the eating will be messy. She also gets carved carrots, steamed Okinawan sweet potato flower shapes, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries. Simple, colorful, and tasty!

Added to What's For Lunch!

Furikake Snapper Hello Kitty Quail Egg Bento

Furikake Snapper Hello Kitty Quail Egg Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Another TinySprite bento. Actually, MisterMan's lunch was provided during this last week of Summer Adventures, so I've been making only the little girl's bento. She doesn't eat nearly as much, so I feel like I can make hers in no time at all! For example, in this bento I gave her a few pieces of pan-fried snapper sprinkled with furikake, then a section of steamed corn on the cob, a few carved carrots, a little piece of steamed broccoli and Okinawan sweet potato heart shapes, some grapes and a sliced strawberry. I had one more spot left, just big enough for a quail egg. And you know what my favorite quail egg character is! I didn't even bother to shape the egg into an oval. Once I add the nori eyes, corn ears and nose, somen whiskers and trademark red ribbon, she becomes instantly recognizable. I can make this Hello Kitty in just a few minutes now. I keep a little container of punched oval and circle shaped nori bits, so I don't even need to dig out the craft punchers. She really is the easiest charaben ever!

Meatballs Bento

Meatballs Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

TinySprite gets sweet tomato sauce meatballs in her little bento today (see the sauce recipe here). I was able to squeeze four of them in, alongside a piece of sweet corn on the cob topped with an Okinawan sweet potato butterfly cutout. I nestled everything into a lettuce leaf, but naturally she didn't eat it. She's not a big "salad" fan, unlike her brother, unfortunately. The top tier contains carrots, steamed broccoli, cherries, blueberries, a blackberry and sliced dapple dandy pluot. This pluot variety has sweet flesh but tart skin. Have you tried it?

Pikachu and Pokeball Bento

Pikachu and Pokeball Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is a no-cook bento using (by request) the last of the pizza we got from Tony's. I supplemented with two hard-boiled eggs: one chicken egg dyed in golden beet juice and decorated as Pikachu with nori details, and one quail egg placed inside a matching sized halved cherry tomato and decorated as a pokeball with nori details. I cut all the nori by hand, which was definitely the most time-consuming part of making this bento. I packed everything together with the usual sides: steamed broccoli and Okinawan sweet potato, carrots, grapes and a big juicy strawberry. Pika!

Sausage Zucchini Skewers Bento

Sausage Zucchini Skewers Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

My kids got matching bentos, consisting of chicken and spinach nitrite-free sausage and zucchini skewers. I love the way they fit in the long section of my LunchBot Trio. Veggies went in another section: car-shaped Okinawan sweet potato, corn on the cob, broccoli, and orange and purple carrots. Fruit went in the last section: luscious peaches, raspberries, blackberry, and baby sugar plum.

TinySprite's bento had the same ingredients, in a more petite version. Ta-daaa!

Panda Ravioli Bento

Panda Ravioli Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's a panda panda bento! These are organic spinach and feta ravioli that I lay atop some lettuce and added a nori face to. I had to hand-cut everything since I don't have the right size punches for any of these features. In fact, I don't have a panda face punch at all. Can you believe it? This bento is for TinySprite. She gets a partial corn on the cob (mainly because the whole piece wouldn't fit), Okinawan sweet potatoes, carrots, and some fruit in the top tier (dinosaur plum, cherries, grapes, raspberries and blackberry. I barely got this one to close, but it was secured with an elastic belt. She loved it. It came home empty, for the first time in a while. Yay!

Teriyaki Salmon Bento

Teriyaki Salmon Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is our first real bento after a week off. I made teriyaki salmon and packed it in the two-tier stainless steel tiffin bento because there's more room this way. My boy is entering 3rd grade and I'm finding that the kiddie-sized bento boxes are getting too small for his appetite already. I should have packed a musubi next to the salmon in this bento, but I didn't think of it. He said he made salmon lettuce wraps with the lettuce. This is also one of the few boxes that allows me to pack a big piece of corn on the cob (without slicing off a few rows first, like I have to do in TinySprite's bento). He gets the usual extras: carrot, broccoli, Okinawan sweet potato; and in the top tier peach, cherries, grapes and strawberry.

TinySprite's two-tier bento is similar, although she got purple carrots instead of sweet potato. She ate everything here, even the lettuce, except the corn on the cob. Don't know why. >.<

Sandwich Rollups Bento

Sandwich Rollups Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here's another bento from pre-vacation break; a super easy no-cook one. I made turkey colby cheese rollups, which is just a more fun way to pack a turkey colby cheese sandwich. First I flattened the bread with a rolling pin. You can cut off the crusts to make this neater (I didn't do this, as you can see - they might have rolled together more tightly if I had). Layer cheese, turkey, and fresh greens. You can add mustard or pickles if you like. Then roll tightly. I think I melted the cheese onto the bread first, before adding the rest of the ingredients. I rolled it in a makisu (a bamboo mat used to roll makizushi), then sliced into a thickness that would fit neatly in my stainless steel EcoLunchBox bento box. The rest of the box contains cherries and carrots, and the separate (lidded) container holds Greek yogurt topped with berries and a walnut. Can you see the face? ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch!

Pikachu Bao Bento

Pikachu Bao Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

We haven't had a char siu bao bento in awhile so, here's one for July. I made Pikachu using a bao and a hot dog bao cut in half for ears. I added ear and eye details with Okinawan sweet potato, radish for cheeks, purple carrot for nose and mouth, and hot dog for tongue. Okay, the ears aren't as pointy as they should be. I had to tell MisterMan what it was supposed to be, and he said "Oh, Pichu? It looks more like Pichu." All right then. If you don't know (and I didn't), Pichu is the pre-evolved version of Pikachu. I guess that's appropriate! He also gets a donut nectarine (not very sweet), steamed broccoli, cherry tomato, carrots and cherries. Happy Wednesday!

Added to What's For Lunch!

Gyoza Field Trip Bento

Gyoza Field Trip Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's Tuesday and you know what that means -- field trip day for MisterMan! Today they went to the Lawrence Hall of Science to learn about dinosaurs and fossils and shark teeth. Last week we had wontons. What's another good finger food that packs up neatly and easily, doesn't spill or get squashed, and tastes good at room temp? Gyoza! For these I used ground turkey, since that was what I had, but ground pork is traditionally used. I added a variety of other non-traditional ingredients too, like baby choy and soft tofu. I also added grated ginger, garlic, green onion, shoyu, and sesame oil to the mix. I only had medium thick skins, which are easier to work with (especially if you have kids helping you, since they don't tear as easily), but I like the thinner skins better. They make for a more delicate texture. I took some shots of my half-finished batch before cooking. Just for fun.

To cook the gyoza, I pan-fried in a little oil over medium high heat to brown the bottoms, then added water and covered to steam-cook the rest of the way and get the tops soft. The rest of his bento includes the usual summer fare: corn on the cob (under the strawberry), grapes, lychee, steamed broccoli, Okinawan sweet potato flower shapes, and sliced Sweet Peach Pie donut peaches underneath. I didn't find this batch very sweet. Do you like donut peaches? Maybe it's just the harvest available in our area, but I haven't had any super sweet ones yet. I prefer the regular variety. I packed everything up in a lettuce leaf and wax paper, into a disposable strawberry basket container, and he was good to go!

TinySprite got a similar, smaller, non-field-trip gyoza bento, which I packed in her two tier pink oval box. I love this box; it's lightweight, compact, easy to open and close, and just right for a smaller appetite. It used to have a removable divider in the top tier, but I lost it. However, it still works well for keeping the sweet in a separate section from the savory items. And it looks quite pretty too, I think. Happy Tuesday!

Mapo Tofu Kitty Bento

Mapo Tofu Kitty Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Both kids get mapo tofu bentos today. I halved the batch so that the kids' version would be bland -- er, mild -- and the adults' version would be red hot and spicy! I didn't add any chili bean sauce to theirs, and I placed it in a lettuce cup for neatness and appearance. MisterMan ate the lettuce and all, as I expected, as well as the kitty quail egg, steamed corn, Okinawan sweet potato, carrots, strawberries and blackberries.

TinySprite finished all her bento today; yay! She only left the lettuce but ate all the mapo tofu, peaches, Okinawan sweet potato stars, broccoli, carrot and strawberries. I packed her bento in the Paperchase Daytrippers box, which comes with matching utensils in the upper tier and snaps tightly closed with the cute girls design on the lid. It's the first time I've given her such a "big" box, and was concerned that she wouldn't get around to finishing it again, but the novelty and cuteness won her over, I guess. Super happy about that!

Purple Flowers Bento

Purple Flowers Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Another pair of bento today again: shoyu chicken for both kids - with assorted corn, Okinawan sweet potato, carrots and fruit. I carved flower shapes out of purple carrots in MisterMan's bento; aren't they pretty? He also gets the dark red (almost black) plums that are loaded with juice and super sweet; I think they're called Flavor Rosa. I can't give them to TinySprite or I'll see evidence of them all down the front of her shirt. Instead she gets cherries, which she can eat pretty neatly. They also both get a grape tomato.

Unfortunately, she didn't eat much of this bento; most of the chicken came home. When dinnertime rolled around, she was starving! I'm really hoping she'll get into the practice of actually eating lunch soon. I think she's excited with the new schedule and friends; she'll probably settle down into the routine in the coming weeks. We'll see! ^_^

Wonton Field Trip Bento

Field Trip Wonton Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

MisterMan had a field trip today (they went swimming!), so I made wontons, which are fabulous for field trips for several reasons. They pack up easily, they are perfect finger food, and they taste great at room temp. If your kids prefer dipping sauce, you could send some along in a sealed condiment cup, but my kids love to eat them as is. I packed as many as I could fit into my go-to disposable field trip snap-lock recycled strawberry container, which I first lined with wax paper and lettuce. There was also room for a piece of corn on the cob, a tiny red apple, carrots, a bunch of grapes (beneath) and a luscious red strawberry. I put a little penguin on the corn too, for fun. This Okinawan sweet potato turned a mottled tie-dye purple color; kind of interesting for a change. I find that the bigger ones are more variegated in color, maybe because it takes longer to cook them evenly all the way through? That's my guess. Still delicious though! I cook them every day because everyone loves them so much; we eat a lot!

TinySprite got a similar one too, but a little smaller in size. She has adjusted well to her new school, and appears to have to same lunchtime issue here too -- eating too er, slowly. She finished everything in this one except two carrots though, so I'm happy about that.
If you've voted for my bento at the Bento & Co FB site "Make a Bento For Someone You Love" Contest, thank you! I always appreciate your readership, your encouraging comments and insightful questions. It's what makes bento such a wonderfully unifying community activity. I'm so glad I started this blog almost two years ago -- just because of all the fantastic friendships and connections I've made here. So... thank you!
Added these bento to What's For Lunch!

Colorful Bento Of Hearts

Colorful Bento Of Hearts, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is a bento I made for MisterMan. It contains shoyu chicken in a lettuce cup, carved carrots, steamed broccoli, corn on the cob, and Okinawan sweet potato heart cutouts. I anchored the purple hearts with rice sticks stuck into the corn. The fruit side has a selection of strawberry, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, mango and lychee. All the delicious fruit of summer! And since I'm still on the stainless steel kick, I've packed everything in this cool latched divided lunchbox (one of my favorites). All the foods I've used are ones that taste good cool or at room temp, making it a refreshing midday meal on a warm day. I like the way the metal stays cool in his insulated tote, keeping the food inside crisp and appetizing. This bento includes all the colors of the rainbow, with a balanced variety of protein and vegetation. It's an easy feat with the rich bounty of summer; have you packed a rainbow in your bento lately?

Roadtrip Triple Bento

Roadtrip Triple Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I used my three tier stainless steel stacked tiffin bento set (looks like this all packed up) for a roadtrip snack for my kids on our recent drive down to L.A. over the long July 4th weekend. Each kid got similar stuff: homemade potato salad, dough wrapped hot dogs (pigs in the blanket), Okinawan sweet potato, corn on the cob for my boy, carrots, broccoli and strawberries. They shared the fruit tier: super sweet yellow peach slices, black grapes, de-seeded lychees and more strawberries. I chilled the tiffins until the last moment before packing up the car, and by a few hours into the drive they were ready to eat. It was very refreshing to enjoy cool bentos during that hot (90F temps) trip. I didn't use any ice packs but they really stayed cool very well. I highly recommend packing this kind of bento if you'll be traveling somewhere warm this summer. Now I'm wishing I had the 4-tier...

Fourth Of July Bento

Fourth Of July Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I made this Fourth of July Bento for MisterMan last week since he didn't have school today, but I'll post it today, since we're finally back home after a long weekend road trip without wifi. He got All-American pigs in a blanket, steamed corn on the cob (with a grape and strawberry face), broccoli & carrots, homemade potato salad (with radish starburst and "4th" cutouts), an Okinawan sweet potato mitt with halved hard-boiled quail egg & nori "baseball", and an all-fruit American flag made from blackberries, strawberries and lychee! Oh, and I also made celery firecrackers for fun. Is that American enough of a 4th of July bento? Hope all my US friends had a wonderful celebration and an enjoyable long weekend. Ready to get back into the summer routine? At least it's a short week for us! ^_^
Added to What's For Lunch!

Summer Sushi Bento

Summer Sushi Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Our summer sunshine came back today, which put us in the mood for some cool food. I hadn't made sushi for awhile, and I have the perfect bento box for it, so I decided to make a roll for MisterMan. His has krab, cucumber and omelet, plus furikake, inside. One roll fits just about exactly on each side of this cute 2-roll box, but I elected to pack the other side with broccoli, Rainier cherries, blackberries, a little strawberry, carrots, and the delicious Flavor Rosa pluots. This variety is my favorite pluot this season. The flesh (like the skin) is dark red - almost black - and it's extremely juicy and sweet. I've seen my favorite variety from last year (Dapple Dandy) but the batch I got wasn't quite sweet enough. Maybe they'll come through later in the season. I added some edamame in the little side section that's meant to contain either wasabi or ginger, and I packed it all up with a pair of chopsticks in the center slot. Cute, right? The lid (which I forgot to show) is even domed to accomodate the cylindrical sushi. I also have one half this size, which holds one roll and one pair of chopsticks. So handy ^_^

Double Bears Bento

Char Siu Bear Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yesterday in the Chinese deli both kids requested buns for their bentos. MisterMan asked for char siu bao and TinySprite wanted a hot dog bun. They both become bears with a little effort and some imagination. All I did for the bao bear is cut an oval for his muzzle and then cut that piece of brown bread (skin) in half for the two ears. The eyes and mouth are cut from nori and stuck on with honey. There's also some provolone cheese for the eyes.

The hot dog bear is made the same way, except he's snuggled up in a sleeping bag. Okay? My 4 year old seemed to buy it, but of course my 7 year old frowned, "It doesn't really look like a sleeping bag because there's no line to separate it." All right. I should have cut a sleeping bag slit. I'll try to remember that for next time. At least, he's got some butterflies that he's watching while asleep under the stars.

They have the usual sides: broccoli, carrot, tomato, corn on the cob, various berries, pluot and peach, and beautiful Okinawan purple sweet potato. This is the first kawaii bento I've made all month, since school let out. Oops! I thought I would have more time to make charaben in the summer but since the kids have been on break I've been preoccupied with other funstuffs :D Now that they're both back in organized summer programs I might start experimenting again. Or maybe I'll make a bento or two for myself for a change? ^_^

Triple Mochiko Chicken Pool Bento

Triple Mochiko Chicken Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Guess what? If you guessed another shared pool bento, you're right! Yes, I'm really getting hooked on these stacked stainless steel tiffins. I have this round tiffin in one-, two- and three- tier sets. What, overkill, you say? Pshaw! Actually, each has come in handy several times within the past year. There's also a four-tier version which I am wondering whether I should pick up too. After all, we are a four-person family!

Anyway, getting back to this three-tier one: the three bowls stack upon one another, with the bottom one slightly larger (mine!). They latch together tightly so that only the top tier needs a true lid, and it's a cinch to carry. Really thinking about using these tiffins throughout the entire summer so you may be seeing them quite a bit. Today I've given each of us some oven-baked mochiko chicken. The sides vary but include: steamed bi-color corn (surprisingly sweet!), steamed broccoli, crunchy carrot, Okinawan sweet potato, and summer fruit! White peach, nectarine, cherries, pluot, black velvet apricot, strawberry, cantaloupe and lychee!!

The best of the summer fruit, as far as I'm concerned, is lychee. This year's batch is sweet, juicy, and surprisingly small-seeded. Don't be put off by the greenish hue of the skin. I too was surprised by what I've always expected to be bright red, but the fruit inside is indeed ripe and tender. The skin is tougher and thicker (and harder to peel) than I'm used to, but nothing that my adept fingernails can't handle. So far I'm very pleased. I'll leave you with a couple pics of the bento eaters in action at the pool. We had a fantastic time hanging out together, swimming in the big pool, learning to sit-dive, and chowing down our grinds. MisterMan's summer program starts tomorrow so we won't be swimming together for awhile. Gonna miss him.. but he's looking forward to playing with his buddies!

 "Do you like my purple mouth?"

"Take a picture of me Mom, take a picture of me!"

Added to What's For Lunch!

A Bunch o' Pizza Bento

Pizza Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento is homemade pizza and summer-fresh fruit; a delightful combo that everyone loves. Three of us got a bento! TinySprite took her bento to preschool with her while MisterMan and I shared the two-tiered tiffin (again) after we spent the morning swimming and playing at the pool. Yes, I'm loving this summer routine so far :D The whole wheat pizza crust is topped with mushroom, onion, fresh tomato and chopped broccoli stalk (heh) with melted cheese on top. I've packed a variety of sides including: Okinawan sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, cherries, peaches, nectarines and my favorite dark red pluots. I have so many fresh fruit in the house it's ridiculously hard to choose how to pack each day's treats.

Oh, and it was Father's Day yesterday! Did you celebrate? The things that I treasure most about mine: the beachcombing walks together, the salt water aquarium he helped me set up to watch the creatures we collected, watching him catch, gut and clean fish, the trips to Tamashiro Market... but what I hold dearest is the sweet, tangible love he had for me, for my kids, and for my mom. I love you Dad!