5-Spice Chicken Panda Bento

5-Spice Chicken Panda Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's cute panda bento box holds shredded brussels sprouts (sauteed in olive oil, mirin, then tossed in sesame oil), steamed Okinawan sweet potato "flowers", some roasted 5-spice chicken, and sweet potato "fries" tossed with parmesan. The upper tier holds a mini cutie clementine, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. The lid didn't close down over the clementine completely, and I didn't want to peel off the star-shaped cap, so I just smushed it down and secured it with the elastic belt. No worries! It does seem like a big bento for my preschooler, but actually this box is pretty tiny. Her appetite varies a lot every day, but I'm hoping the different flavors in this one will keep her interested. She's not big on greens so the brussels might come home. I'm not too concerned about it because both kids down a green drink daily. I'm so happy they really love it, and even consider it dessert after dinner. Woo!

Butterfish Misoyaki Trio Bento

Butterfish Misoyaki Trio Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Butterfish misoyaki; woo! See the recipe and method I used here. In Hawaii you can find frozen butterfish everywhere, but here I buy it fresh. So good over hot rice. This Lunchbot Trio is perfect to keep the fish (and Okinawan sweet potato stars) separate from the roasted parmesan kabocha and pencil asparagus spears, with the final section going to the grapes, strawberry and cutie mandarin. I put the little piggie dango pick in because otherwise there's nothing very cute about this bento. But on the upside, it only took a few minutes (most of it going to the mandarin carving) to throw together. Yay!

Veggie Chili Phoenix Bento

Veggie Chili Phoenix Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It may look at first like just another ho-hum veggie chili bento (see the vitamin-rich and hearty recipe and method I used here), but notice the very cool avian addition to the ever-present fruit and veggie side bowl. It's a phoenix, and I cut it from swiss cheese using my brand-new intricate cutter I received from Bento & Co! You might remember the dragon cutter I used for Chinese New Year (here and here). The phoenix is similar in construction and style. It's very well-made, sturdy, and cuts cleanly. You can see the craftsmanship here. I love it! Thanks Bento & Co ^_^

Spinach Gyoza Bento

Spinach Gyoza Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Gyoooooza! I found spinach wrappers in the grocery so I had to make gyoza. I think the green color is pretty cool-looking. I used ground turkey meat and added chopped scallions and choy mixed in to make the filling. This double stainless steel box set I got from Bento & Co comes in handy for this kind of bento. I placed as many gyoza as could fit into one box, atop a bed of shredded cabbage, and in the other box I packed the usual fruit (cara cara oranges, strawberry, blackberries, tomato) and vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and edamame). We have a glut of cara cara oranges around here; I can get a net bag of about 12 oranges for 99c. As a result, they make an appearance in daily bento, at breakfast, and in my midday smoothie. I love their ruby pink color, and they are sweet and juicy. Score!

Dry Curry Rainbow Bento

Dry Curry Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Okay, there isn't really a rainbow in here, but it's pretty cheerfully colorful! I packed MisterMan's dry curry in his metal "apple" shaped bento bowl, which I love. It's good for donburi type rice bowl meals such as this one: I put some mixed black rice (with millet and amaranth) on the bottom, and then scooped some dry curry on top. Dry curry is great for bento because there isn't a lot of soup or gravy to get soggy or leak out. And since this box isn't leakproof, it would have been a concern. I made this dry curry by browning ground meat and sauteeing a mix of diced vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic and onion - I also added potatoes, zucchini and corn - then sprinkling 1-2T curry to the ingredients to release the aromatics. I added about 1/2C water and 2T tonkatsu sauce, stirred and simmered until well absorbed and "dry." If it's too strong you can add applesauce to sweeten it up, which is what I did. Or you can add ketchup. The top tier of this cute bowl contains cara cara oranges, strawberries, grapes, blackberries and blueberries. And a tomato and a couple slivers of mandarinquat. I sent this lunch to school at room temperature, but it's also a great candidate for a thermal jar, to ensure a hot curry meal on a cool winter day.
Added to What's For Lunch.

Wings of Bento, and a Celebration

Wings of Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

As I was going through my bento stash, I found this two-tier rectangular stainless steel Ecolunchbox set. It comes with a smaller, lidded box that fits into the top tier and is useful for packing things that you'd like to keep contained. The other Ecolunchbox I have (the oval one you can see here and here) also includes a separate small box, which seems to be where this company stands out. I like the quality of these boxes; the metal is sturdy and well-constructed enough to survive a typical lunchbag-swinging kid. This one, like the other one, has a tight latch, which you might need to practice with your child to make sure he can open and close it easily. Here I've packed some tebasaki (Japanese Grilled Chicken Wings with Sea Salt - method and recipe here), roasted diced taters and asparagus spears in the lower tier, and strawberries, carrots, blood oranges in the top tier, along with cottage cheese and blueberries in the little tin.

As for the kids' accomplishments last Friday, MisterMan finished first in the 3rd Grade District Spelling Bee! He beat out 27 other kids from 8 other schools to take home the medal. Interestingly, although the kids were given a list of about a thousand potential words to study, the second half of the bee drew from a secret list that the kids would only have been able to recognize from their reading. Not surprisingly, most of them were eliminated during that half; and some of those words were tough! MM never cracked under pressure, and spelled the winning word, "admirably", admirably. So proud of him! As for TinySprite, she appears to have performed well in her Kindergarten Readiness Interview, as we received her positive evaluation today. So as promised, they celebrated with their own double ice cream cones this past weekend: pistachio and chocolate chip for him, and chocolate and blueberry cheesecake for her. ^_^

Salmon, Tots and Kale Bento

Salmon, Tots and Kale Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento is filled with omega-3s, antioxidants, and high-energy foods to aid the brain activity of my kiddos: broiled salmon, kale chips, roasted potato tots, carrots, and a bunch o'berries including straw-, black- and blue-. Packed in the ultra-cute froggie two-tiered bento box and my vintage Keroppi folk from the 80s. Tomorrow is a big day for both of them: TinySprite has an interview for Kindergarten Readiness, and MisterMan is participating in the district-wide Spelling Bee. We're hoping there isn't too much in the way of dexterity tests for TS, seeing as how she's currently limited to a single arm. Luckily her dominant arm and hand are unaffected, so she can still write. If you hold the paper down. As for MM, he's reviewed the word list so many times I find myself using those words in my daily speech more than usual, and each time I do ("Look how regal the dog looks when he crosses his arms like that") I hear him spelling the word in the background ("R-e-g-a-l"). We're crossing our fingers they both do well tomorrow; so early bedtimes for them tonight it is!

Chubby Calzone Bento

Chubby Calzone Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's calzone day today - filled with pepperoni, ham, mozzarella, and arugula - and I didn't take the time to make any particular shapes but when they came out, I thought they looked like chubby crabs. So I added a scrunched face and that's what we're calling it. Luckily MisterMan's fit inside his Sistema box perfectly. I like this box for calzones because the sections are pretty tall and can accomodate a chubby calzone very well! The other section contains cara cara oranges, blackberries, strawberries, carrots, broccoli and grapes.

Wraps Friends Bento and Corndog Minimuffins

Round Wraps Friends Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

A cute little bento for TinySprite in the round enamelware bowl with transparent lid I got from Daiso. It also comes in a square shape, and as nesting sets as well. These are a nice alternative to the stainless steel side boxes I usually use, and I like the clean white effect. Here I used four colorful silicone cups to keep things separate: chicken-lettuce-cheddar wraps in whole wheat tortillas, carrots, strawberries and grapes. I also tossed a couple of corndog minimuffins in her bento bag for snacktime. I made a batch of these cuties for MisterMan to take to school for his Valentine party (I found the recipe here), but of course I had to use chicken-apple sausages instead of hot dogs. They taste pretty good, if not exactly like corndogs. Fun idea though! Hope you all had a fun and enjoyable Valentines' Day with your loved ones. XO to you!

TinySprite Snack Sandwich Bento

TinySprite Snack Sandwich Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This was supposed to be a snack bento for TinySprite to keep her busy after school while her brother finished up his homework. It turns out she didn't have a big enough appetite after school to finish this, though. She put away the mini-wiches and the egg, but that was it. I cut a cucumber cup for blackberries, and tossed some grapes, strawberries and carrots into the mix. I also dyed a quail egg in beet juice after forming a heart shape using Anna The Red's method here. It was tricky, seeing as how quail eggs are rather smallish and kind of delicate. If you press too hard you'll crack the egg, which I kind of did as you can see. I added a nori face and some wings, which is my current favorite thing to do ever since I found these cool wing picks. I rarely make cutout sandwiches, because I'm not one to save crusts and odd pieces of bread for croutons or breadcrumbs or whatever it is you're supposed to save all those ends for, and then it's such a waste. But I wanted to use the little mini sandwich cutters that I received from a bentopal (aren't they cute?). I know other charaben makers are asked what they do with their leftover food scraps. After making these little peanut butter and jam cuties, I was suddenly approached by the resident scrap disposal, who often makes an appearance when he hears exclamations coming from the kitchen, such as "Oh no!", "Oops!", and "Crap!" (or variations thereupon). How can I refuse a face like this?

Mac and Ka-broc-cheese-rizo Bento

Mac and Ka-broc-cheese-rizo Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

My kids have been requesting mac and cheese, so I decided to make a giant batch to last them a couple days. They can seriously put away this stuff. As usual, I packed the portions in their thermal food jars; this one is TinySprite's Hello Kitty Thermos brand jar, which holds 10 ounces and has served us well throughout most of her preschool lunch career. I know it doesn't keep the food as hot as long as MisterMan's Stanley food jar, because I've done a nonscientific, side-by-side comparison using hot water and a thermometer. It doesn't really matter for her since she eats within 3 hours or so after I've packed it, but my bigger concern now is that she may be outgrowing this little jar. The last few times I used it, it's come home completely empty -- which is good, of course -- but it just makes me wonder if I could pack a little bit more for her whether she'd eat more.

I've used several different recipes for mac and cheese (like Pioneer Woman's version here and Bacon Mac and Cheese here). Today's mac batch contains three extra ingredients. Can you guess what they might be? Soyrizo, diced kabocha and broccoli! It's not exactly a secret; I've done it before, and anyway I told them I'd put it in, and their reactions were mixed. TS: Yayyy! MM: Did you cut the kabocha super small and mix it in really well? Mmmkay. Can you tell my boy might not appreciate the finer aspects of this wonderful squash as much as my girl? I assured him I did. The other key is to use a lot of cheese. I mean a LOT. Like a whole pound or more. They love the gooey stuff, and I don't think they even noticed that it was whole wheat elbow macaroni. So there. The other container held all fruit, since I was pretty happy with the vegetable load they got in the mac: strawberries, kiwi, cara cara oranges, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes. And, there's a heart. Because it's the month of love. ^_^

Mac and Ka-Brocco-Cheese-Rizo Method/Recipe (I know, not a great name. But can you think of something catchier?)

Cook 8oz (or more if you like) whole wheat elbow macaroni, 10-12 minutes or until just al dente. Drain.
Steam or microwave 5 slices kabocha (or more) and one head of broccoli until softened.
Chop into small dice.
Whisk: 1C milk, 2T whole wheat flour, 1tsp dry mustard, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6-8 minutes.
Add the diced kabocha and broccoli.
Add a half link (or more, if you like) soyrizo. Stir it all in well.
Add: 1C (or 2C, or more) shredded cheddar, parmesan, or whatever cheese you happen to like. Stir.
Add more cheese if you like it cheesier.
Add pasta, stir to completely incorporate.

Added to Allergy-Free Lunchbox Love.

Salmon Trio Bento

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

Today's Lunchbot Trio is packed with the salmon of the week, roasted in olive oil and shoyu. I also roasted some thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, after tossing with fresh-ground pepper and Parmesan. The kabocha slices were -yep!- roasted as well in the fish pan. There was just enough room in the vegetable section to slip some steamed Okinawan sweet potatoes and a grape tomato in there. The longitudinal fruit section holds cara cara orange wedges, a strawberry and some cherries. How handy is this box? This bento didn't take any time at all to pack. Of course, there aren't any cute details, but nothing that a few food picks can't fill in. Even on a busy midweek day, you can still find a few minutes to pack a cheerful lunch for yourself or your child. And to be honest, I always choose divided boxes on days like this because half the job of organizing the food is already done for me. I really recommend to have at least a couple of these boxes on hand. My other go-to is my round divided box (see it in action recently here). Happy Wednesday!