Simple Wednesday - Fruit salad and biscuits

Here's a comparatively easy and fast one - throw some biscuits in one tier, cut up some cheddar cheese and cukes and cherry tomatoes and throw 'em all with some grapes into the other ties. Voila! This is Roast Meat's.

Thankful Tuesday - Onigiri Bentos

And again, I had to prepare different okazu for them. Bother these fussy children.

Takoyaki's

RM's

Friday! Finish!

This is also one of the must have items on my bento list this year. Actually, must have item on Roast Meat's list. Mini chicken pies (store bought).

Teriyaki Chicken Don Bento

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Emmem and I talked about having a list of foods that we were going through for our children's bentos this year. So here is my very first Teriyaki Chicken Bento for 2014.

RM has got sides of stirfried greens and a ham and tempeh (Indonesian fermented soybeans) side dish.

This was lunch for me and Mouse. Awesome with some kimchi.

This was Minnie's recess (but she didn't get it because she went early to school).

Takoyaki wanted something else so here is her first self-packed box of the year for her Sec One Camp - Gardenia Butter Rolls. She loves them (and so do I, oops).

Cheeseburger Bento

I made beef patties on Sunday for this week, on request, actually, from Roast Meat, because he wanted to bring "a real hamburger, Mum!" to school for recess.

And for a light bit of entertainment, here's a funny song called His Cheeseburger.

Cold Chicken Udon Bento

This bento would probably be more welcome in the hot summer months (granted Singapore is pretty much summer all year round but we narrow it down to 9 months of occasional rain and oppressive heat).

But Takoyaki said it was nice d:) Cold steamed chicken over cold udon tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper and some stevia.

Takoyaki's cold udon bento

Minnie had a mini version for her recess today.

Minnie's cold udon bento

Maniac Monday - What a load of Nori

Roast Meat is always, always glad to bring onigiris. This box is kind of too heavy on the carb, but I tell myself that for the rest of the week I will bring balance back to the Force by stuffing him with veggies.

Fussy Friday for Two Fussy Children

It often happens that when I have plan-overs for bentos the next day, one of my two jokers will tell me s/he does not like it/want it for bento. If I'm in a good mood I just try and dig out other foods for the fussy feller. If I'm not, I scream and throw a pot at them and tell them to make their own bento or go buy their own food. Nah, I'm kidding d:P 

 

Takoyaki loved the Korean ginseng chicken soup we had for dinner so that was her lunch, good to go!

The fussy one got some (slightly deformed) mini buns and ooooh, his favourite - cheddar cheese cubes. On hindsight, I realise I forgot to pack some ice packs with them. Must ask him whether they were all melted or not, but recess time.

Okra Mini-don

Okra, this edible green seed pod, is high in vitamin C, folate, fibre, and a good source of Calcium and Potassium. But the reason it's one of my favourite vegetables is that it's so delicious! I enjoy the slight crunchiness when it's raw or quickly blanched, and also the mucilaginous texture when it's cooked longer. Alas, both Takoyaki and Roast Meat do not like that slimy texture, so I have never been able to put okra in their bentos.

 

But along comes Minnie, who absolutely adores okra! It gave me incredible pleasure to place these beautiful star-shaped okra "flowers" on her rice that has been mixed with some homemade salmon flakes.

Minnie's Recess - Mini Bunny Buns

It is hard to remember that a Primary One child, especially one who generally eats quite slowly, should have a somewhat less substantial box than RM or Takoyaki. It's just that I have been so used to preparing their portion sizes that I need reminders now and then to pack less for her. She did not manage to finish the box I gave her last week.

For today, she received two mini strawberry jam buns (ooh so cute Jiyee!), chicken karaage and fruits. I'm pretty sure she finished it this time i.e. no feedback.

Udon Stirfry & Mixed Chicken

Another Leftover - I mean PLAN-over - bento today for Takoyaki and Roast Meat. We had some chicken cutlets and chicken chop (ran out of biscuit crumbs for the last boneless piece, sheesh!) for dinner last night so definitely kept some for bentos.

Takoyaki's Bento

RM's

I stirfried the udon last night as well, just before bedtime, with some leftover bits of capsicum and mushrooms I had in the fridge. Then tossed in a mix of hoisin sauce and black pepper sauce, toss toss, and it's done!

The mini clementines put me in a festive Lunar New Year mood.

Hope you're having a Chirashi Day!

I know Takoyaki, Roast Meat and Minnie are d<)

Chirashi bentos for the lot - tamagoyaki, edamame, cherry tomatoes and some clementine wedges over a bed of sushi rice. Oops I forgot to top with some nori strips.

Takoyaki and RM's chirashi bentos

Closeup of RM's bento

Next up, Minnie's, which is actually more or less the same thing except I had the time to make onigiris for her. The (comparative) leisure of making a late morning bento...

Minnie's chirashi onigiri bento

And we have finally reached the end of the first full school week of the year... *yay*

Minnie's Recess - New Dedicated Box

Here is my second school bento for Minnie (it was yesterday's).

Two fish-shaped mini buns, two pieces of seaweed chicken, grapes, cherry tomatoes and cuke sticks. Tiny portions for the almost 7yo girl.

Leftover Wednesday - Miso Stew

On days that I need to cook but am not in the mood to prepare and cook each individual dish in a typical Chinese meal of rice and side dishes, the Japanese hotpot is a lifesaver. So is the Korean kimchi chigae. Just throw all the ingredients in, starting with what takes longest to cook first all the way to what cooks in an instant. No marinating required. Shiok.

Our dinner last night was Jap hotpot (not steamboat, I cooked everything in the kitchen in the pot before serving the whole pot at the table). Leftovers were just right for today's bento.

Leftover miso stew bento for Takoyaki

Anti-clockwise from bottom - rice with furikake, leftover miso-chicken-carrot-cabbage-straw mushiroom stew and kimchi + kiwifruit. Eh what's the kimchi doing in this meal.

Carb Stirfry Variety

Today is the first Monday of the first full school week of the year (quoted from mrbrown, adapted to school).

Simple fare for both Takoyaki and Roast Meat - kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap) with leftover Christmas ham, and the usual fruits and veg.

Kimchi fried rice bento

But today we have a special, recurring guest! Minnie, who has begun Primary One, will also be receiving recess bentos occasionally (possibly even more frequently). For the very first bento on the first Monday of the first...... ok, forward. She had Fusili Napolitan (Spaghetti Napolitan is supposed to the authentic Japanese dish but I had to clear out some fusili) and I'm still waiting for reviews from that quarter. Not sure whether tomorrow I get to bento for her or not. It is enjoyable to bento leisurely in the late morning since she leaves for school at 12noon.

Spaghetti, er, Fusili Napolitan bento

Do two types make a variety? Well, who cares.

2014 - We Bento On!

The first bento of the new year always causes me to heave a sigh... because I can finally tell myself to burn all them previous year's bento pics into a CD. It's a pleasant way of "closing" the previous year's hard work as well.

 

This year, we begin a new phase in our journey as a family - Takoyaki enters Secondary School. She is excited to try out all the new foods available in her new school canteen, but I was very pleased when she accepted a bento for the first day of school, as it is stated in her timetable that there will be two recesses.

Hence today's bento for both kids consists of a simple nori-wrapped onigiri with furikake filling, and a ham-apple-tomato salad.