Friday of the longest week ever Bento

This week seemed more like a month, mostly because I was waiting for some results to happen, and we all know what it's like to wait for something that takes quite some time but you can't do anything to hasten it.

Takoyaki's long day again (poor girl, three times a week now she's in P6), and I hope this box will keep her in good cheer - some rather peppery chicken fingers with mayo to take the heat off, pineapple pies (another CNY goody), strawberries and longans.

Roast Meat didn't eat the beef stew yesterday, so he's having it over rice for recess. What a sad-looking picture after his sister's bright, colourful box.

Imitation Tiger thermal bento set

This bento is my cheapskate, low class version of the Tiger Thermal Bento Set (below).

Beef stew bento

I was very pleased to prepare and deliver this to Takoyaki (who had supp class) at lunchtime today, when I went to pick RM up. Thankful I didn't have to pack it early in the morning, phew!

 

Beef stew, macaroni, mango and grapes. I came up with my own recipe for this stew, because I was in a hurry and didn't want to bother with using the computer. I used fresh herbs from my container garden.

Lulu's Beef Stew (revised)

1 kg beef muscle, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 tbsps plain flour
1 large onion, finely chopped or sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or pinch of dried)
1 sprig fresh oregano (or pinch of dried)
1 sprig fresh thyme (or pinch of dried)
1 bay leaf
1 litre beef stock
2 large carrots, chopped into large chunks
1/2 cup red wine
dash pepper

Method:
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat for about 1 min. Toss beef in flour and dump into pot. Try to brown all sides of beef, about 3 min.
Add onion, garlic, herbs (including bay leaf) and continue frying for about 2 min.
Add all the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Lower to gentle simmer, simmer at least 2 hours, or till beef is tender and tendons have turned into "jelly". Taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove herbs and serve hot.

Jiajiangmyun

I ran out of energy and food varieties (for some reason I'm having a mental block), so it came down to instant noodles for Roast Meat (whom I'm sure will be ecstatic once he opens his Foogoo) and his imitation crabmeat.

Featuring Korean style jiajiangmyun (soybean sauce noodles).

First moulded bread of the year

I just realised I have not made moulded buns for the longest time. Unfortunately, one of the cars had too much kaya, which got squeezed out in a few places (so it looks horrible). Thankfully, the other one (cream cheese) looks good.

So Roast Meat will be having moulded car buns with baked chicken wings, clementine and a chocolate treat.

At the last minute, I managed to convince Takoyaki to bring a box of fruits to share with her friends. Hello Matryoshka!

Lotsafood Bento!

Roast Meat said yesterday's bento did not have enough food. So here goes today's Lotsafood Bento!

Imitation crabmeat, corn kernels, peanut puffs, grapes and M&Ms.

It's Monday already?

Roast Meat's onigiri (on the left) has the seaweed sheet wrapped directly onto it, partly because he doesn't mind soggy nori, but mainly because he doesn't know how to unwrap an onigiri wrapper (shh, don't tell him I said so). This wrapper is much easier because all he has to do is tear it down the middle and he can start eating.

Takoyaki's onigiri, on the other hand, has the seaweed sheet wrapped separately from the rice, so the nori stays crisp. I did a video on How To Use An Onigiri Wrapper here. Takoyaki's also got a thermal jar of last night's Fish Maw Soup, because her bento's for lunch, so this will be more filling.

Have a great week everyone~

Dinner Rice Bento for me

I had to go to school this evening for Takoyaki's Parent-Teacher-Conference, which would be followed with the Parent Connection Committee meeting (Parent Volunteers) so I quickly packed this box for myself and hoped I would have some time to eat it before the meeting began. 

It's a very small portion as our Chairperson had informed us that she would be providing some light refreshments (so I was planning to go and help to eat up the stuff, ahem). The same rice, roast chicken, some blanched 菜心 (choy sum), cherry toms and oooh... homemade sauerkraut. The rice is topped with some homemade salmon flakes to up the protein content. And all packed in my beloved Urushi box.

Occasional Rice Bento

From last night's dinner: Freshly cooked rice, roast chicken, veggies, cherry tomatoes and fruits, all packed in pretty much immediately after cooking. The packed boxes went into the fridge overnight, and will warm up slowly from the time they leave for school, till recess time. No reheating this morning. (Nice, means I get to wake a little later.)

Week Two's over!

"New Fridge has arrived!" Bento

My new (bigger but cheaper) refrigerator freezer arrived yesterday, earlier than expected, which really made my day. So what do I do? Go grocery shopping of course!

Roast Meat will be really happy to open his box today. He's got Chinese pork jerky (aka bak kwa), longans and a packet of Hello Panda biscuits. I won't be doing anything fanciful yet since I'm having a pretty tough time adjusting to the new schedule (which excludes a mid day nap for me, necessary since my sleep is interrupted the whole night long). Let's just keep things simple for now.

"New fridge will be here today!" Bento

I'm almost at the end of my sanity, worrying over food spoilage and the state my kitchen is in. Thankfully, the kids are not fussy, and are willing to eat most things.

Everything's dry from my pantry stash except for the fruits, which were in the cooler box (topped up with fresh ice cubes from the convenience store again). This was a really chopchop bento.

I gave myself some retail therapy and bought a new white light bulb to replace the yellow bulb in my kitchen. So my bento photos will no longer be yellow!

Unfortunate circumstances but must still Bento

My Fisher & Paykel refrigerator has given up its ghost, and the new Sharp fridge will only arrive earliest Wed but more probably Thursday. Meantime, I'm living out of cooler boxes (with neighbours helping to store some stuff. But the bentoing must go on! *cue maniacal laughter*

I managed to cop this together for Roast Meat today.

Seaweed chicken, peanut butter sandwiches, grapes and cherry tomatoes (the last two of which are stored in the cooler boxes. I can't very well go and knock on my neighbour's door for ingredients at 5.30am).

Workflow:

1. Toast seaweed chicken and spread peanut butter on sandwiches. Cut and emboss with cookie cutter. Pack into box.

2. Place seaweed chicken to cool in front of the fan.

3. Wash grapes and tomatoes, and stick picks into them. Pack.

4. Clear all the baskets of condiments (from the dead fridge) off the kitchen island and wipe the counter surface.

5. Attend to tot who woke up asking for milk. Put him back to bed asap.

6. Pack chicken in and take photo.

Week Two Day One - worse than last week

I am completely zombified. Was up till late last night baking a spinach mushroom quiche for a birthday potluck today, and my Fisher & Paykel fridge has died, so it's a frantic rush to sort out which foods can be kept for a bit and which ones must either be eaten up chopchop or chucked. There'll be a number of seaweed chicken bentos this week d:)

Seaweed chicken, salmon onigiri and clementine.

Workflow:

1. Steam rice plus salmon flakes (about 7 mins).

2. While rice is steaming, toast seaweed chicken (10 mins).

3. Prepare clementine and pack into box.

4. Let rice cool about 5 mins, shape into balls and pack into box.

5. Take seaweed chicken out to cool about 10 min.

6. Pack in chicken and take photo!

Total time taken = 20 mins

Last Day of Week One

I have survived! We tried out the new (later) timing today, so the kids don't get to school way too early before school starts, and I got to wake later to bento. That's a plus, even if it's only 15 min later! However, things just went haywire because the tot woke too. Thankfully, we managed to head out the door on time.

The box on the left is for Roast Meat, consisting of leftovers from our KFC dinner last night and grapes. Takoyaki is bringing a "fruit platter" to share with her friends. She'll be buying her main meal in school.

Day two of school

We're still trying to get the feel of things. Left on time this morning but kids got to school 40min before school begins. Must adjust timings.

This is Roast Meat's bento. Cheese sandwich crackers, leftover roast chicken, rose apple and a Happy Hippo snack. Did this last night. Slept a little later this morning.

1st Bento of 2013

And so the new year begins. Today is the first day of school for Takoyaki and Roast Meat, who are both in the morning session (for the first time). I will have to bento many more times in the morning before getting them ready for school, and then chauffeuring them to school. Don't wanna think too much ahead, I'll just take one day at a time.

It will be the same food for both as far as possible, which will be really tough to plan since they have such opposite likes and dislikes. For today, I'm thankful that both accept kimchi soup with pork, multigrain rice and apple.

I've decided that I will add a workflow to my posts just to give an idea of how the whole thing got done. For today:
1. Steam rice (leftover) - 10 mins.
2. While rice is being reheated, carve apple and place in bowl of slightly salted water - 5 mins.
3. Place apple into boxes.
4. Boil water to pour into thermal jars. Leave for 5 mins.
5. Place rice in front of fan to cool for about 5 mins.
6. Boil up kimchi soup, pour away hot water in jars, pour soup into jars.
7. Pack rice into boxes, top with seaweed strips and take photo!
8. Close up all boxes and pack into bento bags.
Total time taken = 25 mins including photo taking

Happy New Bento Year!