One Meat, Two Different Bentos

This is Takoyaki's - rice with furikake, roast chicken breast, fruits and veg.

This is RM's - roast chicken sandwich.

Sandwiches for Midweek

I found a new type of sandwich bread by Gardenia called Extra Fine Wholemeal bread so decided to give it a go. Kids reported "ok!" about the texture, maybe since it went with their favourite honey baked ham.

I am loving these sandwich packs from Daiso! They are just the right size for my sandwiches.

Happy New 2016!

Aaaand... we are back! First day of school, a brand new start for both Takoyaki and Roast Meat.

Takoyaki brought a full bento for her first day of school, on which there was a long, combined recess for the whole school - an onigiri, a roast chicken thigh and the usual veggies.

This second box looks rather substantial but it's actually only a box for RM's mid-morning 10-minute snack. A mini onigiri, cheese cubes and grapes.

Unexpected bento

This was unexpected. It's the school holidays and we had a playdate at a friend's house and  I completely forgot to check the menu (kindly provided by the host) for foods that Mouse would be allergic to. I only remembered the day before and decided to pack him a bento to bring along. I'm so thankful for my bento skills!

Menu:

Steamed rice (leftover) with Kimchi

Simple Chawanmushi

Natto

Fusillini Pesto with Grilled Shrimps

Looks like it's going to be a bento-filled last week of school, because Roast Meat is going to be staying back in school almost everyday volunteering. To start the week's lunch, here is his requested Pesto-whatever-pasta.

Fusillini Pesto - Counting down to end of year...

I'm not even sure whether there will be any bentoing next week, although RM tells me he has to stay back in school to help his teacher with something.

Menu:

Pasta (planned over) with pesto (Arrighi's, I don't really like the flavour)

Toasted seaweed chicken

Veggies

Snack box: tiny clementine and a cheese wedge plus Milo

Simple Don

Menu:

Steamed rice with hijiki-umeboshi furikake

One-egg tamagoyaki

Cocktail Taiwan-style sausages

Veggies

Pizza

Dominos, alas.

Aunt and Niece Onigirazu

Well I was going to call it Oyako Onigirazu but that would not have been appropriate as it refers to Chicken and Egg. This is Duck and Chicken Egg so I figured Aunt and Niece would be just about right d:P

Menu:

Smoked duck onigirazu

Tamagoyaki onigirazu

Cherry tomatoes

"Delicious and filling!" reported Roast Meat, although since today's his last exam paper, probably anything would have been as well received.

Chuka Kuraage Don Bento

This is Takoyaki's last school bento for the year. It's the school hols for her, hurray! Poor RM is still struggling with revision for final year exams...

Menu:

Chuka kuraage (bought)

Steamed rice

Tamagoyaki (recipe here)

Blanched Spinach

Cherry tomatoes

Chicken Spring Onion Sandwich

Menu:
Leftover steamed chicken mixed with chopped spring onion and mayo (sandwich)
Broccoli
Cherry tomatoes
Apple chunks

Very Chinese Bento

Very filling too. Takoyaki's.

Menu:
Stir fried naibai 乃白 greens

Steamed rice

Beancurd chicken (Tay's)

Orange chunks

Patties over noodles

Not very healthy but incredibly yummy.

Menu:
KOKA mee goreng noodles (cooked as per package directions)
Mini beef patties (recipe here)
Cherry tomatoes
Chopped spring onions

Long Time No See Urara Boxes

I have not brought these two out to see the light of day for... at least a year? I just skimmed through my blog and the last picture I found that contains one of these boxes was on 28 Oct 2014, so it's really about a year ago!

To think I was once so crazy over these Urara boxes (I made a big fuss about them on FaceBook), and scrambled all over Singapore looking for the matching chopsticks, bag and any other paraphernalia I could find (I didn't find a single one except for the boxes). Ahh... those were the days of bento hunting and shopping.

The truth is, these low cost China-made, two-tiered slim bento boxes by the Japanese company Nakano Co. are not very leakproof unless they are kept upright and secured with a tight band. The hermetic lids for each tier aren't very... er... hermetic. 

From the way my kids dump their bags on the floor and wherever else they have to bring them, I sincerely doubt any gravy I provide will contentedly stay inside the box instead of leaking out all over the bag. I guess I have come to rely on the leakproof ones such as the Korean-made Lock&Lock for bentos with gravies or drippings, metal-walled bentos for oily, non-saucy foods, and our Totoro/Kiki boxes for practically everything.

However, last night as I was packing up the food for today, they seemed to call out to me with forlornness and I couldn't resist picking them up and including them in my plans.

After assuring the kids that minimal gravy would be present (except what is already on the chicken), I set forth to give them (the boxes, not the children!) some TLC.

Menu:
Honey soy sauce chicken, deboned
Blanched broccoli
Cherry tomatoes
Steamed rice with furikake

Everything is either leftover from dinner or else just washed if necessary and added to fill up the space and increase flavour. A very traditional bento.

Unfortunately, Roast Meat woke up ill this morning so he had his for lunch at home.

Neverending Onigirazu Craze

I bought some ham specially for making onigirazu. However, this leg ham from House of Gourmet is rather salty. Well, the rice isn't seasoned so the flavours should balance out. The other fillings in the wrap are leftover roast chicken, cucumber and cheese slice.