Having said all that, here’s the week that was in home-prepared school lunches.

Day 1 – Sweet and Spicy Shrimps with Brown Rice and Fresh Cherries

The Sweet and Spicy Shrimps was specially requested by my daughter. I, of course, obliged. ;)

Day 2 – Steamed Brown Rice topped with Stir-Fried Chayotes and Ground Turkey

My daughter absolutely loves stir-fried chayotes. The fruit component of the lunch was sliced super sweet cantaloupe.

Day 3 – Chicken Curry and Brown Rice

Chicken Curry is another one of my daughter’s favorite dishes. She likes anything with coconut milk. *wink* She once again had sliced cantaloupe completing the lunch ensemble. ;)

Day 4 – Misua (Chinese Vermicelli) with Ground Turkey and Carrots

Another dish that my daughter wouldn’t mind having again and again is Misua. It’s vermicelli soup, which she sometimes even eats with rice. Don’t judge! I do that, too! Haha! :D

Day 5 – Skinless Longanisa (Filipino Sausage) with Brown Rice 

This is yet another favorite – longanisa. You don’t know how much my daughter would love to have vinegar for dipping sauce to go with the skinless longanisa! I suggested the alternative, which is sliced tomatoes but she has convinced herself she doesn’t like tomatoes all that much. I packed some watermelon and cucumber slices instead.

And that’s last week in home-prepared lunches. ;)

Cheers, y’all! Mabuhay!

What I ended up buying, however, were reusable cutlery…

This was a eureka moment for me. My daughter already has reusable forks and chopsticks. But she doesn’t have a reusable spoon and knife. This Cutlery to Go set has everything!

There are only 2 handles (the bottom part of the cutlery) so my daughter has to make up her mind whether she wants to use a spoon and fork…

…a fork and knife…

…or chopsticks.

Did I mention these are BPA-free? The price for this set is $4.99 plus tax, a little on the steep side. But I just couldn’t resist passing up on them! And besides, my daughter wanted them, too. *wink* It’s a pretty good set to add to my lunch-to-go inventory. It’s also a small step in being earth/environment friendly. My daughter has not been using plastic cutlery with her home-prepared lunches for a very long time now.

With that, I say I’m ready to get back to making school lunches for my favorite girl. I’m just not quite ready to give up sleeping in. Hee hee.

Have a great week ahead, y’all! And have a wonderful school year ahead! Cheers and mabuhay!

Here are two of the lunchables I prepared for my daughter last week:

Shrimp Omelet Bento

How is this different from battered shrimp dishes I’ve made before?  This is a Korean recipe.  I will post the recipe in the next few days.  Promise!  See that ball with a cute yellow pick in it?  That’s a yema (custard) ball. My daughter confessed when she came home that day she had this for lunch that she ate the yema ball first before anything else.  Tsk, tsk! But being a dessert lover myself, I understand why she’d go for dessert first. Haha!

Beef Siomai Bento

I’ve made shrimp, turkey, shrimp and pork dimsum before.  This was the first time I made beef siomai/shumai. I will have to post the recipe on a separate blog entry. :)

I am ready for Monday’s school lunch.  I should be ready for the rest of the week as well. *cross fingers*

Have a great week ahead y’all!  cheers and mabuhay!

Turkey Siomai Bento

This was the first lunch I packed for my daughter for 2011 after coming back from our vacation.

Siomai lunch bentos are far less alien than acsonix to those who get to visit this blog on a regular basis. Siomai has always been one of my daughter’s favorite lunch-time staples.  I was thrilled to find a stash of turkey siomai in the freezer.  What a time saver! As a special back-to-school treat, I included 2 pieces of pastillas in my daughter’s lunch. *wink*

Spinach Nuggets Bento

I finally got around to making spinach nuggets one evening and saved enough for the following day’s school lunch.

Spinach has a way of ending up looking so unattractive – which is what happens with my stuffed mushrooms and which is what happened to some of these nuggets when I made them for dinner.  I discovered that a good trick is to roll them in bread crumbs.  I will post the recipe for the spinach nuggets in the next few days. *cross fingers*

Chinese New Year Bento

Our dear friends invited us for dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year.  We went home with some of the food  from the evening’s very filling dinner.  That means, instant school lunch for the next day.  Hee hee.

Those are crispy fried shrimp balls.  I also included a slice of Flan Cake for my daughter’s dessert in addition to the fresh fruits.

And that’s all the lunchables I have for you…for now. :)

TGIF!  Mabuhay, y’all!

Adobo Wings Bento

It’s not a saucy Adobong Pakpak ng Manok (Chicken Wings).  I fished the refrigerated wings out of the sauce and browned them in a skillet that was brushed with a little oil.

Pan-Grilled Pork Bento

We very rarely eat pork now, and that one rare time that we did, we had pan-grilled pork and I made sure I saved some for my first grader’s school lunch.  The pork was marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and a little bit of ketchup. Yum!

Rudy’s BBQ Chicken Bento

My daughter knows her BBQ and when we brought home left-overs from Rudy’s, she practically declared ownership of them. Off-limits to mom and dad!  Hee hee.  Fine by me!

Egg Noodle Soup Bento

I love soups, noodle soups specially!  And I somehow passed my love of soup on to my daughter.  We used to split a bowl of noodle soup whenever we ate at a Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant.  We can no longer do that because I will most certainly be left with very little to eat. :D

Like my daughter’s food containers?  See if you have a Daiso store near you.  You can start looking in the free directories you have lying around in the house. ;)

Monday’s almost over.  I’m still a little high from the 5K I ran last Saturday, the Livestrong Challenge Austin 5K Run. *happy sigh*

Mabuhay, y’all!

Here are some lunch ideas from the 5th week of school (September 20th-24th).  This was the week I got to use my new obento supplies. ;)

Shrimp Siumai Bento

It’s no secret my first grader loves dimsum.  I won’t ever mind making this for her everyday so long as the containers come back empty as they always do.  This was my favorite lunch from this week.  I love the colors of the fruit balls and how everything just fit in the container perfectly.

Turkey Longanisa Bento

If this were my own lunch, I’d love a fried egg in it and some tomato slices.  But for some reason, my daughter has no interest in tomatoes and has  somehow lost interest in eggs, except when they’re in the form of flan. :)  She’d love to have vinegar for her dipping sauce but we don’t want unnecessary “commotion” in the lunch room.  So no vinegar! :D

Shrimp Siumai Bento…Again!

What can I say?  My daughter loves this stuff!  :D

Shrimp Dumplings Bento

It’s practically the same as shrimp siumai but “dressed” differently. :D

Chicken Sausage Bento

Talk about lack of effort and imagination.  Hee hee.  This was my least favorite lunch for this week.

I should probably start using my daughter’s lunch containers for my own lunches.  Lunches this size will keep from ever having to think about takingDiet pills that work fast….not that I ever thought of taking any. Hee hee. :P

I hope you’re all having a good week so far!

Mabuhay!

Here are my 2-cents as far as home-prepared lunchables are concerned:

1.  Involve your child in the menu planning.  Very rarely will they ask for beef wellington or a medium well fillet mignon,  if at all. :)  Compromise will be key.

2.  Try to set aside a portion of the night’s meal for your child’s lunch the next day, specially if the dish happens to be his/her favorite.

3.  Always make sure you have fruits and vegetables in your home-prepared lunchables.  Your child has favorite fruits and vegetables.  Try not to run out of them.  Fruit cups should be fine, but please check the sugar content.

4.  Cut the vegetables and fruits ahead of time so you can just grab the containers they’re in in the morning and scoop them into the lunch containers.

5.  Whenever you’re preparing family meals, try to make extra that you can freeze, specially if the dishes are freeze friendly, say, pasta sauce, meatballs, dumplings, etc.  You can very easily thaw them in the fridge the night before (if the food needs thawing) or reheat them in the oven or stovetop.

6.  Always, always read the labels on frozen and pre-packaged food.  I understand that they can be our best friends, specially when we’re running short on time.  But be mindful of the sodium and sugar content.  One rule I always try to follow is not to buy food items, the ingredients of which I can’t pronounce. ;) No to MSG and high fructose corn syrup, no ifs and buts!  Having said that, I’ve long said buh-bye to Spam and corned beef.  Huhuhu.

7.  Use containers that are BPA free!  Never, never reheat food in the microwave in a plastic container.  Again, no ifs and buts!

8.  In the name of earth friendliness, keep the use of plastics (snack bags and utensils) to a minimum or don’t use them at all.  Reusable containers and utensils are best!

9.  Surprise your child with a note in her lunch bag, wishing him/her a lovely day and to enjoy her meal.  Resist the temptation to add that you woke up really early to prepare it when you would have preferred to stay in dreamland. Hee hee.

10.  Have fun!

That’s about it.  Oh, one more thing, it might help to take pictures, which may or may not inspire you to continue what you’re doing and be better at it.  It works for me!

Mabuhay, y’all!

Since there might actually be some people who are able to get an idea or two on what to pack for their kids to school through my postings, I shall carry on as usual. *wink*

Monday (September 13th)

My daughter’s school held a Grandparents’ Luncheon on September 13th.  I came to school on behalf of my mom and my in-laws and both my first grader and I had cafeteria food. ;)

And this is why I make every effort to send my daughter to school with a home-prepared lunch…

She picked a slice of pizza and chocolate milk.  The cookie came with her lunch because it was a special day.  But not to worry, she ate most of my lunch anyway…

I had oven-roasted chicken and whole grain biscuit and some pears.  Like I said, my daughter ate just about half of my chicken. :D

Tuesday (September 14th)

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Shrimps – There are more shrimps beneath all that spaghetti, promise. :)  If it’s pasta she’s having for lunch, I have no problem at all preparing it that very morning.  It takes all of 30 minutes to prepare, anyway.  And yes, I used a jar of pasta sauce.  Will it have any-bearing at all if I say it’s all natural?

Wednesday (September 15th)

Pan-Grilled Chicken Tenders – I almost grabbed a pack of so-called “naked chicken nuggets” at Costco some weeks ago but regained control of my senses before I actually did.  I tell you, those free samples have a way of weaving their magic on yah!  Hee hee.  Anyway, you and I can very ably make our own naked chicken nuggets!

I simply seasoned the chicken tenders with salt and pepper and brushed both sides of each chicken tender with agave nectar (you can use honey, preferably raw and wild!) and had them pan-grilled.  Voila!  My daughter loved it.  She had ranch dressing for her dip. ;)

Thursday (September 16th)

Combination Lomein -  I set aside a portion of the previous night’s dinner for this day’s lunch. :D  Can you tell we’ve been out of fresh fruits for days now? :D

Friday (September 17th)

Crab Sushi – At last, sushi makes an appearance! :)  There was a time when all my daughter wanted to eat for lunch were dimsum or sushi.  That was when she in pre-school.  She’s gotten a bit more adventurous since.

I realize I haven’t posted any recipes in a while.  I have one waiting in the wings. Promise.

Mabuhay, y’all!

TUESDAY

Misua/Miswa Soup with Shrimps and Chayotes – My daughter loves Misua Soup and she insists on eating it with rice.  How’s that for carbo loading?  She can eat this all day so whenever I make some, I make a huge batch. ;)

WEDNESDAY

Pasta Alfredo and Parmesan Crusted Chicken Wings – Since school started, I’ve added Short Order Cook to my list of titles, right below Mommy Awesomeness.  Kidding!  :P  I made my own Alfredo Sauce  and the wings were set-aside from Tuesday night’s dinner.  I’ve forgotten how easy it is to make this creamy white sauce.  Now that I remember, no more buying bottled alfredo sauce.  You can find the Alfredo Sauce recipe HERE and the Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe HERE.

THURSDAY

Baked Wings -  We eat a lot of chicken, ground turkey and shrimps.  That you probably already know by now.  And my first grader just happen to love wings.  I used the recipe for Baked Hot and Spicy Drumettes but omitted the cayenne pepper and hot sauce.

FRIDAY

Hamburger – I cheated on Friday and used store-bought frozen hamburgers.  I used whole grain sandwich thins instead of  hamburger buns.  There are three things my daughter wants in her burger, a bit of mustard, a bit of ketchup and some pickles.  If one of these is missing, you can bet she’ll give you a hard time. ;)

Although you don’t see them in some of the photos, I always include fruit, whether fresh or in light syrup,  in my daughter’s lunches.  Next week, she’ll be having fresh fruits. I hope to sneak in some veggies, too. Promise. :)

I should probably stock up on acne creams.  I’ve got a busy week ahead.  You know what that means, my mixer and oven will once again be hard at work.   But I hope to be in bed at a decent hour every night. It can be done.  Hee hee.  *cross fingers*

Cheers y’all!

Last week’s lunchables, save for one, were a resounding success.  You have no clue just how happy it makes me when the lunch containers come back empty.  I involve my first grader in the menu planning.  After all, she’s the one who’s going to be eating whatever’s been packed in the lunch bags.  Doing so also saves me from the heartache of receiving still half-filled lunch containers when the 6-year old comes home from school.

Here are the lunchables from last week, the 2nd week of school…

MONDAY

Turkey Siu mai Bento – My daughter has been requesting for siu mai/siomai since the first day of school.  I made these the night before (Sunday) and prepared just enough for Monday lunch.  I kept what’s left of the mixture in the fridge.  The melon balls were also prepared the night before.  All I did on Monday morning was steam the shumai and put everything together, including the soy sauce in the cute bottle.  Everything came back empty, except for the soy sauce bottle.  Hee hee. Success! ;)

You can find the Turkey Siu Mai recipe HERE.

TUESDAY

TURKEY DUMPLINGS BENTO -  Tuesday’s lunchables was practically an instant replay of Monday’s.  My first grader wanted shumai again!  I “clothed” the turkey mixture I kept in the fridge dumpling style.  That way, it didn’t look too much that my daughter had the same lunch…kinda like wearing your clothes 2 ways. Hee hee.  I also threw in a slice of banana.  There are 8 pieces of dumplings with half-a-tablespoon sized filling.  All that came back home, at the end of the day, was half the banana.  Success!

The turkey dumplings and turkey siu mai share the same recipe.  They are just wrapped a little differently from each other. ;)

WEDNESDAY

TERIYAKI NOODLES AND DUMPLINGS BENTO – Hubby and I didn’t dare touch any of the dumplings I made ahead of time and kept safely in the freezer.  It was pretty obvious our daughter loved them so much.  I was out of Asian noodles (or so I thought!) so I used whole wheat thin spaghetti, tossed ‘em in homemade teriyaki sauce with MSG free imitation crabsticks and homemade star-shaped steamed fish paste cakes.   The school girl ate everything…except for the noodles and half the grapes.  I’m beginning to think she’s got carbs issues. :D  Half success!

The homemade teriyaki sauce recipe can be found HERE.  Just reduce the sauce and toss the noodles in it. ;)

THURSDAY

SEAFOOD AND DUMPLING SOBA NOODLE SOUP – I was a short-order cook on Thursday.  My daughter wanted noodle soup.  I found an unopened pack of soba (buckwheat) noodles in the pantry so her wish was granted.  I decided to personally deliver this lunch.  I brought another container with extra soup and more crab sticks, fish cake and another dumpling.  Am I glad I brought the extras!  I came home with only the soup and no more of the proteins. :)  Oh, the fruit cup came back home with me, too.  Success! :)

FRIDAY

PENNE ALFREDO BENTO – It looks like a lot of work but this only took  20-30 minutes to make.  The alfredo sauce is homemade and had some chopped spinach in it.  Like me, my daughter loves cream sauce with her pasta.  She devoured everything.  She didn’t touch the beef hotdogs and only ate half the fruit.  Today, she was anti-protein.  Hee hee.   Still, I consider this to be a success!  You can find the recipe for the homemade alfredo sauce HERE.

It was another good week for home-prepared lunchables.  Why do I go through all the work, you might ask?  Simply because I have no excuse not to.  It’s not like it’s electronics I’m dealing with, which is more hubby’s thing.  Plus, PBJ (peanut butter and jelly) just doesn’t cut it for us. It’s a cultural thing, I dare say. :)

Have a great week ahead, y’all!  Eat well and eat healthy!  Cheers!