How to Store A Ginger

Have you ever wondered why gingers are sold in such huge bulk?  I wondered if I could ever buy just a piece of ginger since I don't use them often in the kitchen.  If I get them in bulk, I end up with a wasted, rotten, or molded-gingers in a matter of days.  Glad my mother-in-law came by and saw my fresh gingers in my fridge.  She took it out and wrap it up with a paper bag.  Not plastic.  Plastics collect and trap moisture.  We all know that moisture is the root of molds and mildews.  And we don't want that on our food.  I was told if we want our vegetables still looking fresh even after 3 or 5 days, wrap them up in a paper bag really well.  Paper allows the vegetables to get enough air circulation and moisture to stay fresh.  At the same time, paper absorbs any excessive moisture that our veggies don't need.  So if your gingers last about a week or 2, depending where you live, wrapping them up with paper allows you to prolong their shelf-life even longer.  I could store mine for months without freezing.

Another way of storing ginger is to cut them up in a serving size and store them in an airtight plastic container, which is freezer-friendly.  Freeze them.  It's the best way.  They last longer.  Taste and texture are not altered significantly.  They're as good as they were fresh.

Banana-Cinn Muffin

Bento Weekly - Round-Up 2

Oct 24 (Monday)

It's the second week of my Bento Weekly.  I thought I would be sending my son to school today with cafeteria meals.  We were so busy with a lot of kids' performances and parties during the weekend, that we failed to shop for this week's pantry supplies.  Anyway, this was what I came up with for Monday.

A salad full of Romaine lettuce, corn kernels, shrimp,
crab flakes & raisins. With a side dish of baked chicken
nuggets and diced plums. I don't know why my shrimps
turned out to be so washed out here, when they
 appear so pink.

I was dreaming about Monday's brown-bag last night.  I have to recall them when I woke up this morning. Ha! That was a nightmare.  But it turned out okay I guess, since I saw a smile on his face when he saw me packed his lunchbox.  I'm glad I still have Mc Donald's BBQ sauce in my fridge.  I sent it with his oven-baked chicken nuggets.

Oct 25 (Tuesday) Picnic Lunch Bento

Herbed beef balls with diced tomatoes,
 carrots with ranch, sliced oranges.

It's this time of the year for the school's picnic lunch again. They will be eating all together on the grass-grounds at exactly noontime.  I thought of sending in something new and satisfying on cold fall weathers like today.  I thought of sending soup, but I'd rather not to avoid spill-accidents.  They're sitting on the ground today, not on chairs.  So I made him herbed beef balls with diced tomatoes on the side.  I covered that diced tomatoes with press & seal, so its juice would stay where it should be.  I did the same thing with the ranch. I also sent him an extra small apple for snack, juice pouch & water.  Then I think I forgot to send him utensils to use.  I guess I would have to drive back just before lunch to make it to him.  That's the life of brown-bagging.  It happens.

Oct 26 (Wednesday)

Chicken Teriyaki strips over steamed rice, strawberry hearts
and banana-cinn muffin for dessert.

I like it when I get special requests coz that saves me the trouble of formulating lunch menus for the following day.  This was our dinner leftover last night.  I guess he really loved it to even repeat it for school lunch.  I forgot to send in ketchup though.  He loves it with ketchup.  Don't ask me why.

Oct 27 (Thursday)

Vege-meat Sushi rolls, egg rolls, red grapes, roasted edamame.
An ideal finger-food bento.

Let's try on that roasted edamame again.  Last time I sent it, it went back almost untouched.  He said he was having a difficult time to shell it.  But after I explained to him that there was neither shelling nor skinning required on my lunch meals, he was determined to try again.  SO I'm keeping my fingers crossed that those edamame would be all gone by the time he's home.

Oct 28 (Friday)

Edamame, meatballs, orange wedges and plums.

This was a combination of bento items of what he had for this entire week.  I also sent in apple slices which I packed it in a Ziploc eliminating as much air as I could to prevent it from browning.  I didn't have a ginger ale or lemon lime soda to soak the apples, so I have to find a way to keep it looking fresh.  So far the week went pretty well.  And I was glad to survive another week of lunch packing.

See you next week!

c",)

Bento Weekly - Round 1

This is the start of the week of my Bento Weekly Meals.
As stated on my weekly calendar, I have prepared as planned.
Hoping I'd go on till the last days of the school-year.

This is Week 1 for Oct 17-21.

Oct 17 (Monday): Japanese Bento

Seafood sushi rolls, breaded pork nuggets

with ketchup, carrot slices with bacon ranch.

Everything home-made except for the  ranch dressing and ketchup.  I sealed it with press and seal since the lids that came with my smidgets are so tight that even I find it so difficult to pop it open.  If you need help to make sushi rolls, click here.  Other questions, simply jot me a message.

Oct 18 (Tuesday): By Special Request

Chili topped with Quail Eggs served with

steamed rice.

I'm glad I was able to store some of our Chili leftovers in the freezer.  I knew he would ask for it anytime.  And he just did today.  He was supposed to bring a new dish, but opted for his favorite Chili.  This is actually one of my regular bento items.  I added a few quail eggs for a new look and I hope he'd consume it as well.

Oct 19 (Wednesday): Korean Bento

Korean Beef Bulgogi served over steamed rice,

Oyster Broccoli on the side,

Nectarine & Kiwi as dessert.

It's another change of menu.  I could tell my son has becoming more accepting of oriental dishes for school. This is one of his favorites but when it comes to packing for school, forget it!  This was our leftover last night and he suggested that he'd have this for  school the following day.  Nice!!

Oct 20 (Thursday): High Protein Bento

Cheese Pizza Bagels, Baby corn on a cob, roasted edamame

This is an example of mix & match bento items.  When you're running out of inventories,  just try to put together whatever's left.  This day the whole bunch of edamame came back because he couldn't take off the shell.  What shell, sweetie?  It's been shelled already.  Obviously, he wasn't familiar of these veggie and was still exploring with me.  So he was still a bit hungry and took a hamburger from the school's cafeteria.

Oct 21 (Friday): Shrimp & Sushi Galore

Shrimp with Mayo, sushi rice, kiwi and pears

He loved the shrimp and mayo idea last night at the dinner table.  He said he wanted another round for his school lunch today.  So I packed it with some of his favorites.  Hope he'd have a hearty lunch today.

See you next week!

c",)

Sushi Rolls - You can make one too.

Since I've been making a lot of sushi rolls for my school bentos, I decided to feature the basic ways to make it.  So you can make yours too.  It's a little bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy as tying a shoelace.

I like packing this for school for so many reasons:

1. It's mess-free.
2. Perfect as finger foods - no need to pack for utensils.  
3. Easy to make & prepare.
4. It's packed with meat, seafood, fruits per slice.

Menudo

Menudo is a very famous dish.  I think it originated from Latin countries, and have a lot of variations over time.  This dish that I am featuring is a Filipino-version.  I learned it from my mom, who's learned several known dishes from all over the world.  I might feature some of her dishes here soon.

Menudo

Pork & Chicken Adobo

Pork & Chicken Adobo

This is my version of the Filipino Cuisine, Adobo.

We consider this as a comfort food on cold days since it's best served over freshly steamed rice.  They never turn bad.  You can store this really long.  Just freeze it and thaw as you crave for it.  The longer you store this, the better it tastes.

I have served this to my family several times, and has repeated it 

quite frequently.  I call it my escape on days I was short of time and ideas.

Introducing: Bento Weekly

What is Bento Weekly?

This is a packed school-meal for my family.  I prepare them daily but I post it on a weekly basis.  I created it to encourage me (and you) to pack healthy meals for us, our spouses and our children.

This will be a good opportunity for me (and you) to continue on what I started, and keep my family eating healthy even if they're away from home.

First of all, help  me figure out the right bento container.  My qualifications are:

• 3-sectioned container good enough to hold 2 sides, 1 entree.
• Leak-proof & Air tight to keep foods fresh longer.
• Dishwasher-safe, Freezer-safe & Microwave-safe
• Lids that are easy to open and close.
• A size of a medium plate so you wouldn't be cramped when eating.
• BPA-free and Phthalates-free

And this is what I came up with:

This Sterilite bento container had met my qualifications and had even exceeded my expectations.  My son calls it his school plate :) It's light on the budget and it's readily available anytime you need to replace it.

Then I have to get small containers that will hold the dips and sauces.  Sterilite doesn't the right size that I was looking for.  So I went on ebay and found the Tupperware Smidgets instead.  I have to stock on these though since Tupperware don't make them anymore.  It is available in many different colors.

Then I have to choose the right water bottle for my son that will meet my son's needs.  And this is what we found:

Thermos Hydration Bottle, which is:

• Made from BPA-free, impact-resistant and dishwasher-durable Eastman Tritan™ copolyester
• Easy-to-use flip-up straw
• Leak-proof lid with integrated carry loop
• Ergonomic design is comfortable to grip

Now I think we're ready to roll!

See you on our next blog of bento meals :)

Disclosure:  All the products mentioned herein were results of my researches.  They were purchased by us with our own resources.  There were no free samples sent to us for reviews.

Project Lunch Box - Week 4

Week 4 would be more like rice lunches for us.  

It's time to train the palate with rice meals this time.  

I'd like him to be more flexible with the foods we have at home.  

Just so I wouldn't be stressing much about low pantry inventories.

With the exception of Monday, all else are healthy rice meals.

Grilled Cheese Wraps for a Green Monday

Grilled Deli and Cheese Melt Wrap, Kiwi, Edamame

Packed with his favorite Fruit Punch and Frozen
Crushed Cup Strawberry-Banana Yogurt.

My son went home with some leftovers today. First time. Why? I think I packed so much for him.  He used to have some friends to share with at lunchtime.  You know little boys who's always so curious about his lunches.  And, my boy was so stressed about that.  He hears all kinds of comments and requests.  For instance, "Yucky green beans", "I'm allergic to shrimps", "I hate broccoli!", "let's trade lunches", and goes on.  There were also times he would just want to hide till he was all done, just so nobody would bother him.  I told him to either just ignore and eat or share a little to them.  

Steamed Chinese Sausages for Red & Yellow Tuesday

Steamed Chinese Sausages over steamed rice,
with corn kernels and red grapes.

I pack my lunches in such a way he has fruits and veggies on the side.  I make sure they vary each day, unless I get a huge supply at home.  So far, he's very happy and less picky lately.  The secret is I just let him know what he's having for lunch the night before.  I never give him choices.

No School Wednesday

My kids were off from school today.
It's PTC Conference Week, and Wednesday is off for a full day conference
 for parents who can't make it on their scheduled days.

My preschooler is off as well due to teachers' workshop set on the same day.

So consider this day be a rest day for us as well.

See you on Thursday!

Chili Thursday

Chili con Carne packed with corn, soy beans, edamame
and green bell peppers served with steamed rice
and grapes on the side. 

Not sure what to pack this Thursday.  Honestly, I'm running out of ideas.  I wanted to create a varied meal for at least a month to repeat over the school year.  Glad I have leftover chili last night which my children devour hot or cold.  Today was his first time to pack this for school.  And, guess what?  I had an empty lunchbox after school.  He said it was yummy and would love to have it again.  That painted a big smile on my face of course.  He also said that the boys in school asked how come he always have yummy lunches.  He simply replied with a smile, "My mom made them for me."  

Adobo Rice Friday

Adobo Rice, Shredded Chicken, Broccoli,
Kiwi & Chocolate Crinkles

It's Jog-A-Thon Day!  Each class jogged in the school's field for 30 minutes.  The classes took turns.  Not a race but the goal was to jog as many lapses as they could.  This was a fundraiser event for their fieldtrip.  Always fun to be a volunteer parent of course.  Because you get to join in the fun.  Orange slices and water bottles were donated by families per class.  Parent volunteers help tally their lapses as they jogged.  Their tally charts were attached and secured with a safety pin behind them.

So today I packed as much food as I could.  I know it would be an exhausting event, especially under the heat of the sun.  And I'd like him to regain his stamina as fast as he could. So he could better focus in school works.

My adobo rice is actually a garlic rice stir-fried with olive oil and added a bit of adobo sauce for added flavoring.  I fried the rice so it wouldn't be soggy by lunch time.  The sauce over the rice is usually the culprit.  I shredded the chicken too for easier eating, and added some broccoli and kiwi on the side for more nutrients. I also packed some chocolate crinkles for his snack.

Need Adobo Recipe?  Click here.

Grilled Cheese Wraps

This is my version of GRILLED CHEESE Sandwiches.

My family is not a big fan of breads.  So I recreated our

traditional sandwiches into wraps.  It's easier for them to grab and eat

when on the go.  It's not too messy to eat in school too.

I make sure the cheese are melted before I even roll it up so all

the sides are stuck to each other.  I stuffed all stuffings on one side,

so when they're rolled up, they were in the center of the tortilla.

Then I cut them halfway or into thirds depending on the size

of the tortilla in hand (8" or 10").

Grilled Cheese Omelet

I make this quite often for breakfast.  

I stuff my omelet with hotdogs, onion, and green or red pepper 

whichever is available, or both.

This one is my Grilled Deli and Cheese Wrap.

I made use of shredded 4-cheese mix and lay out pieces of deli sweet ham, turkey, and bacon.

You may also add lettuce for the greens.  Just tuck it in with the delis.

A Sunny PHO' Sunday

Weekends are the days we usually explore different cuisines.  

Since today was a beautiful fine Sunday, 

we decided to head for Pho as our lunch treat after Church.

Here are some of our favorites at Pho Vietnamese Restaurant.

Charbroiled Beef, Meat Ball & Shrimp Cake
served with Steamed Rice.

This dish was my son's favorite meal.  He asks for this every time
we dine in.  But he gets to split it with his sister too.  My daughter loves the
meatball with her noodles once the soup was all gone.

Charbroiled Pork, Meat Ball, Eggroll served with
Vermicelli.

This is one of my favorite dishes there.  Vermicelli satisfies my appetite
when we're craving for Vietnamese cuisine.  This is a large bowl
and I split it with my husband.  It's a big bowl so better share it than
leave with such a full tummy.

Hu Tieu Tom Thit is a shrimp and pork noodle soup
 served with clear noodles.

This is my daughter's share of the soup sans all the shrimps, pork slices
and garnishings.  The soup has been split into four already before
I could even get a nice picture. 

Project Lunch Box - Week 3

Today is a fresh start.  

A new challenge to fulfill.  

It's the Project lunch Box.

This is the 3rd week of the Challenge.

However, it would be my first since I saw the post quite late.

I was a little too busy fulfilling my Brown-Bag Challenges

in the month of September.

Everything Grilled-Up for a Strawberry-filled Monday

Grilled 4-Cheese Quesadillas, Chicken Nuggets,
Strawberry Wheels, BBQ sauce & a BABY RUTH.

I felt like grilling this morning since I woke up 10 minutes ahead of my alarm clock.  It's another week of brown-bagging for my son to school.  I thought of bringing back Chicken Nuggets since it's been a while since he had it.  This time I paired it with Quesadilla wedges. Four of each.  A Baby Ruth Chocolate for his treat. And a bunch of extra strawberries to fill him up.

Cheeseburger & Salad Tuesday

Today is quite big for my project lunch box by special request.  

Due to my recent success of packing his lunch for the Brown-Bag Challenge, 

my son has learned the value of eating healthy.  

Cheeseburger and Asian Green Salad

 with Ranch and oranges on the side.

We called it Asian Green Salad because of the dressing and some ingredients.  We made use of Romaine lettuce, imitation crab meat, corn kernels, raisins, orange wedges, bread croutons and Thai fish sauce as the dressing.

But for his salad, we did a few alterations.  I crushed the bread croutons into crumbs-like and made use of Ranch dressing instead.  Try the Thai Fish Sauce and let me know how you liked it.

Shrimp-a-licious Wednesday!

Rice with sweet pea and corn, shrimp and asian pear cutlets

with juice pouch.

For a healthier option, I've always mentioned to substitute rice with quinoa.  But since I'm still training my kids' palates to different tastes, I have to break it gently.  It'd come along the way.  My grilled shrimp were marinated with salt and pepper, thyme and lemon juice.

Hotdogs for Thursday

Hotdog on a bun, strawberry halves,
and some oreo cookies for
some lunchbox fun.

Hotdog on a bun is a classic lunch idea.  But it does not disappoint little tummies.  A matter of fact, it is what pleases them most.  Today was supposed to be tuna melt sammies, but he opted for this instead.  And so be it!

Cheese Pizza Bagels for TGIFriday

Home-made Cheese Pizza Bagels,
broccoli and corn on the side and some
of his fave strawberries.

My Cheese Pizza Bagel is just simple to make.  

I'm sure most of the moms could make this. 

It's as easy as spread, sprinkle and bake.

(Ing: spaghetti sauce, shredded cheese, mini bagel halves)

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

I'm glad I made it through this week's challenge and had clean lunchboxes at the end of each day.  I will be making Just a Bunch of Momsense's comment card soon to add to my son's lunchbox.  Maybe that could help me plan my lunch meals for the following weeks.  You might want to check that out too so you have an idea what I'm talking about.

See you next week!!

Chocolate Muffins

Recently, my kids were craving for Chocolate Muffins.  Our trips to the market had been on a weekly basis just to get the choco-muffin-cravings satisfied.  Until finally, my son suggested to make it instead.  I thought it was a great idea, since they can bake with me anyways.  Glad I have easy access of my recipes on my phone.  So we shopped for the needed ingredients instead and started the ball rolling.

My only mistake is not planning ahead how to blog about this.  So I'm missing the important aspect of this.....pictures while baking with the kids.  I'll keep that in mind next time.  Anyway, my 8-year old son took the task of adding all ingredients, while my 4-year old daughter happily mixed.  I did all the measurements, cracked the eggs, and read the directions out loud. Gavin lined the muffin pans, as I scooped the batter onto it.  My daughter licked clean all the utensils (",).  Not sure if that's even a good idea, I mean the licking part.  But if that would make her happy, so be it!

The ingredients yielded 48 mini muffins.  Yup! 48 mini muffins for my kiddos to gobble up. That I think is not the best idea of all.  So I suggested if we could share some  to school. Two trays (24 pieces) to Gavin's 3rd grade class, and one tray (12 pieces) to Adrianna's preschool.  And one tray to stay at home.  NO DEAL!! They both wanted to keep it and store till the last bite.  I guess I would have to schedule playdates (lots of it!) to help finish up what we've made.  Good idea!!

Fresh from the oven

Exploring Korean Dishes

My husband is craving for Korean foods last night.  So this is what we've prepared together.  Everything is home-made.  Nothing compared to Korean Restaurants.  They're still the best, but we were able to replicate it at home when we're just too lazy to dine out.  We made Beef and Pork Bulgogi, Seafood Tofu Soup, Jap-Chae and Kimchi.  We're not Koreans, but it's one of our favorite dishes that we feast on from time to time.  I got the recipe from a friend who happen to be a good Korean cook.  And this was all he  packed for his brown-bag to work today.

Jap-chae

Radish KimChi

Pork Bulgogi

Beef Bulgogi

Disclosure:  Korean photos are not mine.  Didn't get the chance to photograph my dishes as they went all-gone as I served them off the grill.  The kids started chowing on the bulgogis and noodles.  I didn't bother halting them so as not to destroy the good appetite they had last night.  And I thought I wouldn't do justice on the foods if I capture the too little leftovers. It wouldn't look as appetizing as these :-)

Brown-Bag Challenge: The Final Week (Days 17-21)

Monday: Left-overs Seafood Vegetable LoMein, Roasted Chicken & Fruit Delights

We had a splendid gathering last night with friends at home.  We did a lot of catching up.  And we found ourselves almost eating the entire time we were together.  Non-stop I shall confess.  But we have prepared healthy comfort foods so there's nothing much to worry about extra time at the gym the following day.  The kids did their part of getting to know each other.  Bonding while playing nicely.  But the mess after was a great thing to deal with.  We started late lunch and ended up past bedtime.  So there wasn't enough time to clean-up well & prepare for the next day's brown-bag.  We woke up late and just packed leftovers of LoMein and Roasted Chicken from lunch and dinner yesterday.  A repeat but a comforting meal indeed.

Seafood LoMein

Roasted Chicken

Fortunately, my son had an early release today at 12:30 pm.  So I needed not to worry about him much.  I sent him to school with fruit delights.  A mixture of grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and orange slices that will stuff him till lunch at home.  At home, he ate the LoMein as well and was happy and content.

Have a hearty meal everyone! ^-^

Fruit Delights

Tuesday: Pinwheels and Strawberries:

Ham & Cheese Pinewheels
and Strawberries

Fall weather is officially in.  I can feel the cool morning breeze here in SoCal.  And it's getting harder to rise up early in early to prepare the brown-bag.  Nonetheless, I habe to force myself to prepare for my loved-ones breakfast and lunch tummy fillers.

Today, the brown-bag had sweet Ham and Cheese with Lettuce Pinwheels.  It's one of my son's favorites that I have long forgotten.  It took Healthy Eats' Nutritionist Toby Amiador to remind me that it still exists.  So for a change, I packed that with halved strawberries on the side.  While we ate the leftovers for breakfast.  I have to make one with cheese and one without, since my daughter doesn't eat cheese.  Oh for goodness-sake! Even when we dine out, she'll eat anything as long as there are no cheeses...please :-)  It's not that she's allergic to it, she just didn't like the taste of cheesy dishes.

Hubby packed Chili and Chopseuy Vegetables with steamed rice.  I will be volunteering for my son's school after lunch today so I would have to eat from home before I go.  My choice of anything yummy to eat from home.  Might as well heat up a bowl of chili over steamed rice.  Comforting and fulfilling for a cold day.

If anyone needs a recipe for anything I have prepared, just let me now by leaving a comment.  I'll be happy to provide them for you.

Have a wonderful meal, everyone!

Wednesday: Home-made Cheese Bagel Pizzas

I am a bit excited today to create my home-made pizza bagels, as inspired by the frozen pizzas bought in supermarkets.  My children are pizza fanatics.  And since I pledged on preparing my brownbags as healthy and home-made as possible, I decided to make my own pizza bagels for my kiddos.

It's very easy.  

I just needed 3 ingredients for this. 

A store bought mini-bagels, 

bottled veggie-spag sauce, 

and shredded cheese.  

Pizza Bagels, Plums & Muffin

Procedure:  

Preheat oven at 425 degrees.

Lay-out the bagels on cookie sheet

Spread sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Results are healthier, cheesier and yummier pizza bagels.  The kids were excited because they sprinkled the cheese for me.  Next time, I'll just have them do it by themselves, then I'll take it to the oven for baking.  I gave him plums and cupcakes to neutralize the cheezy-ness of his lunch.

Honestly, I'm proud of myself for all the lunches I've made since the start of the challenge.  I never knew I could do wonders when challenged.  I'm happy I made my kids eat a healthier meal each time.  Best of all, my hubby's happy as well.  I guess I will continue this challenge forever.  And I will keep blogging coz it's what makes it exciting as well.

Happy brown-bagging!

Thursday: Pesto Chicken Farfalle

Just to let you know that this is a Broccoli Challenge as well by Kelly. I am doing 2 challenges simultaneously because it inspires me to prepare healthier meals, and encourages my kids to eat healthier as well.  So it's like hitting 2 birds with one stone.  Well.... this one is hitting 2 challenges with one blog and preparation.

Today's brown-bag was Pesto Chicken Farfalle with Broccoli and Nectarines on the side. This lunch is very simple to prepare. I have made the pesto sauce in advance and have stored it in my fridge.  It's made of basil leaves, olive oil, garlic and cheese.  All blended in my blender since I don't have a food processor.  But at times when I'm out, and just crave for it, I make use of any store-bought traditional Pesto Sauce jar.  It works just fine. We have a left-over chicken rotisserie from last night, so I cut it into small pieces to mix with my farfalle noodles.  I separated broccoli from my pesto farfalle because it was by special request.  My 3rd grader is like Kelly, a broccoli fanatic.  He wants to munch his broccoli by itself to satisfy his palate.  But for grown-ups, I tossed it along the pesto chicken farfalle to make it look more appetizing, and not bland.  I topped it off with shredded mozarella cheese.  And of course my fruit dessert would be the famous nectarine wedges.  Blueberry would look better with this but he just gobbled it all up last night before going to bed.  So this is what's left, and we have to make it last.

Pesto Farfalle, Broccoli,
Nectarines

My husband didn't pack his brown-bag today because of a lunch meeting this afternoon.  Lunches will be provided in their office.  So I guess, we'll consider that as his brown-bag for the day.  I'm crossing my fingers that he'll make healthier choices though.

Have a wonderful brown-bag everyone!

Friday: Fancy Garlic Rice & the Works:

Hurray! It's the last day of Healthy Eats' brown-bag challenge.  I must say I did fairly well and made everyone happy.  I have fulfilled my goal and my kids are eating healthier.  But it will never be the last day for my brown-bag chore.  It actually just began.  And I have pledged to myself that I will continue to pack and create healthy lunches for my family, and share ideas as well with other moms in need.

Garlic Rice, Strawberries

and Choco-fudge Muffin

Today's brown-bag is garlic rice with hotdogs, corn and sweet peas.  For healthier option, try QUINOA as a substitute to rice.  Strawberries and a choco-fudge muffin for dessert.

I stir-fried my hotdogs bits with garlic and oil.  I made sure that the hotdogs are slightly browned before I add in the rest of my ingredients (cooked rice, corn kernels, and sweetpeas) over medium to high heat.  You can actually add in carrots as well, edamame or broccoli, depending on what you have in stock.  Then let it cool before packing so as not to create dew inside the container.  I was told that dew is responsible for spoiled rice if you packed it still hot.  Or you might want to throw in ice pack in the lunchboxes to be safe.  I do all the time since he likes to eat his food cold anyways.

Recipes to follow.  Please check back later.

We're teaming up with fellow food bloggers to host a Brown-Bag Challenge, a month-long initiative to eat consciously and save money by packing a lunch each weekday instead of eating out. Join us here and share what you're eating on Facebook andTwitter with the hashtag #brownbag.

I'd like to link this up with Family Fresh Cooking's Project Lunch Box - Week 2.  Feel free to click on the badge to be linked back to Family Fresh Cooking's post.