Korean Bento

A Re-Purposed Lunch

Did you ever wonder what happens with dinner leftovers in most household nowadays?  Tell you what, most re-purposed them in many different ways. For the kitchen ingenious, they create a total different dish out of it.  For working moms, they may pack them for work the following day.  And still for the some, may even freeze them to serve on lazy days. Now which one are you?

We are the people who either re-purposed them for work lunches (yes! We eat the leftovers), or freeze them for any lazy days.  Now that the kids are older and are less picky, they share the chores with us to consume whatever is left.  And they don't mind at all.

The secret to that is the bento-style lunches.  Nothing cute looking anymore, but I make sure they look appetizing and good.  If I need additional compartments, I make use of silicone cups sold mostly at any local Daiso, or online by Bento USA.

Today's lunch is a leftover dinner from our Korean Restaurant dining.  We always order a little too much to what we can actually consume.  Aside from the hefty servings, my daughter was a bit full from her snack before we went to church last late Sunday afternoon.  I like to pack foods in to-go boxes.  I feel it's a great excuse to skip cooking for half a day or so.

Korean dishes is one of our favorites.  From appetizer to dessert, it's all delectable.  So for this bento, I packed Vegetable Kimchi, Chap-chae glass noodle, Beef Bulgogi with Spicy Chicken on a half cup of steamed rice.  To finish the meal, oranges to neutralize all after tastes.  All in on our Easylunchboxes.

 
For my boy, on his Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kit, he had a 3/4 cup of steamed rice, half cup of Beef Bulgogi, and oranges with plum for dessert.

 
Lastly, my girl brought in warm steamed rice on her favorite thermal kids' funtainer from Thermos. She also had a half cup of non-spicy Korean Chicken teriyaki to go with her rice, and plums to snack on for recess.  All klip it plastic containers by Sistema.


Hope you enjoyed today's post.
Happy 1st of September!

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If you need weekly meals straight to your inbox, try MOMables.

It's our one-stop shop when we're on a lunch rut.

Momables' Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets has been my kids' favorite lunches.  I'm sure you could tell coz I've been frequently sending this for school lunch. And I don't even worry about it because it's all-natural and safe for them to consume every single day.  It's by Momables, the only menu planner that my family trust throughout my lunch packing years.

On his Lunchbots Trio, he has homemade Chicken Nuggets on one compartment, a BBQ sauce on the second, and blueberry and edamame on the third.  For this small box, it's a matter of partitioning to pack all the needed nutritions for lunch.

On her Goodbyn Mix and Match Set, she has the same lunch but smaller in portion size.  Everything she needs to be satisfied and stay focused in school.

Happy Tuesday!

 

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

2 Ways to Serve Chicken Taco

I am finally back to blogging school lunches.  Work has gotten way of my blogging life, and I'm so way behind. I have so many lunches to post and share with you.  The good thing is, none of the days left the kids settle for cafeteria meals.  Oh they did, but just once.  That's by special request because their favorite double mini burger is on the menu this month. I believe G and his friends eat that together in school once in 2 months. I especially know that coz I'm friends with his friend's mom, which we both pack lunches for our kiddos to school.

Mr G loves chicken tacos that we have to pack them again.  But this time I made use of ground chicken instead of shredded chicken breast. I noticed that shredded chicken breast holds better and gives lesser mess.  It stays inside the corn tortilla shell. 

Missy A is never a fan of taco shells and tortilla wraps. So I made her corn tortilla chips in lieu of the taco shell.  Same tacos but served differently.

On his EasyLunchboxes are 2 chicken tacos made of corn tortilla shell with ground chicken.  Salsa in condiment cups with spoon to scoop them out, grated cheese on the smaller compartment, and medium-riped green mangoes on the bigger compartment. 

On her Goodbyn Mix and Match Set, Missy A had a similar lunch except that she got corn tortilla chips instead of a shell for her chicken taco. Medium-riped green mangoes and shrimp snacks on the side.  No salsa and cheese for her.

Procedure for Corn Tortilla Chips:

• Preheat skillet under medium high heat, if you prefer to fry.
• Cut the corn tortilla into wedges (cut it into 8's or 12' like cutting a round pizza).
• Pour vegetable or canola oil onto skillet.
• Add the corn tortilla wedges, sprinkle some salt.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes or until crisp.
• Let it stand on paper towels to blot excess oil.
• Serve.

This is a good example of how you can send lunches of the same entree but packed differently.  No kids are alike, what else on their individual food preferences.  Mine are no exception, and  I have to make both happy or one might come home with a sorrowful tummy.

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

Homemade Chix Burger - A Recipe

My children are always drawn towards fast food chain meals. It must be the FAD.  You know, whatever they see most eat is a must eat.  So we had a serious health education talk at home and agreed to minimize fast food products and pre-packaged meals at all cost.  I told them it's not bad to eat them once in a while if they need a bite or more, but a daily consumption would surely hurt them systemically.  Besides mommy has all the time to cook and play with food to make them yummy-licious.  So why not take advantage of it.  And reserve restaurant foods for special occasions.

Lunch was Chicken Burger, which we call it Chix Burger for short.  Mister G had a couple of whole wheat halves of Filipino dinner rolls, known as Pandesal, with the chicken patties in his EasyLunchboxes.  Condiments and pickles were on the side to prevent it from getting soggy.  Sides were plums, orange wedges and grapes.  Usually good with lettuce, but due to my pantry shortage, I sent them without, and complemented it with more fruits.

A smaller portion for Missy A on her pink EasyLunchboxes. Ketchup on the pink condiment cup underneath her Yakult drink with a yellow spoon to scoop it out and spread onto her chicken patties.  One small compartment of smaller plum cubes, and a medium compartment of orange wedges and 2 rows of mini red grapes.

Click here to access the recipe.  Consider yourselves forwarned, this recipe is very simple that anyone can follow.  All ingredients are basic unless you have allergy issues, please consider to substitute.  Feel free to modify according to your taste buds. Adjust salt and pepper measurements. Any questions, jot me a comment below.  Thank you!

All bento accessories are available through Bento USA,

the cheapest and most complete online bento products in the USA.

Other bento gears are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link.
Thank you for your support!

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla & Holiday Napkins

It's my 2nd day to send something Christmas-y for the kiddos today.  I was planning on doing the 12 days of Christmas themed lunches, but as soon as I could find the needed supplies. For now, it would be just a touch of festivity.

Today I thought of putting out my electric grill for a chicken quesadilla.  I was thinking of cutting them into candycanes and  christmas tree, but before I could do it, the kids stopped me.  They don't like anything fancy today so I have to turn the triangular-shaped quesadilla upside down, and ignore the drive to decorate the tree-shaped quesadillas on their Easy Lunchboxes.



I am so glad I purchased Christmas napkins to go with the their school lunches. I got it through a good friend from Red Poppy Cards & Crafts over at Etsy.

She has a wide selection of gorgeous lunch cloth napkins for all occasions.
Need a specific design? Contact her and let her know that I sent you over.
I honestly adore all of her creations.  They're oh so affordable too.



Their lunches are similar except that Mr G had olives on one of his sides. Missy A doesn't like olives so she has broccoli instead with ranch on her pink cup.  Keeping my fingers crossed that she'd eat her veggies.

I hope you had a great lunch!

Aknowledgements:

Recipe: Chicken Curry

Now that school is off, I have put my bento preps on hold as well till the next hop or trips or school year -- whichever comes first.  But I miss blogging so I thought of building my menus on this site to share.

Pork and Chicken Afritada

Having little picky eaters at home is no fun.  I'm mostly stressed planning menus for the week because I would have to consider what they don't eat.  Most of the time, I end up modifying menus online according to my kids preference.  But since I started cooking more frequently, I noticed the decline on their pickiness.  They became more accepting towards new food, and developed positive attitudes towards trying them even before saying no.  That is absolutely amazing!  Believe it or not, but my girl has learned to eat veggies one day at a time.  Her list of veggies are getting longer each week.  And my boy has longer lists of favorite dishes in 6 months now.  Isn't that wonderful?

Chicken Mushroom Soup

This is one of the family's favorite soup. I especially love it because this is the only way I could feed my little girl with celery.  I usually make this on rainy days when the flu is up or on allergy flare-ups.  My secret? I grind the celery stalk in a blender till they're just juice.  If you have a juicer, better.  Boil the chicken, bones-in, till it's tender with the celery juice, ginger and thyme. Then, add in mushrooms and carrots.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer till done.

Try it.  It's really worth making it.  It's good and tasty.  The kids love it. 

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.

Day 14: Skillet Rosemary Chicken with Red Potatoes

As I was scanning through my freezer last night,

I saw I have a complete ingredients for the recipe my family loved the most.  

I have been serving this for a year now,

and has always been an instant hit. I doubled the recipe to make sure 

I have enough left for brown-bagging.  

The kids can just go wild over the lemony chicken.  

The flavor would just burst everywhere. 

Nothing's bland. They're delectable!!

What's good about this is you don't need rice.  

The potatoes substitute for that and it's healthier.  

I'm sharing with you the recipe I found from Food Network.  

It sure is a winner in every household.  

I did a bit of modification according to our taste buds. 

I provided the basic recipe sans modification.  

I leave that all up to you. Let me know how you like it.

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
• Kosher salt
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzlewith the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

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.

Day 9: Sauteed Snowpeas & Chinese Sausages, Chicken Quesadillas

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.

For today's challenge, I made Sauteed Snow Peas and steamed Chinese Sausage over white rice for brown-bagging to work.  I have included recipe as well since I failed to take a picture of it.

SAUTEED SNOW PEAS

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 c. (about 3/4 lb.) snowpea pods, ends and strings removed

1 medium red bell pepper
1 lg. clove garlic, minced
1 c. thinly sliced whole scallions
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander

Heat oil in a medium to large skillet, then add snowpeas and bellpeppers. Cook over medium to high heat for several minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and scallions and cook, tossing, another minute or more. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper, cook several minutes more, stirring often. Add coriander and turn off heat. Serves 4.

My son brought Chicken Quesadilla wedges today with Kiwi slices on the side.

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
1/2 pound lean chicken, ground, OR
1/2 pound skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 packet (1.27 oz) of Fajita Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small green bell peppers, chopped
1 small red bell peppers, chopped
3-5 sprigs of green onions, chopped
10 (10 inch) Flour tortillas
1 (8oz) package shredded Mexican Cheese (4 cheese mix preferably)
1 tablespoon bacon bits (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler.  Grease a baking sheet.
2. Toss the chicken breast with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet.  Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.  If you're using ground chicken meat, pan-tossing in a non-stick skillet is better over medium heat.  You can control it better without overcooking.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the green & red bell peppers, chicken and onion sprigs.  Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
5. Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the shredded cheese and bacon bits.  Fold the tortillas in half and place onto a baking sheet.
6. Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.
Keep checking.

*It would be easier if you have an electric grill because you can watch as the quesadilla cooks.  That way you'll avoid your tortillas from burning.

Happy Eating!!

Day 4: Chicken Nuggets & Peach Slices, Chinese BBQ Chicken

Today is Day 4 of the famous brown-bag Challenge.  This time I packed 8 oven-baked chicken nuggets with peach slices.  I included BBQ sauce for his dip, and a fruit punch juice to finish it up.

My husband packed Chinese BBQ chicken, broccoli and rice.  The same thing that I will be eating for lunch except that I get to be more creative with my dessert.  My lunch picture doesn't have the broccoli anymore because I snacked on it already before I even remembered to take a picture. So what's in your brown bag today?

Chinese BBQ Chicken (by Rachel Ray)
1 whole chicken
1 bunch of green onions
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup sherry or rice wine
5 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Procedure:
1. Cut the chicken into quarters or pieces. Lightly salt and pepper each piece.
2. Dice the green onions, ginger and garlic. Mix with sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar,
sherry or rice wine, hoisin sauce and sesame seeds and puree in a blender.
3. Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top.
Seal the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Light the barbecue. When barbecue is hot, grill the chicken over indirect heat
until meat is no longer pink at the join or to 170 degrees internal temperature.
5. Serve with fried rice or stir-fried pea pods and mushrooms.
*You may choose to use light or dark soy sauce or half and half.


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.