Easy DIY Potato Chips

Healthy Food Idea for your Lunchboxes

I have always wanted to prepare foods from scratch.  But I'm not a kitchen pro, so it only happens when it does.  And for the most part, I'm a chicken when it comes to trying new stuffs.  I read food magazines, recipe books, and watch the Food Channel.  When I found an idea, I would bookmark, print, and imprint it in my memory.  But it all stops there.  I need a little push to try it. Simple inspiration like kids' request.

To make story short, last year I met someone who taught me how to make potato chips from scratch. With a tip to make it crisp and light.  And of course, with lots of kids' request, which made me push myself to make it a family's snack retreat on movie nights and play dates.

So what's the secret?

Make sure you cut it as paper thin as possible.  But don't worry if you can't.  They still taste good, but not as cripsy when their thinner.  My secret is to make use of a grater or peeler.  It takes a lot of practice, but worth the effort and time.

Look for a grater that has an elongated slot like shown above.  They will make your life easier.  It will help you cut potatoes in half the time.

Brine it.  The salt water solution draws the starch away from the potatoes, making it lighter and crisper to fry or bake.  Honestly, I haven't really tried baking it since we love potato chips fried and drained.  Plus, since it's already brined, it's not bland at all. They're as yummy as the pouched snacks.

Deep fry or Bake it. We do option 1, which is deep frying with vegetable oil.  I will try to bake them next time.  But first let me find out the right oven temp and correct length of time to bake it just right.

 

Drain and Serve. Drain excess oil well with paper towels, then serve.

 

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial.  I have found this pretty easy to make and it's nice to know my family devour it on snack time, without the worries of any added MSG or preservatives to it.

Here are the lunches I packed with potato chips. Kids and adults love them just as much.

If you love Healthy Eating Starts at Home, you may subscribe via email to get all my posts straight to your inbox. No spam mails, just healthy food ideas for your lunchboxes.

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!

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

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

Pizzadilla!

Food for your Lunchboxes!

My schedules had been crazy busy for the past weeks. How have you been?  I honestly miss blogging a lot, as I have tons of lunch pictures on my camera. And I'm trying my best-est to upload them on my computer to start blogging the kids' lunches once again.  Bare with me. This busy momma has so much on her plate right now. We will soon catch up and get back on track.

The kids are requesting for PIZZA lunch. I don't have the needed ingredients for the crust, so I have to think of a way to deliver it in the best possible alternative.  Then I thought of PIZZADILLA.  Why not? I have all the ingredients to stuff it.  Back in November, I featured Pizzadilla for the very first time on my blog before it became famous.  I was even undecided whether to call it Pizzadilla or Pizzawich. If you missed that post, check it out here!

This lunch is very easy and quick to prepare.  I have an electric griller that does the trick for me each time. It's all about warming both sides of the flour tortilla before even spreading the marinara sauce over, then add cheese, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc.  You can eat it like we normally eat a pizza, or top it with another warmed flour tortilla.  Flip. Wait till cheese has melted, and tortilla is slightly toasted and crisped. Then serve/pack.

Prep ahead of time!

• Wash and pre-cut fruits and vegetables the night before.
• Decide which lunchbox to use and have all the silicone cups, picks, utensils, napkins, and other gears ready on the kitchen countertop by night.
• Refill water bottles and refrigerate them.  If you're using non-thermal bottles, you might want to consider to freeze them overnight to double as icepack for lunches, and be thawed in time for recess and lunch, and still cold.  Consider that for warmer weathers though.

We need lunch ideas as well. We are open for suggestions.  If you have any lunch that you would want to be featured on my blog, please send me an email along with your name, the lunch picture and description.  I will gladly feature your creation!  All lunch credits belong to you. 

If you love Healthy Eating Starts at Home, you may subscribe via email to get all my posts straight to your inbox. No spam mails, just healthy food ideas for your lunchboxes.

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!

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!

Homemade Classic Sloppy Joe {Kids' Choice}

 

Today's lunch is inspired by last night's discussion about the famous Sloppy Joe burgers.  I'm not even sure if it was even categorized as a burger.  So please correct me if I'm mistaken. 

I am on a lunch rut lately and have pulled out all of the school cafeteria's menu to see what the kiddos actually would want to try and eat.  I absolutely don't intend to become lazy and choose the easy way out.  But I plan to make a homemade version of all the cafeteria meals so the kids would feel that they're not missing out on what their friends are eating in school.  Remembering the pink slime issue and the artificial food coloring allergies my kids have, I have to work harder to keep the kids eating healthy and safe.  Not that I'm saying school cafeteria meals are unsafe, but if your kids have food allergy issues, then they're not quite safe.  Agree?

Sloppy Joe is one of them.  G asked, "What is Sloppy Joe, mom?"  Good question coz none of the kids had them. None of them wanted messy food on their lunchboxes and plates before.  Now that they have grown, I guess it's perfect timing to experiment and introduce them to new food. And the messy yummy stuffs.

"A Sloppy Joe is a sandwich originating in United States of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings served on a hamburger bun."

For vegans, substitute ground beef to a textured vegetable protein meat.  You might want to give Quorn Foods a try for this purpose.  They're yummy as well. 

I researched for a perfect recipe that is great for starters, specifically for kids.  We've tried a few, and after a few modification, this one received the Thumb of approval, which made it to their EasyLunchboxes.  Great!!

On his EasyLunchboxes, he has 2 whole wheat dinner buns, with Sloppy Joe on thermal container,
a spinach and olive salad with Ranch, and strawberry hearts.

Homemade Classic Sloppy Joe Recipe {Kids' Choice}

 

• 1 pound  lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1-1/2 tbspn brown sugar
• cooking oil
• salt to taste
• pickle dill

Directions:

1. Preheat skillet over medium heat.  Add oil then saute garlic till lightly golden. Add onions, green pepper and beef.  Cook till brown.  Drain excess liquid or oil
2. Stir in mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar.  Mix thoroughly.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.  Season.
3. Serve with pickle dill on a whole wheat dinner bun.  YUM!

This recipe has been linked up to:

Have a splendid lunch!!

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!

Mini Pancake Star Bites

I am honestly getting bored of my lunches and thought of putting out the cutters, and try our hands (my girl's) on it once again.  It's fun making lunches with your kids.  Have you tried it yet? 

Lunch below is made with a lot of help from my little fairy princess, Missy A. She makes food with a magical touch.

She requested for pancakes. And she wants them bite-sized.  So, we thought of cutting them with her choice of mini cutter to go into her Lunchbots Trio.  And it's STAR for that matter. She's addicted to STARs because it's what makes up a wand of a fairy.  She  wanted to put a toothpick on them, but it wouldn't fit right on this box.  SO we'll make them on a different box next time.

On her Lunchbots Trio, we packed mini star pancakes with maple syrup on the yellow mini cup, strawberries on the left compartment, and hotdog wheels on a stick and a ketchup on the pink mini cup.  We have also included a pink mini fork for her to eat her pancakes with.

Also, we made our pancakes from scratch. We like it better that we can control the type of ingredients that goes into our system. Currently, we are on search of hotdog products that could come close to nitrate-free, all-natural and organic meat brand.  My children can't live without hotdogs, so I gotta find something safer and healthier. I heard of Applegate, have you?  I am getting in touch with them and see if they could end my search.  Would let you know :)

Let's find ways to pack lunches FUN and healthy for our family.

This is linked up at:

Let's see them all!

Have a fabulous day.

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!

DIY: Seafood Vegetable Fried Rice & Eggrolls

I have been fond of cooking lately at home.  I believe that this is the only way to healthy eating coz you eat anything you like, and you control what gets into your system.  This is so true since you have the freedom to choose the right ingredients for your family.

We love Asian cuisines.  All of them.  And we love to eat as well.  We hop from one resto to another to try out new dishes.  Anything we love, we try to make them home-made next time.  Google is a huge place to find the perfect recipe for any food.  Then customize  ingredients according to what works best for you.

As you already know, I'm training my kids to eat meals we already eat at home to school.  That way, planning for school lunches would be a breeze and economical in a way. Imagine sending leftover dinners to school the next day. Let's re-phrase that. What about a re-purpose leftover dinner?  That might sound a little better, right?

Eggroll Recipe: Combine ground meat, minced shrimp, minced onion and garlic, carrots,
salt and pepper together. Roll them up with the use of a shumai or gyoza wrappers for a mini roll, perfect for school lunches.

Say, you had eggrolls for dinner. Do you think your picky eaters would eat them again the next day? Would it be better if it goes with another new dish? Or a repurpose dish?

I repurposed rice for that matter. I made a Seafood-Vegetable Fried Rice which has almost everything on it.  I made use of medium grain brown rice, instead of just white, to take care of fibers and grains. You can never go wrong with corn kernels.  They always add a sweet taste to any cuisine. It's not anything like sugar.  It's whole grain and it's a healthy additive to any cuisine. Add some greens with the use of sweet peas or edamame, carrots, if you wish, and some shredded crabsticks.  Season with Asian seasoning (1 part soysauce, 1 part sesame oil). YUM!!

I would absolutely say, the kids had a hearty meal.  They love it!  I hope you consider to re-purpose your dinner leftover sometime.  It makes our mornings simpler.

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.
EasyLunchboxes can also be purchased here.
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!

Handcrafted Valentine Cards

Each year, we are requested to bring Valentine treats for everyone in their class.  I usually make it special, but this year is quite a rush. I have 2 classes to make, 52 kids in all. I just bought lollipops for them, since it is one of the sweet treats that surely won't go to trash. So I customized a Valentine note card that can go with the pops. 

Tools:

• paper cutter or scissors
• border puncher or craft border scissors
• index cards or construction papers (any color) cut into 3" by 2.5"
• label stickers
• punchers
• lollipops

Here's how:

• Pre-cut 3"x5" index cards into halves and border punched them to make appealing borders. 
• With a hole puncher, punch out on each side of the longer side, where you would insert the pop sticks to secure them well in the card. 
• Print your Love Notes on your choice of Avery label stickers.  Here's a template to help you print it out correctly.  Just choose the right label stickers you have, and customize your message.

I hope you like this mini tutorial that won't break the bank.  Just utilize whatever you have at home so there's no need to purchase anything other than the label stickers and lollipops. Or you can actually skip the label stickers and handwrite them all.  It's better because they're personalized with your mark.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

A Week of BIG and SMALL Bento School Lunches

It's been a whole week of crazy schedules last week, when blogging is not a part of it.  I was called to work twice during the weekday, and once on a weekend. Then the rest of the days were volunteer duties in school.  Well, like it or not, but I am that one of those crazy parents who love to volunteer their precious time for their children's classes, no matter what the duty calls for. And, I honestly LOVE it.  It feels good to be needed.  It satisfies me all the way.  What's worst? I was invited to be a part of the PTA-Board Committee the following school year. Of course, I finally accepted after constant invitations for a year now.  So get ready for the drama!

Asian Fried Rice

This lunch was inspired by Momables' menu plan.  I have been sending varied rice meals to school, but never thought of making use of Asian Seasoning which is an equal mixture of soysauce and sesame oil drizzled onto the rice as you stir-fry.

My girly-girl, Missy A adores flowers.  And, she eats anything shaped in florets.  So in her 2-tiered bento box, courtesy of Bento USA, I packed 3 Asian Rice shaped in florets by making use of a 4-shaped onigiri maker {found at the end of this post}, grapes and Oreo cookies on flower-shaped bento cups.

On Mr G's Aqua-lidded Easy Lunchboxes, he got a similar lunch and sides except its cuteness. No more cute shapes for my 4th grader boy. He just wanted me to toss everything in his box.  Glad I could still make use of my silicone cups though.

Breakfast Sushi Rolls

Sushi is one of the best rice meals sent to school without the need of any utensils.  May not be the easiest one to make for most, but once mastered, you'd be hooked like a PRO.  Right now, I'm challenged to make the inverted sushi rolls, which Nori sheets are placed in between the rice and the filling. Are you in?

 

On Missy A's Goodbyn Mix and Match Box, she had half of the amount of sushi roll Mr. G got on his EasyLunchboxes {below}.  Both got apples for fruit sides. The only difference was that Missy A got hers chopped up, while Mr G 's apples were chunked up. Broccoli florets for my veggie loving swimmer, and a choco chip cookie for my sweet tooth little fairy.

 

DIY-Pizza Bagel Lunchables

Addicted to pizza lunchables? Why not DO IT YOURSELF.  It's easy.  All you need is any type of bread. I have used pita breads, thin bagels, thin wheat round breads, and pocket breads.  I even tried Pillsbury's pizza dough, and they worked just fine.  I send them pre-toasted to get the crusty taste of a pizza crust. They taste better.  Then pack it with shredded cheese of your choice, meat toppings, marinara sauce, and a fruit.  Don't forget the spoon to scoop up the hearty sauce and spread them onto the bread crust.

On Mr. G's EasyLunchboxes, he had shredded 4 types of cheese (Mozarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, & Monterey Jack), spaghetti sauce, and turkey pepperoni.  On his other compartment, he had some strawberry hearts.

Bagels

Since we had a stash of bagels at home, I thought of sending in bagels for Thursday as well.  I worked on this day, so something quick and easy was highly favored.  Another easy and simple lunch to go by on rush mornings without compromising healthy nutrition.

Missy A's Goodbyn Mix and Match containers was filled with PB & J bagel thins, 2 heart bento picks of red globe grapes, and a strawberry on a heart shaped cup.

On Mr G's Easy Lunchboxes, a ham and cheese bagel was accompanied by some strawberry wheels and dill slices.  Best of all, it held a special Lunchbox Love Note to send this lunch with a burst of LOVE.

Leftover Dinner

I was called to work again, so Friday's lunch was just a leftover pizza dinner.  It was homemade though, so it wasn't that bad after all.  I was thinking of packing a different lunch, but the kids insisted on pizza.  So it was pizza all the way with a little fruit heavy for Mr G {Aqua ELB}.

On both of the kids' EasyLunchboxes BRIGHTS, they both had each one's portion size of pizza and oranges. On their smaller compartments, Mr G {aqua lid} had kiwi and Missy A {pink lid} had whole wheat fishy crackers swimming on a yellow cup.

It was a long and winding lunch making last week.

So glad you were able to drop by today.

Thanks for stopping by!

All bento accessories are purchased through Bento USA,

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

Other tools are also available thru My Amazon Affiliate Link:

Thank you for your support!

LOVE Biscuits for Valentines

 

Now that Valentines Day is in the air, we thought of making some lunch ideas that you can pack to school and work for your family.  I like simple meals that can easily be recreated by busy moms.  But since it's V-Day, I'd like to add some special touch that our wee ones would enjoy while eating.  So I made this Love Bento that we could all share and enjoy.

DIY Chicken Taco

I am fond of Latin foods, which probably why I was so keen on learning to cook their dishes.  Of all the members in my family, only Missy A gives me a tough time to convince her to at least try before saying no. She did try it and had it for her lunch this day, which can be found on this post.



The lunch you see above was Mr G's. He had a shredded Chicken taco on a soft corn tortilla shell.  I made it double so as not to tear. He opted out for any cheese, and just asked for freshly diced tomatoes and salsa verde. YUM!  He also had red pears on the side.  All packed in his Easy Lunchboxes.

My chicken taco filling was made with chicken breast, boiled and shredded apart.  I stir-fried it with cumin and taco powder, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm over corn tortilla.  Top with your favorite toppings.

This post has been linked up with
Grown-ups Gotta Eat Week 3.



Make lunch fun. Happy eating!

My Bento Tools:

DIY Cracker Lunchables - The Bento Style

On Sunday, we were grocery shopping while planning their school lunch menu.  

I figured it would be easier that way.  We were at the freezer section where they could see all the frozen dinners for sale.  I asked them which among those would they want to be in their lunch boxes. My girl squealed, "Cracker Lunchables!"  My boy said, "Mom can do that.  Pick another."  Funny she loves those cracker meals in the box when she doesn't even eat the cheese.  So I told her I can make a better Cracker Lunchable for her without the cheese.  She agreed and here's what I came up with.

And she's extremely happy. Only her favorites are in the box.

 ☻

K-Bento: Fieldtrip Sack Lunch

October 17 is fieldtrip day for Missy A. 

They had an educational tour at the Centennial Farm, 

where they learned about animal lives and planted a radish crop,

which they brought home as a souvenir of their trip. 

They were required to bring sack lunches and a water bottle/juice pouch

that were packed on disposable containers/baggies,

with proper name labels for easier distribution.

Since Bento Bloggers and Friends were doing a Halloween Hop on this day, 

I decided to theme her disposable containers as such.