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.

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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.

Quesadilla Strips with Layered Dip

Today's lunch was originally inspired by a friend's Meatless Monday bento, Jenn of Bento for Kidlet, which can be found here.  Check her out and see other awesome lunches linked up to her party.  Hers was mouth watering nacho lunch which gave me this idea for the kiddos' lunches.  But since mine are not huge on beans, I omitted that and substituted it with salsa.  This is actually their first time to eat quesadilla with sour cream and guacamole dip, so I separated it from the salsa, just in case. They love quesadilla, but I've never sent them this way before.  And it was a huge hit.  According to Mr. G, it couldn't be better!

I decided to cut the quesadilla into strips instead of the traditional triangular shape, so they could scoop and dip it better in the Mini dippers, mess-free.  Mr G is a clean-freak. He doesn't want his hands get messy and gooey when eating.  One reason why burritos and tacos won't work for him, unless I wrap them nicely that allows him to reposition his food on his hand.

Missy A loved it as well sans the salsa and guacamole. She came back home with salsa and guacamole left behind.  Fine with me. At least she ate them without any fuzz.  I just noticed one thing though. I think she peeled some of the cheese off the tortilla and tossed it on her EasyLunchboxes.  Y'all know that she doesn't like cheese and I would be lucky if she eats a piece.

I hope you all have a wonderful lunch.

Happy Wednesday!!

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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!

 

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May the 4th Be With U: A Star Wars Bento HOP

Welcome to the DARK Side!

May the 4th is a day dedicated especially for Star Wars.  Or should I say in the GEEK World, May 4th is Star Wars Day.  My family is a huge Star Wars fanatic, and so does my fellow Bento Bloggers and Friends. I must admit I'm the lesser fan amongst them all, coz they know all the rightful terminologies associated with Star Wars and I simply lack the capability to store that in my system. I can watch the film over and over, but not absorb the needed force to be a true Jedi.  So pardon me for anything not suitable you might find on my post.  I deserve to be corrected should I misled you.

My fellow BBF (Bento Bloggers & Friends) are once again doing another bento hop.  This time in 2 groups of 16-17 participants, so as not to overwhelm you hopping from one lunch to another.  Consider yourselves forewarned, our bento madness can become addicting but fun.  So beware!

Since this hop falls on a Saturday, I thought of making a surprise big breakfast for my kiddos. Big breakfast for us mean a combination of carbo, protein, dairy and fruits.  Today is a big day for Mr G coz he's trying out for the Swim Meet this morning.  Keeping our fingers crossed that he'll make it to the team.

 

The kids were very excited of this big breakfast. I had to prepare them the night before because of a busy morning schedule ahead of us today. I served them buttered apple cinnamon pancakes with a maple syrup on the pink cup, all-natural hotdog where Darth Vader sat with the Jedi's light sabers on their quest to defeat him.  They also had hard-boiled eggs with the Sith Logo and Storm Trooper Cuties oranges.

 

Mr G reacted on this lunch. He said that Darth Vader has a Red Saber.  He neither has blue nor green. So I had to explain to him that they were the Jedi's.  He loves the cheese cut-out though.  He thinks its cool.

 

How did I make this? Since I am not an awesome food artist, I researched considerably for Star Wars logos, than faces. I sketched and pre-cut on parchment paper, traced on cheese and cut. The logo on the egg was drawn by an all-natural food-safe writer. 

I originally made an onigiri lunch for this hop, but I messed up the nori decals.  So I did the easy way out, and prepared an appropriate meal for the kiddos this morning.

Next stop is Sarah of Bentoriffic.  Let's see what she has served her girls for this hop. Please push the button below, that you might find at the beginning, middle, or end of each post, to teleport you to the next portal of entree - either the DARK or LIGHT Side. The Best of Luck!!

Once you've completed the hop...

I hope you had a wonderful time hopping from one entree to another.  We're happy to have you around as always!  Please jot me a comment, it will surely bring cheers :)

Have a fun and wonderful Star Wars Bento Hop!!

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Steamed Salmon Sushi Rolls

Happy May 1st!

Time flies so fast.  Before we know it, school is off and summer break kicks in.  I am usually one of the most excited person for this time-awaited break.  For us, this means an endless trip to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Legoland, Discovery Center, Sea World, the ZOO, playdates and picnics at the beach. But this year, I'm not quite liking it because I would have to work fulltime, and kids would be left home with nothing special to do until I come back home after work. I have discussed my work schedules with my kiddos, and they seem pretty good with change now that they've grown. I have arranged a weekday off from work to bring them to playdates, movies and picnics in between, and reserved the bigger trips on weekends with hub.

Sushi is on board again.  This time we made it pretty healthy for the growing kids.  I know that nothing is better for a kid's tastebud than a SPAM Musubi.  But let's face it, it's not very healthy when consumed on a daily basis, or say frequently.  I don't want to send sashimi (raw sushi fillings) to school either.  So I thought of steaming the salmon first to be on the safe-side.

Why salmon? Simply because we love salmon and it's one of the healthiest fish one can consume.  It's packed with all the essential nutrients that one need to live a healthy life.  Salmon is classified an oily fish, which is a good protein source, omega 3 fatty acids, and Vitamin D.  Do you know that calcium needs Vitamin D to be absorbed and synthesized?  Vitamin D is important for the health of our bones. It protects our bones and helps in calcium absorption. Primary source of Vitamin D is the sun, but with its harmful effects nowadays, we often lather our skin with sunblock.  Thus, shielding the essential effects of the sun to our body.  So where else can we find Vitamin D?  The answer always points to foods and supplements.

The kids are having Salmon Sushi Rolls for lunch today. Salmon were marinated with salt & pepper with lemon rind. Placed on a dish and steamed on a double boiler. Steamed for about 15-20 minutes. The sushi was filled with salmon flakes and a wee bit of light mayo.  You can always skip the mayo if you wish.  But mayo gives off a nice flavor to the salmon when eaten with rice.

My sushi rice was made with a drizzle of sesame oil, sesame seed and dried bonito mix.  I used to make it with Sushi vinegar, but somehow kids love it better without it. And rolling makes it easier for me too.

Have a great lunch!! 

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Tortilla Roll-Ups

The busy days are over and I'm back to blogging lunches once again.  Yay for me!!  I was struck with a bad seasonal allergy lately though and still recuperating from it. None of the allergy meds actually worked, but helped a bit to be functional in the kitchen.  So I tried to keep my lunches quick and easy to prep and pack.

Today would be quite different. I know I've packed this years ago, but I have to revive it since the kids actually love tortilla.  Mr. G was the one excited to see this back on his box.  He loves the wraps better than traditional sandwiches.  And let's face it, he's tired of my pandesal (a Filipino wheat dinner buns that I make use of a lot instead of regular dinner rolls).  Also, clean up is easier coz it doesn't have lots of crumbs after prep.

The kids both had ham and lettuce tortilla roll-up today.  Honestly, I love making them because it's just like making sushi, only it's easier and quicker.  You can make and pack everything up in 15 minutes or less depending on how quick you roll and cut.

To make this, you will need:

☻ 8" or 10" tortilla wrap

☻ cream cheese

☻ ground mustard

☻ honey cured ham

☻ baby lettuce, spinach or any greens

Directions:

1. Spread the cream cheese onto the tortilla wrap.
2. Sprinkle a bit of ground mustard. Not too much coz it's quite spicy (accdg to my kids).
3. Place a layer of a slice of ham deli & baby lettuce on one end of the tortilla.
4. Fold that end over and roll all the way to the other end.  Make a slightly tight roll so they hold pretty well.
5. Cut about 2" apart, or as desired.  

Have a great lunch! Hope your kiddos would love it for school.  They would do great for after school snacks and on field trips as well.  Please jot me a comment. I'd love to read them.

Today's post is linked up with I ♥ Lunch Linky Party

over at my fellow BBF, Rachel of Following In My Shoes.

Check it out!

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A Vegetarian Lunch Combinations

What are Lunch Combinations?

These are lunches that are made up of common ingredients but are prepared and packed in many different ways, especially made for picky but "cute" family members.  Cute is inserted there because I love them dearly no matter what.  And I don't intend to pick on anyone else about anything there...LOL!



I have been packing lunches for 3 each day for years. And soon, it will be four of us.  It's tough when it comes to packing to each one with individual preferences.  My husband is not picky so he's off the hook. But I try to pick only the healthy ones for him because he has to lose some weight.

As you see the image above, each one had tortilla, cheese, strawberry, eggs, corn and greens
(except for my littlest eater who's the pickiest one of all).



These are the lunches for my boy and my man. And oh yeah --- SPOT the DIFFERENCE!!
Mr G loves playing that game, so let's all play along.

All answers goes on the comment box, please :)



First lunch was for my man, he had a garden salad of all sorts of the healthy fresh stuff with Italian dressing on those pink and blue cups. He also had hard boiled egg white, a couple of strawberries and cheese quesadilla.



My boy's lunch was a garden salad similar to his dad but with string cheese and without an egg.



And my littlest one, who wouldn't eat cheese quesadilla, had a home-made corn tortilla chips with string cheese and strawberries and harboiled egg whites. No greens on her EasyLunchboxes but all on her juice.

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that I was never successful feeding cheese to my little girl.  I've tried all sorts of cheese and the only one that solved the problem was this particular string cheese made by Galbani Precious Cheese.  The TRIVIA on the packaging made it interesting for the kids to peel the cheese and eat them as they enjoy the answers to the trivia.  Not only that but it got a tasty taste as well. It's not bland like any other mozarella cheeses.  It's a wee bit salty that gained the thumb of approval from my little girl.  Best of all they are made with all-natural ingredients and rbST-free milk.

Are your kids picky about foods as well? How are you able to cope up with that?

For a better treat, I have linked this up with Bento For Kidlet's
Meatless Monday. Please push the button below to visit other linked meals.



Bon apetit!

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!

Hello! How Are You?

It's so great to be back to the BENTO World!

Work has been on the way of my blogging world. I have been hired to open and manage a dental office for an excellent dentist that I've been working with for quite a while.  He bought an existing dental office, and my job is to put everything together from set-up to operations. It's quite overwhelming for me since I've been a SAHM for almost 4 years since I went back to my job last August. This has eaten my time as well to blog.  But just so glad that bento-ing has been in my system already, so it just comes naturally each time I wake up in the morning.  The only thing is I never get the chance to photograph them anymore.

Photography is my OCD. I want it as perfect as it could be.  But nothing is perfect especially when I don't possess the right camera.  So I try to work things around with whatever I have in hand.  Same thing with food. I open our pantry in the morning and make use of my inventories that could make up a healthy lunch for the family.  That's why weekend shopping is crucial for us.

Lunch above is an example of my April unplanned lunches.  The previous days kids just had a chicken patty sandwiches, and thought of re-purposing the chicken patties that I still have in hand. It can't be chicken sandwich again for today and tomorrow. So I thought of throwing it all together with a garden salad of organic baby spinach, romaines, California sweet olives, crab sticks, and corn kernels.  For a more carb diet, I added some tortilla chips to help my boy and my man be filled for lunch.  Of course it will never be complete without any fruits.  Fruits have always been part of their meals each time.

And of course, I eat at home too.  Usually I'd eat something different from what I pack.  But the day came out quite busy to prepare a special meal for myself.  So I get to eat whatever they are having for lunch today. 

What have you been eating lately?  I'm sure you've got tons to share. Care to jot me a comment? Let's chat :)

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Introducing: ELB Brights! A Giveaway

If you have been following my blog, you already know that I am fond of EasyLunchboxes. I am not just fond of it. I'm a HUGE fan! And I am so proud to be a part of its growth from Classic to Mini Dippers, and now the BRIGHTS!  It just went so great with all the lunches I sent, BIG and SMALL.

There are 4 NEW colors to brag:

YELLOW and PURPLE,

PINK and TEAL

These new colors have grown to be our favorite lids when packing lunches for kids.  The classic becomes more for grown ups.  What's even more awesome, is that they mix and match.  They fit in our old EasyLunchboxes.  So  I get to save the boxes as replacements when the older ones break, stain, or whatever.  But the bad news is, I think EasyLunchboxes are made to be stain-resistant and indestructible.  So it might take a while before a replacement happens.  More reason why we should invest on these inexpensive and extraordinary set of lunch boxes.  That is not meant to exaggerate.  But that's just how I feel about these pretty boxes.

They are pretty darn irresistible!  The only lunchbox that I trust to use daily without any visible signs of wear and tear.  I have very few hand-picked selections of bento gears because I am simply that picky.  No matter how cute and lovely they look, I try not to cave in, when it doesn't suit our daily needs.  I don't own a "money tree" that bears dollar bills, so I try to conserve our reserves when it's not necessary at all. Though at times I wish I could handle bento indulgence. They get to be pretty-addicting and stress-reliever, if you know what I mean. Well, I'm just saying that you won't go wrong with the EasyLunchboxes...that's all! 

I always feel good about giving away EasyLunchboxes to my awesome readers and blog followers.  It's one bento product that I promote shamelessly.... over and over again.

If you're just like me, who can't get enough of a set of EasyLunchboxes, please dive in to this chance to win more. It is time for another (1) set of four (4) Brights Collection of EasyLunchboxes with your color choice of one (1) lunchbag. 

It's easy to enter.  All you need to do is to visit EasyLunchboxes and come back to me, leave me a comment to answer either one of these questions:

• Why do you want to win a set of Easy Lunchboxes? 
• What Easter/Spring treat will you pack in which ELB lid color?

Please do all mandatory entries for EasyLunchboxes, or entries will forfeit, if drawn for that specific entry. For example, if you were asked to subscribe to EasyLunchboxesTV, and that entry number were drawn, but you failed to subscribe, or have unsubscribed, that calls for a default.  A new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway is offered to US residents only. 

Please do not enter this giveaway if you have won or received free product from 

EasyLunchboxes within the past 3 months.

EasyLunchboxes are the #1 best-selling lunchboxes on Amazon.com!! 
You can get FREE shipping for EasyLunchboxes products (USA only) through
EasyLunchboxes' Amazon Store (http://amzn.to/BuyLunch)

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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!!

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A Burst of Spring

Spring is absolutely here!  

SO let the COLORFUL lunches begin.

It's always nice to pack lunches on spring-colored lunchboxes.  It adds colorful inspiration when it comes to planning.  And that is when I am thankful The EasyLunchboxes has created another genius product to tag along when on trips.  It just matches every single color of my silicone cups at home.  It makes packing lunches so fun and vibrant.  They honestly look good on pictures.  Don't you agree with me?

This lunch is so simple to prepare. It's just chicken and bean taquitos cut into halves for the stalk, and grape tomatoes to make as a bud blossoming on springtime.  Should have added some greens for the leaves, but my pantry is out so that will do for the day.  On side compartments are green pears and a couple of chocolate chip cookie treat.

Have a wonderful day!

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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!

Welcome Spring!

Finally Spring is here!! We've been so waiting for this season for a long time. We can't live in the cold weather for long anymore. Kids get sick on and off.  They miss out on fun play dates, and the not-so-fun school works too...LOL! Blame it all on the season. Winter is the FLU season.

Welcome Spring!!

We miss all the beautiful colors of the garden. This is the time my kids and I start to renew the garden and hunt for the brightest color of the season to bring cheers to each and everyone.

So I thought of packing colorful lunches today to remind them of the beautiful cheerful hues of Spring....our most favorite season ever.  When they saw what's in their Easylunchboxes for lunch, they said, "Oooooh! Is it Spring yet, mom?" Yes it is! And I'm a day late.  But better be late than never.

 

Don't you love packing lunches for your kids especially when celebrating something?  It makes everything special too with a touch of those Lunchbox Love Notes that express your heart out.  Loud enough for kids to feel and be proud of in school and out.

Have a wonderful Spring!

This has been linked up to the party!

Check it out.

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!