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",)

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!!

Day 16: Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

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.

Last night I was feeling a bit adventurous and tried Giada De Laurentiis' Linguine Recipe for today's brown-bag.  We've never had pasta that is not either tomato-based, cream-based or pesto.  So when I stumbled upon this recipe online, I was excited to try it out. My family loves lemon-dishes and most of all, shrimp!  It's a perfect combination.

I included the recipe as well for easy reference.

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Linguine with Shrimp
& Lemon Oil

Ingredients

For the lemon oil:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 ounces frozen shrimp
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the lemon oil:

Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

* Shellfish

Warning: Consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish may substantially increase the risk of foodborne illness.

Hash Corned beef
with toast & grapes

And of course, my 3rd grader wanted his own brown-bag menu.  And this is what he brought to school today, which he enjoyed munching it as early as breakfast time.  Hash Corned beef, Toast and Grapes.  This should be my next project.  Learn to make my own corned beef so it would be a healthier option for kids to eat.  No need to worry about preservatives, plus it's always fresh.



I wish everyone a hearty meal.


Have a great weekend ahead of you!  
See you next week, which is our final week of the challenge.