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!

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.

Double Cheeseburger Meal

Fit & Fresh Lunch Made for School

Welcome to school year 2015-16 everyone!!  It's back to school once again.  First days are fun, but we can't help but have jitters.  I have tons of that especially when it comes to meal planning & preps for first days of school, till Week 1 is over.  With all the jitters come excitement as well. We love it because of new stuffs we accumulate over the break to prepare for the coming school year.

Over the break, I am thrilled to share that I was contacted by numerous bento retailers and suppliers to partner with as I blog away my bento lunches to school as I see fit.  For starters, Fit & Fresh has sent me their wonderful Bento Lunch Kit, which immediately caught my boy's attention.  At first I didn't know how I can present it to you to differentiate it from the other lunchboxes I've tried.  All have positive reviews but this has features to die for. Ok..ok..not to exaggerate, but there are stuffs that Fit & Fresh has that I always wanted for a bento box.

Multi-compartment bento lunch kit is always a must.  We love our main entree to be separated from its sides and desserts.  That way flavors don't mix, and sandwiches don't get soggy by lunch time.

Size does matter. We found that Fit & Fresh lunch kit has the perfect size for my Middle School-aged boy. I can fill up the large compartment with 3 cups of rice, or 2 standard-sized hamburger with buns. The other two smaller compartments can fit 3/4 cups of diced medium pears, grapes, apples, on each side. On this meal, I packed several slices of pickle ovals for his cheeseburger meal.  He loves ketchup and just glad I keep stashes of to-go ketchup sachets from different fast food chains at home.

I also love that those smaller compartments have several packing options. It is given, like others, the base is compartmentalized.  Furthermore, it includes 2 bento pods (containers with individual lids) that can accommodate 1/2 cup each of runny sides like yogurt, dips, and salsa.  It's leak-proof so it's mess-free.



Isn't it lovely to find a lunch kit that includes reusable ice packs to keep food chilled and fresh at all times. And, still keep them compact with minimal parts to assemble.  I like the fact that it is clipped to its lid, that way kids don't lose them. That's what sets Fit & Fresh shine above its leading competitors.  Personally, it's a winner and a keeper.



To top it off, for $19.99, it comes with a quality insulated travel bag that gives no additional bulk. It keeps everything in one place. It's machine-washable, or you can even wipe them clean in between uses. Perfect for kids who just want to stash it inside his backpack and go. They also come in different colors and style.  What more could anyone ask for?

Do I recommend Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kit? Absolutely! It's genuinely leak-proof inside and out, and my kids can open and close the lid with no issues at all.

Disclaimer:  The Fit and Fresh Bento Lunch Kit was provided to me by Fit & Fresh to try it out for my daily lunch packing routine, without any obligation to review.  It was my decision to feature their product on my blog as a courtesy due to my overwhelming positive experience with the product.

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.

Chow Mien

Lunch Ideas on Thermal Containers

I've been noticing that my third grader has been eating considerably bigger portion of meals each day. Good news for us because it can be a good sign that her pickiness will soon be over.  With all of my lunchbox collections I've been hoarding at home, there's only one container that successfully keep her eating happy at school. She loves warm lunches, and only thermos can guarantee that.  So this year, I am investing on thermal lunch jars to hold her meals warm on a daily basis in school.

Today, she brought in warm Vegetable Chow Mien, with white peaches on the side.  

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.

Guest Post | Motivate Healthy Eating with Colorful Lunchbox Stickers

Recently Dana Harris of Food Packaging Labels reached out to me to share some great infographics about healthy eating and handy lunchbox printables to all of my blog readers.  I will be sharing them throughout the month of MAY.  They are FREE to download for your personal use to add pretty, nice and cool attractions to lunchboxes, when packing lunches to your kiddos.  I have asked her to guest post on my blog to reach out to my readers as well.  Thanks, Dana!

Motivate Your Kids on Healthy Eating with Colorful Lunchbox Stickers  

 By Dana Harris

Healthy eating starts at home but continues at school. Kids spend most of their day at school, therefore, preparing a healthy diet for you child is very important. Healthy food gives active kids the nutrition they need to get through the day while helping them concentrate and learn. However, every parent who packs a lunch for their child knows that it is very tricky to prepare food that is both healthy and in accordance with the kid’s wishes.

 

There are many reasons why children don’t eat their lunches at school and bring them back home. Sometimes they skip lunch so they have more time to play with their friends during recess. While other times they just might find the food bland. They may not like the shape of their sandwiches or the food gets their hands sticky. Or maybe they simply do not like the look of their lunchboxes. These colorful  lunchbox stickers will help you transform your kid’s lunchbox so it will  make him or her curious to at least peek inside and see what’s for lunch that day. Various sticker designs give you the opportunity to change the look of your child's’ lunchbox on a daily basis, to keep it fun and exciting. Additionally, you can use these lunchbox labels to surprise your kids with fun and inspirational notes or simply to tell them you love them. These stickers can be used in an interactive way by making a game of it. For example, having them guess what’s in the box before they open it. The lunchbox stickers can act as a lead by placing the appropriate image in accordance to the food placed inside. You can put strawberry stickers on the container you prepared with strawberries or a doughnut one for dessert allowing you to decorate the container.

If your kids are still bringing their lunch home, you can encourage them to decorate their lunchboxes by themselves while you are preparing their lunch. It will be a mini DIY project which allows them to participate in the process. They will take part in the project and feel proud that they helped make their lunch.

If you like these ideas, download and print these stickers and have fun with your kids while preparing lunches.

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.

Vongole

Last year my sister had a break from work and finally visited us in summer.  She stayed with us till after my daughter's 8th birthday in December.  It was a wonderful time to catch up and bond again.  The kids loved her around. The last time we saw each other was back in 2010.  Though we facetime and Skype regularly, nothing beats up close and personal.  Her stay with us gave me a huge break in the kitchen as well.  She's one great cook, who pleasantly served dishes to us meal after meal.  One of the meal that caught our attention was Vongole.  It was our first to have this dish.  My kids devoured it each time it's served.

But when I tried it in my kitchen, I couldn't do it just the way she did.  She cooks by taste. She doesn't keep a recipe in hand.  So if you ask her, she'll give you the ingredients, but the rest is up to you. Oh boy!

 

Just like most, I struggle in the kitchen too from time to time. And when I say struggle, that means trouble.  Before I could really whip up a meal, I have to check several recipes and make sure it tastes good in my mind.  When I can't visualize its outcome, it's a no-no.  So just imagine that.  Chaos huh?!

I experiment a lot. I try recipe after recipe.  Often, I modify it till I get the right yum for my family.  I have been experimenting on Vongole that I couldn't get it right.  It's just Vongole for some,  but somehow the recipes I tried just didn't quite hit the right "umph" for my buds. Nothing close to her Vongole.  Finally last night, I hit it off.  I included the recipes  for you to try and let me know how you like it. Critique me!  Perhaps you can help me twist it a bit for a better appeal.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package instructions.

2lbs clam, shelled

1 cup clam juice

extra virgin olive oil

1 stick butter, unsalted

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 medium onions, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, diced

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes, optional

Gouda cheese, grated

dry white wine
herbs (basil, cilantro, thyme, lime)

Procedure:

1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.  Set aside.
2. Boil 2 lbs of clam in a pot of water. Save 1 cup of clam juice for later.
3. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil and butter.  Saute onion till tender.  Add in garlic,diced tomatoes.  Let it cook for 5 minutes till tomatoes are soft. 
4. Add in clams, a cup of its juice, white wine, salt and pepper. Let boil.
5. Add in herbs of your choice.  We used cilantro for this particular dish.  Simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Pour on noodles. 
7. Serve with grated Gouda Cheese on top with red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Serves: 6-8

Leftovers may be packed on any Easylunchboxes for school or work the following day.  Pack them with your favorite side dish, such as fruits, Hawaiian dinner rolls, or trail mixes on yogurts.


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.

HESH Heart 13

A Year End Review

Year 2013 has been truly an amazing and productive year for us, as a family. A budding year that sparked a promising and a stable career for me. A career that gave me the flexibility to work and care for my kids full-time.  The career that gave us the capability to purchase our very own home after 11 years of married life. It is also the magic year that dismissed our son from ASD after careful re-assessment.  A fulfilling year that put me into the PTA board member, and my son into Student Council Alternative President.  A threatening but miraculous year, when dad had a stroke, but had overcome it without any nerve, organ, or vessel damage. A forgiving year that rescued my marriage and my family from breaking apart. Truly, God is wonderful and great. I thank him for everything.

I am also thankful for being a part of the Bento Bloggers and Friends for the much needed inspiration and support in almost everything, may it be bento-related or not.  I have continued to pack lunches to school and work despite of my hectic schedules and busted camera.  But of course, with my new DSLR, I think I'd be able to go back blogging my lunches in 2014. Hooray for that!

We, the Bento Bloggers and Friends, have agreed to put up our favorite thirteens. I would not consider it my top 13, but my favorites. How did I choose my favorites?  Here are the criteria that influenced my choice.

1. Pageviews
2. Most Requested Meals
3. Ease of Preparation
4. Blog Hops
5. Recipe

Hover on the images below and click the individual images to direct you to its corresponding blog post. Enjoy the following posts and hope that this will bring inspiration to your 2014 lunch packing madness.

Thank you!!

Have a healthy and blessed 2014!!

Please push the button below to see more 13 Favorites from the rest of the Bento Bloggers and Friends.

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.

Happy Holidays!

A Holiday Bento Inspiration

It's Christmas and I'm so proud to present to you a Holiday video that Easylunchboxes have produced and collaborated.  It contains all the beautiful festive lunches that my Bento Bloggers and Friends have done to inspire all bento-enthusiasts and aspiring bento-makers.

This is the best gift anyone could ever have.  Healthy foods.  Made out of love and ingenuity.  Packed in the #1 and best-selling containers....The EasyLunchboxes. 

Here's wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!

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.

Bean Sprout Veggie Wrap

Meatless Monday for your Lunchboxes

This is being linked up to Meatless Monday Linky Party over at Bento For Kidlet.

I have finally convinced myself to pack lunches for myself to work as well.  Mostly because I work from 8:30am -1:30pm, which gives me ample travel time for school pick up daily. And get tummy growls by the time I'm in school waiting in line till the kids are out.  Seriously, I eat lunch at 2:30-3pm daily.  And that depends too if there are emergency PTA duty in school.  I find myself eat like a horse by the time I'm home, just to compensate the meals I missed.  Definitely not healthy. 

 

I wasn't so sure what to prepare for dinner last night. I found myself staring at our fridge looking at bean sprouts, tofu, carrots and green beans.  Then I opened the freezer and saw the chicken legs staring at me.  Scary ha! I was honestly so exhausted from our Pumpkin Patch trip that afternoon, and I'm just looking for something quick and easy to prepare for dinner, but something healthy and the kids would definitely eat.

 

I decided to sauté the bean sprouts with the other veggies I mentioned earlier. Easy but boring.  So I thought of wrapping them up for a bean sprout roll, for which we call it, the "Bean Sprout Veggie Wrap."

My husband is not huge on bean sprouts because of his not so good childhood memories.  But when I started this dish, he changed his outlook towards bean sprouts, and had given it a second chance.  Great! My kiddos especially love this because it's crisp and juicy when eaten raw.  They love it as an appetizer when we dine in Korean Restaurants. But I have to think of a way to serve it to them.  And wrapping it isn't a bad idea after all.  I've seen my mom served it for us when we were growing up.  And we love dipping it in a spicy vinegar sauce.

This is easy. Just sauté all the veggies, drain the excess liquid once cooked. You can either toss it or save it for your rice.  It's yummy since it's already flavored with seasoning.  Wrap them up with a lumpia (eggroll) wrapper, about 2 sheets each.  We usually deep fry them to give the wrapper a crispy touch.  But for healthier option, just brush olive oil on both sides of the wrap and put them in a 450-475 degrees F oven for about 10-15 minutes on each side. Watch them so you don't burn them.  I make use of a toaster oven so it would take a while. Once it turns light brown, turn them right away.  Refrigerate any leftovers.  Reheating is done the same.

We all had this for dinner last night, and lunch for this noon.  Please excuse the  picture above. It was photographed by a camera phone so it wasn't at its best.  I am already at work writing this post, and just needed a picture to go by since I left my decent camera at home.

Please head over to Bento For Kidlet Meatless Monday and see what other contributors have in store for you.  If it's from Bento For Kidlet, it must be the best :)

 

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.

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.