What the first day? Really?

Alrighty today is technically my daughter Lily’s first day of school. Kindergarten….. Oh-My-Gosh! My little girl has grown up right before my eyes and I feel as if just yesterday I was feeding her solid food for the first time. I had no idea what I should have packed nor if I should have gone all out. Well after hours of internal debate  second guessing myself and banging my head against a wall I decided not to be too creative and what I wanted to pack. I went with my Sterilite square box and a few of the smaller pieces of plastic ware that I received as a gift from my friend Megan.

Secured with a napkin is a chicken wrap with tomato, lettuce, and onion. For the vegetable sides I packed carrots, broccoli and sliced radishes. The half circle container is filled with watermelon and cantaloupe balls, grapes, and kiwis. I gave her roasted red bell pepper hummus to dip her veges and in that yellow thing (it is a bear shaped sauce container) is some ranch dressing for her wrap. As a treat I gave her two little dark chocolate truffles one being a spearmint infused truffle while the other is a pure chocolate truffle. I rarely give my children treats but the benefits of dark chocolate are so numerous how can I refuse.

I bought these delicious truffles from a local chocolate boutique called The Secret Chocolatier. For my local Charlotte dwellers these delicacies can be found at the Yorkmont farmers market as well as their shop on 2935 Providence Rd Suite 104 Charlotte, NC. For those who would like to order via online you can visit their web site. I love this family as well as their chocolates and I am so excited my little girl can enjoy them on her first day of school.

Hopefully inspiration will hit you as I continue to add more and more bentos to my blog. Speaking of inspiration my dishes from the International market didn’t turn out so well. L I have decided to do some research on basic recipes and tweak them to fit my Americanized particular tastes. Until next time my vast audience I bid you farewell!  

Animal Bento Lunch Box Set Giveaway

Animal Bento Lunch Box Set Giveaway

The moment I saw this my imagination started to turn (I know a dangerous thing). I really hope I win this. If you would like a change to win simply click on the link above! Good luck!!!

Inspiration

Yesterday I had to go to a wonderful, distant land full of amaze-ment, deliciousness and delight. While in this magical land I rediscovered things that I miss and remember so lovingly. Yes, I am talking about an International supermarket. Super G Mart is a combination of Eastern Indian, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander groceries in one grand store. As I was wondering the aisles of yummines I was inspired to make gyoza (commonly known as pot stickers), Japanese curry, and lumpias. Here shortly I will make these savory creations and hopefully enjoy them. I will warn you, I have never made curry or gyoza but I have a rough idea of what goes into both dishes. I am very tempted to look up recipes online but I don't want to give in just yet. I would like to see if I can figure it out myself. I have "made" this dishes before, "made" as in bought some idiot-proof version and "made" it at home. Funness and cursing will ensue in Ronnie's house over the nest few days. :D

Wal-mart Bento??????

So we have been super busy. I do have the meat ready to make the Sio Poa and hopefully I will get to it this Monday. Besides that I have a gal pal (Ms. M) that has seen the bentos I make for the girls and really wants to make one. The problem with bentos and the supplies for them is that they are EXPENSIVE!!! Since I live in a predominately non-Asian community/city it is super hard to find supplies in our area which leaves the net which, once again, cost a lot. So the Wal-mart bento is awesome. Most of the items I have came from Wal-mart or other local stores like Dollar Tree or Target. So here we go:

 Both of the boxes are by Sterilite and I think both products are called "Ultra Latch." The square one has a 5.2 cup capacity and the rectangle one has a 3.4 cup capacity. Each box has roughly the same amount of food. The only items I didn't purchase at my local Wally World were the pig container, which I bought at Dollar Tree, and the square containers with the purple tops were a gift from my friend, Megan. I still can't remember were she bought those from. The number cutters are actually from a Play-Doh set I bought in the clearance aisle. A little odd but it was much cheaper then the real cookie cutters. I decided half way through I wasn't going to use them since I didn't have enough crackers for both girls. The sandwich was cut with a sandwich punch that I found a while ago hanging off an impulse a display clip. All the picks you see here are for hor d'ourves and the long ones are actually drink stirrers. The "baran" (a food divider in Japan) was something I printed out from here and I covered it with press and seal.

So what did I pack you ask?

 Pretty, huh?

Carrots, cucumber, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate graham crackers, yogurt, hummus and a ham and cheese sandwich cut in a heart shape. 


I only spent a total of 20 minutes cutting and packing both bentos. The differences between the two; Lily likes hummus for her carrots while Boo does not, so she gets Greek yogurt with strawberries. I didn't make them too elaborate because really I was just plain lazy. It can be a little overwhelming to start making cute or nifty lunches for kids. With all the fun things to buy, ideas and pressure we put on ourselves to make it perfect (I know I am not the only perfectionist) I wanted to show you how easy and cute it can be. I did make one for a girl friend using my other "toys" but this was simple, fast and still cute, plus everything was something that was readily available and I didn't waste time or money hunting on the net or cursing around town. Happy Bento-ing!!!