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Recipe: Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

November 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A lunchbox-sized sweet and tangy fruit pasta salad

I am on the quest for healthy lunches that my kids will eat. Princess likes fruit and pasta, so I came up with this recipe.

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Grate about 1/2 tsp of lemon peel. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Stir these together. (You can lessen these amounts to make it a little less tart.)

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Cut about 1/3 of an apple into small pieces. Stir the lemon mixture and the apples together well, to prevent browning. Add in 1/2 tablespoon of honey. Mix well.

Add cubed cheese and raisins to the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Add cubed cheese and raisins to the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Add the contents of a mini box of raisins and some cubed cheddar cheese. Use portions that fit your child’s taste. Stir well. Add a little more honey to the mixture and stir well (again, add to your child’s taste).

Finished Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Finished Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Add in about 1/2 a cup of mini pasta wheels. Stir the entire mixture well. Taste it and add further lemon juice or honey as desired. Be careful to not make the mixture too juicy though.

This makes enough to fill a small lunchbox-sized container. I made mine the morning I was packing the lunch. I’m not sure how well it would last overnight.

Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad packed in a bento lunch

Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad packed in a bento lunch

I think other fruits would work well in this salad also. I might try adding some carrots or other vegetable next time. I thought it was pretty tasty!

**Remember not to feed honey to infants under the age of 12 months.

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Today’s picture and more on the Yubo lunchbox

November 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A Bento Box with a Sandwich

Today marks the first day of a sandwich in the bento-style lunchbox.

Bento-style lunchbox with a sandwich

Bento-style lunchbox with a sandwich

I found these cute mini-sub rolls–the sweet, hawaiian-style ones. I layered Boars Head turkey, Boars Head sweet-slice ham, Boars Head baby swiss, mayo, and honey mustard. The rolls fit perfectly in the oblong container. I also added in a sliced, molded bunny egg; raspberries; and a juice box.

Today, I also added in some ice-cube type ice packs. I cut them into cubes and I added them in between the sandwich and the egg/raspberries. They were in addition to the previously included ice pack. I am curious how they work out. I thought the sandwich needed some extra coldness. I hope they didn’t leak out of the package–I think you can cut them into cubes, but not 100% sure.

I am also considering trying a different type of bento container or lunchbox. I am finding that I can’t really do all that bento has to offer in this lunchbox. The way you pack the food flat, but then carry and store it on its side doesn’t really lend itself to true bento. I can’t make any cute foods, because it will all shift.

I am really liking the Yubo lunchbox, except for the aforementioned feature. It washes well, packs well, and I get millions of compliments. The only complaint I have about the lunchbox itself is the condensation from the ice pack. I think that is probably just a fact that can’t be avoided. The condensation probably occurs in other lunch boxes that aren’t insulated and my Florida climate probably doesn’t help either.

Here’s a link to another bento post.

Any suggestions on another type of bento lunchbox to try?

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Bento Day 3

November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Oh, the adventure of Bento!

Bento Day 3 consisted of cut-up grape tomatoes, strawberry applesauce, juice box, and cheese quesadillas. I am really proud of the quesadillas because they have pureed butternut squash in them. I put tiny sheets of waxed paper between them so they wouldn’t be soggy.

Bento Day 3

Bento Day 3

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Tutorial: How to use an egg mold

November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Molded and shaped eggs are great to use in bento lunches for kids

If you have ever bought and egg mold though, you might have noticed the instructions are usually not in English. This is a problem if that’s the only language you speak. I had to google the subject to find out how. I wanted to create my own tutorial for my blog, since I plan on talking about bento a lot. I’ve included some links to other great resources for the egg molds though, ones that helped me figure it all out!

1) Boil the eggs. I read that you should boil the eggs anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. I boiled them for about 10. Then you need to let them cool enough so you can peel them, but don’t let them cool too long. Use your judgement on that–be careful not to burn your fingers. Then you can gently crack the egg on the counter and peel it. I was really lucky with both of my eggs for this tutorial–I didn’t get any of the annoying chunks of egg missing when I peeled the egg.

Boiling the eggs for the egg mold

Boiling the eggs for the egg mold

2) Insert the eggs into the egg mold. I bought a rabbit and a bear–these seem to be pretty popular. I am using the rabbit mold for this tutorial. I laid the egg right into the mold.  (The picture helps illustrate this better.) Some tutorials suggested different methods for inserting the egg that might work best for the particular mold you are using. Several showed the egg sitting up in the mold, but these molds seemed to support laying the egg in just fine.

Picture of the egg mold

The egg mold

Egg in the egg mold

Place the egg in the egg mold

3). Close up the mold and snap the fastener tightly. Then float the mold (containing the egg) in cold water for at least 10 minutes. Some tutorials suggested you put the egg in the refrigerator as an alternative (I wasn’t sure if that was in water or out of water though).

Egg mold floating in cold water

Egg mold floating in cold water

4.) When you feel enough time has passed, remove the egg from the mold. I saw some folks leaving the egg in the mold till you are ready to use the egg, but I removed right after it was done soaking. This worked fine for the egg I used right away. I would suggest leaving the egg in longer to keep it shaped properly, for best results. One of the eggs I made after the tutorial lost some of its features by the next day–so I don’t think it was in there long enough.

Your molded egg

Here's how it will look when you unclasp the mold.

5.) You can leave the egg whole or slice it. I sliced it right in the middle of the egg, where there was a seamline. This created two cute eggs!

An egg molded into the shape of a bunny

An egg molded into the shape of a bunny

Other tutorials to check out:
http://www.cookingcute.com/using_egg_molds.htm
http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-decoration-techniques/fun-japanese-egg-molds
http://everythingyourmamamade.com/2008/07/23/bento-egg-molds/

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Bento Day 1

November 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A little closer to the bento lifestyle.

I’m not sure how bento this is, but today I used the new bento-style lunchbox I bought for Princess for the first time today. The lunchbox I chose was the Yubo. It’s pink, of course, and has the fairy princess graphics.

I researched a lot of these lunch boxes. I was originally going to choose the laptop style one, but was afraid it might be a little large for her and the daycare storage space. I liked how every part of the Yubo lunchbox is washable. What sold me on it, though, is the built-in icepack.

Overall, the lunch box packed well and looked beautiful. The one problem I found so far was that the ice pack was already creating condensation on the outside of the lunchbox when I dropped her off at school. Perhaps this is our climate or just because of first use. I’ll see how that works out and keep you posted.

Today, I packed her a juice box (one of those vegetable/fruit blends), cheese stick, diced papaya, cut up grape tomatoes, and peanut butter and jelly muffins. I hope to branch into more creative display and use the egg molds I bought. The picks that people use are also appealing to me, but I wasn’t sure if her school allowed them. I’ve shared some photos below of today’s lunch.

Bento day 1 picture of lunch

Peanut butter and jelly muffins, diced papaya, grape tomatoes, cheese stick, juice box

Interior of bento day 1

Interior of bento day 1

Bento day 1 icepack

Bento day 1 icepack

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