Piggies



Bento No. 44

Thinking I have some leftover honey baked ham in my fridge and I am going to prepare some baked salmon, I made a pair of piggies onigiri (by mixing the salmon into the rice) for my son's lunch box today.  It's ears and nose are made of ham. And I pressed tiny strips of cheese for its nostrils.

I also tried a new Japanese dressing using black sesame for french bean.  I first saw it posted in Food for Tots (originated receipe by Harumi Kurihara) back in October last year.  It is very easy and a simple dish.  I hope my boy would like it.  Besides french bean with sesame dressing, my son has a small corn cob, some carrots, cherry tomato and dragon fruit.

When time is permitted, I will allow my boy to watch TV normally whilst I can concentrate on his bento.  Well, he watched Sesame street today and told me he does not want to go to school.  He starts whining and giving me lame excuses like 'cannot walk', 'back pain.  Until, he sat in the car and his mood begins to change. I can see he put on his smiley face again :) 

Seal Pup



Bento No. 43

 A seal pup!  Ya, my boy has been asking me to make a sea lion bento since beginning of the week.  Not to disappoint him, I promised him.  I did some research on the internet and today, I finally be able to present his 'sea lion'.  I really don't know the differences between a seal and a sea lion.  Looks alike to me though.  Except that the seal pup in the northern atmospher has a thicker fury coat and white/beign colour, which resembles more to the above I created.

I mixed some pork floss into the onigiri and moulded the shape with my hands.  The nose is a tiny bluberry (but look big and cute on this little fellow) and cheddar cheese for his cheek.  The eyes and whiskers are punched and cut from seaweed. He also has boiled broccolli, steamed meatballs, cherry tomatoes and strawberries.

Roll-up chicken sandwich

Bento No. 42

Today, my son is making 'San Francisco Cioppino and Hot Dogs' (it is one of the food preparation lesson conducted at his school) .  So I decided to make a light sandwich bento.  I rolled up a black sesame bread and stuffed it with marinated carrots and japanese cucumbers together with mayo chicken. Along with it, he has half cut-oranges and some blueberries.  And he chooses his favourite foodpicks.  Being a kiasu parent, I squeezed in one slice of cheddar cheese in his lunchbox which is not photographed here :P

Car

Bento No. 41

It is the first day of the week and I feel a little bit of Monday bluesss...  Probably, tired because I have not been sleeping well recently.  My son has been waking up requesting for water in the middle of the night and interrupted my sleep. Gosh! How I wish he can sleep through the night without waking. 

Anyway, I made something simple and yet his favourite; steamed egg with minced meat.  Then, I cut out the shape of the car.  Why car?  Oh, we went to the Volkswagen showroom on Saturday and decided that it is time to change our car despite the fact that I am quite reluctant due to the high COE.  Our current car (Ford Fiesta) has served us well for 7 years and lately, its clutch is giving us problem that my hubby thinks it is safer to change to a new car before it totally breaks down.  I really can't bear to part with it :(

In his bento, my boy has blanced broccolli, carrots, tiny cherry tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries.

Unusual bento - Fishball Yang Tau Fu with brown rice Mee Hoon

I am not sure if you could call this a 'bento'.  This is not really a lunchbox but a candy tupperware container (a gift from 'gu gu') and it has my son's favourite animals lion, zebra, horse, you name it.

Bento No. 40

My boy saw it at 'gu gu' house and never want to let go.  In the end, he got it as a present!   Instead of the usual rice meal, I decided to prepare some fishballs, yang tau fu, minced meat stir-fried with mixed vegetables to go along with brown rice mee hoon. And, I made the ikan billis soya bean broth yesterday for his soup.  Very healthy, isn't it?  Since this is not his usual lunchbox, I improvised!  Pack his lunch into this cute tupperware container.  For fruit, he has one sugar prune (so sweet but nice).

Penguins

Bento No. 39

Whenever my son thinks of penguins, it reminds him of holidays.  Why?  That is because Jurong Bird Park created a Penguins Wonderland during the December holidays last year.  And it advertised by hanging banners on the lampost.  When we drove past, my boy would be exclaiming "penguins, holidays!". 

So, today it is penguins bento!  He has blanched asparagus and cauliflower, fried egg with silver fish. After stuffing all the fried egg, I realised there is no room for his strawberries.  Time to get a bigger lunchbox! 

Valentine

Bento No. 38

It's Valentine day!  But it is not a meaningful day for me personally.  We do not celebrate Valentine day after married.  The only excitement that sent my heart bumping would be in my early 20s.  I was still enjoying my singlehood; high teas and dates.  Not anymore now. 

Nonetheless, I prepare the lunchbox with a valentine theme; a heart shape made with chopped char siew.  I did it using a cookie cutter but the shape does not stand out prominently on the bed of white rice.  So I cut a little heart shape from a tiny piece of char siew and place within the big heart! Accompanied with flower shape carrot, blanched kailan and two Korea strawberries.  I told my boy it is valentine today and explained to him that 'people in love' celebrated.  He nodded.  I wonder if a three years old boy could understand the significance.

Tiger cubs



Bento No. 37

 Nice to be back in Singapore.   This Chinese New Year seems to be quieter in Malaysia.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the food (treats by relatives) and firecracker.  So did my boy.  Even in his dream, he still has both hands covered his ears while he was asleep on the first day. No matter how hard we moved his hands away, they were still firmly placed it in the same position.  Another incident happened where he was so scarced of the lion dance performed in the Japanese restaurant.  The loud music, gongs and drums sent shivers down the spine and literally, my son was shaking involuntarily.  Hope, he will learn to be brave next year facing the lion dance and/or firecracker.

Well, my boy asked me to make a tiger bento for him today (while I was contemplating another rabbit bento, hehe).  I made a pair and put his favourite tiger club overlooking the bento for shooting purpose.  In his lunch, he has chickedn breast, brocolli and carrots.  I packed three wedges of sunkist oranges in another box.  Not forget to mention, we brought back the Penang tau sa biscuits for the teachers and staff of his school.  Hope they would like it.