Menu: Wakana rice with jako fish, Mashed pumpkin with soboro, Cherry tomato, Steamed broccoli & cabbage
Strawberries & banana for dessert
Feeling super lazy this morning, I didn’t cook anything except for the rice (which was actually done by the rice cooker). Everything else was either leftover or stock from the freezer, all of which I just whipped up and packed in the bento box.
My daughter said she liked the bento – well, that’s what is the most important, not the effort put in😉
After packing rather dull shades of food in the bento box, I was awakened by the lively yellow colour of scrambled egg. It was as if the sun started shining brightly through the gloomy overcast sky.
Menu: Hijiki mixed in rice with scrambled egg on top, Spinach goma-ae, Steamed sweet potato & cabbage
Apple mousse & kiwi for dessert
Menu: Onigiri with grilled salmon, Spinach omelet, Colourful cherry tomatoes, Steamed cabbage
Apple & steamed potato for dessert
My daughter loves onigiri, especially when nori seaweed is packed separately from the riceballs so that she can do it all on her own and enjoy its crispy texture. I hardly ever makes onigiri now for her kindergarten bento, primarily because it’s much easier and takes less time to just pack rice in the bento box instead of having to go through the trouble of putting rice in shape. But this morning I needed an onigiri for myself to bring it with me to work, so I made them for her also. The result? A happy & satisfied girl with a big smile 🙂
Once I packed all the food I had planned to put in my daughter’s bento in the morning, it looked like this (ignore the white circles, that’ll come later).
It made me feel something was still missing, it wasn’t lively enough for a little girl’s lunch box. Usually I put a cherry tomato, but I ran out of it in my fridge. Instead I added two slices of steamed carrot cut out in flower shape (from the freezer), and two cucumber sticks. Look at what a big difference it makes by just adding two colours in the bento box.
If you make bento daily, I highly recommend to stock up this steamed carrot in your freezer. It becomes very handy for an emergency situation like this morning. I use Le Creuset steamer and use cookie cutters to cut out in different shapes.
Menu: Grilled Medai fish, Tofu omelet, Steamed pumpkin, Steamed cabbage mixed with sesame furikake, Steamed carrot, Cucumber sticks, Rice with nori seaweed
Apple for dessert
As I was preparing the bento in the morning, my daughter peeked up at my kitchen counter and told me she really liked the potato stirfries I was making. Lately she started giving me her feedbacks on bento, which is totally new. She used to be completely passive, but now she is developing her own preference. My job now is, I believe, that I guide her in a way so that she always likes to have a well balanced meal. What a challenge!
Menu: Stirfried potato slices with spinach & bacon, Soboro chicken crumble on rice, Boiled egg, Cherry tomato, Cucumber sticks
Strawberries for dessert
As per our girl’s request…
Menu: Spaghetti bolognese, Boiled egg, Boiled green beans
Apple mousse & banana for dessert
We had a busy weekend with no time for grocery shopping, and I had to reply on my freezer in a busy Monday morning. A frozen filet of salted salmon is very useful for this type of occasion, just chuck the frozen filet in the fish grill for 8 minutes or so.
Menu: Grilled salmon on rice, Goma-konbu, Corn omelet, Steamed broccoli, Cherry tomato
Diced strawberries & banana for dessert
Menu: Grilled Medai (Japanese butterfish?), Chicken soboro salad, Stewed cabbage, daikon & corn in chicken soup, Boiled egg, Rice, Nori seaweed
Kiwi, banana & strawberry for dessert
At the kitchen this morning, our girl cheekily peaked at her bento of the day, and she said… “Mmmm, yummy!” It made my day☺️
It is endearing to know that she actually looks forward to her daily bento. It is worth waking up early to prepare the bento.
Menu: Grilled salmon & sesame furikake mixed in rice, Broccoli & shirasu omelet, Steamed pumpkin, Stewed beet root & veggies (from the soup I made the evening before)
Apple mousse & banana for dessert
SMALL TOKYO KITCHEN 