Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Short Snack















Wednesdays are short days for the Little Goose at school due to teacher meetings or something. Thus, on Wednesdays, she only gets a short snack time rather than a full lunch. Hence, the return of the teeny tiny bento. Is it bad when the dessert pack is the same size as the lunch portion?

Dessert:
- Meiji Hello Panda Strawberry cream filled biscuits

Bento:
- Teeny broccoli florets
- Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
- Baby Corn
- Baby Carrots
- Mini Seedless grape skewers

Yeah, it's sort of funny, the Sweet Pea certainly thought so. =)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Mmmm...Tuna













My uncle is a fisherman and brought in some fresh tuna for us recently. It was so fresh, it was probably sushi grade or something, but not being big raw fish eaters, my parents made these awesome Vietnamese braised tuna steaks. I made the rice. =) I'm so proud.

Left:
-Sauteed bok choy with minced garlic topped with carrot flowers
-Plain rice
-Braised tuna steak topped with chives and carrot

Right:
-Seedless grapes
-Mini fuji apple bunnies
-Carrot sticks

Ooh, and here is the Sweet Pea. He said he, "Buhb eee"'d me today (translation: "love you", since we say, "I lovey you!"). First time ever (without prompting)! Hear that bento lovers? My baby loves me! Who'd of thunk?

Friday, December 15, 2006

When All Else Fails...















Make fried rice. I tried to do something fancy today but just gave up. It's amazing, but somehow, now that the quarter is over, and despite not having to worry about school (just work and family) I'm just as tired as when school was still in session. There's just something about the end of the year that just makes me want to sleep, shop, and send my little girl to the cafeteria...but I slacked off yesterday and so I had to come up with something!

Top:
-Steamed broccoli
-Chicken and veggie potsticker cut in half and topped with baby corn slices
-Fried rice with cha lua (that Viet mortadella, love that stuff), peas, carrots, and corn
-And you can't see it, but there's a section of baby corn at the bottom

Bottom:
-Persimmon slices
-Lychee Jelly (Yes, the kind that kids used to choke on and were banned from stores for a while. These are different from those earlier deadlier versions in the fact that they're bigger and you have to actually bite them to eat them. My husband claims that they don't seem as sweet and I think they seem a bit less firm, but it's been a long time since they sold the smaller, chokable kind.)

Ooooh, and a picture of a kid...well, Sweet Pea and his Daddy. Taken yesterday but close enough!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Woeful Wednesday

















Why is Wednesday woeful? Because it's the middle of the week hump day. Wednesday's the day that demands that you work your butt off to make up for the fact that you were recovering from the weekend on Monday, slacked on Tuesday because you're mourning that it's Tuesday and have four days to go before the weekend. Thursday's a wash because you're pooped from Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday. And Friday? C'mon...

So, in honor of woeful Wednesday, here is a woeful lunch for the Little Goose. She wanted grilled cheese. Since it's a short day for her on Wednesday, I'm using this TEENY TINY, ITTY BITTY little bento box.

Left:
-American cheese hearts in the shape of a flower with a dried goji berry center covering...
-Toasted turkey and cheese rolls wrapped in flattened multi grain wheat bread
-A few turkey and cheese rolls
-Half a mini dill pickle
-One bite macaroon

Right:
-Dried goji berries
-Sliced jackfruit
-Sliced lychee

Left

Monday, December 11, 2006

"Exotic" Fruit Medly





























Wow, it's been over a week since I've posted here. However, I have an excuse; several excuses even, but primarily, I've been extremely busy due to finals at school. While I'm not quite sure I passed, at this point I'm not quite sure I even care. (Well, I CARE, just not quite as much since it's been and exhausting week.) My poor Little Goose had to eat cafeteria food for a week!

Ever try giving lunch money to a kindergartener? The chances of that lunch money actually making it to the lunch lady aren't half bad actually. The Little Goose only forgot to pay once. Luckily, they feed your kid no matter what and just run a tab. Five years old and already running up tabs...oi.

Top:
-Red bean filled mochi
-A medly of exotic fruits
-Persimmon wedges
-Mini Guava wedges
-Lychees

Bottom:
-Stewed sweet potatoes
-Rice topped with oshinko and chive tulip
-Vietnamese braised beef (thit bo kho)