Bento Box Lunches

When my daughter started in grade one this year, I was determined not to send her to school every day with a boring brown-bag lunch. I had seen a few websites that showcased the concept of using a traditional Japanese Bento box and filling it with small bites that would be appealing to a six-year-old. I found a double-decker bento box at a local import store and began creating her Bento box lunches. Her box came with a spoon and fork and we bought some small matching containers (1/2 oz) for her to put in dipping sauce or salad dressing. We use plastic picks for fruit and silicone muffin cups for holding smaller items and dividing food.

I usually choose one main item and two side items and use fillers as needed to use up the space. It also took me a little while to determine the right amount of food for her. The primary idea is to be creative, and provide a healthy lunch in small portions, which kids seem to prefer. As a bonus, this is environmentally friendly as we eliminate the need for wrap or bags. Here's a starter list of things I've used in the past.

Mains (pick 1):

• sandwich cut into shapes with cookie cutter
• cheese and crackers
• cold pasta salad (watch that they're not too saucy, or will leak)
• tortilla's rolled with cream cheese and ham
• mini pita sandwiches
• sushi
• left-over fried rice
• hard-cooked egg
• thin egg omelet, rolled up
• ham with pickles rolled up inside
• left-over meat with BBQ sauce for dipping
• cold chicken nuggets
  
• mini bagels and cream cheese

Sides (pick 2):

• vegetables (invest in a crinkle cutter for wavy veggies)
• ants on a log (celery stuffed with spreadable cheese and topped with raisins)
• fruit
• mini muffins
• dried fruit on sticks with marshmallow's
• fruit roll-ups
• cheese squares or baby bell
• yogurt

Fillers (use as needed):

• Craisins or raisins
• trail mix (dried cereal with dried fruit)
• pretzels
• cookies
• goldfish crackers
• mini rice cakes
• mini chocolate bars
• breadsticks
• mini jello's (in Asian section at grocery stores)

There are a lot of websites dedicated to Bento Box lunches. Take a look at these to get you started and you will get the idea.

http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/
(This website actually does a Bento Box contest every month. Some people are extremely creative, or have too much time on their hands. In any case it's always inspiring to look at.)

http://adventuresinabentobox.blogspot.com/

http://lunchinabox.net/

http://justbento.com/

Spicy Green Beans

This is a super easy way to upgrade plain green beans and is a staple in our house. The kids love them as long as I go easy on the red chili pepper flakes.

• 1 lb. frozen whole green beans (sometimes labeled as fancy long or haricot vert)
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-3 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. salt

Toss all ingredients together in a shallow, oven-save dish. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, or until beans are shriveled and slightly caramelized.

Go To Pasta

I'm sure that everyone who cooks has a "go-to" pasta dish. You know the one that pleases everyone and you hope that one day your children will remember fondly as mom's pasta dish. My "go-to" pasta dishes seem to change every couple of years. At one time, when I was a starving student, it was simple spaghetti sauce, then traditional macaroni and cheese and when I lived in California my favorite pasta dish to cook was one with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, torn basil and fresh Parmesan, with a drizzle of basalmic vinegar.

Our current favorite is one I got from Donna Hay's "Off the Shelf" and it can be used with lots of different types of pasta, and doesn't cost much to make. This recipe works well with left-over roast chicken or turkey, as all bits of the poultry can be used, not just breasts as the recipe states.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

• 400g spaghetti or linguine
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. salted capers, rinsed
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped (I use dried chili flakes and season according to tastes)
• 3 cooked chicken breast fillets, shredded
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped basil leaves (I use about 1-2 tbsp dried)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the pasta in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain. While the pasta is cooking, heat a deep frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, capers, garlic and chillies and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and lemon zest and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Add the pasta to the pan with the lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and toss to combine, Place in serving bowls and top with Parmesan. Serves 4.

Easy Chocolate Cake

This recipe for Chocolate Cake was given to me by my mother, who has been using it ever since I can remember. I think it could easily date back to The Great Depression, as it uses no dairy or eggs and relies only on the reaction of baking soda and vinegar for it's leavening.

I have used it many times and found it perfect for any shape or size of cake, as it can be doubled easily. Makes 2 thin, 9" round cakes, one thick 8" x 8" square or about 14 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Sift together.

• 1 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine and add to above and then mix until blended.

Pour into floured, greased cake pan lined with parchment, or into paper cups.

Bake for 35–40 minutes for cake, 20–25 minutes for cupcakes.

Allow to cool and ice as desired.

Note: I always top my cakes with real butter cream icing and it makes it just that much better. Butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and a drop of milk. Check the Wilton website for exact measurements. (Their recipe also calls for shortening, but I use ALL butter!)

Home-made Pizza Crust

"In times like these,"... My husband and I wish we had a dollar for every time we have heard this or similar phrases in the last while, for our own recession woes would be over. (Actually, we wanted to make it into a drinking game, however it seemed that we often heard this phrase as we were driving in the car and that made it logistically difficult.)
I digress.
When people need to reassess their lifestyle and how they spend their money, they often look to the basics. Spending $20 to $30 on a delivery or take-out pizza is out of the question, so finding other ways to fill the gap become a necessity. I drummed up my old college stand-by pizza dough recipe, (or should I say "flatbread" as it is referred to now).
Toppings are entirely up to what you have in the fridge or pantry. My sister even puts broccoli on hers.

• 1 cup water
• 1 package dry active instant yeast, or about 1 tbsp.
  

Mix together.

• 1 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt

Dissolve into yeast and water mixture.

• 2½ cup flour
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Add to above and knead well by hand (or combine in Cuisinart or KitchenAid mixer) until shiny.

Place in bowl and allow to rise for 40 minutes.

Spread out onto pizza pan. Drizzle oil, basil, oregano, salt & pepper and Parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 20 minutes at 450°F, or until golden brown.

Add desired toppings and re-bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 450°F, then broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Notes: When using vegetables with high-water content (mushrooms, peppers) keep them diced small or thin to avoid a soggy pizza. When using tomatoes, I either use pre-caramelized tomatoes, or remove the seeds altogether.

Also, nice touch if you have a pizza pan with no venting holes in it is to sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the pan before you spread the dough out. This adds a nice tooth to the crust and helps the pizza from sticking.