School Lunch Day

Yesterday's bento was not thoroughly consumed. She left the little cucumbers, which I don't understand because she loves cucumbers and the green beans. I guess I knew in my heart of hearts that there is no sauce that would make a green bean appealing to her, but I still held out a little hope. She did eat the rice and hot dogs and most of the blackberries. So, back to the drawing board on vegetables. I think I can officially rule out green beans in any form, at least for now.

Today was a no bento day. Maybe a school lunch will make her appreciate it more. Ya right. I had plans, but I fooled around with my alarm this morning to get a little more sleep and ended up oversleeping completely. We had just enough time to get dressed and out the door.

Tomorrow I am going to use the Udon noodles. I forgot which type of grain they use, but the germ is in there too so it isn't just a starch, which I like. I am not sure what else I will serve with it. Probably pot-stickers that we got at a Japanese market in Medford. The market is nice, though I wish that their pre made items were fresher. We usually go on a Sunday and everything is past it's due date. I am guessing that the cook isn't there on weekends or something. I would love to see if Paige likes squid. She says she won't eat anything that doesn't breathe air, but maybe I could sneak something by her.

Does the food in a bento have to be Japanese? Absolutely not! I use some Japanese elements, but Paige doesn't like anything to do with fish, so seaweed is right out. She also doesn't like too much salty food, so there goes many of the pickles that the Japanese make. I have made bento with a sandwich and as you have seen, a pasta salad. Both my kids are somewhat enamoured with Japanese culture, so I try to incorporate some of that in the bento.