Sushi Sandwich Bento

Sushi or pinwheel sandwich is so pretty and easy to make. This time I put ham and cheese filling. But you can use any ingredients that you want, for example : combination of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and dill or else. 
To make it, all you need to do is flatten the sandwich with rolling pin, put cheese sliced and ham on top, roll it and then cut into three.

Inside the box :
1. Ham and cheese sushi sandwich
2. Octopus and flower sausages (with cheese and black sesame seeds)
3. Corn on the cob
4. Milk jelly with nata de coco
5. Carrot flowers

Beside that, I also provided banana and yogurt for recess.

Sambos and Apple Pies Bento

Pretty simple lunches for the boys. I prepared ham and cheese sandwiches (sambos) with tomato ketchup and lettuce, and I cut them with corrugated knife.
I also prepared homemade apple pies that are very easy to make. You may find the recipe here.

Details as below :

What I prepared for my eldest son :
1. Ham and cheese sambos
2. Homemade apple pie
3. Melon jelly
4. Segmented orange for recess

My little one had the similar lunch as his big brother, but he had banana instead for recess.

Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Another yummy recipe for the boys, perfect for school lunch or snack after school. Here I share you the recipe :

Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Ingredients :
- 1 layer of store-bought puff pastry, thawed
- 225 gr Macaroni, boiled until al dente 
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped
- 1 bunch of broccoli, boiled and chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese
- 1/3 cup self-raising flour
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper to taste

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. 
2. Grease a 6cm-deep, 10cm x 21cm (base) loaf pan. 
3. Line base and sides with puff pastry. Prick it with fork randomly. 
4. Boil macaroni in salty water until al dente. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. 
6. Add onion, garlic and bacon. Cook, stir often, for 4 to 5 minutes until bacon is starting to brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
7. Add bacon mixture, chopped broccoli, cheese, flour and egg to macaroni. 
8. Season, and mix until well combined. 
9. Pour into prepared pan. 
10. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden and firm. 
11. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
12. Transfer loaf to a chopping board and  slice.
13. Serve it with tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Macaroni, broccoli, and bacon loaf with sweet chili sauce
2. Homemade apple pie
3. Honey dew jelly
4. Rockmelon cuts for recess

A similar lunch for my youngest son, but he preferred tomato ketcup for the loaf instead.

Non Sandwich Bento

Kids need variety. I often try some new recipes and this time I made Kue Pukis (Indonesian coconut milk cake) and Chicken Ragout Pastry. 

Here I share the Chicken Ragout Pastry recipe :

Ingredients:

2 pcs store bought puff pastry, thawed

For filling

1 onion, chopped

125 g chicken, cubed

150 g carrots, boiled and cubed

150 g potatoes, boiled and cubed

50 g peas

125 ml milk

75 g flour

200 ml chicken stock

1 1/2 tbsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

30 g Chinese celery

1/2 cup oil

Directions:

For filling

1. Heat oil over medium heat. 

2. Stir-fry onion until translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. Add chicken pieces, cook for about 3 more minutes.

4. Combine carrot, potatoes and peas into the wok. 

5. Continue cooking until all ingredients are well distributed, about 2 minutes.

6. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

7. Add chopped celery and mix well.

8. Add flour and stir continuously for 5 minutes.

9. Pour milk and chicken stock into the wok. 

10. Let simmer for 5 minutes, till the mixture thickens, stirring a couple of times to ensure even cooking.

11. Turn off heat and let cool.

For wrapper

1. Cut 1 piece of puff pastry into 4 square. 

2. Take one square, then put a heap spoon of filling in the corner.

3. Then fold the square into triangular shaped

4. Crimp the edges or press the edges with fork until sealed.

5. Repeat for all the puff pastry

Bake it 180C for about 30 minutes until it turns brown.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken ragout pastry
2. Kue Pukis
3. Grapes jelly
4. Carrot sticks
5. Pineapple cuts for recess

My youngest son had similar lunch with his brother, but he had segmented orange instead for recess.

I use Easy Lunchbox, you may find it here :

Healthy Wraps Bento

I saw chia wraps at the Supermarket and thought it would be perfect for the boys' lunches. They love their wraps. I prepared shredded chicken, shredded carrots, lettuce, ham, cheese, BBQ sauce and mayo filling.

Details are below :

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken chia wraps
2. Corn on the cob
3. Tamagoyaki (egg rolled)
4. Cheese sticks
5. Yogurt for recess

My eldest son had similar lunch to his little brother, but he had rockmelon cuts for recess instead.

Monkeys Bento

Celebrating the year of Monkey in 2016, I prepared these cute monkeys bento for my boys. To make the monkey, I used pepperoni, cheese, breadcrust, nori, and red apple skin.

Details as below :

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Ham and cheese sandwich with "monkey" on top
2. Fried pork wontons and lettuce leaf for baran/divider
3. Corn on the cob
4. Grape jelly
5. Apple checker for recess

My eldest son had a similar menu with his little brother, but he had orange cuts for recess instead.

"Happy Chinese New Year to you!! 

Wishing you and your family a good health, lots of happiness and success throughout the year".

Back to School 2016

The boys are so excited for their first day of school in 2016. My eldest son goes to year 5 and my youngest son goes to year 2. They can't wait to see their friends again!
To make this day even special, I prepared these bento for them.

For my eldest son, I prepared :

1. Ham and cheese mini sandwich

2. Hard boiled egg with salt & pepper (decorated with cheese, carrot, and nori)

3. Cheese pillow puff with cheese and "Year 5" writing (made of carrot) on it

4. Corn on the cob

5. Lettuce leaves

6. Rockmelon cuts for recess

My youngest son had similar lunches, with "year 2" writing on the cheese pillow puff.

Bento tools I used for this post :