INGREDIENTS & INFO
I've always known that seaweed is extremely good for health so I'm not surprised that it has many beneficial attributes. Here are some info that I found on the web :
Seaweed (Nori) Benefits
22 May, 2009
KIDDY MEAL # 3
Here is Kiddy Meal # 3. Just a simple Golden Peach Spread in pinwheels, on the top. The bottom consist of star shaped cheese "sandwiches" with star nori shapes, "anchored" by a smidgen of butter. Its the first time Munchkin has ever eaten nori, so hope He won't reject them.
Update : Glad to report that it was ALL eaten. Yeah!!!
21 May, 2009
NEW FIND - BENTO DEMO VIDEOS
Saw this on You-Tube. It was definitely informative & interesting. A great help for beginners. Have a look if you are a novice but if you are a pro at bentoing, it might just be another vid for you ... hehe! I find the set-up of the vids very cute, especially the poodle named Francis. There are more vids from "Cooking With Dog" - all about Japanese cooking. So if you are interested, go take look at the site. Happy watching!
Cooking With Dog - How To Make Bento (Japanese Boxed Lunch)
Saw this on You-Tube. It was definitely informative & interesting. A great help for beginners. Have a look if you are a novice but if you are a pro at bentoing, it might just be another vid for you ... hehe! I find the set-up of the vids very cute, especially the poodle named Francis. There are more vids from "Cooking With Dog" - all about Japanese cooking. So if you are interested, go take look at the site. Happy watching!
Cooking With Dog - How To Make Bento (Japanese Boxed Lunch)
20 May, 2009
MUSINGS
I noticed that Munchkin's bento & kiddy meal pics weren't that hot/great - they look small & blurry ... argghh! I try to take numerous shots of the same meal but can only check the "quality" when I download them to the PC, much later.
It looks like I really have to try to take better photos. I think I will take more close-up shots too (like those in most bento blogs) but my camera isn't very good at close-ups ... the photos get very blurry & unfocused. Sigh ... I will do my very best next time, meanwhile I hope you can still "enjoy"the pics.
I noticed that Munchkin's bento & kiddy meal pics weren't that hot/great - they look small & blurry ... argghh! I try to take numerous shots of the same meal but can only check the "quality" when I download them to the PC, much later.
It looks like I really have to try to take better photos. I think I will take more close-up shots too (like those in most bento blogs) but my camera isn't very good at close-ups ... the photos get very blurry & unfocused. Sigh ... I will do my very best next time, meanwhile I hope you can still "enjoy"the pics.
KIDDY MEAL # 2
The top hearts were smudged with a bit of butter & kaya spread. Later topped with a sprinkle of "hundreds & thousands" sprinkles. The bottom stars were smudged with a bit of butter & topped with star sprinkles. All sugar sprinkles can be purchased at Phoon Huat. I bought the smaller packs as its just for minor decoration purposes but they do sell them in bigger packs, if so desired.
The top hearts were smudged with a bit of butter & kaya spread. Later topped with a sprinkle of "hundreds & thousands" sprinkles. The bottom stars were smudged with a bit of butter & topped with star sprinkles. All sugar sprinkles can be purchased at Phoon Huat. I bought the smaller packs as its just for minor decoration purposes but they do sell them in bigger packs, if so desired.
Update : Munchkin finished everything. Mama was happy!
16 May, 2009
MUSINGS ...
I see in a lot of the Bento blogs that most of the mummies try to pack varieties of vegetables & fruits for their kids. Unfortunately, Munchkin doesn't eat them. He might "swallow" veggies if they're chopped & "hidden" in the fried rice or noodles but otherwise He aint "touching" them.
Sigh! On one hand, I can't really blame him ... even His Mama didn't really eat veggies until she was in her 20s (I H-A-T-E-D veggies!!!). Even now, I will only eat certain veggies, cooked a certain way & certain salads only (don't fancy raw veggies). I certainly don't eat broccoli by the stick/bunch; only stir-fried broccoli in oyster sause. Nor do I eat cherry tomatoes by the numbers though I don't mind them sliced & "inserted" into sandwiches or burgers. I know, I know ... so fussy right! No wonder Munchkin is so fussy ... I wonder where He gets it from? *wink wink*. So how can I force my kid to do something I can't even do ... hmmm, thats mighty unfair!
On the other hand, I love fruits! I have been trying to get Munchkin to eat fruits without much success. He's like his Papa in this issue. I wanna make this Boy a fruit-eater but I have failed so far. I am not giving up so soon! This morning I tried giving him a piece of Chinese Pear & He ate it. I was sooo happy! Ermm ... ten minutes later, I saw a "bulge" in His mouth ... the pear was "uneaten" & "shoved" to the side. I made him spit it out ... double sigh!
I want my Kid to eat healthy but I don't know if He's willing to try some of the food I prepare for him. A lot of times, food ends up in the bin ... so wasted! So far, the decorative approach of Bentos has had some success on Munchkin. Maybe its the novelty of shaped food, colourful sprinkles & cute containers. Whatever it is, I am happy so far that He has shown some progress. I hope to "report" more success stories in the coming months, especially before he starts pre-school. I am worried that his new school will not allow packed lunch from home, that would be a shame!
I see in a lot of the Bento blogs that most of the mummies try to pack varieties of vegetables & fruits for their kids. Unfortunately, Munchkin doesn't eat them. He might "swallow" veggies if they're chopped & "hidden" in the fried rice or noodles but otherwise He aint "touching" them.
Sigh! On one hand, I can't really blame him ... even His Mama didn't really eat veggies until she was in her 20s (I H-A-T-E-D veggies!!!). Even now, I will only eat certain veggies, cooked a certain way & certain salads only (don't fancy raw veggies). I certainly don't eat broccoli by the stick/bunch; only stir-fried broccoli in oyster sause. Nor do I eat cherry tomatoes by the numbers though I don't mind them sliced & "inserted" into sandwiches or burgers. I know, I know ... so fussy right! No wonder Munchkin is so fussy ... I wonder where He gets it from? *wink wink*. So how can I force my kid to do something I can't even do ... hmmm, thats mighty unfair!
On the other hand, I love fruits! I have been trying to get Munchkin to eat fruits without much success. He's like his Papa in this issue. I wanna make this Boy a fruit-eater but I have failed so far. I am not giving up so soon! This morning I tried giving him a piece of Chinese Pear & He ate it. I was sooo happy! Ermm ... ten minutes later, I saw a "bulge" in His mouth ... the pear was "uneaten" & "shoved" to the side. I made him spit it out ... double sigh!
I want my Kid to eat healthy but I don't know if He's willing to try some of the food I prepare for him. A lot of times, food ends up in the bin ... so wasted! So far, the decorative approach of Bentos has had some success on Munchkin. Maybe its the novelty of shaped food, colourful sprinkles & cute containers. Whatever it is, I am happy so far that He has shown some progress. I hope to "report" more success stories in the coming months, especially before he starts pre-school. I am worried that his new school will not allow packed lunch from home, that would be a shame!
Hurray ... Its Bento # 1
I decided to pack Munchkin's first ever "formal" Bento today, as we will be spending the whole of Saturday outdoors.
On the left are the buttermilk pancakes shaped into stars, hearts, aeroplane, ship - all in a disposable pink paper cupcakes. On the right, small round Japanese biscuits, Little Gems (those 70s-era favs, the ones with the multi-coloured sweet tops), printed animal biscuits, in same pink cups. In the centre, are individually wrapped Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. The mini plastic orange fork is from Daiso.
The container is a blue Thomas The Train Bento Box - with a divider that was not used here (purchased from Takashimaya recently, costing less than S$ 7.00).
So there you have it. Its rather monumental for me ... haha! ... to get the first Bento meal, out of the way. I really hope Munchkin will enjoy his tea time snacks. I will try to update later on what was eaten & what was "rejected" or unfinished.
I decided to pack Munchkin's first ever "formal" Bento today, as we will be spending the whole of Saturday outdoors.
On the left are the buttermilk pancakes shaped into stars, hearts, aeroplane, ship - all in a disposable pink paper cupcakes. On the right, small round Japanese biscuits, Little Gems (those 70s-era favs, the ones with the multi-coloured sweet tops), printed animal biscuits, in same pink cups. In the centre, are individually wrapped Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. The mini plastic orange fork is from Daiso.
The container is a blue Thomas The Train Bento Box - with a divider that was not used here (purchased from Takashimaya recently, costing less than S$ 7.00).
So there you have it. Its rather monumental for me ... haha! ... to get the first Bento meal, out of the way. I really hope Munchkin will enjoy his tea time snacks. I will try to update later on what was eaten & what was "rejected" or unfinished.
Update : Munchkin finished most of the pancakes, except for the "ship". He ate 2 Little Gems & fed fed his Papa the other 2 (duh!). The Japanese & printed animal biscuits were untouched ... sigh! He clamoured for the Cadbury chocs, because I only let him have 1 at a go. He was "upset" that I hid the other piece. When he finally got the last chocolate piece, he was a happy Munchkin. Arrgh!!
15 May, 2009
Kiddy Meal # 1
My Munchkin's first ever kiddy meal was a simple one. It was a cheese sandwich. I applied some butter on the top of the star & heart shapes so that the rainbow sprinkles will stick. Munchkin was smiling very broadly when He saw the plate; He couldn't wait to "demolish" them, which He did in mere minutes ... haha! Mama was very happy indeed!
Stuck mini pink & orange vegetable picks.
Decided not to waste the balance of the bread. Put another cheese slice & bread on the bottom layer & toasted it ... for myself (hehe)
The end product ... finished!
My Munchkin's first ever kiddy meal was a simple one. It was a cheese sandwich. I applied some butter on the top of the star & heart shapes so that the rainbow sprinkles will stick. Munchkin was smiling very broadly when He saw the plate; He couldn't wait to "demolish" them, which He did in mere minutes ... haha! Mama was very happy indeed!
Stuck mini pink & orange vegetable picks.
Decided not to waste the balance of the bread. Put another cheese slice & bread on the bottom layer & toasted it ... for myself (hehe)
The end product ... finished!
Well done, Munchkin! Till the next meal then ...
A Few Tries!
My first attempt at a "Bento", if you can call it one, is of simple mini star-shaped pancakes. The pancakes were made using the delicious Betty Crocker Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix, which is my Baby's favourite! (its available at most supermarkets but in a bigger box packaging). I packed quite a few stars, with a small orange plastic fork from Daiso. Munchkin finished it all! Hubby was amazed & so was I. Ahh! an unexpected success! Eventhough Munchkin ate them in a hawker centre setting (that was blazing hot!), I was pleasantly surprised that He ended up finishing all the stars! It definitely gave me the encouragement that I needed. I am now deeply "motivated" to experiment even more.
These couple of days, I have been trying out some stuff for my Munchkin. I started out with breakfast (the first meal of the day & usually the simplest). The portions were small, as my Son is an extremely s-m-a-l-l eater. I decided to make simple pinwheels with a Golden Peach Fruit Conserve, which I bought recently from NTUC. I then rolled it up & cut them into bite-sized rolls. Stuck mini picks on them. Whaddaya know? Munchkin was tempted by the "new" shape & proceeded to finish his peach-spread rolls.
The following day, I did the rolls again & made star-shaped cheese sandwiches, as an addition to breakfast. Munchkin wasn't keen at first but after a bit of persuasion, he ended up finishing everything - wow! I was really encouraged!
I will try to get some pics up of both stuff but I wonder if its just sooo amateur-rish compared to most Bento blogs out there. I am such at the beginning stage that I am actually "embarrassed" to put up my pics. Later on, I thought, oh what the heck! ... just go with the flow. I know that I am new at this genre, so I know I can't be expected to churn out those fantastic looking creations, worthy of being published in Bento books. So though my posts & pics will be oh-so-ordinary, I am not here to "show off" my non-existent skills in Bento-ing. I started to give Bentos a try, to get my lil one to eat better & healthier, thats all. If I learn a skill or two along the way, thats great!
I think right now it might be a bit premature for me to pack daily Bentos for Him, as He is still at home with me & not at pre-school yet. I am trying out the many Bento ideas & decorative elements as I think it will encourage my Boy to try more varieties of food. So I guess, like I've seen in one of the blogs, for now ... I will apply some of the Bento creativity & such to my Munchkin's breakfast, lunch, tea-time snacks or dinner. No barans, silicon cups, etc. for daily homemade meals - too much hassle, but picks & cookie-cutters & moulds are much welcomed (maybe with some kawai-cutie decoration, later on). Who knows, I might just pack some snacks & fruits for Munchkin, if I know we will be out for the whole day or if the occasion calls for it. Anything to get my Munchkin to eat!
Well, I hope to try more stuff on Munckin, very soon! I have a couple of good ideas up my sleeve, so I hope I will get the chance to carry them out. I hope Munchkin will be eager to try out his Mama's new "Bento-ventures" ... hehe! I also hope Hubby will be equally supportive with my Bento efforts coz he doesn't seem to understand my sudden craze on Bentos nor my repeated visits to various Daiso outlets (huh? Daiso again??). I hope when he sees how much Munchkin has progressed, gained weight, height & size (I can only hope!) & be more adventurous with his choices in food; that Hubby will be more supportive & encouraging. Ermm ... I really hope I won't be alone, in this journey to get my Munchkin ... to eat BETTER!
Wish me luck ya!
My first attempt at a "Bento", if you can call it one, is of simple mini star-shaped pancakes. The pancakes were made using the delicious Betty Crocker Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix, which is my Baby's favourite! (its available at most supermarkets but in a bigger box packaging). I packed quite a few stars, with a small orange plastic fork from Daiso. Munchkin finished it all! Hubby was amazed & so was I. Ahh! an unexpected success! Eventhough Munchkin ate them in a hawker centre setting (that was blazing hot!), I was pleasantly surprised that He ended up finishing all the stars! It definitely gave me the encouragement that I needed. I am now deeply "motivated" to experiment even more.
These couple of days, I have been trying out some stuff for my Munchkin. I started out with breakfast (the first meal of the day & usually the simplest). The portions were small, as my Son is an extremely s-m-a-l-l eater. I decided to make simple pinwheels with a Golden Peach Fruit Conserve, which I bought recently from NTUC. I then rolled it up & cut them into bite-sized rolls. Stuck mini picks on them. Whaddaya know? Munchkin was tempted by the "new" shape & proceeded to finish his peach-spread rolls.
The following day, I did the rolls again & made star-shaped cheese sandwiches, as an addition to breakfast. Munchkin wasn't keen at first but after a bit of persuasion, he ended up finishing everything - wow! I was really encouraged!
I will try to get some pics up of both stuff but I wonder if its just sooo amateur-rish compared to most Bento blogs out there. I am such at the beginning stage that I am actually "embarrassed" to put up my pics. Later on, I thought, oh what the heck! ... just go with the flow. I know that I am new at this genre, so I know I can't be expected to churn out those fantastic looking creations, worthy of being published in Bento books. So though my posts & pics will be oh-so-ordinary, I am not here to "show off" my non-existent skills in Bento-ing. I started to give Bentos a try, to get my lil one to eat better & healthier, thats all. If I learn a skill or two along the way, thats great!
I think right now it might be a bit premature for me to pack daily Bentos for Him, as He is still at home with me & not at pre-school yet. I am trying out the many Bento ideas & decorative elements as I think it will encourage my Boy to try more varieties of food. So I guess, like I've seen in one of the blogs, for now ... I will apply some of the Bento creativity & such to my Munchkin's breakfast, lunch, tea-time snacks or dinner. No barans, silicon cups, etc. for daily homemade meals - too much hassle, but picks & cookie-cutters & moulds are much welcomed (maybe with some kawai-cutie decoration, later on). Who knows, I might just pack some snacks & fruits for Munchkin, if I know we will be out for the whole day or if the occasion calls for it. Anything to get my Munchkin to eat!
Well, I hope to try more stuff on Munckin, very soon! I have a couple of good ideas up my sleeve, so I hope I will get the chance to carry them out. I hope Munchkin will be eager to try out his Mama's new "Bento-ventures" ... hehe! I also hope Hubby will be equally supportive with my Bento efforts coz he doesn't seem to understand my sudden craze on Bentos nor my repeated visits to various Daiso outlets (huh? Daiso again??). I hope when he sees how much Munchkin has progressed, gained weight, height & size (I can only hope!) & be more adventurous with his choices in food; that Hubby will be more supportive & encouraging. Ermm ... I really hope I won't be alone, in this journey to get my Munchkin ... to eat BETTER!
Wish me luck ya!
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