Bento 221

#3's exams are over, #2 begins hers tomorrow. So much to do in so little time.

It's food from the freezer again. Ratatouille and roasted chicken. Blanched some okra or lady fingers and stuffed them in between the two silicon cups.



Some Indian mangoes in the top box.


A complete picture of today's bento!

Bento 220

Today's bento is a quick fix!

Took out the frozen gyoza from the freezer, pan fried and steamed them. I fried an egg omelet for a change. Slipped some kyuri and carrots in between the gyoza for added color.

This salad has been a staple for the last two weeks. It's a favorite of #2. In the top bento box is a whole mango, all sliced and ready to be eaten!


A complete picture of today's bento!

Bon Appetite!

Happy Mothers Day! (again!)

I got this in my in-box this morning...and I wanted to share this with all you awesome mummies!

Happy Mothers Day!

Awesome Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.


Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.!
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life

---

Happy Mothers Day!

This is the last post for the week.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mummies out there!

Mothers Day Message: Why Mothers Cry…

“Why are you crying?” he asked his mom. ”Because I’m a mother,” she told him. ”I don’t understand,” he said. His mom just hugged him and said, “You never will!”

Later the little boy asked his father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason. ”All mothers cry for no reason,” was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God and when God got on the phone the man said, “God, why do mothers cry so easily.”

God said, “You see son, when I made mothers they had to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children.”

“I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and fatigue without complaining.”

“I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager’s anxieties and fears.”

“I gave them a tear to shed. It’s theirs exclusively to use whenever it’s needed. It’s their only weakness. It’s a tear for mankind.”

*************************************************

For more inspirations, click the picture below:

Give Value To Relationships

A man stopped at a flower shop for ordering some flowers to be sent as a gift to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.” She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, cancelled the gifting order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

At times we take many such relationships with our family and friends for granted. Learn to value them.

We often forget....

Bento 219

It was a tension filled evening yesterday! #2's computer 'died'! She had all her school projects, activities and all stuff in there and yesterday, the ground 'almost' shook a little! Life has to go on....

This morning's bento had sliced baguette and some home roasted cashew nuts in a corner silicon cup. In the other half of the box was mixed salad with onion alfalfa, corn nibblets and sesame seed dressing.

Yesterday's salad had poor review. #2 complained that it had a 'funny' taste. We concluded that it was probably due to the purple cabbage. It was a rare occasion which I used this and almost immediately there was a negative response. Will have to look for other recipes to use it!


Thank God for some frozen left overs! It ratatouille and hijiki in their individual silicon cups. They still taste great!


This is a picture of the both boxes together.

Enjoy!

Bento 218

This morning's bento is a quarter of a smoked Turkey ham sandwich loaded with lots of onion alfalfa and kewpie mayo.

In the other half of the box are some rolled smoked Turkey ham with onion alfalfa and kewpie mayo!

The salad has Oak leaf, baby Butterhead, some purple cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, all tossed in salad cream! Yummy!

Bento 217

I roasted a chicken yesterday. When I was at the market, I made a point to buy a large chicken, just to make sure there will be left overs for Bento!

Today, #2 doesn't stay back for any activities so I've cut short on the top box. There is roasted potatoes, garlic and mushrooms on one side of the metal bottom box. On the other side is shredded roasted chicken. (This is an awesome dish!)




In another box is a mix of Oak leaf, baby Butterhead, smoked Turkey ham, carrots, tomatoes and some roasted cashew nuts. All these were tossed in a sesame seed dressing.

Another delicious bento!

Bento 216

It's been a crazy week culminating with a Church coffee morning sale yesterday. Preparations were done for the food three days ahead because so much marketing had to be done in advance!

I'm exhausted and aching everywhere. I'm probably getting a tad too old for this. LOL!

This morning's bento box has two cylinder shape of "Nasi Lemak" topped with some "sotong pedas" (spicy squids). This is very unusual in #2's bento box because she doesn't like rice and she cannot eat spicy foods.

This morning when she saw me packing this for her, she asked to have more "Sotong pedas". Nasi lemak and sotong pedas are both her favorite foods!
I'm confused too, don't ask me.

There was another favorite scone from the Royal Lake Club in the same bottom bento.



Some fried salmon, mashed for easy eating and fried long beans to compliment.

Healthy eating 'can cut crime'

Prison chiefs have been urged to consider the findings Encouraging healthier eating could be the government's secret weapon in the fight against crime, according to experts. A study by researchers at the University of Oxford has found that adding vitamins and other vital nutrients to young people's diets can cut crime. They found that improving the diets of young offenders at a maximum security institution in Buckinghamshire cut offences by 25%. The improvement was huge Bernard Gesch The study - one of the first to show a scientific link between healthy eating and crime - has now been extended to see if the findings can be applied to the population in general. Bernard Gesch and colleagues at the University of Oxford enrolled 230 young offenders from HM Young Offenders Institution Aylesbury in their study. Half of the young men received pills containing vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The other half received placebo or dummy pills. The researchers recorded the number and type of offences each of the prisoners committed in the nine months before they received the pills and in the nine months during the trial. They found that the group which received the supplements committed 25% fewer offences than those who had been given the placebo. The greatest reduction was for serious offences, including violence which fell by 40%. There was no such reduction for those on the dummy pills. 'Huge difference' The authors described the finding as "remarkable". Bernard Gesch said the finding could have policy implications Writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, they said improving diets could be a cost-effective way of reducing crime in the community and also reducing the prison population. Mr Gesch said: "The supplements just provided the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids found in a good diet which the inmates should get anyway. Yet the improvement was huge." He added: "This approach needs to be re-tested but looks to be cheap, highly effective and humane." The study is of great importance not only to those who work inside prisons but also more widely in the community Bishop Hugh Montefiore He said that given that nutrients were the building blocks of the brain and its associated structures, it was highly likely that a good diet would have a direct impact on behaviour. The study was organised by Natural Justice, a research charity set up in 1991 to investigate the social and physical causes of crime. Its chairman Bishop Hugh Montefiore of Birmingham, said: "The study is of great importance not only to those who work inside prisons but also more widely in the community." He added: "There are many causes of anti-social behaviour. But our project has shown that an important factor is the lack of proper nutrition. "The reduction of disciplinary offences by 25% among those who took the supplements cannot be shrugged off as insignificant." Strong evidence Sir David Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, urged officials to consider the findings. "It must make sense for the prison service to explore every avenue that might enable every prisoner to live a useful and law abiding life. "If healthy eating is part of a healthy lifestyle, and a healthy lifestyle is a crime-free lifestyle, I hope that they will look seriously at exploiting the evidence presented to them." Ron Blackburn, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool, said: "Efforts to reduce offending usually require major resources. "This research programme promises to have an impact on antisocial behaviour with minimal intervention and deserves full support." The above article was found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2063117.stm

Bento 215 & CONGRATULATIONS DJ!

This morning was an early wake up call to reach school by 7.00a.m. because #2 and her school choir had a district level choir competition to compete in. They have in the last few months practiced fervently for this competition.

#2 is the President and also Choir conductor of the DJ Choir. Today, after umpteen years of being unplaced in the District level schools choir competition, DJ emerged the CHAMPIONS!

Credit must be accorded to the Choir teacher in charge, the Choir mistress, all the dedicated choir members and prayers from all quarters! It has been a long, tedious and hard journey to reach this great achievement.

Next up is the State level championships! Good luck DJ!

This morning's bento was quick and simple. Mixed salad with pears in one box and some fish balls skewered with kyuri. There was konnyaku noodles mixed with tuna mayo.

Sake no Nanbantsuke

This smilebox recipe has been long outstanding!

Ingredients:
Sake - 4 pieces
Carrot - 1/3
Onion - 1
Lemon - 1
Plain flour for coating
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
Shoyu - 1 - 1.5 tbsp
Vinegar - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp
Dashi - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Marinate Sake with pepper and salt and coat with flour.
2. Fry Sake till crispy.
3. Slice lemon and onions.
4. Layer sliced lemon in a casserole and then Sake, topped with onions, lemons and carrots.
5. Prepare dressing and pour into casserole to soak Sake.
6. Serve after at least 2 hours or more.
7. Can soak overnight and serve the next day also.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bento 214

If you have noticed, I've been packing an extra box of mixed salad for #2 over the last week or so. It's because she's had to stay back for extra curricular activities up to 4.00p.m. and that means she needs enough to keep her going till then.

Today, just like the last week, it's chopped mixed salad with slivered ham and fish balls tossed in sesame seed dressing. It's packed in the usual cool gel box.

In the metal bottom box are Lebanese rolls packed with fried chicken shreds, sliced kyuri, baby romaine, sliced fresh button mushrooms and a dash of kewpie mayo.

The plastic top box consists of yellow Kiwi and a small silicon cup of White's toasted oats.


A complete picture of today's bento set!

Bento 213

This bento took 20 minutes to prepare in the morning. On the left box there is leftover roasted Rosemary lemon chicken, fresh mushrooms and rollo rosa drizzled with Kewpie mayo, all wrapped in a freshly pan fried pancake.

In the middle is a box of cut apples.

The right box is currently #2's favorite box. It's packed with lots of cut vegetables and tossed in salad cream. The cooling gel in it's cover maintains the cool temperature in this box of salad.

I was at Daiso @ the Curve last week and bought two more sizes of this type of box with cooling gel.

The oval one below is 380 ml in size.


This square one below is 450ml and is quite large. I am thinking that besides salads, sushi is another good item to pack in these type of boxes.

Gardasil

Bento 212

This morning's bento was simple and tasty. Some fried sprouts and corn and a chocolate cake in the bottom box.

Some left over globe grapes and grilled pork which tastes just delicious.

Yum, Yum!