Day 35 Bento Days: Egg Salad with Pita Chips

Sorry you guys for the small picture! I normally use my macro setting on my camera and take close ups, but couldn’t find the camera this morning and we were running late. Well, the kids weren’t too keen on the egg salad today. My son doesn’t like mayo, and my daughter doesn’t like mustard. And egg salad has both. But! They actually tried it this time, so we’re making progress!
Most of the cook time on today menu is for the boiling of the eggs. You know, they have to boil for 10 min, and then sit for another 10 turned off, but still in the hot water. So that’s where that comes from. While you’re boiling the eggs, throw some brown sugar in a pot with apple slices and let them stew over low heat for about 10 minutes. I used a veggie cutter to cut the cheese into long flower shapes and then just used a small knife to make them small coin like shapes.
The pita chips, you simply take a pita pocket, cut it into 8ths, and toast under your broiler for a few minutes until it’s crispy and warm.
 Today's Menu:

• Egg salad
• cheese flowers
• pita chips
• stewed apples

 Cost per lunch:  67¢

Prep Time	Cook Time	Ready In
4 min	20 min	24 min

Servings	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
1	377	13	55	14

Day 34 Bento Days: English Muffin Pizzas

Today, we get to have pizza! Something my kids love and I do what I can to try to find many ways to make, so it’s not boring. One English muffin becomes 2 small mini pizzas, perfect size for school lunch.
We added in carrot slices (or coins to make them fun!) and about a quarter cup of both blueberries and red seedless grapes. We’ve also started using soy milk in our house, hormone filled cows milk is out. The kids just love soy milk, they actually prefer it over the cows milk. I haven’t included (ever actually) the milk or any drink in with the lunch cost or nutritional content.
My only suggestion is that if you use soy milk, please, spend the extra few cents to get organic. Soybeans are one of the most heavily planted crops, and most people use heavy amounts of pesticides on them.



Today's Menu:

• English muffin Pizza with pepperonis
• grapes and blueberries
• carrot coins

Cost per lunch:  $1.14
Kid Rating:

Prep Time	Cook Time	Ready In
3 min	7 min	10 min

Servings	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
1	334	11	41	22

Day 34 – Day 38 Bento Days Menu

Here’s your menu and shopping list for the week of Feb 19 – 25 for Bento Days:

 

Monday:

• English Muffin Pizza
• Cheddar Flowers
• Grapes and Blueberries (or whatever berries you can find on sale)

Tuesday:

• Egg Salad with Pita Chips
• Stewed apples
• Carrot coins

Wednesday:

• Vegetarian Lasagna
• tangerine or orange slices
• Homemade oatmeal and raisin cookies

Thursday:

• Grilled Panini (veggie)
• cantaloupe
• Yogurt

Friday:

• Falafel with pitas
• cucumber salad
• Homemade brownie

Shopping List:

This list assumes you will have most “pantry and fridge staples” on hand, like eggs, flour, sugar, butter, salt, cocoa, etc. Please be sure to check the corresponding recipes for spices and pantry items to double check you have everything you’ll need. Bon appétit!

Produce

• Cucumber
• cantaloupe
• eggplant (small one for the panini)
• small zucchini (for shredding into the lasagna)
• Tangerine or oranges
• Apples (soft ones like red delicious)
• Carrots
• Grapes
• Blueberries (or whatever berries you can find on sale).
• Crushed jarred garlic, or garlic cloves

Canned Goods and Boxed Goods

• Can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans, 1 can makes four falafels).
• Pasta sauce
• Pizza sauce
• lasagna noodles (preferably whole wheat).
• Raisins
• Whole grain quick oats

Breads

• small loaf of Italian bread (found in your bakery)
• 1 pack of Pita Pockets (whole wheat).
• Whole wheat English Muffins

Meats and Fish

• 1 small package of nitrite and nitrate free turkey pepperoni

Dairy

• eggs for egg salad
• cheddar cheese (block, not sliced)
• swiss cheese (block not sliced)
• shredded or block mozzarella

Eggplant and Mozzarella Panini

Ingredients

• 4 (1/2 inch thick) slices eggplant, peeled
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 8 slices Italian bread
• 4 thin slices Swiss cheese

 

Directions

• Brush the outside of the sliced Italian bread with olive oil
• Fill with 1 slice each mozzarella (one half slice on each side) and eggplant.
• Using a Panini or sandwich press, press and cook until golden.

 

If you don’t have a sandwich press, you can simply do it the old fashioned way by using a griddle or skillet and placing a small but heavy plate (or a plate with a heavy cup on top!) on the sandwich. then remove, flip and press again until golden.)

English Muffin Pizzas

Ingredients

• 4 English muffins, split
• 1/2 cup canned pizza sauce
• 1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 slices pepperoni sausage

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place the English muffin halves cut side up onto a baking sheet. Spoon some of the pizza sauce onto each one. Top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.
3. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheese is melted and browned on the edges.

Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 257
• Total Fat: 8.5g
• Total Carbs: 30.2g
• Protein: 15.5g

Simple Egg Salad

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 4 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika, onion and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon.
3. Serve on bread as a sandwich or over crisp lettuce as a salad.

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 183
• Total Fat: 12.8g
• Total Carbs: 4.2g
• Protein: 12.9g

Vegetarian Lasagna

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
• 1 small zucchini peeled and shredded
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 16 oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) package part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large pot over medium heat sauté spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic, and zucchini in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
3. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 3 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce and veggies. Add 3 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
4. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
5. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 241
• Total Fat: 7.8g
• Total Carbs: 27.7g
• Protein: 15.6g
  

Baked Falafel

Ingredients – Falafel Pockets

• Whole-wheat or high-fiber pitas
• One 15-oz. can chickpeas, well drained
• 1 onion, very finely chopped (I used red onion because I like the color/flavor better)
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. paprika, or more to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• Two 2-second sprays olive oil nonstick spray
• Baby spinach
• Diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients for falafel (except for the pitas, baking powder, and nonstick spray) in a food processor, and give them a good chop. Transfer into a bowl, add the baking powder and stir together. Using a potato masher, mash any big chunks that remain – Mixture should remain slightly chunky, not smooth.
3. Spray a baking sheet thoroughly with a 2-second spray of olive oil nonstick spray.
4. One at a time, take spoonfuls of mixture in your hands and form 15 balls, each about the size of a ping pong ball, and gently place them on the baking sheet. Spray the top of each ball with olive oil nonstick spray, for a total of about a 2-second spray.
5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 parts hummus to 1 part water, and stir until blended (add more water to taste depending on how watery you like your sauce). Season to taste with salt / black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Remove baking sheet from the oven, and carefully turn each ball over, gently reshaping if the bottoms have flattened. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Allow to cool and set for at least 5 minutes.
7. Cut the whole pitas into halves, toast or warm all pita halves slightly, fill with spinach, 3 falafel balls, diced tomato, and top with spinach and sauce. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

• Serving size: 1 pita half with 3 falafel balls and 1-3 tbsp dip
• Calories: 200
• Fat: 2.25g
• Fiber: 8.5g
• Protein: 10g

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups quick cooking oats

Yield: 48 cookies

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Servings Per Recipe: 24

Amount Per Serving in 2 cookies

• Calories: 218
• Total Fat: 8.8g
• Cholesterol: 38mg
• Sodium: 213mg
• Total Carbs: 32.3g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
• Protein: 3g