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.)