Bento Boxes

It’s back to school time!  When it comes to the daily grind of the school year, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by your schedule.  Sometimes, we tend to take shortcuts when it comes to packing lunches for our kids.  Lunchables might be a quick solution, but how healthy are prepackaged meals?  Well they can be really healthy if you make them yourself.

Let me introduce you to the humble bento box.  Bento is a single-portion takeout or homemade meal common in Japan.  A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables in a box-shaped container.  The word “bento” originates from a Japanese word meaning “convenient”.  There are two characteristics that make bento boxes a unique style of boxed lunch.

The first is the boxes themselves.  In fact, these stackable boxes have made their way into many American homes as plastic containers.  The key is that they stack and are self-contained (see photo).  In Japan they range from disposable plastic containers to beautiful, handmade wooden containers.

The second characteristic is how the boxes are prepared.  A typical bento consists of small portions of multiple items all tightly packed and arranged to look pleasing.  Usually a bento will at least have a fruit, vegetable, meat, and a starch like rice or bread.  Bentos can be elaborately arranged in a style called “kyaraben” (character bento) to look like anime or cartoon, comic book, or video game characters.  They even have bento design competitions!

The benefit of bento boxes is that they can be prepared in advance (or at least individual components).  This means you can do most of the prep work one day a week instead of trying to spend a ton of time each night/morning.  Give these time-saving boxes a try this school year.

Peaches and Cream Pie

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 (3 ounce) package non-instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and syrup reserved
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease sides and bottom of a 10 inch deep-dish pie pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and pudding mix. Mix in butter, egg and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into pie pan. Arrange the peach slices on top of the pudding mixture.
3. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons reserved peach syrup. Beat for 2 minutes. Spoon mixture over peaches to within 1 inch of pan edge. Mix together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and sprinkle over top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Chill before serving.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Tacos

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Chicken Breasts, cubed
• 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tbsp. adobo sauce (from the chipotle pepper can)
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lime, sliced into wedges
• 8 hard taco shells
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Sour cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine peppers, adobo sauce, honey, olive oil, and spices in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, then add chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season marinated chicken with salt and pepper to taste. When the oil is hot, sauté chicken until browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Serve in taco shells with scallions, sour cream and lime juice.

Grilled Italian Sausage with Marinated Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices
• 1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 (4 ounce) mild Italian sausage links
• 6 French rolls, halved lengthwise

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
2. Whisk together red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and olive oil in a small bowl. Arrange the tomato and onion slices on a serving platter, and pour dressing overtop. Allow to marinate at room temperature while you cook the sausages.
3. Pierce the sausages with the tip of a sharp knife a few times, then place onto the grill. Cook until no longer pink in the center, turning them frequently so that they cook evenly and have lightly browned, about 15 minutes total. Serve on French rolls with marinated tomatoes and onions.

Zucchini Boats

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 slice white bread, torn into small pieces
• 1/4 cup bacon bits, grilled chicken, or other cooked meats or your choice.
• 1 tablespoon minced black olives
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 3 tablespoons diced green chile peppers
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 6 tablespoons shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 pinch dried basil
• seasoned salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the grill for indirect heat.
2. Place the zucchini in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp to about 1/4 inch from the skin. Chop pulp.
3. In a bowl, mix the zucchini pulp, bread pieces, bacon bits, olives, jalapeno, green chile peppers, onion, tomato, and Cheddar cheese. Season with basil, seasoned salt, and pepper.
4. Stuff the zucchini halves with the pulp mixture. Seal each stuffed half in aluminum foil.
5. Place foil packets on the prepared grill over indirect heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

Slow Cooker Chicken Creole

The stewed tomatoes and jalapeno pepper give this slow cooker recipe its Creole zing, along with seasoning and other veggies. This is an easy and tasty Creole chicken recipe. Just put all ingredients into the slow cooker and let it simmer all day. It's perfect over egg noodles. Add extra water and veggies to the leftovers to make a tasty afternoon soup.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• Creole-style seasoning to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole-style seasoning to taste. Stir in tomatoes with liquid, celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, mushrooms, and jalapeno pepper.
2. Cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 5 to 6 hours.