Super Simple Lunch

We don't always have a lot of free time in the mornings when we are heading out to wherever we are supposed to be, whether that is school, work or an appointment, sometimes we throw together something quick, or completely miss the opportunity to make a lunch to bring.

This morning was one of those days for me and I threw together this very quick and 4 item bento. I have included a red bean bun, some pickled radish and carrot, a boiled egg and some asian pear.

I would most definitely not call this a perfect bento, but I would say that this is a good example of something quick and easy that one can throw together that rates fairly well as healthy and will let you make it through the day.

Next time you are in a rush, consider having some easy to grab pre-made or even pre-prepared items on hand. I was glad that I had some boiled eggs ready in my fridge and some of the buns. That way when I was in a rush, I just had to grab them, no cooking required. We don't always have time to make a lunch from scrap in the morning, or time to make something great the night before, so I would really recommend this type of method to anyone who might tend to be rushed in the mornings. ;)

Until next time, Happy Munching!

Ramen!

Mostly everyone in their life has tried instant ramen before, whether they realized what it was or not. Instant ramen is something most people think of as a poor student's diet, or an easy meal, something lumped in with Kraft Dinner and such usually. I believe instant ramen is highly underrated, and has much potential to make a delicious meal.

Today, I wanted a delicious bowl of ramen with more than just noodles and broth! I thinly sliced up some mushrooms and napa cabbage and I also took a few pieces of thinly sliced beef from the freezer that I usually use for hot pot, I placed these things on top of the raw noodles in my bowl and poured boiling water over top of them. I covered it with a plate for the recommended time, and when it was cooked, I threw in my soup base (this is my preferred method of making it). Out came this delicious soup!

I really encourage you to try making instant ramen something more than a poor student's food! Try adding vegetables and thin cuts of meat you like! You can use ham, or any pre-cooked meat if you prefer, you can even add a boiled egg! Anything goes! 

I hope I have inspired you to reconsider instant ramen and to try something new! Until next time, Happy Munching!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I made homemade spaghetti and meatballs last night, and I am taking the leftovers for lunch today. Everything besides the pasta is homemade. The neat thing about these meatballs is that they are turkey meatballs. My husband was so surprised when I told him. They were delicious. I added spices to the turkey, and some sun-dried tomato and garlic breadcrumbs that I had made from a baguette, and I rolled them up into nice little balls, put them in a pan and roasted them in the oven. I also made the sauce using the usual things I like, such as diced tomatoes (I used canned ones because its much easier), tomato paste, mushrooms, onions, an assortment of spices and such. 

You might notice I did not use a cute bento box today, sometimes when I know I am going to have to microwave my lunch, I use a more standard container like plastic or preferably glass, because not all of the bento boxes are microwave safe, and some that are, I just would prefer not to microwave them.

This is a great lunch and a definitely a leftover you do not have to try to remake into something interesting! I look forward to making this again sometime! 

Until next time, Happy Munching!

Matching Set

I made a sandwich with dry all-beef salami and some swiss cheese, using another one of my reusable BPA-free sandwich bags. They are rather cute.

To accompany this sandwich, I included some soya beans, a chocolate covered cookie dessert, some beef jerky and...

Some veggies (baby corn, mushrooms and cucumber), and some sesame vinaigrette dip.

I have been wanting to try out this bento box since I got it, it is very adorable with a matching band and...

 A matching drawstring bag. They make a very nice set.

Well, that's all for now, until next time, Happy Munching!

Dinner by Hubby

     For our date night, my husband made me dinner. Now, this is really a pretty rare thing and if he does make me dinner, its usually Kraft Dinner, hot dogs, Hamburger Helper, and you get the picture! So I was very impressed! He picked up these ENORMOUS tuna steaks and even made up his own marinade for them (I believe it was some oil, some salt and pepper and some ponzu) and the barbecued them. He also cooked up these noodles he found at our local asian grocery (which I absolutely love to frequent), and he even made them in a way different than the package explained. So way to be creative! I was very impressed and it tasted great. :) Keep up the good work, hubby!

That's all for now, until next time, Happy Munching!

A Healthy Selection

I recently purchased some BPA free resuable sandwich bags and I was very excited to use them. Today, I made a chicken salad sandwich, I made the salad mix last night and this let the flavours really develop. If you are interested in my chicken salad recipe, please check out my previous blog  where I showed you how I made it. 

I also included  some healthy snacks, mushrooms with sesame vinaigrette dressing (in the pink polka-dot container), some beef jerky cut up small, some dried mango and a cheese snack.

Together they make a cute pair!

I also added these delicious gummy bears my brother brought me back from Germany. They are really tasty!

Well, that's all for now, until next time, Happy Munching!

Best of Luck Bento

   I had my first day of my new job today! I wanted to start off my week right, so I made this adorable and very delicious bento.

I used this cute sakura shaped bento with two tiers. 

I remade left overs of bbq steak (sliced very thinly) and sauteed vegetables (mushrooms and bok choy) into a stir-fry with rice. I also used some fresh salsa as sauce with my vegetables. I made sure to season this well because I planned to eat it cold.

I included halva (this is a dessert type item made with tahini, this particular one has chocolate, too), a mochi, a stalk of celery with peanut butter, some fruit snacks and a Vache Qui Rit Cheese (a.k.a. Laughing Cow Cheese).

     This lunch was not only nutritious but also delicious and easy to eat. It was a good lunch to keep me going through the whole day!

     When you pack nutritious, good food, it can give you the energy to get through the day, and keep you full until dinner time! You can also pack some healthy snacks (like celery with peanut butter) to ward off hunger mid/late-afternoon. Until next time, happy munching!

A Plethora of Flavours - Hot Pot

     Since my 1st post about hot pot, I have had it several more times since then. I wanted to provide a new post that was a bit more intensive and a close up on hot pot. This now seems to be a fairly common meal around my house. It is great because it is simple, fun, and nutritious.

     There was a brief period where our usual store did not have the hot pot soup base we usually use in stock. We tried a couple others, but we discovered that they either did not compare (way too bland), or were way too spicy. It is important to have a soup base that you like because it is going to flavour all the ingredients you put into the pot. Our favourite base is very easy to prepare, all the ingredients are in the bag (it comes with the stock, some spices and things), and you just need to add 20 cloves of garlic and some green onions and some boiling water. It is very flavourful (and actually not very "garlic-y").

This is how it looks (it's boiling in the picture)

     We have also found some new ingredients that we like to use.... and some older ones that have stayed the same:

These are our new ingredient!

Yam Noodles!

We tried these one night and loved them!

They cook very quickly and we do it in a small metal basket spoon-type thing.

They are in little bundles, so its great because you do not have to try to fish them out of the pot.

Another great ingredient is cauliflower! It takes a little longer to cook, but it is very tasty.

(Broccoli is also good, but I didn't have any yesterday)

Peas & Carrots!

I like to use snow peas, they are yummy and cook quickly.

Also, I like to use baby carrots because it not only saves on preparation time, but thin slices of carrot tend to fall apart when cooked through. These take a bit longer to cook, but I believe its good to have a balance of quick and slow cooking ingredients.

Another ingredient not to miss is mushrooms!

I like to use a mixture of different mushrooms. Tonight, I used white button and portobello. But I often use cremini and I've also used shitake and king oyster. I find it is best if you cut up the mushroom, this makes it more appropriate sized to eat, easier to pick up, and faster cooking.

Napa cabbage is another great ingredient. It cooks quickly and has good flavour. You can use other types of cabbage too, but this has been our favourite. 

Another great ingredient that I didn't use last night is bok choy. There are a few different types, don't be afraid to try them. I often use Shanghai bok choy. 

This is one ingredient we rarely vary. Udon! It is very delicious when cooked in the hot pot. You can buy it packaged just like this. It is very quick to cook, and easy to eat!

Shrimp! We buy cooked frozen shrimp. Its best to try to cook these in the metal basket because they can get lost and hard to catch in the boiling hot pot. If you get frozen cooked shrimp its best because you basically just need to heat the shrimp up in the hot pot. 

Meat! We like to get beef and lamb. We buy the meat frozen and thinly sliced. This is important because otherwise it would take forever to cook. Now, you can buy the same kind of meat you would use for fondue, but you might have to thaw it first because it does not come apart easily when frozen. The nice thing about this meat is that it is in rolls so it is easy to pick up and toss into the hot pot. We buy this at our Asian grocery store.

Now cooking hot pot is super easy... just throw a bit of everything into the pot and watch it cook!

When it is ready, fish it out with your chopsticks, or a metal basket spoon.

Lastly, ENJOY!

Now, it is very common for these cooked ingredients to be dipped into sauces. What type of sauce you like is up to you. My husband doesn't use any, but I love sesame vinaigrette. Other great options are hoisin sauce, satay sauce, soya sauce, and in Japanese hot pot (called shabu shabu) they dip it in a beaten raw egg! 

     Hot pot is a delicious meal that is very sociable. It is very easy to prepare, and full of nutritious ingredients and best of all you can control those ingredients as you like! There are also lots of restaurants that have hot pot. If you are curious about it, I highly suggest you go out to one of those places and try it! 

     Until next time, Happy Munching!

Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwich

Here is a great nutritious idea for a sandwich for your lunch!

Most of us have tried a chicken salad sandwich at some point. Most likely this came from a can. I am going to show you my recipe for making your own chicken salad sandwich that is not only healthy but also delicious and hearty.

First you need some cooked chicken. For an easy shortcut here, you can now buy slices of cooked chicken breast. You can really light or dark meat for this but I used the breast.

Cut your chicken into slices..... 

(you will need more chicken than this if you want to follow the ratios you are seeing in the picture)

... then cut your chicken into small cubes.

Take some stalks of celery.....

... and mince them very small

Take a green onion...

... and also mince it small.

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large bowl with some mayonnaise, and some salt and pepper, you can even throw in a splash of white wine vinegar, or hot sauce and your own variety of spices (I used a roasted red pepper and garlic blend). I also threw in some minced garlic.

You can eat it immediately, or you can let the flavours develop in the fridge for a few hours.

I served my chicken salad on a ciabatta bun. 

It was delicious!

This would make an amazing sandwich for your lunch! 

Feel free to give it a try!

Please comment to let me know if you like this new step-by-step pictures posting style!

Until next time, Happy Munching!