Five Minute Bento Mama: 5分で弁当ママ

When my son started Kindergarten, I have developed these fears before going to bed. I fear that I won't be able to wake up early to prepare his lunch box, worst wake up really late that my son will miss a class and what if the car won't start in the morning or we lose the car keys? Kindergarten is not just a whole new world for my son but for husband and me too. To lessen these fears, I start with preparing food ahead of time so that if ever we wake up late, my son will still have food in school.

This is one big adjustment for me because for the past three years in preschool, hot lunches were served in school everyday. Now when I think about it, I will be preparing his lunch from Kindergarten to High School (worst case scenario). As much as I want to be creative like Japanese bento mamas I follow in Youtube (Okaeri and Ochikeron), I know I just don't have the time and I don't want to wake up earlier than 6 am to prepare intricate lunches because I will need energy for my little toddler who stays with me for the whole day. One time in summer, I tried to follow the Lego Bento and it was a schedule disaster! I spent too much time making the carrot blocks that I was 30 minutes late in picking up my toddler from gymnastics class and by the time I brought the lunch box at my eldest son's soccer camp, all his friends were already done eating! (and he gobbled the carrots Lego blocks in less than a minute because he was starving).

So doing away with all characters and graphic pizzazz of a Japanese lunch box, I'm keeping the healthy and appeal aspect of it without the hours of preparation. Hence, the Five Minute Bento Mama that I will occasionally add here in my blog to give mommies some ideas of a quick yet healthy lunch box that even the working moms can do. Of course there are times when the time of preparation will exceed the five-minute mark but rest assured that everything can be done before your school kid finishes his/her breakfast.

Today's bento is Brocolli, Apples and Rice-Tuna Onigiri. I've prepared the Broccoli Florets and Apple Slices the other night. Rice was cooked the night before. Steam/boil the broccoli, and soak the apple slices in pineapple juice  for less than a minute (because I ran out of lemons) and keep them in the freezer/fridge. I started slicing onions and cooking the tuna in can at 7:12 am, and by 7:14 am I was already forming the rice and tuna onigiri. For that touch of creativity, I just made a nori smiley face with a puncher to go with the star and bear shaped onigiri. Don't be fooled by these tiny star and bear, it's one cup of rice compressed tightly with the help of onigiri maker.

small containers are the best to use because they are compact
which keep the food intact no matter how much your kid shakes it.

Rice-ball maker and the smiley face puncher. Let rice overflow the Onigiri Maker
before pressing it for a more compact rice ball that don't break inside the lunch box.


Here's a snack that you can prepare the night before, a mix of cream cheese and cookie butter sandwiches kept in the fridge.
A good friend in Japan gave me this idea, cut the sandwich in different shapes using cookie cutters (which I also bought from Daiso). My two boys love these!