The Bear Egg

Can you believe this is an egg?!

Isn't he cute?

I found these Japenese Egg Molds when I was ordering my neice a Bento Box for Christmas.

     The directions were in Japenese, thank goodness for the internet!  Just boil an egg & while it is still warm put it in the mold. Then put it in the fridge for 10 minutes.  It stays this way when you take it out.

They travel well in a lunch box & they are our favorite afterschool snack!

If you go to that site you will find lots of other cool things under Bento Box Accessories.

Bento Box

   After I put up my "Chopstick Lunchbox" post one of my college roommates, Merilee, left me this note on my Facebook page:   Your chopstick lunch is very Japanese. They call it Bento, and every lunch is like that. If you send me your address, I will mail her a Japanese bento box for a special lunch. I love it! I have probably 4 or 5, so we have plenty to share.  Merilee is the wife of a Marine & lived in Okinawa for a few years. 
   A few days later our package arrived. I had no idea that it would be so exciting! We opened it up to find the most delightful package!

Now this is cute enough but as we opened these up...we found more treasures!

And look at these little bottles for soy sauce!

What a lucky girl to take this set to school! 

This package made me very interested in Bento Boxes.  The next day Annie & I went to an Asian market to look around & to buy something special for her box.  We got this cool drink:

   While at the store I learned that very soon they would be opening up a kitchen to teach people how to cook different Asian cusine.  I can't wait!  She told me she would teach me how to make a good spring roll! 

Just think of my adventures from a silly post about throwing chopsticks in a lunchbox! 

Today I packed up her Bento Box for the first time & sent her off to school.  This is a peek inside:

I put yogart into the little containers to dip the grapes.

We ordered Take-out last night so I would have some fun leftovers to throw in her Bento Box for the first day she used it.  I cheated!  But she was soooo excited!

I have a new interest & spent time looking online at different boxes & at the art of packing a beautiful lunch.  Look at what I found!

While our boxes won't be that cute...we sure are going to have fun trying!!!

Thanks Merilee! 

Here are a few pics of us in college:

Rachel, Merilee & Me                                         Twin's Game

Liz, Merilee & Me

We had so much fun!!!!!

I tried to make these bigger but it is not working....This is Mer with her oldest son in Japan.

Mer with her husband & 3 boys.

Their family is now stationed on the East Coast.  I sure wish she were closer...there is still a ton of fun to be had!  But, I love how her life still impacts mine! 

I have not ordered from here but they have this set!

Bento Box Link

Chopstick Lunchbox

The Dreaded Lunchbox:

Once a week my little Kindergartener gets to stay at school through lunch & recess.  Once a week I pack a lunch, that's it! So I try to make her lunch interesting.  Her favorite days are when I pack her a "Chopstick Lunch." Everything in the box can be eaten with chopsticks! Of course any old chopsticks won't do. These are our chopsticks:

 

The kids LOVE them!  Sometimes when my 2-year-old  won't eat dinner I just hand him a pair of these babies & he digs right in!

For today's "chopstick lunch," I cut up a grilled chicken breast from dinner last night.  Annie packed the grapes as I cut up string cheese & a granola bar.  Regular lunchbow food made special just by chopping it up. 

Throw in a pair of chopsticks & done!

An easy way to make their day.  Let me know if you give it a try, or pass along a lunch box tip of your own!  I'd LOVE to hear yours!