Hagbard is back to the grindstone of work and school today. I got up early to pack his lunch in a laptop lunches box. Today’s lunch is ravioli with tomato & basil sauce, Caprese salad, broccoli filler, dried fruit and a granola bar (cut into squares to fit).
Ravioli Revelry
I think we got the laptop lunches box in January. I really like using it because there is less waste and the separate inner containers make it easy to pack a more interesting and complete meal. Around the time we purchased this box, I really started looking at making bentos. There are some wonderful ideas out there to make a packed lunch appetizing and healthy.
I got a book Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go at the same time that I got the lunch box. In the book there are instructions for making things like a rolled omelet or rice balls. There is also good information on how to pack your bento and nutritionally balance it. And of course there are ideas for making it cute! I was a bit surprised at how much ketchup was used. I’m not really a ketchup fan- I don’t even dip my fries in it- so I shuddered a bit every time it was mentioned but wondered if Japanese ketchup is different.
Hagbard doesn’t mind cute lunches but I don’t go overboard usually. I think even just using a cookie cutter on a sandwich adds appeal to ordinary lunch. Generally I spend 10- 20 minutes packing the lunch and making coffee. The most time I have ever spent putting together a lunch was probably an hour. That included cooking rice or pasta and fiddling with the box. I think having a plan before you start and having a stash of things that are ready to tuck into the box definitely cuts down on prep time. I frequently incorporate planned leftovers and that saves time.
Food From Home 