Bento update

This is my new favourite breakfast- homemade granola, greek yohgurt and berries..mmmm.

Do you remember this bento- complete fail. The biggest fail was that Bear could not open the yoghurt parfait...apparently it never occured to her to unscrew the lid!

During the week since... they have all had chicken noodle soup with crackers, tortellini and hot dogs- in their thermos' (not all on one day!). These were happily eaten.

I did have great success with Monday's bentos but I forgot to take a photo. I added a grated apple to some pancake mix, a little sugar and cinnamon and made funny face pancakes. I used fruit leather cut with kitchen scissors into small circles/triangles, arches/curves to make faces. I put the "face" parts onto the pancake just before turning them. I tidied them up with a circle cookie cutter- the uniform shape and size enhanced the cute factor..and it was amazing how little was trimmed in order to make each a perfect circle, not that the trimmings went to waste. I put the pancakes (3 each) in the lower section of the bento with parchment circles between them. I packed a little blueberry jam for each which none oft he girls bothered with. I popped paper plates into the lunchbags for Boo and Yum Yum so that theirs could be warmed a little in the class microwave. They had fruit and nut free granola (same as my breakfast) as a side.

Tomorrow's bentos I expect to be well recieved. I hopee. I know Bear likes my "chicken nuggets" for school lunch , just hope the twins also enjoy them at school. Only Bear likes kiwi fruit. I will add a yohgurt to her lunch in case she is hungry.I should add that during the drive after preschool- to pick up Bear from her school, the twins often request their leftovers from their school lunch.
And somebody else is benefiting from the bento production line. Here's the Breadwinners lunch..he gets a bunch of crackers and slices of parmesan cheese, and a bigger serving of fruit and chicken of course.
Just in case you want to know here's my recipe for the chicken strips/nuggets,

chicken breast cut into small chunks or strips

drench in seasoned plain flour

dip into beaten egg

coat in breadcrumbs

place on "foiled n oiled" baking tray, lightly drizzle with olive oil

cook at 350F about 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

The crumbs can be seasoned- garlic herb is tasty, or you can added lemon zest, sesame seeds .