Podcast 48: Bento Box Giveaway Winner

by The Meal Makeover Moms on March 25th, 2009

The winner of our recent Laptop Lunch bento box giveaway is Aggie, a mom of two from Florida and host of the blog Aggie’s Kitchen.   Using random.org, Aggie was selected as our winner from over 160 entries!  For those of you who did not win, we’re pleased to announce that our friends at Laptop Lunches are offering a 20% discount on all online purchases.  All you have to do is type the discount code, mealmoms at checkout.

We were so impressed with the dozens of clever lunch packing ideas generated during the giveaway that we decided to dedicate this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast show to school lunches, bento style.  The photos below illustrate a few of the lunches our kids have recently taken to school. The first is nine-year old Leah’s lunch and snacks- a chicken parm sub sandwich, green grapes, a banana walnut muffin, cookie, carrot sticks & dip, and raisins. The second lunch was packed for 10-year old Simon – chopped Caesar salad, half a ham & cheese sandwich, red grapes, and a goody for dessert.  The possibilities are endless as we have discovered.

simon-bento-box-sized

If you have a chance to read all 160-plus lunch comments posted during the giveaway we encourage you to do so.  For those of you who don’t have the time, we have compiled a few of our favorite ideas.

Jennifer, author of The Toddler Café and host of the blog with the same name had these bento tips:  We do a bento everyday. They are a great way to use up leftovers, and I love the portion control built right in.  I try to stay away from the over-sugared yogurts, so instead I send thick Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and colored sprinkles.  Now the other kids at school are asking for that too!  I also pack mini silicone cups with a few beans, chick peas or nuts in it.

Heather had this to say:  When my daughter started school, she noticed many of her classmates had sweets and chips in their lunch bags and she asked if she could have some as well. Since we avoid processed foods, I wasn’t comfortable stocking her lunches with Cheetos, and ended up slipping in a square of dark chocolate, and a note with an age-appropriate joke or riddle wrapped around it. Now she looks forward to this everyday, and her classmates love to hear her latest joke.

Mandy from the must-read blog, Gourmet Mom on the Go wrote:  My girls love “lunch on a straw.”  I simply cut bread, cheese, & meat cubes, then put them on a straw along with some grapes.  They’re “Kid Kebabs.”  They also like “fishing” — small pretzels rods, peanut butter, and goldfish crackers. Simply dip the pretzel in peanut butter and go ‘fishing’ for a cracker.

Julie shared this idea:  My kids love leftover pasta in their lunches and love love love any fresh fruit. Being able to pack it in a Bento Box, would be fabulous, reducing the number of plastic baggies!

And Janel, host of Dine Dish Delish said, I just caught the “bento bug” when I read a great piece about them in Eating Well magazine. I always make my own trail mix with any combo of pretzels, raisins, dried fruit, cereal, animal crackers and sometimes even chocolate!

roast-beef-thousand-island-roll-up-on-plate-sized

We hope you’ll tune into the show for even more school lunch ideas as well as our latest wrap recipe.

Thousand Island Roast Beef Wraps
Makes 2 Servings

  • 2 to 3 romaine lettuce leaves, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
  • 1 small carrot, shredded (1/3 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons lite thousand island salad dressing
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 slices lowfat mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
  • 4 slices deli roast beef (3 ounces)
  • Two 10-inch flour tortillas (white or whole wheat)

1. Place the lettuce, carrot, and dressing in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.

2. Arrange the cheese, roast beef, and then the lettuce mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly burrito style, slice in half, and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  380 calories, 16g fat (6g saturated), 720mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 28g protein, 100% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 30% calcium, 10% iron
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4 Comments | Filed Under Giveaways, Lunch 

4 Responses to “Podcast 48: Bento Box Giveaway Winner”

  1. Jennifer B on March 25th, 2009

    Boy, those wraps look SO good! I can’t wait to listen to the podcast.

  2. Aggie on March 25th, 2009

    Oh those wraps look fantastic! Thank you so much for picking my number!! I’ve been really wanting one of these!

  3. The Meal Makeover Moms on March 25th, 2009

    Aggie, congratulations on winning the giveaway. And Jennifer, we hope you enjoy the podcast show as much as we enjoyed recording it! We’ve almost hit our one-year podcast anniversary, and we’re gearing up for another fun year recording Cooking with the Moms.

  4. Andrea on March 26th, 2009

    I liked the fishing idea! Permission to play with your food is a great motive to try new things…

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