This morning my daughter and I walked in at JJ Bakery for some pineapple buns and ham & cheese breads.  These are among my kids' favorite steals at JJ.  So I get it whenever I have the chance to pass-by.  It was amazing having breakfast with my 5 y.o. girl while waiting for her preschool afternoon session. The chats were non-stop, and they were filled with girly stuffs I used to do when I was younger.  It was nice to reminisce while munching on something you both enjoy.

Bento Idea: Chicken Vegetable Spring Rolls

One of our cravings is Spring Rolls. This one's made of shredded cabbage, ground chicken, green onions, and grated carrots.  All wrapped up with whole wheat flour wrapper. Saute all fillings and seasoned with salt and pepper or oyster sauce to taste. Serve it either with ketchup or sweet and sour sauce.

Steamed Swai Fillets

Swai fish is a type of catfish that were farm-raised in Vietnam.  They are delicious, flaky and fairly cheap.  If you love fish, here's a good variation to try. I like it best steamed because it's what my children favor. I just have to double the amount of soy sauce since my girl loves to pour it on her rice when eating.

I have to cut the fish into half to fit into my steamer. I mixed together 3-4 T soy sauce, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1 T white cooking wine, marjoram, green onions, and ginger. Poured over 3 Swai fillets and steam until the fish meat turns white.  

Simple to cook and prepare for busy days, yet very flavorful.

Let me know how you like your Swai.

Brown Rice, Brown Rice, What Do You See?

Happy faces and satisfied tummies! 

Our very first meal with the brown rice.  I have to make it special so the introduction of a new grain won't be a pain. The kids loved it and so did we.  Now my worries are eased off.  I must say this is a good start of a healthy life for all of us.

The taste isn't bad at all. It's contrary to what I was told. I actually love it! It's fulfilling and satisfying, and it's light on the tummy.  I say, you must try it first before you even say no to a promising grain.

On this day, I have officially switched all our non-grains to whole wheat. And that is that!

Next Project: Quinoa and Amaranth

Perfecting Brown Rice

We officially started whole grain brown rice last night amidst my quest for the correct way to prepare and cook this whole new grain for us. I started with a 1:2 ratio after soaking for at least 4 hours on warm water. Cooking time is between 45-55 minutes for 2-3 cups of brown rice. I did not use any special pot for this though. I just used my regular AROMA Rice Cooker.  I was actually considering on purchasing a rice cooker that has multi-functional buttons for all other types of rice, if my precious cooker won't  produce me a good brown rice.  But it didn't disappoint me. I was very happy with the result except that I reduced the water ratio into 1:1-1/4, which worked perfectly well.  Finish product is pictured above and we're enjoying our brown rice so far.

Bento Weekly Round 15

For the week 2-21 to 2-24

I'm happy to be back posting my Bento Weekly.  I missed a week due to camera trouble, so I'll try to duplicate my school lunches last week for pictures sake and post them here.

We've got a school holiday this week, President's Day, which is why we're down to only 4 lunches this week.

On Tuesday, I sent Meatloaf of Veggies and Herbs served over white rice with ketchup on smidgets, mixed corn and sweet peas and grapes on the side. For the record, this was the first time that I was welcomed by a leftover lunch. I asked him what went wrong, and I was surprised to hear him say that he ran out of time.  It's either that or he wanted to catch up with friends to play. 

On Wednesday, I sent him Spam and Crab sushi rolls with mangoes and baked cheetos.  This was totally his choice of bento combinations. SO I was expecting a better result this day.  But came home with another round of leftovers. But better than Tuesday.

 On Thursday, I had him choose between the breads I got from JJ Bakery the day before. Ham and Cheese Bun, ripe green mangoes, and some Gogurts went to his lunch box. Also, we both checked on the cafeteria menu for the day. It was hamburger on whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomatoes. He said he wanted to chow on one of those. It's served with a whole grain. So I gave him a break. He came back with an empty lunch box today. YAY!! And told me that he opted not to take any of the cafeteria meals since he was full already.

Today, I sent him a store bought shumai (pictured below) since I had time to make one.  Surprisingly, he loved it so much that he came back with only a third of the edamame staring at me. Didn't get the chance to taste the shumai but I will next time I steam a package.

Honestly these past weeks were pretty difficult. My boy seemed tired of the lunches I'm sending him for school.  I'm totally out of ideas now. There were days that he would prefer just a week of turkey with mayo and mustard on breads. Other times, just fruits and nothing else.  Even if I add some stuffs in his lunch box, it would just go back home at the end of the day.  And that's a big FROWN! I tried looking at other mom's blogs, but it just won't work out for him. I even offered cafeteria meals for a break, but he'd often say, "No thanks!" We'll see what I'd come up for next week.  But I will continue to brown bag as long as he wants me to.

See you next week!

The Benefits of Brown Rice

I have been meaning to tell my family that we are switching to brown rice. And I finally did last night. My husband was astonished about the sudden transition. The kids were more like confused. They don't exactly know the difference but their colors. We had a little discussion on which ones a healthier and heartier option. And no matter how much I tell him that it prevents chronic illnesses, helps with diabetes and hypertensions (which none of us  have any symptoms yet), he was more worried about the added monthly grocery bill.

Let's face it. Both of us were brought up eating white jasmine rice.  As in every meal, there was never a time brown rice was even considered.  Back in Asia around circa 80's, brown rice tastes like crap. They were used as feeds for chickens. And they were associated with poverty. Who would believe that they cost half the price of white rice back then? Yes, you heard that right. And now they almost cost more than the best long grain white rice. Unbelievable!!  No one ever thought that they're actually more nutritious than the beautiful white rice.  Little did we know that as we mill the rice, we are stripping off its natural nutrients.

From what I've gathered, there is not much of a difference as to the number of calories and carbohydrates between brown and white rice.  The main difference lies in processing and nutritional content.  And that is the reason why I wanted the switch to prepare for our old age.

I have a strong family history for diabetes, and my husband has a strong family history for colorectal cancer and other intestinal diseases. I know to be able to beat these chronic diseases, we have to change our diet drastically. "Break it to me gently" doesn't work. So it has to be "do or die" to be successful.  Just like quitting cigarettes or coffee, right?

Processing Rice
When only the outermost layer (husk) is removed, brown rice is produced.  When the next layers (bran & germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm, the white rice is born.


Nutritional Content
Essential vitamins and dietary minerals are lost upon the removal and polishing process of white rice. Vitamins B1, B3, and iron were discarded.  Thus, enriched with vitamin B and iron fortified rice was produced since it was required by FDA. So we're still getting these with white rice, but the question is it enough?

The only mineral not added back is the amount of magnesium naturally occurring in brown rice. Imagine this: one cup (195 g) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium, while one cup of white rice contains only 19 mg. Also, when the bran layer is removed, the oil in the bran is also removed. It's the bran oil that helps lower LDL Cholesterol. So why risk your health with white rice, when you can eat healthier?

Lychee Almond Jelly

Holiday Dress-ups & Makeovers

It is President's Day, a school holiday, but not for all working parents.  We planned a swap play-date this time to save up for childcare because it's a good reason for kids to play and bond. We're the host since hubby's off and I stay home for most part of the day.  We were expecting 2 girls coming over today for a playdate with my daughter, but it turned out that one of the girl's school is actually not on holiday.  So we're down with just one today. Easy-peasy!

Spaghetti was served for the kids, courtesy of a good friend, with Lychee Almond Jelly that never made it to my post.  But will make a separate post for that and its recipe.

We also served soy chicken, a Chinese dish we love to eat over and over because it's so juicy, tender and comforting to eat.  We love this served over white rice along it's sweetened soy sauce, or just by itself.

The girls did a major dress up and makeover playdate. And I was distracted all the time. I need to check on these girls often to capture every moments.  BTW, they're just 5, but quite serious about this date. Glad they had so much fun together for 8 hours of play.

Meatloaf of Veggies and Herb

Pork and Chicken Afritada

Having little picky eaters at home is no fun.  I'm mostly stressed planning menus for the week because I would have to consider what they don't eat.  Most of the time, I end up modifying menus online according to my kids preference.  But since I started cooking more frequently, I noticed the decline on their pickiness.  They became more accepting towards new food, and developed positive attitudes towards trying them even before saying no.  That is absolutely amazing!  Believe it or not, but my girl has learned to eat veggies one day at a time.  Her list of veggies are getting longer each week.  And my boy has longer lists of favorite dishes in 6 months now.  Isn't that wonderful?

Bento Weekly Round 14

For the week of Feb 6-10, 2012
This week's theme would be "I ate a Rainbow."

MondayGrilled hamburger on whole wheat thins with pickles and lettuce on it,

 and strawberries on the side.

Chicken Nuggets with BBQ sauce on smidgets, plums and corn kernels (that's corn kernels) on the side.  Sorry, I purposely have to color that in yellow.

You might have noticed the lego figure peeking on your left.  Meet Krazi from Ninjago.  He was the subject of my son's friends for a couple of weeks now, that they had to use the words, "We won't be your friends anymore" to my son.  Sad but true. They wanted him to trade it to them, but mommy said NO! Poor kiddo...caught in the middle.  Well, he values his friends more than his Krazi. So Krazi was sent off to them.  No other trade but their true friendship.  He came home with an empty lunch box a happy tummy and a happy spirit because he got his friends back, but had plum leftovers.  Turned out, the plum was bitter-tasting.  But I hope his friends are back for good!

Baked veggie meatballs with carrot sticks on lettuce, crab sushi rolls and pears.

The carrot sticks on my veggie meatballs just dawn on me this morning when I awoke.  I dreamt about it and thought it would be nice for today's school bento.  I've never done it before. I wanted to see my son's reaction, who doesn't appreciate kiddie decor in his lunch.  Well, this isn't counted as kiddie decor, but it's something different for sure.

I have to prepare ahead of time for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunches.  My hubby and I are off to the COLDPLAY concert live at Nokia Theater at LA Live tonight at 7pm.  It'd sure be loads of fun and excitement.  And it would sure be a late night for us as well.  For that, I don't want our lunches for the following day to suffer.  Thanks MOM for watching the kids for us!

Sushi Rolls, Hotdogs, Strawberries and Kiwis

I prepared Teriyaki Beef to go with his sushi today, but I heard a "no thank you."  He opted for the hotdogs instead which must be his favorite now since my Afritada meal at home.  Oh well, whatever makes him merry, so be it.  It's not that he's having it everyday or frequently.  It's one of those seasonal faves.

Coldplay was absolutely awesome-ness!! I have the fondness of British bands. And they really possess the royal-ness of gorgeous looks.  Their music were amazing that made my hubby and I groove a little.  Okay, he got carried away that he forgot I was filming the concert. He kept moving me left to right, and so the camera went along. Hmph!  But we had a great late night together.  It was great to be intoxicated by Coldplay.  Love it!

Friday is my 3rd grader fieldtrip to Randall Planetarium. That means it's time for another sack lunch.  And today's sack lunch is Luncheables' Turkey and Cheese Whole Wheat Cracker Stackers.  Not much but that should keep him full till he gets back home for a second round of lunch.

Bento Weekly - Round 13

For the week January 30 to February 3

After Healthy Eats' January Challenge, the task is to stay in track.
For this week's bento boxes, I still tried to incorporate what I have learned.
Eat breakfasts regularly served with milk or fresh juice & fruits on the side.
We cook on weekdays, and dine out on weekends.
Vegetables and grains will always be a part of every meal.

Shrimp balls (Hagaw), Shumai, mixed veggies, kiwis.

Spring rolls, mixed veggies, strawberries.

Bacon pizza bagels, mixed veggies, strawberries.

Chicken Nuggets with BBQ sauce, tangerine oranges, mixed veggies.

Hotdogs on rice, broccoli and tangerine oranges.

How have you been staying on track?
Happy healthy eating!

How to Store Green Onions/Scallions

Green onions/scallions are the most widely used ingredient in the kitchen.  They are very affordable and are readily available in the local market.  And it's so easy to stock up on them just to have them anytime you need them.  

The problem is they get rotten even before you used them all up.  Have you been successful storing them for a longer period of time?  Say for about a month without rotting?

I have experimented on different kinds of storage.  So far these work wonders for me. 

I plant them on a pot of dirt or in a jar of water.  I place them on my kitchen window sill to get enough sunlight. They last forever as long as you take care of them.  Change water weekly if you keep them in a jar of water.  Water them weekly if they're in a pot of dirt. No fertilization necessary unless you want them to grow faster. Cutting them encourages growth.  So imagine the steady supply of green onions year-round.  But there were times that the growth was just too fast for my demands.  I need to harvest some or they'll turn brown before you know.  Also remember to take out dried leaves to renew growth.

When storing, the key is to cut them just above the white part, and store them in a glass jar.  No water.  And store them in the fridge.  They last longer than you can imagine.  I make use of glass jars I get from spaghetti/pesto sauces that has tin lids.  They are best in handling fresh veggies.  I cut them up to fit my container.  I usually need them chopped up for soups and other dishes, so I cut them about a quarter inch apart or a third.  Then I leave some uncut too.

I tried paper napkins and brown bags as well.  They work great too!  But my only concern with that is its ease of visibility.  You can label, but you can't easily check its state of freshness.  I like something that's easy and neat inside my fridge.

I try not to use moist paper napkins as a few people suggests.  They encourage molds/mildew formation in the fridge. You wouldn't want that to happen, right?  That's why storing them in glass containers are way better than anything else.  They form dew inside the jar, which gives off enough moisture, that keeps them fresh for a longer period of time.

So tell me, how do you effectively store your supplies of green onions/scallions at home?