Lunchtime

It hit me the other day just how quickly time is passing.  In just 5 months, my son will transition to elementary school (called sho gakko in Japanese).  When this happens, I will no long make him a bento for lunch every day.  The school will provide lunch, not me.  This fact, strangely enough, makes me a bit sad.  I've enjoyed making him bentos.  It is like a little daily gift I make for him.

Here are a few bentos I've made for him recently.

Roasted chicken, broccoli, peppers and carrots in vinegar, egg monster, 

and rice (ume or pickled plum on top) with a tangerine on the side

Rice with ume on top, karrage (fried chicken), raw peppers, spinach, 

egg monster, and gyoza (pot sticker) with persimmons on the side

Inari (rice balls wrapped in sweet fried tofu), spinach, meat patty, 

celery and persimmon salad, and egg with a side of persimmons

Pumpkin correquette, karrage, hijiki (seaweed), peppers and carrots in vinegar, 

and sweet potato rice wrapped in seaweed with apples on the side.

I add a bit of lemon juice to the apples to prevent browning.

Rice with chopped veggies and sesame seeds, macaroni salad, 

Chinese noodles, and squid tempura with apples on the side

Celery tsukemono on rice, cherry tomatoes, curry sweet potatoes 

with spinach, tofu patty, and mixed vegetables with a fun orange

Pumpkin croquette, tofu patty, celery tsukemono, curry sweet potatoes 

with spinach, red carrots, and rice with oranges and blueberries on the side

When the kids have a field trip, all they take is rice balls (onigiri).  

I try to pack as much nutrition in them as I can.  

Left is mixed vegetables and ume.  Right is salmon flakes.

Rice, grilled fish, sausage, daikon salad, and 

potato salad topped with egg with a side of apples

At first it was a bit overwhelming to try to get enough diversity in his bentos.  But once I got a rhythm down in making them, it became quite fun.  Making sure I hit all the food groups has actually become a game I will remember fondly.  Of course, my husband doesn't want me to stop, since he wants the bentos for himself.