Happy Birthday, Happy Earth Day!

I love Earth Day, perhaps even more than my birthday. That might seem strange, but it's true. Earth Day was started on April 22, 1970, the day after I was born. Do the math; I am 38. Sad, but true. I have friends that are ok with their age and darn proud of it. I am ok with my age, but I don't wear it like a badge of honor like they do. If someone calls me ma'am I still cringe. But I digress.

In addition to celebrating my 28th birthday for the tenth time, I made a point this year to really play up Earth Day. Truth be told, this is the first year that I have ever given much thought about Earth Day. I have friends who have been all about Earth Day for years. These are the same friends who are ok with their age. They are also much healthier and skinner than me, so they must be doing something right. Again, I digress. Anyway, being mental is nothing new for me, but being environmental is relatively new. For me, being "eco-" means making choices that are both economically and ecologically sound.

To that end, I have some thoughts on the eco-friendly choices that we make as a family that hopefully are trickling down to our children. They are, in many ways, lifestyle choices that are vastly different from when I was growing up, some of which are harder to incorporate than others. For this generation of children, being eco-friendly is not just trendy or normal, it's a societal necessity.

1. Minimize waste. By packing foods that are nutritious in proper portions, we waste little food. Buying in the largest and most practical quantities for our family avoids the markup for packaging convenience items. Likewise, by using reusable containers, we are minimizing the amount of waste that goes into landfills. To be fair, I still buy drink boxes, juice in pouches, and small packets of crackers and snacks, but very rarely. Convenience packaging is a personal choice which I can appreciate. However, doing it yourself is relatively easy, although it does require a bit more time. On a scale of 1 to 5, the difficulty for us to adopt this strategy has been a 3. Not easy, but not impossible.

2. Waste-free or minimally wasteful lunches. Since lunch is the meal that most school-age children eat outside of home on a regular basis, families that choose to do this are doing the right thing. On a larger scale, schools that have adopted waste-free lunch programs are on the leading edge. Waste-free school lunches is still in its infancy. With the exception of some schools on the west coast and a few other environmentally forward-thinking schools, it's virtually unheard of. The parents of the preschool my daughter attends have agreed to adopt a waste-free lunch policy starting the next school year. My prediction is that it is a matter of time before waste-free cafeterias and on-site composting is done on a large scale. For more information about waste-free lunch programs at your school, this EPA website is a great place to start. On a scale of 1 to 5, this has been a 2 for us.

2. Using reusable canvas or recycled, post-consumer waste bags for groceries. Getting into the habit of remembering to put the reusable grocery bags in the car has been the biggest challenge about this habit. Likewise, remembering to bring them into the store with us has also been a bit challenging. Our local supermarket has been selling some really nice bags made of 100% post-consumer waste, so I bought four of them. They are large, very sturdy, and their bright colors and vibrant graphics are very cool and are being sold for the Elizabeth Haub Foundation. I must admit that I am a little annoyed that their are more designs available than the four our store has.... Grrr.... Seriously, though, using reusable bags is a no-brainer. This one is a 1 out of 5. Plus our store gives us a $0.02 credit per bag. Not that 0.02 is going to get you anywhere, but it's one or two fewer plastic bags going into a landfill.


3. Unplugging our electronics when we are not using them. This one has been hard. I am guilty of leaving our computer, tv, and many household electronics 24-7. I have recently begun unplugging the coffee pot and toaster oven when they are not in use. I also unplug the nightlights in our house, all three of them, when we are not using them. Admittedly, I should turn off the computer, but the power strip is so out of reach. It's a lame excuse. I should just buy some new power strips, one with a longer cord for the computer and one for the tv, cable box, dvd player, etc.

4. Composting and recycling. Composting was somewhat challenging at first, but we have gotten used to it. I have a ceramic canister with a tight seal and latching lid that I keep on the kitchen counter for fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, and coffee grinds. Initially the ick factor kept me from doing it, but a few heaping spoonfuls of baking soda in the bottom of the container eliminated the odor factor. It is about a quart-sized container and once a week I take the contents out to our compost pile and with my rake, toss it in, and cover it up. Recycling is not even a question. Our town has a schedule to pick up recyclable plastic, glass, cans, cardboard, paper, etc. Composting was about a 3 in terms of difficulty to do and recycling is a 1.

Living in a more environmentally friendly way is definitely more mainstream than it was a few years ago. My prediction is that many things that seem trendy now, like waste-free school cafeterias and solar panels, will become de rigeur in the very foreseeable future. Some things, like reducing the amount of packaging, plastic, and paper products people use are easy things to do that take some time, but cost very little to do. Other things, like getting solar panels on your house or heat exchangers instead of hot water heaters, are still largely out of reach for the average consumer because equipment and installation costs are so high. At the moment, the $16,000+ investment in solar panels for my house is much to exorbitant for me, even with a state-sponsored and funded rebate. However, my hope is that if everyone wants solar panels and heat exchangers, then the basic economics of supply and demand will bring the prices down so normal people with kids and dogs, minivans and mortgages, can afford them. You can bet that I will be first in line when that day comes.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Photo credits: Microsoft Windows sample images

Warm, cozy, and chocolate

Despite being mid-April, it is still quite chilly here in the northeast, particularly overnight and first thing in the morning. There are few things that warm one up more than a nice, hot steamy cup of hot cocoa. I am a big fan of hot cocoa. This past winter I discovered Dunkin' Donuts white hot chocolate. Good stuff. Those product developers knew what they were doing. It's a little sweeter than it needs to be, but I don't mind because the velvety texture and just the right amount of froth make it taste like a giant marshmallow that you can drink. Mmmm....

Hot milk based beverages are a classic evening treat for children before bedtime in India. Every child in India knows Bournvita, although whether you get it depends on your family's income level. My mom's family, for example, rarely got Bournvita but got Horlicks instead, also a malt based product, whereas in my father's family that's all they got. When I was growing up, Bournvita was hard to come by in the United States. Occasionally you would see a tin at the Indian store or at someone's house that they brought back from India. Most Indian families settled for Ovaltine. There simply was no American equivalent to Horlicks, so for people who grew up on that, there was nothing.

Fast forward to 2008 and rows and rows of Bournvita and Horlicks, as well as their competitors, line the shelves of the Indian grocery stores, which are starting to look more like American supermarkets each year. My daughter loves Bournvita almost as much as I do. My son, however, is not as keen on it and prefers traditional instant hot chocolate. My husband is not a fan at all and prefers Ovaltine as his chocolaty-malty milk mix in.

I love Bournvita on cold nights before bed, or first thing in the morning, or right after coming home from shoveling or playing in the snow, or when I'm cold, which is quite often since I am a figure skating coach. Seriously. Don't laugh. I swear it's a real job, although my husband might disagree.

Aside from being really good, it warms my heart to share something comforting with my kids that their grandparents enjoyed too. There's definitely some value in shared experience across generations and around the world. Drinking Bournvita makes me feel very Indian. Giving it to my kids connects them to their ethnic roots, even if they don't see it.

Bagel Box, take two

"Mommy," my seven-year-old began quite seriously, "if you won't let me buy a bagel bag at school, at least make one that has the same stuff in it."

This is another attempt at the now infamous bagel box. Upon extended discussion, Zachary pointed out that the bagel bag at school did not include fruit, crackers, or cookies as packed in the first bagel box a few weeks ago.

"Fine," I retorted, "then you will have neither cookies nor crackers. I hope you don't starve"

So this is what we wound up with: half of a plain bagel, carrot sticks in a silicone diamond shaped cupcake form, a schmear of cream cheese, and a brownie. I felt bad not giving him anything sweet, so the brownie was a bonus. Apple juice is in the reusable box and I included a small kiddie knife and a Transformers cloth napkin.

The kiddie knife is a relic from a preschool cutlery set made by The First Years that used to go back and forth with him to school. It has a little fork and spoon also and a durable plastic covered case. I wish I had bought two of them back then, but with only one child at the time, there was no point. On a recent trip to buy a gift for a friend, I looked for them at Buy Buy Baby, but they seemed to only have the reusable disposable cutlery sets. Oh well.

Waste generated: zero

When I emptied his lunch box in the evening, I said, "Oh, wow, sweetie, I'm really sorry you got a brownie in your lunch. You weren't supposed to. I know they don't have brownies in the bagel bag, so I'll remember next time." Needless to say he chirped up, "No! I like brownies in my lunch!" I responded, "So what are you saying, then? What I pack is better than school?" Conceding defeat, he gave me one of those cartoon looks when the smart-aleck character is outwitted. Hee hee....

Score another for mommy on the bagel box: Mommy 2, Daddy 1

After school snack

My kids, like many, have activities every day after school each week which run the gamut of music lessons to sports. My son is usually starving after school and on some days he will munch on the remains of his lunch, but like most of us, he likes to dig into his packed snack to see what I packed. Typically on these nights, it is well after 7PM before we get home, so I pack something substantial enough to hold him over until dinner. I tend to pack more than they will eat so there is enough for me to graze a bit as well.

This is a typical snack before athletic days: Air popped popcorn; mini fruit bento consisting of half a sliced kiwi, sliced strawberries, and red grapes, sandwich bento containing a mini corn muffin, tuna salad wedge - solid white tuna, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and a bit of horseradish on whole wheat bread and a bit of lettuce, sliced red and yellow bell peppers and cucumbers, and a mini corn muffin; homemade trail mix containing walnuts (great vegan source of Omega-3's), raisins, and milk chocolate chips; chocolate soy milk in a reusable drink container.

When I make after school snacks, I make a point to include a healthy dose of protein, whether it's some tuna or peanut butter. I also include some whole grains as either bread or crackers. Air popped popcorn is a great choice because it has a fun texture and flavor and it's quite filling without saturated fats found in many other salty snacks. Fruit, in some form or another, is a must and in the warmer months I make sure there is a bottle of water, reusable, of course.

Sometimes I throw in a fruit bar, such as the ones available at Trader Joe's because my son doesn't like raisins. My daughter, on the other hand, picks them out of the trail mix with the chocolate chips and leaves behind the walnuts. While some parents might question the chocolate chips and chocolate milk, my feeling is that a little bit of chocolate is ok in moderation. I don't want my kids to feel deprived of treats, so a few chocolate chips and some chocolate milk a few times a week goes a long way.

One treat that they get once a week at most on skating days is a drink box of Horizon Organic Chocolate milk. It's sooooooo good. I started buying it as a healthier alternative to the nasty, sugary sweet hot cocoa at the concession stand at the skating rink. Normally I avoid drink boxes in favor of reusable containers, but when it comes to this chocolate milk, I just don't have the self discipline to let a half-gallon container sit in the refrigerator, lonely, dejected, and sad among the juice, soy milk, and regular milk. Out of pity, guilt, I could polish off a gallon of this stuff at one sitting. It's that good. So in favor of my budget and my waistline, drink boxes it is. Exercising the restraint not to drink those is tough enough. Our rink is so cold, however, that occasionally I give in and let them have cocoa, although I split the contents into two cups and add a bit of milk to cut the sugar factor a bit. Having the really yummy chocolate milk, however, has proven to be a tasty alternative for them and now they rarely ask for cocoa.

Thank you, Shushi Masi, for the lovely hand-loomed and handpainted napkin brought back from India. Profits from these homemade textiles can support an entire family in rural India for a month. We are very lucky to have a set of six of them!

Bread, fruit, and cheese

When I was an undergrad, there was a campus non-alcoholic pub that had a very shi-shi platter called bread, fruit, and cheese. It was half of a baguette, a small tub of Boursin or Alouette garlic and herb cheese spread, an apple and some grapes. It wasn't exactly fancy, but a nice departure from the cafeteria fare.

I made this snack for Mackenzie as a modern mommy interpretation of bread, fruit, and cheese:

I made mini cracker sandwiches out of goat cheese and mini sesame crackers from Trader Joe's. In the middle are graham crackers and on the left are some strawberries and granny smith apple slices. I made a little wax paper wrap to surround the fruit and contain any seepage into the other items. I also gave her a reusable drink box with apple juice and her Tinkerbell cloth napkin.

Review: Pretty good. She ate two of the mini cracker sandwiches, one strawberry and one graham crackerShe forgot that she likes goat cheese and turned her nose up at it at first (while I was making them). Then she tried one and remembered that she likes goat cheese, so all was well. Waste generated: one small piece of wax paper.

Pittsburgh lunch

Around once a year or so I get a hankerin' for some good old Pittsburgh style grub. Ok, I don't really know what a hankerin' is, but according to Schoolhouse Rock, one can hanker for a hunk o' cheese. Or was that a PSA? Usually it's in the midst of football season when the weather is chilly and some stick-to-your-ribs stuff is just what the doctor ordered.

Football season is long gone, and the next one is still months away, but I was in the mood for good, old-fashioned Pittsburgh-style Ham Barbecue sandwiches the other day. I made them for dinner the other night with pierogies, complete with sour cream on the side. Feeling guilty about stuffing my kids with calories, carbs, and cholesterol, not to mention processed meats and not a whole grain in sight, I made some steamed broccoli on the side.

There were no pierogies leftover because that would be wrong. There is a law about that in Pittsburgh. Thou shalt not leave uneaten pierogies at the table. They must all be consumed - no matter what. Waistline and diet complaints will not be tolerated.

I made enough of the Ham Barbecue concoction for Zachary's lunch the next day and sent him off to school with a potato roll and two mini corn muffins on the side. I don't even want to contemplate the fat, sodium, sugar, and carbohydrate count on this lunch, but it sure was good.

Ham Barbecue Sandwiches
1 12-oz can of Coca-Cola - use Classic Coke, not diet
1 cup of Heinz ketchup
1 lb of Isaly's chipped ham *
6 hamburger rolls

Combine Coke, ketchup, and ham in a saucepan over medium heat, simmer. Serve on rolls.

* Chipped ham is product found in western Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. I used a similar product available in NJ called Smithfield Chopped ham and had it shaved. Even turkey ham will work.

If this sounds cloyingly sweet, it is, but it's also really, really good. There are other versions of this recipe that are more involved with cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard, but this one is quick and easy. You can also make this with your favorite bottled barbecue sauce. Ham barbecues are a Pittsburgh classic, served at picnics, potlucks, tailgates, and lunch counters for years and years. Potato chips and a pickle are the classic accompaniment. I like the rolls toasted and coleslaw or potato salad on the side. This also works really well in a slow-cooker, the longer it cooks the better.

Contain this!

I went to The Container Store on Saturday for the first time. I have driven by this store hundreds, perhaps thousands of times. I have friends who are neat freaks and compulsively organized who love this store. Since I do not share their affliction, I have never needed to go there. After dropping Zachary off with a friend for a sleepover, Mackenzie and I headed over there to see what all of the fuss is about.

My squeals of glee upon finding the kitchen section must have been loud because at least one passing customer gave me one of those looks like I had just landed from another planet. They have a small selection of Rubbermaid containers, including both the rectangular and round style reusable juice boxes.

They also have an impressive selection of containers with locking or latched lids, including these from Sistema, similar to Lock'n'Lock from no fewer than three different manufacturers. The latched containers ranged in size from 100ml and up. There were some nice ones that would make nice grownup size bento boxes, complete with adjustable food dividers inside.

Although I could have bought many, many nice things at this store, inlcuding some perfectly lovely lunch sacks and 9-can coolers from Milano at very reasonable prices, I exercised restraint. I bought two small latched containers from a manufacturer from New Zealand called Sistema. I also bought a package of four 4-0z snack sized rectangular containers from an Australian manufacturer called Decor. And, drum roll please, they had the Guateplast lidded dip container that I had found for my daughter a few months ago. I have been looking everywhere for another one for my son, so I was thrilled. He was equally thrilled to see it when he got home yesterday and immediately began contemplating what I should put in the middle.

It was definitely a worthwhile trip. I didn't necessarily need more containers, but I will definitely use them. I have quite a few of the reusable Gladware small rounds which are 4-oz as well, but the rectangular ones are better for efficient packing. The locking containers are especially good for fruit since they have a silicone seal and won't leak in their lunch boxes.

You're having....twins!

Relax, everyone, I am not pregnant, and definitely not with twins. That ship has sailed! Zachary and Mackenzie, who are three years apart, get on these kicks every now and then of pretending to be twins. In honor of their fun, I made them matching twin snack bentos after school yesterday.

Each of them got some wheat crackers, cubes of mozzarella cheese, some gala apple chunks and green grapes packed into 180ml Lock 'n' Lock containers. In addition to the containers they got some apple grape juice in reusable juice box containers and some graham crackers. Waste: zero!

Lunch Buckets, Lunch Pails, call 'em what you want

One of my favorite blogs is Lunch Bucket Bento. The author is an exceptionally witty and talented writer who makes very cool lunches for her family. Anyone who makes hot dog curry is a fun person in my estimation. The title of her blog brought back a term that I had not heard in years - lunch bucket. My caregivers when I was very young, five or six years old, would use this term, and its close cousin, lunch pail, to refer to my Snow White lunch box or their husbands' large, black steel or aluminum manly man lunch boxes, much like this one.


I grew up in western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh to be exact, where coal mining and steel making were once a vital part of the local economy. My caregivers and many of my parents' patients came from mining and steelmaking families. Over the years, we became very close with many of these families, and remain so today. These were women whose fathers, brothers, uncles, and husbands worked in the mines or the mills for generations. Long before OSHA, these men endured long hours, unspeakably dangerous conditions, and meager pay.





They were working class families, who made enough to get by and maybe send their children to college, if they were lucky. Their wives and loved ones would send them off to work with trepidation, praying that they would not be hurt or injured, or worse, killed, on the job. The physical demands of their jobs aged them rapidly; men of forty would look old and haggard from years of hard labor. It was a hard life for everyone. Injuries were financially crippling, which is often how we got to know them as my father was a doctor. It was a lifestyle; not an enviable one by any stretch of the imagination, but reality for thousands upon thousands of families. I sometimes wondered why they would call them lunch buckets, but never questioned it. I accepted that it was an old-fashioned term and that older folks were set in their ways. I grew to appreciate the care with which they would pack chipped ham sandwiches on Town Talk bread with mustard, a plastic bag of chips, and some Ho-ho's or devil dogs, with some napkins until they came home.





It turns out that there is such a thing as a lunch bucket or a lunch pail, not surprisingly something that is associated very closely with coal mining, and likely steel making. I came across these on Ebay the other day (while I was looking for something else entirely) .











This one is a three piece aluminum lunch bucket or lunch pail which the seller dates around the late 40's or early 50's. The seller bought it from a woman who said it belonged to her grandfather, who was a coal miner who had a mine right on his farm. What surprised me about this, and other similar specimens, is how similar they look to tiffin boxes and bento boxes, complete with removable inserts. I can just picture a wife in her housecoat 40 or 50 years ago packing this up with sandwiches or maybe a hearty stew. I doubt very seriously if she obsessed over making things cute or packed rice or curry, but I would think that the meals, probably simple, humble comfort foods, were packed with the same care and love.

Shapes for lunch

My daughter, now fully on the bento and cute lunch bandwagon, has begun making requests. Today she said, "Mommy, I want shapes today," and promptly removed the little tin of Pampered Chef mini cutters out of the drawer. "Here," she proclaimed, "I want a heart, a star, and a flower."

Well, by golly, little lady, then that is what you shall have.

Munchkin 4-year-old's snack/lunch consisted of three miniature shape sandwiches made in the aforementioned heart, star, and flower motifs from whole wheat bread and cream cheese. Grapes and sliced strawberries are in the cupcake holder, a few animal crackers, and some walnuts and raisins to fill the empty spaces. I also gave her some grape juice in a reusable juice box.

Review: One very satisfied 4-1/2-year-old. She ate one and a half of the sandwiches, 1 strawberry slice, two grapes, one of the animal crackers and a few walnuts and raisins. She's not a big eater and has yet to finish her whole snack at school, so she usually has more after school. Waste: zero.

Bagel Box

When my son entered first grade, one of the first things he wanted to do was buy his lunch. Buying every day was not an option. However, my husband lobbied on his behalf, citing all of the ways that he is different from other kids, and in his closing arguments, went for the jugular and appealed to my desire to fit in with the other kids. Rats! I was outwitted.

Grumbling, I conceded that round to my husband and we agreed to let him buy his lunch at school once a week. Once a week, he is average, running with the pack, in the middle of the bell curve, a drone in a sea of second graders in a cafeteria. This bothers me. It goes against my very nature, my aspirations of re-engineering school lunch with healthy, economical, and environmentally friendly lunches. It blatantly relegates my desire for innovation and efficiency in midday meals, my obsession with packing things into small containers to a passing fancy. But, sigh, this is a battle not worth fighting. I would rather lose this battle and win the war. Daddy 1, Mommy 0.

A few weeks ago, he came home from school and excitedly described the Bagel Bag he had chosen for his lunch. I asked what was in it and he said it had a plain bagel, an apple, and the best part, "...a little silver container of cream cheese, you know, just like the kind they have at the store, Philadelphia. And guess what? You spread it on your bagel!" Hmmm.... I bet no one's ever thought of that before. Mind you, we live just outside of New York City, a city well-known for its superior bagels and likely the birthplace of the schmear of cream cheese . Apparently packaging matters a lot to my son, the consumer, because he usually turns his nose up at cream cheese. Anyway, rather than go into a dissertation about how he has had bagels and cream cheese before, I let him have his moment.

Last week he mentioned that he might want a bagel bag for his one day of school lunch. It's a pretty good choice, but then I gave him an option. If I made him a version of a bagel bag, he would still have his school lunch for later in the week. Why waste the free pass on something just as easily packed from home? He agreed, so this is what I made:

1/2 plain bagel (he's not a big eater and has never eaten a whole bagel), some grapes and strawberries in the silicone cupcake holder, two vanilla sandwich cookies, some wheat thins, and some cream cheese. I couldn't replicate the round silver tub, so a small square container is what he got. On the side I gave him some apple juice in a reusable juice box.

Review: He loved it. He ate most of the bagel, a few crackers, 1 cookie, some of the crackers, and most of the fruit. Waste: zero!

Chalk one up for Mommy with the winning bagel box. Mommy 1, Daddy 1, not that we're keeping score or anything.

Tummy Trouble Tiffin

The little one was a little under the weather following a two days of a stomach virus, but insistent upon going to preschool because she was scheduled to be the helper. I put together this tummy friendly lunch for her on her first day back to school. In the larger container is some grapes, orange slices, and strawberry slices, and a frilly pick to spike the fruit and make little kabobs, just in case she wants to play with her food. In the smaller container are two caramel corn rice cakes and some small sesame rice crackers from Trader Joe's. Apple juice is in the reusable juice box and it's all spread out on a cloth napkin.

The grapes are mild on the stomach, oranges good for fiber and a little potassium, and the strawberries for fiber and a little more Vitamin C. She normally eats the caramel flavored rice cakes by the handful, and since they are lightly sweet, very dry and crunchy, I thought they would be a good choice in case of unexpected tummy rumbles. It turns that the rice crackers from Trader Joe's are a tasty counter point to the rice cakes. They are lightly salted and have a mild sesame flavor that balances the sweetness of the rice cakes. At parties I often serve cheddar cheese and caramel corn mini rice cakes mixed in a bowl together, so the rice crackers would be a good variation to that.

Waste: one toothpick

Review: Mixed. i don't think she was feeling 100% better, so she picked over everything. She didn't like the oranges and only had one or two of the grapes. She ate all of the strawberries, one rice cake and a few crackers. She had the juice and the other rice cake on the ride home.

Tiffin Bento

At long last, I finally put togehter a true tiffin style bento for my lunch yesterday in a leftover takeout container.

Contents: rice with ghee, leftover shortcut ghugni, two halves of roasted plum tomatoes, multi grain pita wedges, a schmear of sweet mango pickle, some yogurt on the side. I would have liked to have fit it all in the same container, but it wasn't going to happen. I must confess that the yogurt on the side was not raita; it was pina colada flavored yogurt that was leftover from breakfast. It served the purpose in cooling the palate, however, because that mango pickle was spicy!

The ghugni was an total shortcut version to its authentic, and more tasty, long simmering traditional preparation. I made this a few nights ago in a pinch when I wanted something hot and comforting and quick using what I had in my pantry. It fit the bill nicely.

Ghugni on the Go

2 tsp oil

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp onion powder or 2 tsp dried onion flakes - do not use onion salt!

2 tsp garlic powder

1 15-oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed

2 tbs tomato paste or 1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs garam masala (available at Indian grocery stores)*

1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)

1 chicken bouillion cube

8 oz water (or skip the bouillion cube and water and use chicken broth if you have it)

salt to taste

Lightly coat the bottom of a hot skillet with a small amount of oil. Put in ground ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add chickpeas, tomato paste or sauce, and garam masala, stir thoroughly. Add garam masala, cayenne pepper, bouillion cube and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until water has reduced and a sauce remains. Add salt to your taste as needed. Serve with hot rice or pitas.

Notes: As mentioned, this is a very quick version of a very traditional vegetarian Indian dish. I made this up on the fly because I didn't have time, or the foresight for that matter, to soak the chick peas over night and I always have a can or two of chick peas in the pantry. The addition of chicken broth at the end is another departure from tradition, but I like the slow cooked flavor that it adds. Or maybe it doesn't and I have been watching too much food network. Anyway, to make this dish vegan, you can use vegetable broth. Another option would be to use one of those tomato based vegetable juices in place of the tomato sauce/paste/and broth if you have that. I bet that would be good too.

This dish is wonderful for bentos because it is very good at room temperature. I'll post a more traditional recipe for ghugni one of these days too.

Review: I had access to a microwave, so the whole thing went in for 30 seconds and was great. The ghugni was tasty and the combination of the sweet and spicy mango pickle with the ghugni balanced with the rice. The roasted tomatoes were a sweet and juicy addition that I will have to suggest to my mom to bring to parties. So easy and so good. My daughter ate most of the pita wedges, so the one that I had was a good replacement for a traditional flatbreads (paratha, roti, or naan) that would be served with a meal. No waste generated, all containers were brought home and sent straight to the dishwasher.

So what is a bento anyway?

The question has been posed: "So what the he** is a bento anyway?" While I am at it I might as well answer the next question, "Ok, so what the he** is a tiffin and how is it different from a bento?" (Additional commentary from this friend included that I have way too much time on my hands and that I am completely mental. In all fairness both are completely true statements.)

So what is a bento really? It's essentially a Japanese style lunchbox that predates drive throughs and lunchables by at least 800 years. In true Japanese fashion, a culture that thrives on order, neatness, rigor, and rules, bento traditions have evolved from simply prepared, but compact and portable meals to go to the more elaborate and ornately decorated meals that are de riguer at the moment. You can read more about bento history in the Wikipedia entry here. The premise of the bento is that it is a single serving meal that is well balanced and appetizing to be consumed outside the home. It's the original takeout container. The Japanese were way ahead of their time even then.

Specifically, there is a strong cultural tradition of bento preparation, known as obento in Japan that is directly proportional to a mother and a wife's self worth. Mothers apparently get very competitive in preparing cute and appetizing bentos for their tots. Bentos for school age children must follow strict dietary guidelines for the proper proportions of grains, proteins, vegetables, etc. Furthermore, mothers are encouraged to prepare and decorate the contents in fanciful ways so they appeal to pipsqueaks who must eat them. This link to a PBS article has some very cute bentos.

For adults there are also dietary guidelines for proper bento preparation. They, too, should follow specific dietary guidelines, presumably following the Japanese government issued food guide, the spinning top, which looks like an inverted version of the American food pyramid. For adults, the premise is that if the bento is properly prepared, then the caloric content should be the same as the size of its container, which is calculated in mL. So for an adult who is using an 800mL bento container, the meal, if prepared according to the proper proportions, should be roughly 800 calories. This blog has some terrific information and guidelines about size, proportions of bentos. The benefit of bento is not only portion control, but nutritional balance as well, which is something everyone could use more of.

Bento containers, called bento boxes, like the tradition of obento, have also changed dramatically over time. Once simple bamboo containers that were small and portable, modern bento boxes are made of plastic or aluminum. Elaborate and decorative bentos are often made of highly polished lacquered wood. They are typically two or three tiers of containers, one of which might be sectioned, to hold the food inside. They most often stack or snap together for easy transport.

A tiffin is an Indian (subcontinent) version of a lunch box to go. Like a bento, it is a means of transporting a single serving meal for consumption outside the home. Also, similar to a bento, traditionally Indian mothers, or more likely, servants, prepare tiffins for the children and parents who work outside of the home. A less compulsive version of the lunch to go, tiffins normally contain a bread, rice, dal, and perhaps a potato or egg side dish. There are no governmentally issued dietary guidelines, but any kid's tiffin is probably exactly like two dozen or so of his classmates on any given day. Indian children often complain about the lack of creativity in their tiffins.

Tiffins prepared for adults usually contain the same or similar items to children's tiffins. However, in certain parts of India, most notably Mumbai, there has been a longstanding traditional system of tiffin delivery and pickup by designated couriers called dabbawallas or tiffinwallas. Their processes are low-tech and old school, but masterfully efficient, so much so that books have been written about the process and tradition. The fact that these delivery systems still thrive in today's modern Indian society is a remarkable juxtaposition and reflection of what India has become: a contrast of old and new.

A typical old school tiffin consists of small aluminum or metal containers with lids that stack and snap together with a carrying strap or latch mechanism. Modern tiffins can be found made of melamine or plastic, but the style is reminiscent of the traditional round metal ones that many Indians remember from their own childhoods. There are very decorative tiffin boxes out there, some with stamped designs or carved textures on the outside, others with utensils that attach to the outside.

The main difference that I see between bentos and tiffins are the rules and order, which one can attribute entirely to cultural traditions. Japanese are culturally very ordered and regimented which is a hallmark throughout their history, so it is only fitting that these sensibilities are applied to food preparation. Indians tiffins, on the other hand, are all about simple comfort foods that remind us of home, which is the same for everyone, regardless of caste, education, work position, or social status. Tiffin food by definition should not be elaborate or fancy. However, in theory, the same meal that would feed villagers or peasants is welcomed in the executive offices of titans of industry.

Whether you are packing a bento, a tiffin, or just a good old American lunch, doing it yourself is going to be more economical and nutritious in the long run and way better than the drive through.

Peanut Butter Dumplings

Almost All-American Bento: PB on wheat dumpling sandwiches, mini apple wedges with lemon, grapes, animal crackers, baby carrots. Not pictured is soy milk in a reusable drink container.

I wish the dumpling idea was mine, but let's face it - I am not that creative. I have completely plaigiarized and copied this idea from Lunch Bucket Bento, where she credits a Flickr user for the idea of dumpling sandwiches. I nearly jumped out of my seat because I have one of those little dumpling makers! Peanut butter sandwiches in the shape of dumplings? Brilliant!

I have had this little dumpling/ravioli/mini turnover gadget for as long as I have known my husband (which if you know me is LOOOOONNG time). I have wanted to toss this thing out for as long as I have known him. I don't make raviolis (I don't even like them) and I certainly don't make dumplings because they would never be better than the frozen ones. I tried to make mini apple turnovers, but the filling kept squeezing out and I lost my patience. Yet, my husband has insisted that we keep it the damn gadget. Why not? We have so much other useless clutter in our house, one little ravioli gadget isn't going to make a difference.

Well you can imagine the smug grin on his face when I told him I finally used it and made these adorable peanut butter dumpling sandwiches. He muttered something about spending as much time finding a full-time, high-paying job, but I tuned him out before he could finish....

They were a hit at both the preschool snack table and the "I'm too cool for that" set at the second grade lunch table. My weird kids won't eat jelly, jam, preserves, or any of their fruity, spreadable cousins or counterparts, so pb on wheat bread it was. Boring, but cute. I used a round cookie cutter and then my fancy Pampered Chef Baker's Roller to flatten the bread a little before pressing, which was a preventative measure to avert unnecessary peanut butter hemorrhaging. It worked and all four dumplings remained intact.

The older one insisted that they have the same lunch, so they both got two dumplings, some grapes, some mini apple wedges, baby carrots, and some animal crackers in their little containers. To drink they both got soy milk in reusable drink containers.

Review: 4 thumbs up on the sandwiches, 1 thumb on the rest of the lunch. The small one pointed out that she doesn't like apples until I pointed out that I sprinkled some lemon juice on them, at which point she ran back to her lunchbox and ate them for her snack. Waste: zero!

Malpua anyone?

When the going gets tough, the tough make malpuas.

We had a snow storm last night and the kids had a snow day today from school, so I made malpuas for a post sledding and snowboarding treat.

Malpuas are fritters that are doughnut like treats that are oh so good.... They can range in shape from flattened pancakes to rounded little orbs of golden brown goodness. In doing my due diligence and conducting some informal and very unscientific research for this post, I found that there are many, many regional varieties of malpuas, including a savory style from the state of Gujarat. I am Bengali so I believe these are the Bihari style made with bananas and anise flavoring. Instead of serving them with the traditional sugar syrup, I added my own twist and sprinkled them with powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!





Malpua

1 cup maida (all purpose flour)
1/2 cup suji (cream of wheat - not the quick cooking kind)
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp anise seed, crushed into a powder*
1 to 1-1/2 very ripe bananas, mashed
milk - about 1 cup
oil for frying
powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar


Makes about 24 malpuas

1. Mix the all purpose flour, cream of wheat, sugar, and anise seed.
2. Add banana and then add milk very slowly in 1/4 cup increments until a thick batter forms. It should be like a thick cake batter. Allow batter to rest for 20 minutes to half an hour. If the texture is more like a dough than a batter, then add small amount of milk and stir in until it is a thick batter.
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a deep fryer, wok, or saucepan. If you are using a saucepan, do not fill it more than half full. Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a bit of batter. If it browns righ away, it's ready.
4. Drop by full tablespoons into hot oil, turn to brown both sides, remove immediately and drain on paper towels.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Tips: Each malpua should be about the size of a golf ball. If they are any bigger then the middles might be undercooked. Also, this batter can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If it has thickened, stir in a bit of milk and stir until the texture is right.

Note: For those malpua purists out there, replace the anise with cardamom for an alternative flavor. The traditional way of serving these is with a sugar syrup (made of equal parts sugar and water dissolved over medium heat) sometimes flavored with a few saffron threads and some slivered almonds or pistachios. I used powdered sugar because I like it better. I used 2% milk because that's what we had.

I didn't have anise and wasn't in the mood for cardamom, so I poured a shot of sambuca. Then I poured another shot of sambuca into the batter. Ok, just kidding about the first part. I'm not a fan of sambuca shots. Anyway, the sambuca lent a very delicate anise flavor so they were tasty without being overwhelming. And, no, mom, the kids weren't buzzed afterward. The alcohol evaporates right away upon cooking.

For gluten-free readers, my mom said that there is a version of this treat made after the harvest entirely out of rice flour and rice cereal. If anyone tries, this variation, please post and let me know how they turn out!

Valentime's lunch

No, that's not a typo. That's how my 4-1/2 year old says "Valentine's" and it's just too cute to correct. It turns out that a lot of children still say it this way in first grade, as I found out firsthand while volunteering at the tall one's school this afternoon. Yes, it's still cute when they are 6.

Here is her super cute red-themed valentine's snack for preschool today:

Sweetheart mini sandwiches - one is filled with a dab of cream cheese and the other with strawberry jam. I used my Pampered Chef Creative Cutters to make the sandwiches. I had to open the strawberry one and add bit of peanut butter after assembly at her request, so it was a little snug in the container with it's cream cheese filled buddy. Next are fresh strawberries, quick trail mix of white and milk chocolate swirled chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and some pecans, strawberry yogurt, more homemade granola, and sliced red peppers. The nesting spoon and fork and some apple juice in a resuable juice box finished it off. I added some pretzels into the trail mix after I snapped the picture in case she wants a few bites of something salty.

No picture of the tall one's lunch today because he was off to school before I got home from work. Snapping pictures of his lunch was the last thing on my mind at 4:45 Am when I put it together. Plus, his lunch today was a somewhat uninspired and was not worthy of pre-dawn photos. He got a plain bagel and some baby carrots with some cream cheese in a container. Apparently his school has this thing called a "bagel bag" and he has been asking for one, so I made one for him, albeit a lame one. Bagels were on sale and I even broke down and bought baby carrots as opposed to grown-up carrots that are usually cheaper. It's amazing how a week of him having the flu turned me into a big softie. I threw in some wheat crackers, raisins, and and some apple juice as well.

It sounds like a lot, but I pack everything in very small quantities for him because he is not a big eater, but he likes to have a lot of choices. Also, we only come directly home from school one day a week, so what I pack has to last through after school activities and dinner, which often is around 7PM, if not later. If he doesn't eat the carrots or peppers at lunchtime, it's a sure bet they will be the first thing he has right after school in the car on our way to afternoon.

Ladies who lunch

I am bubbling over with excitement to share my discovery of some seriously stylish lunch bags for the working girl set. I found this online retailer called eBags where they sell Elle Essentials, a line of functional bags carrying the Elle Magazine moniker, which screams style to me. They have a terrific selection of bags for the working girls, including lunch bags that are so far from the mundane black ripstop rectangle lunchbox I used to carry. Brilliant! The colors! The styles! The selection! This one is called Kate and is $27.95. The Burberry-esque plaid on this speaks to my preppy, corporate, and completely materialistic, shopaholic side. Love it!

Then I woke up and realized that I don't work in an office anymore. Way back when I did, however, I loathed to carry a very basic, but functional, very plain, unstylish black rectangular softsided zippered lunchbox. If those bags had been available then I would have bought one in every style! I still might...

Maybe I should rename this blog the Trendy Tiffin....

Antioxidant bento

I made this very colorful and healthy bento for my daughter on Thursday for preschool.

I love this container (made by Guateplast) because of the well in the middle dip, complete with separate lid. One of my students had one like it in her lunch and I knew immediately I had to have one. I finally found it at our local Pathmark, but they only had one, so I am on a mission to find another. For now I will have to manage.... Sigh.

Inspired by the vibrant colors, I put in strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries on one side. On the other side are some animal crackers and pretzels. I put in a handful of homemade granola as filler to keep the berries from rolling around and to absorb any wayward moisture or juices from flowing. In the middle is lowfat vanilla yogurt, into which she could dip the fruit, sprinkle with granola, or eat straight up. To round it out and continue my antioxidant kick, I gave her some grape juice in a Rubbermaid reusable juice box. The spoon is from her kiddie cutlery set (which also has a fork and spoon with it's own cute little carrying case) and everything is spread out on her Tinkerbell cloth napkin which I made at the beginning of the school year.

Here is everything all packed up nicely in her the top section of her brother's Transformers lunchbox. He stayed home from school with a cold and was too sick to notice her taking it. I didn't mention it to him either...

Review: 4 stars.
She liked the granola, strawberries, animal crackers, and pretzels, although she only dipped the strawberries and animal crackers. She said she ate the yogurt with her spoon. Apparently it didn't occur to her to sprinkled the granola into the yogurt until she saw me do it when I finshed the yogurt.

I'll take a better picture of the granola and post the recipe separately - I promise!

Bento for Beginners

This was my first attempt at a bento last week for my children, ages 4-1/2 and 7. It was a good opportunity to try adding a bento to their snack since I had a meeting to attend after I was done with work and their activities. On meeting nights, which is once a month, we don't get home until after 8, at which point I focus on getting them both ready for bed.

It contained rice with ghee, some purple and green grapes, two slices of navel orange which were added after the picture was taken, and three slices of tamago, a tasty Japanese style omelet, which I made earlier in the day, thanks to the wonderful tutorial and recipe from Lunch In a Box. Mine was not as pretty as what you will see on her blog, but it tasted good. I packed them into a 300 ml Rubbermaid Take Alongs container, a bit smaller than preschool size bento boxes, my children are not big eaters, so I make small portions for them. As much as I wanted one of those cute decorated bento boxes, the container worked out perfectly. It fit nicely into the but it worked out perfectly and fit nicely into the bottom section of their Arctic Zone lunchboxes.

They took notice of the neat and compact packing, but did not seem to share my enthusiasm over it. They liked the rice with ghee and the tamago and nibbled on the fruit. As cute as the bento was, they would have preferred to have had the rice with ghee and the egg packed hot into a thermal container. Also since most Indian food is best served piping hot, I will have to choose items that are meant to be served at room temperature or slightly chilled for future bentos.

By the way, my other guideline, which I failed to mention in my previous post, is that I try to pack waste-free and economical lunches. The two concepts go hand-in-hand for me. I pack as much as I can into reusable containers that can be readily washed and reused. Likewise, I buy the largest size, or most economical size, of foods and then repack them into convenient, reusable containers.

Part of economizing is packing only quantities that I know my kids, and I, will consume. I'll spare everyone the lecture that my mom gave me on children starving in India ("Well then send it to them by Fed Ex because I don't want it!" is what I used to say to my mom) and comment that it's just better to give them only what they will eat than throw it away. Similarly, buying larger packages of things only makes sense if you actually eat all of it.