3 Bento #236 - Three's Company! (Teacher Lunches)

...aaand I'm spent.  Maybe this should be titled Bento #236-7-8? I happily volunteered to do our teacher appreciation lunch yesterday.  I wasn't initially going to do bento boxes, but I remembered I had recently picked up these two large snap-style boxes which are really cool.  I cracked them out of their packages and went to town.  I didn't want to make them too cutesy, but I also wanted them to be a little fun. :-)

First, Ella's lunch.  I gave her chicken teriyaki pineapple and jasmine rice leftover from dinner, as well as a jasmine flower onigiri.

Flower cucumber centers!  And grapes!

The teacher lunches were both the same, with jasmine rice, (and a flower onigiri each) sauteed spicy Italian chicken sausage, roasted mixed veggies in balsamic butter sauce, and fresh grapes.  The three savory ingredients were meant to be able to be mixed with any one of the other items, if desired.  I gave them each a couple of deco picks to keep if they wanted.  The boxes were also theirs to take home!

There was also lemon creme cake for dessert.  I was at a loss as to what to pack it in, so I channeled my inner [misfit] Martha Stewart and used some large cello bags, and tied them with ribbon.  I also added a pink fork to each bow, but I didn't get a pic of that (of course.)  Probably not the most practical way to eat cake...but it's cake!

All together now!

I LOVE the carrying handles on these!  I hope I can find more the next time I go back to Super H Mart.  Before anyone asks me where to buy them...I looked everywhere on Google and could not find anyone who sells this particular box.  It's a Korean brand called KumHo Chemistry/Komicomo Wellbeing Brand and the box is called Quarter Lock.  Do let me know if you come across it!

All packed up in an Easy Lunch Box cooler.  Fit both of them PERFECTLY!  I can't get over how roomy they are.

Anyway, I hand-delivered the boxes that morning.  Hope they enjoyed them!  Ella got a kick out of having almost the same lunch as her teachers. :-)

Bento #236 - [Ella] Aidell's teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs, jasmine rice and caramelized onions, grapes, and cucumber flowers. Snack - Clemetine (not shown.) [Teachers] Spicy Italian chicken sausage, jasmine rice, grapes and roasted veggies in balsamic butter.  Dessert - Lemon creme cake.

0 School Lunch

I know what you're thinking. She's about to launch into a diatribe, Jamie Oliver-esque, about the evils of the modern school lunch.

Not so.

I can't help but be impressed by the lunch offerings at E's school. I volunteered in her classroom today and as I often do afterwards, I join her for lunch at one of the special guest tables in the lunch room. E relishes helping me make my selections in the line, and I'm always flabbergasted by (and admittedly jealous, considering my own 100% processed school food experience growing up) the great selections they purvey.

Today they had fresh, real fried chicken, homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, with a plethora of fresh fruit and veggie options. I opted for a mixed green and spinach Caesar salad with a whole sliced orange and a frozen strawberry cup (ingredients: strawberries, sugar - tastes exactly like one of those expensive frozen fruit bars, but with MORE fruit!)

My only complaint is the "grilled" chicken they serve with the salads - it's not grilled and it's not whole chicken, it's molded chicken paste, like unbreaded nuggets. I don't eat them and I don't let E eat them either.

Some of the other delicious, diverse and surprisingly nutritious dishes offered throughout the week include popcorn shrimp with Mac n' Cheese and homemade cornbread. Squash casserole, sweet potato tots, cheese omelets, vegetarian bean quesadillas, beef and cheese baked potatoes, and of course - baked okra and Georgia peaches. Of course. There are always fresh whole fruit and veggies. I also love that they source their food from local farmers through the Farm-to-School initiative.  There is also the Fresh Fruit Friday program sponsored by WholeFoods where barrels of fruit are distributed throughout the day to kids as they want them.

I kind of want to eat here every day. $1.65 for kids, $2.75 for adults, which also includes milk.

Caesar salad with real shredded Parmesan cheese, whole grain croutons, Saltines and chicken strips, sliced whole orange and a frozen strawberry fruit cup.  As an adult, I also got unsweet tea.

So, do tell - what is your school lunch like?  Is it pretty impressive, or is there room for improvement?