Kitchen Tip: My Frugal Bento Part 2

For More Kitchen Tips Go here.

I just posted about bento here.
Be sure to read the first post for more frugal ideas!
This post I would like to share how to make bento lunches frugally. Now before I get started, let me tell you, there are tons of cute little character boxes, shapes etc . that you can find on Ebay. The problem is that the main reason I love bento: is 1. it is cheaper than eating out. 2. it is healthier . Hence, Buying all that stuff makes it so Non- frugal :). Although cuteness is a reason for some, it is not my main focus. I do admit to wanting some egg molds really bad. You can get them on Ebay. I have done my homework and have learned a few tricks along the way.

You can use cookie cutters to cute cute sandwiches, or to mold rice into really cute shapes, using plastic wrap or just plain balls !:
http://lunchinabox.net/2007/07/02/tip-use-cookie-cutters-as-onigiri-molds/

You can make Jello in cute shapes buy using silicone Ice cube molds or candy molds.

Here is a photo of my free or cheap Bento items:

From left to right :

The : Test Tube used to contain liquid protein. I have used it to freeze water - making a long ice pack. I have also used it to hold sauces for picnics.
The small glad ware dishes are used inside the larger container.
The Muffin cups are paper dividers.
Across the front from L to R is empty Crystal Light containers- Great to pack empty - for picnics I use these as disposable sauce dipping containers- no need to keep them, I have an abundance of them . The small bottle with a red lid is a empty spice bottle that I use for salt/pepper , A medicine cup form cough syrup also used for dipping, Food color bottles for soy sauce. ( Just pour sauce into a small cup and draw up like a dropper. next is a vanilla extract bottle and the pink silverware case was a pencil case from a Burger King happy meal! I also have found flat tooth brush travel holders that would work!
Now for Ice and drinks:

Of Course you would want a thermos for hot drinks and soups.
Keep those water bottles to refill,
Use Plastic jars like Mayo or Peanut Butter, Buy a small rubbermaid bottle .

They Crystal light tube I use for food like chips, crackers etc and should be in the other picture (oops) I also use these for damp towels to wipe my hands! Or just carry sanitizer wipes or a small sanitizer bottle.

Not shown: My reusable Blue ice packs :)

Now pack it all inside your bento bag: In My case I have used old gift bags, Wal-mart sacks,insulated bags and a freebie canvas bag. Traditional bento ether use a bandanna type cloth or a drawstring bento bag :
















Here are some post of other folk's frugal bento ideas:
Dollar store
Freaking tasty Bento (warning: Some Bad language)
Bento Box-A great site that explains it all so well

If you want to see the "Real" bento stuff look here.

Take a look at these Bento Lunches- True art !

Kitchen Tip Tues.: Flax and Menus

Did you know you can use flax as a substitute for fat or eggs in recipe? Three tablespoons of flax equals one tablespoon of fat or oil, and one tablespoon of flax plus three tablespoons of water equals one egg. Not only is this healthy it makes it safe for those with egg allergies, Vegans and it is frugal! If you count the cost of flax vs. eggs the savings usually are wonderful! It is sold in a box , near the flour. I also include a small spoon full in my kid's yogurt/cereal/ smoothies/ granola.

I also found this little tid-bit:

"Flaxseed is very high in omega-3 essential fatty acids. In addition to the omega-3s, the remaining two components of flaxseed -- lignans and fiber -- are being studied for their health benefits as well", says Diane Morris, PhD, RD,

Menus Note : By the way- I am working on putting 8 weeks of menus for everyone to download for free on my page- they include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and the recipes! All free for you! Look at the left sidebar :)

Be sure to visit Tammy's Page for more tips!

Sandwich Station

My kids love Peanut Butter- they eat some kind of PB sandwich most days. I found the easiest thing to do was keep my bread, Peanut butter, Nutella and Marshmallow cream inside a plastic box with lid on top of my refrigerator. Jelly is in 'fridge of course! This way when I need to make a quick sandwich it is all together!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday~ Happy 4th!

We are planning a weekend away from home - so forgive this but I will be reposting a Works For Me Wednesday tip as this week's Kitchen Tip- have a wonderful 4th of July everyone!
http://justincase-doll.blogspot.com/2007/07/wfmw-food-coloring.html
Be sure to visit Tammy's site for more great tips!

Kitchen Tip: Keep your stove clean, without elbow grease!

By lining the bottom of the oven (under the element) with foil. Then just change when it gets to many spills :) Wipe the rest and you are done! I also line drip pans with foil so all I have to do is change the foil and wipe them out.

See Tammy;s site for more Kitchen Tips :)

Easy. cheap and lowfat ground meat

When I get home from grocery days I usually set aside some prep work time see this post . Part of my prep work also include pre-cooking ground meat . For any recipe that call for hamburger I use a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground turkey. To cook it quickly, in large quantities and to climate even more fat, I boil it! You just put the whole thing in a large pot, coo and drain. Then package into zipper bags and freeze for later use- this saves, fat, time, money (turkey is cheaper) and freezer space!
Be sure to visit Tammysrecipes.com for more tips!

How to save time, and make lettuce last for a month!

My Kitchen tip for this week: When I bring home my groceries I plan a "prep day" this is the day that I cut / chop/wash or peel all my produce for my recipes for the week. Sometime if time allows I will also brown meat and cook and chop chicken for the week. This saves so much time during a busy week! To make lettuce and celery last for about a month- wash. spin dry, and wrap in either a kitchen towel or paper towel. then wrap in foil and put inside a zipper bag.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy here.

Powdered milk, mixing dry ingredients and homemade bisquick

All three of these tips go together so I am posting them all at once :)
1.One of my favorite tips is to keep one small peanut butter jar with about a cup of powdered milk (already mixed with the water) in the fridge. I use this whenever I make ANY RECIPE that needs milk. We cannot seem to get used to using it in our cereal or for drinking. . This saves bunches of money and I always have a small amount handy :) We love Pancakes and make them usually at least once a week, so I always use it in my favorite pancake recipe . I only mix about a cupful at a time because I rarely need more than that in any recipe. If it is not pre-mixed in the fridge I tend to forget to use it.
2. I LOVE my kitchenaid stand mixer! When making homemade Bisquick you have to mix the flour and shortening until it becomes similar to cornmeal. I use my mixer with the wire whisk and set it on the lowest setting . It works perfectly and my hands don't end up messy! I can let it run while I do other things in the kitchen so it saves time too! I bet you could do it with a hand mixer just as well.
3. I also use my mixer with the whisk attachment with any recipe that calls for you to mix dry ingredients separately and then add them to the wet ingredients. I would just pour the dry mix into another bowl, mix the wet stuff and then add the dry stuff back in.

For more Wonderful tips AND some really great recipes! Visit Tammy's Recipes

Cooking with kids

Tammy inspired this post with her pod cast (see here)Teaching my children is one of my greatest joys, as they get bigger we enjoy time together in the kitchen. We started with cookies using pre-made cookie dough, now I have them measure and scoop and even pour ingredients. Sometimes we combine crafts and snack time. Below is a collection of kid fun recipes I have collected so as they grow and can do more with me- I will be able to pull form my stash- enjoy!
Visit Tammy for more tips!


OCTOPUS HOT DOGS

Ingredients:
Hot dogs
Water
Prepared yellow mustard
1 pkg. (3 oz.) beef ramen noodles
Green food coloring

Octopus Instructions:
1. Fill a large saucepan up with water. _2. Bring water to a boil. _3. Cut each hot dog lengthwise into eight strips to within 2 inches of one end. _4. Drop the cut hotdog into boiling water. _5. Cook until heated through. _6. Remove from water. _7. Stand on a plate. With dabs of mustard add eyes and a mouth.
Seaweed Instructions:
1. In a saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the noodles and the contents of the seasoning packet. Boil for 3-4 minutes or until noodles are tender. _2. Add green food coloring to noodles and stir until well blended. _3. Drain, if there is too much liquid left. _4. Place noodles (seaweed) on a serving plate and top with the hotdogs (octopus).


Oreo Rocket Ship

13 Double Stuff Oreos_1/4 c. canned chocolate or vanilla frosting_blue food coloring_1 Oreo chocolate ice cream cone 9you can also use plain cones_cinnamon red hots_red cake decorator gel for decorating_4 sticks fruit stripe bubble gum
1. Stack cookies together, securing with frosting in between each cookie. Let dry completely._2. Tint remaining frosting blue. Spread cone with blue frosting. Press red hots into frosting around open end of cone. Let dry. Write USA on cone with red decorating gel._3. Trim ends of gum diagonally; secure with gel round base of rocket. Secure cone with frosting to top of rocket. Decorate rocket with red hots._If you like, surround rocket ship with mounds of pressured whipped topping for clouds and red candy curls for blast off trails. To make red candy curls, pipe a small amount of melted red candy coating in spiral shapes onto waxed paper. Refrigerate till set. Carefully peel off paper._Makes 1 rocket ship.





Worms in Dirt

1 16-ounce package Oreo type cookies
2 cups cold milk
1 pkg.small JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping , thawed slightly
individual serving cups

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping , thawed slightly
individual serving cups
Gummy worms
1.CRUSH cookies in zipper-style plastic bag with rolling pin or in food processor.
2.POUR cold milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in whipped topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies.
3.PLACE about 1 tablespoon crushed cookies into each cup. Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top with remaining crushed cookies.
4.REFRIGERATE until ready to serve. Garnish with gummy worms just before serving. Yields about 8 servings


Make Butter
1 cup of whipping cream, salt, baby food jars (one for each child), crackers.
Pour whipping cream into jars with 1 drop of food coloring. Add a pinch of salt. Close tightly and give to the children to shake. Butter will form soon. Pour off extra liquid. Spread on crackers and it's ready to eat.

Cow Milk Shakes
Milk
Ice Cream
Chocolate or Strawberry Syrup

Haystack Cookies
Ingredients
Graham Crackers
Small Chocolate Squares
Marshmallows
Chow Mien Noodles
On top of a graham cracker have the children place a chocolate square, half marshmallow and chow mien. Microwave for 16 sec.

Chicken Coop Nest
Chow Mien Noodles
Hard Shell Topping
Marshmallows (eggs)
Children spread their chow mien noodles at the bottom of a paper bowl. Squeeze the hard shell over your noodles and put into refrigerator until stiff. Add marshmallow (eggs) and enjoy!

Make Mud Pudding
Borrowed from Maureen Ford & Stacy Wingfield
1 large box of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of cold milk
chocolate cookie crumbs
Mix the chocolate pudding with the milk. Pour into a large jar and shake. The pudding will soon form. Spoon the pudding into 6 small bowls. Crumble 1 chocolate cookie into each bowl. (This makes 6 servings.)



Edible Fire Trucks
Adapted from Enchanted Learning for the Texas Department of Agriculture Food Ban Guidelines

You will need:
1 1/2 graham crackers per fire truck
tiny Oreos for wheels
stick pretzels
1 can of vanilla frosting
red food coloring
1 jar of cherries

Mix a few drops of food coloring into a can of vanilla frosting. Place 1 whole graham cracker onto a paper plate. Put a spoonful of frosting on the graham cracker. Let your students spread the frosting on the graham cracker. Put half a graham cracker on top of the frosting. This is the cab of the truck. Using a small amount of red frosting, "glue" the cherry on top of the cab. This is the fire truck's red light. Using more frosting, "glue" on four tiny Oreos to the sides of the graham crackers. These are the wheels. On the back of the truck, "glue" two pretzels parallel to each other. Then, "glue" in broken pieces to make the ladder.


Dalmatian Cookies
Use refrigerator-type sugar cookie dough. Roll out and press with dog-shaped cookie cutter. Add chocolate chips for the dots. Bake according to package directions.

Valentines Creamy Jigglers from Kraft

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups boiling water
2 pkg. (8-serving size each) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any red flavor
1 cup cold 2% reduced fat milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

Preparation
Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl at least 3 minutes until completely dissolved. Cool 30 minutes at room temperature.

Pour milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. Quickly pour into gelatin. Stir with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into 13x9-inch pan.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Dip bottom of pan in warm water about 15 seconds. Cut into decorative shapes with heart-shaped cookie cutters all the way through gelatin. Lift from pan.


Ants on a Log
To make the log, fill celery sticks with peanut better. Place four raisin ants along the log.

Lady Bug Snack
Slice an apple in half lengthwise, and lay with cut side down on a plate. The ladybugs' spots are raisins, put on with a dot of peanut butter. The head is a grape attached with a toothpick.

Celery and Pretzel Butterflies
Cut celery into 3 inch pieces, spread on cream cheese, add raisins down the middle, add 2 pretzels with the two loops outward, put 2 pretzel pieces at one end for antennae.

Edible Caterpillar
From Copycat May/June 1993
Give each child a licorice lace and a handful of colorful ring shaped cereal. Knot one end of the licorice and thread the cereal onto the lace until the other end is ready to be knotted.

Tasty Ladybug Cookies
Ice a round sugar cookie with red frosting to make the ladybug's body. Press chocolate chips into the frosting for the ladybug's spots. Attach three pretzel-stick legs on each side of the cookie for the ladybug's legs.



Chicka chicka boom boom snack

I saw this somewhere but now can't remember where!! Give each child a piece of celery and a few leaves from the celery stalk. Stuff the celery with peanut butter, add the leaves to the top to make the 'Palm Tree' and add alphabits cereal to the peanut butter to make the letters climbing up the tree. I wish I had a picture. What a cute snack!


Penguin Treat

You will need: 2 oreos, 3 candy corn, 2 mini m&m's, white icing (small tube) for "glue"

1. Twist cookie apart.

2. Attach the head at the top.

3. Add candy corn for feet.

4. Add m&m eyes and candy corn beak.

5. Split other oreo in half to mak penguin wings.

Cupa Cupa Egg Peanut Butter Cookies (from:http://www.weekiwis.com)


Print this recipe

These are the easiest cookies in the world!

What you will need:

1 cup sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (you can use crunchy if you like)
1 egg
a bag of chocolate stars or Hershey's kisses
Directions:

1. Mix the sugar, peanut butter, and egg together in a bowl.

2. Roll dough into walnut size balls. Place on a cookie sheet and with your thumb make a well in the center of each and place a chocolate star.

3. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes and let them cool.

GRAMPA'S DUMP CAKE
From:(http://www.weekiwis.com)

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cube of butter
1 cup pecan pieces
You'll need a 9X13 pan.

Pour in the cherry pie filling and the pineapple to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cake mix over the entire pan. Cut the butter in little cubes and place evenly over the cake mix and then sprinkle with the pecan pieces. Bake at 350° for approximateely 50 minutes.

Isn't that easy!!!! We serve it with vanilla ice cream and sing "Happy Birthday" to Grampa even if it's not his birthday! He really likes this cake and so do we....

For more cute ideas visit here:

http://www.thatsmyhome.com/recipes-for-kids/index.htm

Homemade Sour Cream,buttermilk and Butter

Tammy' Recipes is now hosting a new Carnival, since this is one of my favorite spots for "everyday recipes", I couldn't wait to share!

Most of you probably already know these, but I just found these in my Depression era cook book that I inherited from Grandma:

Sour Cream: 1/4 cup of buttermilk and add four cups of heavy cream to a mason jar. Cover and shake a little, then put on the counter. In about 24 hours, I have sour cream!

I also noticed that there was a recipe on how to make buttermilk (tip # 7) I want to try that recipe next time!

Buttermilk (another recipe)
1/4 cup of buttermilk and add four cups of milk to a mason jar. Cover and shake a little, then put on the counter. In about 24 hours, I have buttermilk. I just have to remember to save a little buttermilk from each batch for the next batch.

Homemade butter:

Put heavy cream into a bowl and beat with a mixer until it turns into butter or put it in a jar a shake!

Be sure to visit Tammy's Kitchen for more tips!