Bento Box School Lunches

When my son started preschool, I had the usual apprehensions of a mother sending her kid off to school for the first time: will he cry the whole time, will he like his teachers, will he make friends? But one of my biggest concerns was “What will I pack for his lunch?” I like the idea of bento boxes – they’re so cute & organized. I adapted a bento-style way to pack his lunch everyday. I like having compartments which not only keeps food separate but helps me think about providing a variety of tastes and food groups. My son loves fruit so his lunch always contains a good portion of fruit. If he doesn’t like the rest of his lunch, I know he’ll at least eat the fruit. I always try to put a green veggie in his lunch, and he’ll even remind me if I forget: “Where’s something green?” I’ve tried out several food options and now have a repertoire of go-to lunches. Here’s what’s on the menu:

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-Catherine Lo

Baby shower idea: Fiesta time!

I was so excited when I found out my sister-in-law was pregnant. I was going to be an aunt for the first time! I wanted to throw her a baby shower, and since it was co-ed, I didn’t want it to the usual frou-frou tea & crumpets sort of event. Instead, I made it an evening cocktail & hors d’oeuvres party with a Mexican fiesta theme. To make my life easier, I had my favorite local Mexican restaurant, Picante, do the food. The menu consisted of Latin-inspired finger foods: Mexico City sliders, empanadas, tamales, ceviche on jicama slices, mini sopes, and fruit skewers dusted with chili powder. For liquid libations I had a jar of sangria, Coronas, and horchata for mommy-to-be. At the sweets table, I set out a platter of Mexican wedding cookies, guava pastelitos (daddy-to-be’s favorite), and cupcakes – a shower staple, in flavors such as dulce de leche, coconut key lime, vanilla and oreo cookie.

No fiesta would be complete without a piñata so I custom-ordered a baby shaped piñata and stuffed it full of candy and baby essentials: pacifiers, bath squirters and ear plugs. At the end of the night, adults & kids alike took a baseball bat and we “spanked” the baby. At the end of the party, guests took home a shot glass that I had printed with a picture of a baby’s butt saying, “Bottoms Up!” All that was left was a beat up baby (piñata) with one arm and no legs. Please don’t call CPS on me.

-Catherine Lo

For other party ideas, read about baby’s 1st birthday party here

Camping 101: Ten camp essentials

Camping isn’t for everybody. First off, there’s so much gear you need to bring. There are the basics: tent, sleeping bag, camp chairs, lantern, etc. But if you’re the type that would rather stay at a Four Seasons than in a four-person tent, here are some extra items that can make your camping experience a bit more comfortable and have you camping like a pro:

Ten things to bring:

1. Small broom & dust pan: These come in handy to sweep the floor of your tent before laying down your sleeping bag and to sweep up any dirt before you take down the tent, roll it up and store it for X number of months/years until your next camping trip.
2. Fine wine: A good bottle of wine makes anything enjoyable. Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you have to sip your wine from a paper cup. These portable wine glasses are great because they pack small and are unbreakable. You can also use them for picnics in the park.
3. Ziploc bags: Save leftover food or miscellaneous items like matches or twisty ties that you don’t know where else to put.
4. Doormat: Wipe your feet before you enter the tent so you don’t track in more dirt that you’ll have to sweep up.
5. Tablecloth: Make your camp table sweet & homey (and cover up any messes from previous campers).
6. Headlamp: It may seem dorky but it’s liberating to see and do things at night using both your hands without occupying one hand to hold a flashlight. It’s worth any ridicule from your non-camper friends.
7. Thin plastic chopping board: Provides a lightweight surface for slicing meat & veggies for the grill, and an easy to clean prep space for making sandwiches & s’mores.
8. Brown paper bags: When picking up groceries on your way to camp, ask for paper instead of plastic. These are great to use as kindle to start the campfire and to hold recyclables to drop off at the end of your trip.
9. French press: Just because you’re roughing it without electricity, there’s no reason to sacrifice life’s necessities. Like fine wine, a good cup of coffee makes everything right.
10. Baby wipes: Chances are you already have these on hand. Not just for babies, you can use these to wipe hands & faces when the nearest water spout is a short hike away.

*Carry these extra items in a storage bin, which can also be used as a sink to wash dishes.

Part of the camping experience is thinking of items that would make camping better. I’m already making a shopping list of things to bring on my next camping trip.

For more camp stories, read about our RV adventure here

-Catherine Lo

Fruit skewers: Taste the Rainbow

cute & healthy kid party treats

My son loves rainbows. He’s a very colorful boy. For his fourth birthday, his preschool asked that we bring a “healthy” snack such as fresh fruit to share with his classmates, rather than the usual sugar-loaded birthday treat, cupcakes. Combining my kid’s love of rainbows and fruit, I came up with the idea of making rainbow fruit “pops.”

Instead of sharp bamboo skewers, I used Chinese take-out chopsticks that I’d been hoarding for no purpose, until now. The chopsticks proved to be the perfect implement. They are the right length for a kid’s snack. Plus, the tip is not sharp, but pointy enough to pierce the fruit, and the wider end of the chopstick keeps the fruit from falling off.

These fruit pops are fun and easy enough for a 4 year old to make. I was sous chef and cut the fruit into bite-size pieces and put them into separate bowls for each color: red watermelon, orange clementines, golden mango, pale yellow banana, green kiwi, indigo blueberries, and purple grapes. Being a rainbow expert, my son didn’t need help putting the fruit on the sticks in the proper sequence. He was also quick to correct me if I skipped a color or put them in the wrong order, just like a crotchety Michelin-starred chef.

For my son’s birthday party at home, I made a fruit platter arranged into a rainbow. There were two spaces in the top corners of the tray, which I filled with tiny marshmallow “clouds.” It took more effort than I anticipated as I underestimated the physics involved in stacking all that fruit into a semi-circular formation. I managed to keep it together long enough until the first guest helped herself to some fruit and it all came tumbling down. Rainbows don’t last forever.

-Catherine Lo

*This article was also posted on Elizabeth Street.