I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Orange and green lunch
Without thinking about it, I managed to pack a lunch almost entirely with two colors: orange and green.
Contents of preschooler lunch: Pork and leek Shandong dumplings (full review here) and dipping sauce, grape tomatoes, kabocha squash simmered in mirin and soy sauce, steamed broccoli, and an odd fish fillet with built-in tartar sauce under the breading. The side dish container holds tangerine slices and kiwi.
Morning prep time: 10 minutes, mostly boiling the dumplings in a tiny pot to speed things up. The kabocha was leftover from the night before, and I used the simmering liquid from the kabocha to flavor the microwave-steamed broccoli. In the morning I briefly microwaved the frozen fish fillet and broccoli (in a microwave mini steamer), and sliced the fruit.
Packing: I fully drained the kabocha and broccoli before packing to keep stray juices away from the fish, and stood the broccoli florets upright in a mini silicone baking cup. Grape tomatoes acted as gap fillers to stabilize the lunch in transit. Packed in a Packed in a 270ml one-tier Thomas the Tank Engine box with one hard plastic sub-container removed to fit more dumplings, and a 150ml side dish container. The panda pick was part of a larger set for US$1.50 at Daiso, and I also used a little pronged Anpanman pick for the kabocha.
Verdict: Mixed. Bug ate most of this at preschool, leaving two pieces of kabocha, a bit of broccoli and the kiwi. Afterwards in the car, though, he ate the broccoli and the kiwi but passed on the kabocha. He said he really liked the dumplings and the fish. I’m starting to think he’s finding it difficult to eat kiwifruit pieces on his own — that’s coming back regularly until I help him with the pick. Something to keep in mind as I pack foods that are easy for him to eat on his own…
READ MORE:
- School lunchroom restrictions
- Making lunch for the first day of preschool
- Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
- Choosing the right size bento box
- Packed lunch food safety
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews (UPDATED)
October 16th, 2007 | Categories: bento, dumplings or buns, fish or seafood, for kids, lactose free, meat | 
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October 16th, 2007 at 10:21 am
another cute, creative bento box lunch - sorry that there were mixed reviews from Bug!! the little Panda in the side dish container is too adorable :0)
October 16th, 2007 at 11:15 am
More great ideas as usual. Can I ask you where you purchase those dumplings?
October 16th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
I love your site and read it every day for ideas for my own lunch!
If you’re having trouble with kiwi, you could always try just cutting it in half, rubbing it in lemon so it doesn’t brown, and then giving Bug a spoon. As long as it’s ripe, its supereasy to eat kiwi like this, and it’s a lot less slippery. Kind of like grapefruit, but no little skins.
Try it!
October 16th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
@1 from VeggieGirl: Thanks! I like the little animal picks as well, but they’re probably better suited for firmer foods as they’re quite thick at the end (and only one prong). Not sharp at all, though, which is a bonus for parents worried about their kids wielding food picks as weapons at lunchtime…
October 16th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
@2 from suneeta: I got these at Ocean View Supermarket, and believe I’ve also seen them at either New May Wah or Sunset Supermarket. Store info here at my guide to ethnic markets in the SF Bay Area.
October 16th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
@3 from Jessica: Thanks for reading regularly, Jessica! Thank you also for the tip on kiwis; I hadn’t thought of doing this for a packed lunch. I’ll practice with Bug at home sometime and see if he takes to it before throwing one in a lunch. I hate to do away with kiwis in his lunches totally as they taste good and are visually interesting (oh yeah, and good for you too!).
October 16th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I wish I were a bit more computer savvy because the bento that I packed yesterday was a thing of beauty a la Biggie Style! In the bottom tier of my yellow Happy Balloons bento I packed steamed broccoli, leftover porkchop slices and some Golden Harvest potato bake (basically Yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots mashed together with garlic, butter, parsley and tarragon) and in the top I had dried blue berries, a mini mango jelly and a Babybel cheese with little crackers. All the colors were covered because my husband cut a jack-o-lantern face out of nori for the mashed veggies and it went together in about 8 minutes because it was all leftovers. **sigh** Someday I’ll learn to post a photo somewhere!
October 16th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
@7 from Beanbean: Sounds delicious! Did you take a photo? If you did, e-mail it to me and I’ll post a small version of it here in the comments.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Alas, I did not take a photo but since I am packing bento twice a week, I might do that one of these days especially if it’s a particularly colorful bento.
I forgot to add that I had four pocky in the bento lid too. Chocolate…**drool**
November 14th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I love your site! You’ve completely inspired me to start making my own bento!
I recently purchased small condiment containers in the same of strawberries and pickles. However, I don’t know how to fill them! The bottle I bought did not come with a “filler” as I’ve seen some have.
Any suggestions?
November 14th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
@10 from Dunsinaine: Ooh, use the squeeze method! Pour a little of the liquid you want into a shallow bowl or dish, squeeze the sauce container with your fingers, place the open mouth of the container into the liquid, and release. Suction will bring the liquid up into the sauce container; repeat until full.