Burger lunches two ways
Making extra food at dinner and saving it for packed lunches is a handy way to speed up lunch prep. Think about the size of what you’re making; can you make miniature versions that would fit nicely into a bento box, like shepherd’s pie?
Today’s lunches both use leftover mini-hamburgers that I had my husband grill at the same time as he grilled the rest of our burgers for dinner. You can take the same burger leftovers in different directions: a traditional cheeseburger, or a lower-carb version with cut-up burgers. I’ve also had tiny appetizer burgers on golf ball-sized buns, secured with a toothpick, that would be the perfect size for a bento lunch. Get creative!
Contents of preschooler bento lunch: Mini cheeseburger with cheddar cheese in pita bread, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, kiwifruit, and cherry tomatoes.
Packing: I used reusable silicone baking cups to separate the savory vegetables from the sweet fruit. The kiwifruit is cut into eighths, and I threw in a little food pick from Daiso to make eating easier for little hands. For the burger, I cut a whole pita bread round into quarters, added a triangle of sliced cheddar cheese, and cut the mini-burger in half horizontally so it would fit into the pita comfortably. The whole lunch is packed in a 450ml Disney Cars bento box with a removable subdivider.
Verdict: Home run! Bug ate the entire lunch at preschool and didn’t leave anything.
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Contents of preschooler bento lunch: Inarizushi (sushi rice stuffed into pre-packaged abura-age seasoned tofu wrappers), hamburger patty with ketchup, mini carrots, grapes and blueberries.
Morning prep time: 8 minutes, using leftover inarizushi and hamburger, and a pre-filled sauce container of ketchup. In the morning I briefly microwaved the refrigerated inarizushi and hamburger to restore the texture, and cut up the burger. You can also make inarizushi in advance, wrapping and freezing the inarizushi for speedy lunch prep.
Verdict: Good except for the carrots; Bug ate everything else but left two of the carrots, saying they were two hard. Dunno why, he ate a pile of them raw just a few days prior.
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