Mini Kimbap

Justin has become somewhat of an adolescent. You can't really see from here, but he spends a lot of time on his/my iPod watching Pororo, Pooh, or Little Einstein videos. I foresee this turning into future arguments about how much time he spends on the phone, playing video games, etc., etc. In any case, he is very serious about his video watching and cannot be disturbed for any reason whatsoever (even food).

Justin's preschool asked me to pack a snack for 10 little ones. Everyone was bringing a dish so it didn't have to be too much, but it should be something special that Justin likes. So we picked kimbap. There's a wonderful mini-kimbap (꼬마김밥) set from Pulmuone that has the carrots, burdock, and daikon radish all chopped up in mini size, as well as the nori, so all I had to do was mix the rice, make the eggs, and sautee up a tiny bit of ground beef. Of course, I won't do this every morning, but for a once-in-awhile treat, it wasn't too bad.

I was worried that the kids wouldn't like it, but who knows, maybe the teachers finished it off - it came back empty.

In his lunchbox he got the kimbap and 유부초밥, along with blueberries and a piece of banana.

Meanwhile, lunch time is actually the best time for Justin's dad and myself to eat out in peace. We went to the Cheesecake Factory, armed with a gift card, and determined to try something other than the usual meatloaf and pasta (because those are my favorites, that's all we ever eat there). Today I chose a chicken sandwich (with lettuce, tomato, and avocado), which was surprisingly simple but surprisingly good. It may be because the toasted bread was absolutely, totally buttered up. We also had the red velvet cheesecake - of course, I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate, but again, it was our day to try something new. It was okay, super sweet, and I probably won't have it again, but it wasn't that bad. I mean, it's cheesecake, how bad could it be...

More recent developments

So the rainy season here as officially begun. The first rain came with a huge splash - it was so dark, Justin lost his sense of time and slept until noon. Hence, he spent the day with Mom making cinnamon rolls and grocery shopping, instead of going to school for naptime.



Since the weather is cooler, I'm trying to pack more "warm in the tummy" foods, too.

With the rice rolls and strawberries, I've sent japchae. He especially likes the pink fish cakes, which I'm convinced is probably the least healthy ingredient in it.


Meatloaf and potatoes with green beans, diced nectarines & Bartlett pears. Surprisingly, he ate the green beans and not the potatoes (??!!)


Creamy carrot rice (he now seems able to spoon food into his mouth), rice cakes (약식), squash casseroles, and strawberries. I love making creamy carrot rice - sauteed onions, carrot juice, and chicken stock. Super simple without the milk/cream of risotto, colorful, and flavorful. I added chicken breast for this, but for dinner, we often add cooked shrimp as well, and it works well as both an entree or a side.

Catching up on lunchboxes from the past

Serious procrastination after Grandma was here over the summer and packing lunches instead of me!

This is from August - rice balls, 장조림, anchovies, and seasonal fruits (peaches & pitted cherries)

Also from the summer, curried rice balls, diced plums & chocolate elmo cookies. Justin loves curry, but is not so good at spooning rice yet, so I made them into little balls which I presume he ate with his fingers. Oh well, isn't Indian food originally meant to be eaten with your hands?

Here's a poor attempt after reading a blog on charabens (character bentos). It's a ham and cheese grilled dino with butter and jam cutouts and a horrifying bunny (it looks almost Halloween-ish). Funny enough, he liked the bunny the best. Served with nectarines & strawberries.

Finally, the Chusok aftermath. Bibimbap rice balls (that's actually the usual rice balls with diced bulgogi and spinach), a piece of 인절미 rice cakes that Justin loves, more nectarines and a Cascadian Farm granola bar. We were at the Mountain View Art & Wine festival where they were handing out granola bar samples and we fell in love with this brand that is nut-free (yay!) and healthy, yet tasty enough for Justin to want to eat.