Minion Madness Yumbox

 Are you excited for the new Minions movie? Miss M hasn't watched the Despicable Me movies through yet, but she loves the Minion parts and is thoroughly looking forward to seeing this movie when it's released later this year.

I made her a Yumbox to celerbrate :-)

 Minion Tic Tacs, Minion Binkies, corn and a yellow tomato with Minion inspired nori cutting.

 Sandwich with Minion inspired nori cutting and yoghurt.

Banana!

There's also a Minion patty cake with edible wafer. These were a packet mix I bought on an impulse and included a few spare wafers in her lunch seeing as a few of the cakes mysteriously disappeared. . .


Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Japanese Chicken Curry and Baran

Last week I shared my Slow Cooker Japanese Curry recipe with you. Perhaps it's me craving it again, or perhaps it's the part of me remembering I will be returning to work in a few weeks that I remembered this lunch I'd packed fro myself some time ago.

I used some colourful rainbow baran to separate my rice and curry. It's not something I've done often, but I've learned that this is not only a pretty element, it can also act as an antibacterial in some cases! Now I'm beginning to wonder how close I've put myself to food poisoning in the past - eek!

This lovely little lunch was a perfect size for my short break, and I love that both it and the baran are microwavable! (not the lid though)



Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Bread Repurpose - Meat Balls

Earlier this week I shared how simple it is to make breadcrumbs from your bread scraps (see this previous post) Now, I've been meaning to share this recipe for *ages* and admittedly I've changed the recipe a little each time I make these. But here's a good start!

Grate or finely dice one onion, one carrot, one stick of celery and a clove or two of garlic to taste.

Combine with one egg, one cup of breadcrumbs, and around 500g of your chosen mince. Beef or pork & veal are our favourites.

Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and place onto a lined, greased baking tray.

I julienned the carrots for this batch, but tend to grate them now.

Bake for around 20 minutes at 180 degrees until cooked through. You can glass with BBQ sauce for a tastier morsel.

I tend to serve with fettuccine, store bought pasta sauce and parmesan cheese. Also great for a leftovers lunch.










Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Bread Repurpose - Japanese Slow Cooker Curry

In yesterday's post I shared how I often make crumbed chicken with my bread off cuts. Well, here's something I make with the crumbed chicken!

I used to make this in the frypan and still do on occasion, but I love walking into a house filled with aroma of this curry cooking. So now I like to make it in our Kambrook Quattro Multicooker.

First brown some onion in a little oil.






 Then add some celery & carrot and cook until it begins to soften.












Next add some capsicum, broccoli and cauliflower. I've added potatoes at this point as well, but this day I didn't.












Not-so-Secret-Ingredient time. My sister put me onto this curry base which I've found at Woolworths, Coles & IGA. It comes in mild, medium & hot. For us I use a pack of mild & a pack of medium.








Break apart & add to the pot.

Next add 2 cups of water. I realise this is half the amount the packet recommends, but I prefer a thicker curry.








Stir and bring to the boil. At this point if you are using a frypan continue to simmer until all the veggies are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. If you're using a slow cooker, now's the time to cover & walk away.









Come back in 4-8 hours depending on your machine to a house full of gorgeous curry fragrance.











Now add your leftover crumbed chicken and heat through.

Serve on a bed of rice alongside some seasonal greens (let's just pretend they're hiding at the back here ^-^)

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.

Bread Repurpose- Crumbed Chicken & Nuggets

I've been meaning to write this post for such a long time now! One question I get asked a lot is what to do with bread off-cuts & scraps. One of my favourite uses is to make breadcrumbs and then crumb chicken. I don't tend to do it too often as it can get messy (especially with little helpers 'helping') and can be time consuming.

You will need:
* a bowl of plain flour (which can be flavoured with herbs & spices if you wish. Salt pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and mixed herbs all work well)
* a bowl of egg wash (egg with a little milk, beaten well)
* breadcrumbs (see this previous post)

[EDIT: I have started using a ziplock bag for the flour & shaking the chicken in it. Works wonders!]

You can use breast or thigh fillet for this, we tend to go for thigh. Cut into whatever size suits your final dish. I've done whole fillet, half fillet. strips and bites. All work equally well. Keep in mind the larger the piece of chicken, the less crumbs you will need.

Flour your chicken, dip in the egg wash, and coat with breadcrumbs.

Place onto a lightly greased baking tray. Bake in a 180 degree oven for around 40 minutes, turning half way. Your cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

We usually have the cooked pieces that night for dinner along with mash and seasonal coloured veg. It makes a great leftovers lunch. This one Miss M took to daycare with her ever so long ago. .

This was my work lunch one day.

So I added some 7s Sauce - super yummy & perfect with crumbed chicken.

Another day care lunch.

and yet another daycare lunch

A simple chicken parma - using whole or half fillets bake as per usual. In the last 10 minutes of cook time, add some store bought pasta sauce and top with you favourite melty cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted and started to turn gold.

Another option for a plain schnitzel, served with a simple DIY salad.

Do you make your own chicken nuggets?

Details of my tools & toys can be found on this page.

~J

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was written for Loving Lunches. No product was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links.