food
By Sarah Robinson
Brown Bag but Better Making your child’s lunch just got a lot cuter
T
he days of packaging your kid’s sandwich in a one-use plastic baggie with a cheese stick wrapped in plastic and tied together with individually packaged bags of chips are over. As parents here in New Albany and all over the world switch to more sustainable options that produce less waste, one lunch solution out of Japan has become more popular than ever. Japanese style bento boxes have become a fixture in students’ backpacks and on the cafeteria table. And while this is new here in the U.S., bento is actually hundreds of years old. A bento is a single portion, packed meal. It typically features multiple healthful foods tidily arranged and presented in a visually appealing way. In terms of your kid’s lunch, a bento
Tip: Some of these techniques can also be used for putting together a visually appealing charcuterie board, too. Bon appétit!
Deli-cious Roses Ingredients 2-4 slices of cold cuts/deli meat of choice Optional: toothpicks Optional: basil, rosemary or other herb to garnish Bunny Rabbit Apples Ingredients 1 apple Directions Slice an apple into wedges using an apple corer. Using a sharp paring knife, start at the vertical top of an apple slice and cut out a long, skinny triangle with the tip of the triangle about halfway up the slice. The apple slice should appear to have two long “ears.” Using the knife, cut out two smaller triangles from each side of the slice below the tip of the first long triangle. This creates the head shape of the bunny. Repeat for all slices and enjoy. 38
Directions Lay out deli meat slices on a cutting board so they lie flat. Using a small knife, cut each slice in half. Lay out 2-3 half slices with the flat cut side facing the same direction and the corners of each slice overlapping. Starting at one end, roll the meat together. Experiment to find a balance between rolling too loosely or too tightly. After rolling, loosen some of the outer “petals” to create the rose effect. Optional: finish with toothpicks to hold the rose together. Optional: garnish with herbs to create leaves for your roses. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
