Pancake and Pancit Canton Bentos

Hi everyone! I'm posting from Texas City today! We left Little Elm yesterday to visit Ryan's aunt. We won't be home 'til Monday of next week, so forgive me my dear blogger friends if I won't be a good follower for a few days. I promise to make it up when I get back.

We had a long day yesterday and everyone is still asleep, except me. I'm the type who can't sleep beyond 6a.m. during weekdays, you know. My body automatically wakes up at around 6am even without alarm clock! Anyway, I'm taking this chance to post the bentos that I made yesterday for the girls. 

Texas City is about 320 miles from Little Elm, and takes us more than 5 hours to drive. When on a road trip, we try to minimize our stops as much as possible...so I always bring food for us, especially for Clarise & Cherlin. Yesterday, I woke up really early to prepare these bentos. We planned to leave before 6a.m. and I was already awake by around 4a.m. I want to prepare something special so they won't insist on stopping at fast food restaurants just because they don't want the food I packed for them. Guess what! It worked! We only had one stop which was just a restroom stop at Huntsville, TX, unlike before when we always have 3-4 stops which always include a fast food stop. Bento-ing is really an effective way to make my girls eat the food I prepare with excitement...and I really like that! 

I prepared two bentos each for Clarise and Cherlin yesterday, one for breakfast and one for snack. There wasn't much of elaborate arrangement because of time constraints, but the girls found the bentos cute enough. Check them out...

Bento #6: Pancakes, Bacon & Egg Bento (for Clarise)

What's in it: pancakes, bacon, egg, cheese and strawberries

Bento #7: Pancakes, Franks & Egg Bento (for Cherlin)

What's in it: pancakes, franks, egg, cheese and strawberries

For the bentos above, I used frozen pancakes due to time constraints. I shaped them with heart, cat and star cutters. To put the egg in the center of the pancake, simply cut a heart-shaped  (or any shape you want) hole in the pancake. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add a bit of butter and swirl around. Place the pancake in skillet and carefully crack the egg into the hole. Sprinkle egg with a bit of salt and pepper and cook until the pancake is nicely browned on the bottom. Next, you can either carefully flip the pancake over to cook the other side, or you can slide the whole pan under the broiler and cook until the egg is cooked to your liking. As for me, I prefer flipping the pancake over. It's quicker that way.

Bento #8: Pancit Canton Bento 

What's in it: pancit canton, kikiam* and fish balls

(for Clarise)

(for Clarise)

I used "Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton" for the bentos above. I cooked it according to package directions and I just add egg strips and sauteed carrots and green beans in it. If you have time, you can use Pancit Canton cooked from scratch, and you can refer to this recipe.
*Kikiam or que-kiam is a Chinese roll made with ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets then deep-fried until golden.