I have never done anything with rice like this before, so I was a bit nervous... I figured since Little Miss was going to be home with me while enjoying this, what they hey... good time to go for it! That way, if it was a hot mess, at least I was home to make her something else (LOL).
Well, when it was all said and done, I was pretty darn impressed with how it turned out!
I like to incorporate things going on with Little Miss in life or at school whenever possible. Thus the reason for the Panda Love! :) She's in the "Panda Room" at school. Each class has their own "theme"... Monkeys, Frogs, etc. Since school began, she's developed a LOVE of all things pandas. For her birthday she got a couple outfits from Gymboree with Pandas on them, she has some books, a stuffed animal now she sleeps with... Pandas, pandas, pandas. lol
I made the rice balls for the panda body using the same technique I did for my sandwich balls (aka bread onigiri). I used an all-natural fruit grape fruit strip to create the arms, feet, ears, and parts of his face. The nose, eyes, and heart are pieces of provalone cheese and colored with my BC food writer pen.
The heart rice I made taking a cue from Chef Corey over at Family Fresh Meals by using one of my egg molds for the rice to create the heart shape.
I cut the word LOVE out of provalone and colored the letters red with my BC food writer pen.
The panda is surrounded by a bed of broccoli and cantaloupe dices.
There are also some all-white meat chicken nugget halves for little miss enjoy with her rice.
Top right is some blue raspberry yogurt and bottom right is a Sunbutter Granola ball I made.
I also made my own Panda pick, shown here. I simply printed out two panda graphics from clip art and adhered them to a toothpick using double sided tape, back-to-back. :)
Lunch is packed inside an Easy Lunchbox.
I cannot wait to see Little Miss's face when she opens her Easy Lunchbox tomorrow!!
ETA (11/16/11): TIME TO VOTE! PLEASE VISIT BENTOBLOGNETWORK TO VOTE FOR MY PANDA ONIGIRI ENTRY! THANK YOU!!
Good job!! Not as hard as it looks. Next week will be a different story!
ReplyDeleteI would never have the courage to attempt this. You go girl! Fabulous :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing detail :) Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly, Sarah, & Diana!!
ReplyDeleteThat means a lot. :)
He is lovely. Well done.
ReplyDeleteYour panda looks amazing! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteSo cute! I love onigiri, but man, I am not that creative.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your top 25 Food Allergy Mom Blog nomination! I'm listed as well (my son has several food allergies) and it's given me an idea. I'm starting a blog hop for anyone dealing with allergies, eczema, or asthma - adults or parents helping their children. If you're interested in joining, please visit my page. http://itchylittleworld.wordpress.com/blog-hop/
Hopefully we can create a circle of blogs to support each other in battling these conditions.
Jennifer
Your panda turned out so cute. I have only made onigiri two times and it was not that pretty. Great job!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone!
ReplyDelete@Jennifer - All of the above? lol, she has the food allergy, eczema, and asthma... I'm just so thankful now that she's getting older we're able to try and control it all better. Still times when the asthma, especially, knocks her down - when she gets sick, she gets REALLY sick. I'll be sure to check out the hop. Thanks SO much!
Cutest Panda onigiri I have ever seen .Excellent job!!
ReplyDeletethis is so cute....
ReplyDeleteYour panda is adorable...right down to the cute little pick!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rina, Amy, & Koogle! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the panda! Adorable!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! The panda is super cute. I hope your daughter loved it. :)
ReplyDeleteWell done !!
ReplyDelete