The Yum Yum Factor

First of all, what is onigiri, you ask?

Middle Eastern Meatball Wraps *disclaimer: If you have a kid who only wants to eat a ham sandwich with an apple every single day, you are a lucky woman who should stop gloating but you don't need to read this. For those of us who have kids who love food and demand some variety when it comes to their lunches, read on. This is a bit of a rehash for what I wrote last year at this time, but bear with me because this time I am going to show you a few of the things I use to make my life easier and give you ten more recipe ideas to carry you through the school year. I am not really the most organized person on earth but, somehow, I manage to shine when it comes to packing lunches. Until he was in grade 7, The Kid ate the lunch provided by his school so I only had to make a packed lunch from time to time and it was a fun novelty. I would get up an hour early, make him sushi or onigiri and send him off to the Science Centre, knowing that he would not be coming home hun...

As part of my continuing experimentation with this whole  blend and extend  thing, I have discovered another recipe that is improved by the addition of mushrooms. The mushrooms release liquid that keeps the filling from drying out and it really does make your meat go a lot farther.  I managed to make 7 burritos using only 300 grams of beef and because this filling doesn't have to hold it's shape like a meatball, I think that you could even up the mushroom to beef ratio in this recipe without any trouble. I am going to try it half and half next and will report my findings. If anyone tries it first, please let me know how it went in the comments. As August comes to a close, I start to panic about the lunch sitch with The Kid and I am suddenly obsessed with the need to stock the freezer with lunch items. It's like a foodie mom's non pregnant nesting or something and I can't stop until I know that I have enough food for at least three lunches/dinners a week for S...