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Bento Lunch box Recipe: Chicken Pilaf

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Our yummy lunchbox recipe for you this week is Chicken Pilaf. It is always a hit and miss for me when cooking basmati rice, most of the time it turns out mushy. As my friend would say “basmati is no good when sticking to each other”

I prepared this pilaf recipe twice this week and the basmati rice was perfectly cooked. The kids love it as well, that is why they had for school lunch and more at home.

Chloe’s: Chicken pilaf, strawberries and cereal bar

chicken rice pilaf recipe

Vierte’s lunchbox: chicken pilaf, baby carrots, dried mangoes, kiwi and cereal bar

chicken rice pilaf bento lunchbox

 

Give it a try and let me know if your kids enjoyed this Chicken Pilaf recipe as well.

Chicken Pilaf

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Basmati Rice

500 g Chicken, cut to bite size

½ cup Carrots, diced

Onion, minced

Olive Oil, Level 1

2 cups Chicken Broth (or water)

3 Garlic cloves

2 tsp Arabic Mix Masala  or Bezar

Salt, to taste

Method:

1.       Wash basmati rice until water is clear, soak in water.

2.       Insert paddle in the bowl.

3.       Put oil then add chicken, onions and carrots and a pinch of salt. Close lid select STEW function, power LEVEL 3, set TIMER to 20 minutes and press Start/Stop button.

4.       After set time, open lid and remove paddle (use a silicon glove it is hot). Add basmati rice (water not included), bezar, garlic and broth. Mix well. Add salt to taste.

5.       Close lid, select STEW function, power LEVEL 4, set TIMER 30 minutes and press Star/Stop button.

6.       Once timer is done, mix pilaf and serve on a dish. Enjoy

Bento Lunch box Recipe: Zaatar Feta Pinwheels

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We survived the first week of back to school! Well, technically it was not 5 days of school week for us but still, YAY!

For us UAE residents our busy school and work week begins on Sunday till Thursday. We have Friday and Saturday as our weekend.

Our back to school week was a breeze, both kids woke up on time and no major morning drama. LittleMiss did have a rough start in school but was fine after.

I first had a taste of Za’atar pinwheels when LittleMiss and I attended a Baby Massage class. After that, I have a weird craving for the flavor ever since and would eat one whole Za’atar Manakish just to satisfy myself.

Recipe Zaatar Feta Pinwheels with DeLonghi Multifry

This week I finally got a chance to re-create the za’atar pinwheels I had 4 years back. It is super easy to make, perfect size for your kids lunchbox and yummy too. Our De’Longhi MultiFry Machine is becoming one of our favorite kitchen gadgets, it has literally saved me from spending more time in the kitchen. This machine also allows me to “fry” food by using small amount of oil and sometime no oil at all, I posted a chicken recipe using the multifry here.

As you can see from this week’s lunchbox, these pinwheels are becoming a favorite.

August 30: LittleMiss C’s first day back in school

Zaatar Feta Pinwheels Lunchbox

August 31:  Kuya V’s first day in Year 4

 

September 1: We had a weird combination for Kuya V’s lunchbox.

Lunchbox Rice Cake

And now for the recipe.

Zaatar Feta Pinwheels Recipe

Za'atar Feta Pinwheels

½ C Zaatar Spice Mix

½ C Feta Cheese, crumbled

¼ C Unsalted Butter, melted

2 TBSP Flour

Puff Pastry, defrosted but still cold

Instructions:

Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface.

Brush puff pastry with unsalted melted butter.

Sprinkle generous amount of Zaatar mix, followed by crumbled Feta cheese.

Begin at the opposite end, start rolling pastry towards you. Pinch seams to seal roll.

Cut dough about ¾ inch thick. Next, lay pinwheels on your De’Longhi MultiFry pan.

Select CAKE program, power LEVEL 2, timer to 30 minutes and press START/STOP button.  

LittleMiss C’s first day in Kindergarten 2

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It is officially back to school for us.

Today, LittleMiss C begins this academic year in Kindergarten 2. How I beg her teacher to let her stay in KG-1, I just think she still so young (turned 4 years old last June) to move up the next level. Teacher assured me that with a little bit more work at home she will manage just fine.

We started off the day great. I woke-up before the alarm. Lunchbox prepared the night before. Summer homework pack in her school bag.

Chloe First Day in KG2She was beyond excited on our way to school. We reached school and met her teachers who coincidentally was also Kuya V’s adviser when he was in KG 2. He became very excited for her “You will have fun. They were my teachers before too.”

Tears…

No idea what made her upset. She even greeted teachers when they met her. I spent 30 minutes consoling her and finally decided to just leave her in tears beside Teacher Belle. I was heartbroken. I wanted to just carry her out of the class and cuddle at home. Deep in my heart I know that her teachers and friends will eventually cheer her up. They did.

She met us with “I am happy with my school now!”

Zaatar Feta Pinwheels Lunchbox

LittleMiss back to school lunchbox was packed in her pink Yumbox Mini. Filled with sausage rolls, zaatar & feta pinwheels, cereal bar and strawberries. She came home with an almost empty box. Yumbox is available locally here in Dubai at Virgin Megastore and {here}.

I am determined to introduce new flavor and healthier food options to our lunchbox. I’m inviting you to join me pack healthy fun school food to our kids. #LetsMakeLunchFun together and raise healthy kids.

The Little Prince by Courtyard Playhouse

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We have two copies of The Little Prince book but we have not finished reading the story. I bought our very first copy when I was pregnant to Kuya V, we never get to finish the book in one sitting though.

Thankfully, a movie was released adapted from the story of the Little Prince last 2015. Oh how we enjoyed the movie and yes we finished the whole movie in one sitting. Vierte started flipping through the book and declared that he’s done reading it.

The Little Prince, Courtyard Playhouse

An invite came to my inbox asking to bring the kids along for a magical and interactive experience to watch The Little Prince at The Courtyard Playhouse , I immediately replied YES. I knew that both Kuya V & LittleMiss C will enjoy the interactive play experience, it is also a first time for all of us.

The Courtyard Playhouse, is Dubai’s first independent, family owned and run, KHDA licensed performing arts training centre dedicated improvised theatre. The theatre is located in Al Quoz area just right next to the Times Square and near Bounce.

The place has a cozy feel, photos of past performances adorn the theatre. Inside you will find more or less 60 seats and some bean bags for the audience to sit. The stage was very close to the audience and kids were encouraged to sit on the front row to have a fun experience. We arrived just before the 1pm show and the place was almost full with excited kids eagerly waiting for the play to start. Upon entering the stage each kid got to choose what kind of star sticker would they want.

The Little Prince Improvised Play

Before the play even started, Little Prince and Fox were already entertaining the audience, making sure that everyone is comfortable on their seats. The play started with us meeting the Pilot who asked the kids if they knew where his plane crashed and that he saw Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa before he had engine problem.

Little Prince Courtyard Playhouse

This is the best part of improvised play – the audience particularly children get to interact and join the cast on stage to help Fox and Little Prince find the missing pieces of the Pilot’s plane for it to work again.

Little Prince Improvised Play

LittleMiss C found the last missing piece to fix the plane! She was so happy to find out that the last piece, a yellow triangle was hidden in our seat. At first she did not want to go on stage but when she saw the other kids had fun, she was ok as long as either Dad or Kuya join her. She was so proud to be one of the Little Star who helped Pilot.

Congratulations to the whole cast for the enthusiasm and passion they have showed. We absolutely enjoyed our first improvised play experience and definitely going back for the next one.

Little Prince Courtyard Playhouse Casts

We can highly recommend watching one of there improvised play for the whole family. Courtyard Playhouse also conducts workshops and classes for kids, teens and adults, check the schedule here. For the summer of 2016, they are conducting a Storytelling Summer Camp exploring 5 books of our favorite author, Julia Donaldson, classes are starts on July 3-7 and July 10-14, more details here.

Iftar at Horizon, Amwaj Rotana

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One thing we love about Ramadan is the sense of community amongst all expats here in the UAE. This year, the kids and I witnessed breaking of fast in our nearby mosque, dates and water were distributed to everyone. A lot of charity initiative during Ramadan is also happening around the UAE some of them are #FillingTheBlues and #SharingTheFridge campaigns.

As a family, we do not go to a lot of Iftar events as we are not fasting but we do make an exception especially if we are given a chance to share it with friends who are observing Ramadan.

IftarHorizonAmwajOur family went to Iftar at Horizon, Amwaj Rotana on a busy Friday night where we joined our friends.

Horizon has a good selection of Iftar buffet from appetizers to desserts that focus more on Middle Eastern cuisine. There was something to satisfy everyone. The dish called Lamb Ouzi stood out among all the mains for our family, we found ourselves going back for more.

Table arrangements was quite tight and just enough room to walk around. It did not give active kids an ample space to release energy after all the yummy sweets. A dedicated area with just enough activities to keep the kids occupied would be nice.

Ramadan Iftar Amwaj RotanaAlthough it was busy night, the servers were so attentive to all of the guest’s needs that before we could ask for a drink refill, one is already offered. All the staff were friendly and had time to talk with us.

We had a lovely Iftar at Horizon and would definitely be on our list for next year.

Iftar buffet cost  165 AED per person including soft beverages. Children below the age of 6 years dine in for free, and those between 6yrs to 12 yrs get a 50% off.

Ramadan Amwaj Rotana

For reservations or more information, please call +971-4-428 2000 or email online.amwaj@rotana.com. Amwaj Rotana is located at Jumeirah Beach Hotel area.

Indoor Fun at Mattel Play! Town

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It is difficult to please two kids who like different things, my eldest who is 8 years old want “big kids” fun stuff while our nearly 4 years old LittleMiss demands that her Kuya always play with her. We are on a mission to find a place that would be fun to both kids, so when I read that Mattel opened an indoor play area at City Walk Dubai featuring our favorite characters I just knew we should check it out.

Mattel Play Town Dubai

Mattel Play Town is the newest indoor play area that is catered towards children ages 2 – 8 years old that promises an engaging “eduplay” experience built around five well loved characters: Angelina Ballerina, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Barney.

We (yes, me included) had fun exploring all five areas, we started off with Thomas & Friends soft play area. What I love about this area is the viewing deck where parents can sit and see what the kids were doing in the soft play. Mom & Dads are welcome to join the kids as well but mine did not allow me inside.

Thomas and Friends soft play area

 

Bob the Builder area was obviously all about construction. They had kinetic sand stations, sand digging area and a wall construction activity. Both kids worked together to finish the wall pattern given to them.

Bob the Builder play area Mattel Play Town

 

Kuya V’s favorite is the area of Fireman Sam and spent a lot of time going thru the sky maze. There is also a soft play area and a chance to ride Jupiter, the fire engine.

Fireman Sam play area at Mattel Play Town Dubai

 

Angelina Ballerina ballet studio caught every little girls attention. LittleMiss was welcomed by a ballet teacher who helped her wear a pink tutu and applied some lip gloss too. Afterwards they were all set to take ballet lessons on an interactive floor that we all love. We also spent some quiet time at the craft room and even had a picture taken for souvenir sent to our email address

Angelina Ballerina play area at Play Town Dubai

 

There is a whole level dedicated to Barney & Friends. The house, playground area and even the tree was right on point, it  was just like stepping into the movie set of Barney. LittleMiss got to choose dress-up clothes, some of the clothes were already torn which was sad and they only had two staff at the biggest area during our visit. We both played pretend and even acted out some of our favorite scene from Barney show.

Mattel Play Town

 

Play Town hosts daily Barney shows as well as a chance to meet your favorite characters. When I attended the media preview it was mentioned that character appearances will happen every hour but during our 4 hours play we only saw Angelina Ballerina and Barney during the show. I hope they post a schedule for character appearances, the chance to have a photo taken with the characters will make the visit extra special.Barney show and character meet and greet

 

Some other features of Mattel Play! Town is a 4D cinema, birthday party rooms, lockers, stroller parking area and a retails store selling exclusive Mattel merchandise.

In case you get hungry they do have a Café that serve warm food, fruits and drinks.

Mattel Play! Town located at City Walk Dubai welcomes visitors from 10am to 10pm daily.  Tickets are priced at AED95 for children and AED55 for accompanying adults.

For more information, please visit their website and Facebook page.

 

We were invited to visit Mattel Play! Town, but as always all opinions are my own as always.

Honey Soy Chicken with De’Longhi Multifry

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Honey Soy Chicken DeLonghi Multifry

I have been using my De’Longhi MultiFry for more than 1 year now and it has reduced my work time in the kitchen. The first time I got to use the MultiFry was with Chef Osama where we made Um Ali.

Some Dubai base Mama media influencers were invited to celebrated Mother’s Day with Chef Marta and De’Longhi at Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, The Dubai Mall.

 

Chef Marta Yanci taught us how to properly use the Multifry and showed us 3 recipes (fries, pizza and muffin) that we can re-create at home. The kids and I prepared Sweet Potato fries and it was surprising that both really liked the fries.

DeLonghi Multifry Sweet Potato FriesI have mainly been cooking most chicken dishes and crispy lechon on our MultiFry because it just cooks much faster and use a small amount of oil. Kuya V has requested that we recreate the Chicago style pizza and muffin that we prepared with Chef Marta, watch out for that either here or on our Instagram.

One of our favorite chicken dish in hurry with our Delonghi Multifry is this Honey Soy Chicken were you just mix the marinade with the chicken let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight. This chicken dish is also perfect to pack for your family’s lunch box.

Honey Soy Chicken with DeLonghi Multifry

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Honey Soy Chicken with De'Longhi Multifry

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Easy chicken dish you can prepare in a hurry

Ingredients:

  • 12 pcs chicken thighs
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • olive oil, level 3

Directions:

  1. Wash chicken and pat dry.
  2. In a zip lock bag mix all ingredients and marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator
  3.  Insert the paddle in the bowl
  4. Put chicken thighs in the bowl and add the oil. Close the lid, select the AIRGrill program, power level 3, set 25 minutes and press the program start/stop button.
  5. Take one of your biggest chicken thigh and check if it is completely cooked. I had a small thigh cut so it was done in 25 minutes. Add 5-10 minutes more if chicken is still raw.