Featuring The Healthy Bento Queen – Nanay Des Labii

I enrolled my son to a Mangan Program at school, it is a program where the school prepares healthy food for the students everyday.  During the Parent’s Orientation, the School Administration told us that they will appreciate it if we can make healthy food for our kid’s baon (snacks).  Since I think I have no time to prepare and make him a healthy and delicious baon I have decided to just pay the school to provide it for him.

But I had a change of heart when I saw the bento lunchboxes that mommy blogger – Des Labii shared on her personal account.

Nanay Des (“Nanay” a tagalog word means Mom) makes and prepare healthy and eye catching snacks and lunch for her two bunnies (Luis and Enjo) everyday.   Oh yes she has two kids and she has the time to create wonderful, eye-catching and healthy baon for her kids everyday, and I only have one and I can’t do it… ahhh di ako papayag hahaha!  I thought that if she can do it why can’t I.  Besides, my son eats everything that is prepared for him and so I think it is not hard on my part to do what Nanay Des does.

I asked Nanay Des if I can interview her and be featured in this blog and I am glad she accepted my request.  I know a lot of mommies have problems in feeding their kids healthy and delicious meal so I hope she can help us overcome this problem.

So, without further ado, here are some of my questions for her.

Mommy Levy: Who is your inspiration, or where did you get an inspiration to create a healthy bento boxes for your kids baon?

Nanay Des: I got the inspiration to do healthy lunchboxes and even in our daily meals from my mom. She eats brown unpolished rice, organic eggs, organic veggies and fruits, and organic beef and chicken.  Juicing fruits and vegetables is part of her everyday diet. I thought of a way how I could incorporate or reinforce healthy eating to my kids. I see to it that they meet the nutritional requirements that they need in a day, that’s why I try hard every single day to incorporate fruits and vegetables in their snack or lunch boxes.

Mommy Levy: For busy moms, I know they would like to know how much time do you spend in creating your kids healthy bento boxes?

Nanay Des: It only takes around 10-15 minutes to pack my son’s baon.  Balanced lang dapat. I mean, there should be sources of protein carbohydrates and fruits and veggies especially pag lunchbox.

Mommy Levy:  How did you teach or train your kids to eat their veggies?

Nanay Des: I tried incorporating vegetables in their diets since they started eating solid food. Little by little, I introduced them to different kinds of vegetables and fruits, one at a time.. If they don’t like it the first time, I offer it to them another day. I just try once more until they get used to the taste and eventually like or love the veggies na. Like my bunso, super like na  nya ngayon ang broccoli! As in pinapapak. I also incorporate veggies in egg mixtures like torta or frittata and fried rice.

Mommy Levy: Where do you buy your utensils in creating a wonderful and catchy bento boxes?

Nanay Des: Materials for Bento making are found at Japanese Stores. Some are brought by my husband as pasalubong and some came from Japan, gift of a friend and some from baking stores here in Metro Manila like Gourdos, and the cooking /baking section of Landmark department stores.

Mommy Levy:  Do you have some advice or tips to busy moms who have little time to make their kids a nutritious and wonderful baon for their kids everyday.

Nanay Des: Well , It would be helpful for busy moms to plan ahead. Like what to buy on a weekly basis or a bi-weekly basis especially for vegetables and fruits. I usually prepare sandwiches at night and freeze them. Leftovers are a great help. If I have leftover adobo or beef steak, I mix them with rice and voila! I have instant adobo rice or instant beef steak rice.  Then we can just add fresh or frozen vegetables. A portion of your lunchbox should be allotted to fruits, like a slice of orange or apple, or both.

Introducing the right kind of food for our children is important especially for children already going to school because they need energy and nutrients to be able to focus in school and deliver what is expected of them. Education and Nutrition is important for a mom like me and I believe that healthy eating should start at an early stage. It’s never too late to try.

Nanay Des is now getting popular. Recently she was asked by his son’s school administration to host a seminar and teach Yaya’s on how to prepare a nutritious foods for their alagas.  She told me that it was a success because just a few days after her talk, the teachers sent her some pictures of the baon of other kids at school where the Yaya’s made an effort to make it healthy 🙂

Now, she will be one of the speakers of the upcoming “Family Fun Fair” on July 19-20 at the Resorts World Manila.  If you want to learn more on how to create a quick, easy, attractive and healthy baon for your kids then you should come to this event and listen to her talk.

If you have more questions for her, leave a comment her and I am sure she will answer all of it.

About Nanay Des: Lourdes Labii is a passionate, nurturing, full time nanay to Luis and Enzo, a loving wife to a Filipino Expatriate, and a homemaker. She’s also a registered nurse, but these days she is a mompreneur, social media freelance, blogger and author of nanaysluncheswithlove.wordpress.com. She’s also a  foodie, bento maker and a bento addict, and has aspirations of being chef or food stylist. Most importantly, she is an advocate of parenting, baby wearing, education and nutrition, and a mother who gracefully juggles the joy of motherhood, kids, life, home, marriage and work.  A follower and faithful servant of God who lives life to the fullest, and is always grateful for the gift of life.