Quail Eggs and Bento Boxes

I know, I was a little intimidated at first.  Those who’ve never had anything but store-bought bleach white eggs might be, too.  Since I started packing the kids Bento Boxes for school, I’ve been trying to diversify what they eat.  Quail eggs are a perfect, and quite common, addition to a Bento Box.  They are tiny, bite sized and a nice little addition of protein,  not to mention Omega-3 and Omega-6.  My kids really like hard boiled chicken eggs, so I was eager to find quail eggs to add to their Bento Box routine.  Even though we live in a small town near a slightly larger town, I was able to find fresh quail eggs at our friend’s Asian food store.

Of course I didn’t know how long to cook them, so I had to look it up.  All you need is five minutes in boiling water, followed by a cool rinse.  One site suggested you add white vinegar to the water to further soften the shell. 

 

When I removed the shell, they were rather tough to peel without ruining the boiled egg whites inside.  Peel with caution!! I ruined a few eggs (still edible, just not pretty!) but managed to have enough for two Bento Boxes.  They fit neatly into a flexible silicone muffin cup.  Below you can see the size difference between the quail eggs and one chicken egg.

Add a sprinkle of seasoned salt and they are ready to go…. As for this Bento, it needs a little more color!  Along with the quail eggs are Hello Panda cookies and a blueberry bagel with fruit cream cheese.  I tucked in some cherry tomatoes, grapes, and a couple to carrot sticks to round it out! Enjoy your lunch!!