Thursday, January 28, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 28, 2010

The left-hand part of this is left over from tonight's dinner. Chip doesn't love a lot of Indian food (he doesn't like paneer, and he doesn't like anything super spicy), but we've enjoyed this a few times. This is Trader Joe's "Take-out Thali." It comes in a cute purple box and all you have to do is pop it in the microwave. It includes brown rice, awadhi aloo (peas and potatoes), and dal palak (lentils and spinach). I know it doesn't look terribly pretty, but it is very tasty.

Chip made a run to the grocery store today, so I'm hoping that Friday will have a nice, healthy, colorful, different lunch.



Indian food (from top to bottom: dal palak, brown rice, awadhi aloo), peeled navel orange, and Mi-Del ginger snaps

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 27, 2010

This lunch was tough to put together. We went to CostCo this Sunday instead of the grocery store, so we didn't have all of the usual stuff around. We don't have many vegetables around, and this apple is the last of our fruit. So it's off to the grocery store for me today, and off to work with a creative lunch for Chip!



Flatout wrap: 1/2 with PB&J and 1/2 with lettuce, black beans, cheddar, salsa, and mushrooms, organic granola with chocolate chips, Trader Joe's organic apple raspberry fruit strip, saffron rice, and a Gala apple

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 26, 2010

We stayed up way too late tonight and I had to throw something together quickly. I knew a night like this would come, so I had these organic shelled edamame on hand. Crackers and cheese are another quick carb/protein/fat combo that is quick and easy to throw together. And...we have more than 30 of these granola bars left, so we'll probably be seeing them in lunches for a while!

The cheese is Tillamook; it's a brand that we bought all the time when we lived in California. It's made in Oregon, so it's probably a west coast thing. We hadn't seen it in Ohio, until we went to CostCo on Sunday. I was extremely pleased with myself for locating it. We both love it; it has a great flavor and texture and it's made with veggie rennet.



Tillamook medium cheddar cheese slices with reduced fat Triscuits and Whole Foods organic stone ground wheat crackers, 3/4 of a Gala apple, Nature Valley granola bar, shelled organic edamame, and a salad with Romaine lettuce, baby bella mushrooms, shaved carrot, and Campari tomato.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 25, 2010

Another vegan lunch! I didn't even mean to this time...it just kinda happened. This lunch includes a few things we got today through our new membership at CostCo. We've been on the fence about joining for a while and today we just bit the bullet and did it. We did it mainly because we needed dog beds (they are crazy expensive most places; at CostCo we got 2 giant beds for $17.50 each), but we made sure to take full advantage of our new membership. In this lunch you'll see a few of the things we picked up today: Flatout wraps, organic quinoa, and Nature Valley granola bars.



Homemade vegan vegetable chowder (I froze this when I first made it, so this is a leftover), PB&J on a Flatout multigrain wrap, Nature Valley granola bar, plain steamed broccoli, and organic quinoa with organic carrot, cumin, garlic, vegetable bouillon, and chili powder.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 22, 2010

This lunch happens to be particularly fruit/veggie-heavy. I cut up the orange before deciding what else I'd put in the lunch, and since the sweet potatoes and asparagus are leftovers that have to be eaten tomorrow, it just happened that there's a lot of rabbit food in the box. I was at a loss as to what to include for protein; I considered a meat analogue of some sort, but then decided that it would be nice to keep it "clean," since the rest of the lunch was clean (for more on clean eating, check out this link). So I scrambled up some eggs and threw in some black beans, broccoli, and cheese that was laying around. One of Chip's favorite things ever is eggs with a bunch of stuff thrown in. I've never done black beans and eggs, but I'm pretty sure I can't go wrong.



Navel orange, roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic, scrambled local pastured eggs with organic black beans, broccoli, and local cheddar jack cheese, organic salsa (for the eggs), and Parmesan crusted asparagus.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 20, 2010

Tonight marked my first foray into preparing Indian food. I came across this recipe the other day and decided it wouldn't be too hard to make. In true Katie fashion, I added all kinds of stuff (1/2 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup chopped celery, a dash of cinnamon) and made it vegan (I made the mashed potatoes with Smart Balance and soymilk) and organic (organic peas, carrots, potatoes, soymilk, and curry powder). Chip even tried (and liked!) the spicy mango chutney. I was floored! I did buy the pie crusts at the store; I think next time I'll make the crust myself. Overall, I was really pleased with the results; the potatoes and crust have carbs, the peas have protein, and the celery, carrots, and peas are veggies.



Homemade vegan samosas, spicy mango chutney, organic honey nut O's, dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and half of a Jonagold apple.

Monday, January 18, 2010

CSA!

We are very excited to have joined a CSA starting in June. CSA stands for community-supported agriculture, and may also be called a farm share. In a nutshell, we pay in advance to a farm, which gives them the up-front capital they need to buy supplies, hire workers, plan their planting, etc. Then, each week throughout the summer and fall, they deliver a share of the fruits of their labor to us. A share usually includes 8 items and of course varies depending on the season. This is a shared risk and reward; if it's a good year, we'll get lots of produce. If it's a bad year, we'll get less. We believe in supporting local agriculture, and we know that it's healthier to eat food that is produced organically by farmers who care. Many CSAs specialize in organic means of production and heirloom/unusual varieties of produce, which we think is so neat.

We found several CSAs available to our area by searching on Local Harvest. We selected the Wayward Seed because it is the most flexible for us (several different share sizes are offered, as well as separate fruit and veggie shares, plus the pickup location is the Clintonville Farmers' Market, which is up the street from us). We're going to be getting a 2-person share of veggies every other week, and a 2-person share of fruit every other week. I figured we should start on the smaller side, and if we do eat everything, we can order more next season. We all know that unless the fruit share includes apples, I'll be eating all of it anyway.

I'm really excited for June 5 to arrive so we can pick up our first vegetables! I am also excited to get some new and different foods in this house; we don't choose what comes in our box each week, so that means we will be trying plenty of new things. In a few months you'll be seeing those new items in our lunches!

Chip's lunch: January 18, 2010

Chip finally made it home from Spain! I'll spare you the details, save to say that he arrived here in Ohio about 27 hours later than scheduled. Tomorrow is back to work for him!

While he was gone, I spent a lot of time looking up recipes and cooking. The soup shown below is from this recipe. I absolutely love it. It's thick and hearty, and has a great sweetness to it. I added some crushed red pepper for a touch of heat, and some garlic. I like that it's a really flexible recipe; you can add anything you want, really! I also like that it includes beans and soy milk, for plenty of protein. It also includes carrots, but I made sure to slice them really small. It looks kind of gray in the photo, but I promise it's more of a golden color. The sweet potatoes are made from this recipe. We're not huge sweet potato eaters (neither of us grew up eating them), but I'm trying to buy them on occasion so I can stop being scared of them. This recipe turned out really well; the sweetness of the potatoes is a nice contrast with the salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary.



Homemade vegan vegetable chowder, half of a honeycrisp apple, dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, roasted sweet potatoes, and a peanut butter and banana sandwich with honey on local organic 10-grain bread.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Grocery Shopping

When we grocery shop, we try to be:
-Healthy: we buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and as many clean foods as possible
-Thrifty: we LOVE coupons, and at least 75% of what we buy is on sale
-Earth-friendly: we have our own reusable grocery bags (these...they're adorable and fold up really small), reusable produce bags (these, but in a set of 9), we buy organic when it's not cost-prohibitive, and there are certain things we only buy locally at the Clintonville Community Market.





We usually do our grocery shopping on Sundays. I like it when we go together; if I go alone, I come home with tons of junk, and if Chip goes alone, he comes home with exactly what's on the list (usually minus one or two things that he forgot). When we go together, we can bounce ideas off of each other and we usually come home with some really good stuff.

Most Sundays, we pick up these staples:
-1 bunch of lettuce (usually organic redleaf)
-3 crowns of broccoli
-organic spinach or asparagus (spinach goes on sale a lot)
-4 or 5 organic apples
-4 or 5 bananas
-2 avocados or a container of hummus
-Campari tomatoes (definitely not cheap but SO delicious)
-a salty snack (Triscuits, pretzels, Goldfish, etc.)
-a sweet snack (cookies, granola bar, cereal, etc.)
-2 or 3 starches (rice, noodles, potatoes, etc.)
-1 container of organic tofu

At the market, we pick up every other week:
-1 loaf of locally-produced, organic 10 grain bread from Crumbs Bakery (based in Athens, Ohio). This bread is old-school sized (a loaf is about 5" square), not like a lot of bread in grocery stores today, that seems to keep getting wider and wider.
-1 dozen local pastured eggs (if you don't know what pastured eggs are, this link gives a concise description; we eat pastured eggs first for the welfare of the hens that produce them, and second for the health benefits)
-1 brick of Colby cheese and 1 brick of pepper jack cheese (produced in Minerva, Ohio)
-1 gallon of 1% milk from Snowville Creamery (great milk from a sustainable farm that allows its herd to graze on pasture instead of being confined on feedlots or in sheds)



Most of this will carry us through a week of lunches, when combined with whatever we've got in our pantry, and any other special items we pick up.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Coupon Code for Laptop Lunches!

Those of you who have been on the fence about purchasing your very own Laptop Lunch set...it's time to take the plunge! Laptop Lunches are offering this 10% off coupon to my readers. Use the coupon code "veglunchbox" at the Laptop Lunches site (link at top right of this page) and order away!

Let me know if you have any questions!


Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chip's away for the week

No lunches this week...Chip is away on a business trip. He left on Saturday and flew from Columbus to Philly, Philly to Madrid, and Madrid to the Canary Islands. On Wednesday he'll head to Calpe, Spain, and then he'll finally be back here in Ohio on Saturday.

In the meantime, I am just relaxing around the house with the animals. Well, mainly our current greyhound foster, Roxie. She does a lot of this:



And a lot of this (check out that tongue):


I have errands to run tomorrow, and I'm considering taking a few snacks with me. If I do, I'll bento them up and take a photo for sure. If not...no more pictures until next Monday, unfortunately!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Chip's lunch: January 8, 2010

I'm finally caught up! Yay!

Somehow today we didn't have any apples or bananas in the house (those are my go-to fruits for lunches). So to round out the lunch, I threw together a bunch of veggies in a pot and sauteed. I think Chip will like it. It includes roma tomato, new potato, broccoli, red onion, crushed garlic, lots of spices, and some Parmesan cheese. Chip doesn't like the texture of Parm, but when it's used in small quantities and gives flavor, he's OK with it.

Oh, and happy birthday to me! I turned 27 and Chip made me a birthday cake (as he does every year). Funfetti vanilla cake with Funfetti vanilla frosting...as always. Cake is my favorite food.



Vegetable saute with Parm, birthday cake, couscous with flaxseed and soy (10 grams of protein per serving!), and a sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread with avocado, red onion, red leaf lettuce, roma tomato, and local pepper jack cheese.

Chip's lunch: January 6, 2010

In this lunch, I was able to use the other half of the avocado I used in yesterday's lunch. I needed to make sure I used it before it turned brown and went bad. I also included some leftover pizza from the previous night's dinner, which made this lunch very quick and easy to make.



Salad with avocado, red leaf lettuce, and roma tomato, Heather's molasses cookies, dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, reduced fat Triscuits, cubed local pepper jack cheese, and leftover pizza (I put the mushrooms on).

Chip's lunch: January 5, 2010

We finally got to the grocery store, so I was able to include in this lunch some avocado. Yum! I know it's not local or in season...but sometimes we just need to have some avocado.



Homemade pad thai with organic tofu and broccoli, whole wheat wrap with avocado, salsa, and local cheddar, dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Heather's molasses cookies, and a honeycrisp apple.

Chip's lunch: January 4, 2010

Happy new year! I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2010!

This was a difficult lunch to make. We went home to Maryland over the holidays (we were gone for ten days!!!) and returned late on January 2nd. On the 3rd, we woke up to a frozen hot water pipe that took all day to handle (we got it thawed, and then Chip insulated the crap out of all the pipes near the outdoors so they won't freeze again). We didn't go grocery shopping until the 4th, which means that when I made this lunch on the 3rd, I had to use whatever was still in the fridge from before our trip. Which was pretty much nothing. I had to get creative, and I think I pulled it off.



Honeycrisp apple, Chip's mom's molasses cookies, dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (from our Christmas stockings), reduced fat Triscuits, cubed local pepper jack cheese, and a whole wheat wrap with hummus, carrot, organic spinach, local cheddar jack cheese, and mushrooms.

Chip's lunch: December 18, 2009

Our second Bento 2.0 lunch was just as good as the first. Chip really loved the sandwich below, but what else is new? I could slap anything on two pieces of bread and he'd eat it and love it.



Jonathan apple, whole grain Goldfish, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, whole banana, sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread (from Crumbs bakery) with organic spinach, organic greenleaf lettuce, sharp cheddar, sliced mushrooms, and pesto.

Chip's lunch: December 17, 2009

YAY! We got our new Laptop Lunches Bento 2.0 set! It has the same length and width as the previous bento sets, but it is slightly taller (which is great for fitting in big apple slices) and one of the medium containers also has a lid. In addition, the outer container stays shut better, and the inner containers come in different sizes for different configurations. Very fun.

In this lunch, you'll see some delicious asparagus made from a recipe invented by my friend Christina. She made it for me in early December when she visited me from Maryland, and I've been making it regularly ever since. It's a nice change from broccoli and salad, broccoli and salad.

It's super easy to make. Just cut about an inch off of the bottom of a bunch of asparagus. Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over a baking sheet. Place the asparagus on the baking sheet and oil, rolling it around to get it coated as best you can. An olive oil sprayer would be awesome for this. Then just sprinkle on bread crumbs (I used organic Panko style breadcrumbs), Parmesan cheese, and spices to taste (I used cracked black pepper, oregano, and parsley). Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.



Roasted asparagus with breadcrumbs and parm, LightLife Smart Stuffers Chik'n Parm (Chip loves these, but I just hate them), apple NutriGrain bar, Mahatma saffron rice, and a farmers' market winesap apple.

Chip's lunch: December 16, 2009

I'm going to let you in on a secret. It's how I get people to like me. I give them my famous almond bread. My mom has made this every year for the holidays since I was 5, and two years ago I started making it too. I made a loaf for each of my friends, and it was unanimous: this stuff is incredible. I mean...it's made of oil, sugar, flour, and eggs...how could it be bad, right? I've even successfully made it gluten free for a celiac friend.

If you'd like to make a few friends, I will share this recipe with you:

Ingredients:
2 1/3 c sugar
1 1/8 c oil
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp melted butter
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt (I use less)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 c flour
Sliced almonds

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, beaten eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, almond, and butter. Beat at medium speed as you add the remaining ingredients except almonds.

Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans (9 x 5), or 5 - 6 mini loaf pans (I get better results with the little ones). Sprinkle almonds on top of each loaf.

Bake at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes.



Organic four cheese ravioli with pomodoro sauce, farmers' market winesap apple, homemade almond bread, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, and tomato.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Chip's lunch: December 15, 2009

The lentil soup is back! This time I added three chopped carrots to the recipe. Chip refuses to eat carrots that aren't disguised, so I figured this was a good way to get him his beta carotene. The soup turned out well again...it's just so easy!

I also sneaked some pesto and some carrot into the wrap; he noticed and liked the pesto, and had no idea about the carrot.



Farmers' market winesap apple, whole wheat rollups with local mild cheddar, organic spinach, pesto, shaved carrot (shhh! he didn't notice!), and locally made organic hummus, whole grain Goldfish, and homemade vegan lentil soup.

Chip's lunch: December 14, 2009

In between the last lunch and this one, Chip went on a crazy business trip. To be very brief, this trip involved an overnight in London, four days in the Canary Islands, and another overnight in London. It was a whirlwind of a trip, and when he got back, he was ready for some tasty American food. So we went to Betty's. We first went to Betty's in March, 2009, when we were in Columbus for the weekend looking at houses to buy. It was recommended to us by the concierge at our hotel, and she was spot on. Not only was it kitschy and weird inside (like one of our Baltimore faves, Nacho Mama's), but the food was inventive and very vegetarian friendly. Since moving to Columbus, we've been back several times. Chip usually gets the chipotle cream rotini pictured below. It's warm and creamy, with a decent amount of heat.



Betty's chipotle cream rotini with tofu, farmers' market winesap apple, Snickers (very special treat), cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, and steamed broccoli with sharp cheddar (another very special treat...what a lucky guy).

Chip's lunch: December 4, 2009

This was a proud day for Chip: he tried a new kind of apple. I picked up some Golden Delicious at the last farmers' market of the season, and he actually liked them! He's more of a crispy, tangy apple kind of guy, so I was pleased that he could enjoy a mealier, sweeter apple. I'm an apple dork.



Farmers' market Golden Delicious apple, locally made organic hummus, local mild cheddar cheese, Thin Mints, whole wheat pita (for hummus), and LightLife vegan chili.

Chip's lunch: December 3, 2009

Another very green lunch! Can you tell that Chip is eating more and more veggies as time progresses?

Note that I also included a 2-pack of Berger cookies as a dessert; it just wouldn't fit inside the box. Not only are they delicious, but they are a very special treat since they are only available in the Baltimore area. We bought a bunch of them when we were in Maryland over Thanksgiving.



Salad with romaine lettuce, organic spinach, and Quorn "chicken" with black pepper garlic marinade, steamed broccoli, brown rice pilaf, locally-made organic hummus (for salad dressing), and a banana...a really huge banana.

Chip's lunch: December 2, 2009

I just like looking at this lunch. The greens, red, orange, white (banana)...it all just looks so pretty! Fortunately it's pretty healthy too!



Salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, organic spinach, and avocado, Utz crab chips (brought back from our Thanksgiving trip to Maryland...yum!), cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, hummus (Chip uses it for salad dressing), and a banana.

Chip's lunch: November 23, 2009

A few finger foods in this lunch. Chip likes foods he can eat with his hands. All but the rice, I suppose, he probably ate sans utensils.



Steamed broccoli, farmers' market Jonagold apple, whole wheat pita, brown rice pilaf, red pepper hummus with chili powder, and cubes of local pepper jack cheese.

Chip's lunch: November 19, 2009

This was the last of the leftovers of the lentil soup. I found myself eating a lot of it, especially when I needed protein after a long run. Also, this lunch includes the return of a Chip favorite...the wrap!



Whole wheat wrap with organic lettuce, tomato, local pepper jack cheese, roasted red pepper hummus, and red onion, whole grain Goldfish, reduced fat Nilla Wafers, and homemade vegan lentil soup.

Chip's lunch: November 17, 2009

This is photographic evidence of my first attempt at cooking with lentils. I was afraid of them for a long time. I definitely ate them, of course, but in stuff that other people made for me, usually. I came across this recipe for lentil soup, and decided I just had to make it. The weather had gotten SO cold, and I needed something wintry and comforting. This soup did just the trick. I got all organic ingredients from the community market, and the soup turned out thick, flavorful, and satisfying. I added some chili powder and crushed red pepper for some heat. I skipped the sumac because although I could get it at the community market, I didn't know what it would taste like (I've never had it before). I also added some diced tomatoes since they were laying around. This recipe is really versatile; you can add almost anything to it.



Farmers' market Jonagold apple, whole grain Goldfish, reduced fat Chips Ahoy, and homemade vegan lentil soup.

Chip's lunch: November 9, 2009

This lunch is the first of several in which I have begun to sneak in some pesto. I. Love. Pesto. I eat it on pretty much anything, and that includes directly from a spoon. I love it a lot. Chip isn't so much sold on it, for reasons that I can't possibly fathom. So beginning with this lunch, I started to sneak it into things, and he's growing to like it more and more now. Success!



Whole wheat rotini with vegetarian "meat sauce" (organic marinara sauce, to which I added garlic, spices, and Morningstar crumbles) and a spoonful of pesto, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, farmers' market Jonagold apple, and a banana.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Chip's lunch: November 5, 2009

Chip eats more meat analogues than I do. I do my best to eat foods that are less processed, but I do eat "fake meat" on occasion. This vegan steak substitute was a big hit in our house and we've had it several times since this was made. It's smoky and satisfying and is even shaped like little steak medallions. I don't think I even know what meat tastes or feels like anymore, but I feel like this is closer than a lot of meat substitutes.



Brown rice pilaf, vegan pepper "steak," Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, steamed broccoli, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: October 27, 2009

This is still remembered as one of Chip's favorite lunches. It's super healthy, and has plenty of protein, good fat, carbs, and sweetness. By this point, Chip has really started to enjoy salads and I'm happy to make him as many as he'll eat!



Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, mushrooms, and Campari tomatoes, little pretzels, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, farmers' market Jonagold apple with cinnamon, and avocado for the salad.

Chip's lunch: October 26, 2009

This lunch features a guest star! Our friend, who loves all things pumpkin (bread, muffins, pie, beer, etc) brought us some delicious homemade pumpkin muffins. She gave us at least 15 of them and they were gone within a few days. I got in from my second ever 8 mile run and inhaled about 3 of them instantly.

Also, there's quinoa here! We always make it the same way:
1 c quinoa
2 c water
1 cube vegetable bouillon
2 tsp cumin
1 -2 cloves crushed garlic
black pepper and chili powder to taste



Farmers' market Jonagold apple, homemade pumpkin muffin, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, reduced fat Pringles, and quinoa.

Chip's lunch: October 22, 2009

Another Trader Joe's lunch! This is their penne pepperonata from the freezer section. It's super easy to heat up, and it's a nice change from our usual dinners (this was left over from dinner). I like that it's so brightly colored, too...peppers and tomatoes have lots of important nutrients.

I attempted to make the tomato in the top right corner sort of like a caprese. When Chip and I have the money (and are in Baltimore), we always go to Aldo's for dinner. It's a very special occasion and we always enjoy it very much. We always share a caprese; it's made with local tomatoes (usually greenhouse grown...I mean, it's Maryland) and buffalo milk mozzarella that's flown in from Italy. This thing costs $13...it's no joke. Anyway, Chip absolutely loves it, and I was going for that idea here. It was not a hit with Chip, though he did eat it.



Farmers' market Jonagold apple, sliced Campari tomato with olive oil, basil, and Romano cheese, Trader Joe's vanilla sandwich cookies, and penne pepperonata.

Chip's lunch: October 21, 2009

Another chili lunch. If I remember correctly, by late October it was just starting to get colder here in Ohio. Chip was in California on business for a week (temps in the 80s) and when he returned to temps in the 40s here, I knew he needed some hearty comfort food. As before, the chili is LightLife brand.

Pictured here is Trader Joe's cornbread (made from a mix). It is, hands down, the best cornbread I've ever had. And you can't beat the convenience; it is very easy to make. In the evening, I bake a batch of it; one box of mix makes 3 mini loaves. One loaf goes in Chip's lunch, one gets eaten by us for a snack at night, and the other gets eaten by us the next morning for breakfast. I don't think cornbread has much actual nutritional value, but it is tasty.



Vegan chili, farmers' market Jonagold apple, local colby cheese, and homemade (sorta) cornbread.

Chip's lunch: October 12, 2009

This was Chip's first lunch back after he went to California on business. While he was gone, I did some baking. He loves to come home to stuff that I've baked: banana bread, cookies, muffins, etc.



Homemade vegan banana bread sandwich with peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, local pepper jack and colby cheeses, and a farmers' market September Wonder apple.

Chip's lunch: September 30, 2009

Two kinds of apples in this one, per Chip's request. He loves apples with cinnamon, but he also knows that sometimes he needs the protein from peanut butter. Also included here is Chip's favorite rice ever: Mahatma saffron rice!



Saffron rice with chili powder, farmers' market September Wonder apple with cinnamon and peanut butter, and a sandwich with Field Roast, local colby cheese, and organic redleaf lettuce on organic local whole wheat bread from the farmers' market.

Chip's lunch: September 29, 2009

OK, so I just realized that this is identical to the lunch I made Chip on September 23. I think that's the first time I've ever done this! Chip didn't notice; the fried rice is one of his all-time favorites, so I'm sure he was glad to be getting lots of it.



Homemade fried rice with tofu and broccoli, farmers' market September Wonder apple, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, and Trader Joe's vegetable gyozas.

Chip's lunch: September 28, 2009

I guess a fruit and a vegetable can cancel out the cookie in this lunch, right?



Farmers' market green beans, farmers' market September Wonder apple with peanut butter, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and leftover pizza.

Chip's lunch: September 24, 2009

Lots of color in this one! Most of it was left over from the previous night's dinner. The rice is a recipe my mom used to make when I was younger (tweaked to make it vegetarian and a touch more wholesome). The recipe is called Browned Rice in Bouillon, and it's garlicky, buttery, and yummy!



Browned brown rice in bouillon, steamed organic local broccoli, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, Quorn "chicken" with spicy marinade, and organic redleaf lettuce (and Italian dressing, to be eaten as a salad with the "chicken").

Chip's Lunch: September 23, 2009

Another very easy lunch consisting of leftovers and pre-made stuff from Trader Joe's.



Homemade fried rice with tofu and broccoli, farmers' market September Wonder apple, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, and Trader Joe's vegetable gyoza.

Chip's lunch: September 22, 2009

Now THIS is a colorful meal! I've been trying to pack salads for Chip more and more. He's become more tolerant of them since he started traveling more for work. In June and July he went to Belgium, in September he went to Spain and the Netherlands, in October he went to California, in December he went to London and the Canary Islands, and in a few days he's going back to the Canary Islands and also Calpe, Spain. When he's traveling he eats a lot of salads, because there's not a whole lot else for a vegetarian to eat at restaurants. He sometimes eats fish when he travels, but he gets sick of it pretty quickly. So...this means that he's eating more and more salad away from home, and that he's more tolerant of it at home too. Yay!



Farmers' market September Wonder apple, Trader Joe's vegan "chicken" strips, reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1/2 a PB&J on whole wheat, and a salad with organic lettuce and Campari tomatoes (with Italian dressing on the side).

Chip's lunch: September 21, 2009

I don't remember this lunch...at all. I have no idea where the ravioli came from. I might've gotten them from Whole Foods...but I feel like I didn't. I guess this lunch was just not very memorable. Healthy, but not memorable.



Mushroom ravioli with vegan marinara sauce, farmers' market apple with cinnamon, reduced fat cheddar cheese stick, and farmers' market green beans.

Chip's lunch: September 17, 2009

We had a friend over the evening before, and I made a bunch of chili for dinner. This chili is kinda my thing...carnivores and vegans alike love it, and while it isn't easy, it's definitely worthwhile. It's packed with protein and veggies, and it keeps well in the fridge and freezer. It was still hot here in September when I made it; I think it's better as a middle-of-winter kind of meal. When I make it, I triple the spices, and add a touch of brown sugar and some Frank's Red Hot.



Homemade vegan chili, shredded local cheddar jack cheese, homemade cornbread, Snickerdoodles sent from Maryland by my mom, and a farmers' market Gala apple.

And here's a photo of the chili in progress. All that chopping (and this photo doesn't include the onions or garlic) takes such a long time, but it's so delicious in the end!


Chip's lunch: September 16, 2009

More leftovers! Fortunately, Chip's not the kind of guy to get sick of something after eating it once, so I get away with packing lots of leftovers. The lasagne is one of my all time favorite recipes, though it does take quite a lot of time and effort to make. While my parents were visiting, I made this for them, and I fooled my dad into thinking that the tofu in it was actually ricotta. His gag reflex activates when he even THINKS about tofu, so for him to eat it (and ask for seconds, and comment that the "ricotta" was really good) was quite an accomplishment (even if he didn't know he was eating it).



Spinach lasagne rolls (with whole wheat pasta and tofu), Trader Joe's vanilla sandwich cookies, reduced fat cheddar cheese stick, banana, and green beans.

Chip's lunch: September 15, 2009

This was another mostly homemade lunch. All except the cookies was left over from the previous night's dinner. That made this lunch really easy to make! Sometimes when I make dinner, I immediately start filling the lunch containers, partly so I can make sure that there's enough left for lunch, and partly so that I have to spend less time putting lunch together later.

The Mongolian tofu was a new recipe for us; I adapted it from a recipe found here.



Mongolian tofu with scallions, steamed broccoli, butter cookies that Chip brought back from a recent business trip to the Netherlands, and steamed brown rice (made with vegetable bouillon).

Chip's lunch: September 14, 2009

Yum! I remember this lunch well! I would've liked to eat it much more than I think Chip actually enjoyed eating it. Oh well...we live and learn. I made the pasta the night before and I absolutely loved it. We'd bought some cherry tomatoes at the farmers' market and I was on a roasted garlic kick. The pasta was simple to make (recipe here, with some mouth watering photos), and slightly sweet from the balsamic vinegar. Chip was OK with it, though he did agree to eat it again for lunch (hmm...perhaps it's because I sweetened the pot with a delicious sandwich).




Four-color rotini with roasted cherry tomato, onion, and garlic and balsamic vinegar, farmers' market Gala apple, butter cookies Chip brought back from his recent business trip to the Netherlands, and a sandwich with Field Roast, local cheddar jack cheese, and organic red leaf lettuce on whole wheat.

Chip's lunch: September 1, 2009

This lunch was put together in barely five minutes in the morning as Chip was flying out the door. It's not the prettiest but it was quick and easy. Included here is another of our longtime faves: Trader Joe's no-chicken cutlet (stuffed with black beans and corn, with a tomato basil sauce). It's easy to microwave, it's full of protein, and it's vegan. It tastes and feels so much like chicken that I didn't like it at first...it was too chickeny. But it definitely grew on me. When we lived in California, it only cost $2.99 for a two-pack of these; here in Ohio for some reason it's $4.99. So...these are a special treat these days.



Farmers' market apple with peanut butter, homemade brownie, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, Annie's mac 'n cheese, and Trader Joe's no-chicken stuffed cutlet with tomato basil sauce.

Chip's lunch: August 31, 2009

3 of the 5 things in this lunch were homemade...yay! I was happy to find some slightly smaller apples in the pile that we bought at the farmers' market; this way an entire apple would fit in the lunchbox.

I think this also marks the lunchtime debut of Chip's absolute favorite snack in the world. Goldfish. Our house is never without a gigantic carton of them, and he eats them pretty much daily.



Farmers' market Gala apple with peanut butter, homemade brownie, peanut M&Ms, whole grain Goldfish, and homemade pizza with whole wheat crust and local mozzarella/provolone cheeses.

Chip's lunch: August 25, 2009

For some reason, this post is out of order. Oh well...

Here are two more local items in a very hearty lunch. If I remember correctly, this is another day that Chip went out for a bike ride at lunch, so I included some heavier, more filling food. When that guy exercises, all he wants to do afterward is eat, eat, eat!



Organic spinach ravioli with pomodoro sauce, farmers' market Gala apple, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, reduced fat Chips Ahoy, peanut M&Ms, and PB&J on farmers' market organic whole wheat bread.