Chip's lunch: August 30, 2010

Wow...another Monday. This weekend flew by! It was full of greyhounds, time outdoors, cooking (made marinara sauce for the first and probably last time), time with friends, dog play dates, and housework.

We picked up our latest foster today: Rainier Runbonn. Bond is 10 years old, and his family decided that after having a baby last year, they don't have time for him anymore. Like most returned dogs, he's a bit worse for wear, but I'm sure we'll have him healthy and fit in no time. He's a very sweet boy and seems very happy, if a bit confused. He had an awesome time playing in our backyard with Cal and Darci and our friends' Lab, Moly. I hope someone can see past his age and adopt him, because he really deserves someone to care about him for the rest of his days.



Chip and I spent three solid hours making marinara sauce on Saturday. I chose to plant Romas because I knew we'd have a lot, and I knew they were good for canning and sauce. What I did not know was how much work is involved in making sauce. First we had to remove all the stems and score the bottoms of the tomatoes. Then we dropped the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then they went into ice water for five minutes. Then the skins came off. Then we removed the white flesh around where the stem had been. Then we had to slice them in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds. Then I diced tomatoes while Chip diced onions and carrots, pressed garlic, and picked basil from our garden. Finally, it all went into the pot...and was not nearly as much sauce as I'd expected. It turned out really delicious, but very much not worth all the time and effort.

47 tomatoes...3 hours...ugh...



And since lunch didn't get made til 11 tonight, I didn't even get a glamor shot with natural light. Boo!



CSA apple, banana, organic raw cashews, steamed organic broccoli with sea salt and black pepper, and organic whole wheat tri-color rotini with roasted organic portobellos and homemade marinara sauce (with CSA carrots, CSA onion, Roma tomatoes from our garden, and basil from our garden).

Chip's lunch: August 27, 2010

I got lazy tonight. And it appears that I've made lunch for a 6-year-old, not a 25-year-old. Oh well...that happens on Fridays, huh? And really...it doesn't get much tastier than "chicken" nuggets and mac and cheese, right? I know this isn't the healthiest lunch I've ever packed, but I don't feel bad about it at all!



Quorn "chicken" nuggets, barbecue sauce, Annie's organic mac and cheese, organic Thompson raisins, Clif Z Bar (chocolate brownie flavor), organic banana, and an apple from our CSA.

Chip's lunch: August 26, 2010

We're in one of those phases in which we've got stuff to use up. The guacamole, apples, and tomato weren't getting any younger. All week I've been trying to convince Chip to take some guac in his lunch, and tonight I stopped asking...I just did it. We bought a 3-pack of Wholly Guacamole at Costco, and while it's delicious, I think it's a little much for just the two of us.



Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with guacamole, CSA tomato, and organic redleaf lettuce, local early Jonagold apple, organic Thompson raisins, Clif Z Bar (s'mores flavor), organic dark chocolate, organic banana, and organic quinoa with organic vegetable bouillon, CSA carrots, CSA onion, and organic cumin.

Chip's lunch: August 25, 2010

I bought these spelt pretzels over the weekend and kept forgetting to include them in a lunch. Honestly, I'm not huge into spelt, but I really like the idea of diversifying the grains that we eat. It helps that these pretzels are organic too! A serving (20 pretzels) also includes 4 grams of protein, and every little bit helps.



Homemade fried rice with organic tofu, organic broccoli, and organic cauliflower, watermelon, organic Thompson raisins, organic dark chocolate, organic spelt pretzels, natural peanut butter, and a CSA apple (not sure what variety).

Chip's lunch: August 24, 2010

Chip and I treated ourselves to dinner out tonight (at Lavash), and we didn't have any leftovers for lunch. After an evening run (in glorious, breezy, 70-degree weather), I came home and realized lunch wasn't done. My runner's high vanished, and I asked Chip to tell me what he wanted. He was no help, so I went with what I usually make when I have zero ideas and zero time: "turkey" rollups. Fortunately, they're one of his favorites too.



CSA green beans (steamed, with Smart Balance, sea salt, organic black pepper, and a squeeze of organic lime), organic blackberry applesauce, homemade trail mix (raw almonds, organic raw cashews, organic roasted & salted sunflower seeds, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, and a square of Newman's Own organic dark chocolate), organic banana, and whole wheat rollups with hummus, organic pine nuts, Smart Deli "roasted turkey," organic greenleaf lettuce, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: August 23, 2010

The weather finally cooled off a bit today, and we were able to enjoy a summery dinner on the deck. Our garden and our CSA have been good to us lately, and we had some leftovers from dinner for Chip's lunch. The yellow pepper and corn (Chip refuses to eat corn on the cob; he only eats corn "off the cob") are from our CSA. The red pepper came from our garden. Our poor little red pepper plant has been hanging out in our garden since April, and has only given us one pepper. It was delicious, but that plant had better hurry up...cool weather is fast approaching!

Here's our beautiful red pepper:



And lunch:

Organic vegetable risotto, organic blackberry applesauce (Chip won't eat blackberries because of the seeds, but the flavor is OK with him), organic flame raisins, organic dark chocolate, organic dried cranberries, CSA corn "off the cob," and grilled vegetables (organic portobello mushrooms, CSA yellow pepper, red pepper from our garden).

Chip's lunch: August 20, 2010

Chip's back from a short trip to California, so we've got one lunch for this week. I packed Chip some trail mix for the plane ride to California, so we are all out of dried fruit. I wracked my brain for something to put in the side compartment, when it dawned on me. What has been my food of choice* since he left? Graham crackers! I added some natural peanut butter, and made little sandwiches.

*When Chip leaves town, I am notorious for going overboard on junk food. Last time, it was Lemonheads. In the past, it's variously been frozen garlic bread, Cheetos, Laffy Taffy, and Tofutti cuties.

Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with Smart Deli roasted "turkey" slices, hummus, Cheddar, and organic greenleaf lettuce, organic banana, graham crackers with natural peanut butter, Caprese with Campari tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil from our garden, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: August 13, 2010

We had a really busy day yesterday, but I was able to pull off a decent dinner. We had pad thai, which is great because we always have leftovers. I spent 7 hours yesterday driving stinky greyhounds around, and then I brought home our latest foster: J Ditto's Darci. She's a teeny little thing, and pretty nervous, but is doing well overall. Once we get her some antibiotics for her UTI and skin infection, and then get her spayed and her teeth cleaned, she'll be all set.



I gave Chip a choice between 6 peanut butter and jelly rolls and a small container of applesauce, or 3 rolls and a whole apple. He told me (and this seriously surprised me) that the peanut butter and jelly rolls are his favorite thing to find in his lunchbox, so he wanted 6. His favorite thing of all...more than chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, and pizza. PB&J rolls. I learn more about this man every day.

Oh, and Chip will be in California all week, so we'll be taking a short break here.



Pad Thai with organic tofu and broccoli, organic banana, raw almonds, organic raw cashews, organic applesauce, and whole wheat rollups with natural peanut butter and jelly.

Chip's lunch: August 12, 2010

Our garden gave us a beautiful big zucchini, so I fired up the grill last night for dinner. The zucchini was good...I mean, it tasted like any other zucchini, but it was extra fun because I picked it myself.

The apple in this lunch came from the farmers' market. There's this slightly grumpy older gentleman there who sells the world's best apples. When they're in season, we get Jonagolds, but that's not for another month or so. For now, we're eating "early Jonagolds." They are a little mealier, and yellow instead of red. But the flavor is great, and the apples are the perfect size.



Grilled zucchini from our garden, organic banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, Nature Valley granola bar, local early Jonagold apple, and a salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, local organic grape tomatoes, organic mushroom, and grilled Quorn cutlet.

Chip's lunch: August 11, 2010

Today was another ridiculous day with the animals, and I spent a few hours with Jack at the emergency vet. It appears he was stung by something (bee? spider? wasp?) and it caused an allergic reaction. He was covered in hives, his face was all swollen and lumpy, and his eyes were swelling shut. It came on really quickly and got worse and worse. So...to the e-vet we went.




I got back kind of late, and just threw lunch together. Dinner had no leftovers, so I didn't have a good starting off point. It took me a solid half hour to make this lunch; that is far longer than usual, and reminded me why I usually try to have leftovers with our dinner.



Organic steamed cauliflower and broccoli with Smart balance, sea salt, and black pepper, hummus with organic pine nuts and organic spices, Stacy's pita chips, raw almonds, raw organic cashews, Kashi apple cereal bar, organic applesauce, and whole wheat rollups with avocado, organic greenleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, local organic grape tomatoes from the farmers' market, organic carrot, and Newman's Own salsa.

Chip's lunch: August 10, 2010

Chip enjoyed today's bruschetta and approved the inclusion of more tomato in this lunch. We got some beautiful carrots from our CSA this weekend and I threw some into a salad. I asked Chip how he prefers them: diced (we call it "carrot confetti"), julienned, or sliced (in little round slices). He likes the carrot confetti, "so I don't have to taste their awfulness." Such a grownup about eating his vegetables!



Salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, CSA carrot, Roma tomato from our garden, red onion, and organic pine nuts, organic local pepper jack cheese from the farmers' market, Ancient Grains crackers, Kashi granola bar, natural peanut butter and jelly on Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: August 9, 2010

I spent some time gardening this weekend. We've got a watermelon growing, along with zucchini, green beans, a red pepper, and tons of Roma tomatoes. I bought some grape tomatoes at the farmers' market this weekend, and now we're swimming in tomatoes. I tried to think of a good dish that includes tomatoes, and I came up with bruschetta. Chip insisted on buying this whole wheat bread, and while it's delicious, it's worthless for sandwiches. I was glad to be able to use some of the bread and many of the tomatoes.

I just made up the topping myself. I used about 15 grape tomatoes, diced, and threw in about a teaspoon of very finely chopped onion. In a separate bowl, I whisked together about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, plus a tiny clove of crushed garlic, some sea salt, and black pepper. I added the tomatoes and onion to the liquid, and then mixed in some fresh chopped basil from our garden. It looks and smells amazing. The photo doesn't do the beautiful tomatoes justice.



Organic local (ingredients and production) whole wheat bread from the farmers' market, bruschetta topping (organic grape tomatoes, CSA onion, organic garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil from our garden), organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, homemade lentil soup, and an organic Braeburn apple.

Chip's lunch: August 6, 2010

I am too tired to write much; this has been a really busy day! I got in late this evening after running the Dublin Irish Festival 5K with Lori. And then eating some amazing cherry lambic sorbet from Jeni's.



I threw lunch together in just a few minutes, and now it's time for bed! Oh, and a few people have asked why I don't usually photograph salad dressing. One reason is because it doesn't usually fit into the lunch box. Another reason, as you'll see below, is that it doesn't photograph well. Oil looks all icky in the flash of a camera.



Salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic carrot, Roma tomato from our garden, organic red pepper, organic scallions, and organic sesame seeds, little love note, watermelon, organic dried cranberries, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic raw cashews, banana, salad dressing (Newman's Own Sesame Ginger), and Newman's Own cheese pizza.

Chip's lunch: August 5, 2010

Seeing this photo kind of makes me want to go steal Chip's lunch out of the refrigerator right now. Mostly for the pita. We had black bean burgers for dinner tonight with the other half of this avocado and oh man. This avocado is perfect. We've had a bunch of terrible ones lately and this one was delightful. The buttery texture and nutty taste of avocado, plus the sweet tang of grape tomatoes...irresistible to me!



Whole wheat pita with avocado, organic greenleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic grape tomatoes, and CSA onion, homemade lentil soup, Kashi granola bar, banana, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: August 4, 2010

I got the most recent Clean Eating Magazine a few days ago, but I didn't crack it open til today. Sometimes I just need to be in the right mood to look at food porn, you know? So of course, on the cover, was a dish involving noodles and Alfredo sauce. My two loves. The most comforting comfort food. Since I had everything on hand, I very excitedly whipped this up for dinner tonight. Chip enjoyed it, even though there's a decent amount of yogurt in it. Shhh! Do not tell him! He'll never eat it again.

The recipe is linked here, but in the magazine it didn't include the vegetables that are listed on this link. I just winged it with the broccoli, asparagus, and portobellos that we had on hand. I can't wait to try some of the other sauces in this issue, especially the saffron sauce. Saffron is one of Chip's favorite flavors ever, and I have a feeling he'll really like it.



Clean Alfredo sauce with organic whole wheat tri-color rotini/cavatappi, organic portobellos, asparagus, and broccoli, watermelon, organic raw cashews, raw almonds, milk chocolate from Holland, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: August 3, 2010

So we got a new fridge today. It's pretty much the most exciting (house-related) thing that's happened to us this year. Our house is 102 years old, so we've done a lot of preventative maintenance, as well as repairs. None of this has been particularly fun. And while we'd prefer to continue using our 20-some-year-old refrigerator, it is time to part ways with it. The repairman says it's on its last legs, and our home warranty helped us buy a new one. And it is beautiful. Everything in our kitchen is fairly old (though functional), and it's really exciting to have something so new and pretty. We've really agonized over our kitchen, and we never hesitate to make fun of the people on HGTV who are all, "oh, this kitchen is a gut job," just because there's no stainless steel or granite. Do laminate counter tops not hold your stuff as well as granite does? Does a stainless steel fridge make your food taste better? (In all fairness, though, we did go with stainless steel. Not our first choice, but since we're not staying in this house for more than five years or so, we figured we should go with what others prefer.)

Anyway...in taking items out of Old Fridge, I attempted to use up whatever I could so it wouldn't take up space in New Fridge. Hence the soup, applesauce, and guac. I realized once lunch was done that it's vegan, which is a nice bonus.

Goodbye, Old Fridge. You had a nice, multi-decade run. We will not miss you. We also will not miss covering the floor around you with rags to soak up all the water you leaked.



Hello, New Fridge. You are beautiful and new, and we love you already.









Whole wheat rollups with guacamole, organic greenleaf lettuce, organic spinach, organic grape tomatoes, and Newman's Own salsa, organic applesauce, raw almonds, organic dark chocolate, homemade lentil soup, and watermelon.

Chip's lunch: August 2, 2010

Our fruit bowl had one single pathetic thing in it tonight (after I cut up the banana): a kiwi. Chip eats kiwi, but he doesn't love it. I'm allergic, so obviously I'm not eating it. I told him he could have "chicken" nuggets if he'd also take the kiwi. Sometimes getting lunch packed requires some bargaining!



Quorn chik'n nuggets, barbecue sauce, organic kiwi, Kashi granola bar, banana, salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, red onion, organic carrot, and Roma tomato from our garden. I also included a little cup of guacamole for the salad.

My lunch: July 31, 2010

I took Jack to Pupapalooza on Saturday morning. On Friday night, Chip and I had a small disagreement and went to bed unhappy with each other. When I woke up, he had made this lunch for me. He's never made lunch for me. He must have felt really bad! Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to eat the whole thing while I was out, but I enjoyed what I did eat. It was pretty neat to have lunch made for me. Now I know what it feels like!



Natural peanut butter on organic sprouted grain bread, trail mix (Chip even shelled the pistachios that he threw in here), Clif Mojo bar, organic strawberries, organic raspberries, organic blackberries, Wheat Thins, whole wheat pita, and guacamole.