Reason number 45839472897 that we love Hawaii: macadamia nuts. I know you can get them everywhere, but it was neat to buy them where they're grown. They're a lot less expensive in Hawaii, too! We brought home a big canister of them. Yum!
Organic honeycrisp apple, steamed organic broccoli, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, macadamia nuts, homemade banana bread, and whole wheat rollups with Boca black bean burger, organic salsa, Tillamook Cheddar cheese, and organic Boston lettuce.
Happy New Year! As has become usual now, we are only around for a few days. We spent Christmas in Hawaii, and now we have a few days home before Chip goes to Spain for work and I go home to visit my family in Maryland. Life will be like this for the forseeable future, with lots of trips in the next few months.
After returning from Hawaii, we made a run to Costco. To our delight, Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders had returned! I was so bummed out when they were discontinued, because it was a great price, and they are a relatively healthy convenience food. We're so glad they're back!
Organic Honeycrisp apple, homemade banana bread, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, steamed asparagus, and Gardein 7-Grain crispy tenders with local honey.
As a vegetarian, I admit that there are some things that I miss, and some things I miss out on. One of my favorite foods, and something I used to grab on the way into work, was a Chik-Fil-A sandwich. Buttery, sweet, juicy...yum. I still miss those things, both the taste and the convenience. I also miss the days of just going out to restaurants, without first poring over the menu to figure out if I'd be able to eat there. I hate being the high maintenance person, always asking the server too many questions. "Is this made with chicken broth?" "Is anything here vegetarian?" "Are you KIDDING me? THAT has meat in it?!" "So what exactly CAN I eat?"
So I am always excited to try something that tastes like something from my omnivorous days. I am also always excited to try something that I wouldn't have tried if I weren't vegetarian. This soup fits both categories for sure. It's creamy and hearty, like clam chowder, but it's vegan and has beans and poppy seeds in it, two things that would never have flown with me back in the day. It's great for a cold day, and is packed with protein, veggies, and fiber. Yum!
Organic Honeycrisp apple, whole wheat rollup with local hummus, organic cherry tomatoes, organic collard greens, organic mushrooms, and organic red onion, organic Sultana golden raisins, homemade banana bread, and vegan vegetable chowder.
We're back in action for a few days here. Chip finally returned from his trip to California and the Canary Islands. He left Fuerteventura, where temps were in the low 80s, and returned to the tundra that Ohio has become this month:
Chip's back to work, which means I'm back to the work of making lunches! I made potato gnocchi last night for dinner. I made sure to find a very simple, easy recipe that would be hard for me to screw up. It was fine...not awesome, but not bad. I was hoping it would be absolutely amazing, but it was just kind of regular. Maybe next time will be better!
Salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic cherry tomatoes, organic carrots, organic portobello mushrooms, local Parmesan cheese, and pecans, homemade banana bread, macadamia nuts, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic applesauce, and homemade potato gnocchi with pesto.
We had a terribly sad day today. One of our former fosters, Roxie, became very ill recently, and she died today. She was only with her forever family for three months - not nearly long enough. She was a beautiful, spunky girl, who had a very tough life. Run free, sweet Roxie. You were dearly loved by so many.
Okie Galena, aka "Roxie" September 27, 2002 - June 21, 2010
Tuesday's lunch:
Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, organic cucumber, Campari tomato, and local cheddar jack cheese, homemade banana bread, organic string cheese, organic fair trade milk chocolate with hazelnuts, organic Sultana golden raisins, raw almonds, hummus, and blanched vegetables (organic red pepper, local green beans, asparagus).
Happy summer! Summer is definitely apparent in this lunch; it includes basil and tomatoes from our backyard garden! The garden is still a work in progress, but we're seeing lots of lettuce (Bibb and Wildfire Mix), some green beans, and a few Roma tomatoes.
Chip and I were laughing tonight about all the money we've put into this garden. I decided that if we were going to do it, we'd do it right! We bought a bunch of organic dirt (and our awesome next door neighbor gave us several bags too), and I spent money on good seeds and some seedlings. All in all, we've spent at least $100 getting this garden started, and considering that we've so far only picked three tomatoes, that means that the two that are in this lunch cost us about $66. I know it'll even out as we get more veggies, and we can use the same dirt next year, but still...these are the most expensive tomatoes we've ever eaten! Chip thinks this is hilarious.
Organic whole wheat spinach ravioli with half marinara sauce and half pesto sauce, organic Michigan applesauce, organic fair trade milk chocolate with hazelnuts, organic lollipop, homemade banana bread, Caprese salad with Roma tomatoes from our garden, basil from our garden, and local mozzarella
It's already Friday again! It really crept up on me this week. I realized that Friday was coming because I didn't feel like packing this lunch. I went for a glorious run at 9 tonight, and when I got back, I was ready to shower and crawl into bed. Then I remembered this lunch, and I got kinda grumpy. Sometimes, I just really don't feel like packing it. And Chip just won't pack it. Not that he needs to pack his own lunch if I don't; he usually goes to Subway if he doesn't have a Katie lunch. But as I mentioned before, he's had a really tough week, and I know that his lunches always brighten his day. So here it is. The last of my creativity for this week.
Chip will be out of town again starting next Thursday, so there will be another hiatus of sorts. This time he'll be in the Netherlands! Don't worry though; I have some fantastic pups to keep me company.
After our run last night. I finally exhausted Cal!
I need to stop taking photos of Queenly with her tongue out, because it's always out. I should take pictures when it's in, because that's unusual!
And of course, little Emmy.
And lunch:
Organic whole wheat tri-color cavatappi with CSA peas, local mozzarella, and marinara sauce, banana, organic fair trade dark chocolate with almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, homemade banana bread (can you tell I bought bananas at Costco? We've been eating 4 a day for days), a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic cucumber, and Campari tomato.
OK, so I know there's a lot of sugar here. But it's a special lunch. For a special man. Who's having a really rough time at work. He has earned these cookies and this chocolate! I don't think we've ever bought Milanos since we've been together (five years), but they are one of Chip's favorites. I picked him up a pack while he was at work yesterday and sneaked some into his lunch. They really made his day, and I'm glad to be able to do that with his lunch!
In all seriousness, though, I have been packing some sugary lunches. Even though it's from natural sources (raisins, fruit, etc.), it probably is a bit much. Though you can't tell from this lunch or the next one, I'm trying to be cognizant of the sugar content of Chip's lunches, and hope to reduce it a bit.
Homemade banana bread, raw almonds, Godiva extra dark chocolate truffle, organic Sultana golden raisins, Annie's mac and cheese, Milano cookies, banana, sandwich on local whole wheat bread with Tofurkey deli slices, organic local pepper jack cheese, organic red pepper, and organic redleaf lettuce.
I know this lunch looks a bit light. I realized after I threw it together that it wasn't very substantial. I added a container of brown rice to add some more bulk to this lunch after I took this photo. It's a good thing, too: poor Chip had to stay late at work unexpectedly. It's almost 8 and he hasn't left yet! Poor guy. I got him a special treat today for tomorrow's lunch...I hope it makes him smile!
Watermelon, organic trail mix (organic fair trade milk chocolate, organic Sultana golden raisins, raw almonds, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds), Kashi apple cereal bar, homemade banana bread, and local organic steamed green beans.
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.
