Chip's lunch: December 23, 2010

Have you tried Field Roast grain meats yet? We like their deli sliced Field Roast, which can be used like lunch meat. We decided to try the Italian sausage, and YUM! It was spicy and salty, with great texture. We grilled it and ate it on whole wheat rolls with sauteed bell pepper and onions. It was definitely a hit, and I'm sure we'll be having it again.



Organic Honeycrisp apple, homemade vegan chili, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, and Field Roast Italian sausage with organic bell pepper and organic red onion.

Chip's lunch: November 19, 2010

This is our last lunch before a long break. We will be in Maryland (and Virginia, and Pennsylvania twice) over Thanksgiving, and two days after we return, Chip will be embarking on another marathon business trip to California and the Canary Islands.



Homemade vegan chili, steamed organic brown rice with organic peas and organic corn, dried organic cranberries, organic Thompson raisins, banana, and a CSA Melrose apple.

Chip's lunch: November 10, 2010

That's right...still using up the chili I made last time Chip was out of town. It's been so convenient for the nights I don't feel like cooking, and for a quick easy lunch. It also makes a neat treat for friends. Friend does me a favor, I give friend chili. Friend brings me food, I give friend lentil soup. Friend tells me I look pretty, I give friend chili AND lentil soup. And so on.



Homemade vegan chili, organic peas, organic corn, organic dried cranberries, organic dark chocolate, organic brown rice steamed with vegetable bouillon, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: October 29, 2010

Another side effect of drooling over Tasha's blog was that I remembered how much I love avocado. We bought a few and promptly ate them. Chip had them on Wednesday's salad and today's sandwich, while I had them on a salad and spread on toast with some sea salt and black pepper. YUM! The toast idea is also Tasha's; it had never occurred to me to try that until I saw a picture of one of her delicious breakfasts. In any event, I made Chip one of his favorite sandwiches today: avocado. It's really versatile and works well with whatever we've got in the fridge. It's like a little taste of one of our favorite lunch places in California, Erik's Deli Cafe. The Del Monte Special was pretty much the only sandwich we could eat there, but that's OK with us...it's delicious!



Sandwich on organic whole wheat bread with organic avocado, Roma tomato from our garden, organic carrots, locally-made salsa, and CSA kale, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cranberries, organic raw cashews, homemade vegan chili, and a CSA Northern Spy apple.

Chip's lunch: October 25, 2010

We're back in action here, now that Chip has returned from the Netherlands after two weeks. While he was gone, I decided that since I don't know anything about canning, I would make some food that I could freeze instead. Since this was our first year with our garden, I spent a lot of time on just keeping things alive. I think that by next summer I'll be able to keep things alive and also produce enough veggies to be able to can. So I made some chili, some soup, and a few other things that we've been defrosting when we don't feel like cooking. This chili is one of those things. It's our usual recipe, and I was able to use a few things that had been lingering from our garden and the last CSA haul.

The watermelon is from our garden. Yes, I am still getting watermelons in October. I don't know how normal that is, but I don't care, because this watermelon is delicious! It's also fun to eat watermelon with real seeds in it! I can't remember the last time I bought a seeded watermelon at the grocery store...it's like they no longer exist!



And the pumpkin muffin is from some friends of ours. We watched their dog while they were out of town last weekend for a wedding, and we were paid in pumpkin muffins! Cal and Moly had pretty much the most fun ever, and kept each other occupied and out of my hair, which was delightful since Chip was away and I was a single pet parent for the moment.



And lunch:



Homemade vegan chili with bell pepper from our garden and from our CSA, Ellyn's pumpkin muffin, pretzel M&Ms, Cheddar/jack cheese stick, watermelon from our garden, and a CSA Northern Spy apple.

Chip's lunch: June 3, 2010

We went to the store tonight, so this lunch has tons of delicious fresh veggies in it!

Also, Chip was so smitten with Tuesday's grilled veggies that he finally agreed that we need a grill (I've been saying it for a long time). We've been doing research for a while, and we finally pulled the trigger tonight and bought this one. It's gotten good reviews, and it's compact enough that it's not taking up our whole deck. We haven't built it yet, but are excited to get it done by the weekend. I have some delicious vegan hot dogs that I'm dying to grill up.

Til then, we're stuck with non-grilled food. These rollups are quickly becoming a standby for when I'm feeling uncreative, but Chip doesn't mind at all. He suggested adding tomato this time, and we'll see if it gets too wet and icky.



Whole wheat rollups with vegan "turkey" deli slices, hummus, organic redleaf lettuce, Campari tomato, and crimini mushrooms, organic vegan chili (the last of some leftovers), organic fair trade dark chocolate with almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, banana, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: February 11, 2010

This is probably the lunch with the most fruit and veggies that I've ever packed. I've slowly been working in more and more fruits and vegetables, and Chip hasn't protested yet. Since we're kinda laissez-faire about breakfast and dinner here, the best way to guarantee that we get lots of the middle of the pyramid (apparently grains are the bottom...who knew?) each day is to eat a lot of it at lunch. We eat broccoli like candy anyway, so this shouldn't be too difficult. I count this as five (!!!) fruits and veggies (according to this site):

2 servings: 1 cup of broccoli (1/2 cup of broccoli or 5 florets is a serving)
1 serving: 1 orange
1 serving: 2/3 cup applesauce
1 serving: tomato, onion, and peppers in the chili

And...this lunch just happens to be vegan! I never do that on purpose, but I'm always so glad when it turns out that way.

Chip's lunch: February 8, 2010

With the crazy snow storm that came through Ohio this weekend, we were in the mood for some winter comfort food. We were outdoors a fair amount in the snow: we shoveled, we walked dogs, I went running, etc. When I got back from my run on Saturday, I was pleased that Chip had started this chili cooking (to be fair, I chopped all the veggies, rinsed the beans, put the ingredients in the pot, and left him a note asking him to turn the stove on). It smells so good, and it tastes even better. This time, we added a habanero for the first time; it was *way* spicier than we expected! I would do it again, but I'd reduce the amount of chili powder for sure.

Chip and I took the dogs out to run around on Friday afternoon after he was done working. They had a ball! The snow was falling hard, but it was powdery and not terribly deep at the time. It's been a long time since I've seen snow falling so hard, with such huge flakes. It was just beautiful. I adore snow. When I was little, I loved it because I liked to go sledding and get off of school. I don't know why I still love it, but I really do. It just makes everything look so fresh and beautiful and peaceful. Here in Columbus, I love to walk through Walhalla Ravine in the snow. It's this beautiful refuge in the middle of the city.

A few photos of the fun on Friday:






And of course...Monday's lunch:



Homemade vegan chili, Quaker caramel rice cakes, half of a Gala apple, and homemade cornbread.

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: 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: 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: August 13, 2009

Oops...another dark photo.

I have to admit that I didn't cook this chili. It's Lightlife brand, from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Chip has loved this stuff for years, and I try to buy it whenever it's on sale.



Vegan chili, local cheddar jack cheese, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, Mott's no sugar added applesauce, and homemade cornbread with whole corn kernels.