My lunch: September 26, 2011

When we got a pumpkin in our CSA, I was excited to make my own pumpkin puree. I'd meant to do it last year, and I just never got around to it. This time, I did it right, and it turned out so well! I halved the pumpkin and scooped out the seeds and pulp. I baked the two pieces for almost an hour. When it was done, I just scooped out the flesh and tossed it in the food processor. It turned out lighter in color and it smelled less strongly than the stuff from a can, but it tasted divine. I used it in this pumpkin bread and froze the rest (to be used in another tasty pumpkin recipe next week).



Pineapple cashew quinoa with organic quinoa, organic edamame, organic local red bell pepper, and organic broccoli, organic kiwi, organic Cajun cashews, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and an apple from our CSA

Chip's lunch: September 26, 2011

I hate apologizing for my crap camera, but here I go again. It takes really unfortunate pictures indoors, but I didn't have daylight to take this photo!

This stir fry was really good, and it got me to break out the quinoa, which I had sort of forgotten about. A little bit of blog browsing the other day brought me to this recipe: Pineapple Cashew Quinoa. I discovered over Christmas last year that not only am I no longer allergic to pineapple, but it is DELICIOUS! I am so in love with pineapple now! I love sweet and salty things too (thank you, Jeni's salty caramel ice cream), and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. We both liked it a lot, and it was a nice, summery, packed-with-protein meal.



Pineapple cashew quinoa with organic quinoa, organic edamame, organic local red bell pepper, and organic broccoli, banana, organic macadamia nuts, organic Sultana golden raisins, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and an apple from our CSA.

My lunch: July 19, 2011

My version of this lunch has some local blackberries in it instead of the cauliflower (which is delicious, by the way). I never really ate blackberries growing up, and have learned to love them in the past two years as an Ohioan. They're really prevalent here in the summer, and they've become one of my favorite local fruits.



Ginger soy tofu and edamame stir fry with organic tofu, organic edamame, organic cashews, local green beans, and organic bell pepper, organic brown rice, pecans, organic Sultana golden raisins, local blackberries, and a CSA apple.

Chip's lunch: July 19, 2011

This is another recipe that we've tried from Clean Eating Magazine. I've found that most stir fries seem to taste the same after a while...soy sauce, garlic, ginger, veggies. So what's new? This one includes a few unusual ingredients that make it unique (honey and mustard, for example), and we both appreciated the change. Of course, I didn't tell Chip this one has mustard in it until after he ate it, because he thinks he hates mustard, but he might have to reconsider now!

Since I started working, I've been doing my best to plan meals for the week each Sunday. It's a lot of work, both in the planning part (leafing through blogs, cookbooks, etc) and the preparation part. But it makes life so much easier during the week, that it's absolutely worth it. I think part of what makes it so helpful is that I do some prep work on Sunday (i.e. for this recipe, I chopped veggies, pressed tofu, and made the sauce), but also that I just don't have to think about things during the week. I've got my little list of lunches and dinners for each day, and I can just fly through it all without a second thought.



Ginger soy tofu and edamame stir fry with organic tofu, organic edamame, organic cashews, local green beans, and organic bell pepper, organic brown rice, pecans, organic Sultana golden raisins, local graffiti cauliflower, and a CSA apple.

Chip's lunch: September 21, 2010

Here's another meal that was born of having tons of CSA veggies on hand and trying to be creative with them. The rice took forever to cook, but the rest was really easy. Just threw the rice and veggies into the wok, added some other tasty stuff (garlic, onion, soy sauce, Sriracha), et voila! It was really tasty, and we both got leftovers for our lunches!



Fried rice with organic local brown rice, organic peas, farmers' market green beans, CSA bell pepper, and CSA corn, organic edamame with sea salt, organic Thompson raisins, organic dried cranberries, Navy bean pie, and a CSA red delicious apple.

Chip's lunch: July 27, 2010

We've been having dinners with no leftovers lately, which means that lunches have required some extra work. This one feels a little uninspired, but Chip was pretty excited about the rice. It's modified from a recipe my mom used to make growing up, called Browned Rice in Bouillon. It's pretty easy: saute some garlic and chopped onion in olive oil for a few minutes, then add rice and saute for five minutes. Add broth, cover, and simmer until done. It's a really basic recipe, but with some peas added in, it's got plenty of protein, veggies, and flavor.



Organic brown rice with CSA onion, organic garlic, organic vegetable broth, and organic peas, organic edamame with sea salt, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic applesauce with organic vanilla, and grilled sesame asparagus.

Chip's lunch: July 7, 2010

We're back! Chip returned safe and sound from the Netherlands. He got to be at the first stage of the Tour de France, which was an awesome experience. He had a productive and exhausting trip. He saw lots of bikes, ate tons of tasty food, visited his uncles (who live in Den Haag), and even met a greyhound!



Which reminds me. While Chip was gone, another foster fell into my lap (meaning: Chip wasn't here to tell me no). Meet PTL Black Prize. He is a big, gentle, sweet boy, and he fits in here so well. He came to our house last Saturday, and it was the first time I'd had four dogs here. He's really easy, and I think Cal likes having a male buddy around. In other greyhound news, our foster Queenly will be adopted this weekend, and we're really excited about it!



Here's tomorrow's lunch. For the next few days I imagine things will be pretty boring here, because Chip and I are headed to Maryland next week to visit our families. Impending vacation = eating the perishable food that's around and not buying more. The one wrench in these plans is that we pick up our CSA this Saturday. Perhaps Monday we'll have a lunch full of apricots, cherries, lettuce, chard, and sage. Unfortunately there's only one thing on that list that Chip eats. Then again, Branny hides foods her husband doesn't like...maybe I could make some kind of smoothie out of those things? I'm sure it would taste awesome. Ha!



Local green beans, organic steamed edamame with sea salt, Kashi trail mix bar, organic "crispy almonds," organic Sultana golden raisins, organic raw cashews, Speculaas (Dutch cookies that Chip absolutely loves), barbecue sauce, and Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders.

Chip's lunch: March 30, 2010

My goal with this lunch was to perk Chip up. The tart orange might do the trick, and he loves anything involving noodles and tomato sauce. And he's a raisin-holic lately, so perhaps they will help too. Work has been crazy and the weather has been crap, and we're both kinda in a funk. I hope this lunch puts a smile on his face. I'm more of an emotional eater than he is, but I definitely think that a healthy, well-balanced meal can put someone in a better mood.



Navel orange, organic edamame with sea salt, organic Thompson raisins, organic local applesauce, and organic whole wheat tri-color noodles with tomato basil sauce and asparagus.

Chip's lunch: March 24, 2010

So close! After I packed this lunch I realized it was almost vegan. If I went back and took out that slice of cheese, it would be the third vegan lunch in a row. Shoot!

Oh well. This one has a brownie in it, which I hope makes up for the non-veganness. It's made from a gluten free and vegan mix sent to me by one of my bff's from California. She's a celiac and has helped me understand this condition a lot more. While you'll never find me anywhere near tapioca bread or rice pasta, I do think these brownies are tasty. They've very crumbly, but the flavor is awesome.



Whole Navel orange, organic edamame with sea salt, organic Thompson flame raisins, organic raw almonds, gluten free and vegan brownie, and a sandwich on local whole wheat bread with hummus, organic salsa, organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, red onion, and local American cheese.

My lunch: March 20, 2010

Another Saturday, another greyhound meet and greet. This time it was Heidi's turn, and I was very excited for her. Two applications came in to the rescue group this past week, and she's one of just three dogs available at the moment. I was so excited for her to turn up the charm. She's very sweet, and her fur is so soft, and her tail is so wiggly...she's irresistible. Except that instead of hang out with people, she did this the whole time.



So afterwards as we drove home, I snacked on the things below, so I wouldn't pull into the nearest Chipotle and stuff my face. She napped in the backseat, since she'd had such a hard day of napping already.



Natural peanut butter on sprouted grain bread, organic edamame, banana, and organic baby carrots.

Chip's lunch: March 12, 2010

It's finally Friday! To celebrate, I have included a *very* special treat in today's lunch. It's something we get extremely rarely, so that makes this lunch at least 50% more awesome than it already was. It was already awesome because it's all finger foods; no utensils required! This is Chip's favorite kind of lunch.

As usual, it's been a long work week and I hope that this lunch brightens his workday so he can make it to the weekend. Though also as usual, we have a weekend full of greyhound plans (picking up a new foster early Saturday morning, a parade later that morning, and a meet and greet that afternoon). Though I'm sure we'll miss an hour of sleep on Sunday, we will definitely enjoy the extra hour of sunlight on Sunday evening. Looks like the weekend will be warm, and not a moment too soon!

Chip's lunch: February 3, 2010

Yum! Tons of protein is packed into this lunch: in the tofu, edamame, and peanut butter. Chip's been lifting and working out several times a week, and I'm going to have to adjust his lunches accordingly. I'm really proud of him for taking care of himself, especially since I know that doing cardio at the gym just really isn't his cup of tea. I can't wait for it to be warm out so we can go for bike rides together outdoors.

Note that the tofu and edamame are both organic. I try to make sure that all of the soy we eat is non-GMO. I do my best not to go too insane thinking about what we're eating and where it comes from, and I also try not to buy into conspiracy theories. But GMO soy is icky for a lot of reasons (biodiversity, control of the food supply, lack of reputable studies regarding the effects of the consumption of genetically modified organisms, etc), so I like to avoid it if I can.



Fried rice with organic tofu and broccoli, whole wheat peanut butter and grape jelly rollups, Quaker granola bar, organic edamame, and a whole Gala apple.

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.

Chip's lunch: July 16, 2009

I went with a bit of an Asian theme with this lunch. I made the pad thai for dinner the evening before, and took it from there. The shu mai are from Trader Joe's...I definitely didn't make them myself! And the wrap includes quinoa; I usually cook up a batch and keep it in the fridge so I can add it to Chip's lunches. My favorite way to make quinoa is with vegetable bouillon, cumin, garlic, and just a touch of chili powder.

The pad thai is as easy as our fried rice. We start with A Taste of Thai Pad Thai For Two. We make it according to the package, adding broccoli and tofu, and finally adding soy sauce, Sriracha, garlic, evaporated cane juice, and ginger to taste. Sometimes if we have eggs sitting around that need to be eaten, we specifically make this dinner so we can throw in a few eggs.



Homemade pad thai with tofu and broccoli, edamame shu mai, Double Stuf Oreos, whole wheat/flaxseed/oatmeal wrap with red pepper hummus, quinoa, lettuce and spinach (cut into "maki"), and an apple with peanut butter.