Showing posts with label Green Beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Beans. Show all posts

Monday, September 26, 2011

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.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Chip's lunch: February 18, 2011

It's fried rice day again! I confess that I always make it same way: Trader Joe's fried rice with sauteed tofu and steamed broccoli. We were running low on broccoli, so I *gasp* threw in some green beans! Don't worry; it tasted just fine. We're still very much enjoying our Twin Oaks tofu, and are so glad it's available in Ohio now.



Homemade fried rice with organic tofu, broccoli, and green beans, homemade vegan peanut butter cookies, pecans, watermelon, and an organic Jonagold apple.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Chip's lunch: February 15, 2011

Chip really enjoyed his last crackers and cheese lunch. He was able to kind of snack on it all day, and the non-finger foods that were in it didn't actually get eaten because he was too busy to take a few minutes to heat them up and eat them with utensils. That sounds ridiculous when I write it out...but he is a really busy guy! I think he could eat all of this lunch with his hands, except the tofu. Yes, we eat green beans and asparagus spears with our hands...totally normal, right?



Kashi whole grain crackers, local pepper jack cheese, local Colby cheese, banana, dried cherries, organic dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, tofu scramble, and steamed green beans and asparagus.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Chip's lunch: February 10, 2011

We had leftovers for dinner last night, which means...nothing exciting or new for lunch. Somehow we've amassed quite the collection of veggies though, so I was able to slice them and steam them up with some quinoa for a nice balanced lunch.

We've been getting some of our produce at Costco. While we do have access to a fair amount of organic and local produce at the co-op up the street, well...it gets expensive. So if it's not on the Dirty Dozen list, we get it at Costco. So far, so good! We were also buying organic dried cranberries at the co-op, and they were far more expensive than was prudent. So the ones you see here are Craisins from Costco! Whenever we can find unsalted nuts, we get those at Costco too. Can you tell how much I love Costco?



Organic quinoa with mixed veggies (organic yellow bell pepper, green beans, asparagus, organic peas, and broccoli) organic blood orange, dried cranberries, raw almonds, and a banana.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Chip's lunch: February 7, 2011

Maple! I had never considered using maple in a marinade until I came across this recipe in a search for a new way to make tempeh. I'm not huge on maple, but I do really love salty + sweet (mmm...kettle corn). I gave it a shot and it was amazing. The brown rice and plain green beans were the perfect complement to the flavorful tempeh. The marinade is really simple to make, but so complex when you taste it: salty, sweet, spicy. Yum!



Grilled organic tempeh with maple soy glaze, organic brown rice, and steamed green beans, banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, and whole wheat rollups with hummus, organic Boston lettuce, Campari tomatoes, and organic yellow bell pepper.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Chip's lunch: September 29, 2010

I've been trying to get up early enough to get lunch packed in the morning, so I can get a picture of it in the morning light. Did you notice that Chip didn't get lunch yesterday? Yeah. I sleep like a rock. I would love to wake up early enough, but I never even hear the alarm clock! I'm working on it.

Anyway, I threw this together this morning because I actually got up on time. We had dinner out with friends last night, and no leftovers. So I did what I always do: threw a bunch of stuff on a wrap and cut it into maki. It looks pretty, it's full of veggies, and Chip loves it.

The pumpkin bread is the usual recipe. I think this is the fourth batch I've made. And it happened...I ruined it. I do that with everything. I watch it, eat it, listen to it, etc. so much that it stops being awesome. Chip tries to help me, but it's inevitable that this happens from time to time. So...we're going to make it through this batch and then maybe enter an open relationship with our baked goods...maybe it's time for some cookies next, or maybe zucchini bread?



Farmers' market steamed green beans, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic dried cherries, organic dried cranberries, organic dark chocolate chips, organic applesauce, whole wheat rollups with hummus, Roma tomato from our garden, CSA kale, organic carrots, organic pine nuts, and organic mushrooms.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Chip's lunch: September 14, 2010

Knowing I had some CSA potatoes to use up, as well as that expensive saffron sitting in the spice rack, I decided to invent a recipe for saffron mashed potatoes. Aldo's in Baltimore is one of our favorite restaurants, and their lobster saffron mashed potatoes used to be one of my favorite foods. I tried to replicate that, and it turned out really well. Making the potatoes was the easy part (although I had literally never made mashed potatoes in my life). Trying to figure out a vegetarian protein that would pair well with them was tougher.

I settled on BBQ tempeh (very loosely based on this recipe). I sauteed up a bunch of veggies, then added sliced tempeh, water, OJ, and barbecue sauce. Chip really liked it! Both parts of our dinner were a change for us, and I appreciate that Chip is always up for something different (different as in something we have infrequently, but not different as in pineapple, yogurt, or blueberries...ha!).



Barbecued organic tempeh with CSA white satin carrot, CSA orange bell pepper, CSA chili peppers, onion, and Roma tomatoes from our garden, saffron mashed potatoes with organic soy milk and CSA potatoes, organic dried cranberries, organic Thompson raisins, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, and local green beans from the farmers' market.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Chip's lunch: July 9, 2010

Another "cleaning out the refrigerator" kind of lunch here. The only thing we didn't have on hand already is the bread. I don't eat much bread, so I don't keep any around while Chip is out of town. I bought a small loaf today and if we have too much by the time we're supposed to leave for Maryland, perhaps we'll have some sandwiches in the car!

This is another lunch that I got completely assembled except for one container that I just couldn't fill! I gave Chip the option of peanut butter and pretzels or quinoa. You can see what he picked!



Sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread, organic avocado, organic tomato, lettuce from our garden, and organic baby spinach, organic Fuji apple, Speculaas, milk chocolate from the Netherlands, organic raw cashews, organic crispy almonds, pretzel snaps, natural peanut butter, organic corn, and local green beans.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

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.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Chip's lunch: June 24, 2010

Here we go again. Chip leaves tomorrow afternoon for Holland, so this is the last lunch I'll pack for a while. I might be able to pack him some snacks for the plane, but I'm not sure yet if I'll do that. If not, I'll see you in two weeks! I'm hoping that Chip will come back with some treats that may make appearances in some lunches...or in my belly. Last year he brought back chocolate and waffles from Belgium, and on a different trip he brought back butter cookies from Holland. And after a trip to Spain he brought me back some regaliz. Oh man...Spanish licorice. One kind is red licorice filled with vanilla stuff, and the other kind is vanilla stuff wrapped around red licorice. I ate it all and then realized it's made with gelatin. I felt terrible. But it's so delicious.


OK anyway...back to lunch...



Salad with CSA lettuce, organic baby spinach, organic cucumber, organic red pepper, and Roma tomato from our garden, watermelon, organic Sultana golden raisins, locally made organic whole wheat bagel with natural peanut butter, and local green beans/green beans from our garden (steamed with Smart Balance, sea salt, and black pepper).

Monday, June 21, 2010

Chip's lunch: June 22, 2010

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).

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Chip's lunch: June 16, 2010

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.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Chip's lunch: June 7, 2010

This is much more colorful than Friday's lunch! I was able to include some of the goodies we picked up at the farmers' market. Usually when we acquire produce, I immediately wash it and then prepare it to be eaten. So for strawberries, I cut off the tops and cut the berries into smaller pieces, with green beans I cut the ends off, with asparagus I cut the ends off, lettuce gets chopped and thrown in the salad spinner (which is kept in the fridge), etc. That way, it's super easy to grab a fruit or veggie in a hurry. It took no time at all to steam up these green beans, and while doing so, I snacked on some amazing local strawberries that were ready to be eaten in the fridge.



Sandwich on local whole wheat bread with Tofurkey deli slices, organic local pepper jack cheese, Campari tomatoes, and organic redleaf lettuce, organic Sultana golden raisins, organic fair trade dark chocolate with almonds, chocolate chip Clif bar (this will probably be a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack), banana, and local organic steamed green beans.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Chip's lunch: February 26, 2010

First, I have to apologize for the terrible picture. I packed lunch, went to get the camera, fell asleep, woke up, took the photo, and stumbled upstairs. I promise this looks and tastes much better than this photo makes it seem!

Two weeks ago I went to Whole Foods with a friend for lunch. I grabbed some Szechuan green beans from the hot bar and I had to restrain myself from shoveling them all in my mouth at once. They were so delicious! I hadn't had them since college, where there was this nasty Chinese buffet up the road from campus, and we'd all go and stuff our faces and hate life for 24 hours. So I looked up a recipe and figured I should try and make them myself. I didn't know until I searched online that the green beans are usually deep fried in canola oil. No wonder they were so painful in college! I steamed mine and then tossed them in the sauce. I think they turned out OK. Chip loved them, but I thought they were just OK. Definitely not as satisfying as the ones from Whole Foods, but definitely cleaner.



Szechuan green beans with organic tofu and organic brown rice, no sugar added applesauce with nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice, and half of a PB&J on Ezekiel bread.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

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 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 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.