My lunch: September 30, 2011

On Thursday night, we had what we call "kids' dinner" at our house. It involves fake meat (usually some kind of fake chicken, like vegetarian chicken nuggets), some kind of veggie (often broccoli), and mac and cheese. We got a 15-pack of Annie's organic mac and cheese at Costco (total impulse buy), and I figured we needed to start using it up! I grilled the Quorn cutlet with some spices and yum! I swear it's just like chicken, but I know better than to trust my 8-year-old memory of meat now!



Marinated and grilled Quorn cutlet, Annie's organic mac and cheese, organic Cajun cashews, organic carrots, and a CSA pear.

My lunch: August 22, 2011

My version of this lunch includes some local Feta cheese (very tangy, and very delicious) and strawberries. I've been eating strawberries every morning with breakfast for the past two months. I think I'm about ready to move on, but for a while now, strawberries are one of the only fruits I've felt like eating. We got some great ones while they were in season here in Ohio, but I suppose I should try something else for now.



Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrots, local Feta, CSA heirloom tomatoes, and marinated/grilled Quorn cutlet, organic strawberries, raw almonds, and 1/2 a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and organic strawberry preserves

Chip's lunch: August 22, 2011

I managed to pack one lunch during the entire time we spent renovating the bathroom, and this was it. I don't remember having time to grill these Quorn cutlets, but apparently I did it! Those three weeks of insomnia were such a blur...



Salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrots, Parmesan cheese, San Marzano tomato from our garden, and marinated/grilled Quorn cutlet, organic blackberry applesauce, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, and 1/2 a PB&J on organic whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and organic grape jam.

My lunch: July 5, 2011

Someone at work the other day had a turkey and avocado sandwich and I got really jealous. It's just not the same for vegetarians! I got some Tofurkey veggie lunchmeat and made some wraps, and they turned out pretty well. I got some beautiful lettuce from our garden; I bought the Revolution lettuce seedlings at the farmers' market, and they grew really well! It's a nice dark red color, and aside from looking pretty, it tastes fantastic!



Whole wheat rollups with vegan smoked turkey, avocado, Campari tomato, Revolution lettuce from our garden, and organic tahini, organic vanilla soy yogurt with CSA blueberries, raw almonds, raspberries from the farmers' market, and and organic D'Anjou pear.

Chip's lunch: June 6, 2011

Over the weekend I grilled up some sausages from the Grain Meat Co. We love their Italian sausages: they're fairly authentic and nice and spicy, with plenty of salt. With some sauteed peppers and onions on a whole wheat roll, it's a nice complete meal that tastes like something you'd get at a ballpark or a backyard barbecue.



Grain Meat Co. Italian sausage with sauteed onions and organic bell pepper, steamed broccoli, raw almonds, dried cherries, locally produced pesto with homemade whole wheat herb focaccia, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: May 24, 2011

Unfortunately, our Costco has stopped stocking the Gardein 7-grain Crispy Tenders. We haven't been eating tons of them now, because instead of costing about $.10 each from Costco, they're at least $.50 each from the grocery store. I needed a quick lunch on this day though, and these are about as quick as it gets!

I got goldenrod honey at the farmers' market from the guy in the photo in this article. Goldenrod honey is extra fancy, and has a distinct butterscotch-y taste. I've been enjoying it in green tea, but I can't say Chip has noticed how tasty it is himself.



Gardein 7-grain Crispy Tenders, local honey, organic applesauce, dried cranberries, organic raw cashews, banana, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, local cherry tomatoes, organic carrots, and avocado.

Chip's lunch: May 2, 2011

In my latest adventures in breadmaking, I decided to try focaccia. A friend told me about this amazing focaccia she'd gotten at Costco. I saw it there, and put it in my cart. As I was walking through the store, I said to myself, "wait...maybe I could make that myself." I replaced it on the shelf, and when I got home, I got right to work. As before, my stand mixer did the kneading, so I got to do the fun parts (brushing on the olive oil and herbs, and then eating the finished product).

The focaccia tasted awesome, and I might never forget it. As soon as it came out of the oven, I sliced up a few pieces, and got out some marinara sauce to dip it in. While I was doing this, the President came on TV to announce that Osama bin Laden had been killed. We munched on focaccia and were glued to the news for hours. Funny how some things just get burned into your memory.



Organic Gala apple, banana, pecans, dried cherries, organic marinara sauce, veggie pepperoni, and homemade whole wheat focaccia.

Chip's lunch: April 11, 2011

I've been really into spicy foods lately, and decided to satisfy that with some Jerk "chicken." My dad always made great jerk chicken when I was growing up, but when I called to ask for the recipe, he confessed that he'd misplaced it. So I went off in search of a new recipe, and found this one. I decided to give it a shot, though I was nervous, since the last time I tried an unknown jerk recipe, I was not a fan. This recipe turned out perfectly: lots of smoky spiciness, and plenty of garlic and onion. I added some chopped green onion and extra cinnamon (1/4 tsp isn't nearly enough), left out the cumin, and used one Habanero pepper. Yum!



Organic Fuji apple, mushroom and brown rice pilaf, dried cranberries, pecans, steamed asparagus, and Jamaican jerk Quorn "chicken."

Chip's lunch: April 6, 2011

I was running short on time and ideas this morning, when I remembered that I'd made a trip to Trader Joe's earlier in the week. Chip loves their fake meat, and the "chicken-less stuffed cutlet with black beans and corn" is always a hit. It's an easy way for me to up the protein in his lunch by a lot.



Organic Fuji apple, steamed asparagus with Parmesan cheese, pecans, dried cranberries, Kashi oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies, and Trader Joe's chicken-less stuffed cutlet with black beans and corn.

Chip's lunch: January 3, 2011

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.

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 18, 2010

When I went on my Gardein-buying binge a few weeks ago, I must've inadvertently picked up some of the Gardein Beefless Tips. They're not my favorite, so I made them for dinner on Wednesday, a night on which I wasn't terribly hungry. I looked up a recipe for brown sauce that didn't include oyster sauce (not easy to find), and I had dinner on the table in a few short minutes. The brown sauce was not my cup of tea, though Chip loved it. It's not often that we get to eat Chinese food, since it so frequently contains non-vegetarian ingredients (oyster sauce, beef broth, pork, pork fat, fish, etc). Chip was happy to take these leftovers and he enjoyed them again at lunch.



Gardein beefless tips with organic broccoli, organic cauliflower, and steamed organic brown rice in homemade brown sauce, banana, organic Thompson raisins, and half of an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: November 5, 2010

Gardein is back in our house in a big way. For a while, we had been buying the 7-Grain Crispy Tenders in a bag of 50 from Costco. It was only $12 or so...really cheap. When that was discontinued, we went into Gardein withdrawal, because at the grocery store, a pack of 10 is $5. When these went on sale half price at Kroger, I *may* have bought them out. We like them that much. They're super convenient, have tons of protein, taste really good, and are clean. So, they're pretty much perfect.

As always, Chip was extremely excited for the PB&J rolls. He expressed his excitement in the morning when he saw me making them, and even when he got home, he reminded me how much he'd enjoyed them. Seriously...it's the simple things that make this guy happy!



Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders, local Ohio honey, steamed organic cauliflower with sea salt and black pepper, organic dried cherries, organic blackberry applesauce, and whole wheat rollups with natural peanut butter and jelly.

Chip's lunch: November 4, 2010

I fired up the grill again for Wednesday's dinner. I had been in the mood for Red Robin (specifically the Whiskey River burger, sans mayo, with a Boca patty), but there isn't one really nearby. Plus, it's expensive. So...I made some homemade burgers that were almost as good. We had one left over for lunch, and I used our last homegrown tomato for this lunch. The nights have been getting below 30* here, and even covering the garden with a plastic sheet has not protected the plants, unfortunately. So...our garden was good to us, but it has now retired. Can't wait for next summer's garden!



Vegan Boca patty with Tillamook Cheddar cheese on a whole wheat roll, Roma tomato from our garden, organic redleaf lettuce, homemade clean oatmeal cookies, banana, and a CSA Gold Rush apple.

Chip's lunch: November 2, 2010

I made sure we had plenty of leftovers from dinner so Chip could have a nice lunch. But...he packed this up himself! He even took the photo. This isn't what I would've packed or how I would've packed it, but he loved it, and that's what matters!

Also, I made turnips for the first time ever. I'd eaten them a few times growing up, but Chip had never had them. I found this recipe and veganized it. Chip enjoyed it and said he never would've guessed that he wasn't eating potatoes.



Gardein scallopini (grilled with Cajun spices), steamed asparagus, banana, Clif Builder bar, homemade trail mix (organic raw cashews, raw almonds, organic chocolate chips, organic Thompson raisins), and mashed CSA turnips.

Chip's lunch: October 28, 2010

Chip called me from work while he was eating this to tell me that it was possibly his favorite lunch ever. I made it for dinner on Wednesday night, and made sure to have enough leftovers for the next day. This VegeUSA vegan pepper steak is kind of expensive, so it's a once in a while treat. It's so easy and requires no forethought or real preparation...awesome for a busy evening!



Organic steamed broccoli, VegeUSA vegan pepper steak, brown rice pilaf, organic blackberry applesauce, Kashi granola bar, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: September 20, 2010

This lunch was a rush job this morning. Since we had some CSA veggies to use up, I decided to invent some quinoa with vegetables. While that was cooking, I threw together everything else. The rollups were the last part. I considered adding another fruit, but I'm trying to watch the sugar in these lunches. I had bought these Field Roast Wild Mushroom Deli Slices the other day, and figured some rollups were another good way to use that up, as well as some more CSA veggies. I didn't realize it until now, but this lunch is vegan too! I love when that happens.



Organic quinoa with organic peas and CSA corn, homemade vegan pumpkin bread, organic Thompson raisins, organic dark chocolate, organic dried cranberries, whole wheat rollups with Field Roast, CSA kale, organic mushrooms, and Roma tomato from our garden, and a September Wonder apple from the farmers' market.

Chip's lunch: September 15, 2010

I threw this one together this morning. I was out later than usual last night, doing a home visit for a prospective adopter for one of our fosters. If all goes to plan, she will go home on Friday! I saved asparagus from last night's dinner for lunch, and everything else took just a few minutes this morning.



Gardein 7-Grain Crispy Tenders, local Ohio honey, banana, organic dried cranberries, organic dark chocolate, organic Thompson raisins, steamed asparagus with sea salt and pepper, and a Cara Cara Navel orange.

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 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.