My lunch: July 18, 2011

Here's the Katie version of this lunch. Mine has a pear in it; Chip won't eat pears. He is so missing out!



Rotini with homemade pesto and squash/zucchini from Laura's garden, CSA cherries, raw almonds, organic Packham pear, and a salad with CSA lettuce, organic mushrooms, and local pea sprouts.

Chip's lunch: July 18, 2011

OK so it has been forever. Life has gotten crazy, in ways good and bad, and blogging (and even making lunches) has taken a back seat. We're doing some catch up here for now, and I hope to be better at keeping up with this, as long as more things don't come up. You know, things like...

-Chip traveling for work

-Fostering massive quantities of kittens (they were returned to the shelter 3 weeks ago so they could be adopted)



-Renovating the (only) bathroom (which means using the toilet at the market down the street, showering at the gym, washing my hair in the kitchen sink, etc)



-Our cat, Max, being diagnosed with Feline Interstitial Cystitis



-Fostering lots of dogs, like these guys:

Darcass the Nite ("Nite")



Woody the cocker spaniel mix:



JA's Omar ("Alonzo")



-Throwing a 4-day long wedding at our house over Labor Day



-Cal getting half of his left ear bitten off in a freak accident (this required two nights at the vet and two surgeries)



So yeah. Things have been busy! We're hoping that life takes it easy on us for a while now; we're eager to get back to normal.

Here is Chip's lunch from July 18. On the 17th, we had dinner at our friends' house, and they sent some leftovers home with us, including this amazing homemade pesto pasta, with basil from the CSA we share with them. Yum!



Rotini with homemade pesto and squash/zucchini from Laura's garden, CSA cherries, raw almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, local apple, and a salad with CSA lettuce, organic mushrooms, and local pea sprouts.

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: April 12, 2011

Last week I had Chip stop at Whole Foods on his way home from work. I forget now what I sent him for, but I did tell him to feel free to pick up some of their house-made pesto if he wanted to. He did buy some, and told me how much he likes it; I had always thought he just kind of tolerates it. So, I whipped that pesto out on a busy morning, and ended up with this creation.

On a non-lunch-related note, I had the spinach on hand because I've been drinking a green monster every day for breakfast or lunch. A green monster is a smoothie with pretty much whatever ingredients you want, plus a big handful of spinach. You can't taste the spinach, but it adds some neat color, and more importantly, lots of nutrients. I make mine with a banana, a scoop of protein powder, ice, spinach, and some organic frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). Yum!



Organic Fuji apple, organic red bell pepper with spicy red pepper hummus, raw almonds, dried cranberries, Kashi oatmeal dark chocolate cookies, and organic whole wheat tri-color noodles with pesto, organic spinach, and organic tomato.

Chip's lunch: December 17, 2010

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.

Chip's lunch: November 9, 2010

A dilemma we face frequently: there's just a little bit of something left...what to do with it? We had a few tablespoons of pesto left. Not enough to put on noodles, which is our normal use for it. So I made what I always make when we have things to use up: rollups. I can put anything in a whole wheat wrap, and Chip will LOVE it. A few fruits and veggies round out a tasty lunch.



CSA Melrose apple, Navel orange, organic Thompson raisins, organic raw cashews, organic steamed cauliflower, and whole wheat rollups with pesto, organic redleaf lettuce, organic carrot, and Roma tomato from our garden.

Chip's lunch: October 26, 2010

So I'm no gardener, and I have no idea whether this is normal or not, but our Roma tomato plant gave us 20 tomatoes on Sunday. I gave a few to the neighbors, and I've been trying to throw tomatoes into everything we eat. So...pasta with tomatoes it is!



Organic whole wheat tri-color cavatappi with pesto and Roma tomato from our garden, baked breaded mushrooms, organic Thompson raisins, CSA corn and organic peas, and a CSA Northern Spy apple

Chip's lunch: July 13, 2010

Happy birthday Chip! Chip will be 25 on the day he eats this lunch. I can't believe it! He's younger than I, and I've always felt like he was really young. Eh, someday (too soon) I'll be 30 and he'll still be 27. That will make him seem really young again to me.

Anyway, we have two more "cleaning out the fridge" lunches. Whatever fruits and veggies we weren't able to finish, we've packed up to take to my parents' house. They'll enjoy the squash, zucchini, and carrots from our CSA, and I will take advantage of the strawberries, blueberries, and chard for some breakfast smoothies.

We'll snack on this in the car, though Chip will probably need to not be driving when he eats, since he'll need utensils. I was planning on driving most of the way anyway, so he can take advantage of the movies and such on his new iPod Touch (Flight of the Conchords, Psych, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall will be entertaining us on this trip, it seems).



Whole wheat rollups with natural peanut butter and grape jelly, milk chocolate from Europe, organic raw cashews, organic crispy almonds, organic Sultana golden raisins, Kashi apple cereal bar, organic Michigan applesauce, and organic whole wheat tri-color cavatappi with pesto and marinara sauces mixed together.

Chip's lunch: June 21, 2010

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

Chip's lunch: April 6, 2010

We adore mushrooms in this house. I love to order roasted Portobellos when we go out to restaurants, but for some reason I didn't think I could do them at home. Well...I went for it tonight, and I nailed it. These mushrooms were amazing, and the yellow peppers added a lot of flavor. Tonight for dinner I made Clean Eating Magazine's recipe for Chicken & Portobello Focaccia, but I subbed out the chicken in favor of strips of yellow pepper. It was incredible. I enjoyed every bite of that sandwich and was excited to make more for Chip's lunch tomorrow.

I put my own twist on the second sandwich (the one in this lunch) and I know Chip will love it. I roasted a Portobello cap and a quarter of a yellow pepper (both cut into strips) at 400* for 15 minutes (sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with spices and sea salt and pepper). So easy and so delicious and healthy.



Sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread with roasted organic Portobello and organic yellow pepper, Roma tomato, organic redleaf lettuce, and pesto, banana, Nature Valley granola bar, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic flame raisins, almonds, and a whole Navel orange.

Sarah's lunch: April 2, 2010

You read that right. When I have guests in town, I make them eat food out of tiny little boxes. My friend from college, Sarah, is here in Columbus, and she is ridiculously enthusiastic about my lunches. So I bought her a Laptop Lunch set, and I made her first lunch! Something is telling me that the experience of eating it will be better than the food...she's beside herself with excitement.

It was really fun to pack lunch for someone besides Chip or myself, and I hope I get to do it again soon. Sarah, I hope your first Laptop Lunch is everything you want it to be. I feel like it would only be better if Mariah Carey were in one of the containers.



Organic tri-color whole wheat rotini with pesto, Parm, and crushed red pepper, white bean and spinach soup, natural Fruit Roll-Up, homemade brownie, hummus, and blanched vegetables (red pepper and asparagus) with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Chip's lunch: April 2, 2010

I feel like this is a fun springtime lunch. The weather got warm - almost hot - overnight here, and this light lunch full of vegetables feels just right for this time of year.



Organic whole wheat tri-color rotini with pesto and fresh Roma tomato, white bean and spinach soup, organic flame raisins, organic dark chocolate with almonds, homemade brownie, hummus, and blanched vegetables (red pepper and asparagus) with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Chip's lunch: March 15, 2010

Once again, we had such a busy day that I was a bit too tired to make lunch on Sunday night. And once again, I'm making up for it with a caprese! And some Morningstar Chik'n Nuggets. We were at the grocery store this evening when Chip remarked that he would pay good money to anyone who could make a vegetarian version of Burger King chicken nuggets. We both remember those from our childhoods. I think the secret is black pepper. They were so delicious. So...we picked up some Morningstar and will just have to pretend, I guess.



Organic tri color whole wheat rotini with organic spinach, mushrooms, garlic, Parm, olive oil, and spices, caprese with local mozzarella, Campari tomatoes, and pesto, Nature Valley granola bar, organic raisins, organic raw almonds, organic fair trade 70% dark chocolate, local Ohio honey, and Morningstar Farms chik'n nuggets.

Chip's lunch: March 8, 2010

Oh, it's back to another work week. We had beautiful weather here in Ohio this weekend...and it was about time! We saw 50 degrees for the first time since probably late September. I went out for a run today and along the way I saw so many people out, working on their houses, riding bikes, running, walking, sitting on porches, etc. It's amazing what a little bit of sun can do for one's motivation. Chip spent the day working on his motorcycle; he needs to get it back into shape after winter in the garage. Soon enough he'll be moto-ing to work every day!

We spent the afternoon in the backyard with our dogs and our friends and their Lab, Moly (yep...just one "L"). Heidi really liked her and the two girls had fun running around while Cal obsessed over some tennis balls. In other Heidi news, she and Cal have officially decided to be friends. They played this morning for a while before I woke up (which is exactly what our first foster and Cal did...every morning they played around in our bed for a half hour, then spent a half hour scrapping in the backyard). Chip got some photographic evidence for me:



And this evening I made some clean oatmeal cookies. I'm not gonna lie: I added a little extra sweetener. We like things sweet. And I figure...cookies should taste amazing. Why make a bunch of blah cookies when you can make a bunch of awesome cookies? Right? They turned out really well. I like oatmeal cookies to have tons of oats; I love the texture and I feel like they're good for me.



Organic Golden Delicious apple, steamed broccoli with butter and sea salt, clean oatmeal cookies (with organic local oats!), and organic tri color whole wheat rotini (the colors come from spinach, beets, and carrot) with local pesto and fresh chopped tomato.

Chip's lunch: December 18, 2009

Our second Bento 2.0 lunch was just as good as the first. Chip really loved the sandwich below, but what else is new? I could slap anything on two pieces of bread and he'd eat it and love it.



Jonathan apple, whole grain Goldfish, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, whole banana, sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread (from Crumbs bakery) with organic spinach, organic greenleaf lettuce, sharp cheddar, sliced mushrooms, and pesto.

Chip's lunch: December 15, 2009

The lentil soup is back! This time I added three chopped carrots to the recipe. Chip refuses to eat carrots that aren't disguised, so I figured this was a good way to get him his beta carotene. The soup turned out well again...it's just so easy!

I also sneaked some pesto and some carrot into the wrap; he noticed and liked the pesto, and had no idea about the carrot.



Farmers' market winesap apple, whole wheat rollups with local mild cheddar, organic spinach, pesto, shaved carrot (shhh! he didn't notice!), and locally made organic hummus, whole grain Goldfish, and homemade vegan lentil soup.

Chip's lunch: November 9, 2009

This lunch is the first of several in which I have begun to sneak in some pesto. I. Love. Pesto. I eat it on pretty much anything, and that includes directly from a spoon. I love it a lot. Chip isn't so much sold on it, for reasons that I can't possibly fathom. So beginning with this lunch, I started to sneak it into things, and he's growing to like it more and more now. Success!



Whole wheat rotini with vegetarian "meat sauce" (organic marinara sauce, to which I added garlic, spices, and Morningstar crumbles) and a spoonful of pesto, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, farmers' market Jonagold apple, and a banana.

Chip's lunch: July 7, 2009

This is a lunch that even 6 months later, I remember very well! On July 6, we got our mortgage commitment for our new house. To celebrate, we went out to dinner at a lovely little Italian restaurant in our new hometown. Basi Italia is an adorable little restaurant in Victorian Village in Columbus. The food is simple but unique, and they use a variety of local ingredients. It's SO tiny inside, but that also made it intimate and romantic. We loved our dinner, and Chip loved getting the leftovers in his lunch the next day! And yay for getting some color into Chip's lunchbox (even if I didn't actually make the food)!



Orecchiette with pesto and pine nuts, Margarita pizza with spinach, cinnamon grahams with peanut butter, and apple with peanut butter.