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.

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: 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 12, 2010

Our garden gave us a beautiful big zucchini, so I fired up the grill last night for dinner. The zucchini was good...I mean, it tasted like any other zucchini, but it was extra fun because I picked it myself.

The apple in this lunch came from the farmers' market. There's this slightly grumpy older gentleman there who sells the world's best apples. When they're in season, we get Jonagolds, but that's not for another month or so. For now, we're eating "early Jonagolds." They are a little mealier, and yellow instead of red. But the flavor is great, and the apples are the perfect size.



Grilled zucchini from our garden, organic banana, organic Sultana golden raisins, Nature Valley granola bar, local early Jonagold apple, and a salad with organic greenleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, local organic grape tomatoes, organic mushroom, and grilled Quorn cutlet.

Chip's lunch: August 2, 2010

Our fruit bowl had one single pathetic thing in it tonight (after I cut up the banana): a kiwi. Chip eats kiwi, but he doesn't love it. I'm allergic, so obviously I'm not eating it. I told him he could have "chicken" nuggets if he'd also take the kiwi. Sometimes getting lunch packed requires some bargaining!



Quorn chik'n nuggets, barbecue sauce, organic kiwi, Kashi granola bar, banana, salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, red onion, organic carrot, and Roma tomato from our garden. I also included a little cup of guacamole for the salad.

Chip's lunch: December 3, 2009

Another very green lunch! Can you tell that Chip is eating more and more veggies as time progresses?

Note that I also included a 2-pack of Berger cookies as a dessert; it just wouldn't fit inside the box. Not only are they delicious, but they are a very special treat since they are only available in the Baltimore area. We bought a bunch of them when we were in Maryland over Thanksgiving.



Salad with romaine lettuce, organic spinach, and Quorn "chicken" with black pepper garlic marinade, steamed broccoli, brown rice pilaf, locally-made organic hummus (for salad dressing), and a banana...a really huge banana.

Chip's lunch: September 24, 2009

Lots of color in this one! Most of it was left over from the previous night's dinner. The rice is a recipe my mom used to make when I was younger (tweaked to make it vegetarian and a touch more wholesome). The recipe is called Browned Rice in Bouillon, and it's garlicky, buttery, and yummy!



Browned brown rice in bouillon, steamed organic local broccoli, Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, Quorn "chicken" with spicy marinade, and organic redleaf lettuce (and Italian dressing, to be eaten as a salad with the "chicken").

Chip's lunch: July 27, 2009

In retrospect, this lunch was pretty carb-heavy. Oh well...Chip loves carbs anyway! This was his first time trying kiwi. I put a touch of sugar on it, and he was "ok" with it, but didn't love it. Oh well...I tried.



Garlic herb noodles with a Quorn "chicken" cutlet with tomato basil marinade, reduced fat Chip Mates (Kroger-brand Chips Ahoy), Quaker reduced sugar granola bar, kiwi, organic salsa, and organic blue corn tortilla chips.

Chip's lunch: July 8, 2009

This lunch included some leftovers from the previous night's dinner (the noodles and the "chicken"), and a very basic "salad" (i.e. just lettuce...later you'll see that I've managed to work in some other vegetables to Chip's diet).



Herb linguine with spinach, apple with peanut butter, PB&J on whole wheat, and "salad" (lettuce) with marinated Quorn "chicken" and Italian dressing.