My lunch: June 20, 2011

This weekend, just as I was leaving the farmers' market, I noticed a vendor I hadn't seen before. He was selling green stuff in a baggie...and no, despite Clintonville's hippie reputation, it wasn't pot. They were sprouts! I'd been searching for pea shoots for months, maybe over a year, and had had no luck finding them. Chip's mom got some at her local organic market, and served them to us on a salad. We had them again at basi italia on their version of the caprese salad (their house made mozzarella, pea shoots, pesto, and tomatoes). I have finally found them again and am so excited. Not only are they super nutrient-dense, they have a mild flavor and fun texture that add a neat twist to a salad.



Lemon asparagus penne, organic pear, raw almonds, dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt, lemon raspberry scone, and a salad with local organic salad mix, organic sunflower seeds, organic mushrooms, local pea shoots, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: June 20, 2011

We had some friends over last weekend, to celebrate my job and their recent home purchase. Since their apartment was all packed up and ready to move, Laura brought dinner ingredients to our house and cooked here. She made this unbelievably delicious recipe, with just a few ingredients (including some beautiful asparagus from the Clintonville Farmers' Market). Laura is an amazing cook and baker, and has made us some fabulous food since we met her last year, including vegetarian Coneys, roasted vegetable lasagna, and raspberry scones with lemon icing (yep, I copied those too).

Which brings me to the scones. I was out running a few months ago and stopped at Laura's place on my way home (about 4 miles into my 5-mile run). As I was leaving, she offered me a scone, and far be it from me to turn down a baked good. She sent me home with two of these raspberry scones, with a lemon glaze that she invented herself. I chuckled as I ran the last mile, scones in one hand and iPod in the other. Some people run with energy gels; I run with scones. As soon as I got home, scone #1 was gone, and #2 was gone soon afterward. Even Chip liked it, and he flat out does NOT eat berries. I got some not-so-beautiful raspberries at the farmers' market this weekend, and figured they didn't have to look pretty to adorn scones. I veganized the recipe and used whole wheat flour, and it still turned out great. So great that Chip even ate these ones too, raspberries and all. Seriously, you need to try this recipe.

How to veganize:
-Instead of buttermilk, use 1 tsp lemon juice per cup of vegan milk (I used almond milk); allow to curdle for 5 minutes before adding to recipe.
-Instead of butter, use vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
-Instead of egg yolk, sub 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons vegan milk



Lemon asparagus penne, organic applesauce, organic dark chocolate chips, pecans, dried cranberries, homemade lemon raspberry scones, and a salad with local organic salad mix, organic sunflower seeds, organic mushrooms, local pea shoots, and Campari tomato.

Chip's lunch: June 16, 2011

I decided it was finally time to try my hand at falafel. And I figured that while I was at it, I would try some hummus too. I mean, it's just lots of chickpeas, right? It's just mixing things together and making them taste good. I should've remembered why I don't make hummus. The reason is that I'm terrible at it. Absolutely horrible. Maybe I haven't found a good recipe yet. Maybe the chickpeas I use (canned organic) aren't the best kind for hummus. Perhaps my crappy blender isn't the appropriate tool to use to mix it all up. Whatever the reason, this hummus was not delicious, though it was palatable. Chip seemed to think it was "fine," but I was just not a fan.

The good news is that this falafel was much better than the hummus was. Per the recipe's instructions, I formed it into patties about the size of your average hamburger. Instead of deep frying, I sprayed a pan with olive oil, and sort of pan fried it that way. I cooked it on high enough heat to get it crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. It was actually quite good, and it was easy enough to make. I prepared the patties ahead of time (on Sunday), and froze them. I defrosted them during the day on Wednesday, and cooked them up for dinner in no time.



Homemade falafel, banana, homemade trail mix with organic Sultana golden raisins, dried cranberries, organic sunflower seeds, raw almonds, and organic dark chocolate chips, homemade hummus, and blanched veggies (local asparagus, organic red bell pepper, organic yellow bell pepper).

Chip's lunch: April 7, 2011

The weather was beautiful here yesterday evening, so we grilled up some tofu and ate on the deck. I used the same Cajun spices as last time, and it was delicious as usual. Also, I just read in this article that roasted red pepper hummus is a great snack, and I'm glad Chip likes it so much. We get the hummus and pita chips at Costco and Chip goes right through them!



Sandwich on local 10-grain bread with grilled organic tofu with Cajun spices, organic redleaf lettuce, organic red chard, red onion, and Campari tomato, pita chips, spicy red pepper hummus, organic salted sunflower seeds, organic dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, banana, and an organic Fuji apple.

Chip's lunch: March 31, 2011

Ah, we've been busy since Chip was gone. Just before he left, we took in a litter of orphan foster kittens. Four two-weekers with no mom. We bottle fed them around the clock, and once Chip left, I was operating on some serious sleep deprivation. Seriously, I don't know how actual parents do it. This was traumatic enough for me. Then, we picked up a Lab-mix girl who came in on a transport from Springfield, Missouri. The shelter there burned down, so she'd been living in an outdoor run. On top of that, it's a heartstick shelter, and, well...just google heartstick, and you'll understand why we couldn't let her die there. She is a younger girl, and one of the rowdiest dogs I've ever met. Fortunately, she and Cal are best buddies, and they tire each other out daily.

Since then, our greyhound foster, Starz Artiste, was adopted by a wonderful family. She is such a lover, and I know they enjoy that about her. The kittens have grown out of the bottle feeding phase, which means we get to sleep again. Penny underwent Immiticide heartworm treatment, and is healing very well. And we got one of our old greyhound fosters back: Perpetual Puff. She was having separation anxiety from being left alone for 9 - 10 hours a day. She's doing better with us, and I'm sure she'll be adopted any time now.

My favorite photo of Artiste, gently resting her head on my shoulder:



The kittens...

Carl (named after Chip's dad, because both have mustaches):



Patty the tabby:



Betty (we thought she was a boy until recently; we had named her Benny):



And Bethany (with Betty and Patty), who is so mellow and laid back that we named her after Bethany Hamilton:



And here's Penny. She's just gorgeous, right? We are fostering her through For the Love of Labs Rescue, and if you or anyone you know is interested in her, we can arrange transport to almost anywhere.



And here's Miss Puff (yes, that is Puff spit on my shirt):





And lunch, of course!



Organic Fuji apple, pita chips, spicy red pepper hummus, pecans, organic dark chocolate chips, organic salted sunflower seeds, banana, and organic quinoa with organic spinach.

My lunch: July 31, 2010

I took Jack to Pupapalooza on Saturday morning. On Friday night, Chip and I had a small disagreement and went to bed unhappy with each other. When I woke up, he had made this lunch for me. He's never made lunch for me. He must have felt really bad! Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to eat the whole thing while I was out, but I enjoyed what I did eat. It was pretty neat to have lunch made for me. Now I know what it feels like!



Natural peanut butter on organic sprouted grain bread, trail mix (Chip even shelled the pistachios that he threw in here), Clif Mojo bar, organic strawberries, organic raspberries, organic blackberries, Wheat Thins, whole wheat pita, and guacamole.

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.

Chip's lunch: June 11, 2010

We've made it to another Friday! I was really excited to get this lunch packed while it was still light outside, so I got a beautiful photo. The salad in particular looks so pretty! Once again, I used a bunch of the veggies from our Nature's Garden box. We don't usually keep so many different vegetables on hand, so it was nice to be able to make such a colorful salad.

We will get our first CSA box on Saturday, and I'm hoping to whip up some new and different recipes next week with what's inside. It looks like it'll just be a surprise every other week, and the contents will probably take us out of our veggie comfort zone (aka bananas, apples, and lettuce). I'm excited, and hope that Chip will be adventurous with a few new foods!

I'm hoping there's more cucumber in our CSA future. I've been on a cucumber kick lately, and I put it in everything. I especially like a few thin slices in a glass of water. It's cool and refreshing, and that hint of flavor makes it easier to drink more water. I had cucumber water at my monthly Red Door Spa appointments in Baltimore back in the day (oh, the days pre-home ownership...when I had $80+ a month to spend on waxing). A friend from California was always drinking water with all kinds of stuff in it (strawberries, raspberries, citrus, etc), and I guess I just picked it up.



Leftover Newman's Own pizza, organic banana, Double Stuf Oreos, organic trail mix (all organic: raw almonds, cashews, roasted & salted sunflower seeds, and Sultana golden raisins), and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic cucumber, Campari tomato, organic red pepper, and organic carrot.

Chip's lunch: June 4, 2010

Have you tried Stacy's pita chips? I'm not a super fan or anything...but Chip definitely is. We buy the huge hummus and pita chips at Costco, and Chip snacks on them daily. I was low on ideas, and the pita chips were getting down to the last few crumbs (instead of being large and unable to fit in the lunchbox), and I figured this would be a sure winner. It was! Chip noticed the pita chips as I was packing lunch and as he walked by, he said, "mmmm!" with a goofy grin on his face.

Seeing how monochromatic this lunch was reminded me to get out and buy some fruits and veggies. We stopped at the Clintonville Farmers' Market and picked up a bunch of delicious local and organic produce: zucchini, red pepper, red onion, green green beans, asparagus, and strawberries. Yum! We made veggie kebabs out of some of them and grilled them on our new grill. The kebabs looked great and tasted even better!







Natural peanut butter and banana sandwich on local whole wheat bread, local pepper jack cheese, hummus, organic trail mix, pita chips, and an organic Gala apple

Chip's lunch: April 26, 2010

I did a very bad/good thing this weekend. It's bad because it is unhealthy, but it's good because it's delicious. For some reason, I've had cake on my mind. My mom made me a recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook a few times when I was growing up: Bonnie Butter Cake with French Silk frosting. I was able to find a recipe online (since Mom and her cookbook are in Maryland), and decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes. We've eaten far too many of them already. Starting Monday I will attempt to give them away to friends because no two people need to eat this much butter and sugar!

Funny story: Chip took his first bite of one of these and we had the following exchange.
Chip: I thought these were all organic.
Katie: They are.
Chip: But they don't taste healthy.
Katie: They aren't healthy.
(Moral of the story: organic does not necessarily = healthy!)



Organic Gala apple, homemade cupcake, organic fair trade dark chocolate, organic flame raisins, organic cashews, organic roasted & salted sunflower seeds, almonds, banana, and a whole wheat wrap with avocado, Cheddar, organic carrot, Newman's Own salsa, organic spring mix, and organic redleaf lettuce.

Chip's lunch: April 15, 2010

Chip and I went out to dinner last night and got back late. Neither of us felt like making lunch, so we decided to just do it together to make it faster. Looking back, all Chip really did was stir the gnocchi. It's a start.



Trader Joe's gnocchi with organic peas (I added the peas), steamed organic broccoli, Clif Z Bar, trail mix (organic flame raisins, organic cashews, organic sunflower seeds, almonds), and an organic Gala apple.

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.

Chip's lunch: March 29, 2010

I had to ruin the surprise of this lunch for Chip while I was preparing it. Usually he's off in Chip-land playing with his motorcycle, responding to work e-mails, working on the house, etc. while I am packing lunch. He loves surprises, so he often intentionally tries not to see what I'm packing. He walked in today while I was making it and I felt compelled to explain the ridiculous pile of lettuce in the top right corner. It was a messy attempt at a sort of lettuce wrap. I wrapped redleaf lettuce around a Boca black bean burger, a spoonful of organic salsa, and a tomato slice. There are three "wraps" in there, but it's pretty sloppy. I explained what I was going for, and how he could attempt to eat it. I'm sure it'll taste delicious, even if it is really sloppy.



Organic Cameo apple, lettuce rollups stuffed with black bean burger, organic salsa, and tomato, organic macadamias, organic almonds, organic Thompson raisins, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, homemade oatmeal cookie crumbles, and homemade white bean and spinach soup.

Chip's lunch: March 26, 2010

It's finally Friday! And apparently the weather has gone insane. Today it was 60 degrees, and now it is 33 degrees, and later this evening it will be snowing. Where am I? This is my first spring in Ohio and this is just bizarre! I'm reminded of the Lewis Black bit: "There was thunder, lightning, and snow, together! And I hadn't done drugs. 'Cause when you're lying in bed, and you hear thunder outside and you get up to look, you have an expectation. And it's not snow with lightning behind it. That kind of weather isn't even written about in the Bible."

So anyway, with this crazy snow and cold coming through, I figured some comfort food was in order. I successfully made an omelet, which was new...I've never made one before, ever. Chip's in for quite the shock.



Pastured egg omelet with cheddar, asparagus, and Parmesan, organic local applesauce (with organic cinnamon, organic vanilla, organic nutmeg, and organic allspice), organic banana, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic macadamias, organic Thompson raisins, organic raw almonds, and a homemade vegan carrot spice muffin.

Chip's lunch: March 18, 2010

Gosh, I'm just stuck in a creativity rut lately. The lentil and rice bit of this lunch was pretty inventive, but the rest just feels blah. I spent far too long agonizing over this lunch and trying to decide the perfect thing to fill each container. Rice was first, then apple, then banana. Chip requested pretzels, and then I debated what to put in the last container for probably 20 minutes. What is with me?

So despite how much thought I put into this, I think it's a bit protein-heavy. Lentils, brown rice, peanut butter, and nuts. Nuts are great for you, and have good fat and protein, but I think they were unnecessary. Oh well. Chip will love it.



Brown rice with lentils, organic peas, carrots, and spices, banana with natural peanut butter, pretzels, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic raw almonds, organic macadamias, and a whole Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: March 17, 2010

OK so lunch number 100 is nothing terribly special. Maybe it is, because it includes Goldfish. Haven't had those in a long time, and they are in Chip's top 5 favorite foods (along with grilled cheese, Snickers, pizza, and possibly ice cream).



Natural PB&J on locally made organic honey wheat bread, banana, organic fair trade dark chocolate, organic almonds, organic macadamias, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, whole grain Goldfish, and a salad with organic redleaf lettuce, organic baby spinach, Campari tomato, organic corn, white mushrooms, organic carrot, and avocado.

Chip's lunch: March 3, 2010

Things are busy in our house these days! Our latest foster came home on Saturday evening. Due to a mixup, we actually got Where's Raw Hide, whom we are calling Heidi. I'll save the spiel on greyhound racing, but I will say that she came from the track filthy, covered in ticks (we found 5 and counting), 16 pounds underweight, with tufts of hair falling out, and with a UTI. After a bath, a trip to the vet, and plenty of rest and love, she is doing wonderfully. She's a wiggly little thing, and very sweet. Her little tail has a white tip and it goes a mile a minute.





So because I've got my hands full with all these animals (at the moment, we've got 3 cats and 3 dogs), I was a little short on time to throw this together. So it was a very quick lunch, but it's got plenty of fruits and vegetables, is clean, and is vegan. Yay!

Oh, and we decided to try natural peanut butter. I won't say what we've been eating, but this new stuff is SO much better! On a whim, I bought Peanut Butter & Co's Smooth Operator. It is so much better than we expected it to be! It is sweetened (though with evaporated cane juice instead of sugar), but not too much. I think we might be converts.



Salad with redleaf lettuce, organic spinach, white mushroom, organic carrot, and Campari tomato, homemade vegan lentil soup, organic flame raisins, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic dark chocolate (Green & Black's), and a natural peanut butter and banana sandwich on local organic whole wheat bread.

Chip's lunch: March 1, 2010

Although it seems like winter may finally be on its way out, we've been enjoying some hot wintry soups for the past two weeks. Last night I made lentil soup (same recipe as always), and added a cup of chopped organic carrot and about a half cup of chopped celery. I like to load this soup up with veggies, because they add nutrients that we can hardly even taste.

The creator of the recipe for this soup notes that it is really inexpensive per serving. I estimate that even with all organic ingredients (including the spices!), this costs about $.50 per serving (assuming 8 servings). We buy things like lentils and spices in bulk from the local co-op, so we don't end up paying for things like packaging and marketing.



Whole Navel orange, organic banana, pretzel snaps, organic flame raisins, organic sprouted almonds, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic dark chocolate, and homemade organic lentil soup.

Katie's lunch: 27 February 2010

That's right! A special weekend lunch! Chip and I were out and about today, so I packed some snacks to munch on while we were away from home. I didn't have a big breakfast, and after I went running and then spent two hours at a greyhound meet and greet with Roxie, I was pretty hungry! We met a family there that really fell in love with her, and we're expecting to receive their application on her any time. It's really exciting, but I got tears in my eyes once I said goodbye to them. I adore this girl, and it won't feel right to sit on the couch without her snuggled up to me. She's such a special dog, and I really hope this potential adoption works out. But really...who could resist this:





In other news, we are getting another foster tonight. She is coming up from Jefferson County Kennel Club in Florida. Her track name is Where's Raw Bone, and I think we're going to call her Bonnie. She's a little black girl who was born October 25, 2007. She ran 3 races and took 4th, 7th, and 7th. Tonight we're headed to a dog washing place that donates their tubs to our rescue group; we'll get all the hounds from this haul cleaned up, microchipped, etc. and then bring little Bonnie home.

OK, back to the lunch. It was more like a collection of snacks, but still satisfying and delicious (and vegan).



Peanut butter on Ezekiel bread, organic baby carrots, organic flame raisins, organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, and an organic Gala apple.

Chip's lunch: February 24, 2010

I can't believe we've made it for two days eating clean! I mean, I can't believe I've managed to eat and cook nothing but clean food for 48 hours. It's necessitated several trips to the co-op up the street, but it's been worth it. I hope we can keep it up.

On the bike ride back from school today, I started craving pizza from Carrabba's. I worked there when I was 20 and ate a LOT of their food for a year or so! My fave was the Italian chicken pizza, but obviously I can't eat or make that, right? So I decided to attempt a Margherita pizza, and it turned out SO well! I found this recipe for Carrabba's pizza crust. I had to run to the co-op and get some organic white flour and dry yeast. I've never cooked with yeast before. Ever. I've also never kneaded dough. While it was rising, I went for a run with the dog. When I came back, the dough was ready to be punched down and turned into crust. My mouth was watering the whole time it was baking (525* for about 15 minutes).

A few things to note, if you would like to attempt your own pizza (especially if you want it to be like Carrabba's):
-After you spread the dough onto the pan, brush a very thin layer of olive oil over the whole crust, especially the edges.
-After the olive oil, throw on a very light sprinkle of grated Parm, then a touch of sea salt and cracked pepper.
-Don't put the basil on top until the pizza comes out of the oven; otherwise, it will burn.



Margherita pizza (with Campari tomatoes, organic basil, local Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and homemade organic crust), a whole banana, snack mix (organic roasted and salted sunflower seeds, organic raw almonds, organic dried apricots, organic flame raisins, and organic dark chocolate), and a salad with redleaf lettuce, white mushroom, Campari tomato, organic carrot, and sunflower seeds.