Thursday, September 30

No photo today, just my very crude drawing. (Ok, so I'm not a graphic designer!) I took the picture this morning before I ran to catch the train, but left the camera in the kitchen. Too many things to think about these days! So here's my drawing, which makes everything look oh so yummy, and a list of what's in E's bento box today:

• Israeli couscous with peas (This is the big couscous, which is great, especially if you brown it (uncooked) a bit before cooking. Gives it a mild, nutty flavor.)
• veggie potstickers
• fresh pineapple
• cheese crackers
• water
• morning snack: soymilk and raisins

Wednesday, September 29

No photo again today -- it's pizza day. We learned that the school does offer a fruit and a salad on pizza day and that E must be saying "no" when they ask him if he wants these things. (This is what one school worker told me.) I'm not sure if I believe this answer, but it's possible. Anyhow, we talked this morning and, hopefully, he takes what is offered to him. We'll see! :-)

Tuesday, September 28

Busy day today so I will keep this short!

• wheat pasta with soy butter and shakey cheese
• pickles
• lentils (cooked in a little veggie broth)
• strawberries
• water
• morning snack: soymilk, a fruit strip, and a tiny box of raisins

Monday, September 27

I put home fries in E's lunch today. If only there was a way to serve them hot! I was e-mailing with a friend whose son (one of E's best friends) went to the same preschool and we were commiserating about the cold lunches. (At the preschool that they went to, one family cooked lunch for the class each day and it was served hot, family style. Not only did the kids get hot food, but everyone was eating the same lunch (snacks, too) so you didn't have to worry about one kid eating Doritos for morning snack (which, apparently is happening in E's class now). I suppose some people are thinking, "Than just buy the hot lunch every day," but honestly, for a vegetarian, the options seem pretty limited. (Peanut butter and fluff -- yes, FLUFF -- is one daily sandwich option! Actually, I don't even know if that's vegetarian, but it certainly should not be an option!) I have to say, before I completely trash the hot lunch program, which is leaps and bounds better than when I was in school, I was very happy to see that every hot lunch comes with a veggie and a fruit, but no dessert. (I guess this changes in middle and high school, but at least at the elementary school level, they leave it out.)

Ok, this rainy day has me being grumpy...  Here's lunch:

• black bean sandwich (black bean spread* on whole grain)
• home fries!
• baby tomatoes
• strawberries
• water
• morning snack: soymilk and an apple

* This doesn't really qualify as a recipe but in case anyone is wondering, I smash black beans in a bowl, add a small amount of canola oil to make it creamy, a little salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. You could add sliced cucumbers or lettuce, but I left it simple today. I prefer to toast the bread, but I wasn't sure how it would hold up with the wet bean spread.

Friday, September 24

A simple lunch today. One of the things that I'm finding the most challenging about making "cold" lunch is just that -- it's cold. I don't eat tortellini, but will it taste OK cold? I guess we'll find out today when I pick up E from the afterschool program.

Ok, so I took this photo the wrong way and can't figure out how to rotate. But you get the idea.

• pesto tortellini
• black eyed peas
• garlic bread
• watermelon
• water
• morning snack: soymilk and dried fruit mixture

Thursday, September 23

Another dippin' day. Hummos is easy so it makes a perfect lunch option. I sometimes make it, but today's hummos is store-bought.

• hummos
• stuff to dip into the hummos: carrots, celery, green beans, wheat bread slices
• watermelon
• water
• morning snack: pretzels and soymilk

Wednesday, September 22

No lunch to post today. E is buying the pizza again. I still can't figure out if they ONLY give him a slice of pizza and milk. No veggie? No fruit? Someone said they may count the tomatoes on the pizza as something. Really? I gave him an extra apple to bring to the cafeteria.

It's been hard to get much out of E about all of this. Normally he's very chatty, but when it comes to kindergarten, I think he's feeling a bit like I'm interrogating him all of the time. I just want to know! It's so different from preschool, where you have daily access to the teachers, to the other parents, and to the other kids.

Tuesday, September 21

Lately it's all about the potato. Home fries, fried potato slices, baked potatoes, more home fries... So last night I made a simple potato salad: potatoes, peas, and broccoli drizzled with yellow mustard, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. Very unfancy, but tasty. I've also been reading Julie and Julia — yes, a bit behind considering the book came out in 2005 and the movie is long gone! I'm amazed at the work that the writer had to put into some of the recipes. (For those who have read the book, I'm at the point where she's trying various aspics. Ick. Even if I wasn't vegan, I would not attempt to cook or eat that. Seriously, they put that stuff in cat food.)

On that note, here's lunch (meow):

• pb& j on wheat
• mustard potato salad with peas and broccoli
• clementine
• a few peanuts (E's school allows nuts in the cafeteria, just not in the classrooms)
• water
• morning snack: applesauce and soymilk

Monday, September 20

Yesterday I made lasagna. It's one of E's new favorite things, so much so that this morning, as I was cutting a piece to put in his bento box, he asked if he could also have it for breakfast. Why not, right? So he had it for breakfast, he'll have it for lunch, and he'll have it tonight for dinner. It's a pretty simple recipe, copied down a few years ago while I was watching one of Lida Bastianich's cooking shows. I'll type up the recipe and post it tomorrow for anyone interested. Since I'm vegan, I can't try it, but both Rob and E like it so....

Anyhow, onto today's lunch:

• homemade vegetarian lasagna
• celery with extra marinara sauce for dipping or to pour on the lasagna
• cantelope
• sesame sticks
• water
• morning snack: apple and soymilk

Vegetarian lasagna:

(Modified from a recipe I saw Lida Bastianich cook on one of her shows)

noodles
• Add most of a box to boiling water with a dash of olive oil, cook according to the box's directions!

sauce
• saute chopped onions in olive oil
• add chopped garlic, don't burn (I add a lot)
• add sliced mushrooms if using them, add salt, cook until water is out of 'shrooms
• add a bay leaf (remember to take it out before using!), add crushed oregano
• add a few splashes of red wine if using (I didn't this time, but often do), cook until evaporated
• add peeled tomatoes (smash them up before you do). I used 3 large cans of Muir Glen, my favorite. This makes a lot of sauce. (You'll want extra for when you serve it, plus I use some on the side for myself since I don't eat the lasagna.)
• Add a little tomato paste. (Note: If one of your cans of peeled tomatoes is "crushed tomato," that already contains tomato paste so you can skip this step.)
• simmer for awhile — like an hour, stirring from time to time
• shut it off, let it "rest" before using

ricotta and other cheeses
• Lida's recipe says to drain the ricotta, whisk in two eggs, and add salt, but honestly, when I've tried to drain it, only a few drops come out, so to me it's not worth it. I also skip the eggs. I've tried it with eggs — they do make it creamier — but Rob says he can't tell the difference, so save a chicken.
• slice up a baseball-sized ball of fresh mozzarella
• have grated parmesan ready (use good stuff, not the stuff in the green container that has no shelf life)

assembling
• spread sauce on the bottom of your pan. Our oven has been out of order for more than a year so all baking is done in the toaster/convection oven, which means we can't use big pans. I use a glass pan that looks like it was meant for brownies or a small square cake?
• add a layer of noodles side-by-side, letting the extra hang over the side of the pan
• more sauce (be generous, you don't want this to be dry)
• add parmesan, then a layer of noodles going in the other direction
• add all of the ricotta, spread like frosting, sprinkle more parmesan
• another layer of noodles going another way
• add mozzarella (all of it)
• sauce, parmesan
• another layer of noodles going in the last direction
• sauce, parmesan
• flap over the noodles hanging over the sides, starting with the first layer that you did (I'm not sure the order is critical, but for some reason, it seems to make sense, right?)
• depending on the size of your pan, the center may be open — that's fine.
• more sauce (again, be generous so that the noodles on top stay softish)
• more parmesan

Cover with foil, bake for 15-20 minutes, uncover, bake for 15-20 more. Take out of oven and let it rest for awhile (or else it will fall apart).

Friday, September 17

It's a dippin'-kind-of-day today. Ok, it's Friday and I'm not sure what to write. And it's raining. And dreary. But it's Friday, which I know will make E happy since he still hasn't adjusted to going to school 5 days a week. (He asked how much longer he has to go every day and I told him at least 20 years. That's fair, right?)

Dippin-kind-of-Day Lunch:
• gnocchi
• hummus with things to dip: carrots, sugar snap peas, french bread
• grapes, blueberries
• water
• morning snack: clementine, soymilk

Thursday, September 16

We're back with a not-so-inspired lunch, I'm afraid, but it has most of the basics: fruit, veggie, grain... Ok, so very little protein. Should have thrown in some beans or a little bit of peanut butter for dipping the soy crisps, which do have some protein. (And I guess the soy butter has a little.)

Note: They didn't give E a veggie or fruit with the pizza. That bums me out. Is that normal with hot lunch???

Today's lunch:
• soycatash (corn, soybeans, red pepper, green beans)
• whole wheat bread with soy butter
• clementine
• soy crisps
• 2 mini choc-chip cookies
• water
• morning snack: granola bar and soymilk

Wednesday, September 15

No lunch posting today. We decided to let him try hot lunch today since it's cheese pizza. Made life a little easier this morning. I hope they give a veggie and fruit, too??

Tuesday, September 14

Tired today so I'm keep it short! (Must be the weather?!)

today's lunch:

• lentils and brown rice
• cannellini beans
• kiwi, pears
• dried fruit and chocolate chips
• water
• morning snack: pretzels and popcorn, soymilk

Monday, September 13

Last week, someone asked me how I come up with new ideas each day. To make it easier, on Sunday I sit down for about 10 minutes and chart out what I'm going to make each day for the week — main stuff, dessert, and fruit. This makes it SOOOOOOooooo much easier on a day-to-day basis. Otherwise I would be sitting there in the morning going, "Ah, what did I give him for fruit yesterday?" It also helps with planning the night before. (It's a lot easier to cook a batch of rice the night before than it is while you're running around in the morning!) So if you have to make a school lunch everyday, my advice is to try this system. And you don't have to be rigid about it. If you have leftovers from dinner, use that instead of what's on your chart. If you realize one morning that your chart says "blueberries" but you have half a melon leftover, switch.

Ok, onto today's lunch:

• wheat pasta with "shakey" cheese (what the kids at E's former preschool call grated parmesan)
• broccoli
• baby tomatoes
• grapes
• cat do-do cookies (E's name for these yummy vegan cookies that we make — recipe below)
• water
• morning snack: clementine

recipe for cat do-do cookies (vegan)

(technically called Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows, from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: http://www.theppk.com/vegan-cookies.html)

Chocolate dough:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 2 tab. unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style (I used creamy)
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk (I used soymilk)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer/milk, and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar. (I had to add extra powdered sugar.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Take a golf-ball sized scoop of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc (but not too flat), and place a little peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. You can leave them plain or dip into sprinkles, what E calls the "cat litter." I prefer without the sprinkles, which make the tops a little crunchier. Place on parchment paper about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. (I baked mine for 7 but our oven runs hot.) Do not over bake — these are meant to be soft. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies stand for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Friday, September 10

All cold stuff today, including a PB&J that got pretty messy. (Hey, it was 6 a.m!) Note to anyone who is thinking about buying one of these bento boxes. Order the cold packs from them. I didn't. I assumed a cold pack is a cold pack, but, as it turns out, not all cold packs are created equal. The ones I bought are way too big (even though they don't look big). Those puppies puffed up to the size of small pillows when they froze. You need the small ones that this company sells. And order when you order your bento box otherwise you'll have to pay for shipping again, and it will be more than the price of a couple of packs of freezable goop.

Today's lunch:

• PB&J on whole grain
• raw tofu sticks and stars
• carrot sticks, celery sticks (I thought of including peanut butter for dipping, but since the sandwich has peanut butter...)
• applesauce with a blueberry "E' (Later, on the train, I realized that this "E" will likely be a mess by the time E actually opens the box. Oh well.)
• a couple of yogurt-covered pretzels
• water
• morning snack: one of those Clif kid bars and a soymilk box

Thursday, September 9

And the week continues. Yesterday, E didn't eat as much of the lunch as I expected. When I asked why, he told me he had to use the bathroom during lunch but couldn't get the teacher's attention so he was too distracted to eat. :-( Should I ask the teacher about this? Should I just assume these things happen?

On that note...

today's lunch is:

• black bean roll-ups on wheat tortillas **
• edemame
• brown rice with soy butter
• clementine
• tortilla chips
• water
• morning snack: strawberries and a soymilk box

** Super easy. All I do is smash canned black beans in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a little oil to make it creamy. For myself I would also add garlic, maybe some cumin. You could toss in diced tomatoes, lettuce, thin cucumber slices?

Wednesday, September 8

Lunch went pretty well yesterday except E had to eat part of it in the morning for snack. (I had no idea they had to bring in a snack, too. So different from preschool. Ooooops.) So he ate homefries and the panda cookies in the morning. (His logic for eating the panda cookies at 10 a.m., he said, was because he knew I would not have wanted him to eat them in the cafeteria BEFORE he ate the rest of his lunch. By eating them at 10 a.m. he removed that temptation. Too funny.) The only other comment was that he wished the lunch was warmer. Sorry -- cold lunch is, well, cold lunch.

Ok, onto today's lunch:

• peanut butter noodles
• steamed broccoli
• raw sugar snap peas
• veggie pot stickers
• cantelope
• pretzels (with a surprise underneath: a handful of chocolate chips)
• water
• morning snack: green apple

First lunch! Tuesday, September 7

Today is the first lunch for E! I wasn't sure how long it would take to pull it together, and since I had to catch an earlier train to work (7:03 a.m. — ouch!), I made some of it last night and I kept it simple. I hope it stays somewhat cold — the ice packs that I bought are way too big so I had to slip in a pouch of ice cubes.

today's lunch
• hummus on whole wheat pita with cucumber slices
• home fries
• peas with soy butter
• strawberries and blueberries
• Hello Panda cookies
• water