Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The bento is back! Ok, at least for today. We'll see how the rest of the week -- the rest of the school year! -- goes.

• PB&J on whole wheat
• cheese stick
• fresh mango
• Joe Joes! (Trader Joe's version of Oreos, minus the hydrogenated oil)
• morning snack: pretzel/pita chip/cheese cracker mix

Monday, May 23, 2011

Ok, still being bad about the bento photos. I just can't seem to pull it together in the mornings anymore. How in the world did I manage to take photos of the lunches for the past 8 months??! Well, I did manage to make a soup last night for the soup project: 17 Bean & Barley. (Yes, that does say the number 17!)

I will post the recipe to the right, as always!

And for those who are interested, E had wheat pasta with soy butter and shakey cheese, soycatash (a mixture of edamame, corn, and red peppers), baby red tomatoes, and little chocolate graham bear cookies.

Monday, May 16

I've been bad about the bento. Last week, there was one day when I forgot to charge the camera and I didn't realize until I was just about to leave for work. I also forgot to take pics at least once or twice. Anyhow, nothing today, either. E wasn't feeling great so we decided to let him stay home. (It's Rob's day off so that makes it easier!) Hopefully tomorrow....

Until then, there are two new soups for the soup project!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Ok, I've been out of the bento loop for the past week, thanks in part to strep throat. (Me, not my five-year-old. First time I've ever had it. Not fun stuff!) Anyhow, I'm just going to ignore the last week and start from scratch, including adding a new soup to the soup project. This is for last week -- I actually DID make it last week, just never posted it. I'll make this week's tonight and post it tomorrow or Wednesday. Two good soups that are super easy!

On to today's lunch:

• baked potato with soy butter
• whole wheat pasta with peas
• almonds
• raspberries
• morning snack: honey graham Z Bar **

** E's classroom is nutfree. It's not easy finding granola bars that don't have nuts but these Z Bars seem okay so that's why you see them so often for his snack.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Today's bento, mostly leftovers from last night's dinner.

• pesto tortellini with red sauce
• garlic bread (french bread with soy butter and "sandwich sprinkle" from Penzey's.)
• strawberries
• Easter candy! (Ok, this is not healthy!)

Two posts again today plus this week's Soup Project soup: Tomato Rice.

Wednesday, April 20

• whole wheat pasta with red sauce, baby carrots, whole grain bread with soy butter, two cookies from Busy Bee bakery

Monday, April 25

• grilled cheese on some kind of oat bread, carrots, baby tomatoes, blackberries, corn bread from Trader Joe's (a mix that I veganize)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A short bento lunch week -- this is April vacation so E is only at school today and tomorrow. (Luckily they offer programming at his school during vacation weeks for parents who can't get out of work. Not free, of course, but it's a lifesaver!)

Also, check out today's Soup Project soup (recipe to the right): Creamy sweet potato squash.

 • grilled cheese on whole wheat
• raw green beans
• blackberries and grapes
• homemade vegan chocolate chip and coconut cookie

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A little behind again this week. Yesterday was full of meetings and interviews and who knows what. Anyhow, I'm now posting yesterday's lunch, today's lunch, and my weekly soup: Booming Black Bean!

Monday

• orecchiette pasta with tomato sauce
• blueberries
• baby heirloom tomatoes and cucumber slices
• Panda cookies (thanks Lex)
• morning snack: pumpkin loaf (From a Trader Joe's box mix that I veganized)






Tuesday

• hummus
• carrot sticks, celery sticks
• french bread
• clementine
• chedder bunny crackers
• morning snack: dried fruit bits**


** These are tastier than they sound.

Friday, April 8, 2011

With today being opening day at Fenway, I wish I had it in me to whip up some amazing baseball-inspired lunch, but these days, I feel lucky that I've managed just to get any lunch made. Plus, I'm not a sports fan, so...? But if you live around here, you'd see that just about everyone else is. I saw people on the subway this morning wearing their Red Sox clothes (including a hospital working with Sox scrubs). And E's school is not only allowing Red Sox baseball hats today, but they actually sent home a memo encouraging kids to support the Sox by wearing baseball shirts and whatever else they have at home. (Luckily, although Rob is even less into sports than I am, we did manage to buy E a Sox hat last year, more to keep the sun off of his face than to show support.)

Anyhow, here's today's not-inspired-by-opening-day lunch:

• pesto tortellini (Wait! It's Rico Pesto-celli pasta!)**
• kidney beans
• soycatash: soybeans, corn, red peppers (frozen from Trader Joe's)
• sauteed asparagus
• Kinder chocolate bars
• morning snack: blueberry cereal bar

** Ok, after trying this first lame one, I'll stop. 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I can thank Rob for making Tuesday lunches easier: Every other week, it seems, he picks up veggie lo mein and I grab some for the bento box before it gets gobbled up! Thank you, thank you.

• veggie lo mein
• veggie dumpling
• garlic bread
• raw snap peas
• yellow muscatel grapes (If you've never had these, they are really good. Very mellow grape flavor, no seed. A little more expensive than the standard green or purple kinds, but worth trying!)
• morning snack: veggie stick chips

Monday, April 4, 2011

Leftover lunch. Stuff from last night's dinner, which included the Egyptian split pea soup that I made (see recipe to the right). I also included some of those veggie stick things which always taste good at first, but then I regret eating them. E likes them, though.

Looking at this lunch, I wonder if it's enough calories for a five-year-old. Hum. I'll have to beef up (well, not literally!) his dinner!!

• brown rice with soy butter
• chickpeas
• Persian cucumber slices, mini tomatoes
• veggie sticks from Trader Joe's
• morning snack: strawberries

Thursday, March 31, 2011

I think today's lunch is a good one. It's amazing how hard it is to come up with healthy, but varied, lunches everyday that would be good (or at least OK!) to eat at room temperature. Oh, and did I mention, they were for a five-year-old? :-)

• pesto ravioli
• broccoli with soy butter
• grapes
• cornbread (Not homemade, but it's actually really good. It's from a Trader Joe's box mix that I veganize -- I substitute vegan egg mix for the egg and soymilk for the milk. E loves this. It's a little sweet so he sees it as a dessert, but you could also use it with savory foods.)
• morning snack: Annie's cheese bunny crackers

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I haven't been very inspired lately about the lunches, as you'll see with today's lunch. Lot's of cold stuff, including a dip that E made last night. (He has decided that every Monday, he'll make some sort of dip.) The dip was actually pretty tasty. I can't remember everything that went into it, but it had raw spinach leaves, kidney beans, carrots, a few baby tomatoes, canola oil, and salt.

• E's Monday dip
• stuff for dipping: pieces of bread, carrot sticks, little cucumber slices (love these Persian cucumbers!)
• kidney beans
• a milk chocolate-covered marshmallow square
• morning snack: an apricot granola bar

Monday, March 28, 2011

Even though I had a lot of time yesterday to think about today's lunch, I just kept coming up with blanks. SO I told E I was going to give him a peanut butter sandwich with some other stuff and he reminded me that he doesn't like peanut butter on bread anymore. (This after telling me a few weeks ago that he didn't like jelly anymore.) Peanut butter alone is fine, but not with bread. I'm kind of bummed -- peanut butter sandwiches are so easy and a great option for lunch since they're fast to make and don't need to be reheated. Ugh. Oh well. So now I have to figure out what to give him to go with plain peanut butter. Maybe I can treat it the way I do hummus -- with little things to dip?

Anyhow, here's today's lunch, without a peanut butter sandwich!

 • Laughing Cow soft swiss cheese on whole wheat pita bread
• home fries
• baby tomatoes
• raspberries
• morning snack: cheese crackers (Annie's bunnies)

Friday, March 25, 2011

This hasn't been a good week for me and the bento box. Yesterday I had to catch up with three photos, today I forgot to take a photo. So I'll describe the lunch, in all of his yumminess. (Ha!)

• hard-boiled egg in a plastic bunny mold container (it makes a fun face on the egg)
• broccoli with soy butter
• grapes
• Annie's cheddar bunny crackers
• morning snack: granola bar

This is what the egg holder looks like. I think I got it at the Curious George store in Harvard Square.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Today is a catch up day for the bento. I've been way behind this week on postings so without further ado, here are this week's bentos plus a recipe for vegan chocolate chip bars:

March 21

• veggie lasagna from Trader Joe's
• brown rice with soy butter
• mashed sweet potato
• homemade vegan chocolate chip bars [recipe follows]
• morning snack: I forgot!

March 22

• peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat*
• Persian mini cucumbers (from Trader Joe's)
• grapes
• trail mix: chocolate chips, peanuts, raw almonds
• morning snack: raspberries

* No jelly. E has decided that jelly is now too sweet. I'm not complaining!


March 24

• hummus
• stuff for dipping: carrots, celery, cucumbers, whole wheat pita strips
• Kinder chocolate bar & a few not-as-bad-for-you gummy bears (Trader Joe's -- sweetened with fruit, no chemicals)
• morning snack: grapes




* Vegan Chocolate Chip Bars

2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup soy butter (I use the Earth Balance brand.)

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 vegan eggs (I use Ener-G mix.)
3/4 package of chocolate chips (I use the semi-sweet from Trader Joes. No dairy, of course.)

Preheat oven to 375

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Combine sugars, butter, and vanilla and mix until creamy.  Add vegan eggs, mix. Add dry ingredients, half at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a square pan (sorry, forgot the size, but the regular size you would use for brownies). Bake 15 minutes or so depending on your oven. These are best if not overcooked and still a little gooey. (They'll firm up once they are cool.) Test with a fork or cake tester stick to be sure. Soooo good.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

This has been the week of no bento lunches. Monday and Tuesday were sick days for E, yesterday he bought hot lunch (pizza, of course), and tomorrow he has asked to buy hot lunch, too (grilled cheese). So today is IT! Looking at the blog and seeing the soup recipe, I'm wishing I had made more. It was so good but it went quickly. Next time I'll double it!

• bean smash sandwich (smashed cannellini beans with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil, on whole wheat pita bread)
• raspberries
• carrot sticks and cucumber slices
• homemade vegan brownies**
• water
• morning snack: water, cereal bar



** vegan brownies, from The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer, page 191

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup dry sweetener (I used regular sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/3 cup oil (the recipe says olive oil but I used canola)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, sweetener, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add soy milk, oil, nuts (if using). Stir until just mixed. Pour into lightly oiled 8x8 baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick/fork comes out clean.

These brownies are really good, but cake-like, not gooey. I like gooey better so the next time I make them, I'll probably add a little more oil and take them out of the oven a few minutes earlier.

Monday, March 14, 2011

No lunch today. It's sitting in the 'fridge, ready to go, but E wasn't feeling well so he's at home today with dad. Not sure if he'll eat the lunch today at home, but it's a good one: hummos in a small wheat pita with lettuce, raspberries, carrot sticks, and a homemade cakey vegan brownie.

Thursday, March 10. 2011

Photo is a little blurry today. E wanted to take the pic so here's the result. Plus, to his credit, we don't  have the brightest kitchen, especially at 6:30 a.m. on a dreary day in March. (Did I mention that we live in New England!?!) Looking at the photo, I realize the colors of the food sort of match the day.

• hummus on whole wheat
• brown rice with soy butter
• carrots
• cheese popcorn
• water
• morning snack: water, watermelon, cheese bunnies (Annie's version of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.)

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I indulged last night and bought these crazy-expensive vegan marshmallows (Sweet & Sara). I'm not even a big marshmallow person, but I've been reading about them on vegan foodie blogs and when I saw them at Whole Foods last night, into the cart they went. They taste EXACTLY like "regular" marshmallows. To non-vegans, I know this doesn't sound like anything to shout about, but veganizing some treats isn't always easy. Anyhow, I don't think I'll buy these often ($6.99 for a small container), but it's good to know they're out there!

• veggie lo mein (yes, Rob got take out again)
• broccoli with soy butter
• cucumber slices
• strawberries
• 2 Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows http://www.sweetandsara.com/
• water

Monday, March 7, 2011

In honor of Charlie Sheen, today's lunch is being dedicated to all of the goddesses out there. Perfect for a small child, right?

• Winning homefries
• Tiger blood watermelon slices
• Extragallactically good navy beans
• Living inside the truth panda cookies
• water
• morning snack: I Love You All Luna-tic bar, water

Friday, March 4, 2011

Today's lunch is a...GUEST BENTO! Yes folks, today we have a guest bento box making its debut from the fabulous, oh-so-stylish Matt Weber. Matt tells me that he and his even more fabulous, even more stylish girlfriend have been so inspired by E's daily lunches that they decided to give the bento life a shot. They even went out and bought the same bento system from Laptop Lunches.

As you'll see from the photo below, they did an amazing job, despite the fact that there's...ah, ah, meat. :-)
What do you think?

• baby tomatoes and green beans
• homemade apple crisp*
• homemade scalloped potatoes*
• chicken sandwich on whole grain with sliced cherry tomatoes and a balsamic drizzle (on the bread, which is why it looks like it has spots)
• something called a Guzzler

* Did I mention these are both homemade?

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Today's post will be quick: Here's lunch.

• veggie nuggets from Boca (note: This is something that E recently discovered and I have to admit, I don't give to him often. Maybe once every couple of months? My hope is that the other healthy foods balance out the veggie nuggets...)
• raw sugar snap peas
• blueberries
• pinto beans
• water
• morning snack: water, pretzels

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The first day of March! Even when there's still snow on the ground, this day always makes me happy because "March" sounds more like spring than "February" does, right?

Today's lunch includes take out from last night. I literally had to grab the lo mein quickly from E and Rob -- they were plowing through the container at a ridiculous speed. I think E is going through a growth spurt or something because he is always hungry these days.

So on to today's lunch:

• veggie lo mein from Changsho in Cambridge
• blueberries
• pickles
• gummi bears from Trader Joe's (sweetened and flavored from fruit, which makes me feel slightly better....)
• water
• morning snack: water, strawberries

Monday, February 28, 2011

Today's picture is a bit blurry. A little like my morning, I guess. (First day back to lunches after a week of school vacation!) Not sure how this one is going to go over. E reminded me AFTER I made lunch that he doesn't like his couscous mixed with the veggies. Normally he couldn't care less about one food mixing with another, but I guess this is one of the exceptions. Oh well.

• wheat couscous MIXED with sauteed broccoli and Trader Joe's soycatash (soybeans, corn, red peppers)
• colorful baby tomatoes
• grapes
• Kinder chocolate bar
• water
• morning snack: water, granola bar

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

No lunch today -- it's school vacation week -- but I did post a new soup: Creamy Tomato and Roasted Pepper. Enjoy!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Today's lunch is the last for awhile -- well, at least for a week since next week is February vacation at E's school. He wasn't thrilled with yesterday's lunch. I forgot that he doesn't like his corn cold, which I get, so he didn't eat much of that. He also said the almonds were too salty. I usually buy raw or lightly salted, but Rob bought them this time and got the ones with the full salt.

Anyhow, I think today's lunch will be a hit. It looks good, right?

• broccoli with soy butter
• whole grain seeded bread with soy butter and garlic
• strawberries
• hard-boiled egg (in the cute orange bear holder)
• water
• morning snack: water, granola bar (I forgot the brand. Something from Whole Foods with flax seeds but without peanuts, which they can't have at morning snack.)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Today's lunch! Nothing too inspiring, I'm afraid. I'm still wishing I could get creative like some of the sites I see out there with fancy sandwiches cut into cute shapes and all of that, but I just can't seem to muster the energy (or time!) for that! Oh well. As long as E is eating healthy stuff, or relatively healthy, that's what matters.

• PB&J on whole wheat
• corn with soy butter
• almonds
• panda cookies
• water
• morning snack: blackberries, cheese crackers

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Lunch!

• wheat pasta with diced tomatoes and shakey cheese
• chickpeas
• celery
• blueberries and kiwi (not shown, added later!)
• water
• morning snack: water, pretzels

Monday, February 14, 2011

E loves holidays, even non-holidays like Valentine's Day. I gave him two books, a box of dark chocolate hearts from Trader Joe's, and a plastic thing that says "I luv U" that you push into a slice of bread before you put it in the toaster. (Note: It doesn't seem to work.) He spent the morning before school setting up the table with the stuff. He's too cute. Anyhow, in honor of this day, I gave E the classic Valentine's combo: chocolate and strawberries. Voila.

• brown rice
• steamed carrots with soy butter
• strawberries
• dark chocolate hearts from TJ's
• water
• morning snack: water, blackberries

Friday, February 11, 2011

So the pudding in yesterday's lunch was not a hit, as I had expected. E didn't like the banana taste. I should have known -- he's not that into fresh bananas, either. Oh well. More for me, I guess! (Seriously, these are sooooo good!)

• pesto tortellini
• corn with soy butter
• kidney beans
• cocoa batons (Yes, that's what Trader Joe's calls them. Little chocolatey wafers with a chocolate filling. Thankfully they are NOT vegan or else I would have eaten the entire box before they made it to the bento lunch. They smelled amazing.)
• water
• morning snack: water, grapes

Thursday, Februry 10, 2011

Lunch! I think this is a good one!!

• wheat tortilla with melted cheese and shredded lettuce
• broccoli with soy butter
• blueberries
• banana soy pudding
• water
• morning snack: water, pretzels

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I got home late last night and so I made it easy on myself and kept today's lunch cook-free. I need to make more lunches like this one! :-)

• hummus
• carrots, cucumber sticks, celery, and huge crouton for dipping
• Babybel chedder cheese
• pretzels
• water
• morning snack: water, bananna

Monday, February 7, 2011

This is week 6 of the Soup Project. I made something simple: Carrot Ginger. I made it even easier by using frozen leeks -- something I recently discovered at Trader Joe's. Leeks are not something I usually have on hand so I was excited to see this new item in the frozen food section at TJ's. My verdict? An awesome find! If you have a TJ's near you, go out and get some....now. Run. Don't walk.

Oh, yeah, here's today's lunch!

• wheat pasta with shakey cheese
• black beans
• strawberries and grapes
• baby orange tomatoes
• water
• morning snack: water, mixed berry cereal bar

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Another snow day yesterday. I know I live in New England and we get snow, but this is getting ridiculous! (A day at home did, however, allow me to make yummy fried rice!)

 • tofu
• homemade fried rice (brown rice, broccoli, peas, edemame, soy sauce, sesame oil)
• peanuts
• grapes
• water
• morning snack: water, granola bar

Piled high on the stone wall!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

With more snow falling today (what are we at, 100 inches so far?!), I present today's lunch. I made extra home fries for one of my co-workers who always has nice things to say about E's lunches. (Yes, that's you, Matt.)

• home fries!
• baby orange tomatoes
• garlic bread with soy butter
• raspberries and a dark chocolate peanut butter cup (from Trader Joe's)
• water
• morning snack: water, Pirate's Booty

Monday, January 31, 2011

Today's lunch:

• pinto bean spread on whole wheat
• wheat couscous with peas and soy butter
• dried prunes
• Panda cookies, courtesy of E's pal, Lex
• water
• morning snack: water and choice of apple or cereal bar (E has a loose tooth and hasn't been excited about hard food.)

Friday, January 28, 2011

ANOTHER snow day yesterday so no school, no school lunch. This is the third major snowstorm this month. I'm hoping tough January = milder winter in March? So the only positive was that I had to stay home from work and we had a fun day out in the snow (the sun came out about noon).

Ok, on to today's lunch:

• cannellini bean sandwich on whole wheat
• cooked sugar snap peas with soy butter
• chickpeas
• Kinder chocolate bar
• water
• morning snack: water, grapes and fresh pineapple chunks

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

E recently discovered Laughing Cow cheese. He saw it in Trader Joes one day and decided it looked fun. When he saw that a classmate had it in her lunch yesterday, he wanted it in his lunch today. (Although not with a little wheat bagel, which is what he has been spreading it on. He wanted the "little round crackers with ridges on the edges" that his classmate had so we had to grab some at Whole Foods. So many not EXACTLY the crackers his classmate had but he'll never know that!)

I'm realizing now, looking at this photo, that I should have added some fruit. Oy. 

Ok, here's today's easy-to-prepare-but-missing-the-fruit lunch:

• hummus
• celery and carrots for dipping
• Laughing Cow cheese
• little round crackers with ridges on the edges
• water
• morning snack: water, mixed fruit cereal bar

Monday, January 24, 2011

I'm a little behind on posts. Friday was a snow day so no school lunch and on Thursday I forgot entirely to do this. I think he had pasta with broccoli, fresh cherries, and garlic bread. Here's today's lunch on a very, very cold day in New England:

• grilled cheese on wheat
• beans with soy butter
• grapes
• kinder chocolate
• water
• morning snack: water, apple

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Today I'm posting the recipe for the Soup Project's third week. So far it's my second favorite. (The spicy peanut eggplant that I made the first week was the best! I'm trying to decide if it would be ok to repeat a recipe??!) I'm not a huge corn fan -- I know, I'm from New England and corn on the cob is a summer staple, but it's messy and to me, never quite seems cooked -- but decided to make a corn chowder. This one is spicy, in part because I added too much cayenne by mistake, and is perfect for cold nights. It's also really easy to make and uses mostly ingredients you probably already have in your pantry/fridge/freezer.

Enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think!

Oh, and I made lunch for E, too.

• pb&J on wheat
• blueberries
• colorful tomatoes
• yogurt pretzels
• water
• morning snack: water, cheese crackers (those Annie's bunnies)

Friday, January 14, 2011

No lunch today. Not many for this week, in fact. E was out sick on Tuesday, snow days on Wednesday and Thursday, and at home sick again today. See you on Monday with a new lunch and a new soup recipe!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Today's lunch and second week of the Soup Project!

• grilled cheese on wheat
• home fries!
• celery sticks
• grapes
• water
• morning snack: water, cheese crackers

Friday, January 7, 2011

Quick post today! Remember, I'll post a new soup recipe on Monday! I haven't decided what I'll make, but I got some good suggestions from friends, and I have tons of cookbooks, so who knows.

• wheat pasta with broccoli, edemame, and green beans
• clementine
• orange grape tomatoes
• veggie chips
• water
• morning snack: water, fig cereal bar

Thursday, January 6

We made hummus last night for dinner so we decided to save some for today's lunch. Nothing fancy, just chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper. (I didn't have any tahini, which is fine.)

• hummus
• stuff to dip: carrot sticks, celery sticks, snap peas, sauteed tempeh, and wheat bread chunks (not in photo... added them later)
• blackberries
• a little Marzipan pig that I had put in his stocking. (E was tired last night and cried because he was excited that the treat would be in his bento box, but also didn't want to eat it. Guess he really is a vegetarian, huh?)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

So weird typing "2011" in the title box! Anyhow, today's lunch was an easy one, something I pulled together last night, which makes life SOOOO much easier in the mornings. I made the pasta last night for dinner. (We actually ate it mixed with the spicy peanut and eggplant soup that I made on Sunday -- see recipe to the right. Insanely good. I ate way more than I should have!) The snap peas and tomatoes -- these beautiful little orange grape tomatoes that I got at Whole Foods -- were easy, of course. The cherries took a minute to remove the pits. (I'm never sure how to do that so I just cut all around it. Is there an easier way?!)

• fresh cherries, a favorite of E's• wheat pasta with soy butter and shakey cheese
• raw snap peas
• orange grape tomatoes
• water
• morning snack: water, Pirate's Booty*

* Not an ideal morning snack, but a compromise. Made by Robert's American Gourmet Food, it's corn, puffed rice, and real cheese. I've never had them because of the cheese, but E loves them. They make other stuff I can eat, like Tings, which are basically a healthier, vegan-version of cheetos. Sooo good, but I stay away for just that reason!!

Monday, January 3, 2011

School lunches are back! I have to admit, this past week, with school closed and me off from work, it was really nice not having to think about packing a lunch. It was also nice to have a week of lunches at home with more options -- things I couldn't pack in a lunchbox, such as an avocado sandwich or bananas or anything hot!

Anyhow, happy new year to everyone. On that note, I have decided to start a second blog -- a soup project! Every week for the next year, I will make a homemade soup and post the recipe online, along with a photo. The first soup is a spicy peanut and eggplant soup. The recipe is to the right. (I will post a photo tomorrow.) I included a small tub of the soup in E's lunch today. It's thick enough that I thought he could use it to dip his carrots.

For now, here's today's lunch:

• grilled cheese on wheat
• carrot sticks
• garlic bread
• spicy peanut and eggplant soup
• blackberries
• water
• morning snack: water, kidz Luna bar