A Year of Lunches

Bread Bread Bread

2012-01-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

So around our house, lately, I've been using my bread machine for proofing the bread, and then I've been baking it in the oven artisan style. It's so easy! And it's so good I find I'm baking quite a lot. A hunk of bread, a chunk of cheese and an apple- and that's lunch! A really good lunch.

I've use Krusteaz sourdough bread mix and Krusteaz Italian herb mix. Both have yielded delightful results. I buy them at Amazon- and they end up being about 2.50 a box. Since you only add water, that's a great price for a loaf of bread.

I proof my loaf in the breadmaker until the cycles are over- and just before it would begin baking I turn it out on a foil topped cookie sheet, which I have floured with organic whole wheat flour- just dust the foil with flour. I like whole wheat flour best. Then I flour the top of the loaf- just a dusting- and score the top of the loaf (about 1/4 inch deep) across the top. I bake at 425 in a preheated oven until the top is a nice deep brown. I am hesitant to put an exact time- because it varies loaf to loaf- but it's about 25 minutes. Toward the end sometimes I wait by the oven until I get just the color to the crust I want.

My mom suggested rolling the loaf before baking in a mix of wheat berries, sunflower seeds, poppyseed, fennel and caraway, with some large grained salt- and I'm going to try that next.

Raisin compote

2011-11-23T05:27:00.000-08:00

While we were out at a little bistro this weekend we tried an amazing raisin compote that was served with some manchego cheese. I've tried to recreate it, and I'm not quite there- but this was pretty good. I combined:
1/4 cup cointreau
1/4 cup apricot preserve (was pretty liquidy (about the consistency of a smoothy)- which is why it wasn't all eaten)
1 cup organic rasins
1/3 cup currants
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs black currant balsamic vinegar (or any flavorful vinegar)
3 Tbs mostarda de frutta fig- with balsamic vinegar
2 tbs honey
4 heaping tbs sugar

combine all ingredients in sauce pan and cook over low heat, stirring often. When raisins plump and mixture thickens, it's done. I am going to try adding orange juice and orange peel, or maybe lemon peel, next time. I think some candied fruit would be an excellent addition as well.

Galette

2011-08-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

So I saw this recipe come through my email:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/nectarine-galette-00000000060139/index.html?xid=dailyrecnews-08-27-2011

yum, I thought. But I had no nectarines. I did however have some lovely fuji apples and a couple of pluots. I sliced one of the apples very thinly, ditto for a pluot, and stirred them with the sugar mentioned in the recipe. Then I laid the apple slices out in a lovely circle- leaving a hole in the middle, and I filled the center with a starburst of pluot slices. It looks lovely. I have pictures (I will post them in the morning). I have not eaten it yet- but I hope it is as delicious as it looks. It was easy as pie (actually easier than pie). I used a Trader Joes pie crust.

The First Week of School is OVER!

2011-08-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have taken pictures of most of our lunches- but have not put them up yet. But at least I can tell you what we had. On Tuesday, the first day of school for me, I made peanut butter sandwiches, but I added Costco chocolate covered peanuts. I'd say there were about 9 -10 peanuts per sandwich- I'll have to count them in the pictures. At any rate, my kids and I loved this addition. It makes your sandwich taste like dessert! With the sandwich I sent green grapes, carrots, some yogurt covered raisins, and some pistachios. On Wednesday, we took brie wedges, water crackers, apples (I just sent whole apples- was too lazy to cut them and dip them in vitamin C water), more grapes, dates and chocolate chip cookies. On Thursday we took cups of hummus (from Costco) water crackers, dates, raisins, chocolate peanuts, and carrots. On Friday we had more peanut butter sandwiches with chocolate peanuts- because they were SO good we wanted them again. This time I packed applesauce with them (berry flavored), celery sticks, and I broke a kitkat bar in half and put it in my kids' lunch tins. The kitkat melted- and my kids told me it made the sandwich extra delicious- so that was a lucky break for me.

I'm out of practice making lunches in a hurry. So this weekend I'm baking some breads to use in my lunches, and I'm going to make some pasta salads and other easy things to pack. Maybe some home made cookies too- or some scones. Maybe both!

First Lunch of the New School Year

2011-08-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

My son started college today, so I packed him a lunch. He could have made his own, of course, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. I bought little individual hummus cups at Costco, and sent those with water crackers, grapes, chocolate pistachio date bread (very delicious, from the Bread Machine cookbook- see the bottom of this post), some cheese, a gingerbread-walnut-raisin muffin, and an organic applesauce cup. Since my son is gone from 7am- 3:30pm, I wanted to make sure he had lunch and snacks. He said I DID send enough food :-) Tonight I'm making the Bread of the Angels, also from the Bread Machine cookbook. It's got marzipan, sour cherries, and slivered almonds. It's baking right now, and smells amazing. I'll post pictures later.

http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Lovers-Machine-Cookbook-Bread-/dp/155832156X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313724571&sr=8-1

Today's Lunch

2011-06-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sadly we were hungry and ate this too fast to get a photo. Our bad.

We bought pumpkin bolani at Costco (roadshow item) and some sweet jalapeno jelly, and some garlic mint sauce- used the sauce and jelly to spice up the bolani. Served organic blueberries, watermelon and uncured organic hot dogs (from Trader Joes) on the side. Delicious.

CAKE CAKE CAKE

2011-06-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a little tip for making a cake a little different. Our local gourmet cupcake place puts graham cracker crumbs at the bottom of their cupcakes- so I thought "Why not do this with cakes?" I think it's a delicious addition. So now before I put in the batter, I line the bottom of the pan with graham cracker crumbs- I was lazy and even bought them in a box (Keebler- although there are several brands to choose from). I also use them in all the cupcakes I make now- because my kids love this addition, and it works with muffins and sweet breads too!!! Enjoy!

Where have I been?????

2011-06-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Ok- so clearly I have been a slacker. My poor little 17 year old daughter said just the other day "Couldn't you make those bento lunches again?" "Why doesn't she make her own bento?", was my first thought- but that was ungenerous.

So I am going to try to get back in the groove. It should help that it is summer- I hope. This year at school was one of the busiest of my life- mostly because the classes were so huge. All that school work left very little time for making lunches.

Here's hoping life settles down, and I can actually get back to cooking more!

YUM- Home Made Bread!

2010-09-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me a Sunbeam breadmaker and Hodgson Mill bread mixes! I've been making bread for the last few days. My mom said it was easy, and boy was she right. I made rye bread yesterday, and today we took thick pieces of rye bread spread with unsalted organic butter and layered with bandaged cheddar. Great sandwiches! I sent the sandwiches with organic corn chips, Sharkies (not great for you, but my kids love them), little green pears, and chocolate pudding cups.

Tonight I am making barley bread mix. I can't wait to taste it!

All I have to add to the mix is warm water and my own butter. The mix even comes with its own packet of yeast!

Some easy lunches

2010-09-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of easy lunches. Those are mini bagels with cream cheese. And Trader Joes had tiny organic pears- so the pears are small. In the bottom picture you are seeing 2 lunches- the tin was my daughter's, and the plastic container with the baggies was for my son. I used a Trader Joes cheese and salami tray for that lunch (fed me as well, and there were leftovers)- with the cheese there is also a bagel, clementines, cashews, "Everything" crackers (Trader Joes), and biscotti treat. With the salad lunch I sent a chocolate dipped madeline (there might have been sea salt on that one), cashews, clementines, blueberries, and a bagel with cream cheese.

I'm rushed off my feat

2010-09-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

So it's been a crazy week, but I still made lunches. I've bought a lot of cheese, since Costco had some amazing cheeses, so I've been sending cheese and crackers, fruit and veggies, and snacks- and that's lunch. I am eating that too- and I've found the cheese so filling, I often can't finish the rest of my meal. I guess I'm on "The Cheese Diet"- but not intentionally.

On Monday we ate goat cheese with herbs and Mc Vitie's Digestive Biscuits (the crackers that eat like a meal). Many carbs make you want to snack and snack- but I have never been able to eat more than a few Mc Vitie's- despite the fact that I love the taste. I also sent tiny pears- because I love goat cheese with pears. As snacks I sent cashews and a little home made pudding (chocolate).

On Tuesday we bought a tray of cheese and sausage from Trader Joes. We each took a few slices of jack cheese, a few cheddar slices, and some salami. I sent Mc Vities crackers, a few biscotti treats, clementines, and for my son, who had a very long day, I also sent a small container of rice with Trader Joes organic chili on top.

On Wednesday only my son needed a lunch, but he wanted to buy at school, since a salad he wanted to try was on sale.

On Thursday I sent the Middle East Feast- which I bought at Trader Joes. I meant to make sushi, but I just didn't have the energy.

Friday- TGIF. I sent more cheese and crackers. I've got a huge wheel of the goat cheese, and I didn't want it to go to waste. It's never as tasty (imo) then when you cut in to the wheel- so we're trying to eat it up. Lunch today was a repeat of Monday- though I did manage to add some home dipped chocolate madelines. I bought Costco madelines- dipped them in 80% Lindt dark chocolate, and then I sprinkled them with sea salt. The sea salt makes the chocolate taste really amazing.

Chili Quiche

2010-08-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the chili quiche (it's the one in front- the beans give it speckles). In back you see a ham quiche cooling.

Quiche Lunch

2010-08-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

This is two lunches- the little one in the tin is my daughter's lunch.

I used the quiche recipe I mentioned earlier in August. But I will repeat it here- since it's so easy, and lately I've been using white onion instead of green. And I am making double batches- and adding last minute ingredients so I have two flavors. I just baked two this morning, and made one ham, and one tuna.

1 cup mayo
1 cup milk
2 TBS cornstarch
1/2 chopped onion- chop fine- I use a sweet white onion
4 eggs (you can add more if you like- it changes the texture)
3 cups finely shredded cheese- I use Trader Joes Mexican blend

Mix milk, mayo, cornstarch and eggs. Add cheese and onion. Then add whatever goodies you want to put in- this is also the point where you can divide the recipe and make 2 different kinds of quiche, or you can make two the same. It's up to you. For ONE quiche, cut the recipe in 1/2.

Last minute additions- I give amounts for a SINGLE quiche (plain cheese and onion is also delicious)- 6 ounces chopped ham, or 1/2 can chili, or 1 can tuna, or 1 can crab, or 1 can shrimp, or drained chopped olives- the list is endless. Play with this!!! And the quiche is nice and firm, so it will travel well in the lunchbox. My children tell me there has been no quiche breakage :-)

Remember- I'm too lazy to bake that pie crust ahead of time. I just use Trader Joes unbaked pie crust. I have found that glass pie dishes give a much crispier crust (and give it that "pot pie" taste- which we just love). I have used clear glass and corningwear, and they are far superior to my stainless steel pie pans.

Middle East Lunch- thank you Costco

2010-08-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Since I am back at work I'm pleased I can add a lunch item like this to my son's meal. It's by Foodology (and they also make a really good spicy egg white salad). I found this at Costco- but as with all Costco special items, we don't know how long it will be around.

I sent pretzels, dates, grapes and biscotti treat (also from Costco- biscotti with white chocolate, dark chocolate and caramel- not too good for you, but a nice little dessert.) I break it in to little sections, so it looks like a sent more than I really did.

Sushi rice and sauerkraut

2010-08-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Because sauerkraut tastes so darn good in sushi, I put some on top of leftover sushi rice for this easy lunch. You will also see dates (top left), cuties in sections, grapes, pretzels, madelines dipped in chocolate (sometimes I sprinkle these with sea salt- delicious!), and a few tiny chocolate chip cookies. I also sent a Pure blueberry bar, and some limeade.

I use Bubbies Sauerkraut with active bacteria. I've read it is rich in vitamin K- and supposed to be good for you. I also really love the taste.

Foods rich in vitamin K:

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/vitamin-k-foods.htm

Quiche Quiche Quiche

2010-08-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

I made two of these quiches this morning. We ate one for breakfast and one for lunch. At lunch we also had cauliflower with melted organic American cheese and grapes.

For each quiche:

1 unbaked pie crust (I use Trader Joes)
1 1/2 cup cheese (I used Trader Joes Mexican blend- because it is finely shredded)
5 green onions, chopped fine
1 package rosemary ham chopped (Trader Joes, 6 oz)
pepper
1 TBS corn starch (I use organic)
1/2 cup mayo (I use organic)
1/2 cup milk (I use cream top non-homogenized)
2 eggs

Line pie crust with dough. Mix eggs, mayo, milk and cornstarch- add all other ingredients. Pour in to pie crust. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (but please watch it as it bakes- since ovens vary).

Sushi

2010-08-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

We had salmon earlier in the week, so I used some of the leftovers to make poached salmon sushi. I also made roasted red pepper sushi, and sushi with Bubbies sauerkraut (see link)- it's my favorite sauerkraut. The sauerkraut sushi was amazing. It was so good I had an extra bowl of sushi rice topped with sauerkraut. Yummmmm. And it would make an awesome cold lunch. I'm definitely going to take sushi rice and sauerkraut this year for my school lunches. It's filling, and I love the taste.

Remember, sushi rice is super simple- it's some combination of seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar), sugar, mirin, and soy sauce- though you can play around a lot with the recipe. If you google it you'll find a bunch of different ways to prepare it- and almost all of them are delicious.

And don't be afraid of rolling sushi. If I can do it, anyone can do it. But you really need a bamboo roller- it does all the work. Go to youtube and watch some of the videos- that's how I learned to roll sushi. And I could not believe how easy it was.

Bubbies

http://www.bubbies.com/prod_sauerkraut.shtml

Lunch for the First Day of College

2010-08-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

First day of college for my son. I sent blueberries, cuties, champagne grapes, crackers, salami, organic cheese (you can see the kind I sent in the wrapper above the lunch- it's from Costco- mushroom, plain jack, jalapeno and herb. Delicious!) In the small dish are pieces of Biscotti treats- also from Costco. And I sent some pretzels in the baggy- because today was going to be an extra long day. And yes, he can cook his own food. We sometimes cook together :-)

We are NOT eating bark

2010-08-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is a rather odd post. I had mentioned to some friends that I was using black bark to do our entire yard (front and back), and some folks wanted to see it (and so did my mom :-) So I am posting a picture of my effort here. Our gardeners quoted a thousand dollars to do our yard, but my kids and I did it in under 2 hours and for under two hundred dollars- which I thought was pretty sweet. And we used medium/large Preen bark, and the gardeners were just going to use small stuff (the black bark that pretty much looks like dirt).

2010-08-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

So we had my daughter's 21st birthday party today, and I made cherry tomato tart (you will find the recipe a few posts back), and tiny sandwiches (tuna, cucumber) and dates with pecans, and two chocolate cakes, and brownies, and madelines from Costco I dipped in dark chocolate, grapes and watermelon, salad, and more- so much more. But several of the things I made would work great for lunches.

Dates with pecans and cream cheese- I use medjool dates, take out the pit, put in a small amount of cream cheese, and press the cheese in to chopped pecans. Wonderful!

Celery with Rondele cheese and pecans- spread celery with Rondele cheese (I get it at Costco), and then press cheese in to pecans. Yum

Cucumber salad- slice peeled hot house cucumbers very thin. Spread thin slices of bread with a mixture of cream cheese, pepper, finely chopped chives, and salt to taste. You can add a drop of green food coloring, but I don't feel the need. Layer one slice of bread with cucumbers, and close the sandwich up.

Costco Madelines- perfect for dipping! Try melting some of the exotic chocolate bars- like Chocolate with chile, or chocolate with sea salt- then dip 1/2 the Madeline on the upper side in to the chocolate. It's really pretty, and it's SO delicious. I often make these for lunches. I put the cookies in the fridge to make the chocolate extra firm, and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap.

Veggies Tonight

2010-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Fennel was only 99cents a bulb at Trader Joes today. What a treat. So I bought 3. I sliced them thinly and sauteed them in butter until slightly caramelized. Then I turned off the heat, deglazed with about 1/4 cup lemon juice, and tossed the fennel with 1 cup of shaved parmesan cheese (I could have used less, to be honest- but it was super cheesy delicious).

Also on the menu (I was mixing cultures tonight) was cauliflower cooked in the microwave and topped with whole milk yogurt (about a cup) mixed with 2 tablespoons of ras el hanout.

Not familiar with ras el hanout?

http://www.amazon.com/Mustaphas-Moroccan-Hanout-8-Ounce-Pouch/dp/B000V5VNJQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1281062703&sr=8-4

I also served some mac n cheese to placate my daughters- but my son, husband and I thought the veggies were fantastic, and we all had seconds. In fact, I'm pretty darn stuffed right now. In a good way :-)

Still Can't Find my Camera

2010-07-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

So this week my daughter had her wisdom teeth out, and there was much call for pudding at our house. I made these two lovely puddings, that made her very happy. I hope you enjoy them, and wish I could show them to you:

This is a wine custard I made up myself, since most other wine custard recipes call for double boiler:

2 cups milk (I use whole non-homogenized "cream top" milk- or half and half)
3 tbs cornstarch (organic is what I use)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbs sweet wine (I used some Yalumba Muscat- a dessert wine from Australia)

Cook milk till bubbles form around the edge. Add sugar/salt/cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens. When thick, add wine, keep stirring. I keep cooking about another 3-5 minutes. Then turn off heat and keep stirring until mixture is somewhat cooled (and no bubbles would form if you stopped stirring.) Mixture must NOT boil.

We eat this warm over berries, and cooled as a pudding. It's also good warm just by itself. It's a great compliment to a glass of Yalumba Muscat- an obvious pairing that is simply fabulous.

EASY CHOCOLATE PUDDING

1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 1/2 c. half and half
1/3 c. cocoa (I use Starbucks cocoa)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Slowly heat milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until bubbles form around the edge (I use a whisk for stirring). Add dry ingredients and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add vanilla. Cook 3-5 minutes longer- keep stirring until cool enough not to bubble. Chill. Makes 6 servings- unless you have teens. Then it might make one serving (two if you are lucky).

Tomato Tart and Feta Pastries

2010-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

In the April issue of Food and Wine there was a great, easy recipe for a tomato tart. All you had to do was toss tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and put them in a pie crust. I decided to make it even easier by buying the pie crust at Trader Joes- I also bought my organic cherry tomatoes there, too.

I tossed the tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and sprinkled pepper on the top, then baked until the crust was browned- about 35 minutes in my oven.

I used the other Trader Joes crust (there were two) to make little pastries with feta and kalamata olives (thank you Real Simple). I used a small biscuit cutter, cutting out two shapes per pastry, and then filling each pastry with feta and chopped olives. Close the pastries around the edge with the tines of a fork. I baked the pastries until browned

goat cheese, yogurt and bread

2010-07-07T22:19:00.001-07:00

Easy lunch today. Trader Joes has small goat cheeses that come in a bag. I took one of the little rounds to work with some sourdough bread, a small salad and a plum. I also poured some Strauss family creamery (see link) organic European yogurt (whole milk) in to a small container and topped it with some wildflower honey. I try to eat only whole milk products. If you start using low fat milk products you are upping the sugar in your milk product, and you are also less likely to get the signal that you are full. Fats (at least it seems to me) make you feel full very quickly, thus rapidly reducing your appetite. Studies have shown for both women and children (see link to children's study) that whole milk drinkers, and people who eat whole milk cheeses, tend to have lower body mass indexes. Good to know- right? Especially since whole milk products taste so darn good.

At our house we drink only whole milk that is NOT homogenized (I find this "cream top" milk only at Trader Joes). My kids drink far less milk than they did when we used to buy lowfat. I know it's anecdotal- but take it for what you will.

http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/006682.html

Chicken Salad Scones

2010-07-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

So I moved- I think I mentioned that. My camera is still somewhere in our new garage in one of the many boxes out there. And on top of the moving I caught pneumonia :-) It's been an interesting summer (and did I mention I started an internship right after school let out?). We HAVE been eating even though our lives have been insane, but we haven't always been eating things I've made. I came to rely rather heavily on Trader Joes premade salads, sandwiches and frozen food.

Chicken Salad Scones

I used Garvey's Scone mix (find it at Amazon) with cheddar cheese and black pepper added. I probably add 1/3 cup- I just take a handful of shredded cheddar. I don't measure.

The chicken salad began as Foster Farms Costco thighs- 99 cents a pound- and I take the skin off before baking. Then I sprinkle the thighs with herbs de provence and French gardeners' salt (just salt with herbs- you can find it on Amazon, or just use any old salt you like.) I bake at 350 until the chicken is done.

The chicken makes dinner the first night, and then the next day I chop up what's left, add mayonnaise, parseley, onions, celery, pepper and salt, and a little mustard powder.

I slice the scones and fill with the chicken salad. Delicious. And these are pretty enough to serve to guests, but easy enough to make for a family lunch. I served them with a fruit salad of watermelon, plums, mango, grapes and nectarines.

I can't believe how long I've been away

2010-05-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

So the moving odyssey now seems never ending. We were supposed to move in on April 21st, had the moving guys booked, and had changed the gas, water, cable, etc- and the man in our house would not move. So now he is supposed to be out on May 7th- and maybe, maybe, I'll be able to cook again. Most of my pans and almost all my tools are boxed up- since we thought we'd be moved by April 21st, they've been boxed up for a while- and were either in a POD, or were driven away in a Zippy Shell (and I can recommend both systems- though I think I prefer the POD, since it is bigger, and doesn't have a ramp that can bite you in the shins.)

I have a few pitiful bits of cooking trivia to add to my blog- I got this cutting board (for my gorgeous new granite counters):

http://www.amazon.com/Epicurean-Cutting-Board-Natural-2829x15-22-29/dp/B000UCO16M/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1273110288&sr=1-24

and I got some trivets by the same company some time ago:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019ZN95S/ref=oss_product

I think these products are amazing! When I read the reviews for all the boards (obsessive that I am) I did note that people with dull knives had some problems with gouging. Now none of you, I'm sure, would have a dull knife, so not to worry- but if you have any dull knifed friends, don't tell them to get this board. It's not for them.

I hope to see you all again very soon, and be able to share lots and lots of food pictures! But for right now, please send happy thoughts, as we need them. I'm tired of being in limbo- house wise.

2010-04-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

We have not quit eating, nor have I quit making lunches, but we are in the middle of moving, and all bets are off when it comes to estimating when I can get pictures of meals up here again.

I'm hoping I can start making and photographing meals again soon, but I had forgotten just what a pain moving is.

At the moment the meals we are having are strange amalgams of what is left in the cupboards. Tuna and baked beans? Anchovies and split pea soup? How about tomato salmon bisque?

My family will be so relieved when the cupboards are bare. I think they'd almost rather starve than deal with the fear surrounding what monstrous alchemy will be served up next.

Starting the week off right

2010-03-29T06:39:00.001-07:00

This salad is made of baby lettuce, sausage, cheddar cheese, radishes, black olives and parmesan- with dots of mustard inside the olives. I am sending Drew's Caesar dressing in a packet with the salad.

I also sent organic apple sauce, an organic nut bar, some cheese crackers, orange slices, and a couple of cookies.

Quicky Lunch

2010-03-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

I sent the cheese scones I made yesterday with some cheddar cheese, apple sauce, dried fruit, cookies and chocolate soy milk. It looked like a pretty tasty lunch to me.

Sconeday

2010-03-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

So today I had the impulse to make a bunch of scones. I made blueberry - with Costco dried blueberries, glaze and blueberry sugar. I made cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, raisin and walnut scones, with glaze. And I made Mexican 3 cheese scones.

They were all delicious. The blueberry and the cheese scones I made with Garvey's organic mix. The cinnamon scones I made with Dassant vanilla scone mix.

The glaze was milk, real vanilla and powdered sugar.

Lunches 3/15-3/19

2010-03-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

I was making lunches this week, but I was so busy I forgot to take pictures, or, rather, I thought about it, and realized I didn't have time.

I bought some Maranatha dark chocolate almond spread, and is it good! (see link at bottom of blog) I made sandwiches with it, and sprinkled on some sweet dark dried cherries- I was going for a black forest cake vibe. We all thought the sandwiches were very good. We thought they were so good we ate them two days in a row (Monday and Tuesday).

On Thursday I used Maranatha sesame tahini (see link) on flat bread with green onions and lettuce, and rolled that up.

On Friday I threw some granola bars and snacks in a bag and called it lunch.

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=172832&prrfnbr=3108883

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=172832&prrfnbr=3108889

Mama Africa's Papaya and Apple Salad

2010-03-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to work more papaya in to our diet, since I've read it is very, very good for us, so
I bought a large maradol papaya, and made papaya salad. Since I love Thai green papaya salad, I've been experimenting with other salads- and I don't worry about how ripe the papaya is. I just use it when I buy it. It's all good. Turns out papaya is good with just about any dressing, and it blends with sweet and savory. What a great fruit! Don't forget that the seeds are edible!

I used baby lettuce as my base, then covered that with thin slices of papaya- about 1 1/2" long, and 3/4" wide. On top of the arranged shaved papaya, I sprinkled green onions and matchstick pieces of pink lady apples. Then I topped it with a dressing I made out of Mama Africa's Jabula sauce (sweet red pepper, apricot and rosemary), and O olive oil infused with grapefruit- about 1/3 sauce and 2/3's oil.

I found the sauce at Whole Foods, and I only bought it because it was 1/2off- but it's really delicious. I'm going to try it on chicken, for my next experiment.

chocolate cherry scones

2010-03-21T07:05:00.001-07:00

Very simple. Just scone mix with 1/2 cup or sweet dark dried cherries, and 1/2 of a chocolate candy bar chopped up.

Chocolate Dassant Scones

2010-03-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

I used Dassant vanilla scone baking mix for these. I had a Rainforest milk chocolate and cherry bar sitting around, so I chopped it up and added it to the Dassant mix. I also sprinkled a little sugar on top of each scone. When making the mix I use butter for the oil, and whole, unhomogenized milk. I think quality milk and oil make all the difference when you are using a mix.

Could I make these from scratch? Absolutely. But since Amazon sells the mixes in packs of 6 for a great price, why should I? My time is limited, and I think a lot of the time, the mixes are better- if you buy the top quality ones. What matters is adding inventive or fun ingredients to accent the mix. Then you get the convenience of a mix, but the great taste, and fanciful ingredients, of a great bakery.

Egg Tacos

2010-03-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

I had some organic blue corn taco shells to use up, so I made egg tacos. I melted a pat of butter in my non-stick skillet, and cooked 1/2 a white onion, finely chopped. Then I added 3 well beaten eggs, and cooked the mixture well. While the eggs were cooking, I finely sliced some purple baby lettuce, and heated some Trader Joe's organic refried beans. I turned the heat off on the eggs, and sprinkled them with cheese. Then I put some hot refried beans at the bottom of the shell, sprinkled this with a pinch of grated Mexican blend cheese, and put on the eggs and lettuce. I served this with guacamole and salsa on the side.

As you can see this is a pretty entree. I would have added chopped tomatoes and avocado, for even more color, but I didn't have any.

Almond butter, dark chocolate and walnut sandwich

2010-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

This sandwich is on organic wheat bread. The first layer is almond butter, then that was sprinkled with walnuts, and finally I drizzled melted dark chocolate over it. It's very tasty. I put a piece of bread on top- I only left them open so you could see how I make them.

I sent hot organic WestSoy chocolate peppermint drink in my son's thermos, and also sent apple sauce, a blueberry stick, a piece of birthday cake (see the Peace of Cake from 2 posts back) and some nuts.

More About my Lupini

2010-03-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Back on Sunday, Feb. 21st, I posted about my lupini. Now, weeks later, the lupini are ready.

I have memorialized them in a picture. They are kind of bland- though the way I dressed them was delicious. I put some lemon olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them, and then sprinkled them with French gardener's salt (see link at bottom). I don't think I would make them again. I'd rather just buy bread and put vinegar and olive oil on that- because they are just a carrier for whatever sauce you put on them.

I have a lot of them, so I'm going to try them in salads and soups. It takes very little effort to pop the skins off, so I think I'll use them unskinned (deskinned?) in my recipes.

http://www.amazon.com/Pere-Pelletier-Gardener-17-6-Ounce-Wooden/dp/B001ELL9IG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1268073290&sr=8-2

It's my daughter's birthday

2010-03-08T06:58:00.001-08:00

Today is a teacher workday (no school- although I have to go put in grades and grade notebooks)- and it's also my daughter's 16th birthday.

She loves peace signs- so I used the Fred "Peace of Cake" pan to make this cake. The cake is made with Naturally Nora Cookie Cake Mix, which is amazingly tasty, and I made the chocolate buttercream frosting from scratch (butter, whip cream, melted chocolate, cocoa, powdered sugar (organic- so it didn't have cornstarch) bourbon extract.

Naturally Nora:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DWGXFU/ref=oss_product

Finals Week

2010-03-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Finals week was last week, so the kids didn't need lunches on Thurs and Fri. I, however, took a field trip to Galt, California, as part of a Project Lead the Way field trip. Lunch was provided, but I guessed there would be little I could eat, so I packed myself a nice little lunch.

I took Moroccan Mint tea (Stash) with honey and lemon added, in my trusty thermos (the Spider, by Alfi). I took a big hunk of goat cheese (Bucherondin) and some Urban Oven grackers (Asiago Cheese flavor). I also packed myself some Sharkies (because I'm now a Sharkies addict), some orange slices and some torta de aceite (seville orange flavor).

I was right about the lunch provided. It was Mexican food :-) Everything had corn or modified food starch in it- so if I had not brought my own lunch, I would have been very very hungry.

Early Day- my kids don't take lunch- so just a snack

2010-03-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Using my scone mix (see URL below), I added about 3 TBS sugar, 3 TBS of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tsp bourbon flavoring. This was fabulous! This was so fabulous they didn't last very long.

It's really more like a giant cookie than a scone- but am I going to complain about that? Is anyone going to complain about that? Not around my house they aren't.

scone mix:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EO68NE/ref=oss_product

Soup Tuesday

2010-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Ham and pasta soup from Whole Foods, with homemade Parmesan and walnut scone, lemon cake and an organic apple sauce.

No Picture- slacker day

2010-03-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

So this weekend, when I was at Whole Foods, I noticed the soups were buy one get one free, so I bought a bunch of them for lunches. I DID make scones to go with them- yesterday (3/1) I sent Parmesan walnut scones with chicken and red rice soup. I also sent applesauce, and an organic blueberry fruit leather.

I have a busy week, as this is the last week of our trimester as well as being finals week, and I have several meetings, and other things cropping up, so I will be cutting some corners this week- but at least I will take pictures of my slacker lunches :-) Or try to.

Just for fun- this little lady watches while I make lunch

2010-02-28T10:37:00.001-08:00

Playing Catch Up

2010-02-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post Thursday's and Friday's lunches- so here they are. On Thursday I sent ham-melts. I heated the ham in a nonstick skillet, and put a piece of cheddar on the ham, until the cheese melted. Then I slapped it on the croissant. This makes a really nice sandwich- hot or cold. I sent that with apple sauce, Sharkies, raisins, and some celery slices

On Friday I made goat cheese sandwiches on toast, with quince jam sandwiches (the flowers). I sent this with oranges, sharkies and cookies.

2 Lunches

2010-02-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to use up the prime rib, so my son's lunch has thinly sliced beef, mustard, and romaine on Sheepherder bread (from Trader Joe's). I sent it with pistachios and pretzels, and more of the Pink Lady apples dipped in a wash of vitamin C. Since my son had used up all the ice bags and had forgotten to give them to me to refreeze them (he was collecting them in his room instead) I used frozen guacamole to keep his lunch cold and I told him to dip his pretzels in the guacamole. That sounds good to me.

My daughter said her backpack was too full, so she needed a smaller lunch. She has the reuseable "brown bag" and is taking an almond butter sandwich, to which I added walnut pieces, apples, sharkies (which are kind of an organic gummy bear, made without high fructose corn syrup), and I gave her some Cheeze-Its.

Prime Rib Sandwich

2010-02-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

Shaved leftover prime rib is mixed with romaine lettuce in this roll up on spinach flat bread. I used cream cheese mixed with onions to keep the sandwich together.

I also put in two "two bite" passion fruit scones, pistachios, and pretzels. There are apples (Pink Ladies) soaked in water with vitamin C crystals. The apples are in the plastic container. The vitamin C keeps the apples from turning brown,

Passion Fruit Scones

2010-02-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

I had a bit of drama with these scones today. The first batch I made burned badly on the bottom, though the tops were perfect (I know because I ate most of them.)

So I did a little reflection, and decided that because the passion fruit puree was so wet, I needed to make the scones smaller, and cook them at a slightly lower heat. I changed the oven to 400, and made the scones about 1/3 the size of my normal scones. They came out PERFECTLY.

And they taste just amazing- if you like passion fruit, which happens to be one of my favorite flavors. The scone mix I use is Garvey's Organic Scone mix, and I added 1/3 cup of Napa "A Perfect Puree"- passion fruit puree, as well as 2 heaping TBS sugar, and a little dusting of sugar on top (probably 1/4 of a tsp, though I don't measure it).

I was planning on sending these in the kids' lunches this week, but I don't know if there will be any left by tomorrow...

All About My Lupini

2010-02-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

I thought these beans looked interesting, so like so many innocents before me, I bought them, only to find out that cooking lupini is a multi-week process. But I'm not a quitter, so I will conquer this bean.

The first step was to soak the beans. Before I knew about their special super powers (alkaloids) I had soaked them overnight in salt, as I do all my beans. Then I found out this was not nearly enough to overcome the fearsome power of the lupini.

So today I am boiling them for a few hours, then I will put them in my fridge for a few weeks of soaking- until the bitterness goes away, and the soaking water is no longer yellow. I will be changing the water every day, as per all the directions I have seen for the lupini. I hope to (finally) use these as a snack in my kids' lunches. I will flavor them with olive oil and vinegar and fresh parseley, when they are finally done.

I guess you could say these are one of the ultimate slow foods.

Ham, Cheese and Onion Scones for Breakfast

2010-02-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's ham and cheese lunch becomes today's scone. The 2 slices of ham leftover from yesterday's sandwich rolls was diced up, and mixed with 1 cup of the Mexican blend shredded cheese, and 1 finely diced green onion, and mixed with one package of Garvey's Scone Mix prepared as usual (any scone mix or recipe for basic scones would work.)

I baked mine at 425 for about 14 minutes- I watched them closely, and as soon as I saw the bottoms were starting to brown, I took them out of the oven. That always gives me a perfect scone.

Friday Ham Rolls

2010-02-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

This sandwich is built on Wholly Wholesome spinach flat bread from Whole Foods. I spread 1/2 of it (the top half, where the sandwich would be sealed) with Trader Joe's cream cheese with onion. I layered rosemary ham (no nitrates, from Trader Joe's) in the middle of the sandwich with organic romaine (ribs removed) and shredded Mexican blend cheese. Then I rolled it and sliced it. You will see pretzels (I buy the giant bag from Costco) around the sandwich, and delicious organic oranges in the small container. I also sent a Luna bar with this, for my son's passing period, in case he needed a snack.

Peanut butter celery sandwiches

2010-02-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

We've all had peanut butter on celery, now here is peanut butter with sliced celery in a sandwich! It's delicious, and much less messy in a lunchbox. You can see I used a round scalloped cutter to shape the bread (saving the trimmings, which have a hole in a slice of bread, for "eggs in toast" on the weekend).

I sent these sandwiches with cashew clusters, Back To Nature Oreo style cookies, and pretzels fill in the spaces around the sandwich in the Lunchbot tin. I also sent applesauce on the side- it would not fit in the tin.

It's Weds- so my kids don't need lunch

2010-02-17T10:29:00.001-08:00

On Weds my kids have a short day, so I don't need to pack them a lunch. I took a little salad, a KIND macadamia and apricot bar, and a thermos full of mint tea with lemon.

I left some Indian food- naan and lentils, eggplant and veggies in corningware in the fridge- for the kids when they get home.

Orange zest, white pepper and parmesan scones

2010-02-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

I sent these in my kids' lunches today. I was playing with my Garvey's Organic Scone Mix (from Amazon- love it- it's the best for a lazy scone baker). So I was thinking- why not mix cheese and orange peel? So I grated the zest off 2 organic blood oranges, and mixed it with 1/3 of a cup of coarse grated parmesan cheese and 1/2 tsp white pepper. I stirred those ingredients in to the scone mix and baked as directed. The taste was amazing- or that's what we thought.

With the scone I sent a wedge of cheddar cheese, some apple sauce, a Think organic bar, and some celery sticks. I think the cheese and orange peel mix would be good in any bread or biscuit.

cheese, pepper and pecan salad

2010-02-11T08:04:00.001-08:00

Easy salad- especially if you cut a bunch of cheese and pepper hearts out and keep them in a baggy in your fridge :-) The tough part, if we can all it that, is getting the cutters out, so you might as well cut a bunch, and use them up!

This salad is organic baby romaine, red pepper, chopped pecans, and cheddar cheese. You can see a packet of Drew's balsamic vinegar dressing, which will be very tasty on this.

I also sent a Think organic cherry bar, some cheese its, some blueberries, and an organic fruit leather.

This salad is packed in a large Lunchbot tin.

Raita roll with blueberries and couscous

2010-02-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to use up the raita. Today I spread lavosh with raita and topped it with lots of chopped red pepper, green onions, black olives and baby lettuce- I ground some fresh black pepper on before I rolled the bread up. It's in the blue section of the bento with black olives.

In the green section of the bento you see couscous, organic blueberries, and french macaroons (pistachio, orange and rose flavored).

This was pretty tasty, and shockingly easy- especially since I didn't have to make the macaroons- Costco had them :-) The SF Farmer's market has a bakery that carries French macaroons, and I've bought them at Bouchon, and now Trader Joes carries frozen ones (but only in vanilla and chocolate).

Hearts, Hummus and Raita

2010-02-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Lavosh bread with hummus and raita on it- layered with baby lettuce, chopped red peppers and chopped black olives- and a light dusting of finely chopped green onions and fresh ground pepper.

To the right, you see a small salad with red pepper hearts.

Panda Valentine

2010-02-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

This little panda bento is packed with a peanut butter sandwich topped with honey roasted nuts, and you also see honey roasted nuts around the outside of the sandwich. I also drizzled a tiny bit of honey on the inside of the sandwich, for flavor. I packed a heart shaped shortbread cookie on top of the sandwich. and in the other compartment I added organic blueberries and mint lacha- Indian shoe string "fries" with an amazing flavor. You can find mint lacha snacks at Amzon if you are so inclined. This bento is held together by a band that goes around the panda's forehead (this bento, too, can be found on Amazon). My daughter likes this bento because it is very small, and she has a lot of other stuff in her backpack.

Hummus, sweet red pepper and olive roll up

2010-02-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

These roll ups are simply Lavosh bread spread thickly with hummus, leaving about an inch and a half at the top for the "seal". I put organic baby lettuce, chopped red pepper, and chopped black olives in the middle. In the "Lunchbot" tin there is a baby salad, and a silicone cup of black olives. I put a lettuce leaf on top of that, and added a layer of orange sections.

In the Vivo Bento (which is more like a tiffin container, really)- you see another arrangement of the rollups. The black olives make a nice center, don't they? In the blue half of the bento you see orange sections, deglet noor dates, and honey roasted peanuts.

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

This is lavosh bread spread with a blue cheese pecan dip, sprinkled with pecans, and mixed with organic baby lettuce. I get the dip at Trader Joes- but any dip would do. I rolled and sliced the bread (note the area not covered by nuts which will provide the seal to the sandwich), then added couscous salad and organic deglet noor dates on the bottom layer, then I put a leaf "lid" on the silicone cups, and put fresh organic mandarin slices on top- I moved a few of the slices so you could see how well the leaf can conform to the area you need to cover.

February 1

2010-02-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

It's Feb 1 so it must be time for heart shaped sandwiches, and cake.

I made one sandwich of peanut butter, and one with cherry jam. The cake is lemon cake with the zest of lemons and our home grown mandarins. It 's glazed with lemon and mandarin juice, mixed with organic powdered sugar.

In the cup you see pink grapefruit slices.

Here is the amazing mix I use for my lemon cake:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EO5PO2/ref=rcx_subs_dp

Flowers and Poker

2010-01-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, and I'm tired. So today we have peanut butter (with my favorite Cream Nut peanut butter)- but there are flowers for my daughter and there is poker for my son.

I also sent organic apple sauce and Bahlsen Granor cookies (I'm taking Deloba).

http://www.amazon.com/Bahlsen-Granor-Cookies-3-5-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B000FBM46W/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1264780834&sr=8-14

We buy Bahlsen because there is no corn starch. It's hard to find cookies without modified food starch or corn starch. Don't buy these at regular price at Amazon! They go on sale for around $22.00- buy them then. I do :-) Remember, you can keep things saved in your cart and just wait for the price to change. I do that with all sorts of things. If you are patient, you will pay less.

Hummus and Raita Sandwich with Couscous

2010-01-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

The sandwiches are lavosh bread roll ups, spread with garlic hummus and raita, and I layered some very thinly sliced cucumbers on them, and sprinkled them with finely chopped red peppers.

In the little box at the top of the container you see couscous with currants, pearl onions and sun dried tomatoes. In the box at the bottom is a fresh cucumber and shredded carrot salad dressed with champagne citrus vinegar and sugar. There are dates in the yellow muffin cup for dessert.

I sent this with a Luna bar, some mint tea and honey, and some cookies.

Flower Lunch Salad, Dinner Garden Salad and Chop salad

2010-01-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

I used Muenster cheese and cheddar for the flowers in this. The flower centers are bell pepper and uncured peperoni. You can also see olives and tomatoes. It's all served on a bed of organic baby greens. I sent this in a salad container that has a separate "well" for the salad dressing.

I also cut enough decorative pieces to put on our dinner salad. And what to do with the little bits and pieces left over? Make a chop salad! I took a picture of my chop salad, too.

The dressing I used was a balsamic pomegranate dressing from Costco.

2010-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

I used 3 sizes of round cutters for this. The two large circles I made in to peanut butter sandwiches. Then with the bread that was left, I used my smallest cutter to cut out tiny circles, and I made little jam sandwiches, which you can see in the yellow silicone muffin cup. I also sent dates and cheese crackers in the tin. I also sent grapefruit wedges, apple sauce, and a Think Organic cherry nut bar in the lunch bag.

2010-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Easy lunch. We cooked rice balls last night, so in the container on the left there are 4 rice balls. Next to that there are cherry tomatoes and celery. In the large container are two pieces of homemade teacake with lemon glaze, a small silicone cup of reeses, and two dates. In the tiny container are mandarin oranges. I sent a Bora Bora bar as well.

Raita Roll Ups

2010-01-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

I used Trader Joes raita, but of course you could make your own. There are plenty of recipes out on the net. I took a whole organic cucumber and peeled it and sliced it thinly, then spread the slices over some lavosh bread I had coated with raita, and left about 3" at the top of the bread with just sauce to get a good seal. Then I rolled up my bread, and sliced it, and served it as you see, with a bowl of olives. I also made roast lamb and cous cous and veggies to go with the raita roll ups, but the raita roll ups would make a lovely light lunch if you sent them with some snacks.

2010-01-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here I have made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on separate sandwiches. I used the same Ateco cutters I used yesterday. I only put the design on one side of the bread- if you try to do both sides the sandwich will fall apart. Some of these are sour cherry jelly, and some of them are peanut butter. We use Cream Nut peanut butter because it tastes so delicious. If you worry about salmonella in your peanut butter, just heat it to the temperature that kills that bacteria- 165 degrees. I don't find it does anything to the taste of the peanut butter, and heating it makes it easier to spread. Use a candy thermometer for temperature.

In the small containers you will see a mini trifle (crushed lady fingers at the bottom, raspberry jam with cream sherry to taste in the middle, Bird's custard on top- and some whip cream) and some oranges.

The other photo is my idea of what to do with the "frame" left over in the wheat bread after you have taken a circle out. My kids love Eggs In Toast. I used to actually cut the circles out by hand, before I wised up and bought cutters. I just crack the egg into the bread and break the yolk, and then cook it well on both sides- my kids don't like runny eggs.

Chef Salad

2010-01-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

This chef salad is served in a large "Lunchbot" container, which is a nice big tiffin tin. I cut most of the circles using my Ateco 11 piece cutter set (see URL at bottom). The largest slice of cheese (colby) came in a circle, and the salami and carrots and onions were also circular already. The orange cheese is sharp cheddar, and the white one is Muenster. The second largest circle is uncured ham. The red circles are bell pepper, and so is the bright yellow small circle. I arranged the pieces on a bed of baby organic lettuce, and carrots. I'm sending a packet of Drew's salad dressing (balsamic vinnegar) as dressing. (see URL at bottom for dressing) Hardboiled eggs work well in this salad, as do sliced olives and tomatoes.

Ateco cutters:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004S1CI/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Luncbot:
http://www.amazon.com/LunchBots-Stainless-Steel-Lunch-Container/dp/B002G9UHXS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263480132&sr=1-4

Drew's take along dressings:
http://www.amazon.com/Drews-All-Natural-Rosemary-1-5-Ounce/dp/B00125F44Y/ref=pd_sim_gro_1

Circle Sandwich

2010-01-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Simple, fun sandwich. It's spread with peanut butter, some brownie crumbles, and some pecan pieces. I made all the sandwiches on the large white bread, but I saved the outside of the wheat bread- what's left is most a "frame"- and cooked eggs in the middle. That was breakfast. I love an egg cooked in the middle of a piece of hollowed out bread.

Cheese Garden

2010-01-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

This works easily as a lunch, but it could also be very pretty on a large tray for a brunch or a party. You can put as many layers on the flowers as you want, and you can run chives down the center of the "petals" for more detail (I suggest you score a channel in the cheese for the chive to rest in if you do that.)

This lunch is on a bed of heirloom lettuce, and is composed of uncured sausage (no nitrites), Muenster cheese, carrots, bell peppers and Aioli mustard- as "glue" and also to decorate the center of the flowers. As I stacked the layers, I put a dollop of mustard on the back of each piece to keep it in place. I sent this with pretzels and crackers, a Luna bar, some apple sauce, and a dessert. The flowers are 3 1/2" across, to give you a sense of scale. This also looks pretty if you use chia seeds (or some other small seed) to sprinkle on the mustard in the center. That just gives the whole thing more detail.

PBJ- flower sandwich

2010-01-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

My son was a really good sport to take one of these in his lunch- but you really do need to make two of them, since you remove a piece of the wheat to put in the white. It's super easy- just make sure both the breads are similar in thickness or it gets a little weird. I think these brighten up a lunch box- you can do even more cut outs, thought I've never done more than 3- I have a small cutter than makes a nice central flower- but I was feeling lazy. You can also do a circle cut out and let jam show through on one side of the sandwich, as the center of the flower. That's pretty cute. Though that works better when you are not sending it in a lunchbox. Might get a little gooey if you try to send that one to school.

I sent Amy's organic bunny fruit treats today with these sandwiches. Have you tried those? Oh my goodness. They are the most delicious little gummies. They are so soft and full of flavor. I took some too. I took several- one of each flavor. It was for research purposes, you understand. I have to say the tropical are my favorite, but they were all absolutely delicious. Because I like them so much, that probably means Costco will only carry them for a short time, and then I will have to get them at Whole Foods where they cost quite a bit more.

I also baked a Canterbury Naturals lemon cake mix- with my fresh lemon zest in it, and sent lemon cake to school for dessert. Also included apple sauce and some carrot sticks.

face food- literally :-)

2010-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Easy little face. Micro green hair. Bell pepper mouth. Tomago-yaki ears (slices of tomago). Deviled egg eyes- pupils of black sesame seeds. And the nose is green onion. It's all on a bed of sushi rice. I got the eyes a little uneven- but I was in a hurry.

2010-01-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

This is the Nekobus from My Neighbor Totoro. It's made of pancake, cut out with a very sharp knife. The "flaps" at the bottom are outlined on one side, where I shaved the pancake top so you could see the cuts better- otherwise they would not show up. The cat's eyes are cheese and black sesame seeds. The other details are nori. The little critter beside the cat is a rice ball wrapped in blanched red lettuce- "ears" are broccoli, and the eyese are cheese and black sesame. The mouth or nose is broccoli. The two creatures sit on a bed of sushi rice, and that is decorated with bell pepper flowers, micro greens, and broccoli.

I sent this to school with a Bora Bora bar, some apple sauce, some carrot sticks, and a tiny chocolate bar.

pb sandwich plus goodies

2010-01-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

My kids don't take lunch on Weds, and today they are coming home to make their own lunches, so this is my lunch. It's just a PB and J sandwich, cut like two flowers, some almonds in a light glaze, celery, dates and two pieces of Xmas candy- and I have a Trader Joes' Italian salad as well.

Totoro critters

2010-01-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Super easy little rice critters made from sushi rice (rice plus rice vinegar and sugar). I decorated them with carrots and nori, and in the case of the guy with the disc on his stomach, that's Muenster cheese. The background is micro greens, with flowers of beets and yellow bell pepper. I use a hole punch on the nori for the eyes, and I have some sharp scissors I use to trim the whiskers and other details. I have cutters for the flowers.

2010-01-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

First lunch for 2010. In the small containers we have trifle- just lady fingers at the bottom (crushed), sour cherry jam with sherry, and then Bird's custard. Whip cream around the edge. Super easy! The other container has 3 bean salad with flowers of bell pepper and carrot.

In the large container, from the top, we have a hard boiled egg, cut with a scalloped cutter, and orange sections (standing upright), cherry tomatoes, one of which is surrounded by the outside trim of the egg. Next you see tomago yaki slices with carrot flowers on top. These are rolled egg crepes of egg mixed with a little mirin, and sprinkled with some furikake. Finally, at the bottom, those are almond meal crepes (simple pancakes with extra milk and some almond meal), spread with peanut butter mixed with maple syrup.

I'm going to enjoy that trifle for lunch, and so are the kids.

Better picture of duck soup

2009-12-26T13:36:00.001-08:00

Duck Soup

2009-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

This was made with our Christmas duck. I used duck stock from the bones (fat removed for later use), the left over duck meat, carrots, celery, onions, salt and white pepper.

2009-12-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

We had a high tea instead of lunch today. I put out some home made Xmas cookies, and slices of this tea cake backed from Garvey's tea cake mix (available on Amazon). It has zante currants, and I added an orange glaze, made with organic orange juice and powdered sugar.

I served Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea from Harney's Tea Company with for our tea.

2009-12-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

My kids thought this had too much garlic (5 cloves went in) but my husband and I liked it a lot.

2 large onions,
4 heads baby bok choy, 1 pound baby broccoli, 5 green onions, 1 bunch watercress, 3 large carrots, 5 cloves garlic, 2 pork chops, two 32 oz packaged vegetable or chicken stock.

Cook onion in a few Tbs butter until soft, add garlic (pressed) and carrots (coins). Cook until soft, but not brown- add broth. Bring to boil. Add all the remaining vegetables sliced up- I use a rough slice for the heads of the broccoli, and a finer one for the stems. Finally add chopped or sliced pork. Add white pepper and salt to taste (basil is also quite good in this). I only cook the soup until the pork is hot, since I do not want to overcook the green vegetables.

2009-12-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

For breakfast I made pork rib chops. I used a whole can of crushed pineapple, and put it in a large corningware dish. Then I lay for large chops on the pineapple, and coated them with juice. Then I coated one side with BBQ rub, salt and white pepper. I fried this side down in a nonstick pan. When the side down was brown, I sprinkled the side up with the same mix of BBQ rub, salt and pepper, and then fried that side. When both sides were done I put the chops on the bed of pineapple and baked the dish at 350 for about 15 minutes. I used some extra chops in our lunchtime soup- which is why I mention how I cooked breakfast. Otherwise I would NEVER include a breakfast item :-) I served these with toast and eggs and fruit, and a little dollop of the pineapple as a garnish. Delicious. I saved the leftover pineapple and mixed it with soy sauce and put it in the fridge for later use as a marinade. I'll probably add some 5 spices (chinese seasoning) to it, to make it extra tasty.

2009-12-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

Easy lunch of Mac and Cheese and veggies. The veggies are my daughters' favorites- a mix of Trader Joe's Brittany Blend and the garlic butter Bean so Green. The garlic flavor is more than enough for the other package of unflavored Brittany Blend veggies- in fact I think the Bean So Green are a little strong without adding more veggies. Put the Bean so Green on top, so the sauce will soak on to the other veggies as you microwave them.

2009-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a delicious and easy soup to make- it's what we had for lunch (it fed 5 people and we had leftovers). I used 32 oz of Trader Joe's organic veggie broth, 2 packages of Udon soup (Annie Chun), 1 pound of baby organic broccoli, 5 green onions, 1 large white onion, 1 package trader Joe's cilantro and chicken won tons, and 4 heads of baby bok choy.

In about 2 Tbs butter, saute white onion till soft. Then put in all the other vegetables. All are sliced except for the heads of the baby broccoli, which look pretty in larger pieces. Saute until the bok choy is just wilted, then add broth.

Add about 4 cups of water, add sauce and noodles from package, and bring to a boil. Add won ton and cook for about 3 minutes.

You can add hot sesame oil if you like it, otherwise just serve and enjoy!

Luna Bars for lunch

2009-12-15T07:39:00.001-08:00

Our Costco has put Luna bars on clearance- 24 bars for 9.97, so guess what we are having for lunch? Today we had peanut butter bars, tree top organic apple sauce, home made cake squares, mandarin oranges, Far North nut clusters, and tea (mint). I'm also taking a Trader Joe's Italian salad in my lunch, since I have a longer day than the kids.

Peanut Butter Days

2009-12-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

I've been busy and our camera lost its memory stick, so I haven't been able to take pictures of the rather pitiful lunches I have been making.

Last week, for example, Monday was peanut butter sandwiches on hot dog buns- because the bread had gone moldy (I also sent Bora Bora bars, apple sauce, peanuts, and some gingerbread men). Then on Tuesday I sent Far North nut clusters, apple sauce, Nature Valley granola bars, a kind almond and apricot bar, some dates, and a berry apple mix of dried fruit. Wednesday I don't have to make lunch because my kids are home early. Thursday and Friday I sent the same thing- mini pain au chocolate (from Costco), granola bars, string cheese, apple sauce, dried fruit and dates.

Green Papaya Salad- YUMMY

2009-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

For lunch today we are having green papaya salad- this is my recipe, but there are many others on the web. I've tweaked the ingredients to make it best for my family. I've listed optional ingredients at the bottom of the recipe- but you could really add anything you like.

Delicious Green Papaya Salad

Dressing:
4 TBS fish sauce (I use Three Crabs brand, because it uses anchovies only);
1/4 cup water;
2 TBS lime juice;
1 TBS rice vinegar;
1 1/2 Tsp honey;
2 tsp granulated sugar;
1/8 cup coconut water (I use coconut water with pineapple);

Cut in matchstick julienne:
2 carrots (medium size)-
1 green Asian papaya (I use the very large papayas at Trader Joes)-
3 green onions-
1/2 cup daikon radish-
1 cucumber-
10 mint leaves cut in ribbons (basically julienne across the leaf)-
5 large basil leaves, or 10 small, cut in ribbons-
.................

mint leaves or flowers for garnish
Optional items-
bean sprouts-
cilantro-
julienne of green mango-
julienne of apples-
julienne of pears-
julienne of jicama-
bean spouts

Combine

Mix all ingredients for dressing in small microwaveable bowl- do NOT boil, but heat enough for the sugar to completely dissolve. Cool

Mix all salad ingredients except for garnish. Pour sauce over salad. Toss gently. Garnish with mint leaves, basil leaves (as in picture) and/or edible flowers.

Perfect Muffins

2009-11-21T07:08:00.001-08:00

No pictures- sorry- but I made the BEST muffins this week for my kids to take to school. I used Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Wild Blueberry Mix, and I added my own dried cherries and sliced almonds. Then I backed the muffins in my new Berndes Mini Crown Cake pan. What an amazing pan it is (see link below)

My kids loved the muffins, and there was not much sugar in them, and they were whole grain and had flax seed!

Best pan EVER for muffins and brownies and cakes!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Berndes-Mini-Cup-Crown-Cake/dp/B000FHZ4OU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1258815733&sr=8-1

I got it for 15.99- so if you put it in your cart and if you are patient, you can get it way cheaper than the list price, or the Amazon price of 39.99. It might take a while to fall in price, but it will fall eventually.

The muffins just fall out, leaving the pan clean!!! (and you don't have to grease the molds)

I love household items that are so perfect. Makes you happy to be cooking in the kitchen.

Thursday, Nov 5

2009-11-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is last Thursday's lunch. In the square container that's Erin Baker's Double Chocolate chunk granola (which I buy at from Amazon since my Whole Foods does not carry it any longer) mixed with montmorency cherries. I think I sent about 1/2 cup of granola, and a small wedge of brie cheese, 2 chocolate chip cookies, organic apple sauce and a Mojo nut bar.

I brewed some cherry tea to send with this. It was an easy lunch, but my kids liked it.

peanut butter chocolate cherry almond sandiwch

2009-11-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

This sandwich was cut out using a large cookie cutter. The wheat bread is spread on both sides with peanut butter, then I sprinkled the sandwich with dried cherries, sliced almonds and brownie crumbles, and closed it up. It's a delicious mix!! I sent this sandwich in my daughter's lunch with grapes, celery with cream cheese and dried cherries, a Bora Bora bar and some apple sauce.

Note- don't go TOO crazy with the sprinkles of that sandwich won't stick closed.

Tuesday, November 3- I'm baaaaack

2009-11-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

Wow. I've been a slacker. I HAVE been feeding my kids- I've just been too busy to take pictures. Today's lunch was for my son, since my daughter insisted on taking a piece of cold pizza. My son's lunch is Costco tabbouleh (bottom square container) and couscous (top square container), some Afghan bolani (spinach flavor), with some garlic mint sauce (in the orange silicone muffin cup). He is also taking organic apple sauce, and a brownie.

2009-10-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I made the same lunch for my kids. I bought pesto focaccia at the farmers' market and cut them in half for the main course. I also sent pear sauce, Lara bars (we like the "pie" flavors- coconut, pecan, cherry) and craisens. It was easy and fairly nutritious.

I find the Lara bars so filling that sometimes all I eat for lunch is a Lara bar.

sushi and tomatoes

2009-10-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

This lunch consists of pickle sushi (made with little sweet gherkins) and cheddar cheese sushi with mustard, sliced home grown tomatoes, and fresh pumpkin bread.

The cheese sushi is just nori with sushi rice (I've posted a recipe for sushi rice in an earlier post), and then the rice is sprinkled lightly with about 1/2 heaping teaspoon of Coleman's mustard, and then small sticks of cheese are lined up in the center of the sushi.

The pickle sushi is just sushi rice and pickles.

Cheese and pickles go so well together, and my son likes them a lot in sushi. I think they look pretty together too.

Brioche and Rosemary Ham with Goat Cheese

2009-09-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

The makings for this sandwich came from Trader Joes:
rosemary ham
sliced goat cheese
brioche buns
organic mayonnaise
organic mustard

The slightly sweet brioche bun is perfectly combined with the tangy goat cheese and rosemary ham. This sandwich was quite popular with everyone at my house.

2009-09-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is a peanut butter sandwich with a twist- brownie crumbles. Whenever I make brownies I put the crumbles left over in the pan in a baggie- this time, instead of saving them for ice cream, I put them on a sandwich. YUM

The walnut pieces made this especially good.

A Simple Lunch

2009-09-21T23:32:00.001-07:00

Today's lunch was very simple. I cut pita bread into triangles- about 8 per piece of pita, and put them in a baggy. Along with the pita I sent two containers of individual size hummus dip (by Sabra, available at Costco). I sent a packet of Craisins (the 100 calorie pack), a container of pear sauce (Trader Joes), a Bora Bora bar and a piece of string cheese. Not a bad lunch, all things considered.

Quick Lunch

2009-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

This lunch is pretty simple. In the orange dish I have put sushi rice and tomatoes. In the other dish is a homemade brownie, some candied lemon peel, dates, and crackers. I sent a Bora Bora bar and some string cheese with this lunch.

2009-09-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

I made sushi this morning. There are few things quicker to make than sushi rolls, I think.

Nori sheets
sushi rice
Tomagoyaki
celery match sticks
tomatoes
celery sticks

Sushi is so easy to make. I learned to do it watching people do it on Youtube! And you can do it too. The bamboo roller does all the work. It's like magic. I do have a little secret- I cover my bamboo roller with plastic wrap every time, and that way rice never gets on the bamboo, and when I am done I just wrap the roll up in the plastic, and recover the bamboo roller.

I cooked tomagoyaki (I cook it ahead of time and roll it up in plastic and stick several rolls in the fridge- you can grab one and eat it as an "omelet on the go"- or you can slice it and serve it with other things). I sliced the tomagoyaki and cut it in to match sticks, and then rolled it up. And the other sushi is rolled up celery match sticks.

The celery sushi is served with tomatoes, and the tomagoyaki sushi has celery sticks running down the center of the dish (And one celery sushi got in with the egg- but I thought it looked pretty, so I left it).

Here is a link to a man making tomagoyaki. I only put mirin, soy sauce and sugar in mine (and sometimes, when I make it for my youngest, no sugar- since she does not like the sugar) and sometimes I sprinkle the omelet with sesame seeds, or spring onions, or something else, before I roll it up. Sometimes I slice the tomagoyaki on rice, for a pretty effect, and sometimes I cut it into match sticks to roll up in the sushi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja8fCHS4aRI

I do NOT use chopsticks- I use two Mario Batali spatulas (small) to roll up my Tomagoyaki, because I like it rolled up nice and tight. I bought my tomagoyaki pan at Amazon (don't spend extra for the Joyce Chen one- get the cheaper one). If you make this a lot the pans will wear out- when the teflon starts to get a spot in the center, throw the pan out and get another.

This is the tomagoyaki pan I recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Keilen-Tomago-yaki-2-Piece-Omelet-Spatula/dp/B000WJSP9C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1253149297&sr=8-1

Peanut Butter Again

2009-09-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

I did not take a picture today, since today was sort of a repeat. I made peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat, and I sprinkled the peanut butter with chopped pecans. I sent plums and brownies and a Bora Bora bar as well.

Salmon Quiche Lunch

2009-09-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

This was my son's lunch today. I love leftovers and cook with those in mind. So yesterday, when I baked salmon quiche for brunch, I made extra hoping it would last until I packed lunches today. Quiche is such a great lunchbox food, since it keeps well, you can eat it with fingers or fork, and it is such an easy treat.

There are two layers of small wedges of quiche (4 wedges total), tiny green tomatoes, organic raspberries, pear sauce (from Trader Joes), and Bora Bora bars (Costco).

I buy the "Crazy Chef" quiche at Whole Foods whenever it is 50% off, as it was this weekend.

Bolani Lunch

2009-09-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Afghan bolani filled with spinach (Whole Foods), Afghan garlic cheese dip (Whole Foods), raspberries, and marinated cucumber wedges (in vinegar and sugar).

Bolani from Whole Foods make a wonderful lunch, and they come in several flavors.