Friday Fish and Chips

The protein in this lunch comes from frozen fish sticks.  I should have made my own version but I was busy bailing out my washing machine with a small cup. . . long story.  Anyway, these sticks are made by Natural Sea, processed food, but not entirely hideous.  They are made with cod fillets, organic whole wheat flour and canola oil and numerous other things  - -all things I can pronounce, and more importantly, recognize.  Also, Natural Sea "supports sustainable fishing practices"  hmmmm, a bit more sketchy. Exactly what does that mean? Like, ideally, in a perfect world, we SUPPORT sustainable fishing practices, but, at this time, due to labor costs, and our desire for a high profit margin we buy fish that has been caught and killed by any method, anywhere and at anytime.  We sure do give a big thumbs up to those who are doing the right thing. . . . why must I be so cynical?

Natural Sea Fish Sticks; Full Belly Farm organic snap peas and carrots; organic apricot from the Farmer's Market; and Eden Brown Rice Chips.

waste generated: none

Smiling Pizza

Leftover pizza from a local restaurant with sundried tomato pieces  and basil leaves (from Full Belly Farm); organic cucumber and avocado salad (both from the Farmer's Market and sprinkled with a touch of lemon juice, salt and chopped organic basil); organic Santa Barbara Kalamata olives; Oat and Wheat Bran Swirls (see May 22nd. entry for more info.).

waste generated: none :)

Apricot Turkey Sandwich and Spicy Carrot Soup

After a week of 100+ degree days then a quick turn to cooler weather, soup was definately in order, especially soup of the slightly warm and spicy variety.

Diestal Turkey sandwich on homemade organic  wholewheat bread with apricot mayonnaise (Full Belly Farm dried apricots, soaked in hot water, and then sliced thin and mixed with a touch of canola oil, carmelized onion pieces, dijon mustard and canola mayonnaise) and organic red leaf lettuce (Full Belly Farm); spicy vegan carrot soup (organic carrots and onion from Full Belly farm with cumin, curry, coriander and fresh ribbons of basil stirred in after pureeing).

waste generated: none :)

Fresh and Local No. 4

Stone fruits are in season and they seem to be incredibly juice right now.  I had to incorporate some into today's lunch:

Organic avocado (good enough to be eaten with a spoon), apricot, half a peach, strawberries; organic raw almonds; and Spring Hill Cheese Co. tangy curd.

waste generated: square of parchment

Unpig in a Blanket

I think this lunch was somehow inspired by Tuesday's schoolyard barbeque. If Cheetos or some less offensive facsimile, like Pirate's Booty, appear here this week it may be time for an intervention.

Unpig in a blanket (Smart Dog - vegan - wrapped with Organic Valley Provolone cheese - not so vegan); organic snap peas from Full Belly Farm CSA; organic strawberries and orange segments from the Farmer's Market; and Trader Joe's oat and wheat bran swirl (tiny, delicious and addictive little cookies masquerading as cereal); soymilk in a Sigg bottle (not shown).

waste generated: none :)

O-KONOMI-YAKI: Japanese Pancakes

The recipe for these pancakes came from the Tassajara Bread Book.  The last sentence simply stating "May also be eaten cold on the beach."  Beach fare.  What could be better for a lunchbox?

O-KOMONI-YAKI (organic wholewheat pastry flour, egg, evaporated milk with a mixture of organic chopped vegetables mostly from my Full Belly CSA including leeks, napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and celery) with tahini wasabi soy dip; chard "chips" (organic chard from a friend's garden tossed in olive oil and salt and baked until crispy (a tip from mollyjade - -thank you!!); organic navel orange segments.

waste generated: none :)

Reprieve From the Wholesome Lunch

Yesterday was my son's school's version of "Field Day" including, of course, the requisite barbeque.  Accordingly, I did not pack a lunch, and since I was working at the beverage tables, all three of my children ate the barbeque fare.  This is what they collectively ate (FYI:  green salad, pasta salad, bananas and oranges were also available, but not chosen by my children):

3 hotdogs on white buns, some with ketchup, some without

2 bags of Cheetos

1 bag of Doritos

several grapes

chunks of watermelon

5 popsicles

More Gatorade and Lemonade than I care to talk about

BLUE SLIME (see photo)

The blue slime in my daughter's hand is what I was scraping out of the bottom of the gatorade dispensers at the end of the day.  Abby was helping me clean out the containers by scooping out the blue sugar sludge and depositing it directly in her mouth.  My youngest kept herself busy by sucking the powdered lemonade leftovers off the ice cubes (ice cubes that had been dumped from the dispensers into the grass).  Some people were horrified by this apparently aberrant behavior.   I determined that sometimes you have to just let it go. . . lose the battle, win the war.

waste generated:   too depressing. However, I did provide a relentless tirade to all who came to the beverage table explaining the benefits of using your own container vs. the plastic and paper cups provided.  I would like to believe I made an impact on at least one otherwise clueless student.  Of course, it is more likely that those I preached to were hiding boogers in my Sigg bottle when I wasn't looking.

Homemade Bagel

I have to thank my best friend Suzi and her husband for trying out this bagel recipe first, and making the whole bagel making process less intimidating.  If you have kids that like to cook and are too impatient for bread making, give bagels a try.

Homemade organic whole wheat (well, not exactly, the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour to 3-4 cups bread flour) cinnamon raisin bagels with peanut butter tahini spread (the addition of tahini doubles the amount of iron in the spread); organic pink lady apple (dipped in diluted lemon juice to keep it from turning brown); Diestal honey baked turkey pieces skewered with chunks of Spring Hill Farms Organic Old World Portuguese Cheese.

waste generated: square of parchment; 3 toothpicks

Strawberry Jam

Last week we went strawberry picking at Pacific Star Farms (an organic farm in Woodland, CA) and used the sweet fresh berries to make and can jam for the winter.  Naturally, we had to open one jar to make sure that it was good:

Peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich on Alvarado Street Organic California Protein bread; spiral cut organic Pink Lady apple; trail mix (pretzel sticks, raisins and carob chips); Organic Valley chocolate milk.

The sandwich was wrapped in the wrap-n-mat shown, another wrap was used for the apple (I thought I could sneak it in with the sandwich, but that didn't work out very well).

waste generated: milk box and straw

Aidan's New take on the Coveted Lunchable

Our Full Belly Farm CSA Box arrived today and was met with so much enthusiasm by my children that my eyes were brimmed with tears of joy. Aidan spied the carrots as I hauled the box to the car and within moments they were all screaming for one.  Pretty soon I was slinging carrots into the backseat with such vigor I'm lucky no one lost an eye.  At home, they all clamored around the box, digging their hands into the paper bags looking for strawberries or any other goody that might have been hiding in there.  What they did find was sugar snap peas, and the whole bag was dragged by my youngest to the back patio where it was consumed in less than 10 minutes (I saved the ones pictured here by stealthily rolling them up into the bottom of my shirt).  For them, it was a snack. For me, it was cathartic.  

This lunch was put together at the direction of Aidan (except for the radishes, although he agreed they gave the box balance - not in those words exactly. . .)

Organic sugar snap peas, radishes,  and carrots from Full Belly Farm; Brook Cherries from Joe Goletti and Sons Farm; white flour tortillas and pre-shredded "mexican style"cheese (yes, I shuddered a bit as I typed that - this is why I usually do all the grocery shopping at our house);Santa Barbara Kalamata olives;   2 oatmeal cookies (packaged in a cloth napkin and tucked away in the zippered compartment in the carrying case for this lunchbox).

Grilled Artichoke and Sausage Sandwich

Grilled organic Artichoke (from Full Belly Farm CSA box) with dipping sauce (canola mayo., lemon juice, flaxseed oil, minced red onion); grilled Diestal cranberry apple turkey sausage on white bread (storebought); homemade organic wholewheat banana carrot muffin; Sigg bottle filled with soymilk (not shown). Both the sandwich and the muffin were wrapped in the bandana.  The artichoke container has a lid.  

waste generated: one plastic pirate "sword" 

: 

Fresh and Local No. 3

Honey tangerine;  brook cherries from Joe Gotelli and Sons Farm (brook cherries are a bit more crisp and tart than bing or sweet cherries); organic Old World Portugese cheese from Spring Hill Cheese Co. ; red and yellow bell pepper slices from "the cucumber lady" - - someday I'll have a conversation with the ubiquitious cucumber lady (known as such because she always has the earliest and best cucumbers at the market) and find out her real name; organic red leaf lettuce from a new vendor I'm just checking out; and organic raw almonds from Full Belly Farm.  White cloth napkin placed under food for presentation and to give it some stability during transport.

waste generated: none :)

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

Organic asparagus and mushroom quiche with Spring Hill Cheese Co. pepperjack cheese and  whole wheat crust; organic spinach; organic turnip flowers (I think these are white tokyo turnips and they are sweet enough to eat as is and unpeeled - -of course, my kids prefer them in cute shapes); papaya cubes.  Asparagus, spinach, turnips, and onion (in the quiche) all from this week's Full Belly CSA box.

waste generated: piece of parchment paper

Peanut Butter Smile

Open faced peanut butter sandwich on homemade whole wheat bread with organic strawberries, papaya and red lettuce "hair"; pretzels;  and organic carrot and cucumber sticks and two sacrificial radishes (I am pretty sure they will not be eaten, but you can't blame a girl for trying. . )

Radishes, strawberries and lettuce from Full Belly Farm CSA Box.

waste generated: two toothpicks used to keep the sandwich from sticking to the top of the lunch box (placing it on a folded cloth napkin also helps to keep it from sliding)

Siete De Mayo

I have no idea how I skipped over Cinco De Mayo without as much as a pinto bean in Aidan's lunch.  In an effort to make amends I've made Empanadas, which is probably worse than doing nothing since it is my understanding that although there is much debate about the exact origin of empanadas (Chile? Spain? the Moor's), NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE claims they originated in Mexico.  But here they are, in all their glory gracing my Siete De Mayo lunchbox creation:

Chicken Empanadas (Shredded Rosie Organic Chicken, Organic Valley pepperjack cheese and sourcream, cilantro, red onion, cumin, and garlic) with Mango Salsa (mangoes, cucumbers, lime juice, cilantro, and red onion); Organic mixed greens with cucumber and radish; and Mexican Wedding Cake Cookie (made deliciously by a friend). 

waste generated: rectangle of parchment paper

Sesame Rice Noodles

Sesame rice noodles (rice noodles with tahini sauce, shredded carrots and snap peas); organic pickling cucumber from the Farmer's Market, organic grape tomatoes (that have seen better days); vegan snack mix (pretzel, raisins and vegan carob chips).

waste generated: none :)

Fresh and Local No. 2

I may have to make this a weekly Monday event.  The Farmer's Market is so great this time of year, it is impossible to not come home laden with inspiration and fresh produce.

Sacramento County organic sweet peas with Organic Valley sour cream to dip; cherries; strawberries; pistachios; and homemade whole wheat graham crackers.

waste generated: none :) 

Grandparent's Day Picnic

Each year my son's school has a Grandparents Day, when Grandparents come to the school to see the classroom, watch performances by the kids and share a picnic lunch.  My husband's parents are attending this year's event and this is the picnic I prepared for them:

Basil Asiago Chicken Salad over mixed greens (the chicken is organic, free range and the greens are from Full Belly Farm); organic strawberries with lemon cream (we ate all of the quark and it isn't available at my local co-op, so I made some lemon cream with lemon yogurt, sour cream and meyer lemon - -the result was decent, but it is no lemon quark!); organic Santa Barbara kalamata olives; ciabbata bread with olive oil and balsamic dip; Santa Cruz sparkling lemonade and Pellegrino sparkling water; (grape tomatoes and jersey jack cheddar chunks not pictured, but tossed in as a second thought for Aidan who probably will not like the very garlicky chicken salad).  All packed in frigoverre glass containers (small tupperware container for the lemon cream) and placed in a softsided cooler that I picked up  never used at a yardsale several years ago.  The frigoverre is a bit heavy to pack, but it travels very well and is hearty enough to withstand a bit of traveling.  The bread was wrapped in the napkin shown.

waste generated: Too much!  Plastic water bottle; 2 aluminum cans; 4 paper napkins (not shown above, but packed because I ran out of space to pack my cloth napkins, which are much bulkier than the paper)

Cereal for Lunch

Nature's Path Heritage Oat Flakes; organic strawberries form the Farmer's Market; organic raw almonds (Full Belly Farm); organic oats; organic SILK unsweetened soymilk in a Sigg bottle (not pictured).

waste generated: none:)

Pasta Salad

Yikes, another mediocre photo.  My apologies to those who care.

Corkscrew Pasta salad with sundried tomatoes (Full Belly Farm), provolone and garlic (quite possibly too much garlic as I also had this for lunch and the harsh scent is emanating from my pores like alcohol after a night of wild partying - - - please no clever commenting on the partying analogy, I realize that is not part of my reality);  two organic pickling cucumbers from the Farmer's Market; and two oatmeal cookies.  Cookies and cucumbers were wrapped in an IAMS dog scarf that I received free at a fair.  The large triangular shape is perfect for wrapping multiple food items that should not touch. 

waste generated: none :)

Local and Fresh

I know that local is a relative term, especially when I live in California and the coastline is an expansive 840 miles long.  However, the food shown here is all from less than 200 miles away, which is local enough for me.

Monterrey strawberries, cherries from Linden (near Stockton, CA), half a cucumber from somewhere in the Valley,  Lemon Quark (to spread on berries) and Jersey Cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese Co.  in Petaluma.  All found at the Farmer's Market and all chosen by my very enthusiastic taste testers, Aidan and Abby.  If you have children of your own, or some you can borrow, bring them to the Farmer's Market with you.  Seems that when I come with children in tow I am greeted with extra samples and smiles. . .and, in turn I usually buy more.  A win win for everyone.

waste generated: none:)

Sunny Day Sandwich

Homemade whole wheat hamburger bun with boiled and sliced Organic Valley, cage free, vegetarian fed etc. etc. eggs (note the vibrant yellow yolks, makes me almost believe all the hype on the package); small packet of salt; organic cucumbers from the Farmer's Market; organic Kiwi (also from the Farmer's Market); and tiny sweet organic grape tomatoes (eh hem, from Mexico - - I just couldn't wait . . . . and they looked so pretty, like little jewels).

waste generated: piece of parchment, paper salt packet (left over from a take out meal)

Red Russian Kale for Kids

The only way I can get my kids to try something this scary looking is to put something enticing in the vicinity, say a cupcake, then, make them close their eyes and give them a bite (I hope it is obvious that I am not pretending the ugly food is the cupcake, the cupcake is - against the advice of possibly ALL child psychologists - the reward).  

This may not work for you, much like how wrapping things in bacon does not work for me, but, if you are at a loss, and can't get your kids to try new (or hideous) things, give it a go, you just may get lucky.

Organic Red Russian Kale (from Full Belly Farm) sauteed with leeks, peanut butter and a disproportionate amount of crushed pineapple (hence the "for kids" part); spanish unsalted peanuts; couscous; and an organic kiwi.

waste generated: none :)

Baked French Toast

Baked french toast strips made using homemade oatmeal bread with maple and agave syrup dip; organic raw almonds; organic strawberries.

This was served as last night's dinner (chopped almonds served on top of the french toast and sliced strawberries on the side) along with organic asparagus spears (from Full Belly Farm) wrapped in small strips of bacon.  The asparagus did not make it into lunch because my children hate it, even when wrapped in a fabulous piece of crispy bacon. 

waste generated: one square of parchment paper

Lunch for a Busy Pirate

Organic whole wheat, oat raisin pumpkin bread slices (I threw in a third slice at the last minute because the lunch looked a bit skimpy); pirate sword skewers of organic smoked jack (from Spring Hill Farm) with chunks of organic pear (dipped in watered down lemon juice to keep from browning); organic plain Silk soymilk in the SIGG bottle.

waste generated: 4 plastic pirate sword skewers (sort of. . I have a feeling they'll be floating around here  as toys/weapons for awhile)

Pesto Pasta and Ranch Hand Salad

Organic whole wheat pasta with pesto and pinenuts (pesto made with frozen basil olive oil cubes from early fall); ranch hand salad of organic mixed greens, radishes and  carrot matchsticks with homemade buttermilk dressing on the side (a version of this salad was eaten last night, but was not adored by the kids and included more radishes cut into matchsticks and tossed with carrotsticks and dressing like a slaw then mounded on top of mixed greens).

Glass bowl has a plastic cover and I'm sending it as an experiment (surrounded by the handkerchief and in a padded lunchbox because it isn't nearly as hardy as the frigoverre glass containers) 

For Full Belly Farm CSA subscribers, the slaw version salad was served with creamy turnip and potato soup (slice turnips from box along with one yukon gold or red potato into thin moons and heat in a large dutch oven with a splash of olive oil and a couple of handfuls of sliced leeks until just soft, add stock - -veg. or chicken. to cover and simmer for about 20 mins.   - process with hand blender until smooth and creamy, adding additional stock if needed) garnished with stirfried and processed turnip greens stirred in (like a vitamin filled green ribbon) just before serving.

waste generated: none :)

Lemon Quark

If you have not yet tried Quark, you are missing out an a truly fabulous eating experience. Quark is delectable. So delectable that the only reason there is any left for this lunch is because I hid it in my super secret hiding fridge.  To translate - - in my house, any food that is not in the front row and precisely at eye level remains unseen, and effectively, hidden. This is great when I want to hide something, like, for instance, a giant birthday cake.  This is not so great, when I realize that more containers of milk have been opened in one day than a family of five can drink in a week.  

I digress.

Back to the Quark.  The quark in this lunch is Lemon Quark from Spring Hill Cheese Co. in Petaluma, Ca.  It is a German style cream cheese and the Spring Hill website states that it is made with Meyer lemon zest and a TOUCH OF sugar.  Just a touch.  I don't believe it. It just tastes too good, like lemon cheesecake meets sweetened ricotta.  I could eat it by the spoonful, and I do, I just pop a strawberry into my mouth after in the hopes of alleviating the guilt.

Organic strawberries stuffed with Lemon Quark (both from the Farmer's Market and stored in lidded laptop lunch container); Crunchy, salt-free, organic almond butter on Mi-Del whole wheat graham crackers (wrapped in a wrap-n-mat, shown underneath); organic banana (from god knows where); Sigg bottle filled with Silk soymilk.

waste generated: none :)

New England Barbeque

New England Potato salad with organic yukon gold potatoes, snap peas, lemon juice, canola mayo, flaxseed oil and a touch of stoneground mustard (in stainless steel thermos); grilled Rosie organic chicken breast chunks on toothpick skewers with Annie's organic barbeque sauce for dipping (in frigoverre glass container and laptop lunch small dip container); Organic Valley string cheese.

waste generated: 3 wooden toothpicks; wrapper from string cheese

Spring Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken salad made with organic Rosie chicken grilled with a rub of italian seasoning, garlic, salt and lemon juice, diced and mixed with sliced organic radishes, cucumbers, and avocado with homemade mustard poppyseed vinaigrette; sliced organic cucumbers; organic lettuce leaves (for filling with chicken salad and eating out of hand) and a homemade whole wheat flour brownie (the whole wheat flour is the only healthy thing about this brownie.  Radishes and lettuce from Full Belly Farm CSA, remaining veggies from the Farmer's Market.

waste generated: none :)

Whole Wheat Bagels with Cream Cheese

Whole wheat mini bagels with Organic Valley cream cheese and sliced strawberries from the Framer's Market; celery (conventional, my kids and husband reject the organic variety saying it is too stringy and hard to chew) and pistachios.

waste generated: small piece of parchment

Asparagus Frittata and Spinach Strawberry Salad

So this is what was suppose to go in Friday's lunchbox.  As of Thursday at 4:45pm, this meal was prepped - - the asparagus was washed and chopped into 1/2 inch dice, the smoked jack and raw cheddar were grated, spinach washed and dressing made and waiting in the fridge.  Then, my husband walked in the door and said "Hey, aren't you suppose to be working at the snack shack in 5 minutes?" (my son is in T-ball and we are all required to take on a snack shack shift once a season).  So, my delicious meal was left lingering in the fridge - no dinner, no leftovers for lunch - while I slathered bright orange cheese on industrial tortilla chips, slapped canned chili on Costco bulk hotdogs, slung skittles and fundip across a metal counter and lectured small children on the wastefulness of using a plastic spoon to eat a snowcone.  A reluctant but captive audience, I refused to hand over the cone until they'd heard me out.  My husband and I enjoyed the Frittata the next evening, along with a bottle of chardonnay. Yum.

Organic veggies all from Full Belly Farm CSA box.  Organic cheese from Spring Hill Farm and Organic Valley, strawberries from the Farmer's Market.

Orzo with Flax Seed Oil

Orzo pasta with flaxseed (for Omega 3's,6's and 9's), olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt; smoked jack cheese from Spring Hill Farm; and a halved organic kiwi fruit.

Delights from the Farmer's Market

On Sunday morning, after promises of pastries and cheese samples, I dragged my two oldest children away from their cartoons and to the Farmer's Market.  As suspected, and in spite of their early morning complaints, they loved it.  This lunch was inspired by that visit.

First of the year organic sweet-as-sugar strawberries with last of the season organic kiwi fruit; pickling cucumbers (to be eaten out of hand like an apple); Spring Hill smoked jack cheese (sliced and then re-assembled into a wedge); Napa Valley mustard flavored pretzels.  

waste generated: none :) 

Fish and Chips

Pan fried halibut in cornmeal crust with a wedge of lemon; potato chips; tangy coleslaw (organic shredded cabbage and carrots from Full Belly CSA box with canola mayonnaise, white vinegar, a touch of sugar, salt and pepper); organic fuji apple from the Farmer's Market. 

waste generated: none :)

Pizza with Fresh Oregano

Homemade organic whole wheat crust pizza with organic tomato pulp and Full Belly Farm oregano, fresh organic mozzarella, Full Belly Farm carrot sticks and strawberries from the Farmer's market.

The Farmer's Market is heavenly right now filled with plump strawberries, juicy, heavy kiwi, and loads of fresh asparagus.  This is why I love California.

waste generated: 1 square of parchment paper

EASTER BREAK

Yes, this post would have been better placed two weeks ago, but Easter break came quickly and along with it came guests, vacation, and life to keep me too busy to post.

Lunch the day before break included these tie dyed, hardboiled, cage free organic easter eggs and a thermos filled with Orange Mash (organic potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots, boiled and pureed to a mashed potato consistency with a touch of live oil and salt).

waste generated: none :)

Brilliant Yellow Noodles with Kale

Fettuccini noodles cooked in tumeric enhanced water with organic kale in a savory broth (vegetable broth, leeks, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar - kale and leeks from Fully Belly CSA); organic Fuji apple; Annies whole wheat cheddar bunnies and shredded spicy monterrey jack cheese.

Small glass frigoverre container, stainless thermos brand thermos.

waste generated: none

Strawberry Fields Forever

Leftover St. Paddy's day bread reinvented with organic salt free peanut butter and sliced organic strawberries (first of the year, and not as tasty as they appear) - both in the sandwich and in the container; chocolate soy milk.

waste generated: drinkbox; toothpick

Luck of the Irish

This lunch is to St. Paddy's day what a Christmas Tree is to Christmas, all show and no substance. I decided to pass on the corned beef and cabbage after envisioning what might become of such traditional fare in the hands of an impulsive 6 year old with a decent throwing arm,  wielding a fork and surrounded by his encouraging and exuberant peers.

Homemade green organic whole wheat clover bread (let's pretend those shiny glittery bits are some kind of sparkly green seed . . . ); organic kiwi fruit wedges; organic celery filled with peanut butter. 

waste generated: square of unbleached parchment paper

Chicken Pecan Salad and Carrot Twins

When I opened my CSA box this week and found this pair of interwined carrots peeking out I smiled. Two days later they still make me smile. They are so unique and beautiful that I wonder if I should send them off to be eaten or if I should display them in my kitchen to be admired. This is one of the things that I love about organic farming. The methods allow vegetables and fruit to just be. Sometimes that means that they are not smooth and unblemished, often it means that they are not uniformly shaped, but always, underneath either an oddly unattractive (think celery root) or an extraordinary exterior (think intertwined carrots) something delicious and uniquely beautiful dwells because nature has been allowed to do its thing.

Chicken salad (shredded leftover Rocky Jr. organic chicken, mayo and dijon with pecans, dried cranberries and diced celery) sandwich on Alvarado Street sprouted whole wheat bread with mixed lettuce; organic carrots; organic kiwi fruit.  Carrots, lettuce, and celery from Full Belly Farm.

waste generated: two novelty toothpicks

Spaghetti. . . .

O's?  

Anelletti pasta with MuirGlenn pizza sauce and Organic Valley shredded mozzarella; homemade whole wheat bread; broccoli and avocado salad with almonds and lemon, olive oil and dijon vinaigrette; organic organic segments.

Oranges sent in the lidded container from Aidan's laptop lunchbox, broccoli avocado salad in a small glass frigovere container, and bread wrapped in a small cloth napkin.

Broccoli and oranges from Full Belly CSA box.

waste generated: none :)

Pesto Olive Pasta Salad

Organic whole wheat pasta with pesto (chopped basil mixed with olive oil, garlic and pinenuts, processed and frozen from early Fall, defrosted and mixed with a touch more olive oil, pecorino cheese and a touch of seasalt) and kalamata olives; organic red leaf lettuce; organic beets (Full Belly), baked in foil, then quartered and marinated in mustard and vinegar; Organic Valley cheesestick homemade whole wheat brownies.

If this were my lunch I'd pile the pasta salad and beets on top of the red leaf lettuce, tear the cheesestick into chunks and toss it in and eat it as a giant salad.  But, this is not my lunch and it is more likely that there will be absolutely no mixing of food, and the beets will simply be ridiculed.  

waste generated: one plastic cheesestick wrapper

Friday's Evil Fish Fry

I almost didn't include this lunch because it makes me feel like a fraud.  The fish - -Striper - -was purchased impulsively at Trader Joe's and I didn't realize until I got home that it was imported from a fish farm in Vietnam, where I am guessing that it's antibiotic filled discharge is polluting a once lovely body of water.  My apologies for contributing to the natural resource exploitation of other countries.  To add to the deception, my son is convinced that this fish is chicken.  

Organic brown and wild rice topped with almond crusted farm raised Striper ; coleslaw with soy dressing (organic red cabbage and carrots from Full Belly, crushed peanuts and a dressing of soy, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and brown sugar); Fully Belly organic broccoli, steamed; Blue Heron Farm orange segments and chunks of mango (previously frozen).

waste generated: none :)

Salami

So I bought the salami for the pizzable lunch and now I'm stuck with an entire package that I really don't want anyone to eat. . .however, waste not, want not. . .I don't know what that means except that my  desire not to waste is stronger than my nutrition ideals.

Salami Sandwich on Alvarado St. organic sprouted sourdough bread; Newman's Own organic Spelt pretzels; steamed broccoli with honey mustard dip (canola mayo, dijon, seasoned rice vinegar, flaxseed oil and and agave syrup); water in a Sigg bottle.  The sandwich was wrapped (with pretzels piled on top) in the wrap-n-mat.  

waste generated: none :)

Organic Whole Wheat Pizzable

Aidan decided that since I refuse to buy him a lunchable, we should simply make our own.

Homemade organic whole wheat pizza crust; organic Muir Glenn pizza sauce (packaged in a snack size baggy with the tip cut off and covered with a sticker to prevent leaking); shredded cheese; organic Applegate Farms genoa salami (**certified humane**); Mediterranean Organic kalamata olives.

**certified humane is a seal given to a meat producer who meets the Humane Farm Animal Care Program standards which include a nutritious diet without antibiotics or promotants, animals raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space, and the ability to engage in natural behaviors. This particular meat came from Canada - not exactly a local source.

waste generated: snack size plastic bag and piece of unbleached parchment

Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Organic whole wheat pasta with pesto and sundried tomatoes; organic green lettuce salad and carrot sticks; organic apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and raisins.

Lettuce, carrots, sundried tomatoes and purple basil for pesto (from an early fall CSA box, previously finely chopped with garlic, pinenuts and olive oil and frozen) from Full Belly Farm.

waste generated: none :)

Thanks Mom, This Lunch Looks Delicious!!

As suspected, Friday's soup was rejected.  Perhaps packing broccoli romanesco chesnut soup on Pizza Day at school was not the best planning.  This lunch was met with much more enthusiasm.  

Organic new potatoes, boiled and tossed with olive oil and sea salt; diestal apple chicken sausages with small packets of mustard and ketchup (saved from restaurant take-out); orange slices; homemade organic whole wheat and almond meal blueberry muffin.

waste generated: plastic condiment packages

Broccoli Romanesco and Chestnut Soup

This week, two beautiful purplish hued heads of broccoli romanesco were peeking out of my CSA box.  Having no idea what to do with them I did a quick search online and found out that the vegetable works well as a cauliflower substitute. Fortunately, I'd been having a hankering for creamy cauliflower soup.

Organic Broccoli Romanesco and Chestnut Soup (saute leeks and green garlic in canola oil until very soft; add diced broccoli romanesco and saute until just starting to brown, cover and water and simmer about 20 mins, or until soft - - saute more slice leeks in another pan in oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar, continue cooking until slightly carmelized, add about 1 cp. of chopped chestnuts - not water chestnuts, the kind used in classic Thanksgiving dressing - and saute a few more minutes, add to cooked broccoli and puree entire mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste and additional water if necessary - add a splash of half and half for a creamier soup); organic salad greens; homemade half whole wheat buttermilk biscuit; and an organic fuji apple.  All vegetables from my Full Belly Farm CSA.

The biscuits were wrapped in the napkin (I threw in an extra one and a chunk of cheese as an afterthought in case the soup was rejected).

waste generated: none :)

Bread and Spread

Homemade mini organic whole wheat braid; organic peanut butter & honey spread; cream cheese spread (organic cream cheese, diced, soaked sundried peaches and a touch of homemade organic applesauce); organic whole wheat lemon square; halved pear.  The sundried peaches came from my weekly Full Belly CSA, the lemon square was made with lemons from our tree; and the apples had been picked at an orchard about an hour from here and canned this past fall as applesauce. I packed a spoon for the spreads as I've learned it is easier for small hands to manage (and less dangerous) than a knife.

waste generated: piece of unbleached parchment