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 :)

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

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).

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

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 :) 

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:)

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 :)

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)

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

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 :)

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

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