lunch something

i've been doing very poorly with the updation. this was her meal a couple days ago...
main: cheese sandwich of some sort

sides: leftover salad from cheesecake factory (which tastes very healthy...), sliced melon and crackers

tomorrow is the last lunch i make! i'll have to make it a good one. but yea, leaving tomorrow for ny then flying out on saturday to india. packing was unbearable, but i managed to fit everything into one big camper's backpack and a smaller backpack. and there's even toilet paper! so my bodily functions notwithstanding, excited for india but also nervous about what i will be living in for 3.5 months

dad's ice cream birthday cake

from the cake doctor. a mix of a chocolate angel food cake box, 3 layers of alternating strawberry and vanilla ice cream and an icing of whipping cream, confectioner's powder and vanilla extract. all in all, a 5 hour process. but the ice cream is light and a big hit for ice cream fans

lunch 19 and banana muffins

only so many more meals to go
main: tuna salad w/ various vegetable fixings and cheese
sides: pretzels and pb, apple, banana&walnuts






i wanted to make some muffins and the bananas are getting rather ripe. here's a shot of the batter in the cupcake tin (first time not putting in cupcake liners) and the finished product- banana and walnut muffins (once again substituting the shortening with apple sauce, so much healthier) the bananas were not quite ripe enough and the apple flavor still comes through. will have to play around w/ that next time.

lunch 18

only the phlegm is trying to stay my best friend, other than that, making a nice recovery before i leave:)

main: penne, veggies, veggie crumbles and tomato sauce

sides: apple, banana and walnut, veggies and hummus

in other news, the inauguration was lots of fun to watch. very long, but interesting. i think i am sleeping on the floor in india, so now unfortunately i have to take a sleeping bag. guh. so much for packing an insanely small amount.

lunch 17 and the missing lunch

got sick so i was too tired to take a picture of lunch 16 (but she did get one) here's lunch 17

main: veggie and cheese sandwich w/ some hummus

sides: banana and walnuts (the walnuts help cut down the after taste of banana), apple, pretzels and pb

lunch 15 and apple walnut muffins

wild rice with veggies (broccoli, carrots, onions, leftover channa masala)







apple walnut muffins w/o butter
i made some homemade applesauce again and substituted it in for the butter, and then added more for an apple taste. the walnuts give it a really nice contrast to the fluffyness of the muffin and moistness (this word only works in the context of food) of the cooked apples. delish and super easy to make.

lunch 14

14 sounds like such a small number, but it feels like forever that i've been making lunches. anyhoo
main: the pierogies again w/ green peppers, onions and sauce (trying to get rid of the jar before it goes bad and then i get yelled at my the mothership...this whole cooking thing ends up me trying to get rid of food that's hanging around in the fridge)
sides: orange, leftover channa masala, and tomatoes

lunch 13

forgot to take a picture of the rest of the lunch, but this is a modified channa masala using whatever ingredients were actually in the house. chickpeas (which i forgot to cook, so they had a crunchy texture that was kind of nice, but didn't soak in the flavor very well), cumin, paprika, lemon juice, some tomatoes, onions, garlic w/ rice

the recipe came out too bland, it would have tasted much nicer in the sauce from the vegetarian chili

lunch 12

boringness ensues

main: ham and cheese sandiwch

sides: broccoli & hummus, apple and banana

like i said, boring...

lunch 11

back to original posting.

main: vegetarian chili w/ flax seed bread
sides: yogurt and granola, banana, veggies w/ hummus






a close up of the chili i made. really quick and easy w/ the whole 1 pot thing

sauteed onion w/ cumin, oregano and salt, then added the chopped green pepper, garlic and veggie crumbles. after that was the tomatoes, chili powder, pepper, kidney beans, chickpeas and corn, boil then simmer for a good 20-30 minutes so everything can get nice and flavorful.

i think next time i want to try adding some zucchini and trying tofu instead of veggie crumbles (i used boca, which has a rather rubbery texture, although s4 disagrees). the parentals think it tastes indian, prolly from the cumin.

lunch 10

this picture looks so much nicer than the plastic containers. mebbe i'm gettin lazy already. anyway

main: tofu and veggies stirfried with garlic love (trying to get rid of the last vegetables in the fridge so i can finally buy some new stuff)

can't see the sides but she had an orange and pita w/ cheese...

lunch 9

main: leftover chicken, spinach, penne, broccoli tossed in olive oil and pepper

sides: spinach wrapes with ham (from heavenly ham, which i'm told is yummy) and havarti, apple and a slice of mimi's birthday cake (thanks!)



it's mommy's bday. made her a card. got the cupcake idea
off of a scrapbooking sticker...

lunch 8

ugh. the lighting is terrible in the kitchen...

main: penne, sauteed veggies with chicken

sides: broccoli (melted havarti on top, not shown), apple and graham crackers with pb and chocolate chips

lunch 7 and vaccine fun

main: broccoli and cheese pierogies (store bought, if only i were that talented) with sauteed green peppers and red onions w/ tomato sauce
sides: homemade apple sauce (w/ fuji, no sugar, just a little bit of lemon juice and cinnamon), banana, and veggies w/ hummus



on a side note, went to passport health and got vaccinated for life. 4 shots (dpt, typhoid, hep a, and polio) plus malaria pills = $610. i guess if i have to put it in perspective, it's better than dying in india. i hate shots. although maybe getting a tattoo also put 4 shots in perspective. not as painful as i remembered, but i wish they had cute band-aids like at the pediatrician. the video u have to watch is pretty amusing, it's one notch above a driver's ed video.

lunch 6

main: spinach salad w/ ham and egg
sides: pita & hummus, yogurt w/ granola and an unripened banana (her choice, not mine)

lunch 5

haha new background for the food. main: ham and cheese melt sandwich with veggies (the veggies bought last week are lasting forever)
snacks: veggie slices w/ hummus, apple, and the favorite- pb, choco chips and pretzels

lunch 4

Yum yum. main: spinach salad, havarti, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and the leftover chicken from yesterday
snacks: hummus and pita, graham crackers, pb & chocolate chips, and an apple