Day 24 - Vegan Black Bean Burger

Menu
- Black Bean Burgers
- Coleslaw
- Babybel Cheese
- 1/2 slice whole wheat bread with butter
- Pear
- Apple Chips (dried apples)

Last night was trying to figure out how to use up all the cabbage I have from the CSA - I'm not a huge fan of cabbage, so it is usually the last veggie to go from the fridge!  I took some of the broccoli stems I saved from last week, shredded them, along with the cabbage and some carrots.  Toss in some homemade dressing, voila - coleslaw!  The only issue - we'll be eating that for a week...

Coleslaw

The Lunch Box

Day 23 - Black Bean & Sweet Pepper Stir Fry

I go away for a week, and my husband buys a dehydrator!!!  Now, some of you may not be too excited about that, but I was going to start dropping hints for next birthday (many months away) to get one.  Turns out, all you need is a daughter who is ga-ga over dried fruit and a Daddy who's daughter is the 'apple of his eye' (sorry, couldn't resist the pun).

So, we enter a new dimension.  Not only are we able to dehydrate a whack (that's a lot) of fresh, in-season fruit but we can now make raw crackers and breads, and a multitude of other great things.

Today, it's all about the fruit.

Menu:
Brown Rice, Black Bean & Sweet Pepper Stir Fry
Baby Cukes
Dried Apples & Pineapple
Banana

First, the EXCALIBUR!!!

Excalibur - Dehydrator Extraordinaire

Almost Done (Pineapple & Apple)

Dried Apples Ready to Go

Now the rest.  I sifted through the weekend's left-overs and found the brown rice and black beans.  Put some olive oil in a pan, with a shallot (caramelized), then sweet peppers.  Med-high heat until softened.  Then added in the rice and beans to reheat.  Simple, quick and tasty.

Brown Rice, Black Bean & Sweet Pepper Stirfry

Baby Cukes & Banana

Day 22 - Vegan Black Bean Burger

At last.  I actually planned the night before for lunch today.  I made two dinners last night.  One we ate, the other for today - black bean burgers.  (A little more energy than usual!)

Lunch:
- Vegan Black Bean Burgers
- Quinoa Bread
- Organic Red Grapes

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

These I've made before.  I didn't have any corn kernels this time, but they were still very tasty.  There is no egg to bind them together (being VEGAN burgers), so they are a little crumbly.

The quinoa bread is delicious.  Quinoa, a whole grain, is the first ingredient (meaning the most abundant ingredient) whereas most breads have wheat flour/enriched wheat flour/etc. as the first ingredient.  If the first ingredient isn't a whole grain, you likely are getting very little fiber and a lot of empty carbs (kinda like eating sugar, to your body that is).

All packed in for lunch (burger & quinoa bread)

Organic Red Grapes

Everything fits into the caterpillar bag!

Day 21 - Tuna & Veggie Pasta

Well, yesterday wasn't stellar.  Most of the veggies and blueberry-apple crumble made it back home!  The crumble, actually a cute story.  The kids wanted to sit at lunch with their friend who had a nut allergy.  The crumble had nuts.  So they chose the friend over the crumble.  A big decision for my daughter!  So, back into the lunch both go today.  My husband made a big batch of pasta last night, so I used that.  Whole wheat pasta, of course.

Lunch:
- Tuna & Veggie Pasta
- Carrots & Peppers
- Blueberry-Apple Crumble

Tuna & Veggie Pasta

Veggies

Blueberry-Apple Crumble

Day 20 - Blueberry-Apple Crumble

Last night I had a sinus infection.  Went to bed really early and wasn't able to make anything for dinner (or next day lunch).  And, I was out of town all last week so I really am less organized that usual.  That's my way of warning you that I was grasping at straws today for the kids' lunch.

Gourmet Meal:
- Carrots & Peppers with Hummus
- Cheese
- Crackers
- Apple
- Blueberry-Apple Crumble


The cheese my kids love, but I try to use it as a condiment more than a main ingredient.  Today had no choice.  Also, there were all these mini Baby-Bel cheeses in the fridge (kids love them so Dad got them, but I'm not a big fan - too much cheese leads to congestion in kids).  Everything else is pretty much explanatory.  The Blueberry-Apple Crumble actually started out as a pie, but given my lack of pie-making prowess, it ended up a crumble (still tasty)!

Hummus

Carrots & Peppers

Apple

Crackers

Cheese

Blueberry-Apple Crumble

Day 19 - Penne With Organic Fall Veggies

Back from my week hiatus!   May I just say that although there was no blog, the kids continued to eat well with my husband in charge of lunch.

Just back, haven't yet been to the store.   However, the CSA is still coming through with amazing produce (and lots of it) so there was plenty left to make a healthy veggie pasta dish last night with the left-overs for today.  Another benefit of the CSA is eating with the seasons, and eating locally;  from a nutritional standpoint, both desirable qualities of wholesome food.

The Menu, simply, is:
- Whole Wheat Penne with Organic Fall Veggies & a Shaving of Romano Cheese
- Organic Red Grapes
- Water

The veggies were first stir fried with olive oil, onion and garlic, caramelizing the onions and roasting the garlic.  Then eggplant, zucchini and squash were sauteed. All this was reheated this morning in a bit of chicken stock to add flavor and heat the veggies (and pasta) without drying out or adding more oil.

Sauteed Organic Fall Veggies

Whole Wheat Penne

Reheating in Chicken Stock

Into the Thermos, Sprinkle on Shaved Romano Cheese

Organic Red Grapes

With reheating left-overs, lunch can be bagged in 10 minutes from start to finish.  5 minutes if you don't have a 4-year old (adorable) distraction!

Day 18 - Brown Rice, Roasted Chicken & Ratatouille Stir Fry

Made it through another week.  For the most part, the kids have been doing reasonably well finishing their lunches.  If they have a little left, we've gotten into the routine to eat it when we get home as the after-school snack.  This has been the philosophy all along in our house - if you don't finish, that's fine (as long as you are really full), the rest can wait until you are hungry again.  And, only one meal made - my house is not a restaurant!  :0)  The classic from my daughter - my tummy hurts, I'm full.  Then she asks for a cookie.  They cookie, I say, I'd be happy to give her after she finishes her dinner.

I divert...

Today:
- Brown Rice, Roasted Chicken & Ratatouille Stir Fry
- Whole Wheat Bun with Cream Cheese
- Farm-Fresh Melon

Two nights ago I made a big batch of brown rice and ratatouille stir fry (zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion & tomato).  I waited a day to slide it into their lunches (to give the appearance of more variety)!  Yesterday in the morning I threw my chicken (I get through my CSA - organic (but not certified) and free-range) into a slow cooker with a thyme, garlic and olive oil rub.  Took about 10 minutes to prep, then slow cooked for 8 hours to have succulent roasted chicken for dinner.  Of course, the leftovers made it into the stir fry today.  (I also made 16 more cups of chicken broth from the carcass - I seem to go through that each week with reheating things (perfect for reheating rice) and often making soup.)

Today is the last day of my friend's homemade whole wheat buns which the kids just gobble up.  They were getting a little dry, so I spread some cream cheese on them.  And, the last of the farm-fresh melon (unless I get more in my next week's CSA share).

Just a note NO BLOG NEXT week.  Unless my husband is adventurous enough to sub for me!

The Pics:

Brown Rice, Ratatouille & Chicken Stir Fry

Whole Wheat Buns & Cream Cheese

Farm Fresh Melon

Have a great week.

Warmly,

Karen