Lunch on May 5, 2011 - Mushroom "sandwiches"

The theme of this week is sandwiches.  As I mentioned yesterday, today's lunch included a sandwich but as I expected, Juju didn't know what to do with it and as she pulled it apart, all the turkey fell on the ground.  Oy.  Some of it was able to be salvaged but the whole fiasco was a reminder that this kid just isn't ready for conventional sandwiches.  But, that doesn't stop me from sending another kind of sandwich tomorrow.

This evening we had some portabella mushroom ravioli for dinner (I went a little crazy in the fresh pasta section of Trader Joe's since the squash ravioli was so good and I am still trying to make up for all the carbs we couldn't eat during Passover).  I didn't think Juju would be into the ravioli (you'll recall she didn't go for the triangles I packed last week) but as it turns out, all we needed to do was cut the ravioli in half to show her the goodness inside and she was intrigued.  When we explained that the goodness inside was mushrooms, she was immediately hooked and asked for seconds and thirds.  At one point during the meal she picked up her ravioli and pronounced, "it looks like a sandwich!"  You can imagine the "ah ha" moment I had when I realized this is exactly the kind of sandwich I should be packing: self-contained, small, and brimming with mushrooms.

Naturally tomorrow's lunch is leftovers from tonight featuring "mushroom sandwiches!"

The "sandwiches" are sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese and are joined by a green salad (romaine lettuce, farmstand cabbage, crushed up whole grain pita chips and a light covering of Green Goddess salad dressing), farmstand strawberries, and farmstand watermelon (not shown).  The watermelon has black "nuts" as Juju calls them (seeds).  She likes to eat them.  Am I supposed to tell her that eating them will cause a watermelon to grow in her stomach or do I just let her enjoy the extra fiber?  Please let this be the hardest parenting dilemma I struggle with. . .

Lunch on May 4, 2011 - I made a sandwich!!

I get teased by a few of you who chide me for never making anything basic for Juju's lunch.  While I do enjoy that her lunches are sui generis when compared to what most people pack, I have avoided sandwiches thus far only because Juju doesn't really know what to do with them.  She doesn't really get how to hold both pieces of bread plus the middle and take a bite out of everything at once.  So, she usually picks the sandwich apart, eats what she wants, and leaves a considerable mess.

Still, I realize that sandwiches are practical, convienent, and arguably as tasty as anything I've packed so far.  One of the ReSnackIt bags I ordered was sandwich size so here goes:

Lunch tomorrow includes a turkey sandwich on La Brea bakery whole grain bread, carrots and hummus, a container of cucumber stars, pomegranate seeds and crimini mushrooms all chopped together, and a bowl of trail mix made of peanuts, almonds, dried raspberries and semi sweet chocolate chips.  I wish someone would make me a lunch like this everyday. 

I think this is the first time I am sending meat in a lunch.  I am not opposed to Juju eating meat, I just don't always like the idea of meat served cold (plus Juju's lunches are only cooled by ice packs and I wouldn't want a luke-warm meat dish on a hot day either).  But a turkey sandwich seems ok.  Also, when I was younger I went to a Jewish day school for three years and we could only bring dairy lunches so I think I am conditioned to think of sack lunches are vegetarian (well, pescetarian really).  Perhaps I should broaden my horizons.

Lunch on May 3 - Panda power

Tomorrow's lunch reminds me a lot of lunch on March 31 which was the photo that launched this blog.  It will also be eaten on my sister's birthday so, happy birthday Jolie!

Today I am serving California rolls with imitation crab (not homemade, these came from Gelson's), cucumber stars with pomegranate seeds, chopped up cremini mushrooms, and mango.  There is also a ReSnackIt filled with edamame pods that is not shown.

I used the piece of fake grass that came with the sushi to separate the mushrooms and mango and added a cute Panda-pic to the sushi for some fun.

One of you asked how I do the cucumber stars.  It's very easy.  I peel a cucumber, then cut both ends so I can stand the whole cucumber up on one end on a cutting board.  Then, I place a small star shaped cookie cutter on the top of the cucumber and press down to the bottom.  Then I chop up the cucumber into pieces and voila, stars.  You are left with five strands of cucumber (the white space from the star shape) which I either chop up and throw in or just eat myself.

Lunch on April 29 - Go with what you know

Tomorrow's lunch was pulled together in the three minutes I had tonight to get it done.  I actually used one minute to make the lunch and am using the remaining two right now to blog it.  I have been doing a ton of cooking for an event tomorrow night and I haven't really had much time (or room in the fridge) to devote to lunchmaking.

All that combined with the fact that today's ravioli triangles were rejected (well, I think one was eaten but as I suspected, they were mostly pushed to the side in search of mushrooms) made me put together a very uninspired lunch of old favorites.

Cantaloupe and grapes are joined by TJ's Greek honey yogurt with pomegranate seeds, half an avocado, and the rest of the mushroom and leek saute from yesterday.  There are some edamame pods in the ReSnackIt bag (which I have grown to love a lot) and two more SnackTaxi sacks filled with other familiar snacks (English peas and pita chips) not shown.  Yes I realize that this lunch is almost identical to today's lunch and yes I realize most of you only read this space for cute lunch accessories etc.  I guess I'm in a lunch rut since I have no time.  Here's hoping I get a second wind next week and start getting creative again!

Lunch on April 28 - Trying triangles today

For tomorrow's lunch we are trying something new.  Whenever I try something new I also offer extra stand-by foods in case the newcomer is rejected.

The new items are these triangle ravioli stuffed with butternut squash and a hint of brown sugar.  I find them absolutely delicious and hope Juju does too (I got them in the fresh pasta section at Trader Joe's).  I sauteed leeks and mushrooms in a small amount of butter and oil and layered them with the 5 ravioli (I just boiled them in water).  I also threw in some steamed broccoli and sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top.  My guess is Juju will pick around the ravioli and only eat the veggies but maybe she'll figure out ravioli is really just dressed up pasta and she'll gobble them up (she never has any trouble eating pasta).  I am also including grapes and cantaloupe plus a small bowl of Greek honey yogurt with pomegranate seeds in case she doesn't dig the ravioli triangles.  And, my ReSnackIt bags came in the mail today (finally!) so I stuffed a few edamame pods inside.  The ReSnackIt bags are different from the SnackTaxis in that they feel more laminated and ready for food (like I am not worried about getting them wet) but there is still something slightly "homemade" about them.  I can't make a final ruling on which one I like better until Juju has had some more time with these.

This lunch is pretty healthy but lest you think I am a super-organic-no-pesticides-no-spray-health-food-only mom, let me clue you in to lunch today.  We ate at Johnny Rockets and Juju's lunch consisted of a mini hamburger bun dipped in ketchup, half of a mini hamburger patty (also used for lots of dipping in ketchup), 3 french fries, 2 pickles, and about 6 ounces of her first ever (I think) chocolate shake.  Sorry, no photo.  I'm definitely not winning mom of the year in the food category but I do think it's fun to shake things up a little bit (no pun intended).  She can't eat mushrooms for every meal. . .

Lunch on April 22 - Passover Provisions and a Pink Puppy

As I mentioned it's Spring Break so I only had to pack a lunch one day this week but in addition to Juju's lunch, I had to pack food for three adults as well.  And it's Passover so I had some extra limitations.  But, I think I made out pretty well.

I mentioned my friend Annie H. gave me a great baby frittata recipe perfect for kiddos.  I didn't follow her recipe exactly, I mostly used my own (this one features leeks, mushrooms, and spinach), but I did use her idea of baking in mini muffin tins.  I also baked some of the frittata in large muffin tins for the adults. 

I wanted to find a nice complement to the eggs, something that could easily take the place of bread.  I settled on a new Passover favorite: quinoa.  I realize some very observant people don't consider quinoa kosher for Passover but I am not one of those people; abstaining from bread and grains and a whole bunch of legumes and peanuts is plenty deprivation for me.

I haven't had time to shop for groceries for a few days since we've eaten out the last three nights so I made up a quinoa recipe with things I had around the house.  I'd give it a B, maybe a B+.  I was trying to replicate a sweeter quinoa salad that was served at my second seder but fell short.  This is good, just not exactly what I was going for.

Here's how I made it: I toasted 1 cup quinoa with 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pot on the stove. When the quinoa was toasted (but not burnt!) I added 2 cups of water, let it come to a boil, then simmered it  covered for about 15 minutes.  I usually cook quinoa with a clove of chopped garlic but since I was going for a sweeter taste, I left it out (but I did add some salt).  Once the quinoa was cooked and cooled, I threw it into a bowl and started mixing things into it.  I cut up some scallions and threw in a pack of dried raisins and cherries my friend Marla brought me from Seattle.  I also threw in some chopped walnuts since I wanted more of a crunch.  For the wet stuff I added some oil and vinegar.  With quinoa you can really add any oil: vegetable, sesame, olive, etc.  Then I squeezed the juice of a lemon Juju picked at a friend's house the other day and voila, quinoa salad!  I am hoping the flavors blend a bit more tonight so the salad is even more flavorful tomorrow.

Here is how the adults' lunches came out - everyone got two regular size muffin tin frittatas and the quinoa salad.  I like presenting things on lettuce for the color and it helps to keep the two dishes separate which I think makes them more appealing.  Since these lunches are for adults I packed them in glass, my favorite way to store food (but sadly not very kid friendly).  These are Snapware Glasslock containers that used to be really hard to find but are now everywhere like at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.  I think the best prices for them are still at Costco which used to be the only place I could find them.

 

I gave Juju a small cup of the quinoa salad (not shown), four baby frittatas, mango, cantaloupe, and clementine segments, and three Passover macaroons.  The pink puppy is yet another Japanese style lunch "fascinator."

 

Only 4 more days of this holiday to go.  Then I'll focus on another eating challenge: we are considering going vegan for a week sometime in the near future.  Can you believe it?  I can not.  More on that later as I work up the courage to plan it out. . .

Spring break

Just a note to let you know that I have not given up on this blog.  I'ts just that we're on Spring Break this week so I'm not packing any lunches.

I am however cooking and eating a lot of eggs because as my husband likes to say, Passover is the holiday of eggs.

My friend Annie H. gave me a great recipe for mini egg frittatas, perfect for a school lunch.  I've made them at home but never packed them before.  I should give it a try.  Here is her recipe.  I generally add in leeks and mushrooms and broccoli to my frittatas but if you are using this recipe, make sure you chop up your veggies very very small because the "batter" has to fit in the small holes of a mini muffin tin.

I'll post more fun photos of food soon.  I realize they are way more fun to look at than words!

Baby Frittatas 

(Makes 12 Baby Frittatas)

4 Large Egg Whites

2 Large Eggs (whole)
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 cup shredded Mexican Four-Cheese blend
1/4 Cup onion, diced

1/4 cup baby spinach, diced
Salt, pepper and garlic powder (to taste)

1. Preheat the oven 375 degrees.
2. Spray or grease mini muffin tins with oil or butter.
3. Whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the cheese, onions and spinach, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir to mix ingredients together.
4. Add a heaping tablespoon of egg/vegetable mixture to each muffin cup.
5. Bake for 14-17 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

Leftovers for lunch

I thought I would share some things we serve for lunch around here when Juju isn't at school.  I won't be sharing any photos because generally we eat a lot of leftovers and they aren't so pretty.

Here is what we made for dinner on Monday and Tuesday night that we will be calling lunch this week:

Monday night - homemade turkey meatloaf and brussels sprouts
The turkey meatloaf recipe comes via Ina Garten.  I always knew about it but it wasn't until my friend Missy made it a few months ago and I sampled some that I started making it on a fairly regular basis.  We've actually not been cooking much meat in our house lately but this was an exception.  And a delicious one at that.  The recipe is here.  Ina calls for 5 pounds of meat which is kind of crazy for a family of three like ours.  On Missy's recommendation we only used 3 pounds of meat (which still yields an enormous meatloaf) but did not cut back on any of the other ingredients.  The result is a very flavorful loaf.  Ina calls for all white meat turkey but I am sure the recipe will only be enhanced by using some dark meat as well.

The brussels sprouts came from the Hollywood Farmer's Market.  My recipe is really easy and something I learned by watching Ina Garten roast a dozen other vegetables.  It was also inspired by the amazing brussels sprouts I had at my friend Maggie's wedding last month.  YUM!  These sprouts were really big so I cut each of them in half and some in quarters (I also trimmed the ends).  I put them all in a big bowl with a chopped onion and several whole cloves of garlic (no Dorot this time, I actually had to peel the garlic myself!).  Then I drizzled a good amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper over the top and mixed everything with clean hands to make sure all of the sprouts were coated.  I turned the bowl over onto an ungreased cookie sheet and roasted the sprouts at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  I know brussels sprouts get a bad rap but these were SO delicious.  Unlike the meatloaf, the sprouts really do taste much better the night they are made and aren't such a great idea for leftovers.


Tuesday night - homemade vegetarian moussaka and spanikopita 
We've been doing a lot of vegetarian cooking these days and have been using this Moosewood cookbook as our bible.  These recipes were actually prepared by my husband who all of a sudden decided he wanted to cook two extremely labor intensive meals at home.  He agreed to clean up the mess so I couldn't argue with that and he's actually a really great cook with more patience than I.  You'll have to buy the book for the official recipes but I did find this spanikopita recipe and this moussaka recipe online which are quite similar to the ones we used.  The spinach for the spanikopita came from the Hollywood Farmer's Market but save your time, money and energy and use the frozen kind, it will probably taste the same.  Both recipes are what my mother-in-law would call pichkarye (peetsch-kar-eye) which translates loosely into pain in the tush so save your time while you can.  But don't leave the cinnamon out of the moussaka if you do try it.  It gave the whole dish a really unique flavor and I never would have expected to use cinnamon in something like this.  Juju enjoyed this meal although truth be told if there are mushrooms in anything, she will eat it.

I grew up in a house where we rarely ate leftovers.  My mom usually made the right amount of food for dinner and my Dad hates leftovers so we didn't see too many.  But these days I am married to someone I like to call "Camp Cook."  My husband is very efficient and conscious of resources in so many aspects of his life (we live in LA and he rides the subway and buses, he find industrious ways to reuse almost anything nonrecyclable that enters our house, etc) and leftovers are no exception.  He finds a way to reinvent leftover foods (much the way the cook at my camp did if there were too many leftovers of one particular thing after a meal) and if he can't, he makes sure to take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day.  I appreciate his interest in not wanting to wasting food (and happy that Juju and I are rarely recruited to be a part of his efforts!)