The Appetites of Boys

It could be a growth spurt, or maybe just making up for the week of sickies, but the boys have been requesting food CONSTANTLY this week. I can hardly keep up! I can only imagine the grocery bill when they are teenagers.

Monday:Ryan and AJ: crescent rolls filled with broccoli & soy cheese; watermelon; edamame.

I don't buy soy cheese often, but sometimes Ryan specifically requests it when I am writing up the grocery list. I think a lot of parents bring cheese as a snack in preschool.
My personal favourite is Follow Your Heart's Vegan Gourmet; the monterey jack reminds me of a salty ball of mozzarella...of course it's been over 15 years since I've had the real thing.
Husband's lunch: leftover spaghetti & meatyballs (Nate's meatless meatballs) with sauce; 2 clementines; crescent roll filled with broccoli & soy cheese; romaine & baby spinach salad with cucumber, tomato & lemon tahini dressing.

Tuesday:Ryan: mini star-shaped sandwiches with cucumber & soy cheese; pineapple chunks.

Wednesday:
Ryan & AJ: Pokemon-shaped Tofutti cream cheese & strawberry jam sandwiches; cold spinach; green grapes; a strawberry for Ryan.

These sandwiches didn't photograph well, but there is an impression of Pichu (not Pikachu, for you Pokemon masters out there) and 2 pokeballs in the bread. I bought these sandwich cutters at the Hakuhinkan Toy Park, a big toy store in the Ginza district in Tokyo. Ryan is very much into all things Pokemon.

Husband's lunch: chilled baked tofu with tahini & nutritional yeast sauce; strawberries; cold spinach; romaine & baby spinach salad with cucumber, tomato, yellow bell pepper & lemon-tahini dressing; a banana; a clementine; leftover brown basmati rice with vegetable Thai curry.
I overpack on wednesdays when my husband works late; hopefully it helps him avoid overeating pizza at his evening game playtest session at his store.

Thursday:Lunch was an indoor "picnic" of hummus and various dip-ables: Garden Harvest Toasted Chips; cucumber slices; yellow bell pepper strips; snow peas; baby carrots; celery strips; Garden Vegetable Wheat Thins crackers.

My Hummus Recipe

2 cans (15.5 oz.) chick peas, rinsed & drained
2 T. tahini
2 scallions, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder, or ~1 T. chopped garlic
1/2-1 tsp. salt
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
1/3 cup water

Put everything in a food processor (I use a Cuisinart), adding water slowly as hummus mixes.

This is thicker than store-bought varieties. I like it because it doesn't fall off whatever you're dipping or ooze out of sandwiches or make the bread soggy.

Friday:Ryan & AJ: leftover hummus; tamari-flax crackers (from Trader Joe's); snow peas; carrots; cucumber slices.

Husband's lunch: hummus sandwich with lettuce, tomato & cucumber; leftover chinese rice with sauteed snow peas; gala apple.