Recovery

What a week! I thought we had done quite well this winter until the past week. Everyone got sick; first a stomach virus, then the flu, and my husband ended with an upper respiratory infection, coughing so hard we think he cracked a rib. (And you probably know what it's like to have a sick husband, haha. But to be sick yourself too with 3 kids in various stages of it, agh!)

Tuesday:
Monday no one went anywhere. Ryan was already feeling better, but no one was well enough to take him to school, poor guy. But I managed to get him to school on Tuesday:
Thank goodness for leftovers: barrel-shaped onigiri, edamame, dill pickle cut into chunks, spinach, cantaloupe.

Wednesday:
AJ & Ryan: mini banana muffins, cold tofu w/soy sauce, green beans w/soy sauce.

Thursday:
Nate & I were the last to get sick so we were just starting to feel better by thursday. Nate fell asleep before lunch, so here are Ryan and AJ's lunches:Tater tots w/ ketchup, cashews, carrots, grapes...and cucumber for Ryan.

Cooking while pregnant is very challenging for me. I have chronic morning sickness with major food/smell aversions. Even turning on the gas stove can be cause for, well, ya know. So I tend to use a lot more prepared foods than usual, like frozen goodies from Trader Joe's:
Everyone had the same: cold tofu w/soy sauce, ramen noodles & broccoli, & vegetable "Bird's Nests" which Ryan went back for seconds on.

Friday:
One of AJ's friends was celebrating a birthday at school today. So I packed a vegan cupcake for him. I always keep a stash of frozen cupcakes, usually the basic vanilla ones from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. They freeze well and defrost quickly on the counter in the morning.
AJ: cupcake & peach soy yogurt.
Ryan: cinnamon bunny crackers, carrots, peach soy yogurt.
(Technically the bunny crackers are NOT vegan, they contain honey. This was a compromise I made with my husband as he often brought home baked goods with non-vegan ingredients and the boys would want some. So we compromised that honey would be allowed in pre-packaged foods, but he would cooperate and read labels to avoid all other non-vegan ingredients for home-use.
Also, I often notice when buying baked goods that the "natural" products contain honey as a sweetener. At some stores the choice is between a whole grain bread with honey, or a vegan Wonderbread-like substance that I would never buy. In these circumstances I think the honey is a fair compromise. Someday I should learn to bake all my own bread like my own father did.)Husband's lunch: strawberry soy yogurt w/blueberries, mixed nuts & raisins, clementine, watermelon slices, "salad" sandwich.