fun friday

This week--okay, this MONTH--has been so busy with work stuff for my husband. So there haven't been many "cute" lunches. Just regular stuff. So I try to include a treat once in a while.

Ryan & AJ's lunches: steamed broccoli; sesame tofu; pineapple (for Ryan); rice; soy pudding on the side.

This weekend is a Wizard World convention in Boston. President Obama will be holding a rally for the current Massachusetts governor at the Hynes Convention Center, where my husband is running a Magic: The Gathering tournament. I'm sure there will be lots of added security, and parking issues, and tons
of fun costumes at New
England Comic Con. There
will also be a booth where
you can demo Ascension, a
new game my husband
has just helped produce.

And my lunch... cold soba
noodles with greens, kizami
nori, scallions & cold tofu.

Birthday Blahs?

With the conclusion of the stomach bug, with me, while my husband was still in NYC, there was no point posting for a few days. Really, who would want to see kid-made pbj sandwiches and granola bars thrown into lunchboxes. Not so fun.

But since Ryan was the one to bring home the lovely virus from another friend's party the week before, he of course felt fine first, very ready to celebrate his own birthday.

I keep tweaking this cake
recipe. I love it. I suppose
I should post it some time.
Ryan and his dad both
like vanilla cakes with
fruit though. So VCTOTW
frosting and fresh berries
are their favourite
topping.
I also managed to toss
a cupcake into Ryan's
lunchbox. His requested
flavour lately has been
vanilla cocount almond.
And I cut an eight out
of a Goody Good Stuff
gummy candy.

And the rain continued, making outdoor photography miserable. To top it off, my camera battery died before I managed to get any good pics, and my phone was full and needed unloading. So I had to use whatever I got...
Ryan & AJ's lunches: soba noodles w/tatsoi; carrots; baby corn; edamame; peanuts (& raisins for AJ); mini zucchini muffin for AJ; dried aprictos for Ryan; 1/2 a strawberry.
These lunches were smaller than normal because their appetites were not as yet as hefty after a couple of days of being sick.

Maia's lunch: soba noodles w/tatsoi; edamame; baby corn; a strawberry.

And today's lunch was only for AJ. Ryan had a dentist appointment. His next set of molars are cramming his other teeth so tightly the dentist can barely even floss them, so they're already getting cavities. Poor kid will definitely need braces. Some of his adult teeth can't even fit into his mouth so they're coming in totally out of line. Luckily AJ has very well-spaced teeth. Ryan got some unlucky genes. At least he'll earn himself a trip to the movies this afternoon to see the Owls of Ga'hoole.
AJ's lunch: striped apples; peanut butter sandwich squares; green beans w/shoyu; green stuffed olive; carrots.

dark & rainy

It was a morning of downpours & thunder, dark enough to see lightning, despite it being breakfast time. By the time I needed to pack up lunches it had let up to a light rain, but still dark, and nothing I wanted to go out in to take pictures. So it was time for the "balance the bento on the edge of the porch" trick, getting as much natural light as possible without soaking the food in the process. Oh what I would give for a big well-lit kitchen and a lightbox!

Ryan
and
AJ's
lunches:
soba
noodles;
eda-
mame;
gherkin
pickles;
mini
zucc-
hini
muffin;
rasp-
berries.

AJ
asked
for
exactly
six
berries,
he's very particular, LOL.

Here is my rainy day
balancing act. Fun.
Time to pack up the
lunchboxes and send
the boys out into the
rain!

And here is my one-bowl
mini zucchini muffin recipe...
Zucchini Maple Muffins

1 medium zucchini (or 2
small)
3 tsp. egg replacer + 3 T.
warm water
2 T. olive or canola oil (optional)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
spray olive oil for pan

In a medium mixing bowl,
grate 1 1/2 cups zucchini.
Add next 3 ingredients.
Stir. Add remaining 3 dry
ingredients. Stir.
Spray a non-stick mini muffin(s) tin with oil (I use a 24 count mini muffin pan).
Fill and bake at 375F for ~25 minutes.

I used to use this recipe when I taught preschool. It was simple for the kids to follow, though the preschool provided eggs to use, so I this is one of the few times I used egg-replacer powder. Just mix the egg-replacer powder well 'til frothy with a fork or whisk. You can experiment with other egg-replacers of your preference of course.
Also, I have used combos of agave nectar and brown rice syrup, but I really like the results of the maple syrup best, and the kids prefer the taste. I know not everyone lives where maple syrup is readily available and affordable though! So any sweet syrup con be substituted, but it's consistency may affect cooking time and moistness.

chewie soba

Chewbacca is camoflaged in a food jungle!
Ryan's
lunch:
white
rice (I
ran out
of brown,
usually
I mix
the two);
soba
noodles
(with a
face of
nori,
black
bean,
and
tomato);
meat-
less
meat-
balls;
steamed
broccoli; foraged chickweed.

Bento: Impossible

So I started a new bento challenge group on Flickr called Bento: Impossible. It's just for fun, no prizes or anything (at least not yet!). But check it out if you're interested. I picked the first challenge quite randomly on purpose to challenge myself. If you have some ideas for challenges, join the group...once you've entered a bento photo for 1 challenge, you are welcome to offer topics for future challenges!

Ryan's lunch: Zen Soy vanilla pudding; cucumber salad; purple grapes; soba noodles; cashews; blanched spinach w/sesame seeds.

Serving Up Spring

Ryan's lunch: spinach & scallion hummus with cucumber bagel sandwich; Nutter Butter Bites peanut butter cookies; strawberries & grapes; green beans; carrot cake w/walnuts cupcake (I added walnuts to the last 1/3 of the batter so that some of the cupcakes could have walnuts, but there would be plenty of nut-free ones for AJ to choose for preschool).

AJ's snack: carrot cake
cupcake; soy cheese; baby
carrots; green beans; grapes;
1/2 bagel sandwich.

AJ was "Star of the Week"
this week. He brought a book
that he wrote called "Giraffy's
2nd Day of School" to read to his class, a folder of PacMan drawings to show, a lightsaber, a picture story I put together of AJ from birth to age 5, and his "new" Star Wars shirt (not a hand-me-down from Ryan).












Nate's lunch: 1/2 bagel
sandwich; soy cheese;
green beans; strawberries
& grapes.

A batch of hummus always
keeps us fed for a couple of
days in many meals...

my breakfast: corn thins
with hummus, tomato, &
cucumber; smoked almonds;
sliced strawberry.





Around the yard, the peonies
are being found by the ants
as they start to open. These
were hidden in the woods in
back when we moved in, and
I discovered them as I cut
away brush to create a bigger
yard. Eventually I may move
them, but they seem to like
where they are, even though
it's partially shaded.

The new honeysuckle vine
appears more reddish than
orange to me as it was was
advertised, but it's still very
nice.

The rhubarb is growing quite
big this year. For some reason
it didn't do well last year; I
guess it was the weather. It's
another bunch of plants that
was here already that I
definitely want to transplant
to a different location.

Muffin tin meal...Row 1: raisins & dried aprictos; baguette slices w/spinach & scallion hummus; edamame; flat pretzels...Row 2: mini waffles; grapes; seaweed rice crackers; soy cheese...Row 3: cucumber salad; almonds; strawberry slices; carrots & half-sour pickles.

Soba & Seaweed

1 bunch soba noodles
6 baby carrots or 1 large carrot, julienned
2 T. wakame seaweed, rehydrated
1/2 cup bok choy, thinly sliced
2 scallions
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. soy sauce

Place 2 tablespoons dried wakame in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup water. Nuke 30 seconds (or heat the water and pour over seaweed). Chill in fridge, or once rehydrated run under cold water.
Slice carrots, bok choy & scallions.
Boil a small pot of water & add soba noodles, carrots & bok choy. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 6 minutes. Drain noodle in collander and rinse with cold water. Place in a medium bowl.
Add seaweed, ginger, sesame oil & soy sauce. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve.

This goes great with a cold cucumber salad and edamame.

Restaurant Review: Oga's Sushi

Oga's Sushi, Natick, MA

You know when you walk
into an asian restaurant
and all but one table is
servings asian clientele that
the food is worth the price.
Of course you'd never guess
it from the boring exterior--
the place almost looks closed. But inside you'll find elegant decor, a marble sushi bar, and stainless steel dining tables. If you want a more private Japanese dining experience, check
out the sliding doors at the back of the room in the pic below...you can close yourself off from the rest of the room!

Oga's Sushi is literally the
name of the master sushi
chef and owner, Toru Oga.
He makes even the most
ordinary vegetarian maki
rolls look extravagant.



We went to Oga's again recently
for our anniversary. There was
not a crowd of course on a weekday
afternoon. The service--two
waitstaff just for us--was stellar.

We started with the standard
edamame, a huge bowl.

My husband ordered some miso
soup, and we shared a spectacular
soba noodle salad.

Next came the sushi. Oga's has more vegetarian and vegan sushi options than I could order at one visit!
Check out the salad roll, with
almost transparent slices of
tomato on top.

And what review would be
complete without showing off
my handsome dining companions
...my husband and 9 month old:













Oga's Sushi is located in
Natick, MA, on route 9
(915 Worcester Rd.) west-
bound, near the intersection
of route 27. 508-653-4338
Plenty of parking in the
shared lot at Sunnyside
Plaza.