burnt out

Could you tell? The end of the school year had me burned out from lunches, cooking, eating...too many end of the year this & thats, the internationally traveling husband, and new activities for the kids.

Before I move along more interesting posts, I have to catch up, so here goes... longest post EVER...

Lunches & snack: Good Dog rounds; steamed broccoli; Ian's Alphatots; side of ketchup.













Upper left: cantaloupe; sandwich; cucumber slices; carrot; apricots/raisins.
Upper right: oyster crackers; cucumber slices; steamed broccoli; mashed potatoes; spicy baked tofu.
Lower left: carrot; steamed broccoli; pickle; apricot; chocolate chip cookie; smoked Tofurky, Vegan Gourmet monterey jack cheese, lettuce on flax lavash wrap bread.
Lower right (Maia's): cucumber slices; apricots; carrot; 1/4 sandwich; cantaloupe.













Maia's lunch: soy cheese slices; Tofurky slice; chocolate chip cookie; steamed broccoli; carrot; pickle; apricot.






















Upper left: pineapple; cucumber slices; leftover asian stirfry over rice.
Upper right: orange wedges; blanched spinach; hummus & cucumber sandwiches; chocolate chip cookie.
Lower left (Maia's): 1/2 english muffin sandwich; blueberries; grapes; carrot; pickle slices.
Lower right: english muffin sandwiches; carrots; grapes & blueberries; cucumber slices.

Ryan & AJ's lunches:
steamed broccoli;
Tofurky slices;
cucumber slices;
cantaloupe & grapes;
sandwiches.






Maia's lunch:
cantaloupe & grapes;
steamed broccoli;
Tofurky slices;
1/2 cinnamon
raisin bagel.





Lunch: cantaloupe; cucumber slices; broccoli cheddar crescent rolls; peanuts.

Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
water-
melon;
Tofurky
slices;
cuc-
mber
slices;
peanuts;
pickle;
carrots;
banana
blue-
berry
mini
muffins.





Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
spicy
sweet
potato
waffle
fries;
carrots;
green
beans;
side of
ketchup;
mini
banana
blue-
berry
muffins.





Maia's lunch: carrots; green beans; mini banana blueberry muffin spicy sweet potato fries; side of ketchup.

Ryan & AJ's lunches:
carrot; steamed broccoli;
cucumber slices; peanuts;
apricots/raisins;
sandwiches.







Maia's lunch: pizza rollup; steamed broccoli; carrots; tomato; pickle; watermelon.
Ryan & AJ's lunches: pizza rollups; watermelon; steamed broccoli; cashews; carrots.

Ryan & AJ's lunches: soy yogurts; dark chocolate square; carrots; english muffin sandwiches.

Ryan & AJ's lunches:
Sunshine Burgers on
buns; carrots; pickle;
blanched spinach;
pineapple.







Lunches: green grapes; Tofurky slices; steamed broccoli; blueberries; carrots; tofu spinach stuffed pasta shells.

Ryan & AJ's lunches:
cinnamon raisin bagels;
soy cheese cubes;
Tofurky slices; carrot;
pickle; watermelon.







Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
broc-
coli
onion
tofu
mini
quiches;
baked
sweet
potato
fries;
side of
ketchup;
water-
melon.






Maia's lunch:
watermelon;
mini broccoli onion
tofu quiche; baked
sweet potato fries;
side of ketchup.



Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
peanuts;
pickle;
carrots;
blanched
spinach;
water-
melon;
crack-
ers w/
soy
cheese
and
Tofurky
slices;
raisins
and
apricots.















Lunches: rice pilaf w/green beans; blueberries/mixed nuts; Tofurky slices; carrots.

Ryan & AJ's
lunches:
grapes;
sand-
wiches;
cucumber
slices;
peanuts.














Ryan & AJ's lunches:
banana blueberry mini
muffins; carrots; raisins;
grapes; steamed broccoli;
cucumber slices; peanuts.





Maia's lunch:
grapes; steamed
broccoli; carrot;
black olive; mini
banana blueberry
muffin; pickles;
cucumber slices;
cheddar soy
cheese;
snow peas.










Ryan's lunch: peanut butter & agave nectar rollups; steamed broccoli; carrots; pickle; black olive; mini banan blueberry muffin; pineapple mango salsa; cucumber slices.

Maia's lunch: blueberries; snow peas; pickle; Tofurky slice; rice cube with goma shio; blanched spinach; cucumber slices.













Upper left: rice cubes w/goma shio; blanched spinach; Tofurky slices; cucumber slices; grapes; mini muffin.
Upper right: grapes/strawberries; sandwiches; carrots; pickle.
Lower left: cantaloupe & grapes; kale & veggie sausage; carrot; pickle; brownie; mini muffin.
Lower right (Maia's): cantaloupe; blueberries; strawberries; kale & veggie sausage.













Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
1/2 an
apple;
steamed
broc-
coli:
english
muffin
pizza;
choc-
olate &
vanilla
soy
pudding.



















Lunches (left): baguette slices; steamed broccoli; chocolate chip cookie; apple slices; sesame tofu.
Lunches (right): english muffin pizzas; green beans; watermelon.

Ryan & AJ's lunches: cashews; carrots; orange slices; brocolini stem fried rice.













Lunches (left): sesame noodles w/spinach; strawberries/watermelon; edamame.
Lunches (right): english muffin sandwiches; apple rhubarb crumble; steamed broccoli; carrots.

Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
mini
banana
blue-
berry
muffins;
straw-
berries/
raisins;
pickle;
carrots;
eda-
mame;
cucu-
mber
slices.





So that's that for the school year! In a few months I'll have 3 boys in the same school in 3rd grade, 2nd grade, & kindergarten. And Maia will continue in preschool, but 3 morning a week.

moisture farm meal

If you're working all day on Tatooine, I'd imagine a boxed lunch would come in handy...
Ryan's lunch: baked sweet potato strips; brown & white rice; smoked Tofurky; soy cheese; carrot & nori embellishments.

Making a rather monochromatic lunch and keeping it balanced nutritionally can be challenging. It also has to be made with foods that go well together, and that will actually be eaten. Cute lunches are great, but in my opinion they are worthless if they're not delicious too. I try my best to stick with the Japanese approach to bentos with more or less proper ratios of grain, vegetable & protein, with fruit added as a bonus (in this case Ryan had a fruit & vegetable juice on the side today, more than enough simple sugars for one meal). Sometimes fruit just lends itself well to carving or colourful kyaraben art, but I never let it replace vegetables in a meal. After this lunch, I'll just make sure to load on the green veggies at dinnertime.

Enough leaf blowing already!!

Like everywhere I've gone today I've seen TEAMS of landscapers blowing away leaves with hand-held leafblowers, lawnmower-sized leaf blowers, and giant fan ride-on leaf blowers. Talk about an idiotic waste of resources!!! And to top it off, many of the trees haven't even finished dropping their leaves! GRRRRRRRRR.

Anyhow, on to lunch...

Ryan's
lunch:
gherkin
pickles;
dried
apricots;
carrot
sticks;
1/2 a
rice &
bean
burrito
topped
with a
slice of
bell
pepper
& soy
cheese
& nori
"house";
steamed
broccoli; an apple on the side.




And here are a few
more pics of Ryan
on the weekend's
hikes...




























And let's not forget Maia!