ethnic

My go-to country is Japan, but when you're bored with lunch, choose something of any ethnicity other than boring old American food. Check out a book like Vegan Lunch Box Around the World, peruse some of the meals at E.A.T., or just Google "CountryX recipes" and you're sure to be overwhelmed with new foods to try. My kids love Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Chinese. What are your kid's favourites?

Ryan's lunch: tempura carrot maki; avocado & cucumber maki; onion & potato tempura; blanched spinach; spicy baked tofu.
Me, yesterday:
8am- 1 orange
10am- sprouted quinoa tabbouleh.
12:30pm- large bowl of cantaloupe; mixed nuts.
2pm- 12 baby carrots w/cauliflower dip.
5pm- marinated green beans; almonds.
8pm- Raw Revolution chocolate coconut bar.

tas"T"

Time for some tasty treats...
Ryan's "T" lunch: truffle;
two trios of triangle Triscuits;
Townhouse Toppers (crackers);
tater tots (w/ketchup); tempura
broccoli, onion & carrot; tofu; a
tropical juice drink box on the
side.

On sunday, when I was doing
the last of my shopping prep before the school week, I lost my alphabet list at Whole Foods. I returned to the store, asked at customer service, groped around the parking lot, but it was gone. So I attempted to re-create the list for the last 8 letters of the alphabet, which had consisted of almost 2 months worth of jotting down this food and that as they came to mind.

Now that I have completed two bentos without my original list, I found snap peas and strawberries in the fridge that I neglected to put in Ryan's lunch because I never added them to the new list. And today I forgot to put in a tangerine on the side. Eh, it probably would have been too much food for him anyhow! On to me...

7:30am- an apple.
9am- romaine lettuce w/
leftover sprouted quinoa
tabbouleh salad.
11am- 1 banana; small bowl
of dates, raisins & almonds.
2pm- carrot "chips" &
cauliflower dip.
6:30pm- salad: romaine
lettuce, tomato, marinated portobello mushrooms (mushrooms, shoyu, olive oil).

I made a bento lunch for myself today to take hiking...but that can wait for tomorrow when I list today's food.

whoooooo?

I think these owls turned out too cute...
Ryan's lunch: rice w/nori
owls & rice cheese beaks;
bread crust branches;
cucumber leaves; meatless
meatballs; tempura broccoli
& butternut squash; fall
apple leaves; a dropper of
soy sauce.

I also wanted some tempura
for breakfast, so it worked
out well. I battered and pan
fried some broccoli leaves,
broccoli florets, & wedges of
butternut squash.

And a little soy sauce for
dipping...
The only problem with making tempura is that once you get your oil hot and your veggies ready to be floured and dipped in the batter, then you've got to commit to staying at the stove for a few minutes while they cook. They cook pretty quickly. But with 4 kids it is a safe bet to say you will undoubtedly be interrupted and overcook some of it.

Fun for Fall

Sunday dinner:
soba noodles;
steamed asparagus;
tempura vegetables
(lotus root, delicata
squash, onion);
orange slices; skiitake
mushrooms.


Monday:

Ryan's
lunch:
fresh
peach
slices;
pink
rice-cream
cone &
waffle
cone; a
container
of maple
syrup;
steamed
broccoli;
cranberry
pecan
cous cous;
cucumber slices.

AJ didn't need a separate snack because Dada was parent helping in his class. He brought mini banana muffins, baby carrots, & raspberry lemonade.

Tuesday:

Ryan really enjoyed his burrito last week and requested more.
Ryan's lunch: checkered rice (Ryan called it his chess board); bell pepper "oak" & "maple" leaves; Amy's Bean & Rice Burrito (non-dairy); container of applesauce (not shown).

AJ's preschool snack:
Crispy rice bar; grapes.

Nate's preschool
snack: mini banana
muffin; grapes; bell
pepper strips.

AJ let me know after
school that he was NOT
happy with his smaller
snack today. I guess he
really does need the bigger portion; I just thought I'd try something smaller for a change because after all it is only a snack! Mama was wrong!!

Farm
share:
1/2 peck
apples,
onions,
3 squash
(acorn,
delicata,
carnival),
tomatoes,
carrots,
scallions,
peppers,
lettuce,
spinach,
baby red
russian
kale,
potatoes. Not shown: PYO raspberries, hot peppers, herbs, flowers, kale, collards, chard, cherry tomatoes.

Wednesday:

Ryan's
lunch:
Good Dog
"flowers";
chinese
green
beans,
asparagus,
& soy
chik'n
Smart
Strips;
rice "dog
bone";
steamed
broccoli;
grapes;
cucumber
curls; mini
pumpkin apple muffin; carrots; Tofurky slice "flower"; 1 red Panda raspberry licorice.

AJ's snack: steamed broccoli; mini pumpkin apple muffin; cucumber slices; grapes; AJ rice "blocks".

Thursday:

Nate had his first longer day of preschool, and his first opportunity to use his Thomas the Tank Engine lunchbox and bento. His teacher said he opened his lunch and yelled "A Clue!".

Nate's lunch: Blue's Clues rice "clue" pawprint; edamame; orange segments; shiitake mushrooms; cold spinach.

AJ's snack: rice
"clue"; orange
segments; edamame;
cold spinach.




Ryan's
lunch:
rice &
nori
keyboard;
2 note
sandwiches:
1 PBJ,
1 cuke &
Tofutti
cream
cheese;
edamame;
red bell
pepper
strips;
cold
spinach;
orange slices.

Husband's lunch:
veggie burger
with veggies on
whole wheat bun;
bell pepper strips;
grapes; mini
pumpkin apple
muffin; cucumber
slices.

Friday:

Blueberry Flax Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup flax meal or milled flax seeds
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup full fat soy milk (I like Vitasoy)
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
spray olive oil (for pan)

Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Mix dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients and blend well with an electric hand mixer.
Add blueberries.
Spray skillet lightly with olive oil (and again between batches).
Ladle on batter. When holes begin to appear, flip.
Serve with maple syrup or your favourite topping.

Ryan's (Breakfast for) Lunch:
Cherry soy yogurt; four
small pancakes; maple syrup;
raspberries; banana chocolate
nut Save The Forest organic
trail mix bar.






Husband's lunch: rice balls; red bell pepper strips; applesauce; peanuts, raisins, Craisins; smoked Tofurky & vegetables sandwich; Lake Champlain hazelnut praline dark chocolate; carrot sticks; raspberries.

Back to Preschool

This week was soooo busy, especially with preschool starting up again and me getting back to the YMCA for some exercise twice a week.

Monday:

Ryan's Harvest Moon lunch: yellow rice; green grapes; corn with cucumber "husks" propped up with cold spinach; a yellow gel cup; mini whole wheat pita with tofu salad.

Husband's lunch:
mini pumpkin-apple
muffin; green grapes;
flax crackers;
watermelon; pickle;
carrot sticks; mini
whole wheat pitas
with tofu salad.

Tuesday:

Ryan's lunch: rice & bean burrito; salad; cinnamon raisin roll; carrot sticks.











It was Nate's very first day
of preschool. It was only an
hour long the first day, and Dada was the parent helper (it's a cooperative preschool). Snack was brief: organic pretzel sticks and strawberry kiwi 100% juice blend.
AJ's first day back was two hours long. His snack: carrot; cucumber slices; watermelon chunks; cinnamon raisin roll.

Farm
pickup:
kale,
rainbow
chard,
arugula,
corn,
leeks,
potatoes,
tomatoes,
peppers,
celery,
cabbage,
tomatillos,
Delicata
squash,
apples,
peaches,
cherry
tomatoes, jalapenos and red and gold raspberries. Not shown: flowers.

Wednesday:

AJ's snack: onigiri "apple"; cold spinach; apple cinnamon croissant; sesame tofu.
Ryan's lunch was similar, with the addition of tempura squash & broccoli w/ a little container of soy sauce, and some raspberries.













I love it when I can glean breakfast from my lunch preparations. This was the heartiest breakfast I'd had all week: soba noodles, tempura, spinach.
Husband's lunch: cold spinach; cherry tomatoes; tempura; sesame tofu (hidden on the right); soba noodles; apple cinnamon croissant.

People often ask how
I can do so much with
4 kids. I plan ahead a
lot, right down to setting
out the breakfast dishes
and bentos the night
before!


Thursday:

I decided with all the peanut allergies in schools these days that it was time to give sunflower butter a try. I thought it had a funny taste, but I heard no complaints from the boys. I still prefer cashew or almond butter, but it's nice to have this option for preschool which is completely nut-free.

Ryan's lunch: SBJ sandwich flowers; asparagus spears; red bell pepper strips; green beans; vegetable crackers; a Lake Champlain dark chocolate; dried apricots; raspberries.

Nate was too distracted
by fun stuff in preschool
to bother with his snack,
so he ate it later for
lunch: SBJ sandwich
flowers; raspberries;
cherry tomatoes;
vegetable crackers.

There was a class birthday already so I packed him a cupcake too.

AJ's snack: SBJ
sandwich flowers;
vegetable crackers;
green beans; raisins.





Friday:

I'm still learning how to use edible soy wrappers successfully. The smooth side yields a crisper stamped image but curls easily; I'll have to stick to the rougher side in the future.
Ryan's Pirate map lunch: rice; steamed broccoli; Chicken-free nuggets with a container of ketchup for dipping. Not shown: a container of cinnamon applesauce.

I found some missing
tomatoes & peaches
in the shape sorter...
Nate! Later in the day
I found it filled with
apples.