Kids' Lunches

I know it is the end of the school year but that doesn't mean you have to stop thinking about what to pack for the kids' lunches.  There is always summer camp.

My kids have tiffin tins that I bought in China Town.  A tiffin tin is a stack of three (or two or four) round tins with one lid on the top and a clasp that locks them all together.  Just Google image "tiffin tin" for a picture.  They were about $25 each.  The kids also have steel water bottles and a Thermos each.

Having three different compartments helps me focus on areas of nutrition.  Lately, with all the new local fresh fruits and vegetables coming on the market I have devoted one compartment to fruit, one to vegetables and one to nuts, seeds and dried fruit.  For example I cut up an apple (half for each kid), an orange, a kiwi and throw in some strawberries and that is the fruit done.  In the vegetable compartment I put in a chunk of cucumber, cut up some carrots and green pepper and that is done.  For the nuts, seeds and dried fruit I use almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin, sunflower, dates, raisins, coconut, papaya and mango.

Some days I make hummus and put hummus and pita in a compartment.  I also add hummus to the vegetable compartment as a dip.  Tortilla chips and salsa is good as long as the salsa isn't too watery (if it is, it leaks).

I also make veggie wraps with sprouted grain tortilla shells.  I use hummus as a spread, or mayonnaise, then cut up cucumber and tomatoes, and add what my daughter refers to as "hairys" - alfalfa sprouts, and lettuce.

Sometimes I make a leftover compartment from dinner the night before.  Vegan pizza, Huevos Rancheros (Rebar cookbook), salads, soup (in the Thermos), pasta...  But don't forget to pack the utensils.  I've had lunches come home uneaten because of no utensils (they don't think to go to the staffroom and ask to borrow some).

When my daughter makes her lunch she likes to boil an egg.

And we do do the standard sandwiches every once and a while like almond butter and jam, but not often.

Finally, when you forget to go shopping and there is nothing in the house, it is always fun to show up at the school with sushi from the grocery store, or better yet, my daughter and I went out for lunch.  We bought Subway and sat in the park and ate it.  It was a great spontaneous thing to do and we both said we should do it again soon.

Hope this helps to spark your imagination.

Let me know what YOU do for lunches.

Rebar Makes Good Linguine

I have to share this recipe with you.  It is straight from the Rebar cookbook p. 172.

PeanutSauce
Yield 3/4 cup

1/4 cup smooth, natural peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sambal oelek
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

In a blender, add all of the ingredients from the garlic through to the sambal oelek.  Blend until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend.

LotusLandLinguine
with wok-fried vegetables and peanut sauce
Serves 4

1 x recipe peanut sauce
1 lb linguine noodles
1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, julienned
2 carrots, half moon slices
1 large red pepper, 1/2" triangles
1 bunch broccoli, florets and stem slices
4 oz snow peas
4 heads baby bok choy, leaves seperated
2 bunch scallions, 1-inch long slices
sesame oil

Heat a large pot of water for cooking the pasta.  In a small pot, gently heat the peanut sauce, adding a bit of stock or water to thin, if necessary.

Begin cooking the noodles when you start the stir-fry as they will take about the same amount of time.  Have a colander ready in the sink for draining the pasta.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add oil and, just before it starts to smoke, add the onion.  Stir-fry the onion until translucent and then add remaining vegetables in order of their cooking times, beginning with carrots and ending with snow peas, bok choy and scallions.  Continue stirring and tossing the vegetables, keeping them crisp and brightly coloured.  If they start to stick, add a splash of water an cover briefly.

Toss the drained noodles with a splash of sesame oil.  Divide the noodles among serving plates, top with vegetables and drizzle with warm peanut sauce.  Garnish with crushed peanuts, freshly chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.

Indulge

OK, I preach healthy eating and I hope you enjoy eating and feeling healthy, but sometimes, like on very special occasions, you feel like eating "bad" to feel good.  Why not?  It doesn't mean you have to completely dump your principles.  Take cake and ice cream for instance.  There are ways to enjoy them and not have them totally overrun your digestive system.

An example is The Pink Sugar Cupcakery in Victoria.  Even from the name you can tell that the treats have sugar in them (that depresses your immune system) but they are dairy and egg free so your stomach won't get upset.  And as long as you don't eat a whole box at once, and only do it once and a while, you should be fine.  The PSC donated a few trays of mini cupcakes to the South Park School Auction the other night.  I tried a few there (they were small after all) and they were spectacular.

Ice cream is out of the question as it is dairy, of course.  But how about a REALLY good alternative.  So good in fact that you are thrilled that it isn't made from cow milk.  So Delicious is the name of the company and they have coconut milk ice cream that is AMAZING!  They also have other coconut milk products and soy products.  They even have some no sugar added stuff so you can actually be doing very little harm to that wonderful immune system of yours and still feel like you are indulging!

Remember, WHATEVER you choose to eat, eat with purpose.  There is no sense in feeling guilty as it just ruins the taste.  Make the decision to ENJOY what you put in your mouth.

Curry Quinoa Salad

Here is a great salad recipe that can stand alone for lunch or as a side with dinner.  I made it for dinner along with baked salmon and steamed broccoli.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Servings: 4-6 (about 1 cup each)

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
Pinch of salt
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
1 - 14oz can no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples (organic), halved, cored and chopped (or thinly sliced)
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 limes juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups mixed greens (per serving of salad)

1.  In a saucepan, combine quinoa, water, spices and salt.  Bring to a boil, cover, then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until quinoa turns transparent and liquid is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork, cool and place in a large bowl.

2.  Add carrots, chickpeas, onions, apples, pumpkin seeds and parsley.

3.  To make the dressing:  Whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour over quinoa mixture and toss.  (*I poured the dressing over the apple mixture in step 2 to keep the apples from going brown then mixed in the quinoa when it cooled)

4.  Divide into four servings and serve over a bed of mixed greens.   (I sprinkled on some walnuts for extra garnish but almonds would would as well.)

Note:  The quinoa mixture will keep in the fridge for a week, but wail until ready to eat to mix in the greens.

Southwestern Minestrone

I made soup last night for dinner and I have to share the recipe with you.  It was so good I had four bowls!

I adapted the recipe a little bit from my Rebar cookbook p. 128.


Lone Star Minestrone 
(serves 8-10)
 Prep:  15 minutes
Cook:  1 hour

10 cups (2 1/2 L) vegetable stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp chile powder
1 medium yam, peeled and diced
4 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1 organic* sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
8 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chipotle puree
1 x 15 oz can kidney beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup macaroni (I used vegetable macaroni)
season with sea salt if necessary
chopped fresh oregano and cilantro to garnish
1 lime cut into wedges
(*don't forget, bell peppers are a dirty dozen)

Heat stock and keep it warm while you do the following:  Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Stir in garlic, jalapenos, spices, yam and half of the oregano.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.  Add the pepper, zucchini, and cook 5 minutes longer.  Pour in the warm stock and add tomatoes, chipotle and beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the corn, remaining oregano and macaroni (if serving right away - otherwise boil separately and add when needed).  Simmer until pasta is tender.  Season to taste and serve with chopped fresh herbs and lime wedges.

Vegans for Israel

My dragon boat team has the opportunity to go to Israel for a festival in May, 2012.  At practice the other day we were talking about eating to get healthy and also to lose weight.  Coach thought it would be a good idea if the boat went vegan (well, maybe I did).  But, she thought it would be a good idea for the boat to lose some weight.  Someone came up with the slogan "Vegans for Israel" and it stuck.  So I'm going to help out my fellow teammates by coming up with some meal plans and posting them here on my blog.