Varietay tay

Today's lunch was pretty well rounded and sort of experimental.

• Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup-Light in Sodium
• edamame, corn, mushroom and roasted pepper salad from Whole Foods
• thawed out frozen peaches
• grilled low fat colby/jack cheese on light whole wheat bread

Oh yeah, I had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and it was great! Well, it wasn't hot, and the cheese wasn't melted but it was a grilled cheese sandwich. I made it in the morning and let it cool before I put it in my box. I liked it and I'll probably have it again because it seems "lunchy" to me. The edamame salad was just ok. It was a little too sweet and for me. I bet I could make one that is more to my liking. Maybe that's a project for a future day. Hmm.

Sad Girl's Bento

This lunch tasted exactly like it looks: pitiful.

• sardines
• steamed broccoli
• white rice
• frozen peaches

It reminded me of passage from a book I read in high school about the Japanese internment camps in California during World War II. Yes, that's how depressing this meal was. Some of it was left over from a Chinese take out that I may or may not have ordered this weekend.

Ugh, I've been so uninspired lately. Some of you might have noticed that I haven't been posting as regularly as I used to. I don't really have a good excuse except for my general laziness. However, I just got back from the grocery store where I picked up a few goodies that I'm excited to put in tomorrow's lunch. Also, we get our next winter CSA haul this Saturday so that will definitely reinvigorate my creative lunch juices.

As always, I'm open to ideas and recipes. Lemme hear it!

Wrapsody In Pink

It may look boring to you, but I'm still loving this lunch combo.

• cara cara oranges
• CSA carrots
• smoked salmon, light harvarti cheese, CSA lettuce on a whole wheat wrap
• fat free vanilla yogurt with dried cranberries

I guess there is not much to say about today's lunch that I have said all week. I do love the way the dried cranberries kind of melt into the yogurt, though. They plump up a bit and burst in your mouth when you chew them.

Well, I had a crazy sneezing attack around noon today and I've been sneezing about 3 times every 10 minutes ever since. I think someone at work sprinkled cat hair all over my desk when I went to the bathroom. They're gaslighting me, I tell ya. They're gaslighting me.

Still Thinking Pink

Today's lunch was an exact repeat of yesterday's. And just like yesterday, it was delicious:

• cara cara oranges
• smoked salmon, CSA lettuce, light harvati cheese in a whole wheat tortilla
• CSA carrots
• strawberries

Is it surprising that the goods from our last CSA haul is still being used in my lunches? I have to admit that I tend to use food until it appears positively toxic, but CSA food that I've been using in my lunches and for dinner is barely even bruised. I still have the entire butternut squash (going to make it in a cake, obviously) and it looks as good as the day we got it. The carrots are still crunchy and the lettuce is a little too limp to use for a salad, but it's got enough bite for sandwiches and wraps. For some reason I always thought organic food spoiled a lot more quickly than science-type food.

Anyone have any ideas about proportions? I'm not talking about portions but proportions. I kind of want to make my lunch as balanced as possible so I usually try to have some protein, grain, dairy, fiber, and vitamins. I know that's sort of a hodge-podge nutritional guideline but it usually means a sandwich or a salad with meat, cheese, and veggies, yogurt or piece of light cheese, and fruit and veggies on the side. I've mentioned by keen interest in nutritional targets. How much sodium should I be getting? I'm on Weight Watchers so I feel like I kind of have a handle on not going over certain targets. What I'm really eager to find out is what are the targets for nutrients like zinc and the various vitamins out there. Oh, and sodium. Basically, I'm looking for more ways to feel nutritionally smug.

Pinkerton

I'm totally smitten with smoked salmon again. Also, a longtime love of mine is now in season (sort of). The best part: they are the same color. The pink fleshed details below:

• smoked salmon, light harvati cheese and roasted asparagus in a whole wheat tortilla
• cara cara orange
• strawberries
• CSA carrots

Seriously, smoked salmon at room temperature is a little piece of heaven. I can't believe I used to not eat this stuff because I thought it was too slimy. It gives me hope that something like raw tomatoes might be in my future. Although, I shutter at the thought of actually putting that in my mouth.

Anyway, the big news is that cara cara oranges are on the market shelves these days. Finally! These things scream CHRISTMAS to me. I should be clear though: the ones that I buy out here are not even half as good as the ones that are currently flooding the fields of my hometown right now. I have such an obsession with these beauties. When I go home for Christmas my parents fill 3 or 4 fruit bowls with them and I devour them like a pirate trying to stave of scurvy. I can safely say they make up 90% of my Christmas Vacation diet. ZOWIE!!! I can't wait to eat the real thing. Ok, I'll stop gushing about them...I'm off to go eat one right now.

I Dood It

I got my act together and slapped together a pretty good lunch today. The best part was that it was way cheaper and tastier than my (store bought) lunch yesterday. Here are the deets:

• grapefruit cocktail
• chicken and CSA broccoli with brown rice
• birthday cake
• garbanzo beans with black pepper

Me and him had a 2 person party for his birthday last night. It involved pizza, ginger ale, and a cake crafted by a master baker...Entenmann's. Don't worry, that's not the only way we're going to celebrate his birthday. I'm in the midst of planning his traditional birthday extravaganza to be held at our humble abode on Saturday night. To that end, I'm going to be running around like a mad woman tomorrow night looking for decorations and booze.

Anyway, lunch blog, lunch blog, lunch blog.

Oh yeah, lunch was good today but I didn't have a chance to eat until 4:30. Surprisingly enough, the garbanzo beans were the highlight. I forgot how much I love them. The grapefruit cocktail was also a big hit (with my tastebuds). I'm definitely having that again tomorrow. Get excited!

This Is Not My Lunch

I went buck wild today and didn't pack a lunch. I bought a salad and a fruit cup from Au Bon Pain and it cost $10!!! What was I thinking?! I know what I was thinking: don't pack your lunch, buy something fancy and feel like a big shot for a change. Instead I just felt like a chump.

However, my great friend Zita took a picture of her lunch the other day and emailed it to me. Her adorable comments below:
"My full lunch: $9.45 greek salad, bbq chicken slice and a diet ginger ale. your lunches are better"

Zita also packed a snack!
Sugar snap peas! My favorite. I forgot to ask her if she nukes them in a little water like I do. Anyway, I love the fact that she's at least taking a portion of her food with her to work. I swear I'll be back on track tomorrow. Maybe. If not, I'll be posting a picture of SOMEBODY'S lunch.