Vegan Mofo: Two Lunches and a Tin Box

It's Wednesday! Last night before bed I put together two different lunches for my little big kids. Usually I try to make them as similar as I can, but my little big boy was sick for a few days, and I want him to go easy at school today. 

For my little big girl, I made a sandwich with daiya cheese, olives, and I sliced some zucchini very thin. She has orange slices in the yellow container, grapes and raspberries, gluten free animal crackers, and an applesauce. 

For my little big boy, you can see another sandwich (the same as above), grapes, gluten free animal crackers and an apple. After this picture I also tossed in an applesauce for good measure. His appetite is still very small, but he is on the mend from a nasty flu. 

I also thought it would be a good chance to give you a quick demo on this lunch container I found at my local health food store. So, this part fits into the bottom just like this...

Then the lid..

Push up the little clips on the side to hold it all together..

And you're set! It also came with a smaller tin to fit inside for things like hummus. As you can see, it has had some beatings. I'm sure my children who like to hit things with wooden spoons and sit on random objects would know nothing about this, though. 

Vegan Mofo: It's getting "Chili" again..

While the days are nice and hot, the early morning is freezing cold. As soon as those autumn leaves begin to show their true colors, I get the itch for soups, stews and chili. So for a while now, I've been wanting to make an all-vegetable chili. The problem is, I only have two electrical outlets in my kitchen. One for the fridge, and one above the counter. The one above the counter is temperamental, and no amount of bribing will convince it to give me power. Blame it on the blendtec, or ancient style wiring. There are actually two safety buttons on it that click in, but only one at any given time. I am beginning to think there is a special code or pattern that unlocks the power within. 

So after much fiddling, and waiting, I took charge and plugged my small crock pot into the outlet on my stove. What else is a girl to do?

chopped small eggplant

cut a small section of zucchini and chop it
(this is old-man zucchini, grown with care in an old-mans garden - you 

might not be able to find such a rare kind in your location)

 dice a sexy sweet red pepper

bite into an apple before you dive into the sexy red 

pepper instead of using it in the chili

 chop a vibrant acorn squash

but peel it first, unless you don't have to 

 plus one can of chopped tomatoes, some tomato paste, one chopped

 onion, a couple cloves of chopped garlic and chili powder to taste

Now about the squash. I peeled mine, and always do but every squash I have met is a brute to work with. So I don't know, do you have to peel a squash? Comment below and tell me what you do with your squash.

Vegan Mofo - The 100th International Plowing Match

Today I went with my big littles and their school to the 100th International Plowing Match. I believe that agriculture is essential, and am choosing to focus on that side of this event rather than the cruel horrors that I also took notice (and pictures) of. 

Showing off their freshly pressed pins.. "Garden Diva" and "I Love Veggies."

 It was an exhausting, nice but emotional, day. We went to a magic show, were read to by a local library volunteer, saw a lot of tractors and old machinery including a hand water pump, the snowbirds, and Splash n' Boots.. an apparently popular TV duo. There was a lot to take in everywhere we looked, and we didn't see even half of the tents.

Vegan Mofo - Gluten free Vegan Pizza

Picture heavy warning...

Toppings: Cilantro, Daiya Cheeses, Anise, Red Peppers, Broccoli, Olives, Onion, Green Onion, Tomato Sauce

He's so excited!

Having a slice of brother and sisters pizza.

Look Mom, we made it ourselves!

My pizza.

Overall it turned out to be a successful dinner, with left over for the kids lunch today (Pizza Day Wednesday). I tried both the regular crust and the garlic one, and I found that the regular cooked up nicer but the garlic one had a really nice flavor. We will continue our gluten free pizza dinner Tuesdays.

Vegan Mofo - Tuesday Lunch

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday, so I went to visit her. While I was there I met up with a cousin who came over under less than celebratory conditions. In all of the chaos, I still have not gotten groceries. 

Luckily, my Mom made the kids that fantastic banana bread (gluten free, vegan) over the weekend. What a life saver! So pictured from left to right, then top to bottom is rice crackers, fruit to go treat, celery (and hummus), chocolate soy milk, banana bread and an applesauce.

I really like to give them more fruit and vegetables in their lunches. This can be a challenge because many fruits brown over time and once that has set in, my son will not touch the fruits! I have tried using a bit of lemon juice on sliced apples to slow down the process but find that you can really taste the lemon. It's days like today that I really wish they allowed nuts in the schools.

Tomorrow at school it is "pizza day." So tonight we will be using these gluten free pizza crusts that I picked up with that cheesecake mentioned in a previous post. I'm going to make an extra one just for lunch tomorrow. I was overjoyed to find the pizza crusts and if you've ever attempted vegan, gluten-free baking you'll know why! I find gluten-free baking is a whole new science, and one that I am far from mastering.




To be continued..

Vegan Mofo 2013 - Solo Eating.

This is what I eat when the little ones are out. I used to be a meat-eater before finding the world of veganism. Though I was never a fan of most meats, I wasn't completely innocent. So when the kids aren't home, I do tend to eat some vegan junk foods, like these "nuggets" pictured below. One of the major reasons I eat these without my littles is because they are wheat-heavy, and therefore not son-friendly. Here I roasted some vegetables with them.

The vegetables pictured are broccoli, fennel/anise, red pepper, onion and celery. I had two huge plates of the roasted vegetables, they turned out to be my favorite part. I didn't use any oil to roast them, but I did need to add a bit of water to the pan about halfway through cooking.

Vegan Mofo 2013 Another Monday

It's Monday! Monday, monday..

Ba-da ba-da-da-da

Ba-da ba-da-da-da

Ba-daba-da-da-da

Monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

So good to me (ba-daba-da-da-da)

Monday mornin, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh monday mornin, monday mornin couldnt guarantee (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

That monday evenin you would still be here with me

Monday, monday, can't trust that day

Monday, monday, sometimes it just turns out that way

Oh monday mornin you gave me no warnin of what was to be

Oh monday, monday, how could you leave and not take me

Every other day (every other day), every other day

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever monday comes, but whenever monday comes

A-you can find me cryin all of the time

Monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

So good to me (ba-daba-da-da-da)

Monday mornin, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh monday mornin, monday mornin couldnt guarantee

That monday evenin you would still be here with me

Every other day, every other day

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever monday comes, but whenever monday comes

You can find me cryin all of the time

Monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

So good to me (ba-daba-da-da-da)

Monday mornin, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh monday mornin, monday mornin couldnt guarantee

That monday evenin you would still be here with me

Every other day, every other day

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever monday comes, but whenever monday comes

You can find me cryin all of the time

Monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Cant trust that day (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

It just turns out that way (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Whoa, monday, monday, wont go away (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Monday, monday, it's here to stay (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Oh monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

Oh monday, monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

(I found the lyrics here)

I had to get a little more creative today, because I forgot to get groceries this weekend. So from left to right at the top, we have chocolate soy milk, gluten free pretzels and chopped apples with cinnamon and chopped gluten-free apple-cinnamon waffles. On the bottom there is rainbow salad (recipe below), and an applesauce. 

The only reason I can think of to not like Monday, is because it reminds me that two of my three children will be gone almost all week with school and visitations. 

Rainbow Salad

Equal parts of:

purple cabbage

red bell pepper

butter or iceberg lettuce

shredded carrot 

chopped green onion 

Vegan Mofo 2013 Cheesecake

Recently I was visiting my parents house for dinner. They sent me off to the grocery store around the corner to look for something more to eat than the potatoes that I could have. I was first set on some rosemary and green onions to put over those potatoes, but I was flying in the wind from there.

As I walked through and checked out the three places in the store that carry "specialized" vegan foods I came to an abrupt halt. For there in the freezer, was vegan gluten free cheesecake.

I think for a minute I actually jumped up and down. It was so exciting! The only vegan cheesecake I have ever eaten was from a friend who is an excellent vegan baker, and one that I made myself. Actually, I have never even tried non-vegan cheesecake. Realizing that it was also gluten free was icing on the cake. Nothing excites me more than finding fun treats that my children can eat too.

What wasn't so exciting was the cost, roughly $15.00 is steep for one large boxed vegan gluten-free cheesecake. Having made one before though, I knew that cost was close to the price it would be to make my own. So I bought one "just this once" to try it out.

http://www.sweetsfromtheearth.com/

I have to say, it's pretty good! It is not as creamy as the homemade version that I am used to, but only because they used tofu with the cream cheese so it is a bit diluted. I think I like that better, because just using the cream cheese is too rich for my tastes.

As you can see, it was devoured and enjoyed. Don't worry, I shared some with my Mom too!

Vegan Mofo: School Lunch Post 1

Let's just jump right in, shall we?

My big little man, on his first day of grade one!

You can't tell from the picture, but he actually doesn't like school.

He's not a morning person.
He is pretty smitten with his teacher though.

My big little girl, on her first day of senior kindergarten.

She was her social self, making friends as soon as her toes were over the line between sidewalk to school grounds. The first thing she did was take a little girls hand.

Now every morning, she is like a busy bee going from flower to flower.

She just makes the rounds saying hello to kids, parents, boys and girls of any grade. 

Here is their lunch for tomorrow. Usually I have more crackers and vegan cheese items, but we have a  lot of fruit to be eaten and are out of the less healthy, 'fun' items.

From left to right along the top: Annie's gluten-free bunny crackers, blueberries, strawberry soy milk, olives, gluten free chocolate chip cookies.
From left to right on the bottom: A dish of grapes (concord and huge red grapes cut in half), strawberries and an applesauce.

I try to keep both of the kids lunches the same, because they like to tell each other what they ate after school. And as it seems to go with siblings, everything becomes a competition.

Here's a quick note about what is coming up..

Tomorrow is bread day at our local health food store. The shelves fill up with vegan, non-vegan and gluten free bread and baked goods. As fast as they fill up, items disappear. I try to get there in time for the kids special lunch treat, because Friday is treat day for my big littles.

This weekend I will try to photograph what a single vegan eats, because the kids will be away.

Next week, my small little starts story time at our library and the big littles and I take a field trip with the school to the International Plowing Match. I have my doubts on it's vegan food availability and more, so we plan to take a good lunch. Pictures will follow of the event.

My city is having a food festival next weekend, more to come later.

Mofo Picture Post!

 To make my absence up to you, today I will be doing a post of tons of yummy vegan eats that I have photographed over the past four years. Are you ready? You'd better be.

I would also like to say, thank you for your patience. This transition into single motherhood hasn't been an easy one, but I am slowly beginning to pick up the pieces.

Thanksgiving 2011

Garden Harvest 2012

Briefly fruity 2011

October salad 2011

Fruity smoothie

Farm share basket.

I made this huge vegan cake in 2010 for my Mom, a cake baker hobbyist.

My daughter 2009.

Lovely kiwi tomato salad 2012.

Pumpkin carving 2011.

Vegan potluck 2012

Vegan potluck 2012

Vegan potluck 2012

Salad bowl 2013

Stinky feet potatoes 2012

Vegan potluck 2012

Vegan potluck 2012

Vegan potluck 2012

Vegan magician hat birthday cake 2012

Chips n' chili 2012

Fruit strawberry smoothie 2011

Favorite raw meal 2011

Picnic in the woods 2012

Black bean brownies 2012

Before you go, check out my friends cloth diapers! She makes them from home and makes them from the heart. She currently has a great auction going on a beautiful Princess diaper! Cloth is so much more economically friendly than disposables, is more comfortable and healthy for baby's bottom and in the grand overall cost can save you a lot of money.

Peep.Ooie Cloth Diapers Etsy

Peep.Ooie Cloth Diapers Facebook

Peep.Ooie Blog!

My little guy showing off his Peep.Ooie Cloth Diaper.