Lunch today

[pegkerr]

Baby carrots, homemade whole wheat orange muffin, orange marmalade for the muffin in small container, barley and winter vegetables (parsnips, red peppers, cauliflower) risotto, orange sections, kale and spinach turnover. The muffin (166 calories) is for my snack, and the rest (404 calories total) is for lunch.

[Sorry it's a little blurry; I forgot to turn on macro focus.]

Comments

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Looks yummy! You have such interesting lunches :-)

[threeringedmoon.livejournal.com]

That looks great! Do you have a source for the bento box you are using?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Yes! It's the Laptop Lunchbox. I can't recommend it highly enough. Check to see if you can find a local supplier who sells them (I got mine at a local food co-op) which can be cheaper than ordering through the website. I learned about it from the Vegan Lunchbox site, which has all sorts of cool ideas about how to use it. She recently released a new book called, appropriately enough, The Vegan Lunchbox, which I have ordered but not yet received. (Note: if you order it through her website, rather than through Amazon, she'll ship it to you free if you are in the USA.)

[marmot63.livejournal.com]

We had a laptop lunch box for Meredith in first grade (she's now in 2nd) and it didn't hold up very well. Though we all loved the design. The lids to the covered containers cracked and leaked after a few months and the bottles leaked right from the start. Poor design and/or cheap execution of the treads on the screw-top. The insulated bad is wonderful.

How have your's held up?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Mine have held up just fine, although I know that dreamshark has complained about trouble with the lids, too. I've never used the bottle anyway, so that isn't an issue. We don't have a dishwasher, so I've never washed the containers in one; I wonder if that makes a difference?

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Aha! I'm not the only one that had that problem! Just like yours, my lids started to shred around the edges after 6 weeks or so, and eventually leaked so badly that my whole lunch kit was starting to smell.

I finally emailed my complaint to the company and they claimed to have never heard of the problem before, but sent me two replacement lids. They also said that they are redesigning the lids (for "other reasons") and sometime soon will be offering a full set of lidded containers, although the individual who wrote to me clearly thought that the desire for more lids was misguided.

And no, I never put either of the lids in a dishwasher. The larger lid has been in the microwave sometimes, but the salad dressing lid has never been subjected to heat of any kind and it started to come apart even before the large lid.

Now that you mention it, the screw top on my bottle doesn't thread very easily either. It doesn't leak when screwed on tight, but it takes some force to get it tight.

So I'm afraid I must agree with you - great idea, mediocre execution. Except for the bag, which is great.

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

Man, you always give me a severe case of lunch envy.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I've really been getting into making and bringing my own lunch. Now that I've been doing it for awhile, I can't believe I survived on Healthy Choice frozen lunches, the same old same old for so many years! It takes about fifteen minutes to assemble and pack my lunch every morning, and I look forward to it each day with such an absurd amount of pleasure. I got into it when I stumbled across The Vegan Lunchbox site (veganlunchbox), and I started to see what you could do with a homemade lunch. The environmental aspect of avoiding all the plastic packaging of a frozen lunch really appealed to me, too.

The woman who does the Vegan Lunchbox has just published a book about it, and I've ordered my copy, although I haven't received it yet. Note: if you order it from her directly rather than through Amazon, she will cover shipping.

Lunch

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I'd eat that any day.

B

[haniaw.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm....yummy!!! I must get motivated to bring my own lunches. The food in our cafeteria is quite good but it is usually too high in carbs (which I have to watch since I'm diabetic) and it's also highly overpriced.

[raasalhayya.livejournal.com]

That looks delicious!

I've heard of parsnips, but never tried them...what are they like?

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Parsnips look like albino carrots. They look really cool, but unfortunately they taste like turnips (I suppose there are some people for which that would be a plus).

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

uh... for WHOM that would be a plus.

[raasalhayya.livejournal.com]

I think turnips taste better than carrots. :-)

Thanks for the info!

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

They are related to carrots, but are paler and have a stronger flavor. In Europe, until the potato was brought from the New World, its place in dishes was occupied by the parsnip.

In this recipe, it has about the consistency of a roasted potato, and is slightly sweet. I think it is really good.

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

As a chef I like what your doing except for lil tiny thing, where is the proteins? You need about 90g a day you know. I'd also like to see higher levels of amino acid combos, calcium and since we're so far north your Vitamin D year round.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

There is cheese in both the turnover (feta cheese) and the risotto (parmesan). But yes, with 8 grams of protein, it is a little lighter on that than my lunches usually run. Calcium is 30, vitamin D is zero. However, when you add in the ham I had for dinner and my vitamin supplement, and the hour long walk I took outside in the sunlight, I do fall within the acceptable range for the day for all of these.

[airemay.livejournal.com]

Oooh that looks so good!!

[leiabelle.livejournal.com]

That looks delicious! :D