I wanted to do something with the leftover veggie dogs this week, so I decided to make this simple German Lentil Soup with Frankfurters (I used 6 cups of water and cooked the lentils until soft before adding the carrots). For fruits and veggies Shmoo chose a kiwi fruit and baby carrots with ranch-bean dip ("Brussels sprouts...no, baby carrots...no, Brussels sprouts...no, baby carrots with dip!"). He's been admiring some shredded coconut up on the cupboard shelf lately, so last night I made some of Dr. Fuhrman's Date-Nut Pop'Ems and rolled them in coconut for a surprise treat. Verdict: He finished half the soup and everything in the lunch box, and praised me to the heavens for satisfying his coconut jones. Pop'Ems are such an easy recipe to play with; this time I used soft dates, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds, and added a tablespoon of roasted carob powder. 3 stars.
64 comments:
Great idea to use up the extra veggie dogs! We love the date nut pop'ems from Dr. Fuhrman. Hmmm... coconut on top sounds great!
Mmmm!! That kiwi looks delish!! =)
I've recently decided to give up refined sugar, so the date nut pop-ems might just hit the spot!
His lunches look so cute...little compartments...bright colors...healthy...and all presented in a nicely packaged blog.
wow! The pop ems sound awesome! Can I get the recipe (or point me in the right direction please??)
I always get hungry coming here, such creative lunches!
Hey, Andrea, so have we! At least for Lent, then we're going to see how we feel and whether it's worth the effort to keep sugar out of our house. I'm hoping I'll feel more patient, less irritable, etc. and will eat more nutrient-rich foods to replace all the empty-sugar calories I usually consume. I'm a huge sugar-fiend so this is a real challenge for me. It's been since Monday!
I'm convinced refined sugar just isn't a good thing. Lots of people in my family have diabetes and I don't want to end up like that!
I'm also eying Dreena Burton's "Energy Cookies" in Vive le Vegan. Have you ever tried them? I'm unsure as to where to find spelt flour and hemp seed nuts, though. (I live in Wyoming and there aren't a whole lot of vegetarians here.)
This simple goodness disguised as lunch looks as though it would be great comfort food.
My kids love Ranch dressing. I do not like to pack it in their lunches so often, though. What is this ranch bean dip?
I love seeing this here (using the leftover hotdogs)! Now we're seeing not only clever, but practical lunches!
We gotta try that pop-ems!
>>What is this ranch bean dip?
Hi, Coolbeans! It's a ranch-flavored dip using beans instead of vegan sour cream. I've made it twice now and we're pretty crazy about it, so I'm putting it in my lunch box cookbook. We love beans, cool or hot. :-)
Andrea -- We have spelt flour locally but I haven't been able to find any hemp foods in these parts, so I haven't made them yet, either. They look good, though!
Wow, that's so great that Shmoo actually likes what amounts to, well... healthy dessert. Those pop'ems are really attractive, too -- they look very gourmet, like coconut-covered truffles or something. :o)
I don't know why I'm saying this, considering that you know everything about food, hehe, but in case you're having a real sweets craving, try making a smoothie with some banana, frozen strawberries and blueberries and some other berries if you like. I usually use sweetened soymilk as a liquid, but it has cane juice in it, so if you want to avoid that and use fruit juice, it will be even sweeter. I don't recommend using unsweeted milk, as it will take away from the sweetness of the fruit.
I love how you let him choose some aspects of his lunch. No one likes to do something they HAVE to do, and I bet it contributes to Shmoo's appreciation of health when you give him the freedom of choice.
I hope I remember this when I have kids.
I looked at that and for a minute I thought baked beans and franks. Everyone knows how good baked beans and (fake) franks are, right...
Hey Jennifer and Andrea-
I stopped using refined sugar since last September. I find Xylitol to be a great subsitute and it has a low glucose index which is suitable for diabetics.
I can also get hemp seed and hemp seed flour at the local Puget Sound Co-op here in Seattle, WA and I have seen the seeds at Whole Foods.
Good luck.
Jennifer,
I just found your blog and I LOVE IT!! As a vegetarian mom, (who'd like to be 100% vegan!), I find it hard sometimes to come up with new ideas for kid meals. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and food ideas, and for your passionate respect for living things! Your great photos are inspiring me out of my recent food burnout/funk. Thank you!!
Can you list what you mean by "Refined Sugar". And if you
use Miso, is it in the paste from. I recently went to by it and the Japanese Market had it in a paste form, one with barley and one that was red? Any suggestions?
Jen, Just a hello and a thumbs up from another lurker who loves your blog. Like many others I don't have children but faithfully check your blog out everyday and get great ideas for my own lunches,though I have nothing as cool as the laptop to bring my lunch in.
The reason I am finally writing is the comments on refined sugar. I come from a long line of diabetics and have always tried to be careful of my sugar intake. But I also want nothing to do with artificial sweeteners. For the most part I just don't eat a lot of sweets which for me works great and makes me feel a whole lot better. But for the occasional need for a treat I take a page from the macrobiotic community and use brown rice syrup or barley malt syrup. Considered complex sugars they do not take you on the roller coaster of sugar reaction, the high and then the crash. Its a little pricey but in a way thats good so I do not make to many treats.
Keep up the good work ...and when that book of yours comes out I will be standing in line for my copy.
To Andrea...for things I just cannot find in stores,though I am lucky enough to live in area that I can find most things, I buy from the online store
www.shopnatural.com
no affiliation...just a happy customer.
Lorri
Great idea for the leftover franks! I've made a similar vegan soup and it turned out great.
I love coconut. They have vegan frozen treats made from coconut milk, shredded coconut, and cane juice. Shmoo might like them.
http://aveganlife.blogspot.com
whats the difference between vegan and vegetarian, is diet different
srsom, a vegan eats no animals and no animal products, so no eggs, no milk, no jello, no fish, etc. A vegetarian can eat anything that doesn't involve killing an animal, so a vegetarian could eat milk and eggs, but not jello, not fish, for example. There are different type of vegetarians, some do avoid eggs, etc.
you needa come be my substitute mommy for a week and fix me neat lunches like that. I'm a fish- and vege-tarian, but almost all of the lunches on your site appeal to me!
Jennifer, if you are trying to stay away from refined "goodies" I think you would like this, make sure to refrigerate befor eating, they are much better that way.
THis a recipe from a health institute I worked at in the late 80's until I got married.
Carob Fudge Balls
1 cup dates
1/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. nut butter
1/4 c. carob powder
1/2 c. nuts, chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
Soak the dates in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then blend until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into balls and refrigerate.
I hope you will enjoy these, they can become almost addictive.
srsom and karen anne,
Not only is diet the only difference between vegan and vegetarian...vegans avoid all animal products, including leather, silk, wool, down, pearls, etc., as well as products that are tested on animals. Vegetarianism is about food choices, while veganism is a complete lifestyle choice. So, if somebody adheres to a strict vegetarian diet but purchases leather shoes, they are NOT vegan.
I love your pics and recipes. You rock, mama!
Anonymous, I disagree also. Many vegetarians do not use any products food or otherwise that involve killing animals.
I love this blog, and this discussion is of particular interest to me. I stopped eating meat soon after my newborn went to heaven seven years ago. It was a difficult time in my life, and somehow it seemed natural for me to stop eating meat. The very idea of eating flesh was abhorrent to me.
When my husband and I were blessed to have another child (after being told I couldn't) I couldn't stomach the idea of her eating the flesh of another, breathing, sentinent being. For me, this was my reason. I do believe it's cruel how animals are treated, but in all honesty it was a spiritual decision on my part that transcended reasons I can truly explain.
But as I've been on this journey of discovery, I have learned so much and am horrified at how they treat animals for their flesh, or skin. NO, I'm not vegan. I was, until very recently, what is called octo-vegetarian. I ate fish and although I couldn't eat eggs, I wasn't opposed to giving them to my daughter.
However, my little one is the reason I no longer eat fish or allow her to eat eggs. We were at the fish market and she saw the fish swimming around in the tank. To make a long story short, my Pooh looked at me with these big tears in her eyes and then said..."Mama, you said it wasn't right to eat a living creature" I said, "That's right, baby." She then said, "Mama, that fish has eyes, blood and it can breath. Just because it breathes underwater...doesn't mean it's not alive."
I smiled at her, took her by the hand, and left the market. This was around the recent anniversary of my first little one's birthday. We don't eat fish anymore.
It's all a process, and we are all on a journey of discovery. No one's journey is the same as another. No one's journey is better. Just as long as we're trying to make a difference, trying to be the best we can be as we travel this path together is what matters.
Jennifer, your blog is inspirational.
Kimberly
Hello again Jennifer,
I have a question for you or for anyone else posting here...
I can't remember if your husband is a vegan or not, but how does one cope if he is not?? I have been a vegetarian since I met my now husband, but in the past year or two I have been trying to live a vegan lifestyle. Although he, "sees my point of view," doesn't mind if I feed our future kids veggie food, and often tries my meals, he probably won't ever be vegetarian, nevermind vegan. It really bothers him that we eat so differently, and we often don't share meals because I have to be the one to cook the vegan/veggie meals and I am too busy with work and schooling to think about meals that we could share. Sooooo, my question is, how do people deal with this issue? He thinks that we are the only couple to have this problem, and I try to convince him that there are many others.
On a side note - what cities or towns are the friendliest to vegans and vegetarians in the US? I have heard San Fran and Portland ME and Oregon in general...
Christine,
You are definitely not the only couple to deal with this issue! I am a vegetarian, but my husband isn't, and like yours, never will be. Now might be a good time to introduce your husband to the barbeque! I make a vegetarian meal every night, and when it's easy and practical, I will add meat to his portion, but more often if he wants meat he'll cook something on the grill to eat along with what I've made. I buy the meat for him so that I know it's free-range and anitbiotic and steroid-free, but he cooks it and cleans up. Easy!
Also, I have traveled all over the US working as a flight attendant, but I've never found anyplace more veg-friendly than my hometown - Seattle! Good luck!
I think any place in northern California is likely to be v-friendly. Palo Alto and SF are. I suspect any blue state big city would be.
Christine, I hope you guys eat at the same time. I think sharing mealtimes is important to family life. Perhaps if you take some weekend time and cook big batches of stuff and freeze them in small portions, you will find managing easier. I think Jennifer mentioned at some point that she had a freezer.
I think both vegetarianism and veganism are lifestyle choices. And I don't think there is an absolute for either, I think there can be a continuum. It's more obvious with vegetarianism, because there's ovo-lacto, pesco, etc. Just because someone eats entirely vegan, but still wears wool or something, I wouldn't not consider them a vegan. They're just not the strictest vegan ever. I think a lot of people kind of personalize it to themselves too. For instance, I eat a all vegan diet except for the fact that I still eat honey sometimes(which doesn't bother me). I'm sure there's some extremist vegans out there who would probably want to "disown" me, but whatever. Like I said, I think it's more of a continuum. Not everything has to exist in absolutes.
Kiwi is the best!
R2K
Christine,
When I met my husband 5 years ago he was a vegetarian/borderline vegan. I was the farthest thing from that. In fact, I had been quoted as saying, "I could never ever be a vegetarian." Over the course of the next year I cut way down on my meat intake but it wasn't until 1 month before our wedding that I made the decision. I decided to go vegetarian on the spot. He didn't really come out & ask me to, but I loved him like crazy & I WANTED to, for him (Extra bonus: I knew I would be doing all the cooking anyway:-)
Maybe you can accentuate some of the positive health benefits. Since I've gone veg 4 years ago: I've lost about 70 pounds, got rid of frequent terrible migraines & have a complexion that doesn't require any make-up base.
I know there's hope for him because if I could do it-anyone can!
Plus, the vegan food of today JUST TASTES REALLY REALLY GOOD!
The best of luck to you!
I have a question for anyone: I'm looking for a substitute for gelatin in things like mousses/bavarians/etc. any ideas?
What does he drink with his meals? Do you ever make your own soy milk or tofu?
This blog is awesome! It was posted on Metafilter (as I'm sure you know; lots of traffic!) and I have since read every single post. I am not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I would love to have the kind of lunches your kid has.
I have a question about veganism...why is it that vegans don't eat honey. I get that honey is an animal product, of course, but I wouldn't think that it would hurt the bees to get the honey. Is there a link you know of about this? (Sorry if that's a really ignorant question.)
I would just like to say that this is a truly amazing blog, and you are an inspiration. For much of my life, I have been a die-hard omni, refusing to even think of other food options, but your blog has made me rethink my position and see that whether vegan, vegetarian, or omni, there are better ways to do things and better ways to live. Should I ever have children, I hope to be as good a mother as you clearly are.
Also, should I eventually go vegan, your discovery of vegan-friendly chocolate peanut butter cups will be a complete lifesaver, so I'd just like to say thank you ahead of time.
Re. honey, here's a link that might help explain:
http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahoney.htm
>>should I eventually go vegan, your discovery of vegan-friendly chocolate peanut butter cups will be a complete lifesaver, so I'd just like to say thank you ahead of time.
LOL! Well, you're welcome!!
>>What does he drink with his meals? Do you ever make your own soy milk or tofu?
Usually he drinks water at lunch. If I pack some other kind of beverage I list it in the post -- usually soy or rice milk or calcium oj.
Yes, I have a soy milk maker and I do make my own sometimes. My husband prefers the taste of homemade, but shmoo likes the storebought stuff. I prefer giving him storebought, too, for the fortification. I haven't graduated to homemade tofu yet!
>>Can you list what you mean by "Refined Sugar".
I don't know what everyone might mean by the term, but for me it means we're cutting out all sugar crystals, candy, and maple syrup, at least through Lent to see how we feel. I'm a real sugar junkie and I've been eating more and more, well, OREO COOKIES since I started Lunch Box. So I'm already starting to feel "detoxed", healthier and more patient, and shmoo seems a little easier to be around (whether it's me or him or both, I don't know!).
Re. miso, yes we use miso paste for soups. I would suggest trying both kinds and see which you like -- the red might be a bit stronger in flavor, but you might like that.
Kristina -- those Carob Fudge Balls sound divine!
Kimberly, thank you for sharing your touching story. Leave it to the children to cut right through to the truth.
Hi, Christine! Your relationship and mine sound very similar! My husband accepts my position but does not agree with it, and I don't think he will ever be a vegetarian. Like anonymous above I used to add meat to his portion of things, but I can't bring myself to do that anymore, especially since the day shmoo came into the kitchen and saw me warming up hubby's dead duck. "It's not fair that a vegetarian has to cook animals," he said. And all I could do was agree!
Since then, he fixes his own eggs and eats meat when we're out. At mealtimes he generally eats what I fix and I work hard to make the vegan things I know he enjoys. He's still not too happy sometimes, I must admit, and will supplement my vegan meals with cheese or eggs. I agree with the posters above -- don't sacrifice shared mealtimes. I think they're an important part of daily family life. Good luck, Christine!
I love your ideas and recipes! Just delicious. I aso love your lunchbox containers. where did you get them or better yet were can I find them?
thank you
Why only 3 stars?
I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I check this site every day and am always impressed! I even ordered a laptop lunchbox for myself but somehow the food I pack never looks quite as good as Shmoo's--but I'm working on it.
I am a vegetarian with vegan tendencies ;-) married to a carnivore. When we first moved in together HE made the decision not to keep or eat meat in the house, though he does occassionally buy a couple cans of tuna. He eats whatever I cook with no complaints, has cut back on his meat consumption even when he/we go out, and has even become a decent vegetarian cook.
I don't think he'll ever be a vegetarian. Still, I see glimmers of hope like when he called me from a cabin he was sharing with a couple friends to complain that all they eat is meat and white bread and he had to sneak out to buy vegetables and fruit :-)
This site is an inspritation. You're helping a lot of people eat better: thanks. Today I'm planning to make the Lemon Rice with Peas dish from May All Be Fed. Yay!
My SO of 2.5 years admits that he prefers a little meat in his meals. However, he also understands why I dislike meat and animal products, and he too is against factory farming and the blatant cruelty in the meat, egg, and milk industries. He's become a lot more open to vegetarian options, but when he cooks, he still cooks meat, and I'll add vegan things to make it a meal. I'll eat it without the meat, he'll eat it with. Everyone needs to compromise a little, but you can make a shared lifestyle work. Open communication (explaining your choices in diet) always helps, too. =)
>>Why only 3 stars?
Well, it's pretty arbitrary, but I think of 3 stars as, "not bad, but I didn't finish it all" or "he liked it but I felt it was nutritionally not the best"; 4 stars as, "I finished it all and it was good!"; and 5 stars as, "This was amazing! Can I have some more when we get home?" :-)
Hi! To everyone asking about veg friendly cities, GoVeg.com just posted their top picks on this website: http://goveg.com/f-vegcities.asp. Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco topped the list of course, but there are some surprises in there as well!
My live in boyfriend is a meat eater, too. I'm never going to try to "convert" him, but I hope he's understanding that when we have kids (eventually) I'll want to raise them vegan... he's a little skeptical on that one but we've agreed that we don't need to decide right now. He has also commented that he is really starting to feel the benefit of eating all of my healthy meatless meals - though he still eats cold cuts for lunch and sometimes makes his own dinner that will contain meat/cheese/whatever.
This must be a real "kids" lunch, because I can honestly say I've never had any interest in hot dog soup - vegan or otherwise! I usually use this blog to plan my own meals. I'll keep it in mind, though, for the DISTANT future when I have school aged children!
>>This must be a real "kids" lunch
I think you're right! I made the same soup for my husband and I but left out the hot dogs and added sauteed mushrooms.
First of all, Jennifer, I love this blog! It's so cute and inspirational!
Secondly, GO SAN FRANCISCO! I am an SF resident and love that it's getting so much recognition for it's veg-friendliness. There are so many veggi stores and retaurants here it's amazing!
Lastly, forgive me for this question as I'm not the most internet savy, but what the heck do all these acronyms that I see posted all of the time mean? SO? DH? DD? etc...
Thanks again for your inspiration! I'm bringing my lunch to work again now. Today is sweet potato enchiladas with black beans and carrots! Yummo!
Meg
Meg-- I say "SO" as in "Significant Other." And go, Bay Area! San Francisco has fabulous vegetarian and vegan restaurants, but don't forget places like Berkeley! We're very veg-friendly here. =)
Hey, here's some lingo explanation:
DD = Dear Daughter
DH = Dear Husband
DS = Dear Son
Try being a knitter! Online forums are full of silly acronyms like SEX (stash enrichment expedition), LYS (local yarn store), SABLE (stash aquired beyond life expectancy), etc.
I had to add my 2 cents on the veg/carnivore relationships. My husband is also a meat-eater and I'm a vegetarian (have been for 10 years). He is really open-minded about food and enjoys lots of ethnic food, especially Indian, so I try to cook lots of different kinds of veg stuff at home that we both enjoy. He doesn't really ever eat meat at home but will get it when we are out to dinner or for his lunch at work. Once last year he even decided to go veg for a month as an experiment. It was so cool! I don't know if he'd ever go vegetarian, but he'll devour tempeh with the best of them if it tastes good enough!
I think everyone is right about eating together though. We used to have such conflicting schedules that we never ate together and I think it's helped our relationship to sit down together to eat.
I think you would be proud of me, today for lunch I made my own vegan (I think) soup with sea weed and tofu and miso!
Congratulations!!!! 2006 Bloggie winner! That is amazing!
Congratulations on winning a 2006 Bloggie award! I have been an avid reader of this site for about 3 or 4 months, and have told a lot of people about it. Your hard work shows (as a parent and as a blogger) and it is great you are getting some recognition for it.
Keep up the good work!
OH MY GOD!!!!
Congrats!
Congrats to you also Alex..that soup sounds great!
So- do you think the winning prize of Godiva truffles are vegan? I know that according to buyblue.org they're rather republican...
not meaning to rain on the announcement, its just oh so ironic!
- congrats!
Yeah, good on ya, Alex! Miso soup rocks! What kind of seaweed did you use?
Congrats!
Wow. Thanks to everyone who posted to my question about a meat-eating husband! I was amazed to find out that even Jennifer does not have a veggie husband. I am lucky in that my SO understands my health, environmental and animal rights/treatment concerns, and the other day - he was out of milk and drank my soy milk for a few days!
Another positive: he really liked the seitan meals I have cooked recently (366 ways to cook tofu cookbook by Robin Robertson), esp the Kung Pao (it did kick ass).
Anyhoo- we have talked and decided to eat most meals at the dinner table, and, he will cook a meal that I can eat but that he prefers (pizza, pasta) on Sat night after my grad class, while I will cook the Sun night meal (of my choosing- maybe something more 'exotic' than he would try to make). Thanks again to everyone for their words of inspiration and congrats to Jennifer for a great site: you deserve it!! Can't wait for your cookbook.
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