Tuesday, January 02, 2007

A New Year, A New Shmoo

Welcome to 2007! Next week we'll be back with our first lunch box of the year. In the meantime I want you to know that I haven't been sitting on my laurels over the holidays (what are laurels, anyway, and why would I sit on them?)

First I created a complete Recipe Index listing all the free recipes available over on my recipe blog, Shmooed Food. That should make the recipes a lot easier to find; I could never get the "previous post" and "archive" lists working on the blog the way I wanted them to.

(Gee, until now I never noticed how many dessert recipes I've featured on the blog. I guess my sweet tooth is showing! At least a few of them are reasonably healthy...)

I also added a little Photo Gallery to my website with some of the fancier lunch box pictures from the book. At first I thought I would make a gallery with a picture of every single lunch menu in the entire book. Then I up and realized the amount of work that would require. Suddenly, laurel-sitting is starting to sound mighty attractive (whatever it is).

Finally, I updated my Blogger Profile with an actual picture of my actual self. That's right, I'm not really a pumpkin!

21 comments:

shinyruby2 said...

tehee! I used to have some strawberries as my profile pic and the first time I met a fellow blogger she exclaimed "You don't look like a bunch of strawberries!"

Nice to see your new pic :)

jenny said...

I love the photo gallery, recipe index, and pic!!

robiewankenobie said...

we're having vegan lunchbox week (for dinner)here at the robiewankenobie household. layered bean dip, tofu fish sticks, enchiladas, cream cheeze spirals, etc. haven't hit a bum recipe yet! oh, and pumpkin/carob loaf (from the muffin recipe) for breakfast tomorrow.

Anna said...

Happy New Year!
This year is the year I'm going to go fully vegan. No more telling my friends "oh it's okay" every time they make something with meat or dairy. Thanks for the inspiration.

Sheree' said...

Jen, Happy New Year. Love what you done with your site. I made your Tenneessee Corn Pone tonight. It is wonderful. I just became vegan October 1 of this year and am feeling so good and loving it. I am going to post pictures of tonights dinner on my blog. By the way I got your book and love it!

Harmonia said...

Sorry I have been out of the bloggin' scene of a few months but I am back - same location - http://harmonia.bloggoing.com and I wanted to congrats you on your book...I hope to get it soon!!!

It's so nice to visit your blog again...I missed it!

Eleni Binge said...

happy new year! Thanks for indexing the recipes and avoiding laurels. Have you heard of a 'vasilopita'? It is a traditional greek cake made for new year's and has to do with giving to the "poor" (and cattle). I made it & posted some info on BC, & it turned out pretty good (moist). I also played cards in the Greek tradition, but my cousin pointed out (hi Maria) that the tradition was actually for the women to serve the men who were playing cards. Thank goodness for breaking with tradition.
--eleni

Susan said...

wow, all this time, I thought you were a pumpkin, bummer.......

slb said...

The Recipe Index rocks! Also, a friend gave me the Laptop Lunch System for a holiday present and I love it. Keeps my portions smaller and it works brilliantly with the recipes in your book.

s.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jennifer -
Resting, resting on the laurels. Laurel wreaths worn on the head. The wreaths were won in the early olympics for winning races and whatnot. Basically, "Now that I'm accomplished I don't have to work at it any more".

Karena said...

Just wanted to say thanks for all the great ideas. We're a new vegan family, and I'm searching for simple/fun/nutritious ideas for my son's snacks and meals at preschool. He comes home every day and tells me he had either chocolate biscuits or crackers with cheese and ham! So here we go!

bazu said...

You're not really a pumpkin??!! This is just like when I realized there was no Santa...

I just wanted to wish you a happy new year, and to thank you because your blog was the very first one I discovered, and you inspired me to start my own. This is one of the coolest things I discovered/did in 2006, so thank you!!

JSTDNCEALRGHT said...

Thanks for putting up the free recipes. It really helps when you are a cheap vegan kid.

Sally JPA said...

I'm definitely planning to get my hands on your book soon!

Love the explanation about the laurels.

ChainedAngel said...

*sniff* I have no laurels to sit on... Only my daughters doll. *sits on doll* Poor Laurel...

Anyway- I made chickpea noodle soup adapting it to my tastes (I left out the tomato paste) and since Shmoo said the chickpeas were crunchy (and I had never touched- much less eaten- a chickpea before) I boiled them for a bit while I sliced carrots and celery. Who knew chickpeas could taste so good? My daughter kept stealing them off my spoon! I need two things. That lunchbox and your book.

Jamie and Jana said...

wow. will you pack my lunch every day too? :) thanks for all the fabulous ideas! i am absolutely totally new to this vegan thing. you inspire.

jana - one of the 90 day vegans

spinky said...

Happy New Year! I was so excited... I went to a Korean supermarket outside Chicago and bought myself a bento box type lunch jar so that I could make my own vegetarian lunches and be all Shmooish!

Heather said...

Congratulations on being nominated for the 2007 food blogging awards. Well deserved! Looking forward to many more inspiring posts this year.

Webly said...

Happy new year!

Sheree' said...

Oh, I need to find that tempeh bacon. Your lunch looks and sounds great!! I have a happy face lunch box, the old metal kind. I do need to upgrade. lol

Jenni P. said...

I grew up in Northern Germany and my parents raised me and my siblings vegetarian. I wish half my school lunches would have been as tasty as Shmoo's! Where to you buy all your mock meats? Thank you for all those great ideas.