Little shmoo's favorite chili (I call it his "picky chili" -- no onions, peppers, or chunks of tomato) is in the thermos. I cut open a baked potato and wrapped it in parchment paper; at lunch he unwrapped the spud and poured hot chili over it. An organic kiwi fruit (did you know one kiwi fruit has over 100% of your vitamin C?) and half a raspberry licorice are on the side.Verdict: A hearty hot lunch for a cold, rainy day. All the chili and all but a couple bites of potato were gone. He got too full for the kiwi fruit, which he ate as an after-school snack. 4 stars.
12 comments:
What a lovely, hearty lunch to take to school, especially on a day like this (I'm on Vancouver Island, and I'm pretty sure the weather here was just as miserable as in Washington). Did the potato make the kiwi warm though? It didn't know that kiwi has more than 100% of vitamin C. Another excuse to eat more of them, yum!
Just a question about the lunch box. Was it hard for shmoo to open it when it was new? We've been using one for 2-3 weeks, and it's still hard for my 5 year old to open. Did you guys have any problems with it?
Hi, canayjun! I hadn't thought of the kiwi getting warm until you mentioned it. I baked the potato the night before, so it was really only lukewarm after a quick reheating in the morning. Adding the hot chili warmed it up for lunch and didn't seem to affect the kiwi any. The kiwi had been refrigerated beforehand, too.
Hi, julie! No, we haven't had problems, but my son is seven so perhaps the increased dexterity helps. I had him practice with opening the inside container lids, esp. the small one, before I sent him off to school. Adding a drop of vegetable oil to the rim of the container really helps. Perhaps you can file or sand down the latch on the opening of the lunch box to make it easier?
I just read a recipe for polenta fries in CHOW. You are officially a trend setter! (see october 14th vegan lunchbox)
Awesome stuff as always! I had a baked potato for dinner last night. I'm not that creative...put Earth Balance, Nutritional Yeast and Broccoli.
:)
Love your blog. You're an inspiration!
I so love your blogs. I've recommended your site to a few of my mom friends since we're all trying to get food ideas for our kids.
I have a quick question. Has your son always been vegan? Or does he just do vegan lunches. I notice your husband is not and was wondering.
Hi!
I just found this site through a livejournal feed. I just wanted to tell you that your lunch boxes are wicked rad, and I look forward to your cookbook. (I like cookbooks muchly)
This can also serve as a site for those who bleat that it is nigh impossible to raise children vegan. You are doing it!!
Ya!
Sheila
empresswu (on LJ)
Does the chili really stays warm? If so, that's awesome. How much time is there between you preparing the lunch and him eating it? Also, the fruit doesn't get soggy or anything?
PS- Your lunches look amazing. You are supermom!
Oh yes, the thermos keeps the chili and soups nice and hot. I preheat the thermos by filling it with boiling water for 10 minutes before I put the hot soup in. I get him to school at 8am and they eat lunch at noon, so there's about 5 hours between packing the lunch and eating it. The fruit stays nice, even until after school in this case. We did have trouble with fresh raspberries getting shmooshy, though.
Re. has my son always been a vegan, the answer is no. He ate meat with his dad for a long time (and how I wish I had learned about Mad Cow back then...). When he was about five, I think, he started asking questions and was old enough to hear some gentle explanations about why I didn't eat meat and where it came from. After that he chose to go veg -- mostly vegan at home and vegetarian when out. I tried to be encouraging but also stand back and not say too much, because I want this to be a decision that comes from his heart. With a mixed household, I really have to rely on the power of the truth and the power of my good cooking! Now he's moving more toward making vegan choices when we're out (and the last time he drank a glass of milk he threw up, which makes me wonder if it's true if you don't consume dairy you quickly become intolerant...). But the concept of dairy products in things like cake or bakery goods is still a bit fuzzy.
I gave up dairy to improve my general allergies and it was like magic. I have found since then that when I cheat (other than a small amount in baked goods) I get really sick.
p.s. love the blog!
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