Welcome to my son's newest passion! Shmoo started Coach Pitch Softball this season and the team's second Big Game is tonight. Hubby and I both observed that we would have wailed in misery if our parents had made us play baseball (we're more the library/chess club crowd), but shmoo says wistfully, "I wish we could have softball practice every single day!"So take shmoo out to the ball game with an Yves Veggie Dog on a whole wheat bun and a small ketchup on the side. The baseball is a Zucchini-Raisin Muffin from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas -- a whole wheat muffin filled with zucchini, applesauce, walnuts, and flax. I frosted the muffin with a basic white icing and piped on baseball stitching using icing tinted with natural food coloring. And I couldn't resist throwing in some (yes, it's vegan!) Cracker Jack, complete with a Surprise Inside.
Speaking of baseball, are you looking for a vegan baseball glove? Target carries inexpensive vinyl baseball gloves for kids (in pink, even!). And if you're looking for a top-of-the-line finest-of-the-fine all-vegan glove, visit Carpenter Trade.
Verdict: This was a fun lunch, and shmoo loved the baseball muffin. He had never heard of Cracker Jack, so I had to sing him the song and explain what it was. 5 home runs.
P.S. Tomorrow is yet another noon release -- see you Wednesday!
I have so much fun reading your blog even though we aren't vegans. You have great ideas!
ReplyDelete>>why oh why does it have to be a noon release tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteReally, what is a "staff inservice day" anyway?
That muffin sounds so good. I never really liked Cracker Jacks, but awhile ago my mom and I made a similar homemade caramel popcorn recipe (it was vegan as well) and I became addicted to the stuff! Must be something about it being fresh. . . It also had sunflower seeds and I think pecans mixed in it--really good.
ReplyDeleteDo you take the veggie dogs straight from fridge to lunchbox, or do you cook them first?
ReplyDeleteveggie dog, cracker jack and a baseball muffin?!?after months of silently reading your blog, and not at all a fan of baseball, i must say this may be my favorite shmoo lunch to date!
ReplyDeletep.s. belated thanks for the vegan blueberry pie :::burp:::
really nice! i was really happy to discover the availability of natural food colourings online. I have just recently learnt how to make some myself (I can do a very good green, blue and purple with my own vegetable) but these seems professionist tools!
ReplyDeleteOh, and look, the napkin has Charlie Brown playing baseball on it! You are too cute!!
ReplyDelete>>here's a belated thanks for the Honeybee No-Bakes. My only gripe...
ReplyDeleteUh, you're welcome? The stripes were subtle but we thought they looked cute, especially in the photograph. You could use powdered sugar for white stripes, or powdered sugar mixed with powdered yellow food coloring for yellow stripes (or turmeric for an all-natural yellow, but I wouldn't like the taste of turmeric here).
Great lunch, and I love the theme. I'm not big into the fake meats, but this one's a winner (hopefully so is Shmoo tonight). I also think it's wonderful that he's never heard of Cracker Jacks until now... way to go with that one!
ReplyDelete"What do you call a kid who can dive like that? You call that kid a cracker jack..."
ReplyDeleteAh- I can't see those things without that old 70s jingle leaping into my head! Do you remember that, Jennifer?
Oh, Jenn, this one is at the top of the list! And as a former ps teacher, I can tell you that "teacher inservice" is a time when they sit around and look at useless data, wade through red tape, talk about stupid educational mumbo jumbo, and wish that someone would just let them have time to grade papers or plan more fun lessons.
ReplyDeleteLooks like every kid's dream lunchbox!
ReplyDeleteThat is too cute! Shmoo's friends must have been jealous. I hope he won his game.
ReplyDeleteI also hope Shmoo will be going to a summer camp that requires daily lunches from home...
>>do you cook the veggie dogs first or just put them right into the lunchbox?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think veggie dogs are completely cooked in the package, but I always boil them according to package directions. I just feel safer that way. Then I keep them covered in the fridge so shmoo can grab them for a snack if he wants to. So the hot dog is cold, but cooked.
>>also, are those muffins essentially just whole-wheat flax muffins with the other stuff thrown in?
Yes, a very nice basic vegan muffin recipe with extra goodies thrown in.
Veggiemouse, here's an FAQ that deals with the hot/cold issue a bit:
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/2006/03/my-where-did-you-get-that-lovely-lunch.html
I'm not sure what you mean by how do I get things cold? I keep things like fruit, soy yogurt, etc. in the fridge until it's time to pack them.
>>I hope he won his game.
Yes, his team won! :-)
I hate to be the one to say it but. . . the "cracker jack" jingle is much older than the 70s. Heck, the "take me out to the ball park" is from either the 20s or 30s. Cracker Jacks were on "Unwrapped" the other night.
ReplyDeleteI'm jazzed that my Lunchbox is in the mail and I should have it by the weekend.
I love this! I'm a huge baseball fan (or rather, Red Sox fan) and my husband and I ushered in the start of the season with veggie dogs. I may have to borrow the idea for baseball cupcakes if we have a cookout this summer. Too cute!
ReplyDeleteVeggiemouse -- Some things are made fresh and served at room temperature, like the empanada. I baked it, wrapped it in foil and packed it in the lunch box. It is only 3-4 hours until lunchtime, so by the time lunch comes around it is not piping hot but it is not freezing cold, either.
ReplyDeleteRe. eating things cold, I notice a lot of kids at school eating things like "pizza pockets" baked in the morning and wrapped in foil, or cold french toast sticks dipped in syrup. I think kids don't have such an issue with having to eat things piping hot. In fact, I spent the first few years of my son's life blowing on everything to cool it down!
>was the muffin really good???
Imagine zucchini bread with raisins and a touch of cinnamon -- yes, they are very tasty!
Your lunch looks too good! I have played organized softball since age 6 and I am currently one of the online stats stringers (aka online play-by-play scorers) for Major League Baseball at Petco Park here in San Diego. I grab veggie dogs and veggie burgers at Petco all of the time!
ReplyDeleteBleech. Ketchup on a hot dog?
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with you.
Mustard all the way!!!!
i can't believe he never heard of cracker jacks! i'm glad you sang him the song.
ReplyDeletelove your muffin/baseball idea. looks yummy.
Thanks for the great book recommendation, I just picked it up and am so excited to get some great veggie meals into my family. We are not vegitarians, but I have been appalled lately at our lack of veggie and fruit intakes. Your blog really helps me get motivated to make something "out of the norm" and super healthy. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I have been watching Jaime's School Lunch Project on TLC, and if you haven't peeked at it yet, do!! He is awesome at getting some veggies into random kid friendly things. And it is just awesome to see someone go up against the big guys (ie government and school systems) and show them what they are doing to kids, healthwise. Okay, I will stop babbling now. :O) Thanks again for being here.
This is the most adorable lunch ever. What fun!
ReplyDeleteNot vegan, but loving your blog and all the great ideas. I bought Earth Balance margarine this weekend and love it. Thanks. :)
I just found your blog and am blown away- so much so tears came to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI grew up vegetarian and my mom made me loving lunches, but nothing this great.
Shmoo is lucky to have you!
Super ideas! Yammy!
ReplyDeleteVegetarian Thai food
Hi, I just wanted to list some of things I have made from this list. Not much, but it was fun. I have made the yummy Fluffy Yellow Cupcakes, Sticks and Stones, HoneyBee No-Bake, and the Jicama. My kids only ate the Yellow Fluffy Cupcakes *sigh*. They are extremely picky, which makes them go hungry most days. :) I have also started dipping our apples in orange juice and my girls can't get enough of that. Very tasty!
ReplyDeleteI have a question. I have the book World Vegetarian by Jaffrey, but I can't find the dipping sauce you were talking about. Is that something you just put together using the mushroom broth, soy sauce and mirin?
Thanks for the help and for this blog. :)
>>I can't find the dipping sauce you were talking about.
ReplyDeleteHi, barbarian queen -- it's part of the recipe for Cold Buckwheat Noodles (zaru soba), on page 330 in my book. Enjoy!
duh, I wasn't looking under Cold Buckwheat Noodles. (lol) Thanks for directing me to the right place. :)
ReplyDeleteyou have to be the best mom in the world!
ReplyDeletethank you
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