Lighten and Brighten Your Lunch

If you work from home like I do - maybe, sometimes, you don't really fix yourself a real lunch.  Maybe you just munch a bit here and there - like grab an apple, eat a bagel.  Maybe you eat standing up or don't even use a plate.  Ok- I have bad eating habits even though I eat healthy, the fact that I don't fix a real meal and sit down to enjoy it probably has an impact on my digestion and my lunch health as a whole.  How about you?

One of the benefits of staying home to work is not having to buy meals - or even prepare them to carry in to work.  But sometimes, that makes meal time both boring and lonely.  Or at least that's how it is for me.  I've been trying to create exciting lunch meals for myself that I actually sit down and eat - from a plate.

Here's what I made today:

Crisp butterhead lettuce from my CSA.  A layer or organic pea shoots (Trader Joes).  Some shreds of raw organic sharp cheddar (Oakmont Farmer's Market).  I put these on a plate and then made up a fancy tuna salad to put on top.  I used a can of TJs tuna, a tablespoon or so of organic mayo, salt, pepper, shredded carrots, chopped red pearl onions (CSA), walnut pieces and topped it off with fresh dill (CSA).

It looked super pretty and it tasted great! I was satisfied all day.  It felt more like a treat than my usual stand around and grab some food kinda lunches.  Now, I'm not opposed to having a friend join me for such a lunch, but today - I ate this solo.

Do you work from home?  What's lunch like for you - do you sit down and eat a formal meal?  Anything that you love to make that's easy and filling and quick to both make and eat?  I'm happy to hear all about it - Sher

Kale Salad - SUPER YUM!

This summer I have eaten more kale than ever before in my life.  Why? Well, blame it on the local farmer's market.  Bunches of green leafy kale have been available all summer long and I've bought a bunch just about every week.  I learned this recipe (tho. I've personalized it) from the farmer's market managers.

Kale salad is cold, uncooked kale thrown together with just a few other ingredients.  It's simple and fast to make.  Even if you don't THINK you like kale - try this.

Follow the photo tutorial for step by step salad yum.

I ran out of Trader Joe's organic lemons and had to buy these at the regular grocery - good grief, what a difference, these looked great on the outside but were brown-ish and kinda dry on the inside.  

Can you tell I'm not big on measuring?

This next step is great fun for the kids - even the littlest ones can help with this.  Please wash their hands first! After you're done massaging your kale salad, you will have the fringe benefit of olive oil softened hands.  WIN WIN.

I've had the kale salad in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week and it was just fine.  One cup of raw chopped kale has your entire daily requirement of Vitamins A and C.  It's also great for increasing your iron intake.  Other nutritional benefits of kale are Calcium, B6 and magnesium.  And believe it or not, that same cup of chopped kale has about 3grams of protein.

What's not to love?  By the way, I've made this a few times when I was out of almonds.  I've added pecans and/or walnuts to substitute.  I've also used sunflower seeds.  I've opted for golden raisins when I was out of the dried cranberries and used all manner of cheeses from Trader Joe's Unexpected Chedder, to other flavored cheddars or Trader Joe's cheddar gruyere and once even crumbled blue cheese.

Enjoy!

Next up - Pitt coasters!

Sweet N Spicy Rice

Sweet N Spicy Rice is a dish I invented when I didn't have much available in the house to produce dinner.  It was so yummy that I've made it many times now and it's a dinner favorite.

I was always taught "one starch at a time, " and that combining rice, corn and potatos was not really something that was done.  So first, let me warn you - I have broken the rules.

Here's how to make it.

First - start with these ingredients (can you tell I am a Trader Joes die hard?) - both my sister and my daughter work at TJs but not at the store where I shop : (

Ingredients:
1.  A yam.  I suppose you could you could substitute a sweet potato - I can't tell the difference
2.  Frozen corn - I use TJs organic yellow
3.  Rice - I used a TJ box of rice pilaf (often I use brown basmati or brown boil in a bag rice)
4.  TJs Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage (other flavors of chicken sausage are available but this one is my hands down favorite and I am not someone who eats chicken often or even meat often)
5.  Earth Balance (other butter product may be substituted, I LOVE EB and use it for virtually all my cooking and even some baking)
6. oil (your favorite variety)

NOTE:  This time I used a rice with a flavor packet.  Often I don't.  If I don't use a flavor packet when cooking the rice, I use a vegetable bullion cube (the brand in the photo is my favorite and I use it for all multitude of cooking) and a bit of earth balance to flavor the rice once it's cooked.

The Steps.

WHILE YOU'RE COOKING:  Treat the cook~ Pour yourself a yummy glass of wine to enjoy while you're cooking.  I had a recently opened bottle of Menage a Trois red wine that did the trick just fine.  I also enjoyed a little snack of my FAVORITE cheese!

I swear this is the yummiest cheese I've ever had.  It's called Toscano - and it's dipped soaked! in Syrah - and oooohhhh the flavor, yes, it's Trader Joes.  I swear I do not get any kick back from TJs.

1.  Peel the yam. 

Cut it into bite sized chunks. 

Boil it until soft but not mushy, the chunks should hold their shape after cooking.  Drain, set aside.

2.  Cook the rice according to package directions and/or follow the "NOTE" above.  Set aside.

3.  Heat the frozen corn, I add a bit of EB, salt & pepper

4.  Slice the sausage into fat coins. 

Brown them in a skillet with 1t of oil. 

I used olive oil. 

I cook the sausage with a lid on the skillet to reduce splatter

but I lift and stir the little sausage coins often to create crispiness on all sides.

5.  Once the sausage is cooked, add in the yam, corn and rice.  Gently mix.  Voila - dinner.

For all my vegan followers (and family) consider substituting the spicy sausage with a vegan sausage or spicy tofu.

Add a salad on the side and you're ready to eat.

Here's my favorite salad: mixed greens (organic baby romaine, organic baby spinach and organic shredded cabbage) with shredded carrots, walnut pieces, chopped avacado, crumbled blue cheese and cherry tomatos.  I drizzled my favorite dressing on top: Newman's Own - Rasberry Walnut Viniagrette - YUM!

Dinner was delish - enjoy yours!