Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Daily Lunch Box

Some sort of mushroom focaccia from the farmer's market, I added some marinara sauce
String Cheese
Grapes
Peas

The night before we ate some of this bread to see if B would like it, of course he gobbled it up, but the next day his lunch came back, all the sauce licked off but the bread intact. Sigh.

Spring is here!


Spring has sprung! Everything is full of color, and life seems good. BB can hardly hold still, the only time he seems to stop is when he is asleep. I love this time of year, even the rain feels good.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Daily Lunch Box

Hummus--this is Sabra brand
7 grain wheat crackers from Kashi
Sliced Cucumber
Baby Carrots

This came back with what appears to be about 1 bite of the hummus, 1 carrot, and most of the crackers gone....I don't always understand what he eats out of his lunch. Most days I try to send things that I know he loves, like he loves this hummus, but it doesn't seem to matter...hmmmmmmmm.....how can I get him to actually eat these things. Admittedly I am sending him with more than he usually eats, and extra choices...maybe I should send him with just the right amount?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Daily Lunch Box

Cheddar Cheese on whole grain bread with mustard
Veggie Booty (Baby Boy's version of Cheetos, I swear these are like crack to him, he can gobble a whole bag)
Strawberries
Carrots

Obviously the strawberries are not in season in the US, however B begged for them at the grocery. The baby carrots are just from the grocer as well. I should say, though I buy a lot of our produce at the local green market, I keep on hand frozen peas, baby carrots, and broccoli at all times. They are go-to veggies when B won't eat anything else.

Faux-bois scrap paper


I like how this present came out. I keep scraps of paper with interesting patterns, this one was from a flower boquet and the red ribbon is a re-use from a gift I received.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Peeling the Onion


I love it when I see all of the layers that have been applied to buildings being peeled back to reveal their original selves. I especially like it when I find 100 year old buildings in this neighborhood being freed of their vinyl siding.

Daily Lunch Box

I really enjoy making my son's lunch. I feel like feeding him is literally one of the most important things I provide him. I pay attention to what he eats, where the food comes from, and what's in it. I am not above using boxed food (cous-cous and Annie's mac and cheese are faves in our house) and I'm definitely not perfect, but I try to keep it seasonal and local when it comes to produce, I try to give him balanced choices, full of whole-grains and veggies. Sometimes I have to be a little sneaky about it, like adding arugula to pasta sauce, and sometimes I discover things he loves (asparagus) that I wouldn't have expected him to like. He is a picky eater and I don't ever force him to eat anything he doesn't like, but I make him try everything before he decides he doesn't like it. By preparing his food from mostly fresh ingredients I can control what sustains him rather than a big conglomerate teaching him to like high-fructose corn syrup and re-configured chicken nuggets. I hope that he grow up to be strong and healthy, but also to appreciate food, the farmers who grow it and raise it and most importantly that it does matter what he puts into his body. I've started recording his daily lunches, hell, I'm proud of them, and I thought I would post them here.
Pearled cous-cous with basil. I added peas, dried cranberries, and Parmesan cheese.
Cucumber slices
Baby Carrots
Fruit leather

I feel like this is a little lacking in protein, at home when I make the cous-cous I add almonds, but his school is nut-free.