What's In Our Lunchbox This Week

Here is what we will be sending in the lunchbox this week

1.    Polenta Fries- great warm or cold

This recipe is easy to add veggies to – simply stir in some broccoli or carrot puree for crispy fingers that will keep your tot going all afternoon.

2.    Roasted Veggie "Chips"

Great side to any lunch protein/sandwich. Cut raw veggies into thin rounds (sweet potatoes, zucchini or even parsnip), toss in olive oil and bake on 425 until golden, flipping halfway through bake.

3.    Riced Cauliflower Bowl

Grind down raw cauliflower until small couscous like consistency and replace half the rice with riced cauliflower in a yummy rice bowl with avocado, cheese and a little salsa.

4.    Zucchini Waffles

There are a ton of recipes on the internet to follow. We like to mix parmesan with the zucchini which helps make them a little crunchy!

5.   No-Bake Carrot Balls- something sweet

Figs or dates hold these together, loaded with shredded carrot (or parsnip or beet) and tossed in some unsweetened coconut for a tasty afternoon snack.

New Year, New Us!

Last week we checked in with ourselves to see how well we had accomplished our New Years resolutions. And overall we did a great job! This week we are sharing some of our goals for 2015; small resolutions just to remind us to keep up the good work!

Here were last years’ resolutions and our grades:

Be more energy efficient at home, and learn more about how to conserve energy around the house. 

B-

While I haven’t improved our bills (eek!), saving energy and resources is much more top of mind, and we’ve made some energy-saving home improvements around the house, like new double-paned windows and more efficient dishwasher.

Give experiential gifts for birthdays and holidays instead of “stuff.”

B+

For my daughter, we have become much more conscious about giving experiential gifts that provide opportunities for tactile creativity. We have, however, continued to give the “stuff” to family members, so we hope to tone that down in the coming year.

Implement a daily 10minute meditation practice, even if it has to be under my desk at work.

F

AAA this is always one to work on everyday of every year!

Explore more podcasts for my daily commute. Hearing creative people do whatever they do best is and invigorating way to start the day! 

A+

I have become totally addicted to Fresh Air, Here’s the Thing, and I am currently listening to season 2 of Serial! Listening to these in the solitude of my commute have been an inspiriting and reflective way to grab some “me time.”

Stand up straighter and improve my posture every day.

B+

While I did manage to improve my posture through mindfulness and working out, I also realized how poor my posture is while sitting at work, so I want to work on that.

Quit my multi-vitamin and make sure I get all my vitamins and minerals from real fruits and vegetables.

B+

I nailed this for 9 or 10 months this year, but have fallen off the wagon in the past few months and reverted back to vitamins. Getting back into the habit of making my lunch will help me restore the balance in the new year

Spend an hour each week being more introspective and taking the time to check in with myself.

A

I’ve really enjoyed this one, and it has definitely become a pretty seamless part of my life.

Tackle 3 big recipes I’ve bookmarked that have been intimidating me for ages.

C

While I baked my first-ever cheesecake this year, I didn’t exactly tackle any of the super intense multi-day type of intimidating recipes I thought I would. But I realize that maybe that’s ok, and I used my free time to do other things and make quicker meals with friends in order to enjoy their company in the moment.

And here are a few of our 2016 resolutions. Wish us luck!

1)Rush less. This is a big one!

2)Cook in cast iron more often. I have some great cast iron skillets that haven’t gotten much use over the years, that will hopefully change in 2016

3) Be softer on myself is a biggy this year.

4)Have weekly tea time with my tot. She loves to drink herbal tea with me. 

5) putting afternoon medications back on our 2016 list