Face Palm

I have been bring my lunch still. I haven't kept track though.

I just found this cool site though.

http://www.glad.com/food-storage/lunch-planner/#mon=mbf,fco,spa,ldf&tue=mmc,fme,sma,lch&wed=msf,fma,spb,lje&thu=msm,fco,spr,lra&fri=mch,fpo,sbo,lfr

It helps you create lunches by spinning the foods around.
I can't wait to try it.
 

Kickin' it

For Friday, I am bringing some hamburger helper Italian shells and then some carrots, jello and maybe a salad.
Also when I come back from Thanksgiving, I hope to extend this to 31 days of lunches AND dinners.  Anyway, gotta go.
 

An away win!!

Today I visited another librarian but brought my lunch anyway.
I made a tuna fish sandwich, and then had a fruit cup and some peanut butter crackers. I was pleased that I was able to keep it up :-)

Brought but not eaten

Today i took a turkey sandwich and carrots but had some leftover pizza from the event that was available to all teachers

Keep on keeping on :-)

Well, on Tuesday I had some hambuger helper for lunch. Since we also had our Literacy Event, I took some leftover Zaxby's for dinner. We gave out pizza for the event so I wound up eating that instead of my chicken tenders.

Yeah!!!

Well, I made it!! 31 days with 31 different lunches. Today's lunch is a steak stir fry.
I have also added some applesauce.

Because of this project I have learned:

1. I can complete a project
2. It is easier to keep doing something that to stop and try and start again.
3. When you try and take control of one area, the other areas often suffer :-(

I am glad I did it though. I hope to continue bringing my lunch and maybe even making dinners. I liked making the schedules and hopefully I helped out JV by getting her some food to eat.

30 down, 1 to go

Since it is Friday, there are already rumors about what everyone is going to bring. It sounds like it is going to be a chili-a-thon. White chicken chili was mentioned, as well as, no bean chili. I am bring leftover pepperoni pizza just in case. It makes me feel "official" if I make sure I take something, whether I eat it or not.

The Home Stretch

Today's lunch was a leftover roast beef sandwich, pretzel chips and celery. There are pictures available that haven't been put up yet. The camera was left at school when I download pictures to a computer. Oops!!

Italian 2

The menu for Day 28 was pretty boring. Spinach and cheese ravioli was the main course. The soup was my favorite potato and leek. It is from the Mennonite store in Greeneville. It is hard to believe that it is day 28 of this project. It is a great feeling knowing that you are going to complete something that you set out to do. Yeah!!!

Not gonna fumble

We had a staff development today.  Normally I would go out to lunch on these days but, I was not going to let it throw me off.  Once I fall off the wagon, it is very hard for me to get back on.
I made a roast last night and brussel sprouts so that it what I had. I microwaved it, in the teachers' lounge.  I was very proud of myself.

Menu:
Roast and Gravy
Brussel Sprouts
Chocolate Cake

That's Amore'

Monday's lunch was a bit of a last minute thing. There was not alot of time to put it together; plus, there was not much food in the house.
There was some leftover pasta sauce from the lasagne. Pasta is always available at my house. Leftover chocolate cake from when they were on sale and my friend gave me frozen broccoli with cheese.

Menu:
Spaghetti and sauce
Broccoli with cheese
Chocolate cake

Free Friday

Well, Friday is the day when a group of teachers bring in snacks/food for lunch.  So I partake sometimes and othertimes I don't.  I think just in case it isn't something I want, I will bring my lunch.

Right now it is planned to be

1. Turkey Sandwich
2. Potato and Leek soup. It is made from a mix that I get at the Mennonite Store
3. Carrots (maybe)
4. Chocolate Cake

It sounds pretty good right now.  There maybe a major refrigerator haul this weekend :-)
 

A new month :-)

Last night was spent away from my house, so this morning's lunch rush was a bit crazy.  For reasons of convience, I broiled a steak for my lunch.  It only took 8 minutes per size, so it was quick to fix.
I then added some leftover beans and carrot loaf.
Of course my favorite was the chocolate cake slice.

I am almost there, I keep telling myself.  I mentioned my project to some people and lunch and they thought it was a clever idea.

Not quite a Halloweenie :-)

Today I had leftover baked potatoes with butter. Yum. I bought them for dinner at McAlister's deli and had alot leftover.
Then I made a turkey sandwich which everyone loved. It surprised me because I have brought it before. The difference is that I layed the meat on the sandwich a different way. While reading another blog (Foodiewithfamily.com) the woman mentioned that the way to place the meat on the sandwich is to hold the slice up, then touch it to the bread and let it "fall" on the bread. She said it really makes a difference and I guess it does.

I took a package of microwave popcorn but never used it. I didn't even eat the chocolate cake.

Don't ask

With the wacky weather, I had kinda hoped for a snow day.
Oh well. I was so upset about not having a snow day I didn't have anything prepared. This morning i just grabbed things out of the fridge

1. Leftover Bojangle's chicken
2. Biscuits

Not the most nutritious, but it is day 22 of this experiment and I was NOT going to quit now :-)
 

Tennessee Orange

The menu for Monday is:

1. Tennessee Carrot Loaf (recipe from Smart Shoppers p. 254)
2. Cabbage and Apple Soup
3. Potato Chips

I will try and get a picture posted.  Just kinda busy but over halfway done. WooHoo!!
 

MMMM.......Good

Well, on the menu today was:

1. Steak and lobster tail (yes, really) the local grocery store had lobster tails on sale 2 for $8 last week.  This morning I tried to boil them. They looked pretty but I didn't  leave them in for long enough.  After taking the shell off they had to be put back to boil for a few more minutes and it didn't turn out to well
2. Carrots
3. Green Beans

However, our school had "potluck" every Friday. Today it was the cafeteria's turn and they "turned it out". One of the ladies NW, made this amazing beef stew in her crock pot. They also had cornbread, potato salad, mac and cheese and so much more.

Needless to say, I ditched my lunch and had there's. I still count it because I didn't purchase my lunch.
 

Lasagna!!!

Lasagna is such a comforting food. Most everyone loves it, especially when someone else make it. Well, this week I tried to make spinach lasagna. I got the recipe from the podcast Start Cooking. It was so easy. All of her podcasts are great!

Not bad for a first try

I ran out of mozerella cheese for the top so it smelled  like pizza for a while.:-)
I can't believe it is already day 19!!. I really didn't think I would make it this far. I am so proud.
Anyway the menu for October 25th is:

1. Spinach Lasagna
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Green Beans
4. Applesauce (maybe)

 

Last minute

Last night was a little bit of a breakdown.  The good news is that I think because of all this cooking for myself, I am getting healthier. I went to a local restaurant and had some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. This did not sit well with my digestive system that night.  So.....long story short, I stayed at a friend's house for awhile. Therefore, not too much time for preparing lunch.
I did get up this morning to come check on my cats. Fortunately, they hadn't run away.  It was 4:15 and the perfect time for baking. Just kidding. The maple glazed parsnips are from a recipe in Nigella Feasts (p. 25)

Menu:
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Maple Glazed Parsnips
Spaghetti Squash


I need to start making some desserts to pack in my lunch. :-)

SOS (Stuffed peppers Orange Squash)

Alas, I not found my camera or webcam :-(
Menu for Tuesday, Oct 22,2012

Stuffed Peppers- I filled the peppers with the used filling from the stuffed cabbages
Orange
Spaghetti Squash- It was roasted using the Martha Stewart recipe


There is a really nice template for menu planning on the Microsoft Office website. Iam using that for the menu on the refrigerator.

 

Fall is upon us

I am really excited about starting with week #3. I am actually 1/2 of the way finished with the simple project. Today will be day 16 of the 31 lunches. I don't think I have learned a lot in the way of some sort of epiphany but I am proud of what I have done and it has been ups and downs most of the way.

Anyway, the menu for October 22,2012 is:

1. Cabbage and Apple Soup
2. Bacon Lettuce Mayonnaise Sandwich
3. Potato Chips
4. Carrots
5. Orange

It reminds me of the cabbage water from the movie Willy Wonka

I can't find my webcame so I don't have a picture of the BLT but it is pretty basic. Hopefully I will find it soon.

 

Finally Friday

Menu for Friday- Oct 19,2012

1. Beef Tacos
2. Potato Skins
3. Broccoli

 

Stuff it!

On the menu today is:

1. Stuffed cabbage
2. Potato chips
3. Honey grahams

I made the stuffed cabbage from the recipe for Stuffed Cabbage II on allrecipes.com

Eating my veggies

Lunch for Wednesday, October 17th

1. Veggie burgers
2. Pretzel chips
3. Carrots
4. Applesauce

 

Ramen Chicken

Here is the menu for Tuesday:

1. Ramen Chicken Salad
2. Black Bean Soup
3. Saltines

I can't believc that I have made it this far. I am so excited :-) Wednesday starts my Bus Duty so that will be a "gut check"
 

Marvelous Monday

Here is the menu for Monday, Oct. 15.

1. Roasted Chicken
2. Broccoli
3. Rice
4. Apple

I have started making two lunches and share them with my friend JV.  This way we can both save some money and I won't be having to eat so many leftovers :-)

next time I will take a picture
of the roasted chicken. It was really pretty.

Honeycrisp apples are one of my favorites

Brown rice and broccoli

 

Fabulous Friday

ForFriday the menu is:

1. Pumpkin Ravioli with homemade maranara sauce
2. Spinach
3. Garlic Bread
4. Honey Graham crackers

This is a scrounge around the kitchen lunch. I didn't know what to pack and was tired of sandwiches so I found the pumpkin pasta and marana sauce in the freezer.  Yeah for happy accidents.

I love garlic bread
 

I love this pic. It looks good even to me!
 

Lawn clippings?

 

Grilled Cheese and Vegetable Soup

Today was:

1. Grilled cheese
2. Vegetable Soup
3. Applesauce
4. Potato chips

Home again

I had a couple of appointments to go to today, so I took a sick day.  Therefore, I didn't take my lunch to school. My lunch was some shrimp stir frry that I made at home. I still feel that it counts because I didn't eat out for lunch (something I REALLY wanted to do).

The reason I am writing this down, is so that I can quickly count this as a homemade lunch.  It is very easy for me to fall off the wagon and once I don't do one.......
the backward slide begins.

Terrific Tuesday

Well, I forgot to take a picture again :-( 

Here is what was on the menu for my lunchbag today.

1. Black Bean Soup
2. Stoneground crackers
3. Celery
4. Brussel Sprouts

The soup was delicious but too so long to eat with the crackers I didn't have time for the brussel sprouts.

Blue Monday

Here is what I will be carrying to school on Monday:

1. Egg Salad sandwich
2. Pretzel Crisps
3. Carrots
4. Blueberry Pecan+ Fiber bar

I tried to minimize the glare from the aluminium foil

There is also a new addition.  I couldn't figure out what to put in the little front pocket.  Then I realized that I could carry a cloth napkin and some cutlery.  Now, I won't have to run to the cafeteria to get a spork (froon?) when I forget something.

I may try and find some matching cupcake or polkadot material
 

 

Frantic Friday

With all the drama of Thursday I didn't really pack much of a lunch for Friday. 

I finally found a pic when
downloading my camera

1. Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam sandwich
2. Banana
3. Celery

I did not even take a picture of it.  I do count it however, since I did have something packed.  I did not eat it because on Fridays a group from school provides lunch for everyone.  We had chili, potato soup, spinach dip and cookies.  Needless to say I did not eat my peanut butter and jelly that day.

Crazy Day

Here is what I packed for lunch:

1. Salmon loaf
2. Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta
3. Mashed Potatoes

From Smart Shoppers Cookbook
 



From Nigella Lawson's Feast
 

 

However, my friend had a horrible caffeine withdrawl (migraine, vomitting, etc.) at 4:00am. So I stayed with her. She was getting new furniture and then had to go to the have her insurance physical.
We had to take her dog to the vet to have his nail removed, then her cat got in a fight and we had to bring him in. 
Needless to say, I did not get to eat my lunch.  However, since I packed it, to me, it counts.  I think tomorrow I am going to so the easy route with peanut butter and jelly and chips. It has been quite a day.

Third in a row

Menu:

1. Lobster Bisque
2. Carrots
3. Cheetos
4. Peanut Butter crackers (in case :-)

I got up early and made my lunch today.  I found a recipe in an old book called "Quick and Tasty Meals for Two". It was Lobster Bisque.  All you do is take 1 can of tomato soup and 1 can of pea soup and mix them together in a double boiler. You add one can of milk so you need to use a double boiler to gentle heat the soup so the milk doesn't curdle.  Then add Worchestershire sauce and a dash of Tobasco.  The recipe calls for 1 can of lobster which I couldn't find.  At the grocery store they had some lobster on sale for $6 because it had to be eaten or frozen that day.  I added the two tails.

The soup turned out well.  It was supplemented with cheetos and carrots. Since I wasn't sure  how the soup would taste, I brought some peanut butter crackers as well.

Day 2

Hopefully I will get more creative with the titles of my posts. 
Hurray, two days in a row!! This may be a record of somekind for me:-)

The lunch for Tuesday is:

1. Orrechetti with Turkey Sausage and Kale
2. Carrots
3. Banana

Almost a smiley face (almost)

It looks kind of boring but I must admit the pasta with the sausage tastes really good.
Here is a better shot of my bag.



Take 2

 I don't have a digital camera so the logitech webcam is what these pictures were taken with.
Thanks to Penny who picked out the letter colors. It looks so good.
One of the ladies at school has the same bag but with different lettering. Mine is better :-) Thanks Pen!!
 

Overview

I bought this lunchbag last year.

When I bought it, I considered it a little pricey but I wanted to start taking my lunch to school.  As usual, I used it some but not as much as I would like.

So what am going to try is to get in the habit of using it on a daily basis.  I have decided to try and take my lunch to work for 31 days in a row.  Hopefully I will be in the habit and after that, taking my lunch will be second nature to me.

For my first day, the "menu" will consist of:

1. Chicken salad on mini-croissants
2. Celery sticks
3. Kale Chips
4. Cheetos

Here are pictures of the food.  (I guess that isn't really necessary but you have to start somewhere)