Bagel and veggies with hummus

My dad found these little hummus containers at the supermarket and bought a package just for me. I don't really think the separate package is necessary since I could take an extra two seconds and put some hummus into my own reusable container, but it was a nice thought. The hummus itself was a bit of a disappointment, it didn't taste much like hummus at all. The hummus came in packs of four, each of which is a different type. I've also tasted the roasted red pepper one, which was equally mediocre. Also pictured are a mini bagel, cucumber, carrots, a banana, strawberries, grapes, mango, and a few figs

Pasta, cereal

I've been a quite the delinquent blogger and blog reader the last few weeks so I just noticed that one of my favorite blogs, the vegan lunchcast, is back up and running after extended downtime! Check it out for some lunches that are way more interesting and varied than mine will ever be.

And back to the same old...

Ziti, bell pepper, walnuts and pistachios from Friday.
On Thursday I took a cute little box of soymilk and a container of Cheerios. Come lunch I had non-soggy cereal with soymilk. I'm not a huge fan of the taste of EdenSoy soymilk, but it's the only brand we can get in individual boxes. I don't like drinking soymilk a whole lot so it's really convinient to be able to get the individual boxes which have a long shelf life since I often can't finish the regular carton before it expires.

Spaghetti

I like leftovers, but there never seem to be any in my house. That's probably my fault. You'd never guess it by looking at me, but I, the tiny, barely 5' 2" girl can eat more at one sitting than most people can at two or three. Today, however, I did have leftovers that made it to my lunch.


Featured above, spaghetti with steamed broccoli, a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking, and some red pepper flakes. Some pistachio nuts and pita chips on the side in addition to cantaloupe, carrots, and an orange.

(i just realized that I've had carrots in every single lunch that I've packed this year. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit!)

Tabbouleh and paratha

I'm off from school today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but I never posted Friday's lunch, so here it is.
I had aloo paratha, which is an Indian flatbread made with potatoes. I've made paratha myself in the past, but it's never as good as the kind I can get in the Indian grocery store, so now I just buy it. This variety is slightly spicy and a little oily.

Continuing with the store-bought ethnic foods is tabbouleh. My mom's tabbouleh is better than the pre-packaged but sometimes it's just easier to buy a huge tub of the pre-made, which is still pretty good. Tabbouleh is generally made from bulghur wheat, parsley, tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and onions.

I also had baby carrots, dark chocolate gelt (chocolate coins), and a peanut butter sandwich that I managed to squeeze into a little container to stop if from getting soggy.

Tagging along on the side is some great fresh fruit: mango, cherries, and strawberries

The Best Brussel Sprouts

Up until today I had no real opinion about brussel sprouts. If someone else made them for me, I'd have a few, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase them. Tonight, though, I tried out the recipe for The Best Brussel Sprouts from the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook and I was blown away. I made about a third of the recipe since I'm only one person, but they were so good that I wish I'd made more. I'm a convert, I love brussel sprouts.

Ramen and veggies

Some people love raw food. Some people even go so far as to switch to a raw food diet. I am not one of those people. I love my cooked things, steamed, fried, or boiled to mushy oblivion. Whatever it is, if it's cooked, it's good with me. If it's hot it's even better. I haven't bought a Thermos yet (honestly, I'm probably to lazy/rushed in the morning to heat something up anyway) so I settle for cold cooked food. Today's lunch was steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, and cold ramen (hey, I'm a student, I'm allowed to eat ramen, even if it is sickeningly unhealthy!) .

Snack of mostly Cheerios with some pretzels, chocolate chips, walnuts, and peanuts. It's mostly Cheerios, it's just that they're at the bottom of the container.

Pizza

Despite less than rave reviews from others, I rather like Tofutti mozerella slices. Today I made a quick pizza with store bought sauce, French bread, and Tofutti slices. I also had peanuts, pretzels, and raisins (hiding next to the peanuts). On the produce front, there were grapes and carrots.

Veggie pancakes, cucumber salad

For tomorrow I have some comfort food: cucumber salad (thinly sliced cucumbers and mushrooms with vinegar, olive oil, and kosher salt) and mini veggie pancakes with ketchup. The veggie pancakes are Ratner's brand from the freezer section, not homemade, but are delicious regardless.


We found dried apple chunks at Costco. They are pretty soft and chewy and remind me more of fruit snacks than dried fruit, but are good either way. Alongside the apples are some carrots.

Fruit on the side includes pineapple, cantaloupe, and apple.

First lunch of the new year

Starting out the new year with an actual lunch. Hopefully soon I'll get back to things that are a little more interesting soon, but for now I'm in a bit of a rut. I have mint double stuff Oreos, a pumpkin cranberry muffin, and a pita bread with natural peanut butter.

If you ever find yourself in New York near Queens it is imperative that you take a trip to Queens Pita in Flushing. The thick pita there is the closest to Israeli pita that I've ever had in the US. They make it fresh and you can buy it by the bag to take home. If you think pita is a dry crumbly bread you are in for a surprise. Queens Pita is soft and absolutely delicious.

One of my friends carries around a big bag full of fresh fruits and veggies and just snacks all day. Since tomorrow is one of the days when I have to stay at school until 5PM, I decided to follow her lead. Next to my lunch I have a container with an apple, cantaloupe, and carrots.