Lunch Box Love (+ horribly embarrassing photos)

In my elementary school days, I was super fly. Check out the following photo, circa 1998 or so, if you don’t believe me:

Child of the 90s fo' sho'.

Aww yeahhh. Purple velour shirt? Check. Bell-bottom overalls with sweet flocked designs? Check. Awesome giant denim pouch key chain that probably held a Tomagotchi or a Giga Pet? Total check. The 90s were an era of classic, timeless styles, and I totally rocked them, as you can see. What you can’t see, however, is my lunch box. Lunch boxes were a key element of my grade school experience; I loved choosing a new one every year. I remember a pale green one I particularly liked; it might’ve featured the Little Mermaid or maybe the Lion King. Either way, it was awesome, in all its rigid, plastic, boxy glory.

In high school, I became too cool for childish lunch boxes. Instead, I re-used paper bags or brought one of those boring adult-like lunch bags. If you don’t believe how cool I was, check out this photo:

Geekery.

Oh yes. My high school days pretty much centered around Lord of the Rings – reading the books, watching the movies, going to midnight shows, obsessing over various cast members, hosting Academy Award parties, sewing costumes… those were the days. Believe me, if I’d found a LotR lunch box, resplendent with an image of Aragorn or Legolas, I would’ve cast aside my lunch box snubbing in a hot minute. But I didn’t, and instead I used boring, plain-colored lunch totes. Snore.

Now I’m all grown up and working at a big-girl job, and I usually bring my own lunch to work. For many months, I’ve been putting my food into a small tote bag or cramming it into a purse, all the while complaining that I needed a lunch box and risking horrible purse-spillage disasters.

Apparently complaining pays off, because my dear boyfriend found the most adorable lunch box for me recently. With it, I have come full circle and returned (or, perhaps, regressed) to my childhood love of lunch boxes. Check it out:

Love!

Isn’t it just precious?! Luc is so cute! Those stripes are so whimsical! And it almost always fits all the food I want to bring to work! On this particular day, I brought an Eggless Salad sandwich, cherries, and watermelon. Nom nom summer fruit!

Do you pack a lunch? What’s your strategy for lunch-making? I’m a big fan of planned leftovers, whether they’re the kind I eat the next day or the kind I freeze and eat a month later. It’s economical and healthy, not to mention environmentally friendly when I pack it my sweet new lunch box – no brown paper bags for me!

Raw Wednesday

I suppose it’s not technically Wednesday anymore, but better late than never, right? I meant to post earlier, but I got tied up with family and friend type activities and you know how it goes. Anyway, I’ve got a doozy of a post planned for tomorrow, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. And that’s fitting, really, because my eats today were simple and unassuming yet undeniably satisfying.

In the spirit of Raw Wednesday, I put together a magnificent raw lunch that filled my tummy and made me smile thanks to its colorful appearance. Check it out:

Lovely, no? My lunch was comprised of two dishes. First, I decided to try a recipe from Choosing Raw that I’ve had my eye on for a while now. Although I’ve never been a huge tomato soup fan, Gena’s chilled Basic Tomato Soup looked like the perfect way to use some delicious tomatoes from my dad’s garden. And it performed that function perfectly.

Although it ended up being a little avocado heavy (and thus turned a borderline unappetizing green-brown color), the tomatoes fought back and let their garden fresh flavor shine through. The result was a delightful mix of creamy avocado and sweet tomato goodness. My only problem with the soup was the slight tangy balsamic vinegar aftertaste I noticed with each spoonful, but that’s just because I seriously dislike being able to taste or smell any type of vinegar in my food. Even though I did cut down on the amount called for in the recipe and added the smallest of splashes, I should have left it out entirely to tailor the soup to my personal tastes. Other than that, however, it was a perfect summer soup, and it paired so well with the more substantial part of my lunch.

These lettuce wraps were filled with matchstick zucchini slices and generous scoops of the Sunflower Pate I made a few days ago, and they were fantastic! Although Romaine lettuce may not be optimal for wrapping, it was the only type we had in the house and worked fairly well. I had another helping of pate on the side with more zucchini for dipping, and I also enjoyed three delicious heirloom Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes. I love these little guys; they’re so amazingly sweet and smooth and rich. They’re truly a treasure and I love popping them in my mouth right off the vine. They complemented the meal perfectly, and I washed everything down with some Santa Cruz Mango Lemonade. It was a wonderfully refreshing lunch on a hot summer day.

Although I planned on enjoying a big ol’ massaged kale salad for dinner, my wonderful father ended up making a potato-leek-mushroom hash and I just can’t resist his cooking. There’s always tomorrow, right?