Feb 12, 2008 Lunch

Feb 12, 2008 Lunch
Originally uploaded by TheAng

Tonight when I was trying to figure out what I wanted for lunch tomorrow the only thing that sounded good was cheerios. Since I really don't think an all cheerios lunch is going to be my best bet I decided to limit them to a small snack side and added a tasty maple leaf cookie and a mini babybel. I added most of a sliced orange to add some vitamins and fruit.

The main dish is something I threw together using leftover brown rice and kielbasa. I sliced the kielbasa and sauted it with a mix of onions and multi-colored pepper slices. One that was slightly browned I added left over brown rice and continued to cook adding bbq sauce as the last step. I was having a problem with flavor in this dish - it was very bland - so I tried adding chili seasoning and cumin but still it was missing something and I'm not sure what it is. This portion is leftovers from dinner so I already know it's a bit bland. Maybe overnight and during the day the flavors will blend and it will be better at lunch.

Feb 2, 2008 Lunch

Feb 2, 2008 Lunch
Originally uploaded by TheAng

I got home late, still had to do dishes and get my lunch together for tomorrow. It's actually pretty late for a work night as it is but I'm glad I threw this together.

I am going with a pita sandwich, chips, hummus and grapes. The pitas are a different brand than I usually buy and come pre-cut, which is handy, but they are thinner and were falling apart. I stuffed the pitas with veggie cream cheese, roast beef, spinach and cheese - one half with provolone and the other half with cheddar. For dessert I packed a maple leaf cookie.

Feb 9, 2008 Dinner

Feb 9, 2008 Dinner
Originally uploaded by TheAng

I like to call this my "School Lunch Dinner" because for some reason it reminded me of the meals they would serve us in junior high. It's probably all because of the fish sticks though. I don't have fish sticks very often because I never think to buy them but fish products are "in season" and on sale right now so I bought some.

Also, using one of my Christmas gift cards I bought a new Rival 6-cup rice cooker so I wanted to try it out. I like brown rice a lot so I tried that and used it to steam the veggies. Because this was my first time using the cooker I wasn't sure of the timing so the veggies were over-steamed and I ended up mashing them and mixing with a bit of the rice.

On my way home from the baby shower today I stopped at Wagner's to get some soda and ended up buying a cheap brownie mix and making it when I got home. I love the way my place smells after baking - so yummy and nice.

This dinner was really good despite the mushy veggies.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies
Originally uploaded by TheAng

I really like to bake and I especially like to bake cookies. This is now one of my favorite recipes because it is so simple and doesn't make a huge batch of cookies.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the peanut butter, sugar and egg until blended. Roll into small, lightly shaped balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with the back of a fork to create a criss-cross pattern.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the bottom. Allow to cool a bit on the cookie sheet and then move to a cooling rack. Cool completely and enjoy.

These cookies are a little dense but tasty - wonderful with a glass of milk. I usually make these with the last amounts of both the creamy and chunky peanut butter on hand but you can use either.

Feb 8, 2008 Lunch

Feb 8, 2008 Lunch
Originally uploaded by TheAng

This is getting close to a borderline good lunch for me. I just dug out the fridge and cupboard to throw this together.

I'm going with the last of the chicken fried rice (frozen) and just added a container filled with reduced fat cheez-its and the last of the cinnamon heart crackers.

Also, this is the last apple and the last mini babybel.

This would have been a whole lunch of lasts but I still have a ton of the cheez-its that will probably go stale before I eat them all.

Feb 7, 2008 Lunch

Feb 7, 2008 Lunch
Originally uploaded by TheAng

I went back and forth about what I wanted to take for lunch tomorrow because I just wasn't sure. I decided to take the teryaki nuggets because I wanted to stop myself from eating them all tonight - in one sitting.

I'm using up the last of my current spinach supply for this salad so I know I need to get more. This salad is really inspired by a salad that Davinci's serves except I leave off the mandarin oranges (because I don't really like them) and use a different dressing. I am using my favorite dressing, Dorothy Lynch. The spinach is topped with walnuts, dried cranberries and crumbled feta cheese.

I boiled up a small pot of edamame because it makes a nice side dish or snack, depending on how filling the salad is. For dessert I took some chunky applesauce and topped it with two heart shaped cinnamon crackers that I got at Big Lots. I'm pretty sure these will be soggy by lunch but it looks nice right now.

Dinner From Braeda

Rustic Chicken Bruchetta Sandwich and Chips
Originally uploaded by TheAng

I really love Braeda and go there all the time now that they have a location open at 48th and O Street. Tonight when I went I decided that I was going to try something new off the menu and not just go with my regular 1/2 soup 1/2 signature salad.

I barely scanned the menu when I saw the Rustic Chicken Bruschetta sandwich with a side of chips. They let you choose a bag of chips from a basket so I went with just original chips - but they are a little fancier than I need in a potato chip. The chips were Miss Vickie's original recipe in a "handmade style" but are really just a product of Frito-Lay. The bag does have both English and French on it though, so that was kind of neat.

The sandwich was really good and the woman working the counter said it was "the sandwich of the night" because apparently a lot of people were ordering it. The chicken and tomatoes had a really nice flavor and the bread was soft and tasty. I can see ordering this sandwich again but I will probably get the fresh fruit instead of chips.

Braeda has been around for awhile and they keep modifying their menu to find a fit. Some of my early favorites are no longer there like the gourmet nachos and the lavosh and that's too bad. The lavosh was really good but I suppose they had almost too much variety on their menu.

Braeda also sells baked goods, like cinnamon rolls, muffins, etc as well as different kinds of coffee. They provide free wireless access in the dining room and it's a nice place to just hang out.

Service - good
Food - great
Price - $5-$10
Would I go again? Absolutely