Clever leftovers, salad edition

Sometimes, when I'm not sure what to do with dinner leftovers, I put them on top of salad greens. Ha! I'm so clever! I'm getting rather bored with salads over here, so I'm finding ways to get some variety.

Obviously some things work better than others, but cold leftover meat and veggies almost always taste great on top of a salad.

I feel like I'm winning the cold lunches game right now.

Travel salad without meat

I went grocery shopping this evening after a very long day, and walked across the store and back before I realized I forgot to get lunchmeat for my salad tomorrow. Being on the opposite of the store, with my feet and back hurting, I said screw it. I can go without meat for a day.

I grabbed a little salad kit, although I did not use the packets of dressing, cheese, or spices. I was mostly interested in the assortment of greens to add a little interest.

For protein, I boiled a few eggs and tossed one in. When I cut into the avocado in the morning for breakfast, I'll add the other half to the salad.

Not the most exciting thing, but I'll get my greens.

This salad contains:
kale
greens from the salad kit
sundried tomatoes from the salad kit
boiled egg
sliced cucumber
avocado
olive oil
salt and pepper

I layer everything in the order listed above, and add the olive oil to a corner instead of drizzling over everything. This way, it stays in a localized area and doesn't wilt the greens. The kale is on the bottom and can handle an overnight soak in olive oil.

Happy Monday, I'm going to finish this glass of wine and unpack.

colorful, non-boring salad

Hi there. This is a salad.

I don't particularly like salads, but my body does. So I try to eat them as much as I can. Usually for lunch, because if I pack it, I have to eat it.

There's only so much salad you can eat before it gets boring.

Sometimes, I try to mix it up with lots of colors.

This one has
kale
lettuce
shredded carrots
purple cabbage
walnuts
tomato
fresh cranberries
avocado
salt, and pepper.

Dressing is extra virgin olive oil with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

Not too bad for something I sometimes have to force myself to eat!

Travel meal: Kale + salad accessories

Isn't this salad pretty?

It's got kale + some spring mix, edamame, carrots, and sliced ham with lots of pepper. Plus olive oil and lime juice for a dressing.

I feel like some shredded purple cabbage or dried cranberries would be really good here, but unfortunately when you're traveling, the large jar of craisins in your pantry is not available.

So, you enjoy your pretty salad anyway and life goes on.

Oy, happy Friday Eve.

Review: Kathleen's beans

Both my sister and coworker have mentioned that these gluten free Kathleen's beans are worth trying. Being a fan of beans myself, I gave them a try.

Easy to make, and about $1 each, they meet criteria for those days when I don't have leftovers for lunch. I stir in a little cooked brown rice to boost the hunger-busting power.

They've got good flavor and ingredients I can identify. Of course, if you're going to make the curried beans, be prepared for your microwave to smell like curry for months.

The only drawback to these yummy bowls is that even though I've cooked according to package directions, sometimes the beans don't get cooked all the way and the little dried bean chunks are chewier than they should be. Still edible, but distracting. I suggest adding a little more water than called for.

Summer-friendly lunch

More chicken salad, this time with mayo & red wine vinegar, flaxseed meal, a touch of garlic powder, grapes, water chestnuts, spinach, cucumber & tomato. They haven't been really great this year, but I finally picked out a really nice, ripe, juicy cantalope.

Chicken Salad

Leftover chicken is great for chicken salad. There are about a billion different ways to make it.

Personally, I like to add something sweet, like apple or grapes, and I always add water chestnuts. They add such a nice, different crunch.

This time I added thyme and sunflower seeds, placed a bunch on a bed of spinach, and topped it with cherry tomatoes. Fantastic lunch.

Is there something unexpected or special that you add to your chicken salad?

Pumpkin Bread & school lunches

With the beginning of the new semester, I am again faced with the necessity of making lunches and snacks. I am big on taking my own food to school for several reasons.

1. I have very limited food options on campus. There are a few GF options, including Chick Fil A, Wendy's, McAlisters, and convenience stores.
2. There are only one or two options at each place.
3. Fast food = not very healthy.
4. It's getting old eating the same things.
5. It gets costly.

I try not to rely on using the microwave. Sometimes I just don't have time to go find one, or I don't have time to sit and eat lunch. When I do have time, I take things like:

soup or chili frozen in individual portions
an occasional Thai Kitchen noodle bowl
pasta salad
tuna salad
random leftovers from dinner

I keep juice boxes in the freezer, in case I need to keep anything cold. They stay frozen for a while.

More often than not, though, I end up eating during class or on the way to class, which begs the need for quick, easy to eat snacks. I have Calculus 2 smack dab in the middle of dinner time, and my grumbling stomach makes it very hard to concentrate on integrals. Not that it's easy to concentrate on integrals anyway.

I've been taking things such as:

dried cranberries
cheese sticks or cubes
nuts
pieces of fruit
chex mix
bagel chips (homemade- I need to post my bagel recipe)
granola bars (If I can ever find a recipe I like)
whatever muffins I've made
rice cakes

The thing is, those things get old as well. I'm dying for some variety.

A lady at the post office was mailing pumpkin bread to some lucky person, and gave me the craving. Thanks to the pumpkin in my freezer, I now have pumpkin bread.

It's ideal for in-class hunger-busting, being portable, carb-y and quiet. And, tasty. This bread is moist, but not too wet, with a subtle pumpkin flavor that's just right. The outside forms a great sweet crust.

I can't remember where I found this recipe, so if someone recognizes it, let me know so I can give proper credit. I have modified it slightly.

You will need:

3/4 c. pumpkin
1 egg
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/4 c. flour mix *with xanthan gum already added
1/4 t. baking soda
1 T. baking powder
pinch of salt

2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
(or 1 T. pumpkin pie spice)

Preheat your oven to 350. I made this the same way as muffins: mix the wet, mix the dry, then combine the two. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then flip it out to cool.