Bento #105: Shamewich

Here you see a veggie burger on shame bread, with ketchup, deli mustard, and, if We recall correctly, smoked cheese. Holy crap, that's a lot of processed food! Not a single unprocessed ingredient in there. Yikes. Check it out:

Backing up the shamewich is an apple, celery, and dried apricots. At least the fruit and veg is unprocessed.

We know, We know, that eating lots and lots of processed foods is bad for Us. But dang, those veggie burgers are hella tasty.

Bento #101: Burger Time!

For this post, today We have a delicious burger-based lunch!  Along with the burger, which We will detail shortly, We have the eternal apple and carrots.  The water in Our bottle is cloudy because We have a shameful weakness for the Propel packets of powder that you chuck in a bottle and thus produce sports drink.  However, We put them in a full liter of water instead of the ridiculous 16 oz. they recommend.  That would produce a hideous thick syrup. 

Every now and then, We get a craving for a burger.  However, do We want actual animal product?  Clearly not!  So what is it We are missing?  The device, naturally!  So here is a stunt meat burger--We believe it's one of the Amy's ones, but We are not certain--on shame bread.  Underneath the burger is a nice thin layer of Rhinegeld, one of Our favorite grainy mustards.  On top is cheese that failed to melt, ketchup, and sweet pickled daikon radish.

Now wait a minute, you may say.  Sweet pickled daikon?  Isn't that stuff stinky and thus bad for burgerdom? Yes, dear citizen, it surely is stinky.  And it is also delicious, with a nice bitter/sour/sweet edge that, strangely enough, is perfect against ketchup.  As you will no doubt remember, there is a vast and abiding love of pickled items in the Sneaky Kingdom.  Frankly, if you soak anything in either salt or vinegar or both, We will probably eat it with joy.  And so We do indeed make many of Our own pickles, because honestly, the store thinks the only thing that can be pickled is cucumber.  Fools!

Fall Roundup: Lunches #65-82

It's been a busy time here in the Kingdom, kids.  Your faithful King has been editing, teaching, grading, running, singing, and just generally trying to keep Her bizniz going.

As the lunch photos stacked up on Our camera, the process of pulling them off became, for some reason, a more and more daunting task.  Each additional photo meant We wanted to do it less.  For some reason, while We love taking the photo and We love posting the photo, the in-between process--the finding the camera cable, the sorting, the tiny bit of editing, etc. became too much.  We despaired.

So finally, in an effort to remedy the problem, We pulled all the photos from the past month and a half.  At once.  Right here.  So, We proudly present you with the Awesome Fall Roundup Extravaganza!

First, the Identical Salad Photos:

This is a delicious salad that We ate frequently while the weather was still hot.  Its basic components are cottage cheese, tomato, cucumber, peas, salt, and pepper.  Delicious and protein-y.

This lunch also had an apple!  So much fiber, so little time.

The gold standard.

Just the peas, please.  We believe that Our fridge was very empty and that We were in a serious hurry that morning.  This is not enough lunch, We know.  Still, better than nothing.

Our friend, M, was having a rough day this day so We walked over to her building and brought her a Diet Coke (which We do not usually drink) and some Combos (which We do not usually eat).  Naughty!  So We finished the Coke with Our lunch.

This lunch, taken at home because transit would surely have shaken up the pretty little pattern, is in a new box the Queen sent Us in the mail!  What a great random gift, Queen!  We love it.  We used it four times in the first week We owned it.  It's a Fit and Fresh sandwich box, with the gel-cool in the lid--but it really comes into its own as a bento box, b/c it's the perfect size.  Hooray!

And now, the Parade of Sandwiches:

Fried egg on Kingdom bread with a banana.  Not very much lunch, but at least it's got protein and whole grains for staying power.

Tofurkey on Shame bread with mayo, mustard, spinach, and tomato.  This was part of Our Vegan-Except-For-Eggs-And-Also-Only-Whole-Grains-Plus-No-Caffeine-But-Tea Cleanse.  It was very effective, and We felt much better about two days into the program.  Sandwich is backed up by apples and carrots.

 The innards!  Gosh, looking at that makes Us hungry.

Just can't get enough stunt meat.  Another Tofurkey on Shame.

We were particularly pleased with this lunch.  The salad is spinach and tomato with a little orange tulip of Newman's Raspberry Vinaigrette.  The sandwich is a fried egg on Kingdom with mayo and mustard.  Then there's an apple.  The cup is green tea--We were at Starbucks, grading.  We were suprised and pleased that the baristas did not get all up ons for Us bringing Our own lunch.

Here is a peanut butter and blackberry preserves on Kingdom, with baby carrots, blueberry yogurt, and a banana.  There is tea in the Santa mug.  Because We are on a serious running training program now, We find that We need food almost constantly or We start to fall down.  So some of the beefier lunches are a result of that.

Now, Rice is Nice!

Ah, rice is nice.  Here's brown rice w/ ebi furikake, tamagoyaki, apple slices, and instant miso soup.  Oh, and a BC Powder, because We had things to do.  And Our head was bad. 

Check out Our not-very-good rolling skillz.  Who cares?  It was delicious.  Check out the Thirsty Bat hovering over the lunch.  Bat want nomz?  Well, too bad!

This lunch was so good it was almost unholy.  Spinach, onion, and tofu stir fry with brown rice and green tea.  Why was this so delicious?  We do not know, but it was one of the most satisfying lunches We had made in a long time.  Bonus: vegan!

Ah, what would the Sneaky Kingdom be without fried rice?  Also, check out Our homemade daikon pickles.  We think We did an okay job.  We will tweak the recipe later.  We also made some righteous pickled garlic, but that is far too pungent for lunch!  It is available only in the Royal Castle, where We will not offend the citizenry with Our Fire Breath of Doom.

Fried Rice and Fried Rice Alone day!

And, the Lunches of Less-Commonly-Used Device:

That's right.  Lentil soup.  Yum!  With a homemade biscuit, apple slices, and coffee candy.

More of the same!  But also with some carrots in there.  We love how the little mushroom guy on the lid of this bowl is so enthusiastic.

This was a weird choice.  We made a squash stuffed with apple slices one day during the Vegan Cleanse.  It was good, but would have been better with butter.  To back it up, there was a hard-boiled egg and some carrots.  This was a little awkward to eat at Our desk, and We got olive oil on Our pants, and then had to teach with Conspicuous Crotch Blots.  The shame!

Okay, there you go, citizens: the King's Fall Lunches.  We hope that you have enjoyed this glut of lunch, you hedonists!  We hope to resume regular posting soon, now that this backlog is no longer hanging over Our head, so please do not think that We have abandoned you!

Snackbox: Prelims Day 2 and a Bonus Bento

The snackbox for Prelims 2: Greek yogurt and apple slices to dip in it, with two charming little strawberries taking up the extra space.

The day 1 snackbox was excellent brain fuel.  But We found out that the dried fruit and the cookie was too sweet.  Meh.  That said, We are also way tired of things in tortillas. We have been eating burrito-y devices for dinner lately, and so two tortilla-based things in one day is too much!  Rather than change dinner (We still have refried beans left!), We will change Our snackbox.  We hope the yogurt is not too sweet.  We also have hopes that the yogurt will soothe Our still troubled tummy, send some backup to the front lines.  Perhaps Our tummy troubles will go away when the stress does.

In related news, We have been going on a yogurt quest lately, eating small quantities of various Greek yogurts before We buy a giant tub.  This has been a wise idea.  Most stores seem to stock mostly fat-free Greek-style yogurt, which We think is a shame and a farce.  We spent half a year in Greece, and let Us assure you, We did not find fat-free yogurt in that kingdom!  We prefer 2%.  Enough to make the yogurt tasty and give it some body; not so much that We feel saturated with fat.  2% Greek yogurt only really comes in tiny tubs.  We can find giant tubs of 0% yogurt, but We have not found a kind of 0% that We like yet.  (Lookin' at you, Chobani.  Bleaugh.  Your 2% was fine, but 2% only comes in pineapple.  How weird!) All of which is to say, We have high hopes for you, Stonyfield Farms.  Otherwise it's plain 2% (The Royal Choice) in lots of tiny, non-recyclable tubs (the Royal Sorrow).

Oh, and here's a bonus bento We made for a Friend of the Kingdom who has a night class:

We have officially decided that it is impossible to take a photograph in Our apartment in the afternoon.  The natural light throws off the artificial and makes it all funny-colored, and yet if We go with natural light only, it's all pseudo-dramatic and not-very-visible. 

Anyway.  Two Tofurkey, cheese, spinach, and carrot wraps on whole wheat tortillas with Vegenaise and mustard; apple slices, dried low-sugar pineapple rings, strawberries, and an oatmeal-nutmeg cookie.  Vegan 'til the cookie. We have hopes that it made our friend's class easier to handle.

Snackbox: Prelims Day 1

We interrupt your regular programming of bento lunches to bring you a very important series: The Prelims Exam Snackboxes!  Check out day 1:

Here you can see Our snackbox for Our first day of prelims.  We are not packing a proper lunch because We will be done by 12:30, so We will just come home and eat lunch (and decompress, and maybe weep a little, We'll see how it goes).  So We are just packing a snack to quickly be shoved in the Royal face.

That said, We are trying to maintain Optimum Nutrition! for Our exam.  So instead of some terrible power bar of some kind or some terrible Kwik-e-mart thing, We figured that a balanced mini-lunch style snack would give us the best energy.  Also, Our tummy has been distressed ever since the Explosive Incident, and We are finding out that it reacts well to not-so-processed, mostly-vegan foods.

So here is a mini-wrap made of Tofurkey, spinach, carrot, avocado, Vegenaise, and just a bit of mustard; some dried pineapple rings cut up into little snacky bites, some dried apricots, and a relatively-low-sugar oatmeal cookie.  Cookies are good because they are fast food in Our face, but We still can't stomach a lot of sugarbomb after the Incident.  So it's kind of a bready cookie (not that it doesn't have a bunch of fat in it, though); mostly tastes like nutmeg.  The cookie makes this whole thing not-vegan, b/c the cookie has butter in it. 

We have hopes that this will fuel Our stab towards victory!  As the "intention for the week" that We chose in Our yin yoga class this evening says, "I trust myself to do my best this week."  (Remember, We go pronounally incognito when out and about.)

Bento #4: Tofurkey and Veggies with Peanut Dip

Lunch at Our office desk again.  Tofurkey, cheese, and bell pepper on homemade bread.  There's also carrots, celery, and grape tomatoes with a side of spicy peanut dip.  We found a great recipe for this stuff in a low-carb cookbook, of all places.  But it's totally delicious--spicy and peanutty and fruity and soy sauce-y.  Interestingly, and unfortunately for the low-carb people, We totally love it over noodles, especially with some tofu and some cabbage, maybe some shredded carrots, chucked in there. 

We also have a cup of green tea and a few dates for dessert.  We keep a hot water kettle in Our office so We can have hot tea all day long.  On a class evaluation form, a student once gave Us a few low scores on the bubble side of the form, and then the only comment on the writing side was that Our tea smelled bad.  (And ere you think this student is reacting to Our Wacko Self, no, We do not refer to Ourselves with the Royal pronoun when We teach.  We are much more humble than that.)

This box, not really a bento at all (look at all the empty space!  Gasp) is one of the Fit and Fresh boxes that are great for salads or big non-bento lunches, or even 2 lunches!  One sandwich in the big compartment and one little side box of fruit or veggies or dessert or whatever for each person.  We've also used it successfully when We've needed to bring two meals, like both breakfast and lunch, or lunch and a late afternoon snack, or whatever, but when you're used to packing a small box, you have to be careful not to bring too much food.  Or you get all bloaty. 

No one likes a bloaty King.

Bento #3: Tofurkey Sandwich

Today the King ate the following: a Tofurkey sandwich with white cheddar and spinach and a little bit of grainy mustard on bread We made ourselves, a tangerine, some carrots wedged in to keep things stable, two dates, and a heart-shaped chocolate. 

Sometimes, We dunno, We feel as though We might perish w/out Tofurkey.  It becomes necessary.  We try not to rely on stunt meats, but when it's not about the substance (turkey) but the vehicle (turkey sandwich device), Tofurkey keeps Us vegetarian when otherwise We might cave.

We're pretty sure that's a cup of green tea behind it--and then there's Our messy desk.  You know, where the magic happens and the big bucks get made.