Apple, Tings, tomatoes

Today's snacks:

• Apple-- Free from the kitchen at work.


• Tings-- The vegan version of Cheetos, by the Pirate Booty people.


• Tomatoes-- A medley from Trader Joe's.

Food bag feast

(This is a belated VeganMofO post for Monday, October 29.)

This year, at my place of work, there were bags of produce and ingredients for only $15, to make four interesting recipes. I couldn't resist the deal. So last night, with the help of my dad, I made an apple crisp, green bean salad, and carrot-sweet potato-ginger soup. The green beans really stole the show, with a dressing created from readymade tomatillo salsa. The crisp wasn't my favorite-- I prefer a chunkier topping-- and I would've added more spices to the soup, although I love it's hearty healthiness. I also made up some Gardein chick'n patties and spaghetti squash, and bought a gorgeous olive focaccia slab from Little T Bakery.

Tomatoes, apple crisp, pear

Today's snacks:

• Tomatoes-- A medley from Trader Joe's.


• Apple crisp-- Leftover from last night, so it's not crisp at all.


• Pear-- From the finish line of the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon I ran on Sunday, since it's located in Hood River which is famous for its pears (and apples).


• Good Greens (chocolate raspberry) bar-- Not pictured. A coworker left it on my desk, and it was really good!

Booty, apple, banana

Today's snacks:

• Seaweed-- Crunchy, salty, and umami! I love seaweed in many forms.


• Veggie Booty-- Pirate Booty!


• Apple-- Someone left a big basket of them in the kitchen at work.


• Banana-- We have lots still.

Seaweed, corn thins, blueberries

Today's snacks:

• Seaweed-- Crunchy, salty, and umami! I love seaweed in many forms.


• Corn thins-- The baby's very favorite snack.


• Blueberries-- Expensive off-season ones purchased for the baby.


• Banana-- After a Banana song dance party (srrsly), we ran out of these and buying more was an imperative.

Corn thins, blueberries, carrot

Today's theme seems to be "baby snacks." Most of what I gathered for snacks are what the baby likes best, so we make sure to have them on hand.

Today's snacks:

• Corn thins-- The baby's very favorite snack.


• Blueberries-- Expensive off-season ones purchased for the baby.


• Carrot-- A giant carrot from the CSA that had gone a bit soft in its old age. I cut it up and put it in cold water to revive. We'll see how it actually tastes.


• Banana-- After a Banana song dance party (srrsly), we ran out of these and buying more was an imperative.

Booty, yogurt, apricots

Oi vey, still low on produce, with no time for a trip to the store in the next few days. It might get grim over here.

Today's snacks:

• Veggie Booty-- Good ol' Pirates' Booty. Haven't had it in a while and saw it at the vegan grocery store the other day (holla Food Fight!) thinking that the baby might enjoy it. He does.


• Soy yogurt-- Wholesoy plain.


• Dried apricots-- My dad left these after his visit a couple of months ago. Oddly, they taste like nothing.


• Blueberries-- Expensive off-season ones purchased for the baby.

Carrot, yogurt, blueberries

We're low on produce!

Today's snacks:

• Carrot-- From Friday (I didn't get around to eating them).


• Blueberries-- Expensive off-season ones purchased for the baby.


• Soy yogurt-- Wholesoy plain.

Carrot, blueberries, apple

Today's snacks:

• Carrot-- Two lovely carrots from the farmers market that need eating.


• Blueberries-- Expensive off-season ones purchased for the baby.


• Apple-- Last Gala from the CSA; definitely getting older.


• Kale chips-- Tarragon Dijon flavor. This brand has the most amazing flavors. I stocked up at VegFest with a buy-4-get-1-free deal.

Cantaloupe, pear, nut thins

Today's snacks:

• Pear-- From the CSA. It's been a week and it doesn't feel completely ripe, but I'm going to go for it (update: wasn't quite ripe-- crunchy. Could've used a dip to hide lack of flavor).


• Cantaloupe-- From the farmers' market. Tiny and adorable.


• Nut thins-- Made from almonds. Smokehouse flavor. Crisp and salty! More info here.


• Soy yogurt-- Not pictured. Wholesoy, plain.

Apple, blueberries, pea crisps

Today's snacks:

• Apple-- Either a Honeycrisp from the farmers' market, or a Gala from the CSA. I've lost track.


• Blueberries-- From the grocery store (not in season!) because the baby adores them. This pint cost twice as much as one from the farmers' market two weeks ago. Yikes!


• Pea crisps-- A fun, crispy, salty snack that seems healthier than fried potatoes. Here's more info.

Second visit to Chicago Diner

On Monday, we just had to return to the Chicago Diner. This time, for a late lunch, there was no wait and since it was just before 3pm I decided to take advantage of the brunch menu. I had the "steak & eggz"-- a hunk of seitan, scrambled tofu, gravy, and potatoes. With a cinnamon roll for an appetizer and a mocha shake for dessert, it was quite a meal.

I took half the steak & eggz with me, and ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning. I also bought one of Chicago Diner's pre-packaged blueberry muffins for the plane.

Today's snacks for the plane:

• Roasted pumpkin seeds-- From Sunday's pumpkin carving.


• Blueberry muffin-- From Chicago Diner. Not gluten-free.


• Carrot orange smoothie-- From Jamba Juice in the airport. Their fruit & veggie smoothies are great because they're not as sweet as the all-fruit ones.

Snacks in Chicago

Holy heck, I almost forgot to post! Well I've been in Chicago since Friday night, so I've had some food adventures. I ate dinner at Green Zebra, breakfasted on a tofu scramble at Kitsch'n, waited an hour and a half for Chicago Diner (worth it-- see the fabulous Dagwood sandwich, above), and returned to the Chicago Diner for a round two.

Today's snacks:

• Banana & peanut butter-- From the hotel breakfast spread.


• Roasted pumpkin seeds-- from carving jack-o-lanterns on Sunday.


• Sorbet-- from Black Dog Gelato.

Chocolate, okra, sandwich

I'm going to Chicago to visit one of my best friends-- haven't been in at least ten years!-- so today's snacks are for the hour and a half in the airport (Portland's is, predictably, pretty vegan-friendly but I'd rather bring my own) and four-plus hour flight. I'm writing this from my phone, at the airport, so please excuse typos and perhaps the wrong photo for a while.

Today's snacks:

• Chocolate-- With nuts for extra protein.


• Roasted okra-- Surprisingly, these were at the farmers market last week. I didn't get to use them in a meal, so I roasted them in olive oil & salt last night for a great room temperature bite today.


• Sandwich-- Hummus, Veganaise, spinach, Tofurky bologna (not gluten-free).


• Honeycrisp apple-- Again, my fave.

Peach, tomatoes, green beans

Today's snacks:

• Peach-- From the farmers' market.


• "Black cherry" tomatoes-- Just picked from the garden. Despite our decent summer, this thing still hasn't produced much. There's more fruit on there than it has yielded so far, so I see a green tomato sauce in my future.


• "Rainbow trio" green beans-- Besides black plants, I am most enamored of rainbow. I planted these for a late fall crop and they've been doing great.


• Plums-- Still trying to get through those $#(*&#$! plums from the CSA!


• Kale chips-- Not pictured. From the same homemade batch.

Apple, peanut butter, chips

Today's snacks:

• Honeycrips apple-- My favorite kind, from the farmers' market.


• Peanut butter-- For dipping the apples. This completely transformed my snacking, and duh-- I love PB. Not sure why I didn't think of it sooner.


• Root vegetable chips-- From Trader Joe's. We've had the opened back for at least a month, so they're not as crisp as they should be.


• Plums-- Still trying to get through those plums from the CSA!


• Kale chips-- From the same homemade batch.

Asian pear, carrots, plums... and a cheat

Confession time. I didn't just eat the incredibly healthy snacks pictured here. Today I got a bit tired of all the fresh fruit and veg, especially since the Asian pears and plums are on their way out. I was craving a chocolate energy-type bar yesterday but didn't give in. Today I had to stop by the store at work for a new bus pass, where I came face-to-face with my old favorite Luna bar. She won. Time to start packing some more complex, interesting snacks.

Today's snacks:

• Asian pear-- Well, these are the same Asian pears from my coworker. Not quite as nice and crisp anymore. Just trying to not waste them. Erm.


• Plums-- From my CSA delivery. Mostly the small bitter ones. Just trying to not waste them. Erm.


• Carrots-- From the farmers' market a few weeks ago. Surprisingly sweet. Best thing pictured here.


• Kale chips-- Not pictured.


• Nutz over Chocolate Luna bar-- Not pictured.

Plums, peach, kale chips

Today's snacks:

• Plums-- From my CSA delivery yesterday. There seem to be two kinds: the tiny ones have a bitter edge, and the larger ones are sweeter.


• Peach-- From the farmers' market on Saturday. Gotta hold onto summer somehow! This one had a nasty spot this morning, so it had to be eaten today.


• Kale chips-- I always make Brendan Brazier's sour cream & onion recipe.


• Cucumber (lazy pickles)-- from my garden, seeded and cut into strips, sprinkled with rice vinegar and a dash of sea salt. After a few hours marinating, they're like light, crisp pickles but much quicker to make. This time I added a tiny bit of cumin and coriander, too.


• Roasted spaghetti squash seeds-- Not pictured. I made a meal with spaghetti squash last week, and saved the seeds to roast. They're exactly like pumpkin seeds. Season with salt and spices. I used a chipotle blend.

Plums, carrots and blueberries

Today's snacks:

• Cheeze sauce-- A quickie from dinner last week. It needs to be used, so I thought I'd try dipping the carrots in it. It tasted strangely sweet and not great. I won't try that again soon!


• "Purple Haze" carrots-- These are my favorite. So beautiful. The foliage is tipped with hot pink, too.


• Plums-- From my CSA delivery yesterday. There seem to be two kinds: the tiny ones have a bitter edge, and the larger ones are sweeter.


• Blueberries-- Picked with my dad during his last visit. Last you-pick of the season, and it was a struggle to find these tiny things. Eating them reminds me of him.


• Gala apple-- from the CSA.

Asian pear and tomatoes

Today's snacks:

• Asian pear-- I've been trading backyard produce with a co-worker, who brought me four lovely Asian pears. They smell like butterscotch and have a nice juicy crunch.


• Tomatoes-- Same as from Tuesday (from my Sun Gold Farms CSA) but without the extras from my garden.


• Corn thins-- These are just like rice cakes, but with a toasty corn flavor (since they're made from corn, not rice). They're also thinner, so they're easier for my one-year-old to eat, which is how we discovered them in the first place.


• Plain soy yogurt-- not pictured. I didn't get around to eating it yesterday, since I polished off the kale chips from Tuesday.

Apples and peas

Today's snacks:

• Honeycrisp apple-- my current favorite, from the farmers market.


• Snap peas-- I never know what to call these. "Peas" sound like the loose ones. Pea pods? I also get confused between the plump and the flat ones. I prefer the plump ones for snacking and the flat ones for cooking.


• Plain soy yogurt-- sometimes for eating straight, sometimes for dipping the apple slices. This is Wholesoy brand, because it comes in the big container. Vanilla is too sweet. Sometimes I add a spoonful of jam if I want sweet and fruity.


• SeaSnax-- not pictured. I love seaweed in many forms.

Tomatoes and lazy pickles

First, an explanation is in order. This year-- especially while I tend to half-cook (and half-prep, using pre-made ingredients) the same handful of dinners in 20 minutes for a toddler with an impending bedtime-- I'll forgo the usual end-of-day explanation of my biggest meal.

Instead I'll focus on snacks, which I am known for eating all day long. I usually take two or three to work each day, with the self-imposed rule that at least one of them must be raw (and of course gluten-free and vegan). Bonus points if they're all raw, whole foods, and soy free, since I get enough soy during other meals. So look here for healthy, quick, and hopefully well-varied snack ideas all month long.

Today's snacks:

• Tomatoes-- the ones in front are "Black Cherry," picked from my garden minutes before this. The rest are from my CSA including a brand new black variety created locally that I can't wait to try.
• Cheezy chipotle kale chips-- I tried these at VegFest and fell in love. This company has the most creative flavors, like hibiscus and pink peppercorn.
• Cucumber-- from my garden, seeded and cut into strips, sprinkled with rice vinegar and a dash of sea salt. After a few hours marinating, they're like light, crisp pickles but much quicker to make.
• White bean hummus-- for dipping

Soy curl & buckwheat soba stirfry

First night of MoFo and I almost missed it! Snacks today were pea pods and a Gala apple (from my CSA).

Dinner was a simple stirfry made with buckwheat soba noodles, soy curls, onion, Purple Haze carrots, broccoli, an amazingly sweet cabbage from my CSA, greenbeans (green, yellow and purple) from my garden, and red bell pepper. Sauce: a sprinkling of sugar, tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil. Buckwheat noodles are a nice, traditional gluten-free alternative-- but double-check the ingredients! It's tough to find them without any wheat ingredients. I love the way they break up a bit while being stirfried, so instead of a tangle of noodles separate from the veggies, they really mix into the meal.