week 19: party party at daycare

due to all the easter related activities and parties and easter bunny visits, only 3 lunchboxes were required this week. they had so much cooking and preparing meals at daycare.

jon, papajon and mamajon are getting ready to get on a plane to lisbon. one whole week in the sun. one week without having to worry or think about lunchboxes. we are all looking forward to comida caseira drenched in olive oil. overdose on black olives. oranges from the backyard. lettuces and tomatoes also from grandpa’s garden.

monday

box 1: tomato and cheese toasts on rustic bread box 2: boiled broccoli box 3: home made apple sauce box 4: soya sausages and cocktail tomatoes outcome: empty box

tuesday

box 1: actimel box 2: cucumber, tomato and corn salad box 3: beans in spicy tomato sauce (mexican style) box 4: lavash outcome: empty box

wednesday

mamajon never found out what jon had for lunch. but it must have been good. no doubt.

thursday

box 1: cucumber sticks box 2: soya schnitzel box 3: boiled potatoes with peas and a bit of remoulade box 4: natural greek yoghurt with cherry sauce outcome: empty box

friday

spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs!

week 18: jon in the kitchen

jon loves to help in the kitchen. from peeling onions, to decorating cupcakes with icing and winnie the pooh add-ons to throwing salt in the boiling water, to helping us with the menu for dinner. if he sees that we are about to start cooking, he will drag his chair over to the kitchen counter, climb up and get busy. as long as he stays away from the knives… so we encourage him and praise him, because even if it takes double time to cook dinner, i would rather have him around and feel like he is being helpful.

on sunday, jon helped me make some sugar-free cookies. we did not follow any specific recipe. we just threw stuff in, he mixed all ingredients with his little hands and made them into what looks like meat balls rather than cookies. i put them in the oven to bake and he was excited about the outcome. he ate them throughout the week as a snack or in his lunchbox.

monday

box 1: creamy potato soup with peas box 2: sliced red peppers box 3: rustic bread with cream cheese (philadelphia…) box 4: odd shaped cookies made by jon himself! (contain oats, fig paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, flour, butter and hazelnuts) 0utcome: empty box

tuesday

box 1: fresh salmon cooked in a rich tomato sauce (thyme, garlic, oregano and spices) box 2: cucumber sticks box 3: rice and peas box 4: delicious crostinis (old italian recipe) outcome: empty box

wednesday

box 1: cucumber and bell pepper slices box 2: peixinhos da horta (green bean tempura) box 3: oatmeal/dates sugar-free cookies box 4: gouda sticks outcome: empty box

thursday

box 1: fresh pasta with mixed veg tomato sauce (zucchini, mushrooms) with havarti cheese slices box 2: cucumber box 3: raw cawliflower box 4: cherry tomatoes outcome: needless to say, he ate everything except the raw cawliflower. papajon loves to eat raw cawliflower, mamajon is not so keen on the idea. we found out jon and mamajon have similar taste buds.

friday

box 1: fusili pasta with fresh pesto and peas box 2: sun-dried apricots box 3: cucumber slices box 4: soya nuggets (still the best on the market) outcome: emp-TY

week 17: colourful lunches

there was a virus roaming at jon’s daycare, where 8 of the 12 children in his daycare room were sick – jon was one of them. it was a combination of tonsilitis, fever and some coughing. jon did not eat much this week… we hope he will recup soon enough. he is healthy and running about but his apetite is not at the usual level yet.

monday

box 1: rustic olive baguette slices drizzled with virgin olive oil box 2: soya sausages box 3: lentil stew box 4: crunchy salad with pineapple, raw white cabbage, celeri, raisins and natural yoghurt dressing outcome: jon ate all except for the lentil stew - half of it was left behind note: the contents of this lunchbox were cooked up by grandma

tuesday

box 1: fresh tagliatelle with boiled broccoli, garlic, olive oil and feta cheese box 2: cucumber sticks box 3: smoked salmon on a bed of lettuce sandwiched between 2 slices of rustic bread box 4: fresh red peppers outcome: this box was eaten at home and it was eaten throughout the day. most of it was left behind though. i have noticed that when he is sick, he prefers to eat raw foods than to eat cooked meals…

wednesday

box 1: quorn fillet in a bed of roasted veg (aubergines, peppers, onions, tomatoes and zucchinis) box 2: cucumber sticks box 3: risengrød/arroz doce (cooked rice in milk and vanilla) drizzled with cherry sauce box 4: grapes

thursday

box 1: smoked salmon and vegetables quiche box 2: cucumber circles box 3: home made apple sauce box 4: dried apricots outcome: mamajon in her wisdom forgot that it was that day of the month; the day where the nice ladies at the daycare centre cook for all the little ones and there is no need to bring along a lunchbox… so jon snacked on the apple sauce and apricots when he got home

friday

box 1: spinach tagliatelle with mixed vegetables (zucchinis, aubergine, tomatoes, garlic, onions) and sprinkled parmesan box 2: soya sausages box 3: sugar free cookies (oats, flour, coconut oil, dates, raisins, honey – will upload the recipe soon…) box 4: dried apricots outcome: empty box