2 in 1

posting madness – 2 posts in 1 day or maybe i am just too keen…

monday

tuesday

wednesday

thursday

friday

week 33: red as running theme

our jon is a big boy now… tomorrow he will move from the vuggestue to the radisstuen (from 30 months to 4 year olds) with the big kids. he is really looking forward to it

when it comes to food, he is far more picky these days than he has ever been before. all of a sudden he does not like spinach… nor avocado… nor…. a lot of foods he is no longer interested in. maybe it is just a phase.

the running theme this week was red: lots of tomatoes and red peppers. (boxes came back empty unless stated otherwise).

p.s. we hardly ever put fruit in his lunchbox because he gets fruit twice a day while in daycare. they provide a wide variety of fruit for the kids.

monday

box 1: roasted potatoes with soya sausages box 2: cucumber box 3: fresh red peppers with some homemade mayo box 4: sesame and sunflower crackers

tuesday

box 1: spinach tagliatelle with an amazing tomato sauce made by papajon (home made pesto made with lots of roasted almonds, parsley, basil, garlic, salt, olive oil then added to the tomato sauce box 2: cucumber box 3: fresh red peppers box 4: babybel (a lot of babybel in our lunchboxes — one day i will write a thesis on why we use babybel over other brands — and no, i don’t get a fee for using the red-baby-cheeses!)

wednesday

box 1: boiled broccoli box 2: eggplant/aubergine rolls: a little treasure from Moldova that i discovered just 2 weeks ago while having dinner at a friend’s house – it is a must try (will have to upload the recipe on the “recipes” page…) box 3: ovos recheados (boiled eggs with filling of yolks and homemade mayo) box 4: walnut bread with gouda cheese outcome: the box came back intact. it was the mystery of the evening, papajon and i trying to figure out why he had not eaten anything that day. well, as it turns out, he had; he had gone for a special lunch of spaghetti and meatballs at the radisstuen.

thursday

box 1: fresh colourful red peppers box 2: sweetcorn box 3: green rice: cooked with peas and broccoli box 4: rice cake

friday

box 1: recycled green rice from previous day (delicious with freshly grated parmesan) box 2: sweetcorn and tomatoes box 3: spinach and salmon quiche box 4: cucumber slices outcome: was informed when i picked him up at daycare that jon told sarah (educator) that he does not like spinach quiche…” – that was news to me

week 21: another short week

it was another short week at the vuggestue (daycare) and it was inevitable. 6 out of the 12 kids in jon’s daycare group had had chicken pox in the past month… it started with fever on saturday but we did not pay attention. by thursday morning, papajon spotted 2 small boils on jon’s belly. papajon stayed at home on thursday, mamajon on friday.

monday

box 1: boiled potatoes with roasted turkey and mushrooms (herb and olive oil dressing) box 2: compressed dates, figs and peanuts box 3: homemade milk buns with gouda cheese box 4: cocktail tomatoes

tuesday

left side of box: spinach and garbanzo beans quiche with bechamel sauce + 2 boxes of fresh strawberries

wednesday

box 1: tagliatelle in tomato sauce (made with tomatoes, onions and celeri sticks, blended with raw garlic + olive oil) and roasted salmon box 2: emmental cheese cubes/rectangles box 3: cucumber sticks box 4: orange slices

week 20: back from procrastination mode

after one week in portugal and one week of business work related travel (where we did prepare lunchboxes for jon, but they were never photographed…) we are back to business as usual.

on friday, jon did not have a lunchbox because we had to spend lunch at the hospital – nothing serious – it was a scheduled appointment.

a big thank you to WORDPRESS for making even easier to post and upload pictures!!!

p.s. jon emptied the lunchboxes every day this week.

monday

box 1: vegetable (zucchini, aubergine, tomatoes, red peppers, onions) quiche with some stincky yummy cheese box 2: greek yoghurt with fresh rasperries (they were picked last summer by grandma and frozen) box 3: cherry tomatoes

tuesday

box 1: spinach tagliatelle with tomato sauce + fresh parsley box 2: cooked zucchini in tomato sauce and onion and parsley box 3: cucumber sticks box 4: fresh strawberries picked this very spring!

wednesday

box 1: grilled tortilla wrap with kidney beans in spicy tomato sauce and cheddar cheese box 2: fresh strawberries box 3: long winter cupcakes (they have p-l-e-n-t-y of sugar, but they are delicious… jon does not usually eat sugar, but once in a blue moon….) on the side: celeri sticks

thursday

box 1: greek yoghurt and raspberries box 2: soya pølse (sausages) box 3: broccoli and tomato quiche with the quintensential cheese ingredient (we could not survive without dairy products in this house – that much we have established!)

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

week 15: yellow and red tomatoes

weeks are just flying at present! where is the time going? i am some 2 weeks behind in my postings that i truly can’t remember the outcome… did he eat everything? my memory fails me…

monday

box 1: tomato sauce with zucchini box 2: delicious soya nuggets box 3: creamy mashed potatoes (with cheddar cheese, milk and mixed herbs) box 4: cucumber slices.

tuesday

box 1: fusili pasta with fresh salmon in a spicy tomato sauce box 2: green olives box 3: cucumber and carrot sticks box 4: yellow and red tomatoes

wednesday

box 1: home made apple sauce with a physallis to decorate box 2: yellow and red tomatoes box 3: grilled tortilla (filling: melted cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes) box 4: sweet corn

thursday

box 1: home made apple sauce box 2: rice with soya sausages box 3: spinach quiche with feta cheese box 4: yellow and red tomatoes outcome: i know for sure he ate the whole of the quiche our household is quiche-mad!

friday

box 1: crêpe with home made apple sauce box 2: banana chips (dried with drizzles of honey) box 3: rice with red peppers, carrots and black beans box 4: yellow cherry tomatoes outcome: i recall this box coming back empty… i usually remember the empty boxes!

week 14: why go sugarfree

am quite late in posting this week… but we had an activity packed weekend, where we took full advantage of the gorgeous sunshine and spent as little time as possible indoors. now the madness of the work week has started… anyhow, excuses will not get me far

some have asked why we restrict the sugar intake of our toddler. the reasons are many. first of all, there is no nutrition in sugar. none whatsover. i crave sugar, but that is because i am aware of its taste and when i see a richly decorated cake or apple pie… it is the pavlov instict kicking in. but if a child is not introduced to sweets then he/she will not miss having it and will certainly not salivate when spotting a chocolate glazed doughnut! jon has had cakes or biscuits, but only on special occasions like birthdays… etc. the second reason is that jon is already a very active toddler. what i mean by active is that he is always on the move. he collapses when his head hits the pillow at night. now, imagine if i gave him sugar or had him on a high energy diet with canned foods, foods with additives, among others; jon would be bouncing off the walls! at the end of the day, it has been widely agreed that what a child eats in his first 3 years of life will have a lifelong impact in his life (i will do some online research and post some links in my next post). we are not claiming to be self righteous in the way we feed our son, but we certainly put a great deal of effort in trying to find the best way to provide him with a balanced diet.

at home, we are mostly vegetarians (not vegans – which means we incorporate dairy and eggs in our diet) and occasionally we have some salmon (on a rare occasion some cod) and white meat (chicken or turkey).

monday

box 1: steamed cabbage wraps: filling made of chicken seasonned in paprika and onions and red peppers box 2: tomatoes box 3: boiled potatoes with remoulade box 4: plum outcome: empty box

tuesday

box 1: boiled potatoes + olives + olive oil + parsley box 2: arroz doce/risengrød (rice boiled in vanilla milk and powdered with cinnamon) box 3: guacamole (ripe avocados, tomatoes, garlic, crème fraîche) box 4: bread cut with cookie cutter outcome: empty box

wednesday

box 1: lentil stew (with tomato concentrate, a spoon of red pesto, onions and garlic) box 2: tomatoes box 3: cucumber sandwiches with vegan paté box 4: clementine outcome: half empty lentil stew box

thursday

box 1: tomato sauce with zucchinis and carrots on a bed of spinach ravioli box 2: sliced cucumber box 3: local danish cheese with green olives box 4: rye bread cut with a cookie cutter outcome: jon left some of the raviolis at the bottom of the box

friday

box 1: onion quiche (we had not made this quiche in some 4 years and yet it is one of my favourites… – some 6 onions, cream and eggs, nutmeg, cheese) box 2: salad with boiled broccoli, corn, tomatoes and for lack of real portuguese black olives… the green cheap version would have to do box 3: home made croissant outcome: empty box!

week 10: eating less than a bird

unlike previous weeks, jon did not eat much this week – be it at home be it at daycare. have read that children go through different stages of development, and when they are going through a growing stage they will eat a great deal more than usual. with jon, most times he eats for 3 people (well…i exaggerate ) yet this week, a bird could have easily gotten more down than he did. but we never push him, we know he eats when hungry and he is good at communicating when he is full. but for me as a the mother who is used to seing an empty box when i pick him up in the afternoon, bringing a half full box home was….

monday

box 1: quiche with left overs – yes, it happens, we re-use the good stuff – the filling was used the previous day to fill the mexican burritos (tomatoes, soya mince, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, cumin, coriander seeds) – all this goodness could not have gone to waste! box 2: home made apple sauce (boiled apples from great-grandma’s garden, no sugar, just some lemon juice) box 3: fresh tomatoes. outcome: empty box

tuesday

box 1: lentil stew (the recipe is actually avó’s (grandma) recipe that has been slightly adapted) – it has lentils, sweet potatoes, onions and a generous portion of red pesto box 2: physallis box 3: crunchy salad (grated carrot, sliced celeri, lettuce, tomato) box 4: brazilian nuts + raisins outcome: he just ate the raisins, a few spoons of the lentil stew and some of the grated carrot and the physallis of course.

wednesday

box 1: cucumber and celeri sticks with some greek yoghurt as dip box 2: physallis and grapes box 3: good old yummylicious gratin (potatoes, soya sausages, onions, garlic cooked in the oven with part milk and part cream) box 4: sweetcorn and red bell peppers outcome: he ate all the fruit, some of the corn and some of the gratin, the rest was untouched

thursday

box 1: couscous with fantastic sauce made by papajon (tomatoes, carrots, red peppers, dried apricots, cinnamon, curry, chili – in moderation selvfølgelig!) box 2: hard boiled eggs box 3: boiled peas box 4: seedless grapes outcome: the grapes and eggs were eaten happily, the rest was barely tasted.

friday

box 1: spaghetti + tomato sauce + soya meatballs box 2: greek yoghurt + passion fruit box 3: roasted zucchini with grated parmesan and herbs + raw cawliflower box 4: banana outcome: cawliflower + zucchini + spaghetti left behind.

week 9: first lunchbox of 2008

the daycare center was only opened for 2 days this week. jon was happy to see his little friends again.

in thinking up the lunchboxes of this week and comparing to our usual lunchboxes, i came to the realisation that we eat a lot of cheese! but we love all that bacterial goodness!!

thursday

box 1: aspargus quiche with creamy cheese sauce box 2: mango cubes box 3: ratatouille (tomatoes, onions, zucchini and yellow bell peppers) with spinach ravioli box 4: fresh tomatoes outcome: empty box

friday

box 1: greek yoghurt with the last of the blackberry jam (no sugar added – jam is sweetened with grape juice) box 2: sliced red peppers box 3: risotto with broccoli and green bell peppers and grated parmesan box 4: fresh goat cheese outcome: the goat cheese must not have been very inspiring… it was the only ingredient in the lunchbox that was saved for the garbage bin…

week 4: quiches and all

so far november has not been an easy month. a great deal of sick children at the vuggestue (daycare) and this week was no exception. jon had diarrhea last night but he was fine by the following morning and ready to play.

this week was different in terms of packing lunchboxes – we got a break on thursday because the vuggestue usually cooks for all the kids once a month. they had spaghetti and sauce.

monday

box 1: egg salad with rye bread box 2: spicy oatmeal muffin (oatmeal, flour, nutmeg, cardemom, cinnamon -no sugar nor sweetners) box 3 + mini box: carrot sticks and crème fraîche with dill box 4: banana halves outcome: box licked clean (assuming he did not eat the banana peel though….)

tuesday

box 1: mixed salad (cucumber, lettuce, sweet corn and tomatoes) box 2: natural yoghurt (non sweetened) and strawberry sauce/purée) lower half of lunchbox: spinach quiche (spinach, cream, eggs, nutmeg, garlic and domyati feta) outcome: a quarter of the quiche was left. they had cake for freja’s birthday, so…

wednesday

box 1: spinach ravioli with a veg tomato sauce (containing aubergines, green peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes) box 2: halloumi cheese sticks box 3: cucumber binoculars with mini carrots box 4: strawberries (not the season but still pretty good when defrosted!) outcome: 2 halloumi sticks left…

thursday

— all 12 kids from jon’s daycare room had spaghetti and sauce today, prepared by the sweet ladies of the vuggestue —–

friday

box 1 & 3: calzones (papajon made the pizza dough – he is the expert – and the filling is made out of aubergines, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, black olives, and onions – the recipe was  roughly based on something mad jamie whipped up once on tv. click here for the real recipe) box 2: oranges box 4: carrots outcome: all 4 boxes came back empty. considering he had diarrhea the previous night… we are impressed. unless his little friends at daycare are helping him with scuff it down at lunch… we will have to investigate.