Category Archives: lunch

Monday, August 24, 2015

How to Create a Waste-Free Lunch

There are two approaches to creating a waste free lunch. First, you have the actual lunch itself and the amount of waste produced at the location in which you eat that lunch. If you don’t produce any waste, I would consider this waste free, so hooray for you! And two (and here’s the tricky part), there is the process of making the lunch and the waste produced from this process. It’s really difficult to go waste free when making the lunch (think about all the packaging that comes from the basics, such as lunch meat, bread, cheese, chips, etc). My goal in the lunch making process has always been “low-waste” as I feel it’s too much pressure to be 100% waste free in this area (see end of post for tips and suggestions on this topic). That being said, and moving froward, here’s what’s important to remember: START SOMEWHERE. So let’s start with the lunch itself and ways to eliminate the need for a garbage can. Continue reading →

Posted by Amber at 7:56 am

Labels: green living, kitchen tips, lunch.

6 Comments

Emily @ Recipes to Nourish August 24, 2015 at 12:01 pm
This is great Amber! Tons of great ideas. Thanks for all the time you put into sharing this with us. Thanks for sharing a link to my Real Food Lunchbox Ideas too! xo
Reply
- Amber August 24, 2015 at 12:11 pm
  My pleasure! Your post fit in just perfectly. Have a great week. xo
  Reply
Cristina @ I Say Nomato August 26, 2015 at 5:48 am
I love all of these! Lunchboxes and other lunch paraphernalia is SO cute. I’ve been eyeing those stainless steel ones for a while, but I never get them because we eat too many leftovers that require microwaving for lunch. This came at a great time, thanks!
Reply
- Amber August 26, 2015 at 10:36 am
  Hi Cristina. Thanks so much, glad the post offered some inspiration. I like to use a thermos for the kiddos for leftovers. I heat the food up in the morning on the stove and put it into the thermos container and it stays warm until ready to eat. Take care and thanks for stopping by today.
  Reply
  - Cristina @ I Say Nomato August 26, 2015 at 10:37 am
    ooooh that’s a great idea!
    Reply
    - Amber August 26, 2015 at 3:16 pm
      Yay! 🙂
      Reply

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

My Favorite Chicken Salad ~ With Apples and Fresh Tarragon

I flippen LOVE chicken salad. Especially with lots of add-ins. Oh the flavor and texture combination can be magnificent. And I am one who loves to mash food together. There are no boundaries between food on my plate. It’s a friendly place. I will mix everything together on my plate so each bite equally represents each food. That must be why I love things like chicken salad. Everything is nicely mixed together and I just love it. I can eat chicken salad for any meal (yes, even breakfast). I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s super easy and a fantastic way to use up that leftover chicken (see the notes section for additional add-ins).

Chicken Apple Salad with Fresh Tarragon

Ingredients:
-2 cups shredded chicken*
-1/2 cup dill pickle, small chop
-1/2 cup celery, chopped
-1/2 cup peeled apple, small chop
-1/3 cup diced red onion
-1/3 cup mayo ~ here or here , vegan or homemade vegan
-1 teaspoon Dijon or stone ground mustard (optional)
-1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
-1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
-1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried

How To:
1. To a bowl add in the above ingredients and mix.
2. Best if made 4 – 6 hours before serving.

Notes:
*The best way to “shred” chicken is in a food processor. Simply add in the two cups of chicken and give it a whirl. Personally, I like to cook chicken in the crock-pot, this makes it shred naturally. So I use leftover crock-pot chicken for my chicken salad. You could also used cubed chicken, it’s really up to you.
*There are endless possibilities with chicken salad. Here are some of my other favorite add-ins: sliced grapes, sweet yellow or red peppers, cucumber, hard boiled egg, radish, green onions, fresh dill, cashews, mango, slivered almonds, walnuts, kalamata olives, bacon, curry spice, or dried cranberries. Go crazy folks.

Posted by Amber at 2:51 am

Labels: allergy-friendly, dairy free, gluten free, lunch, snacks, summer cuisine.

3 Comments

Tessa Domestic Diva June 17, 2013 at 7:09 pm
I love crunchy/sweet combos in chicken salad…and I love your take on this! It is one of my favorite ways to use up my leftover roasted chicken meat!
Reply
Easy Natural Food June 19, 2013 at 3:50 am
Yummy, it sounds so good! I really love chicken salads like that too. I am pinning this to try 🙂
Reply
Dawn June 19, 2013 at 11:43 am
This recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing it.
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Friday, September 7, 2012

Mini Vegan Garden Pizzas (allergy-friendly, gluten free, dairy free)

Last weekend I wanted to make something fun for lunch. Pizza sounded good – garden pizza sounded GREAT. Although we have many more warm days ahead here in Northern California, I have been dreaming about my winter garden. So I picked some of our last tomatoes and zucchini and used them for mini pizza toppings. Some sweet pineapple rounded out the flavors perfectly. Beet cashews spread (beet “cheese” spread) was a delightful contrast with the pesto sauce. I hope you enjoy this fun little spin on traditional pizza – and what great way to use up your summer garden veggies.

Ingredients:

–Allergy-friendly pizza crust

-Pesto sauce here or here

-Cashew beet sauce (recipe can be found here)

-3 medium zucchinis, peeled, chopped and sauteed with salt

-2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced

-1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks

How To:

1. Make pizza dough as specified. Don’t be shy with the flour, as this will help you roll out the dough. Treat it like any other dough.

2. Roll out and use a cookie cutter to make the mini pizzas. Transfer to non-stick surface (such as a silicone mat). Place the mat directly on a cooling rack to bake or use something like this pizza rack with some parchment paper, and bake for 8 minutes (at 400 degrees).

3. After baking, remove crusts from mat and cool on the cooling rack (do not cool the pizzas on the mat, as moisture will form).

4. Build your pizzas and bake (directly on the cooling rack, no mat) for 8 – 10 minutes.

Serves 4

Shared on: Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Motivate Me Mondays, Monday Mania, Mealtime Monday, My Meatless Monday,Just Another Meatless Monday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursday, Keep It Real Thursdays, Pennywise Platter Thursdays,Wellness Weekend, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Friday Food, Whole Foods Friday

My Birthday Pot Luck Party Friday,

Posted by Amber at 2:46 am

Labels: dairy free, gluten free, lunch, summer cuisine, vegan, vegetarian.

19 Comments

Gabby @ the veggie nook September 7, 2012 at 4:07 am
These are adorable, such a fun way to mix up lunch! Mini food is always the best to eat 🙂
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:28 pm
  Thanks Gabby. The kids thought they were super fun.
  Reply
Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen September 7, 2012 at 4:13 pm
I love mini foods! It makes eating that much more fun! These are adorable!
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:28 pm
  Agreed Sarena – it’s nice to change things up once in a while. 🙂
  Reply
christine September 7, 2012 at 6:23 pm
such sweet little pizzas – finger type food always seems such fun, doesn’t it? whether you’re 5 or 55:)
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:29 pm
  Yes – any age can appreciate something fun and different. I know I always do.
  Reply
ella@lifeologia September 7, 2012 at 6:29 pm
What a great flavour combo!!! And I love the little individual portions – too cute ;D
xo
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:29 pm
  Thanks Ella. I’ll be sharing this week on Potluck Party. 🙂
  Reply
Laura September 7, 2012 at 6:34 pm
You are the garden vegetable queen! I wish we were neighbors so I could “borrow” your veggies 🙂 Thanks for another healthy and tasty recipe friend!
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:29 pm
  Ha, the garden vegetable queen – I’ll take it. Love that, Laura.
  Reply
Megan @ Allergy Free Alaska September 7, 2012 at 7:15 pm
These are super cute, Amber! Food is so much more fun when it’s in smaller- nicely put together portions!

Hope you have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Megan
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:30 pm
  Thanks Megan. You have a great weekend too.
  Reply
Shirley @ gfe September 7, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Oh, I love these, Amber! I love small bites, and pizza always wins out, but I love your healthy spin on these mini pizzas. 🙂

xo,
Shirley
Reply
- Amber September 7, 2012 at 11:30 pm
  Thanks Shirley. I hope you had a great trip. Can’t wait to hear all about it. 🙂
  Reply
Vicky September 8, 2012 at 12:03 am
These are so sweet! I love the toppings!
Reply
kellie@foodtoglow September 9, 2012 at 8:36 am
Cashew beet sauce: my life is now complete! Seriously, I love beets and it is great to find something that I have never seen before. Thanks 😀
Reply
glutenfreehappytummy.com September 10, 2012 at 3:20 am
oh. my. gosh that sounds AMAZING!! what a great lunch- there’s something so decadent about pizza:)
Reply
Cindy DG September 14, 2012 at 2:17 am
YUMMY! I hope you share this at Gluten Free Fridays 🙂 http://vegetarianmamma.com/glutenfree-fridays-recipe-party-5/ 🙂 Cindy
Reply
France@beyondthepeel December 1, 2012 at 6:23 pm
This look delicious. Who needs cheese anyway? Gorgeous Amber!
Reply

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter (Sunbutter)

I am deathly allergic to peanuts. It’s no fun to have an allergy but I’m so impressed with how far we’ve come with peanut allergy awareness. What a difference I’ve seen. I remember as a young child riding on an airplane and feeling so sick to my stomach at the very smell of the peanuts…and hungry because I was out of luck in the snack department. A few years later they started serving pretzels as an alternative to peanuts on flights. I don’t even think they give out peanuts anymore, do they? Skylar, my daughter, is not allergic to peanuts and I don’t know if my son Ethan has inherited this allergy? At any rate, we’ve been using sunbutter for quite some time as an alternative to peanut butter. It’s a nice change from the usual almond butter. I like this brand but don’t love the price and don’t love the plastic container. So I decided to make it myself. And you know what……SUPER EASY!!! Sky couldn’t even tell the difference between my homemade version and the store bought variety. And that’s all I needed to move into permanently making sunflower seed butter. Hooray!

gorgeous sunflower from my garden!

Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter

Ingredients:

-3 cups of organic raw sunflower seeds
-Pinch of salt (optional)

How To

1. Toast sunflower seeds for a bit until fragrant and slightly brown. Cool seeds.

2. Add the cooled seeds to a food processor and start blending; scrape down sides every minute or so for about 5 minutes.
3. After about 6 minutes the seeds will form a ball then become thinner as the oils in the seeds are released.
4. After about 8 minutes of processing you can add in a pinch of salt, but this is totally optional. It should be properly blended by this time. Store in class container in the refrigerator.
Yields 1 1/4 cups of sunbutter

I have a small, OLD food processor and it works great.

Just be sure to scrape down the sides a few times so the

mixture has contact with the blades.

Speaking of Sun…

It has been so gorgeous here in Northern California. Finally, finally, cool fall weather…although it’s supposed to be up near 90 degrees today, there is still a soft, clean feel to the air. I adore this time of year. Below are some pictures from around our yard. Wish I could just bottle up this weather.

Our neighbor’s lemon tree is showing some action!
They let me go over there whenever I have the need and pick to
my heart’s content.

Our other neighbor has a nice fig tree with a sizable
bunch hanging on our side of the fence!

So excited for these!

We still have watermelons to harvest!
We had quite the bounty this year.

Our tomato plant is out of control, but still providing

us with sweet, gorgeous cherry tomatoes.

Shared on: Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays, Lunch Box Love Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Potluck Party Back to School Recipes, Raw Foods Thursdays,, Wellness Weekend

Posted by Amber at 7:52 pm

Labels: allergy-friendly, dips and spreads, GAPS, lunch, nut free, Paleo, SCD, snacks, vegan.

12 Comments

KellyBelly November 5, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Hi
Would this recipe be easier in a Vita-mix? Or is there something about the food processor you like in getting it creamy or adding in the oil?
Also, where did you get your cute smiley spoons?
thanks
Reply
Amber November 6, 2011 at 12:19 am
Hi KellyBelly~

I think this would definitely work in a Vitamix. But I used my food processor first for two reasons:

1. The last time I tried to make a nut butter (with almonds) it didn’t work so well, so I had a bit of an aversion going into the sunflower butter process.

2. I only make one cup at a time so I thought it would be better incorporated in the food processor.

I would love it if you shared your experience in a Vitamix or other high speed blender. I’m sure it would work great. The food processor just worked so well for me that first time I didn’t bother trying anything else. I’m sure other readers would like to hear about your experience.

Aren’t those spoons adorable?! My mother-in-law actually gave those to the kids. She finds some really fun things on-line. I did a search and found a link for you:

http://www.wayfair.com/BergHOFF-International-Smiley-4-Piece-Flatware-Set-1204024-BGI1014.html?refid=FR49-BGI1014

*A product note: the paint popped out of the larger spoon’s eye (the yellow smiley face) after about a week of use. Bummer!

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply
Gigi @ Gluten Free Gigi January 18, 2012 at 4:25 am
Hi, Amber!
I had not found you until you made a comment on my site today… and now I can see your comment in the admin side, approved it, and not visible on the post. We’ll see if it clears up and appears by tomorrow.

I love your site, and am happy to find you! 🙂

I had to check out your how-tos… I love homemade sunbutter and just recently made a video for my you tube channel… I used a food processor for mine. I have a Blendtec and I prefer results with the regular food processor, to be quite honest. 🙂

Beautiful site. I’ll be back often!

xoxo,
Gigi 😉
Reply
Amber January 19, 2012 at 3:01 am
Hi Gigi,

Thanks for stopping by. Love your site too. I am definitely going to check out your video! And I agree about the food processor, love it.

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply
Leslie @ Real Food Freaks March 16, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Sun butter is great… just be aware that if you bake with it, it can turn your baked goods green! I made pancakes with it once and the next day when I took the leftovers out of the fridge, they were green… there’s some type of chemical reaction that occurs. Oh well, I think my oldest son preferred the green pancakes! 🙂
Reply
Amber March 16, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Hi Leslie,

Just in time for St. Pattie’s Day!

I have heard of this phenomenon! So interesting. My kids would love the green too.

Here’s a link that talks a little more about this interesting transformation: http://www.ochef.com/1267.htm

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy March 17, 2012 at 12:57 am
I think it’s baking soda that turns the sunflower seed butter green. I just made this tonight for the first time in my Vitamix! I made 2 cups worth. I didn’t measure the oil, but I used several TBSPs and probably should have use d alittle more. It wasn’t as creamy as I would’ve liked. I also added a touch of salt and some raw honey.
Reply
- Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) March 21, 2012 at 9:40 pm
  Hi Anne! Good to see you over here 🙂 I was wondering if you had ever made this, since it sounds fairly easy and probably worth the cost.
  I’m thinking of trying it out because I think I mayb be able to buy sunflower seeds cheaper than natural peanut butter here. But I’ve never tasted sunbutter before. Is it similar to peanut butter?
  Reply
- Amber March 22, 2012 at 12:00 am
  Hi Steph,
  
  Just chiming in here. Sunflower seed butter smells and tastes A LOT like peanut butter! Especially store bought. Homemade is less intense to me, as I’m allergic to peanut butter, therefore I very much enjoy the homemade version for this reason. And my kids can’t tell the difference.
  
  –Amber (from The Tasty Alternative)
  Reply
Amber March 17, 2012 at 1:10 am
Hi Anne,

Thanks for the tip. My food processor works great, but I might have to use my Vitamix one day too. And you’re right, from what I’ve read about the green, it is the baking soda. Suggestions include using less baking soda or add lemon juice to offset this chemical reaction.

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply
Tessa Domestic Diva March 21, 2012 at 2:32 am
I’ve been thinking to try my hand at this…afterall, i make my own coconut butter…it’s a logical next step! I kind of enjoy the green…I made a bar that turned BRIGHT green, like I had added food coloring, I loved it!
Reply
Amber March 22, 2012 at 12:11 am
Hi Tessa,

I think you’ll really enjoy homemade! And I agree, I LOVE the green.
Reply