Pea Mail: Winging It, Lunch Edition
We are literally pooped and had a day full of errands and laundry (for obvious reasons), so I thought today would be a great day to pick up with Part II of reader Jessica’s question.
You may want to see the previous Pea Mail posts to bring yourself up to speed:
Here again is Jessica’s eloquent and flattery-filled question (as all questions should be…):
Hey Mama Pea,
Love your blog! You make so many wonderful recipes and I was wondering if you plan them all out or if some days you just wing it. Which also leads me to wonder what ingredients you keep on hand at all times for the “winging it” days. Could you maybe do a post on the essential items?Please and thank you,Jessica
Today’s post: LUNCH
In fairness, I should tell you that the lines between breakfast #1, breakfast #2 and lunch is pretty blurred in our household, much like the line between which words make you indebted to the Swear Jar and those you can say with reckless abandon (apparently, “crap” is cool, or else I owe the girls $7). So if this answer seems a bit repetitive in spots, you are probably right (but that doesn’t make me wrong).
One of our errands this morning was a trip to Trader Joe’s, which meant I could show you a good chunk of our haul and multitask by using it as a photo op.
Here we have representatives from many of the following lunch categories:
*Open the package: veggie dogs, veggie burgers, organic spaghetti o’s, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat pitas, canned soups, canned beans, pizza sauce, vegan cheese, salsa, hummus. We turn these into quick, hot meals, either heating them up or putting together simple combos like bean burritos, crack wraps or pita pizzas.
*Make a Sandwich: Ezekiel bread, whole wheat sandwich thins, whole wheat bagels, chickpeas, peanut butter, almond butter, jelly, banana slices, Tofutti, hummus, Veganaise, mustard, cucumber, tomato, pickles, spinach and other vegetable toppings. About 50% of the time, the girls have a sandwich of some kind of another, for Lulu to then take apart and eat only the filling out of. Some obvious choices are bagels and Tofutti, peanut butter and jelly, or mashed chickpeas with Veganaise, mustard, chopped pickles and chopped celery. Today Gigi decided to show you her favorite:
Gigi’s Turkey Sandwich Without the Turkey
Serves 1 hungry ballerina/Supergirl/untimely Virgin Mary
- 1 whole wheat Sandwich Thin
- 2 T. hummus
- 1 t. Veganaise
- 1 t. yellow mustard
- cucumber slices
- pickle slices
- organic tomato slices
- organic baby spinach leaves
Spread Sandwich Thin with condiments and then top with veggies,
tasting as you see fit.
Amen.
*Serve On the Side: soy yogurt, cut up carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, apple or banana slices with peanut butter and/or cinnamon, organic peanut butter crackers, organic wheat crackers with hummus or almond butter
*Make a Salad: if you think I eat a salad pretty much everyday for lunch, you are right.
But it isn’t just lettuce, it is a Hugh Jass salad, comprised of:
- veggies: organic spinach, kale, sprouts, carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, bell peppers, pickles
- proteins: meatless meatballs, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, tofurky sausages, tofu, tempeh, beans
- fats: hummus, vegan cheese, nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts), sunflower seeds, olives, avocado, olive oil
- extras: Braggs Liquid Aminos, lemon or lime juice, dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, apricots), stevia, salt and pepper, homemade croutons, nutritional yeast, organic barbecue sauce
*Other Miscellaneous Lunches: 1) leftovers, such as:
- Black Bean Burgers
- Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas
- Spicy African Peanut Soup
- Protein-Packed Falafels w/Vegan Tzatziki
- Jambalaya
- Anytime Cookies (they are called “Anytime” for a reason);
Generally I’ll make extra servings of our dinners and Pea Daddy will take take the leftovers to work to heat up in the microwave and hear his co-workers say, “For the love of Pete, what is that?!”; or
2) smoothies made with:
- frozen bananas, strawberries, pineapple, mango, cherries, blackberries
- almond milk, soy milk, apple juice, pineapple juice, coconut milk
- spinach, brown rice protein, flax seeds, chia seeds, xanthan and guar gum
The girls usually have a smoothie the other 50% of the time that they aren’t having sandwiches and many days they have both. It’s a wonder they manage to survive on a quasi-vegan diet. 
That’s essentially how we make a makeshift meatless mid-day meal! I hope that gives you some ideas (because really you couldn’t have come up with PB&J on your own…expect to see that one in print). I have two more Pea Mail questions in the works, including one on Dinners (keep up, will ya?) and Supplements. I’m now going to supplement my evening with some careful spot treatment work. If yesterday was a crap day, today was a pisser.
Perhaps a Pea Mail post on stain removal should be on the agenda as well.
i love your mail editions. except this one made me so sad that there is not a trader joe’s near me. and i SO admire gigi eating the tomato slices like a cookie. dude.. what kid does that? your kid, that’s who.
is that really your child in the mailbox?! thats freakin adorable!
Nope, it’s a Google image. Word is it’s a fake baby put in there to freak out the mailman. How hilarious would that be? You’d really need some “Urine Be Gone” then.
I thought you didn’t like mayo/Veganaise? It looks like maybe you were converted! The reduced fat yellow label Veganise is good! I prefer it I think to the full fat b/c the consistency for mixing is better for me.
Eating the same things….I have posted before that I call this a groove, not a rut. Despite it being a bit redundant for blog-material. Which, btw, your blog is never! redundant on the eats. But when you find what works, it’s pretty much a version on a theme. For me at least.
Nope, I still don’t like mayo, vegan or not. But the girls and Pea Daddy do, so I included it.
Love your Hugh Jass salads!!! I plan many of my meals in the same fashion. Gigi’s sandwich looks good, but I’d throw some Tofurky on it!
Jenn
Thank you for continuing the Winging It series. The breakfast edition was great and this one didn’t disappoint either. By the way, I made your Tropical Nut Oaties and the entire batch was gone in ONE day! Granted, I took them to work to share with my co-workers like a nice girl. Batch number 2 coming right up!
Yum, yum! I, too, pretty much eat a salad for lunch every day. I mean, I gotta get my veggie fix somehow. Gigi’s sandwich looks pretty rockin’ too.
Barbecue sauce!!! I have been lacking creative salad add-ins lately, but I think I have found redemption. Homemade croutons are another one I’ve never done. Thanks! Sometimes certain staples disappear from the rotation for no good reason.
Ha, I hope tomorrow is an expansion on the last photo!
I want to make Gigi’s sandwich! That looks great! I always forget about the pickles
Great post!! It’s always awesome to see how healthy bloggers of all lifestyles handle being on the go, and I also love seeing Gigi at her sandwich making station. Happy Friday, doll!
Great choices! I could munch a massive salad+smoothie every day for lunch. The options are endless
My boys are out of school for the summer…I know exactly what you mean on 1st and 2nd breakfast. Seriously…none of us on the same schedule with this stuff! Drives me crazy! We keep lunch simple here. We are a sandwich, salad and leftover kind of family for lunches for ease and convenience! I love having my boys in the kitchen too! The youngest one actually loves it. The oldest one…not so much. I think it is important to know your way around the kitchen though…I don’t want them to leave the house and not know how to do anything in the kitchen! I hope your day is mostly poo free!
I love big salads for lunch. I usually call them “leftover salads” because whatever I had for dinner the night before, I throw on the salad
I made the tofu ricotta gnocchi last night. Turned out great! It took some time to make, but it was a lot of fun. I did have to add a lot more flour to make it workable, but otherwise the recipe was fabulous. Thanks for another great recipe!
I noticed from the comment above that you don’t like mayonnaise. Yay – I love it when other people join my mayo-hating bandwagon. I’ve hated mayo my entire life (although I will eat aioli if it is highly seasoned). The only condiment that I dislike more than mayo is ketchup. My condiments are mainly limited to mustard, barbecue sauce, and pickle relish.
Love these posts, can’t wait for dinner. We do “whatever” nights (and breakfast and lunch are always “whatever” in our household, so I totally relate to “winging” it!!
There is just something easy and satisfying in everyone having what they please using quick and easy throw together meals. With kids, this is the only way to get through the week sane
Weird dizzy feeling? check. Pee on a stick? check. Freak out? check. Dr appt? 3 weeks away are you kidding me? I have to wait 3 weeks to tell my family?? ugh..check. Ok I’ll tell MP and all her readers. They won’t rat me out.
Ryan says he wants 2 little brothers. Check? NO way.
Shut up! Are you kidding?! Shut up! I’m emailing you…
turkeyless turkey sandwich…thats so great! hahahaa
i LOVE huge jass salads and must try bbq sauce as a topper! I love that idea! esp in teh summer…bbq chicken salads are SO good!
“For pet or people accidents.” Oh Lord.
LMAO I went to a taping of Jimmy Kimmel and they gave out UrineGone.
Suddenly I’ve become responsible for two adorable kids (aka THE BABYSITTER) and I need to feed them meals so thanks for these posts, it helps me be more creative for them.
Conner would always ask for a turkey sandwich with no turkey, no bread and not mustard. When I asked him if he meant he wanted a slice of cheese, he said no a turkey sandwich.
That sandwich Gigi is making looks so good! Gotta try that one out.
I love all of the good, nutritious foods your girls eat. I plan to introduce veggies, hummus, and whole grains right from the start. Kids eat what they know, and if they no nothing but good food, that’s what they’ll eat! (At least until they start school and are introduced to all sorts of other things!)
I spy rice protein powder in the shopping spree. Did you get that at Trader Joe’s? I have been looking for some vanilla-rice protein powder, possibly cheaper than Jay Robb. Although, I love it soo much, it’s probably worth it to me.
Hey Paula, it’s just Nutribiotic. I buy the 3 lb. tub off of Vitacost.com, and it’s about the same as a 1 lb. container of Jay Robb. I don’t think it tastes all that much different.
oh my gosh, the urine gone is hilarious! i need to try a crack wrap…i’ve never had one but you always make them look so good!
Mama Pea, I made a humus wrap today and grilled it on the foreman, and I’m forever indebted to you. My new favorite for lunch, and now I won’t be tempted to buy everyday. THANKS!
I practically eat salads every day for lunch too. They never get boring because there are simply so many amazing toppings to be piled on. Yum!
Your girls are so lucky to be eating such healthy foods at such a young age.
Great tips! Love sandwiches and salads looks yummy! It would be so much fun going grocery shopping with you! We could get into a lot of trouble
I love your Pea Mail graphic.
I love random salads for lunch too. And the huge blob of hummus is a constant on it.
I’m incredibly jealous of that ginormous tub of Sabra goodness. Sam’s club only has 1 pound tubs. They should know better – those only last about 3 days around here!
I really like those Smart Dogs from TJ’s too; lately they’ve satisfied a craving for that childhood flavor but in a much healthier way. I nuke one or two and eat with a bit of mustard, or sometimes I heat them and slice up into a salad- a little weird combination but it makes a great protein.
I’ve seen those meatless meatballs but never tried; been craving spaghetti squash and meatballs without the heavy meat- will definitely pick them up next week!
Have a nice Memorial Day weekend!
Cool post! Thanks so much for sharing
haha awesome. Hummus is definitely a must have staple!! I make big batches and keep the going for a week if possible (usually devoured long before originally intended).
as seen on tv: that product must work!
oh my gosh, the urine gone is hilarious! i need to try a crack wrap…i’ve never had one but you always make them look so good!
I have to concur with a lot of the readers and say, I am beyond impressed with the amount of veggies and healthy goodies the girls consume.
You are setting them up for a fantastically healthy future!!! We are using your blog for inspiration in our house, little by little!
See, who would have thought that blenders could be used for things other than margaritas? Go figure !!!!