kitty, curtains and quinoa

I noticed that kitty is having trouble getting a good day's rest in my bed.  I figured it may be due to all the light that's streaming though the nearby window.

So I sewed curtains for our bedroom out of this great fabric adorned with orange birdies.  (Fabric is Dolce by Tanya Whelan)

Kitty loves his new curtains.  Photos coming as soon as the sun comes out.  In the meantime, It's Monday so my kiddos are home and we're off to our favorite hiking trail in the park.

On an unrelated note, for the past year I have cut down on my meat consumption by not eating meat for breakfast or lunch.  I've been trying to come up with quick, healthy and yummy meat free meals.  We eat lots of beans and rice + roasted veggies.  I also eat eggs on whole wheat toast + salad.  I recently discovered (quite by accident) that a thinned down hummus makes a thick and creamy salad dressing full of fiber and protein.  Just blend a can of garbanzo beans with its liquid, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove + salt and pepper until smooth and pour over your favorite salad.

Above is our lunch of quinoa cooked in chicken broth + stir fried napa cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, onions and garlic.  Quinoa is a healthy substitute for rice and the cabbage mixture is my version of a deconstructed egg roll - all the filling without any of the wrapping or frying.  I'd love to hear about your quick and meat free go-to lunches.

Happy Monday to you!

Comments

[Jodi]

I've only recently been using quinoa. I think my favorite lunch is tabouli salad. I love this so much, but without a fresh supply of parsley anymore, lunches just won't be the same. I yanked the last of it from my garden yesterday.

[Imene]

I love quinoa. I've been using it in so many different ways, my favorite being the chicken, cranberry and quinoa salad. Yum !!

[gardenmama]

such sweet curtain fabric, i can see why kitten likes it with the birds on it : )
we love tofu pups - veggie burgers - for lunches... with lots of good veggie toppings.

[Andrea]

Love eveything in this post but I am extremely curious about that dressing. I am going to go to my pantry right now and see if I have the ingredients to make it. Thanks so much for the recipe. I hope you and your kiddos had a wonderful day hiking and being together.

[dani@little fists]

Oh, I'm trying the dressing and I love that quinoa-cabbage mix.

I do left-overs for lunch, which usually involve meat. But sometimes a simple bowl of black beans with pico and sour cream fits the bill.

Or a new favorite: corn tortilla with refried black beans and red peppers/red onions. And a bit of sour cream, of course.

[Stephanie]

I love the cabbage mix, great idea. We eat lots of hummus for lunch, it seems to be a staple in our house, and soups are also big at lunch time these cooler days... broccoli and cheese or tomato soup are favorites.
That fabric is very pretty, if I were a cat I'd think they were just purrrfect!!! :)

[christina]

Oh, I love quinoa! And it looks like your curtains are beautiful!

[Gale]

That lunch looks good. I eat this recipe a lot: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Shrimp-Corn-and-Black-Bean-Tostada-Salad-101248
Without the shrimp or the chips. After years of making this, I only use a dash of olive oil, and a lot of lime gets squeezed on before eating. A can of corn also does the trick when you don't feel like grilling it.

[Amy]

I own a box of quinoa, but I never get around to using it. (I have been skipping the starch - apparently, last night meatloaf - which did have bread crumbs - & snow peas. In the past there would have been a potato accompanyment too.)

Monday through Friday Lunch without fail - 1 serving of cheese, 1 apple, carrot & celery sticks & hummus. (Breakfast is almost always plain oatmeal.)

[Jenny]

I've been doing the very same thing!

We've been having oatmeal for lunch the past couple of weeks. I buy the Maple and Brown Sugar instant, and then add either 3T pumpkin puree or 1/2 an apple, cubed, sprinkled with cinnamon and microwaved for 90 seconds. Both versions leave me feeling VERY full and the kiddo loves to help.

Homemade Egg McMuffins are a big hit too - Microwave a beaten egg in a ramekin for 45 seconds at a time until done; toast an english muffin and let the hot eggs and muffin melt a slice of cheese. I sometimes add a slice of tomato for good measure.

[Plain and Joyful Living]

Adorable fabric for the curtains.
We eat very little meat as well - just local organic on occasion.
For lunches we have grilled cheese, homemade soups, egg salad, nothing too fancy.
Nice to visit here.
Warm wishes, Tonya

[MrPuffy]

Hiking followed by good grub in a cozy home ~ lucky kiddos :)

[Lisa Q]

kitty will love the new curtains for sure...especially with the luring birds on them. I'm getting ready to make a new curtain for my downstairs window and I'm using the green, khaki striped home dec fabric that you sent me. It is perfect with my couch and wall color! Don't you love it when that happens?! I've never tried quinoa...I need to put that on my shopping list.

[Ruth]

Your lunch looks so yummy. I have yet to try quinoa~I have been wanting but forget to pick it up when I'm at the grocery store.

Ruth

[Nancy]

That hummus dressing sounds delish--I can't wait to try it.

Meatless--I do like to eat eggs. I have a thick, rich tomato sauce that I cook up sometimes and I'll eat the leftovers with a small omelet and spinach. So that's my go-to 'meatless' meal--I guess eggs are meatless, right?

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