BeeZee

I like grain salads, so I will cook them in diluted chicken stock and mix with whatever veggies need to be used. I had cut the broccoli into tiny florets and stem pieces, threw it in the pan with the barley for the last 2 minutes of cooking. It was good as a hot side as well as a room temp salad with the added vinegar.

Barley with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, crumbled feta. Made a larger batch, mixed with olive oil, added a tsp of red wine vinegar to each portion in the morning. I had cooked the barley in diluted chicken broth. Eaten at the desk, as you can see.

Huiray, the portuguese roll was like the 4th one across in the photos on your 2nd link, from Viera's bakery (that was in fact probably the source, since they are in NJ). It is a hearty roll with dense, yet moist crumb and a nice thick crust. Sturdy enough to hold up to any sandwich filling.

no pic, scarfed in the kitchen in the back of the office...whole wheat portuguese roll (split open, tore out part of the "guts"), mushed avocado into each half, topped with albacore tuna (from pouch, single serve) and a sliced roma tomato. Everything purchased from local supermarket at lunchtime for $3.49. Patting self on back for healthy and thrifty lunch!

I would think you could incorporate legume-based dishes...yes, they have carbohydrates but they are high in fiber and have a lower gylcemic index than "simple" carbs like white rice or pasta. I love lentils, for example...you can cook a batch, portion out and make cold salad (room temp) with viniagrette and some veggies, garnish with some feta if you like, or turn them into hearty soup.

They think that putting the phrase "serving suggestion" absolves them of any responsibility for the product in the box looking like the representation in the photo. I call that "sponge chicken" with it having 11% solution added... The only mainstream "healthy" frozen meals that I find the chicken texture acceptable in (it's in small chunks or strips) are the ones from Kashi. Plus a decent amount of veg.

fennel and orange salad, simple and refreshing after a weekend of heavy eating!

I have used soy milk without a problem, especially when it is a "minor player". Funny how you'll crave something more when it's off limits!

In central NJ, near Princeton. Power went out 9pm last night. Friend who lives about 10 miles away has power, so we are hanging out for a bit. Lots of downed branches, uprooted trees, power lines down or compromised by trees leaning on them. Scary driving around. My parents live 45 min south and lost power, my sister is an hour north and didn't. Wegmans supermarket near Princeton had power, so we got a hot lunch. Likely to be tuna sandwiches for dinner, and the yogurt before it goes bad in the un-powered fridge.

classic diced apple in tuna salad...fruit + fish, how can it be? but it works (particularly with granny smith apple, for more tartness) I wonder if it came out of a mash up in the 50's when someone had both waldorf salad and tuna salad on their plate!

Meatless Monday (actually, most days are meatless for me)...end of season eggplants from a co-worker's garden, baked with garlic/onion/green pepper. Ate it with some plain yogurt on top. Fresh eggplant is so sweet...sideways photo

Shel, I had good luck storing my beans tightly wrapped in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and stored in a screw-top glass container. Kept them fresh and fragrant. When I scraped the beans for a recipe that didn't require steeping the pod, I buried the used up pod in another glass jar with sugar, for vanilla scented sugar. If you like poached pears, they are really nice when made with a vanilla bean poaching liquid. I had bought my beans online from someone on Ebay that was recommended by several people in the "make your own extract" topic. The beans were plump and moist.

agree with grain or pasta salad, they hold up well for a while at room temp if the dressing is more of a vinegar base and it seems everyone will try a spoonful if it just has veggies and cheese

sweet: with cantaloupe (Mom's summertime lunch) savory: with chopped up grape tomatoes in between: with mango chutney

nope, unfortunately they are marketing chocolate-flavored cream cheese here in the States, too. I can't wrap my head around it.

Have bought the plain multigrain (lightly salted) twice and found them highly scarfable.

dang, I need a neighbor who "messes up" desserts like you do!

I've made the one in "The Perfect Scoop" and it fits the bill...I added broken cookies to mine to create the "crust" texture

tuna/avocado/chopped grape tomato salad + whole wheat pita and someone patiently waited for clean up duty

I have plans to make a watermelon "gazpacho" for a dinner in a couple of weeks...

not too photogenic (frankly, I'm not thinking about photos in the morning anyhow...) but I made overnight oatmeal/multigrain cereal, like muesli, with vanilla almond milk, a little maple syrup, cinnamon. Added a cut up apricot and toasted almonds before eating. A really nice thing to have in the fridge for a hot summer day...I think I may make a larger amount and portion/freeze for next week.

depends on the restaurant, one diner I go to uses kraut, one uses slaw. My opinion is that it needs kraut, or it is a turkey special with cheese. I do order the turkey varient (with kraut) because, like Calipoutine, I don't eat red meat.

I hosted brunch, since I'm just about midway between my sister's place and my parents. Mimosas to start...fresh bagels with smoked salmon, lox, and smoked whitefish spread (plus cream cheese). Sliced tomatoes. Made quick pickles with some "persian" cukes, which was the surprise hit. Also homemade chicken salad with a dressing made from half mayo, half greek yogurt, and a couple of spoons of dijon, with fresh tarragon. DH doesn't like smoked fish, so the chicken salad was my concession to him...when my family comes over for brunch, it's smoked fish all ways! Dessert was sliced strawberries tossed with a little vanilla sugar and mini sort of cheesecakes (made in muffin cups).

Wild "rice" isn't actually rice. yes, I realize it is a seed, but it is "rice-like" in its preparation, so I thought I could get some insight

What about wild rice? It seems to absorb even less water - I hadn't cooked it in forever, followed the directions on the package, and had a LOT of water sitting on the bottom of the pan. Cooking the equivalent of 3 portions or thereabouts.