Happy Halloween!

It's 16:55 here and we are just getting ready for our Trick & Treat. Soeren wants to be a pirate "Just like Captain Jack Sparrow!" Isn't that great!

Hope you all have a great time today!

Check out our cool pumpkins.

Pineapple, Plums and Apple Raisin Bar

Yaay! Weekend! I have to work though. Have to finish work on the new website for our software. It's all fun work though. Even though there is a lot to be done, I am enjoying it thoroughly!!

So, a quick announcement: Tuesday is a Bank Holiday here and the KIGA will be closed on Monday too. So the next lunch box will be on Wednesday. This will only be half a box as the English class missed on the Monday will be postponed to Wednesday.

I'll post our pumpkin pics on Tuesday though.

Today, Soeren got half a pumpkin seed roll spread with cream cheese and pesto alla genovese. Then a thin slice of Italian salami. On the side, cucumbers and tomatoes. Juicy and sweet chunks of pineapple and lovely plums make up the fruit container today. There is also plenty of fruit in the apple raisin bar.

Adult version:
Love it the way it is. Of course we get a whole roll.

Wish you all a happy weekend with those jack-o'-lanterns. Carve 'em well. If you're looking for some ideas check back on WFLH over the weekend.
See ya all on Tuesday with Halloween pics and on Wednesday with the regular lunchbox!

Ciao

Brilliant Brownies

We baked these lovely brownies yesterday. It was a bit chaotic with Soeren though. I kind of crossed myself three times that the kitchen did not look much worse than it did. Normally we have a great time when we bake together. Yesterday, his hands were all over the place and he wanted to do everything at once. Boy was I glad it was over.

Today my best friend came and picked him up and took Soeren and her own daughter Cosima to the park for a few hours. We had temperatures that were 25 degress celsius!!!! I had a few hours and took a long hot shower and cleaned up the place. I'll be glad when my current project is completed. Phew!!

So it was brownies (recipe is a special post in the first week of November on WFLH) double portion for the box today. Then he wanted something simple and easy - leberwurst on rye bread was his pick. A couple slicesof cucumbers and a tomato. Crunchy apples and juicy kiwis for the fruity picks today. Treats were some lovely raisins.

Adult Variation:
Got a little surprise for you. What do you think? Should we do lunch?

Vegie Sticks and These Eyes ...

Phew! It was just one of those days that I am happy has an end to it. Too much happening and trying to make it happen all at once is not easy. To add to it Soeren was a bag of wildness and just could not stay put. Hands and fingers everywhere, 100 questions a minute and running around 100 miles an hour!! I guess getting him to bake brownies with me was not the perfect way to keep him put. I won't go into it ... I was glad that the neighbor's kids came around and her went off to play for an hour.

Maybe it was the vegie sticks that gave him all that extra power. The lunchbox was packed today. Two of those really tasty vegie sticks, with a rye bread sandwich of cream cheese. A container filled with plums, a banana and some cranberries. In the back we have Apple Strudel from our bakery. I got a huge thumbs up for this one today.

Here he is:



Don't let these eyes fool you. There is plenty of cheek behind the innocence!

Adult Variation:
Adding the sticks into a roll and then spreading some hot sauce on it would make it really delicious. If you have another free container then take a bit of vanilla sauce with the apple strudel or if you can treat yourself to a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

For all those who emailed and requested the recipe for the pesto spirals mentioned here is now up on WFLH.

I am off to hit the bath tub and relax. Take it easy.

Wraps, Grapes and Jam Buns

Are we having a storm outside today! WOW! But we were lucky to have a bit of a nice break in between and Soeren and I went for a nice walk this afternoon. We were so lucky to catch not one but two rainbows. Spectacular and I was so happy that I had my camera along. You guys get the first sneak peak at the shot.



The lunchbox was just as colorful as the rainbows above. Wraps! Tortilla filled with bacon, onion, veggies and eggs, spread with sour cream and a bit of ketchup. Sour cream on the side. Double portion of grapes as we have not had grapes for a couple of weeks now. Then at the back a jam filled bun called "Berliner". We call them Donuts! LOL!

Adult Variation:
Perfect. Just take the whole wrap instead of half and use a spicy salsa or chili sauce instead of the ketchup.
Enjoy!

Two boxes

Today I owe two lunchboxes. Friday was chaotic and the weekend was hectic and a bit depressing. Hectic because Tom's brother is finally moving out of the parents nest and into an apartment of his own and needs to decorate his place. So we spent a greater part of Saturday at Ikea and a part of Sunday setting the stuff we bought up. Depressed because it was Diwali weekend for all Indians and I kind of felt so out of touch with it all. Being in Germany I am probably one of the very rare Indians living in Weimar and such celebrations are never really celebrated. I was on my own and my thoughts were of how out of touch I was getting with all things Indian. I have not been back to India in something like 15 years and ever since leaving Qatar (where we still had a bit of the Indian lifestyle) I miss it even more. It's funny as I get older I realize more and more ho out of touch I am with my roots. The occasional Hindi film does not always cut it anymore.

I also have my thoughts if I will be able to offer Soeren anything about his Indian roots.

So, with all these things happening Friday's lunchbox kind of went under. Above is the picture. A lovely roll made with cheese, sunflower seeds and bacon bits simply spread with herb flavored cream cheese. A few cucumbers on the side. A raisin bun spread with butter and honey and a double portion of juicy Melon.



Being a Monday, today's was only half filled due to the new times in English classes.

So, it was Apples from Grandmum's trees and the last of great grandmum's plum cake. Phew!

Adult Variation:
The whole lot in one lunch box would work well, wouldn't it? Hope you enjoy your week. I have a ton of work, how about you?

Honey Pomelo, Flap Jacks and Stracciatella Yoghurt

Sorry about posting this a little later than usual. Blogger was giving me a run around and I just could not get anything up.

So as they say better late than never.

Our Fall/Halloween decorations are just about done. Only the pumpkins need carving and that we'll do a few days before Halloween.

The lunchbox looks great. I bought a lovely rye bread and spread it with natural cream cheese and butter cheese slices. With that Soeren added half a wiener sausage and we cut up a few carrot sticks. I'll go straight to the treats now - those are the most fantastic Flap Jacks I have ever sunk my teeth into. Nutty, gooey and chocolatey. I got them here. Then we have sweet and juicy Honey Pomelo chunks. The yoghurt is a natural one with chocolate chips and really tastes amazing.

Adult Variation:
I am keeping this one. If you can try warming the wiener in the office/university microwave. Simply take a container, fill it with water and put the wiener in the water, then nuke in for a few. This with the roll and a bit of mustard is often a very German style quick lunch to go.

Sesame bagel, Papaya and Plums

We are in the middle of making some Halloween decorations folks. Have you already started? It would be cool if you all shared your ideas with us too. Just leave a comment with the link to your Halloween decoration post on your blog. We'd all love to see what you have been up to. As for us we'll probably be posting a few pics of our pumpkins sometime next week.

We got some lovely bagels covered with sesame seeds. Spread that with herb flavored cream cheese and add some honey roasted ham. To go with that two cherry tomatoes. Half a papaya, which was juicy and sweet that I regretted I only got one. Plums galore with plums - still going strong from grandmother and plum cake from great grandmother!! I will be putting an end to all these plums though. It's taking effect on all of us LOL!

Adult Variation:
Add a few rucola leaves and a bit of your fave sweet relish to the bagel. Enjoy it with a cup of Espresso for an extra kick to the day. If you can get vanilla ice-cream then I would suggest having a portion of it with that cake.

Cheese Sandwiches, Cake, Pears and Plums

Are you all having fantastic weather too? We've been enjoying a real beautiful Fall so far. However, it will be all coming to an end. This week the weather is supposed to get worse BooHoo!

It's also funny! This year I have been intensively taking pictures of the world around me and through my eyes and I notice so much more than I did previously. It's not like I did not photograph before but when I invested in my DSLR in Spring, it opened new doors and I've become more daring to try new subjects.

Soeren has always been my fave subject, but now I am trying different angles and just playing around with several perspectives. I love it when that happens. Re-discovering yourself.

We've got a full lunchbox today. Cheese sandwiches on simple rye bread. German style sausage in a bear shape. Plums from Grandma's plum trees, chocolate cake from great grandma and a few organic pears.

Adult Variation:
Cheese and thick sausage sandwiches are a totally delicious combination. Spread this with some sweet mustard and you have a great German style sandwich. Hope you enjoy the rest.
Time for Desperate Housewives!!!

Half a box!

We've got only half a lunchbox today folks. This will become a regular thing on Mondays as of today. Soeren's English class has been pushed up form 08:30 to 08:00. This is the time Soeren normally arrives at KIGA and has breakfast (the first part of his lunchbox) with his group. Now he'll be having a larger breakfast at home on Monday instead of at the KIGA.

The weekend was great. Party, food, friends and family. Everything for a great weekend. The Onion market/festival I told you about was great. Great bands this year. Also Tom's mum's Birthday yesterday was good too. A lot to eat.

The lunchbox today contains the afternoon snack. Juicy orange wedges and a slice of one of three cakes Soeren's great grandmother baked for his grandmother's birthday. Got that ;-)! An apple raisin and almond cake. It is made with apples from the family garden and boy it tastes brilliant. We brought back many pieces of the cakes and you'll be able to see this week as I add some to Soeren's box.

Adult Variation:
I'm not changing this. Just want you all to have a great start.

Carrots

Friday!! Yaaay! It's going to be a pretty awesome weekend. Tom's mum celebrates her birthday - I'll be driving Soeren there today. We'll follow tomorrow afternoon. This is due to the Onion festival, which is held every year in Weimar. This takes place each year on the second October weekend. The whole town is filled with autumn colored stalls. One can sip wine and eat through all of the goodies on offer. It is called the onion festival (in German "Zwiebelmarkt") because it celebrates the harvest of fruit and vegetables. It dates back to 1653, when it was mentioned for the first time. It got it's name due to the lovely bouquets the farmers' wives made from the onions and garlic. This year it marks 353 years!!

Every year the Onion festival is also highlighted with the City Marathon. And every year Tom and his University team take part. The festival takes place over the entire weekend and there is so much happening that one just does not know where to go. In the last few years it has become a real tourist attraction and Weimar City becomes a place where you do not want to be caught with a car. Busloads of tourists are brought into the city cramming the small quaint streets.

For us who live in Weimar, we always visit on Friday evenings as it is still more or less tourist free!! They come on Saturday/Sunday.

Now to the lunchbox: I realized after I finished the lunchbox today that the carrot has a very prominent presence. The bread is from a gorgeous carrot/pumpkin seed loaf. If you look closely you can see bits of carrots in it. I spread this with plain cream cheese. The scrambled eggs are made with cheese, peas and grated carrots and there are a few carrot slices for good measure. The fruits are plentiful too - mangoes, peaches and pears. Where are the pears? you ask. In that luscious Canadian Pear and chocolate cake.

Adult Variation:
No changes to this one today. It would be a real shame. If you like a bit of ham or bacon in the eggs you can always throw a handful, but it also tastes great the way it is.

Have a fab weekend, folks!!

Mini Cake & Wild Garlic and Bacon Ciabatta

I arrived just in time at my bakery yesterday. Just as they were taking out a batch of freshly baked rolls from the oven. At closer look I noticed these were the gorgeous wild garlic and bacon ciabattas that are very difficult to get as they literally disappear as soon as they are baked.

I was glad I managed to get a bagful. A few for dinner and one for the lunchbox.

The ciabatta is spred with butter and a slice of Gouda cheese. I slice some cucumbers and added them into the roll too. It might simple but with the flavors of the wild garlic and bacon it harmonizes perfectly. I also thought I'd treat Soeren to a chocolate chip mini loaf. They are so cute and perfect for the lunchbox. To cover the fruit today we have juicy grapes and crunchy apples.

Adult Variation:
I'm going to keep it the way it is today. Try and getting your hands on a similar type roll if possible. Otherswise go for a dark rool and add a few bacon chunks into the sandwich yourself. Top of with a few herbs and I am sure you will have a gorgeous sandwich.
Have a great morning, afternoon, evening or night - where ever you are in the World.

Giving Thanks

As I mentioned yesterday, Soeren's KIGA had their Thanksgiving festival today. We were all supposed to bring a colorful basket filled with food that represented the season. They do this every year and the whole day is spent doing great and fun things to welcome the Autumn season. Soeren made me a crown decorated with colorful dried maple leaves. He said to me "You are my autumn princess!" CUTE!

This was our basket that we brought to give thanks. Carrots, corn, apples, a pear and a bell pepper! Colorful and healthy!!



The lunchbox was also packed with wonderful stuff. A slice of the healthy rye, flax, sesame seed bread spread with leberwurst and a few cherry tomatoes. A mixture of fresh and dried fruit accompanied the lunchbox today. Fresh plums and dried raisins and cranberries. Last but not least a wonderful chocolate croissant.

Adult Variation:
If you do not like the leberwurst then try a fish pate! I made one the other day and it was lovely. Recipe will be available on WFLH? at some point in the future.

Yoghurt with Pineapple

We're getting ready for the Thanksgiving festival at the KIGA tomorrow. In Gemany it is called "Erntedankfest" and is celebrated in October, but not like it is in the US. We are supposed to bring a basket filled with thanksgiving treats. We'll be filling ours with fruits and vegies of the season.
I'll share the pictures with you tomorrow.

As for today we have our lovely and favorite bread "Bernd" spread with cream cheese and mortadella. A few cucumber slices to go along with it. A lovely and really juicy peach and a plain yoghurt with pineapple chunks. To top the lunchbox off a quick homemade almond cake with vanilla pudding filling. Scrumptious to the last piece!

Adult Variation:
I'd like to recommend a nice salad with the sandwich. Carrots are available plentiful and so is Kohlrabi, so try grating these into a salad. Add a few apple chunks. Now pour a vinaigrette made with raspberry vinegar and voila a nice healthy autumn salad.
Enjoy the lovely colors of the season folks!

I've got to get back to work.

Papaya and a huge workload

Golly I am not even back a week and I have a huge workload to finish. But it is fun work as I am writing a new documentation for our new software. I enjoy this work as I can create the images and design the documentation as well as write the text. My boss is really cool and allows me to put my creativity to full use. What's more he is also game for my crazy ideas!!

So, I will have to make this a short one folks. In the meantime you can enjoy the photos and stories of a part of our Greek Vacation.

I used some lovely Finnish bread after toasting it slightly I spread some cream cheese and two slices of Italian prosciutto. Also I slices some cherry tomatoes and added those too. The last of the rich chocolate cakes with a cream filling goes in for my sweet tooth. To balance this a container full of fruit - papaya and grapes. The bell peppers add more vitamins to the day!

Adult Variation:
To be honest my lunch today looked very similar. I just omitted the cake. Instead I had a larger portion of the papaya. I will leave that decision up to you. Hope you have a good start to your week.

After the Vacation

So here we are again back to fixing lunchboxes after a lovely vacation. It was brilliant. We had great weather throughout our stay and the hotel was superb. A private beach with the a gorgeous colored sea. The pools were brilliant and the food was to die for.

Soeren enjoyed every minute and spent most of his time in the water. He made a few friends too. But I saw a new side of Soeren. He met a girl called Vanessa (5 years) and was in complete awe of her. He spent some of his time following her around. She really liked him too but I guess at one point it got too much for her because one evening at the kiddie disco she pushed Soeren. I saw the look on his face as he fell. It really broke my heart to see it. It was pure and innocent disappointment. I had to muster up my courage NOT to go running to him as I think he needs to solve such situations himself. He got up and although was disappointed he just carried on dancing. Another little lady put the smile back on his face when she hugged and kissed him.

As we were getting ready for bed that evening I asked him if he had a good time. He said he did. I asked about Vanessa and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "It did not hurt me!" My brave boy. The next day both were friends again and spent the day on the beach building castles.

Before we sign off for the weekend here is today's. A lovely soft rye roll packed with flax and sesame seeds. I spread this with cream cheese and a slice of pork roast and ooppps how did that lettuce leaf get in there ;-). Two ripe cherry tomatoes go in too. A few Greek, sweet and juicy grapes. Does anyone know the drink Actimel from Danone? Well there newest product is Actimel yoghurt and Soeren loved the drink and got one almost every morning at breakfast. The yoghurt tastes totally delicious too. That is what he got today with a few vanilla cereal squares and a Nougat roll/newton.

Adult Variation:
Of course an entire roll instead of just half and I also recommend a sweet and spicy relish on the pork roast slices. A tomato salad would go well with this too. The rest we can keep the way it is.

Happy Weekend and I hope to share a few more pictures of our vacation in the coming week.

Colors of Greece

Hi everyone!

We're back after a wonderful week in Greece. It was FANTASTIC! More to come in the next few days so make sure you stay tuned.

I came home to a lovely surprise, to which I am very thankful.

Hope you all missed us! We'll be back with our regular lunchboxes as of tomorrow plus vacation photos.