First, I need to let you know that I cried in the school parking lot this morning after dropping off my way-to-little-to-be-in-kindergaren-but-really-she’s-almost-six daughter. I’m not one that cries easily, but watching her be simultaneously brave, nervous and excited while walking into a class room, finding her own locker and then her own chair while wearing clothes that she chose, hair she fixed herself and shiny white sneaker was enough to make the tears come. Sigh.
Okay, back to food. Food isn’t making me cry today…
I’ve blogged before about our Buddha Bowl dinners inspired by Kris Carr’s Buddha Bowls in Crazy Sexy Diet. They’ve become a weekly meal in my little lively kitchen. Every Monday I pull out the rice cooker and chop up whatever veggies I have on hand. My ‘recipe,’ if you will, is something like this:
Grain:
Brown Rice or Quinoa
Vegetables- any combination of the following:
- celery
- carrots
- broccoli
- red peppers
- onions
- green beans (my kids prefer them roasted)
- mushrooms
- kale, sliced finely
- spinach, sliced
- zucchini
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Liquid Aminos
- Namu Shoyu (or soy sauce)
- Gomasio
- Chopped peanuts and/or cashews
Lately the husband and I make a big stir-fry with the vegetables and then stir in a couple of beaten eggs and the rice to make a fried rice of sorts.
My kindergartener (sniff sniff) makes her plate.
The husband or I make up my still-at-home little guy’s plate. He doesn’t eat as many vegetables as his sister, so we have to add a few other things to his plate. In the picture below he has a yogurt and a nut-based ‘dough ball’ from this recipe at Oh She Glows.
I used to make a big pot of veggie soup every Monday in efforts to detox a little from the typical heavier-than-normal eating from the weekend and use up some of the produce in the fridge, but with the unrelenting summer here, soup is a little too warming to eat now. The Buddha Bowls have served the same purpose – lots of produce, clean ingredients and a night of the week where I don’t have to wonder what’s for dinner.
Tonight, even though it’s Monday and that should mean Buddha Bowl night, we are having a special dinner (chosen by the school girl herself) to celebrate the first day of school. I’m hoping to blog about her special day of food for this week’s What I Ate Wednesday.
Any of you sending off your babes to school today?
Hi Michelle,
Thanks!
YES! Our 3rd grader started school today and our little pre-k 4 guys starts tomorrow. I too had tears in my eyes and again, I have tears in my eyes when I read your post! Very emotional day around here, and I’m not the emotional cry at anything type! Don’t know whats going on today!!
Love buddha bowls and Kris Carr’s book, your buddah bowls look great and now I think I know what we are having for dinner tonight!
What a big girl! It’s ok to cry. She’ll be home soon. And she probably made you something.
Yay for Buddha bowls! These are on my menu weekly! Yum!
I feel your pain. I didn’t cry during graduation this spring, but found myself unexpectedly tearing up as I watching the band play at fish camp last week and realized my guy wasn’t up there anymore. Totally blind sided me ………
I love that tradition!
Such a sweet first day of school picture! We had to take one EVERY year…even the year after I graduated, I hadn’t left for college yet, and I had to get in one last picture with my brother. But so cute to look back on. Bright shoes, excitement, (sad and sometimes happy parents!)
I thought I was so prepared for my kiddos to go to school, but oddly that first day of kinder and the 1st day of first grade brought tears to my eyes. They of course were perfectly ready to go and didn’t shed a tear. Today they started 2nd grade, none of us cried. But I did find myself thinking “next year they probably won’t want me to take them to school on the first day”, we only have 11 more years of this, before they go off to college. It will fly by.
What a big day! Thanks for sharing it with us!
I wish we were starting school. Three more weeks until preschool. (another year until kindergarten)
Love the buddha bowls!!! I think we may have to take up this tradition as well
My kiddos still have two weeks left of school. There is a law in Michigan that school can’t start until after Labor Day.
Texas starts school so early. I’m not sure why. Enjoy the last two weeks with your kids!