So I claim to hate leftovers. With the exception of soups, they just never taste as good. And I’m all for variety too – having the same thing I had for dinner is boring to me. But I think there are certain types of leftovers that hold up well, and I’ve been really enjoying having “dinner for lunch.” Soups have always been good, but lately so have our dinner veggies and grains. So I take it back that I hate them. Eating a hot lunch is so satisfying, and especially nice since it’s cold now. The thought of a chilled salad sends shivers down my back. So I think I’d like to start making more of an effort to have leftovers for lunch, at least on the days when I can eat at home, and also preparing more foods on the weekends like I did with this rice.
So for lunch I reheated the leftover Red Lentil Dal from the other night along with my last portion of brown rice (which I added raisins and garam masala to).
Lastly, for the second time in my life I cooked with frozen spinach and really liked it! I thawed out a cup or so until hot and then stirred in plain yogurt and spices. Perfecto!
On the side I had a tiny apple with cinnamon. After taking 2 bites, the contrast of hot and cold (we keep our apples in the fridge) was too much so I nuked it for 30 seconds. Hot apple pie!
When I got home from class today I had a cup of tea to keep warm with a splash of milk –
And a dried apricot because my mouth was bored –
Hello, Quaker!
My welcome goodie box arrived right after lunch 
I had a few of the Oatmeal Squares from the box. I love this cereal and haven’t had it in ages. Looks like I’m all set on oats for a while.
Agenda:
- Study
- Girls on the Run
- Study
- Dinner
- Micro
- Reading in bed!?
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been loving warm lunches too – hot stirfry over greens – it’s really yummy, especially in the fall.
Yay lentils
Happy Wednesday!
I love leftovers for lunch!! Sometimes I try to re-do them and add something else to make it taste a little different. We had leftover cheese tortellini last week and I added it to my spaghetti squash and sauce for lunch and it was delicious and very satisfying.
I’m a GOTR volunteer too- we’re doing our practice 5K this afternoon- I love those girls!! Have fun
I hate leftovers too, EXCEPT for casseroles/baked pastas, enchiladas, and some soups/chili. I think I hate the fact that it’s all microwaved more than the fact that it’s leftover….but still. Ew.
Also, I’m shocked you haven’t done more with frozen spinach! It’s so easy to thaw and throw into soups, pasta dishes, etc. Way cheaper than fresh, too.
so this might seem totally unrelated, but your lunch reminded me…
i’m interested in exploring the vegetarian life (makes it sound so uber hip, doesn’t it?), or at least the “flexetarian” one, but need a good cookbook that isn’t going to scare me off with all the crazy sauces and spices, etc. is there one that you (or anyone else) have found that you like and that you think includes relatively quick and easy veggie recipes for the novice?
I used to hate leftovers too… I’ve started eating them recently because I hated throwing them away!
I love your star plate that your apple is on!
What a yummy lunch :] Looks so extravagent!!!.. what kinds of spices did you put in the spinach.. I’d never think to mix yogurt with spinach.
I usually never really have leftovers and if I do I eat it with my dinner the next day. I tend not to keep leftovers for more than one or two days tops. I rarely bring them to work tho for lunch. I’m not big on leftovers, hehe.
wow! i’m totally having lunch envy
Not to say that my fage 0% “messes” don’t rock, but this loooks totally delish…dinner?
mmmm, oats! have a good one!!
I’m totally jealous of your Quaker delivery
i LOVE leftovers. as much as i enjoy making food, it is delightful coming home and knowing a yummy supper is waiting for me in the fridge. also my leftover lunches at work make people jealous
What a fun oatmeal loot!
Love your lunch! So full of colors!
I’m jealous of your Quaker delivery! I LOVE the Oatmeal Square cereal. It’s great mixed with dried fruit for a quick trail mix.
great lunch with leftovers! I like leftovers too, specially when I’m short of time.
what are you reading Kath? I’ve been reading on bed too lately, it’s just good to have time to read and connect with oneself instead of watching TV.
Barbara’s Bakery makes something just like the Oatmeal Square cereal called Shredded Oats.
You can check it out here if you haven’t tried them before : http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgmenbr=587770&cgrfnbr=881896
I love them and even though they are a little high in calories for a serving they keep you super full!
I eat leftovers for lunch almost every day, otherwise they’d probably go to waste or get lost in the freezer. It saves on my food bill, too.
Barbar’s bakery makes something similar to the Oatmeal Squares. They are called Shredded Oats and you can check them out here:
http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgmenbr=587770&cgrfnbr=881896
I love them and they are pretty filling so the high-ish calorie count is worth it.
Sorry if this is a double post, I can’t seem to get it to work…
Barbara’s Bakery makes something just like the Oatmeal Squares called Shredded Oats and they have different flavors too! I love them.
I’m with you on loving the warm leftovers- that’s one great thing about being home at lunch
Your quaker delivery looks great… enjoy!!
the quaker fairy hooked it up!!!
i loooove leftovers.. my husband loathes them! something about dinner for lunch is so satisfying.
hope you have a happy wednesday!
are the squares worth buying? do you think they would be a nice addition to yogurt or not worth the cals?
I LOVE leftovers, especially warm ones haha
Hey Kath! so i went to earthfare today again for the 2nd time in my life. I went to the one on Ballantyne this time vs. the southpark one. Again, i can’t say how much i LOVE that place. I’m curious to try mixing my own PB, yummm! I got some wheatberries too! I was hoping to see you there but alas, i didn’t.
i ALSO went to great harvest bread for the first time too! SOO EXCITING! i had pre-ordered the dakota bread and the cinnamon chip (their most popular of the savory and sweet varieties, apparently) I was hoping to maybe see Matt there so i could tell him how much i liked your blog, but alas, didn’t see him either 
But, i still had a good time. Thanks SO much for introducing me to these places!
Glad you’re enjoying your warm lunches! And you totally inspired Thursday night’s dinner, I’m going with friend to an Indian restaurant! I can’t wait
it’s been too long since I’ve been and I haven’t been able to find the ingredients to make HH’s Indian recipes en la casa. Thanks for the idea!
My husband found Quaker Corn Bran Squares at the store this weekend. They are like the oatmeal squares in taste, only more corny? I don’t know. He eats them for breakfast. If I had them for breakfast I would want to eat like fifteen bowls.
i love the little dried apricot who squeezed its way into the post! my mouth always needs to finish a meal with something sweet… whether a DATE or a dark chocolate chip
Tasty leftovers + warm apple with cinnamon + large supply of oatmeal = HOLY YUM!!
Enjoy the rest of your day!!
I am the same way with MOST leftovers – just cant get into them. But I love hot lunches, so it makes it tough. good to find things you can reheat and enjoy!
I love frozen spinach! I always have it in the freezer. And it tastes great in Indian saag…I posted about it a couple of weeks ago. What spices did you put in yours?
I am all for leftovers, but my husband can’t do it – unless its meatloaf – then he makes sandwiches!
Thanks for all who left a b-day message on my blog for my pop-in-law who’s 70 (and still working!) and has been in a meeting today and hasn’t yet seen his messages!
Yeah oatmeal! I used my LAST 1/3 cup this morning – emergency!
I love the oatmeal square cereals! I usually buy Barbara’s Bakery’s Shredded Oats because they are a better deal than the Quaker Oats cereal, but they are both excellent, especially when you work a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter into them
And for dessert, peanut butter and some chocolate chips! Hubba hubba!
This part of my message is for Kate, who asked about vegetarian cookbooks. I’m a vegetarian, and this question about veggie cookbooks is really hard to answer! The book I like the most these days is Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, which is mostly vegetarian but has a few fish recipes. My cooking is pretty simple–I like foods that taste like themselves, and Moosewood has delicious, simple recipes. Their Avocado Corn Salad is AMAZING! I also really like their Golden Cheddar Soup, which is a potato soup made creamy with buttermilk, cheddar, and a blitz in the blender. And not to toot my own horn too loudly (TOOT!), but I write a blog that is entirely vegetarian and (I think) pretty simple as far as the recipes go. My posts usually focus on recipes, so I try really hard to make sure that the instructions are clear and easy for novice cooks to follow.
Okay, now I’m off to eat some oatmeal!
how fun love the goodie package. I think that a hot lunch is so much better in the Fall, it seems to fill me up a lot more:)
thanks so much rose-anne! and good for you for tooting (your horn, that is). i’ll check out that block asap.
Love Quaker Oats! Awesome welcome goodie box!
Those leftovers do look delicious, but I love all leftovers!
I covet your oat package!
mmm the dal looks sooo good. Enjoy the oats too! …fellow oat addict…..mmmmmm
I must say Kath – I am a huge fan of leftovers – preferably the warm ones. The oats are looking good.. and happy quaker!
I was curious to see what cool stuff you guys will be doing in Chicago and I found this website ~ http://www.amamasrant.com/mamacookssponsoredposts/2008/10/thanks-to-quake.html
sounds awesome!
ooh, i’m psyched to try out that brown rice preparation. what a great idea!
I like leftovers. Cheap, quick, and easy. The best when you’re in a rush and/or on a budget!
LOVE oatmeal squares!
Kate ,
The vegan ones I have – Vive le Vegan and Eat, Drink and Be Vegan are both kind of wacky, but easily modified back into non-vegan recipes. For example, if she uses rice milk or agave nectar, I just use milk and honey. They are pretty creative recipes. I also have Vegan Express and that one is REALLY good, but I haven’t used it much. I’m sure there are better mainstream vegetarian ones out there, but since I rarely use cookbooks I don’t know them.
Miss Tiffie,
I just put garam masala and red pepper flakes + salt.
coco ,
I am reading Resistance by Owen Sheers. It’s a book my friend and blog reader publisher in NYC Gena sent me. So far it’s pretty hard to get into, but I feel the momentum gaining speed.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Resistance-Owen-Sheers/dp/0571229638
Rhodey ,
I’m not sure they’re worth the cals since cereals like Heart 2 Heart are much less but for the same volume. But maybe for a fun snacky treat? It sure tastes good though.
SmA033 ,
So exciting!! He’s working at EarthFare on Friday and Saturday. He might do a beer tasting and I might go – I’ll try to blog about it so you can email me if you want to meet for it
Erin ,
Cool to find another blogger going! I think I met her at BlogHer!
Kath
Kate -
I’m a flexitarian simply because I always seem to find veggies, tofu etc. better tasting and better for you that a meat heavy meal. The cookbook that I use is Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” It uses everyday ingredients and focuses on each kind of veggie and teaches you how to build different meals around that specific vegetable. Everything in it is pretty simple to make, but ranges from things like roasted squashes to homemade seitan (sooo good!).
Hope this helps!!
Oooh love the Oatmeal Squares cereal.
I don’t like leftovers either, but I do like the convenience of taking them to work for lunch. I also try to change them a bit if I can, like make fajita filling into a salad for the next day.
I love making Indian-inspired meals like that. Have you tried the Tandoor Chef products?
Man oh man. I love Oatmeal Squares and now I’ve got a KILLER craving for them! Don’t usually buy a box, though, because somehow it disappears (into my belly) within a day or two… eek.