Tag: Lunch

New desktop favorite

I try to play tennis at least twice a week during lunch break, which means then that I need a quick, energetic and easy-to-eat-while-working lunch. So I have developed new sandwiches slightly faster to make than my usual desktop lunches (here and there). Instead of the big slice of bread I now use the bread I was using this summer more often: whole wheat small slices that when cut in two make a perfect size to handle and 3-4 bite. I have moved away from cream cheese for cottage cheese more often even in winter for a good dose of proteins, and in the middle I add whatever I find: mushrooms are still a good choice that goes well with the rest, tomatoes too but it’s not really the top season for that. I just tried cucumber and rucolla, plus a few pumpkin seeds and it was really delicious. And I’m sure I will find other things to try that takes only 3min to prepare. What’s your favorite lunch when short on time?

My new favorite desktop lunch

After reading that the trend for avocado as an healthy food (like we didn’t know that before, stupid magazines that said for so long it was too fatty… pfiuu) and the resulting worlwide frenzy for avocado toast and other recipe based on avocado  (stupid magazines again), is causing deforestation in Mexico, one of the major producers of avocado, and as caused local avocado prices to skyrocket, I had to change my 7 year long habit of eating a lit of avocados. It is not easy to compete with such ingredient: super easy to find, super easy to prepare, versatile and delicious. But recently with the chilly autumn days I’ve started to use mushrooms quite intensively. Mushrooms are good raw or cooked, they require little preparation and are quite versatile too. Right now my favorite lunch is rice with melted cheese and mushrooms sliced on top, finished with a few pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper. 

To prepare that lunch I usually use leftover rice I’ve cooked for dinner. If I opt for a warm option, to cook the mushrooms I use a microwave (though I hate microwave, that’s the only “cooking” gear I have at work). I wash them and slice them, then cook them for one minute in a plate in the microwave, remove the water (don’t cook them directly while warming the rice, you’ll end with a rather disgusting soup!!!), warm the rice and cheese, add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and pumpkin seeds. It’s ready in less than 5min, warm, melty, crunchy, tasty!!! What is your favorite desktop lunch in autumn???

Desktop lunch

I’ll never quit this habit of eating freshly prepared food in my office. No matter what the prepared food in shops don’t appeal me to much nor the cafeteria. I’ve been doing for ever and actually love it. I just get rid of some usual combination so try new ones once in a while. In summer I prefer cottage cheese rather than cream cheese, less fatty and heavy. And I replace the thick large slice of bread by slightly drier and smaller ones. Avocado and tomatoes are my always winning combination and I stick to it while tomatoes are still sweet and juicy!  I prepare this in my office and I enjoy the super fresh and mix of texture very much. What is your best lunch option at work?

Lunch in the office

It’s been 7 years or so I haven’t had steady lectures in the very first time slot, which makes me wake up really early. I’m not really an early morning person and because it’s only once a week it doesn’t really break my rythm, just makes it a long long day at work. So I’ve decided to take the opportunity to use 1h at noon to go and play tennis. We are spoiled because the university tennis courts are specially booked for faculties and staff every day during the lunch break, and there always quite a few people playing, so it’s rather fun. But after that and my breakfast eaten 2hours earlier than usual I really to fill on energy. Perfect then to use pasta leftovers with zucchini and bacon. Simple and energetic! Enough to fuel me for 7 more hours of work!!!

Pre-talk lunch

During the winter I didn’t give many talks and plenty of new results came in, so when I was invited two weeks ago to Kyushu Institute of Technology and today to Tokyo Institute of Technology to give talks I wanted to include plenty of our new material and shape new talks. When I work on these kind of things I really enjoy being home, I am much more productive, focused and I memorize my talk very easily. Unfortunately it is not always possible for me to squeeze in this time during week days, so I often work on my talks on weekends. Recently I am managing my time much better than I used to (may be it’s the low tide after the panic of business from last year) and I can prepare my talks more calmly and better. And this means having lunch at home which is also really nice. I can cook simple things that are just the perfect food before giving a talk: light and energetic. Today, I went for a simple arrangement of steamed zucchini and couscous with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh mint from the terrace. Ready in 5min, but so delicious!

Lunch on the desk

When busy weeks with visitors and eating out are followed by busy weeks preparing lectures, writing big grant proposal and traveling I need lunch that are quick, light and fresh, but full of energy and tasty. I am lucky enough to have a space in my office where I can prepare rudimentary things, and usually I would go for avocado-cream cheese-seeds on bread or bagel. But somehow I got tired of avocado and of seeing them everywhere on IG and in magazines. So this time I’ve opted for something new and more seasonal: an open sandwich with raw zucchini (the season is just starting), rucola, basil, fresh mozarella, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. That was a super boosting lunch! What is it you like to eat when you are busy?

One-plate salad

This morning the farmers market showed me once again that it is not clear which season we’re in!!! The transition seems to take an unusually long time and daikon and cabbages were lined together with strawberries and new wasabi leaves. It gave me the idea to prepare us a warm/cold salad with warm green lentils from France and thick fried tofu, fresh tomatoes and wasabi leaves, with an olive oil and soya sauce dressing and finished with a few sesame seeds!

The avocado curse

This morning I went back to work. I hate when the clock rings, but when it rang this morning I was dreaming that it would rang as many times as there are fountains in Rome, and I just didn’t bother… But after a while I had to go back to real life… to open the curtains and see a beautiful blue sky and mount Fuji in the background. Hum… Not too bad after 17 days of the same weather to have another one. In the train, surprisingly empty I was thinking about writing something about Sicily, or about Rome, and share some of these beautiful things we’ve seen and amazing places we’ve been, but I quickly got immersed in my emails and forget to write anything. When the train arrived in Koganei, I got off mechanically and headed to the supermarket to grad something for my lunch later. That’s when I got stricken by the fact that really in winter the only thing I find suitable enough to eat is the sandwiches I make with wholewheat and seeds bread, cream cheese and avocado. I got a bonus apple for my snack and then I realized that I AM going back to work and that I NEED to break this avocado-sandwich routine to something else, but right now I’m unable to figure out which substitute could work for me and I have the impression to be under the avocado curse (like in Kid Icarus, a game I used to play on my gameboy when I was a kid where you get cursed by an eggplant!!) … What do you have for lunch at work? I’m open to ideas… Pleazzzz

Donburi

The donburi or one rice bowl is a very convenient alternative to one-plate, and I like the rice base lunch because it provides tons of good energy necessary to stay outside all day long, now that it’s gotten colder.

 

For this donburi I cooked plain white Japanese rice that I topped with sautéed purple sweet potato, carrot brocoli, and finished with some proteins croquettes: I mixed rice flour with a mix of seeds, an egg and dome chicken meat. The egg and meat can be replaced by tofu for a vegan option. 

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