Is everybody ready to go back to school? It's hard to believe, but my big shmoo starts middle school in three weeks! Hopefully we'll be moved into our new house by then. Packing sure makes you realize just how much crazy stuff you've accumulated. Do I really need three boxes filled with lunch boxes, tiffins, and bento containers? Really? Ah well, for those of you without a lifetime supply of everything lunch-related, you can still head over to Laptop Lunches and enter coupon code " veganlunch " to get 10% off . Check out the colorful new Klean Kanteens they are carrying this season:

Those of you with my second book might notice my friend Renee Pottle's book Homestyle Favorites Made Meatless listed in the Recommended Resources. I'm happy to announce that the book is now available at her website, Wine Barrel Gourmet , where she also sells mixes for healthy soups, pasta dishes, wholegrain breads, and more.

Yes, I'm still alive! Not blogging, but working, single parenting, dating, selling my house, and now moving to a new house. If life gets any busier I'm going to have to clone myself.

I leave for work a little after 6:00am, and by the time my break rolls around at 9:30 I'm ready for a breakfasty snack. Fruit is good, but having access to hot water made me think of instant oatmeal , the kind that comes in little packets flavored with yummy maple and brown sugar.

For all you Laptop Lunch Box fans, you'll now get 10% off if you visit their website and enter coupon code " veganlunch "!

My lunches were either boring or repeats most of this week, so I didn't take any pictures until today: green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and olive oil-vinegar dressing, hummus , pita chips , and a wedge of pomegranate .

After dinner last night I sliced a carnival squash into wedges and steam-baked it in the oven (fill the bottom of the baking dish with water, cover with foil, and bake until the squash tender, about 30 minutes). I let it cool slightly, then put it away in the refrigerator. In the morning it only took a few moments to make a pretty squash arrangement in my To Go Ware container.

...how do I know? Because her curry tells me so! My mom has been watching the shmoo for me in the afternoons when he gets home from school. Last night when I went to pick him up Mom insisted I take home a big bowl of yummy cauliflower, potato, and chickpea curry she had just made. It was nice not having to fix dinner! I made sure to save enough to pack for lunch today.

Today I made Lemon Rice and Peas from May All Be Fed. Last night I had leftover cooked brown rice, so it only took a few minutes to toss it together with Indian spices, frozen peas, cashews, low-sodium tamari and fresh lemon juice. I also threw in some garbanzo beans I had in the fridge.

Today was my first 9 hour day , so I had to pack enough to get me through! I packed the last of my Thanksgiving Cabbage Rolls in a wide-mouthed insulated container that kept them nicely warm until lunchtime.