Yesterday's lunch - crazy leftover ingredient combination:)

I work big long days on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I have to pack my breakfast, lunch and dinner, which means a lot of food! In preparing my lunch on Monday I was searching through my fridge to figure out what I could come up with, and I was pretty pleased when I opened my lunch bag yesterday!

Coconut Papaya Quinoa Salad

First off, I gotta work on my photos to make my food look more appealing!!!! And it's all picnic style because I'm eating on the paper plates from school....excuses excuses:) However, it was yummy! I made up some quinoa and mixed it with some of the leftover coconut milk I had from when I made Burmese Curry, and mixed in chunks of papaya that were leftover from the papaya I got for rainbow salad, and then I shredded some basil to add a fresh, herbaceous quality. Turned out pretty good! I think I could probably add something else to it...maybe something with a little acidy to balance it a bit? But overall, yummy!

Grilled Fig Salad

Again, not the most appealing picture, but it was yummy, I promise! I had some figs still hanging around, so I used a Whole Foods recipe for grilled fig salad (by the way, their iPhone app is amazing!!!!).  I marinated the figs in some balsamic, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then I cooked them on my little stovetop cast iron skillet, but they would probably be even better cooked on an outdoor grill as part of a barbeque. I then took the marinade and added olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice (from a lemon from the tree in my backyard), salt and pepper. I brought the butter lettuce to work separate, the figs in one little jar, and the dressing in another, and assembled in the little work kitchen. Next time, I think I'll use arugula for the greens, and toss in some toasted pine nuts....droooooool.........


All in all a delicious lunch....but it didn't fill me up long enough and I ruined my simple, clean eating for the day by having chex mix that afternoon!!! ARgh!!!