Lunch and dinner during our week without kids.

Veggie sandwich on sprouted bread with a simple green salad.

Baguette with fruit and cheese, for two.  Eaten while watching this strange movie.

Homemade whole wheat pizza with spinach, mushrooms and feta.

Romaine salad with sprouts, cherries, almonds and feta.

Baked sweet potato with feta, olive and tahini "salad."

Beans and toast with fried egg.

Cowboy beans.

Sometimes I skipped lunch and read instead.

Whole grain toast with fried egg and avocado.

Green salad with red onions, avocado and a leftover veggie burger crumbled on top.

The sweet potato was my favorite of the bunch.  It was inspired by this recipe.  Oddly enough I didn't take a picture of my other favorite.  But, basically I took a bowl of warm brown rice, threw in a cup of cooked green peas and some chick peas, a handful of green onions and some golden raisins and slivered almonds.  I mixed up a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and equal parts cumin and cinnamon.  Then, I poured the dressing over the rice salad and ate the whole darn bowl.  I don't have measurements because I made it up, but you should try it.  Even with these loose directions, I'm sure you'll end up with something delicious.

Cooking and eating without kids was fun.  I wasn't worried about spice or even, nutritional value.  I skipped meals and just snacked or ate dinner late into the night.  It was pretty terrific.  Because I didn't have to make a complete dinner for four, I just took thises and thats from the fridge and cobbled something together for one, or two.  There was no forethought or planning at all.  I liked it.

Towards the end of their week in Florida, the kitchen began to feel lonely.  The two kids always pick whether they are the stirrer or the pourer, both very important jobs.  They help and taste and snack while they sit on the counter and talk and mostly get in my way.  But, its fun and its frustrating but mostly its fun and its our routine.

I'm grateful to have them back in the kitchen.