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As publishers of our very own online food magazine EatSavvy, eating plays an integral part in our day at Savvy HQ. On any given day, we can be found swapping recipes, sharing potluck lunches, taste-testing new recipes, and trading afternoon snacks. Not to mention keeping the fridge stocked with our top two vices—Diet Coke and chocolate (any kind)!
Most of us bring a packed lunch (or the ingredients to make it) to the office on a daily basis, more for health-related reasons than anything else, and eat at our desks. Plus, if you already have the lunch packing assembly line going at home, it isn’t any more work to add one more. We have a fully-equipped mini kitchen, comprised of a bar fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle, dishware, and a varied selection of condiments here, all of which make it easier to keep fresh ingredients on hand, prepare nutritious lunches, and ultimately enjoy our lunch.
We bring in everything from leftover spaghetti, to sandwiches, soups, salads, and frozen entrees. Today, Robyn is having homemade Harira soup, Leslie popped out to the bakery for a fresh roll to accompany the fillings she brought from home, I am having a turkey, brie and avocado sandwich, and Sarah brought in a huge bowl of her favourite Quinoa Greek Rainbow Salad.
On those days when getting the kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door in snow gear is more than we bargained for or we just happen to have a craving for something new, we have lots of options for take-out or dining in the neighbourhood where we can grab something to eat. Today Minnow is enjoying her favourite take-out lunch of homemade mushroom soup and fresh bread from Epi Breads, while Myra’s favourite indulgence is a slice of cheese pizza from Pizza Pizza.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow, when I don’t need to pack a lunch. It’s our monthly photo shoot for our January edition of EatSavvy, so there will be lots of delicious food to dine on. We are very excited about this month’s EatSavvy, so don’t miss it.
What do you take for lunch?
Have I mentioned how much we love to eat at Savvy HQ? I don’t know if it’s because most of us love to cook and are proud of our culinary skills, or that we’re publishers of an online food magazine, or maybe it’s just because we receive so many food samples to test. Whatever the reason, we seem to do a lot of taste testing, sharing, and recipe swapping at lunch time. And we like it.
Just before the holidays we organized a Holiday Bake-Off. And, since our Bake-Off was such a success, we decided to put our cooking skills to the test with a Mid-Winter Soup-Off.
In preparation for an upcoming EatSavvy edition, we asked anyone wishing to participate to submit a sample of their family’s favourite soup recipe. The criteria were as follows: all recipes must be kid-friendly, not too labour intensive, healthy, and not too spicy. Robyn was first to submit an entry—Mexican Pozole Soup (a huge hit), Sarah brought in a heart healthy (and low-carb) white bean and chicken soup and Minnow keeps talking about an asparagus and pear soup (not yet tested).
All of these delicious soups (and more) will be reviewed and tested for possible inclusion into EatSavvy next week, but not all of them will be selected. Stay tuned and be sure to open your edition of EatSavvy this month to find out.
What is your favourite family soup recipe? Send it in and it could be selected!
My lunch today at the office was delicious. Denise Smith, our SavvyEditor was kind enough to share some of her leftovers with me from the weekend and turned some lovely barbequed sirloin into a sumptuous steak salad. We topped some fresh baby spinach with grilled peppers, sliced steak and cherry tomatoes. A little bit of Newman’s Own balsamic dressing finished it off beautifully. And that wasn’t even an EatSavvy testing day (even though this is one of our favourite EatSavvy recipes). I just got lucky…sometimes I really love this job.
Try out our Flank Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe—it’s a great steak salad option!
Everyone at Savvy HQ is really into food. Obsessed, you might say. Some of us are trying to be healthy, some are trying to diet (ahem), and others can’t stop eating the chocolate that is always in the kitchen (ahem, ahem). But when you look around the office, it’s like the Olympics of food here…dishes from all over the world are being enjoyed and shared among all of us. Every day the question gets asked with serious concern: “What are you having for lunch today?”
Robyn Burnett, our Assistant Editor, who always wins the Most Exotic Recipe Award, brought in an Ethiopian dish (who knew?) called Shalan Foul (pronounced ‘ful’). It’s made with mashed fava beans, chopped onion and berbere spice (which has quite a kick). Topped with chopped tomatoes, sour cream and avocado, it looked like this and made for a hearty and healthy lunch:
Denise Smith, our resident foodie and EatSavvy Editor, was busy testing out recipes at lunchtime for next month’s edition of EatSavvy. She was enjoying a beautiful French-inspired soup that I’m pretty sure you’ll be reading about soon so I can’t tell you all the details. But I can tell you that you’ll love it. (Hint: it’s delicious and nutritious.)
Myra Thompson was hard at work at her desk in the sales department enjoying a classic Italian fave—a Pizza Pizza veggie slice. She’s so Euro…
Leslie McCormick can usually be found eating Thai food on the days she’s too tired to bring in her lunch. She loves the spring rolls and wonton soup, which always smell delicious.
Sarah and I went across the street to enjoy Japanese at our local fave, Fukui Sushi, where we often host lunch meetings. And since we are like an old married couple, we’ve reached the point where we order the same thing on the menu. We chose the rainbow roll with a bowl of edamame to start.
What’s your favourite international cuisine when lunch rolls around? I’d love to know.
As you all know, we all love to eat here at SavvyHQ, enjoying sandwiches to sushi (and everything in between) at lunchtime in the office. I have a bit of a reputation here for bringing in exotic lunches including my fave Ethiopian dish, Shalan Foul, but there’s one classic meal that I adore—pizza.
I used to work in a pizza restaurant years ago making versions such as the Bacon & Baked Potato Pizza (still a fave at parties). Even though I make my own versions often, I relish the opportunity to enjoy a thin crust pizza cooked in classic wood oven.
Maggie, our new National Account Manager, and I ventured out into the sunshine today to enjoy lunch together. We shared a Caesar salad, before indulging in a spicy sausage pizza with roasted red peppers, red onions and mushrooms.
In the spirit of our ‘get to know you’ lunch, I asked Maggie what her top five fave pizza toppings were, along with her beverage of choice. She picked gorgonzola cheese, salami, zucchini, tomato and mushrooms, all washed down with a Coke.
Myself? I love a thin crust ‘za with pepperoni, mushrooms, red peppers, green olives and goat cheese. For lunch, I enjoy my pizza with water. For dinner, a cold glass of Pinot Grigio is a nice accompaniment.
(Our publisher, Sarah, weighed in as well: she likes mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, green olives and hot peppers.)
What do you like on your pizza?
As you may have read, it’s baking time here at SavvyHQ again and Sarah got us started with some yummy cranberry and white chocolate shortbread. And since EatSavvy theme this month is cranberries too, I decided I’d like a little cranberry in my cookies as well.
This weekend, we visited my mother-in-law in Peterborough (who, coincidentally, loves to bake) so I enlisted her help in choosing a cookie recipe to share back in the office. We settled on Brazil Nut and Orange Cookies and used the seasonal Mandarin oranges and dried cranberries to replace regular orange and raisins. The result was a tasty, soft cookie that Leslie, our Sales Coordinator and Project Manager dubbed as a ‘breakfast’ cookie (or a nice mid-morning snack with coffee). Who said cookies were only for the afternoon?
The recipe was easy enough for my two year old to help make and has now been written into the big Family Cookbook as a new traditional treat.
Orange & Brazil Nut Cookies
You’ll Need
For the Glaze
Prep and Cook
Good to Know: The beauty of this recipe is that it’s easy enough to switch up the nuts, fruit or even the lemon flavouring to create a whole new cookie.
My contribution to the 2nd annual SavvyMom Holiday Bake-Off is not a tried-and-true family recipe, but rather a tasty treat I first had at Thanksgiving time when attending a birthday party for my cousin’s young son. After sampling these delicious squares, I had to get the recipe.
The best part, after the taste, is how simple they are to make. Four ingredients and 20 minutes is all you need.
Chocolatey Skor Bars
You’ll Need
Prep and Cook
At Savvy HQ, there is no denying that we love food. That is a fact.
This means our tiny office kitchen is a little busy when it comes to lunchtime, and yesterday was no exception. So while I was scrambling through the kitchen to grab my Southwest Black Bean Salad leftovers, I undertook a little anthropological observation of what everyone else had for lunch. We’re generally a nation of ‘bring your own lunch’ (more for expediency than thrift) but I was interested to see how many brought leftovers rather than the classic sandwich and a piece of fruit lunch we often pack for the kids.
Minnow keeps a stash of arugula, avocado and tomato in the office fridge and starts her lunch every day with that. Yesterday, she was excited to have some leftover chicken breast and quinoa to add to the mix.
Robyn was enjoying some homemade leek and potato soup, and a Montreal sesame seed bagel with cream cheese and cucumber (she’s a great cook and always brings the most complete meals, even before she was expecting #2) and her 20th cup of tea of the day.
Denise brought some mixed greens, peppers and tomatoes from home and added a can of tuna (from her office stash) and drizzled everything with balsamic vinaigrette.
Leslie had some leftovers from a birthday party she had hosted for her husband on the weekend so she had leftover pizza (yum!), veggies from the veggie tray, fruit from the fruit tray, some almonds (just because) and her daily Diet Coke.
Maggie scarfed back a bagel with cheddar cheese, a bag of popchips (we had some samples delivered—someone had to test them!) and a Coke. Pretty sure she had some of the Hershey’s Easter stash we received in the office last Friday for breakfast too—all in the name of editorial testing!
Holly had melted cheddar on whole wheat toast with a bowl of Autumn Spinach Soup, which her kids call green sludge, but apparently is delish.
I caught Angela on the way back from a rare Monday lunch out, where she had had Bok Choy, Chicken and Soba Noodles at Bayview favourite Chai.
We’re a pretty healthy bunch I guess. I wonder if the kids’ lunches we pack are as healthy as what mom eats…you might have to check back next week to find out.
Do you bring your lunch to the office or buy it?
Earlier this week, the SavvyMom staff held their annual holiday potluck lunch. This was my first year in attendance, and what a treat it was to sample the fabulous fare these ladies put together.
The food was divided into several categories (appetizers, grain salad, desserts) and we all signed up for the dish we wanted to provide. Jill made a fragrant and spicy quinoa salad and Minnow provided a platter of elegant sandwiches. Sarah put together a beautiful arrangement of cheeses, including one that was rubbed with a touch of ground coffee. Christin provided a creamy mushroom quiche and Angela brought some lovely green salads to the table. So did Denise, who assembled one with ruby red beets and tangy goat cheese. I brought a simple hors d’oeuvres comprised of endive, red pear, pecans and cheese, as well as Asian meatballs served with a sweet soy dipping sauce. Leslie and Maggie provided plentiful desserts like chocolate chip cookies and creamy cheesecake. Holly brought the drinks and sadly, Robyn, was absent (with that seasonal flu). She was slated to bring some pad Thai, which I hope I’ll have the chance to sample one day.
I am a big fan of the potluck gathering. It’s a brilliant way to assemble a delectable feast while keeping the budget in check. Not to mention, it’s much easier to make one great dish than it is to make an entire spread. Easy and inexpensive are essential ingredients to holiday entertaining, don’t you think?
Do you like to host and attend potlucks? What is your favourite dish to make for these types of gatherings?
Comments
I would like to know what the SavvyMoms think of the popchips, yea or nay?