Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Changing of the Guard

I'm a very sentimental person and I always feel some bit of remorse when it comes to replacing an item I use frequently. Since beginning law school in the summer of 1998 and continuing forward into my career, I've always brought my lunch with me in a reusable Arctic Zone lunch bag. I started off with plain black, then moved onto pink. I don't replace them until they're old or have tears in the lining, so about 2 years of use out of each. The most recent retiree is pictured above next to its replacement (don't worry, I moved the vegan buttons to the new lunch bag), which I'm loving. I've mentioned before that I'm learning to play the guitar and I've been singing my whole life, so the whole skull and crossed guitars graphic speaks to me at the moment.

In the background of the above photo, you'll see my copy of My Sweet Vegan by the incredibly talented Hannah Kaminsky opened to the recipe for Better Banana Nut Muffins. Mine did not turn out perfectly, but that is my own fault for replacing all the oil with applesauce. You see, if I'm going to be the only one eating the baked goods (I ate one and froze the rest), I have no problem with the minor issues that might come from that substitution (mainly, that the muffins stick to the liners more). However, if I were to serve these to other people, regardless of where they stand on the omni to vegan spectrum, I would certainly have made them as the recipe was written. I also replaced the all-purpose flour with spelt flour and left out the nuts. Oh, and for all you Trader Joe's fans out there, I used the dried flattened bananas for the dried bananas called for in the recipe and followed the recipe instructions as written. The flattened bananas didn't hold up as they should have, so next time, I'd just chop the flattened bananas and add them in instead of rehydrating them first. The flavor of these muffins is amazing and, as always, it was a delight to bake one of Hannah's goodies.

15 comments:

VeganCowGirl said...

Yah for a reusaable tote for your lunches...and the skull and crossbones is tres chic. I use a little bento box sometimes, other days I just throw my lunch into my sac o'everything....but a purpose built lunch bag sounds like a good investment...since I bring my own food each day. Thanks for the inspiration!

Your muffins look great...I haven't picked up that cookbook yet, but plan to get my hands on it the next time I am home. Yum Yum!

Vegan_Noodle said...

LOve your new lunch bag! I'm always sentimental about those things too.

I remember those muffins being really good... my mom made them once for me. She said they used lots of dishes, but were worth it!

Anonymous said...

Awesome new lunch bag!

I'm glad that you still liked the muffins, even if they didn't come out exactly as you had imagined with those modifications. Thanks for the glowing review. :)

aTxVegn said...

I always try to reduce fat, sugar, and gluten in recipes too.

I take lunch everyday, but my giant salads wouldn't fit in those little bags.

Anonymous said...

i love that bag with the skull on it. i am kinda obsessed with skulls! thanks for your comments on cinnamon and pf chang's. i honestly don't know how you navigate the vegan world with a hatred of onions. must be tough sometimes!

Anonymous said...

JEEZ! it looks like my husband beat me to it, and posted a MOST SCATHING post on real food daily! uh oh. he definitely doesn't like that place. ha. i have had some good food there, but obviously he hasn't! he hates it for the same reasons i do... times ten.

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

aw, your new bag is really cute! and those muffins sounds yummy anyway, despite any setbacks. dehydrated bananas sound interesting... I'm assuming a different beast than banana chips? I wish I could find some!

Rural Vegan said...

I am crazy about your new skull and crossbones lunch tote!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Aww, you sound a lot like my sister. She was so attached to her schoolbag that she kept the SAME one from kindergarten all though high school, even though the zipper broke. We told her she should contact Jansport to star in their commercials :o).

Anonymous said...

I totally dig your new lunch bag! I'm with you, I do grow a bit attached to things...oh impermanance...

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

I was just telling Scott we needed to buy lunch bags! I Love yours! I'm going to have to get one... and cover it with vegan buttons :) I have one on a purse that says "vegans taste better" tee hee.

(& I'm totally sentimental too!)

urban vegan said...

I always end up using plastic bags (that I never wanted in the first place) for packed lunches. Your solution is much chicer.

Hannah's muffins are so fab, aren't they?!

Rage And Love said...

It's been so long since I've seen this blog! I see that life's treating you well. Love the bags!

bazu said...

I've had my eye on those muffins for a long time!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like your original bag got plenty of good use--and the new one is very cool! The muffins look great.

Thank so much for your comment on my blog--it is much appreciated! And I'm thrilled that you like the idea of the cookbook! :)