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🥪 Helping busy moms pack stress-free lunches
⏳ Time-saving strategies, easy lunches
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Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dairy-Free

Ingredients
3–4 small packs of mushrooms (700–900 g total)
2 large onions
1 cup dried white lima beans
1 cup raw cashews
Chicken broth (or chicken pieces to make broth)
1 date (or 1 tbsp of sugar)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 leek stalk (white part only)
3 garlic cloves
A handful of dill (fresh or frozen)
A few rosemary leaves (dried or fresh)
Salt
1 bay leaf
Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tbsp vegan butter (or ghee if tolerated)

Method
1. Soak 1 cup of dried lima beans overnight.
Drain and rinse the beans. Place in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Cook for 15 min on high pressure. Slow release, 10 minutes.
(If beans were not soaked for 6–10 hours, cook 1 cup of dry beans with 3 cups of water for 50 min, rest 10 min before releasing.)
2. Soak the cashews in water as you start making the soup.
Start boiling chicken to make broth (any cuts will work).
Cook whole potatoes with skins in a pressure cooker on a steamer rack, 14 minutes on high pressure (or you could boil it in a pot your favorite way)
3. Rinse mushrooms, cut into halves, then into strips. Bring to a boil in 5 cups of water, then simmer for 5 minutes, and turn off. Drain through a sieve over a bowl. SAVE THAT BROTH!
4. Heat oil in a sauté pot, add a bay leaf, and drained mushrooms. Fry over fairly high heat. Season with salt, Montreal Steak Seasoning, and rosemary.
5. Slice onions into half-rings. Add to mushrooms once they start browning, continue frying. Slice leek into thin rings, rinse if needed.
6. Rinse cashews, place in nut-milk maker or blender, along with the pitted date. Add 800 ml water. Blend until smooth. Include whatever pulp is trapped in the strainer.
7. When onions turn golden, add the leek. Sauté briefly. Pour in reserved mushroom broth, keep on heat.
8. Blend cooked beans with ~3 ladles of soup and a ladle or two of chicken broth. Pour into the soup. Add cashew milk. Top up with chicken broth till your desired consistency or about 2-3 cups.
9. Peel boiled potatoes, cut into small cubes, add.
10. Add vegan butter (or ghee if tolerated). Salt and season to taste and remove the bay leaf.
Chop garlic and dill, add. Bring to a boil, turn off. by @inspiration_lunchboxes

$🥟 Siberian Pelmeni (Homemade Russian Dumplings) - fairly big batch to cook some and freeze the rest. Filling (for 1 kg meat): 500 g pork 500 g beef 1 large onion (about 250 g), grated or minced 1 tbsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 70 ml cold water 1 tbsp milk or sour cream for tenderness Mix everything by hand for 5–7 minutes until the texture becomes smooth, sticky, and glossy. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Dough: 400 g all-purpose flour; have more handy 1 cup milk (about 240 ml) 1 egg ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp oil Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add milk, egg, salt, and oil right into that bowl. Mix and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Wrap or cover, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. To make: Dust a clean surface with flour. Take a fraction of the dough and roll it thin (about 2 mm), cut circles, flatten each as you grab it, add 1 tsp of filling, and seal the edges. Place on a plate dusted with flour. To cook: Boil in salted water (1 tsp salt per liter, with bay leaf and peppercorns) for 5–7 minutes after they float. They’re best fresh, but amazing when cooked from frozen as well. Freeze on a plate until solid, then (next day) transfer to a freezer-safe bag — they’ll keep for months. Tip: If frozen dumplings stick to the plate, as you are trying to transfer them, don’t try to pull them off. Place the plate over a bowl of hot water for a minute — the warmth loosens the bottom just enough for them to unclick cleanly without tearing the dough. Serve with butter, black pepper, sour cream, or a spoonful of hot broth. Follow @inspiration_lunchboxes 🫶 by @inspiration_lunchboxes$

Finishing the year strong with this pretty lunchbox from my first weekly meal prep collection. It’s good to have solutions at the ready, when your mind is overflowing.

There won’t be lots and lots of lunchboxes over the summer (though there will be some), but there will be family meals, desserts, tips and lunchbox-friendly recipes. And then?
Then there will be next school year and many new surprises! 😃

#inspirationlunchbox #lunchboxinspiration #lunchboxinspo #momshelpingmoms #easylunchbox by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Snack? Or small lunch 🧐 Can it be both? 😋

- Beef stroganoff with oyster mushrooms and portobello over rice,
- Fried plantains (they are at the bottom under the nuts, I promise)
- peanuts
- mandarin

Eating really well, because kid’s name is on the box 🤭 by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Made my first batch of kimchi 😀 honestly thought it won’t take that long. Will use 3 or 4 napa cabbages next time. Curious how it tastes tomorrow 😃 by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Potato turnovers from the last week’s lunchbox — these deserve a separate post. It’s actually hard to pack them, because you’d have to resist the temptation to gobble them as they emerge 😀

Here in easy steps:
1. Mash some boiled or steamed potatoes with salt and butter
2. Spread the purée around one side of a tortilla (pic.2) Top it with goat cheese and cilantro (but really with whatever you want - think ham, pickles, smoked salmon, beans etc, green onions, herring)
3. Fold in half and toast both sides on a skillet.

Can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. Can offer to friends coming over. So simple - try it!

I rarely sound this excited 😄 should make some more tonight. by @inspiration_lunchboxes

I wish I made one for myself as well 😃 In this lunchbox:

- I’ll call these potato turn overs: potato purée with salt and butter + goat cheese + cilantro, all layered on a tortilla, toasted on the sides.
- fried plantains and cinnamon apples: these personalities match so well!
- egg, blueberries and a few homemade scrunchies: pieces of bread dried on a skillet.

Thursday sure feels like the week is almost over ❤️
See you soon! by @inspiration_lunchboxes

When you are excited, it shows 😍

Here it is, without overexplaining:

- edamame with Korean vegetable dumpling(s)😅 ok those were huge so I just packed one 🤭
- green olives, and quail eggs — my newfound lunchbox jackpot
- fried plantains
- orange wedges

In a lovely box by @goodbarelunchbox that I might brag about for just a bit longer 😁 till it feels casual.

Gluten and dairy-free. by @inspiration_lunchboxes

These cuties were generously gifted by @goodbarelunchbox - much anticipated, kids were in awe when they arrived! Presentation is everything with kids, and Good Bare lunchboxes even came with their names engraved. Huge hit in our home. Makes you wanna pack something nice in them )

I think the smaller box was meant for snacks, but of course little brother wants exactly what big sister had. My kindergartner doesn’t always finish the bigger box yet, but our teachers say once in first grade and studying ramps up, kids get sooo hungry. I believe this size is going to be spot on.

In this box:
- pork in teriyaki sauce over rice with shiso leaf powder sprinkled on top
- cucumber wedges, lightly salted
- cabbage for a healthy crunch, and grapefruit pieces for a complete meal.

Thanks @goodbarelunchbox ! We are excited here :) by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Today’s lunch is last nights dinner pretty much, so it was easy.
- baked pork loin: effortless and delicious way exists! No searing, no special dance. See recipe at the bottom of this caption.
- bulgur with fried onions; barbecue sauce on the side
- cabbage leaves. Works so well, better than a salad made with it! Cabbage needs to be really good and crispy for this to work, not the tired one, and not the one that is too young. May pack some ranch or even just a sour cream with it.
- grapes

As for the pork loin: preheat the oven to 415F.
rub some 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce all around it, and top with salt and herbs mix: 2-3 tsp of coarse salt, 1 tsp each of onion and garlic powder, dried rosemary, and black pepper. Rub the herbs mix onto the pork loin. Bake it without cover for 15 min at 415F, then reduce to 375F and keep baking for another 50-60 min. If in doubt if it’s really done, check the inner temperature. Take the loin out, cover with a sheet of foil, topped with two kitchen towels. Let it stand for 20 more minutes.
It will all take almost 2 hours begin to end, but most of this time you don’t have to do anything really. I really loved this method, vs all the searing and wrapping, and it came out delicious. Proof: kids ate it 😁 by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Made these Cranberry White Chocolate Scones following a recipe by @casualfoodist , and for the first time in my life I loved the scones I made. Huge success!

My issue with scones always was, given how thick the scones naturally are, it’s almost by design that they stay a bit raw inside, thus softer, but.. I personally just can’t stand the undercooked dough.

These turned out perfect, the few tweaks I had: I rolled the dough just a touch wider, closer to 8.5 or 9”, and then I cut it 12 ways, instead of 8. Also, once ready, I skipped the sugar icing for an easy chocolate chip melt, since I had plenty left.

Highly recommend for a tea time treat! 😋 You’ll find the recipe on @casualfoodist page. ❤️ by @inspiration_lunchboxes

As the weather gets colder, the lunches get sweeter 😀
Had to use shortcuts, and I only cooked a quick salad for this lunch:

- apple pie (store bought)
- vegan yogurt
- beets and prunes salad
- grapes

How is this winter treating y’all? 👋 by @inspiration_lunchboxes

Natalia | Easy Lunchbox Prep

@inspiration_lunchboxes