A Lunch of My Own

Call me crazy, but my inner foodie won’t listen.

Today at lunchtime, the most stressful part of my day, I voluntarily created some stress of my own by breaking out several child un-friendly ingredients and at least three Calphalon pans.  Tired of the noontime habit of standing behind my kitchen island, stealing sandwich scraps and leftover fruit off the plates of babes, I answered the call of my crispy tofu calling me from the fridge.   Like many times before, this week at the grocery store I had picked up something just for me, with hopes of creating a healthy and satisfying power lunch for myself.  I had prepared the tofu ahead of time, so that when the mood struck, I would already be halfway to gourmet greatness.

Most days, I surrender to the stress of the lunch hour, responding as demands come at me like rapid fire.  My two-year-old’s constant battle cry — “Milk-and-Nana!” — or my four-year-old’s own nurturing nature as she requests a proper meal for her stuffed dog, Biscuit.  If you have never witnessed my kitchen at lunchtime, feel free to ask my husband.  Each day he calls home from his own zen-like lunch break, while I respond to both kids’ needs and try to listen whole-heartedly to his description of his morning.  (Admittedly, many days I simply can’t keep up, and promptly hand the phone to each child to catch up with Dad.  It satisfies both his need for family connection and my need for their distraction, while I serve up lunch for all creatures, live or pretend.)

But today, something pushed me towards the Tupperware, unwrapping my pan-fried tofu and rinsing my fresh sugar snap peas while I dug furiously for last month’s copy of Body & Soul and my tried-and-true thai peanut sauce recipe.

After three phone calls, two cups of milk (one self-served, thank you Lord!), several Mommy-assisted trips to the potty, one online instant message, two half-eaten plates of turkey and cheese, and one very messy kitchen counter, my gourmet Mommy lunch was on the table.  And I was….gasp….sitting down to eat it!

It was heaven.  Although I voluntarily added to the stress of the lunch hour to serve my own cravings for an adult meal, for about seven and a half minutes, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and my Thai-style vegetarian dish.  All the while, my naked two-year-old screeched through the house while his sister giggled in delight.  It didn’t seem to matter.  Nothing would come between me and my peaceful mommy moment.

The PranaMama’s Lunchtime Bliss:

3/4 cup cooked Jasmine Rice

Crispy Tofu with Sugar Snap Peas, Garlic, and Lemon (from Body & Soul)

Thai Peanut Sauce

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