Jessica Jones - Never heard of her, too bad, she's pretty good

Jessica Jones is a new series by Netflix that was released last week. I had never heard of this character that has her own story line in the Marvel universe.

That's not a shocker as I don't read Marvel comics, even though I've become a pretty big fan of its movies and tv show.

Anyway, we binged on Jessica Jones (starring Krysten Ritter, best known to me for her role on Veronica Mars and the Blacklist)  this weekend and needed to finish the series before my dad returned home. He does not have Netflix, and even if he did, he wouldn't know how to use it.

The series is fairly entertaining. although when you binge, the action sequences, the fights, the push-pull between Jessica Jones and her villain gets a big repetitive.

I wonder if when they sketch out the stories if they keep that under consideration?

Probably not.

Anyway, orphan Jessica Jones is a gritty, hard-drinking, kind of lonely character, who was used and abused by the big bad (a Joss Whedon phrase used in the show). The enemy was Killgrave, a mind-controlling Brit who ordered folks to kill themselves quite regularly.

The actor playing Killgrave, David Tennant, was quite familiar to our family. He had a starring role as a flawed detective in the two seasons of Broadchurch, a mind-thrilling British murder mystery.

So it's a bit bizarre that it took three-quarters of Jessica Jones for our heroine to realize she could resist Killgrave's mind control. They had quite a few flashbacks to the episode where Killgrave had Jessica Jones kill Reva, a woman of no significance except that she's the dead wife of a bartender Jessica Jones later hooks up with.

I think the one flaw in the series is that it was never explained how Jessica Jones developed the ability to resist Killgrave. She eventually realized she could, except she should have known that eventuality because the only reasons Jessica Jones and Killgrave were no longer an item was because she left him - despite his ordering her to stay - to get hit by a bus.

There was a satisfying conclusion to Killgrave. Although he tried to set up an ultimate battle, it ended quite simply.

A lot of reviews of Jessica Jones are discussing abuse, rape and male domination. Although those themes ran through the show, I don't want to think that hard when I'm watching television. Sometimes it is just entertainment.

Is Missouri a hotbed of racism?

Is that a provocative question? I don't think so.
The reason I ask is because for the past year or two incidents have bubbled to the surface that lead me to think Missouri is firmly entrenched in a southern attitude towards race and in denial about it.

Let's take what's going on right now: University of Missouri President  Tim Wolfe resigned.
He didn't quit because he was ashamed that he had overly racist elements on campus.
He didn't quit because he was embarrassed by his inaction when students wanted to discuss what he was going to do about the racists elements. (Remember, he refused to talk with students who blocked his car at a parade).

He quit because if he didn't his school would have paid a $1 million penalty for not playing football this coming weekend.
He quit because students, professors and coaches stood in solidarity in demanding change.
He quit because he didn't get it - and still doesn't get it.

What I don't understand is how the public is appalled by the student protests. How the public is supporting the president because maybe they think the students are intimidating? Uppity?


So let's contrast Tim Wolfe with University of Oklahoma President David Boren - also a white man who had to confront racist elements at his school earlier this year.
When Boren was made aware of fraternity students chanting racist songs on a bus, he joined protesters. He banned the fraternity. He suspended students. He took action.

It's clear to me that the University of Missouri should hire Boren to clean up Wolfe's mess and rout out the racists on campus.

Let's move away from the university. I don't want to get into Ferguson mostly because much has been written and exposed about the racist and biased police department who harassed black residents resulting in the death of Michael Brown. It's not that I don't think the event is important. It is. But unfortunately, when it comes to Missouri, there is more racism to discuss.

I want to talk about the mostly black Normandy School District. This was the school district Brown graduated from before it lost its accreditation. In fact its accreditation was suspended for more than a decade before it was revoked. The school district was horrible, had crappy teachers and no real plan to provide students with an education.

When black students tried to go to Francis-Howell, a mostly-white neighboring school district to get an education, well the folks weren't going to have it.  
Despite a year of integration with few, if any problems, the white parents successfully lobbied state lawmakers to pass a law to boot out the black students. This was a shameful episode in Francis-Howell's history. A judged overruled the law and some black students returned to Francis-Howell, but for the students, it was a nightmare.

When you listen to the public hearing of Francis-Howell parents objecting to black students coming to the school district on NPR's "This American Life" you'll understand that the University of Missouri racism incidents are not a momentary blip in a bad time - but a common thread throughout the state.

Racism is alive and well in Missouri, and it's only up to enlightened Missourians to change it.

Nooooooooooooo Glenn ...... Nooooooooooo

I was sad last year when they killed off Beth. It was sudden. It was quick. It was heart breaking, and I hate it when they kill off regulars who have been on the show for several years.

But last night I thought there was an injustice done to Glenn. What a pedestrian way to die.

Glenn really was one of my favorite characters on The Walking Dead.
He's been on since the program started and was this quick footed runner who really matured as the series grew. He did some really dumb-ass stuff in the first couple of seasons - going into the well on Hershel's farm with the walker inside - but eventually he developed smarts.
So last year he looked like a gonner when Nicholas trapped him inside the revolving door in the solar panel factory. In that move we lost Noah - better known as the actor who played Chris Rock in the show Everybody Hates Chris. It was a gory death and Glenn seemed scarred, but he wasn't so damaged that he turned on Nicholas. No, he gave the turd another chance. And then he gave him another chance
after Nicholas shot and tried to kill him.
Aarrrr.

During Nicholas' suicide Sunday night, it turns out Glenn doesn't have nine lives.

Glenn kicked the bucket in the show long before he does in the comics. He was due to die by the end of this season or early next season when they brought in Negan. The television show does its own thing, and for some reason, I was starting to believe they'd keep Glenn alive because he was the heart of the show.


Glenn's death is tragic and sad. I know that the Walking Dead producers feel the need to kill off characters we care about to keep up the fear and realism factor, but the show will get to the point where there won't be any people left that I give a hoot about.

This is a fantasy zombie apocalypse and I guess everyone dies in the end. 

Walking Dead graphic novels

I may have spoiled everything.
One of the greatest things about the Walking Dead is I didn't know what was going to happen next and I loved it.

I don't watch the show for the blood and guts, but instead for the adventure, twists, turns, the people.
Well a few weeks ago I discovered the Walking Dead issues in my library. Firstly, the TV show is better.
On the TV show the dialogue is spectacular compared to the comics, but I have to admit, the comics have blown me away with their casual - and stunning way - they eliminate characters. That bothers me. It seems heartless, but I guess the message is that it's an apocalypse and no one is safe.

I also noticed that while the characters aren't always the same in the show as compared to the comics (Andrea is still alive in the comics) the plots follow very well.
And I know the stunning moments of last season - the doctor who went nuts and slashed Deanna's husband's throat and then Rick killed him - a blow away scene - came directly from the comics.

Perhaps the surprise is that in the previews to this season it appears that Morgan is going to be an irritant - a thorn in Rick's side - instead of a partner in crime. That is a role that some other characters played in the comics.

My compliment to the TV show is I feel that Andrew Lincoln's portrayal of Rick is much scarier, more unsettling than how he is in the comics.  

That being said, our Zombie apocalypse survivors are headed for some really hard times.

Game of Thrones!!!

So they had to end season five of Game of Thrones just like the book!!!
I guess there was no other way to end it if they were to stick to the book. And yet this whole season the television show went in a direction with story lines that weren't in the books.

It's very obvious to me the television show went in a direction that will be revealed to us in book six.
The big question is whether we get book six before season six. I'm betting on season six.
Firstly, Stanus invades and loses.

Second, Brianne moves to kill Stanus. I say moves to kill because we don't see her do it.
In the book, Brianne is long dead.
In the book,  Sansa is not at Winterfell, but heck, she could be on her way.
In the book, Jon is stabbed lots by his Night's Watch men and is left to die.

This is tortuous.

Game of Thrones season five

The television show is moving away from the books in some subtle ways or my memory of what happened in the books is full of holes. Either could be true.

I don't remember Aria being turned away from the black/white cult. I remember her being accepted and having to endure multiple trials, blindness, etc. in her training as an assassin. I also don't remember the man (can't remember his name) who gave her the coin returning. I know the assassins have many faces, and I remember him changing his when he left her, but I don't remember him returning to the island of Brazos.

 

Second, Jamie didn't team up with Bronn and go to Dorne to rescue Marcella.




Third, Brienne never found Sansa.

Fourth, Daenerys didn't have an adviser executed, although she had unrest in her kingdom because of her dragons and the revolt by the former slave owners. I loved the hissing and rock throwing scene.

 

Five, Tyron and the unic didn't stay together. I'm glad they seem to be straying away from Tyron as a circus act because that was just too horrendous. Yet there is still time.

 


I loved last night's episode. I'm very pleased they are moving away from the books because then I feel like we have two great sources of entertainment.

Catching up with fans

It's been so long. I've been teaching a journalism course at the local community college and that's been sucking up all of my time.
Oh the stories I could write.

On to more important discussions, the second half of season five of The Walking Dead was just amazing. It took me a couple of weeks to watch the last two episodes on my DVR in part because I was afraid of a massacre and Rick was making me nervous.

The Walking Dead is partly an examination of the human mind and spirit when faced with dire circumstances. It's a dog eat dog world, literally.  (Animal lovers who were upset by that scene, well, how bout this, I rarely brake for cats and dogs, especially if it's going to cause an accident.)

It's also clear that everyone has evil in them. Although I do wonder why it seems mostly the evil survived? I think in real life there are 1 million in prison, but 300 million who aren't!!!

More later. I'm eating dinner.

Walking Dead Keeps Getting Better

This has been one of the best season's of the Walking Dead, if not the best.
I've been thinking over the last few seasons and I'm just blown away at how they've maintain a great show into season 5. By comparison season 4 looks really weak.
That being said, I did have to grit my teeth to get through the "dumb ass" moments of season 1 and 2. Does anyone else remember putting Glenn in the well? Enough said.

Unfortunately in the mid-season finale we lost Beth. Waaaaaa. It was a great performance and I was so shocked I couldn't figure out who shot Beth. I had to rewind a few times until I realized Dawn reflexively shot her after getting stabbed in the shoulder with small scissors.
The show had a great start, middle and (gasp) end.

Like millions of fans, I've also become hooked on Talking Dead, although it's not quite the conspiracy relief I'm seeking. I do like when they discuss the comics because I haven't read them.
On Sunday's Talking Dead, Emily Kinney (Beth) cried and got choked up several times when she talked about leaving the Walking Dead family. Robert Kirkman, Walking Dead comics creator, looked very uncomfortable at her emotional outbursts.

I'm really looking forward to February and am dying to see what will happen. I think that's how the writers wanted it to end.

Canadian Border guard keeps Ebola from spreading

Went to Canada yesterday and Nexus lane border guard grilled me extensively. I don't see how her questions were relevant, especially considering I am a "trusted" traveler. But alas we all have to put up with useless government bureaucracy.

Was grilled in Nexus lane into Canada & asked if I had contact with anyone with Ebola. Is that the way to keep #Ebola out?
— Monica Wolfson (@mjwolfs) November 15, 2014

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Donate to fight Ebola in West Africa

When I booted up my computer today the black bar across my Google home page discretely urged me to donate to fight Ebola in West Africa. For every $1 I donate, Google is matching it by $2.

TIME MAGAZINE REPORT:

Google Launches Donation Campaign to Fight Ebola

Nov. 10, 2014

For every $1 you donate, Google will donate $2

Google has joined the fight against Ebola and pledged to give $2 for every dollar donated through its site, its CEO announced on Monday.
Larry Page wrote in a blog post that Google will also immediately donate $10 million to support nonprofits “doing remarkable work in very difficult circumstances,” including Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), International Rescue Committee and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Page also said the family foundation would give $15 million in a separate donation.
Google’s public-giving campaign follows a similar initiative by Facebook, which recently placed banners at the top of News Feeds that asked users to donate to similar nonprofits. While the Google campaign distinguishes itself with the company’s double-matched

So I've written here twice about the Ebola hysteria in the U.S. and I decided to donate to the cause for several reasons despite being unemployed.

1. Ebola is a real problem in West Africa.
2. West Africa doesn't have the resources to fight Ebola well and is reliant on Western medical professionals to help combat the illness.
3. Getting rid of Ebola in West Africa makes the U.S. safer.

Please note I said combating the disease in West Africa makes the U.S. safer. Not shutting our borders or isolating harmless nurses in tents in hospital parking lots. Getting rid of Ebola at its source is the best way to make everyone worldwide safer.

So please don't get sucked into the political wrangling and propaganda. Donate to this cause because it makes everyone safer.

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Is that my child?

There are days, when I wonder if my child, is my child. Halloween was such a day.
I know the world is much more different than when I was a kid:

• They sell Halloween/snack sized junk year-round.
• You can buy decent Halloween costumes in a store.
• Halloween celebrations go on for weeks rather than just one night.
• I don't carve a pumpkin on Halloween Eve.

Chloe has worn her Halloween costume at least three times this year before Halloween. That was unheard of when I was a kid. My mom made our costumes and we wore them once.


As my friend Karen said, no one bought costumes in stores because they were all made of plastic and fell apart soon after they were put on.


But that's not my point. Chloe is just so different than I was as a child.

She wore this costume to school yesterday and was discouraged when some girl told her she looked like a baby. She got in the car and asked if she could have another costume. I'm not sure if I would have been so discouraged right away. I grew up telling myself that other people's opinions of me didn't matter.

I have to admit I'm pissed. Some lame 5-year-old ruined her day and she won't  tell me who it was. The opinions of others seem to matter to her, which is sad because at her age, the kids are very self absorbed and they are either nice or rude, there's no in between.

But that's not why I'm writing this.

Last night when we headed out trick or treating - on a blustery, cold, wet and horribly windy night - we'd gone to three houses when Chloe wanted to stop. She wanted to hand out candy instead of getting any from the neighbors. Of course she didn't word it like that. She and I had a standoff on the sidewalk with Chloe saying, she wanted others to say trick or treat to her.

I told her that's not how it worked and it went downhill from there.

I would never have done that.

I worshiped candy and would never have sacrificed a Halloween night. I left Chloe and Martin, who never trick or treated in that deprived country England and didn't think it was a big deal, to hand out candy.

I came downstairs shortly before 7 p.m. and asked Chloe if she wanted to at least show off her costume to any of her friends who live in the houses around us. (She had changed to last year's princess costume.)

She and Martin scuttled off and left me to hand out candy. They only went to about seven homes and then came home.

I really have a great kid, especially considering she is not as obsessed with treats as I was. That's a good thing.

But she's also such a different person than me. She's a homebody. She loves being with her parents and doing simple things. She's super special and I feel very lucky that she has so far turned out so well.

Turning a dinner disaster into an edible meal the next night

I don't often write about cooking because my sister is a personal chef and my food sucks by comparison.
Everything in my sister's fridge, especially the leftovers, are delicious. Not so in my house.
For some inexplicable reason, my crockpot meal Sunday night was really bad.
I made a whole chicken with lemon, thyme and white wine. The chicken was OK. But the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions on the bottom of the pot were uncooked, even after seven hours on low.
Before I discovered my disaster, my husband talked me out of making broccoli, because we had these other vegetables. Well, there's nothing worse than partially cooked potatoes. They are just inedible even after I put them in the microwave for 10 minutes.
At this point everyone in my home is staving so we made do and had lots of leftovers.
The next night, I turned the chicken into a chicken and wild rice chowder from the Better Homes and Garden Crockpot Recipe Book.
Unfortunately they don't publish their recipes online so I can't link to them but it took cooking carrots, celery, mushrooms and onion in butter. Add flour so that it's a chowder and not a soup, four cups of chicken broth, three-quarters of a cup of cooked rice, one and a half cups of half and half, a little extra thyme and seasoning and voila. Chicken rice chowder.
I've made this before with a rotisserie chicken and it was great.
That how I rescued a four-pound chicken dinner. We've eaten the chowder twice now and I think I'll have it for lunch and we'll be done. At least the chicken provided us with three dinners and a lunch.

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Ebola hysteria

I watched congressional hearings yesterday where it seemed lawmakers, especially Republicans, only wanted to blame President Barak Obama for Ebola than discuss a thoughtful way to deal with the outbreak in the U.S.
Wait. I mispoke. Is it an outbreak when only 2 people have been infected? I think not. While I sympathize with the two nurses who contracted Ebola, let's be thoughtful for a minute.
No one seems to remember that patient zero, Thomas Eric Duncan, had raging symptoms of Ebola as late as Sept. 28. With Ebola's incubation period, why has no one mentioned that the 50 people who had contact with Mr. Duncan before and after he got sick and have not contracted the illness or shown symptoms in the 21 day incubation period?
This is a good news story.
Tomorrow will be 21 days since Mr. Duncan was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
I'll tell you why no one has mentioned all those people being safe because it doesn't serve the anti-Obama rhetoric that politicians are spouting.
There's an election in a few weeks and the only truth the public is being told are the lies that will get these baboons elected.
Be aware. Get informed. Be a real citizen and not a puppet.
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Walking Dead revived

Wow. Wow. Wow.
I made my husband watch the season 5 premiere of AMC's Walking Dead with me tonight. He said he's going to have nightmares and he wasn't even watching the show.
It was freaking scary.... drama, drama, drama of the good kind.

I don't want to give too much away for anyone who hasn't seen it, but this was the big reunion episode since they were driven off from the prison. One can be forgiven for forgetting that at the end of season 4 Rick was still separated from Judith and Beth was still missing.
Tonight, the only person still in mystery land is Beth.
I guess I'm not being fair if I say that season 4 wasn't dramatic. The season finale with the rape, almost rape, of Carl was pretty dramatic. But I felt that season 4 as a whole had more low than high points.
There were so many scenes in this year's season opener that had me on the edge of my seat, gripping a pillow and sitting super close to my husband because I was so scared. The butchering scene was just horrific.

Watch first four minutes of the season premiere:

 I haven't read the comics but I know from reading forums about the show that there were cannibals in the comics.
I'm glad that the cannibals seem to have made a brief appearance because I don't think I could have stomached episode after episode of fearing being eaten by other humans.


Again there were gratuitous gory scenes. I especially liked the close up of the zombie chomping on someone's face. Nice.

Overall, I can see why my friends thought the episode was fabulous. I did not cry unlike others, but I did feel a little softness in my heart when Carol and Daryl were reunited.

I have to comment on Carol. She has fast become my most favorite character along with Daryl. It was was awesome to see a woman be the hero for a change. But it's not just that. I loved her kick-ass nature in this episode, but more importantly, she has fast become the most complex character on the show. She does what needs to be done, more so than Rick or any of the other characters. I found one of the most powerful moments last year was when she had to kill one of the young girls because she'd become psycho. That was tough to watch.  This week she got on her inner zombie (a move I feel they haven't done since season 1 when Rick and Glen covered themselves in zombie guts to get a car) and was like a clever female MacGyver. 

Just a quick note: Was I the only one who noticed the gratuitous missing chest buttons of Maggie's top? Really?Was that necessary? That was just too darn obvious.
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New website

A couple of announcements before I detail my lunch experiments.
I officially launched my freelance writing/editing/website content/newsletter/grant writing website at mjeditorial.com
Check it out and see if you have any freelance work you need done.

Second, I'll update some TV viewing shortly. The new TV season just started and I've watched some shows. Can I say, shocking start to The Good Wife, one of my favorite shows. Look back soon for a piece on CBS's Person of Interest.

Next, I've made lunches now for a month and think I've figured out a routine. As unexciting as that sounds, lunch is a routine. I try and give my daughter a different lunch every day, but inevitably there is a repeat day. Usually she gets the cheese stick and crackers more than once a week, but I mix it up with different fruit, yogurt or a treat.

I was giving her my homemade breakfast bar almost daily but I ran out and have to make more. They are pricey to make and fairly high calorie, but full of natural goodness with nuts, seeds, dried fruit and coconut. See Nigella Lawson for recipe details.

Waffle sandwiches with cream cheese filling have been a hit. I use one frozen waffle, toast it, cut it in half and spread fruit flavored cream cheese in the filling.

It's not worth it to give too much of one thing. When I give my daughter a full sandwich instead of a half, she leaves half of it uneaten.

I started giving my daughter a treat once a week when I noticed, I've been to three lunches at the school, that most of the kids get a treat every day. Oreos are the popular treat of choice and I give my daughter two once a week.

My daughter has bought lunch twice so far. One day was Domino's pizza, the other was today when she got mini pancakes. She asked to buy lunch again, but the menu looked like crap. I told her she can only buy her lunch once a week.

School lunch update

My anxiety over school lunch has not waned too much. I've had some success and some failure.
She's eaten her veggies every morning except one. She ate her sandwich one day, but not the other.

When she rejected the sandwich I moved to a stick of cheese and crackers.  The breakfast bars are a huge hit. See Nigella Lawson recipe.
For the most part, she doesn't eat as much as I expected. For example, today she didn't eat her pear and she loves pears.
I'm pretty proud of the fact that her lunches are very healthy and she's eating them. The first two days of this week I gave her half of a Fibre One bar. That was a big treat.
I've got a recipe for a different kind of bar that is mostly made up of dates, dried blueberries and almonds. I hope Chloe likes it because it will be much lower calorie than the Nigella breakfast bars.  

While I'm figuring out the food, Chloe can't seem to keep track of her things.
She lost her Tupperware and her pear last week when she dropped it on the floor in the cafeteriua. I can understand losing the pear, but why not pick up the Tupperware????
She lost her water bottle twice in three days. On Friday she lost her Tupperware, water bottle and a plastic bracelet.
I admit I flipped and put down some rules. Food only goes in baggies. No more water bottles. Rely on the school drinking fountain. No more taking jewelery to school.
I feel like a mean mommy but jeez, she wouldn't remember her head if it wasn't attached to her body.,

Nosy rude strangers

So, I was just reading about my friend's experience on Facebook when she joined a Yoga class.

A woman approaches her and says the class is really hard and it's really hot and she should probably do another class.



One of the comments on her post is from another friend who said she was in a yoga class once when the instructor came up to her and told her she was doing the pose incorrectly and should leave the class because she was upsetting the energy in the room.




How horrible. Now for my experience:

I was at Meijer a few months ago and my daughter was tired and cranky. She was whining and crying and throwing fits all over the store so finally I just headed to cash out.



I'm standing in line while my daughter was sitting on the floor, somewhat making a scene and this white-haired woman in the line next to mine says this:
"Are you abusing your child?"
Stunned I think I said:
"Are you serious?"
She then went on to complain that she could hear my daughter screaming all over the store.
My response:
"She's having a meltdown. It's what four year olds do."
I think I went on to say something about, if I was abusing my child I'd be hitting her.
An older woman in a wheelchair also in the line next to mine said:
"I think she's just tired."
Me:
"Yes. Thank you. She's very tired."
This exchange just ruined my weekend. As you can see, months later, I'm still not over it. In fact, I stayed away from Meijer for a while because I didn't want to run into that horrid woman again.

 I thought back to it after reading an op-ed in the New York Times this week by a man who has two teenage daughters. He was taking their picture on a ferry to an island he goes to annually. These pictures are a tradition he does every year.  I think he was implying he was an amateur photographer and took a long time to get the right picture.
Near the end of the photo shoot some man approached the girls in front of the dad and said something about the girls being exploited and they didn't have to put up with it.
The op-ed writer told the man he was the girls' father and the guy left.
It turns out the girls are adopted from China and the intrusive man, who turned out to work for Homeland Security, thought the dad was taking pictures of the girls to be sold or used for some illegal jail bait use.
The dad was very offended and when he told the girls why the homeland security guy was concerned, they were grossed out by the implications.

The purpose of the piece was about intrusive strangers somehow feeling comfortable making accusations against people, especially in public. I mean really. What happened to manners?
To me, it's pretty easy to spot someone abusing their child. I've heard many parents slapping their kids in stores, although not necessarily seen it.
I hate to say this, but spanking isn't illegal.
I remember this one trip, California 2004, me, Julius, Dad, Mom, Michelle and Nick in a mini van. Nick was really acting up and my mother said:
"I think someone needs a spanking."




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School lunches

I've been pretty anxious about what to pack for lunch for my five-year-old at school now that she's in kindergarten.
My father made my lunches growing up and while I ate them readily when I was little, I stopped when I got older.
Firstly my father used wax paper instead of plastic baggies to wrap the food so cheese in particular would get hard and in kid terms, gross.
By junior high school I had developed very bad eating habits by mostly not eating breakfast and lunch and gorging once I got home from school around 4:30 p.m.
For my daughter's first day I packed a jam sandwich on whole wheat bread, no crusts, cantaloupe, apple sauce, a small baggie of flavored water and a small blueberry muffin. There were also cucumber slices and grape tomatoes for her morning snack.
Since I was able to clarify this morning that I can give my daughter nuts to be eaten in the cafeteria, tomorrow she'll get a small baggie of almonds instead of the muffin or apple sauce.
The lunch bag isn't that big and everything except for the sandwich was in a container. I'll have to see how hungry she is when she gets home. My plan is to give her yogurt smoothies or a cheese stick for protein, but didn't get around to making the smoothie last night.
I'm also going to make breakfast bars, which are essentially oats, nuts and dried fruit, for her lunch because 1. She likes them. 2. She eats them. 3. They are filling.
I'm baking another batch today so I'll post photos then.

It took about 8 hours to upload that photo. Not sure what's happening with blogger and photos and videos but I  can't upload them half the time.


That is a big pan of the Nigella Lawson recipe for breakfast bar containing nuts, oats, dried fruit and held together with sweetened condensed milk. They are very high calorie, but the bar sizes are small.

Anyway, lunch update: My daughter came home with her lunch bag and -- shocker here -- she hardly ate anything. She still had the full sandwich, the apple sauce and most of the cantaloupe. I wasn't surprised by the sandwich and apple sauce, but sport candy cantaloupe? She ate the small muffin, a bite of cantaloupe and drank water for lunch.
She then proceeded to eat half of a cantaloupe, half a big round cantaloupe, for dinner along with her portion of chicken pot pie and veggies.
I hope she isn't inheriting my childhood eating habits.

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