16.4 C
Los Angeles
Saturday, November 9, 2024

Popcorn: The Newest Superfood Inductee

New research shows popcorn contains a higher concentration of the antioxidant substances polyphenols than fresh fruits and veggies.Sure, popcorn has long been a popular food among movie lovers and chr

Non-GMO Project Certifies Tomato Grower in BC

More growers and manufacturers are recognizing the importance of consumer confidence that their products are GMO free. The Non-GMO Project provides verification.With the latest certification of a non-

A Sophisticated Mid-Century Home In The Upper North Shore Trees

There’s a relaxed, Californian feel to the family home of James and Liana Shaw-Taylor – a tribute to the home’s mid-century architecture, and leafy surrounds in Wahroonga, on Sydney’s Upper-North Shore.

Working with interior designers Tom Mark Henry, the couple have maintained the original modernist spirit of the home, but in a contemporary manner inspired by nature and their own eclectic tastes.

The end result is equal parts playful and sophisticated, representing a modern take on the mid-century genre!

AdvertismentXP PEN Many Geos - ADM

'Free-Fairing Friend' Lunchbox – The Design Files | Australia's most popular design blog.

FOOD'Free-Fairing Friend' Lunchbox - The Design Files | Australia's most popular design blog.

I trained as a Landscape Architect, and what I loved most about my time in that field was that things would always be changing.  No two jobs were ever the same, and creative inspiration is ever-evolving.  Now running my own little catering and event styling business, I find that food and events are similar in this way – no two events, and in fact no two meals are ever quite the same!  I also like the timelines better when working with food – it’s a quick turnaround, food is made, spaces created, enjoyed and experienced and completed in the space of a weekend. I found that when I was working in landscape, I would be the one putting my hand up to organise the events and would always do little extra things, like make matching aprons or bespoke keepsakes for the guests at exhibitions. It took some time to find my way… but after a couple of stints overseas, I knew that my heart was in making food, meeting people, moving around and designing concepts. I look back on my 9.00 – 5.00 job and realise that my favourite conversations were ‘what have you got for lunch?’ For a time I worked in a landscape office in Amsterdam and they had a chef that came and made a hot lunch every day – I know, very spoilt, right!?  He would ring the bell and all 30 of us would head upstairs and sit and share lunch together. I loved the equality in everyone taking time for lunch, where we all left feeling nourished (or wanting an afternoon nap after the extra pieces of bread and gouda I would eat!) and you had an opportunity to chat to people in the office that you might not get to know otherwise. This really inspired me to reconsider the importance of lunch!

Now that I work for myself and my job is to feed people, it’s pretty easy for me to get excited about food. From making a quick and simple pumpkin soup to a more intense 14-hour slow cooked beef cheek. I so look forward to lunch and am already thinking about it before I’ve finished breakfast or even dinner from the night before! I am on the go a lot, so I find that my lunches need to be easy and portable to eat on the run! Everyone gets so excited and posts loads of pictures about breakfast bowls and dinner ideas (I am guilty of that too!) – but what about LUNCH? It’s the forgotten meal! With a little bit of extra love going into your mid-day meal, you will find that it’s much easier to get through the day. And who knows, maybe you can create a stronger community at your workplace by encouraging people to sit together and chat over their meal. There’s so many possibilities for lunch, how did we let it fall by the wayside? Let’s bring lunch back! Are you with me? I understand the last thing on your mind in the morning when you are focussing on lots of tasks while trying to get out the door and dreaming of your first coffee for the day certainly does not inspire excitement for the preparation of lunch. But for this month’s Tasty Tuesday I hope to change this mentality, and have put together four tasty and inspiring ‘grown-up lunch boxes!’. You can prep and pack most of the lunchbox components the night before, and really, although we’ve ramped it up a bit with home made treats and other side dishes included, you can pick and choose your favourite elements and create your own combinations using store-bought ingredients or even leftover from the night before….  More than anything, I hope this series might inspire you to just think a little more creatively about your lunch! We’re kicking off the series with the ‘free-fairing friend’ lunchbox, which contains heaps of options for those trying to avoid gluten, dairy and /or meat.  I don’t mind cooking for my free-fairing friends one little bit (gluten free, dairy free, low sugar and vegetarian). In fact I enjoy it as it encourages me to think outside of the culinary box, or lunchbox so-to-speak. So this first lunchbox is for my vegetarian, low sugar, low dairy (besides the popcorn) and gluten-free friends. It will keep you feeling nourished and fulfilled, giving you enough energy to take on the second half of your day with gusto.

Free-Fairing Friend Lunchbox unpacked! Recipe by Cassie Lucas of Firecracker. Coconut yoghurt pot with fruit and Firecracker CRUNCH, sitting atop small wooden plate from Muji. Sweet, Salty and Smoky Popcorn on peppermint green small Hay Tray from CULT. Waka Waka thought bubble chopping board from Mr Kitly.  My New Roots’ Life Changing Bread with avocado and pepitas on grey Hay Tray from CULT.   Kale, cherry tomato and quinoa salad with and roasted cumin carrots in Country Road bowl. Surface – porcelain tile from Ital Ceramics. Photo – Eve Wilson, styling – Lucy Feagins, styling assistant – Nat Turnbull.


Cassie Lucas of Firecracker! Magewappa butter dish form Mr Kitly. Surfaces are porcelain tiles from Ital Ceramics. Photo – Eve Wilson, styling – Lucy Feagins, styling Assistant – Nat Turnbull.


Kale, cherry tomato and kale salad ingredients with cumin roasted carrots. Kami Plate from Mr Kitly. Surface is a porcelain tiles from Ital Ceramics. Photo – Eve Wilson, styling – Lucy Feagins, styling assistant – Nat Turnbull.


Waka Waka thought chopping board from Mr Kitly. Surface is a porcelain tiles from Ital Ceramics. Photo – Eve Wilson, styling – Lucy Feagins, styling sssistant – Nat Turnbull.


Bamboo bento from Mr Kitly. Wrap cloth from Cibi. Kami Schale Wooden dish/lid from Mr Kitly. Utilitarian Jar by Ben Fiess from Third Drawer Down. Surface is a porcelain tiles from Ital Ceramics. Photo – Eve Wilson, styling – Lucy Feagins, styling Assistant – Nat Turnbull.

Check out our other content

Check out other tags:

Most Popular Articles