First Meal Prep

Two weeks ago, we finally sort of meal prepped since being home from the beach. We have been trying to eat out less, which does not happen in much, but having things already cooked truly does prevent us from eating out/eating badly. While there's no "right way" to meal prep, I just looked at the posts on Shutterbean for inspiration and thought about other things that would be useful in our kitchen. Cole usually makes chicken for himself every week to eat alongside our always vegetarian meals, while everything I prep is, of course, vegetarian. 

So where to begin? There are a lot of ways that I could write about this, but if you're starting to meal prep, consider this: what times do you need convenient meals? For me, it's breakfasts, snacks, and maybe a few things here and there for lunch. I have to get up at 5:30 AM 5 days of the week, so having something already made for breakfast saves on time and prevents me from not really eating breakfast. Having healthy snacks pre made and prepped helps me to not snack on chips while I'm at work or other unhealthy items.

When I work out, I usually have breakfast, a little snack later on in the morning, and a workout shake before I workout. After the gym, I eat a somewhat late lunch with plenty of carbs and protein, and later on is dinner. Having things like cooked rice, quinoa, millet, and other grains in the fridge makes it simple to pull together a quick lunch. Here's a great tutorial on how to cook quinoa, my favorite protein-packed grain, along with meal ideas to get you started!

Something else that helps is our magnetic "dry erase chalkboard" on our fridge - where I list our meals for the week, as well as what's in the fridge. This was so helpful in creating lunches for us using leftovers, and knowing what needed to be eaten down before it went bad. So here's what we made for the first week:

- Deviled Egg Salad - [on toast for breakfast, sandwiches with power greens, or scooped onto a salad] - I've never improvised egg salad but essentially I minced about 1/4 cup red onion and 2 celery stalks. Hard-boiled 5 eggs for 14 minutes. After boiling, I diced it using an egg slicer, then added roughly 1/2 cup vegan mayo, celery/onion, 1/2 TBS stoneground mustard, a heavy dash of Fox Point, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix together and enjoy! Honestly, I made this egg salad the same way that I make my deviled eggs, and it was perfect.

- Greek salad dressing - [salads or as a light dressing on anything] We bought a 5 pound bag of power greens, so I was really pushing salads during this week and I made a salad dressing. However, next time, I will definitely double/triple a dressing because we used all of it in a night! 
- Mediterranean quinoa salad - [lunches and dinners] This easy, tangy quinoa salad definitely saved us many times throughout the week. I added a dash of white balsamic vinegar each time, and we both added extra protein (like vegan chikn cutlets or eggs).

- Morning glory protein bars - [snacks/pre-workout] These protein bars are absolutely packed with protein - and the best part is that you can customize them based on whatever you happen to have in your pantry. I added flax seeds on top, coconut, and used dried cranberries/raisins/golden raisins for the dried fruit. I loved these as snacks while I was at work, and especially before a workout because of the carb/protein combo!

Here are the meals that we made this week for dinner:

- Hearty Southwest Lentil Veggie Soup - This soup was so ridiculously tasty and easy to make after a few hours of meal prepping! It also made a ton of soup, which means we had plenty of leftovers. I served each bowl with the chipotle crema, crushed tortilla chips, plus a handful of cilantro. And if you left the crema out, I'm sure this would be freezer friendly! Sometimes it's nice to have a big batch of soup to eat throughout the week.

- Saucy Fish Tacos - We have been using our apartment complex's grill a lot lately, usually once a week, so I've been trying to find new recipes for us to try. We love fish tacos, and these just looked so good! We used frozen, wild caught flounder (fresh would be amazing, of course), skipped some of the toppings, but the sauce is a must. It is so good, flavorful, and versatile. Not only is it amazing on these tacos, but it also paved the way for a few nights of amazing dinners. We made burrito bowls two nights in a row using the leftover grilled poblano sauce. They consisted of jasmine rice, canned vegan refried black beans, salsa, hot sauce, avocado, cilantro, and the sauce. SO good! And don't forget the Caipirinhas!

Overview: For our first meal prep, it went pretty well! Next time I'd like to prep everything on one day, instead of over two days. We definitely bought too many salad greens/didn't eat enough of them, so I think maybe not buying a 5 pound Costco bag next time is a good idea. We ate out on Saturday, so I would like to avoid that next time as well.

Next time: homemade salsa, granola, coconut flour PB2 cookies, vegan Parmesan, and cooked rice

Weekly Eats Twelve (3/28 - 4/3)

Holiday Eats: Grilled Salmon, Vegan Pasta Salad, Deviled Eggs, and Southern Potato Salad

This is what I ate for a (late) Easter dinner - marinaded/grilled salmon, my mom's classic Southern potato salad, her deviled eggs, pasta salad, and roasted romanesco (green cauliflower). I wanted to try a new pasta salad recipe since my mom doesn't like mayo, even if it's vegan mayo, so I used this recipe which uses a silken tofu mayo dressing plus dried dill. I must say, I wasn't really a fan of the silken mayo dressing. I thought it was a little bland overall, but then again I could've tweaked it be otherwise, but discovering my oven is broken kind of distracted me.

Dinner: Favorite Lentil Soup

I'm sure you might be wondering why there are so few posts this week...and it's due to the fact that I was nursing an infected canker sore and had difficulty chewing for most of that time. Luckily this lentil soup did the trick, which I had an easier time eating after a day or so on meds. I loved the combination of different herbs in this recipe. Instead of dried tarragon, I used dried rosemary, ground marjoram, and basil. I will definitely be making this again - especially next time we need a get well soon soup.

Dinner: Classic Sauteed Tofu, Steamed Kale + Slow-Cooker Garlic Chive Mashed Potatoes

As mentioned above, my oven currently does not work, which breaks my heart. Luckily I am moving into a place with new appliances soon (yay!) so I won't have to wait that much longer. I made these mashed potatoes in the slow cooker when I could still barely chew, and they are probably one of the best mashed potato recipes I've had! The potatoes cook for less than three hours in the slow cooker, then you mash with almond milk and serve! They went perfectly with the tofu and kale. We marinated the tofu extra long (over an hour) and then sauteed 5-6 mins/side in some leftover marinade, adding more after flipping, instead of baking it. This might be our new go to "basic" tofu recipe. The flavor was wonderful, especially with a little lemon pepper on top. I'd like to try this with Bragg's Amino Acids next time, which Isa calls for in her recipe that originally comes from this book, but I never have it on hand.

Weekly Eats Eleven (3/21 - 3/27)

Post Workout Snack: Toast with Chocolate Peanut Butter + Banana Chips

I was desperate for a banana/chocolate PB toast but was out of bananas...so banana chips to the rescue! It was actually still delicious and I loved the crunch from the chips. Chocolate peanut butter is one of my favorite snack additions because its a nice little twist on regular PB!

Dinner: Fast and Flavorful Fried Rice

Cooked, leftover rice plus frozen mixed vegetables and eggs, is a one way ticket to the laziest and tastiest dinner. Next time I think I'd like to use Chinese 5-Spice powder instead of the chili powder, which sort of numbed the other spices in this dish. However, for something that took less than 10 minutes, this filling take on fried rice certainly did the trick. To make vegan, simply sub crumbled tofu or edamame instead of eggs.

Feast: Vegan Okonomiyaki Panckes with Tonkatsu sauce, steamed Edamame, and Cold Marinated Tofu

This vegan, Asian-inspired feast was sooo good. Every once in a while, I like to make a few meal components instead of just one main entree. It makes dinner feel like something special, because maybe it took just a tiny more effort than one dish. First, I prepped the cold tofu salad which comes from America's Test Kitchen's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. The tofu is marinated in a mix of seaweeds, mirin (sweetened sake), rice vinegar, and vegan fish sauce. To serve, strain with a slotted spoon and top with crumbled nori and toasted sesame oil. I've never had tofu served like this before, but it was delicious! We had it the next day in cabbage leaves, which was also wonderful. Finally, the main even if you will, were these Japanese vegetable pancakes loaded with vegetables and topped with vegan mayo and a ketchup/tamari sauce. These pancakes were absolutely delicious. The mix of the sauces on top took it over the edge and made them perfect. To round everything out, I served all of this with some simple cucumber sake martinis - equal parts dry sake and vodka, with thinly sliced/mandolined cucumber.

Dinner: Cheater Pad Thai

Step 1: boil noodles. Step 2: make sauce. Step 3: mix noodles with sauce and miscellaneous vegetables. That's really it, and that's why "cheater" is in the name of this recipe. I love traditional versions of pad Thai, but this quick and easy version will satisfy your cravings as well. I've made this recipe many times before, but this time I added sliced cucumber, coleslaw mix (green/red cabbage, carrots), and that's it! To make this last longer/serve more people, I multiplied all of the ingredients by four to make enough for one pound of rice noodles. This is also delicious served hot and cold.

Imbibe: Beetbox at 1618 Wine Lounge

Creamy, vinegary, sharp, and bitter - the Beetbox cocktail at 1618 is absolutely perfect. Besides its Pantone hued color, the bitter tastes of Campari mixed with a sweet/sour beet shrub made the best combination. The mint on top is a nice, bright balance to all things bitter and sour.

Imbibe: Kimchi Gibbler at 1618 Wine Lounge

Kimchi in a cocktail? I know what you're thinking. But let's not forget that I have some sort of inherent duty to try all of the strange cocktails that I can find. So after some (very brief) deliberation, I decided to give it a go. Finely strained kimchi juice, mixed with just a touch more of sriracha, local gin, and lemon make a much lighter riff on a bloody Mary. The balance in this cocktail was surprising, as I was expecting the kimchi to be overpowering, but the flavors together made a wonderfully spicy and sour drink.

Weekly Eats Eight (2/29 - 3/6)

Travel: Potato Bhajji Dosa at Curryblossom Cafe in Chapel Hill, NC

We took a tiny little trip to Chapel Hill with our friend last week and discovered some new spots that we will definitely be returning to! First stop was an appetizer, in liquid form, at the Lantern Restaurant - the perfect house sake martini with thinly mandolined cucumber in the midst of a well-lit red-lanterned bar. The atmosphere reminded me of a scene in Only God Forgives and from what I can tell, this restaurant left much more of a good impression. The restaurant's creator has also written a cookbook for those of you interested - Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes.

Next stop was Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe, tucked away in a sultry alley off the beloved Franklin Street. We walked into the "bar entrance", which consisted of some taps, bottles, and desserts, and one of my most coveted gluten-free beers caught my eyes high up on a shelf (thank god) - Omission IPA. I've never seen this beer in NC and was only lucky enough to receive one in a free prize bundle from them last summer, so I was certainly thrilled about this! Curryblossom has a note on their menu that everything is GF (minus samosas and breads like naan, of course) and that anything vegetarian can be made vegan. That being said, I had a ton of options, but I opted for this potato bhajji dosa that was basically the size of my forearm. I couldn't tell you the last time I had Indian food, mostly because I always prefer making it at home, but I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy dining experience. Plus this dosa was tops. I absolutely can't wait to return and try something new!

Travel: Vieux Carre at The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, NC

Truth time: I have quite a few books. Something in the ballpark of 200+ if we include cookbooks. A fair amount of these also happen to be booze related - historical writings, recipe books, and all around guides to having/tending to a bar. This is my excuse for knowing about weird drinks that aren't on your common drink list. I'm still stuck on/in love with The Bar Book - an A-Z compendium of spirits, brief bits of their histories and how they're made, plus recipes sneaked in between. Plus I love anything in alphabetical order. So somewhere in the "B" section I stumbled upon Benedictine and snuggled next door was a recipe for the Vieux Carre. This herbal French liqueur was created by monks many moons ago, and creates a perfectly balanced cocktail when combined with rye, cognac, vermouth, and two types of bitters. Enough ranting - I was beyond thrilled to find this on the menu at the Crunkleton, which might be the coolest bar I've ever had the pleasure of being at. With over 500 spirits, the possibilities are endless, but I decided to go for my coveted Benedictine twice - the second in a Rye Monk cocktail featuring Green Chartreuse, Apple Brandy, as well as bitters. The atmosphere has the cozy feel of a library, the kind where you'd like to stay all night. We had such a great time there that I'm already plotting my return, and exactly what drinks I'll try next!

Dinner: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

So I sort of failed at cooking last week and ate out far more than I'd ever like to allow again. But after an unexpected nine hour work day, I still managed/forced myself to break out a cauliflower pizza with my leftover cauli. I've had this type of crust before, made by some friends, but have never actually tried it myself. It was so dead simple to make, much easier than a traditional GF yeasted dough, but I think next time I will make the crust much thinner. It was cooked all the way through, but still a tad mealy for my tastes. Then again, I'll never turn down homemade pizza like this. We topped ours with good store-bought pizza sauce with no crazy ingredients, peppers and mushrooms which were pre-cooked slightly before baking, and a ton of the best dried herbs. My favorite pizza herbs are basil, oregano, pinch of thyme, fennel seeds (this is key), Italian herbs, and crushed red pepper flakes. I honestly just might need to invest in Penzey's pizza seasoning, which seems to have a lot of fennel in it, so they know how to do it well.

Lunch: Chopped Tahini Salad

I've been craving this healthy salad since I saw it on this lovely blog, and it did not disappoint. You could change up the greens on this, or make it with all cabbage for a tangy slaw. I used half romaine and half red cabbage, but I think this would make a great kale salad if you massaged the dressing in. The crunch of the sweet peppers and red cabbage are a great addition, plus super healthy edamame and peanuts. Now onto this dressing...this dressing that tastes like peanut sauce but is most definitely not that, at all. Instead there's tahini paste, red curry paste, some tamari, rice vinegar, etc. that all make up this incredible power house salad. I might have to use this sauce again as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or to glaze tofu with. This will make a great lunch too - just pack the dressing separate - and I might add some cold quinoa too next time!

Snacks: Salmon Sushi Rolls with Peanut Sauce

I think it's so funny how food cravings work for people. For me, sometimes I can be dead set on getting my hands on the new vegan Ben & Jerry's (still haven't seen it) or getting a basket of my favorite fries outside. Other times, I daydream fondly of something but am honestly too lazy to go get it or make it. Sunday, the man got a craving for sushi after he peeped the new sushi burrito trend that's going on right now. And there was no silence of this until we had the sashimi in the basket, alongside some toasted nori, avocado, and peanut sauce. I thought it was pretty cute to be honest. Luckily I still had a bag of sushi rice, so he whipped up some amazing rolls. He didn't use a recipe but it's essentially - cooked/cooled sushi rice, sashimi, avocado, cucumber, sriracha, black/white sesame seeds, some peanut sauce. Roll and cut! I was amazed that I could still roll sushi even though I've only made it once - and I think this was a sign that it certainly needs to happen more often.

Looking ahead: my budget will be fairly tight this week, so I'll be trying not to cook anything frivolous until I can afford to. I'm looking forward to simple meals based on things like pantry ingredients, such as rice and beans. I felt a little uninspired this past week, so I'm hoping that going back to basic things will reinvigorate me this week. I have some new cookbooks too that I hope to be cooking from very soon! I can't wait to write some more about my little food and booze travels. Thanks for reading :) 

Weekly Eats Seven (2/22 - 2/28)

Dinner: Pasta with improvised Vegan Bolognese Sauce

I've been trying to make the most of my leftover produce/odds and ends lately, so I decided to make a quick vegan bolognese sauce to top pasta with! My roommate had some leftover cooked tomatoes with herbs and spices, to which I added some onion and bell pepper I had cut up in the fridge. I sauteed the vegetables while I "steamed" meatless chickn tenders in the microwave. When the tenders were done, I mashed them with a potato masher, then added to the vegetables along with a little tamari/vegan Worcestershire/herbs/spices. Once this cooked down, I added the tomato sauce and let it boil on medium heat until the pasta was ready. The sauce turned out wonderfully and it was incredibly filling! 

Snacks: Chewy Almond Coconut Granola Bars

I've had this wonderful book by Joy the Baker for a couple of years now, but have never made a recipe from it until now (somehow)! These granola bars contain only pantry ingredients, so I had to try them out. I made them GF/DF by using vegan butter (to which I added dried orange peel), GF rolled oats, and GF oat flour. These granola bars were perfect in comparison to the last ones I made. They held up wonderfully and stayed chewy for a full week after I wrapped them in plastic wrap, plus their flavor never dulled. This might be my new go-to granola bar recipe. 

Dinner: Peanut Soba with Snow Peas

There are some nights when it gets too late and I have zero interest in cooking anything. But most of the time, I try to power through and just make something simple. When I tell you that these peanut noodles took as much effort as soaking rice noodles and making a sauce, that is seriously all it takes. And obviously I didn't regret making the effort by that point! Peanut noodles are my favorite and these were simply delicious, especially with the addition of snow peas, sambal, and lime.

Dinner: Old Bay Cauliflower Chickpea Burgers

Let me just say...these burgers are EVERYTHING! Perfect texture, flavor profile, and mouth feel somewhat akin to a real burger. There is a vegan burger in town that I like to order that also contains cauliflower, so I'm starting to wonder if this is the secret ingredient to a great veggie burger. Plus I love Old Bay, and it complemented the flavors of the chives and cauliflower beautifully. We served these on GF bread with vegan mayo, tomato, and lettuce, with a side of homemade oven fries as well. Doesn't get any better than this!

Night Out: Los Gordos Tex-Mex Cafe, Greensboro NC

We went out this past weekend and tried a Tex Mex place in town for the first time. It was the first restaurant with this cuisine that actually had GF options and was very accommodating for my dairy/gluten allergies. Finally we landed on these veggie fajitas - complete with Mexican rice, vegan refried beans (no lard!), guacamole, and pico. The best part, hands down, were the homemade corn tortillas. It was so different from a regular Mexican place. Los Gordos is tiny, but cozy, and everything tastes so fresh, so flavorful. The tortillas were the kicker because I can't stop thinking about them, which struck a conversation about why haven't we made tortillas yet? This has to be the best Mexican/Tex Mex food I've had, and I can't wait to go back!

BIG NEWS: I am moving in two months! Well, okay, not that far from where I live now...but I will have a real, new (as in not built in the 1950s) kitchen, which I am so excited about. I am sharing this news for a couple of reasons: I'm looking for suggestions/ideas on how to eat down my fridge/freezer/pantry for easier moving, but also good ideas for "starting meals" during our first week at the new place - which will involve quite a bit of unpacking/re-arranging. I am SO excited to move, but also a tiny sad to leave my quaint little neighborhood which I've grown to love. Luckily we won't be too far away. Any tips or suggestions you all have would be much appreciated!

Weekly Eats Six (2/15 - 2/21)

Dinner: Singapore Noodles

I love anything to do with noodles - whether it be Italian, Thai, Japanese, or other cuisine - or just plain noodles with vegan butter and salt. However, there's a special place in my heart for Asian noodle dishes, especially those that I haven't tried yet. I had never heard of Singapore noodles until I read this post and I knew I had to try them! The combination of tamari and curry powder is amazing, plus that "sauce" is maybe my new favorite glaze for tofu and it only has a few ingredients! Instead of baking the tofu and pan-glazing it, I pressed, cubed, and fried my tofu in coconut oil in a large skillet (the same one I used for the whole dish) until lightly browned on all sides - about 10 minutes. Then I added the sauce and let cook for 3-4 minutes until glazed. I did this while my rice noodles soaked in hot water, so when both of those things were done, I could start the rest!

Snacks: Apple Pie Granola Bars

These are the first "true" granola bars (i.e. not raw/no bake) I have tried to make. These only took a few minutes to come together, and baked for only half an hour, but apparently I'm not that great at making granola bars. These had a perfect apple pie flavor, complete with plenty of cinnamon and a hint of sugar, but most of them fell apart. Of course I still ate them, but I'd like to have nice, neat little bars to pack up for trips. I think my mistakes were a) not measuring my melted coconut oil properly b) not pressing down my bars firmly (I would use a thin, metal spatula) c) not letting them cool completely before cutting into bars. I am about to try a different granola bar recipe that instructs you to let cool, then refrigerate before cutting, so we will see if those cut more easily. 

Dinner: Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

I've had my eye on these beautifully golden, crunchy tacos for a while now. We really enjoy Mexican food, so of course we had to try making these at home. The result: why have I never shallow-fried tacos?! There's nothing really to this recipe - just mashing some homemade beans with onion and cilantro, frying and pressing tortillas to make crispy little shells, then smothering it all in salsa and hot sauce - but they just taste so much better then regular tacos. I'd love to try these with different fillings, and will certainly report back our results. The recipe says it serves four, but we happily ate all of them in one sitting. Next thing to try will be making our own tortillas!

Dinner/Lunch: Chickpea Lentil Salad with Shallot White Wine Vinaigrette

This has been on my to-make list for a bit now, and I finally decided I needed a healthy little boost for dinner. Plus who doesn't love a recipe that takes literally no time to make? The dressing was exceptional - especially with a little lemon juice and extra freshly ground pepper. I subbed black olives for kalamata for expense purposes, and used romaine instead of baby greens because I prefer a crunchier green sometimes. This would be perfect with a soft cooked egg or cooked salmon as well, to make it a protein triple threat! Plus lentils in salads is the best, and I just love cooking them on the stove because they release a smell that is very reminiscent of jasmine tea. 

Ideas for the upcoming week: use up leftover produce; Old Bay cauliflower chickpea burgers; garlic-curry fries; toasted coconut almond granola bars; creamy tahini chopped salad; use up snow peas 

Weekly Eats Two (1/18 - 1/24)

Lunch/Dinner: Crowd Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad

I was craving something hearty and healthy, so I settled on this amazing vegan Caesar salad. I have made a few different vegan variations of this salad - but this one might by my favorite yet! All it takes is prepping some chickpea croutons, cashew Caesar dressing, and vegan nut parm. Then all it takes is tearing up some up lettuce and kale for individual salads! To streamline the prep even more, I made the parm in my mini food processor and then made the dressing in the same one to reduce clean up and make things easier. If you want to bulk up/stretch these salads even more, add some cooked vegan chick'n scallopini (which happens to be gluten free and vegan) to your salads. They cook up quickly and make a delightfully protein rich addition to this dish!

Dinner: One-Pot Pasta Diavolo

This one-pot pasta not only required little equipment, but the ingredient list was short as well, making it ideal for any weeknight. I was slightly skeptical about the coconut milk-tomato sauce, but it was perfect with a ton of garlic, Italian herbs, and red pepper. My only forewarning about this dish is watch it closely! It can go from good to burnt very quickly. I would honestly just stand over the pot with tongs, turning it every couple of minutes, to ensure even cooking and no burning. I am definitely planning on doing this next time :) Overall, a very flavorful, easy pantry meal that goes great with garlic bread!

Dessert: Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies with Potato Chips

You must know by now - I will use any occasion to bake something for anybody. To celebrate the birthday of one of my best friend's, he requested these exquisite, but easy to make cookies. I know they sound ridiculous, but trust me - they are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. To make gluten/dairy free, I used; vegan butter in place of the butter & a mixture of (1/2 C sorghum flour, 1/2 C tapioca starch, 1/2 C millet flour, 3/4 tsp xanthan gum) for the flour. I dare say these turned out much better than the first time I made them, and everyone was raving over them the first time around! 

Breakfast: GF Buckwheat Waffles

Since last year's five day snow and ice storm, I've declared it a tradition to make waffles the first morning of the storm. Last year I made chocolate chip buckwheat waffles, so naturally this year I went with straight up buckwheat waffles. These come together in a flash and hold up to any toppings you'd like! I love the gorgeous dark color that buckwheat flour gives baked goods. We topped ours with vegan butter, agave (forgot the maple syrup before the storm!), and maple sugar. Do you have a dish that you make during snow days? I'd love to know!

Dinner: Vegan Queso Blanco Bowls with Pintos, Crispy Kale + Brown Rice

This recipe comes from Isa Does It, or what I will forever refer to as my Vegan Bible. I am trying not to eat out as much lately, so I decided to make our Mexican food this week instead of going out for some; this also had to do with us being snowed in for 4 days. The bowls consist of brown rice, pinto beans (made from scratch), diced tomato, crispy kale, and the most outrageous vegan queso blanco made from cashews. I've made this queso once before as an appetizer and it's nothing short of perfect. These bowls come together quickly and will gladly satisfy any Mexican/Chipotle cravings that you might be having! 

Overview: I stuck to my meal plan (yay!) and cooked every meal this week, except for one outing the night before the snow storm. I spent a minimal amount on groceries at the store, using all of my tips from work plus a very small amount of cash. This is in part due to cooking my beans from scratch instead of buying organic canned at the store. Tip: I cooked these overnight in my mini slow-cooker while I slept (takes between 8-10 hours), so it was hands-free to make these basically! The only thing I would like to improve upon this week is making more snacks to take to work.

Ideas for this week: apple pie granola bars & Cajun hummus for snacks; crunchy black bean tacos; tortilla soup; spicy tofu stew over polenta; miso-curry roasted delicata squash with kale and tofu over jasmine rice

Weekly Eats (1/3 - 1/17)

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all on my weekly eats, but I took some time to settle back into my old job and to figure out what exactly I'd like to write about this year. I'm seeing more posts from my favorite bloggers sharing their weekly eats, meal plans, and meal prepping strategies (see here and here). I think this is a great idea because the question I get the most is how do I have time to cook so much? Plus how do I budget, plan, and effectively use all of my groceries? To explain this further, I'm planning a pantry and meal planning post for the future! But first, let's review the past couple of weeks.

Breakfast: Brussels sprouts egg skillet

I had half a pound of leftover Brussels sprouts from Christmas dinner, so I decided to make this easy hash for breakfast. It was quick and absolutely delicious! A great vegetable packed option for breakfast, plus you could really substitute any other vegetable, as long as it's shredded. Just be sure to top with plenty of hot sauce!

Dinner: Curried Split Pea Soup with hummus avocado tomato sandwiches

Whenever I'm looking for a quick, nourishing soup, I always go back to split pea soup. This variation has some Indian spices, but the preparation is very simple. Plus I always keep a pound of dried split peas in my pantry because you just never know! I paired it with some sandwiches made with GF rye style bread, tomatoes, avocado, and local spinach hummus. This is a sandwich I like to make when I want something with little to no work, plus it paired wonderfully with the soup! I had leftovers for lunches, as usual, and it lasted for a few days! The soup recipe originally comes from Vegan with a Vengeance.

 Dinner: Indian-spiced collard greens and tofu served over jasmine rice

I love buying a bunch of collard greens for a few reasons: they're incredibly cheap, super healthy for you, and versatile. I made two different recipes with just one bunch of collard greens! This is the first one I made, which has an incredibly short ingredient list and took less than 25 minutes from start to finish. I served mine over jasmine rice topped with a ton of chopped cilantro plus fresh lime juice. The flavors are amazing even though there's not much to this recipe!

Lunches: Tofu Banh Mi Collard Wraps

With just a few small parts to prep (slaw, tofu, sauce, and veggies), you can make these absolutely amazing collard wraps! It seems like a lot to prep, but each component takes only a few minutes to make. On top of each collard leaf is a slather of wasabi-peanut sauce, baked tofu (I picked a simpler asian broiled tofu from Isa Does It), a carrot-cabbage slaw, plus cucumbers, green onions and cilantro. I've never had a real Banh Mi before, but these collard wraps were so refreshing and packed with flavor! When I ran out of collard leaves, I just put the components into spring rolls and ate them with sriracha. You could also eat them cold over rice or some rice noodles.

Dinner: simple, salty, nutty broccoli + soba plus steamed edamame 

Looking for your next quick meal? This easy broccoli soba is amazing. I can't put it into words. It's literally just cooking some soba, steaming broccoli (and edamame if you'd like extra protein), and mixing together this fabulous, nutty sauce. The sauce is everything I want - sweet, nutty, umami, incredible, spicy. It has raw garlic, ginger, and cayenne/red pepper for extra heat, making it perfect if you're sick (but tired of soup). When I used all of the sauce, I ate the rest of the soba/broccoli/edamame with vegan butter and GF tamari, another incredibly delicious combo. 

Dinner: Black Bean Yam Soup with Cilantro and Orange served over jasmine rice

I know, I know...orange juice in a soup? It's new to me too, but I trust pretty much anything that comes from Appetite for Reduction. This soup is packed with nutrients, flavor, and spice from the jalapeno peppers. I served it over some jasmine rice for some extra bulk, but serving soup with rice also stretches it more! Plus having cooked rice on hand can turn it into other meals, like fried rice, if you're in a quick pinch! I usually go for jasmine because it takes 15 minutes to make and it goes with everything, plus I love its fragrant flavor.

Breakfast: Homemade Instant Maple Oatmeal with Chia

Getting up for work at 5:30 AM five days a week can be tiresome. For a few months, I didn't have to be up until later, so I had more time to cook breakfast every day. Now that I have to be up so early, sometimes I will cook oatmeal in the slow-cooker overnight, or I'll prep some instant oatmeal. Instant GF oatmeal can run me $5 - $7 a box, with only 8-10 servings. I prepped this large batch of maple oatmeal at home and it will last me over two weeks! The prep is minimal, but the pay off is wonderful. Sometimes I will eat it at home, or I can bring it to work and just add hot water plus toppings! I love having the option for a healthy breakfast whenever I need one.

Overview: I wish that I would have cooked a little more this past week, but I did successfully have lunch for work every day. I'd like to not eat out quite as much in the future, except for the occasional Mexican outing (which I can't help, truth be told). I am excited to keep trying new recipes, and I'm happy that this is how my New Year is starting off!

Ideas for the upcoming week: crunchy black bean tacos; vegan queso bowls; one-pot Diovolo pasta; maple doughnuts with salted almond butter glaze; deviled eggs for snacks; apple pie granola bars

Best of 2015

I know, I know...where did I go? Well, I'll have to explain that another time. Things got crazy and I stopped keeping up with my blog is the short version. Now I have more time on my hands, so I'm back at it and hopefully here to stay! Somehow we've made it through another year of food, drinks, and other delightful things. I'll be posting in the next few days about what I'm looking forward to in 2016, with more focus on "bucket lists" rather than resolutions. This has been one of the most difficult years for me, so I've been doing a lot of self-reflection. 

Anyways, let's get to the food! It's been quite a while since I last posted, so some of these may not look familiar, but here are my 15 favorite things from 2015!

15 Favorite Recipes of 2015

1. Gluten-free Angel Food Cake served with vegan whipped cream & brandied strawberries

2. Chinese 5-spice Drunken Noodles

3. Tequila Lime Fish Tacos with pickled red onions & avocado

4. Roasted Banana Bourbon Ice Cream (vegan); pro tip: use Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon!

5. Portobello Pups served with a grilled potato, grilled squash & vegan jalapeno poppers. These tasted just like hot dogs, but even better!

6. Authentic Pad Thai - one of the best I've tasted!

7. Ginger-Apple Crumble Pie

8. Cheesless Crustless Quiche

9. Chopped Italian Salad

10. Tortilla Soup - one of my new go-to quick recipes made with pantry ingredients!

11. Hot & Sour Soup with Mushrooms, Cabbage & Rice - new favorite sick soup and it takes no time to make! I loaded mine up with extra lime, soy sauce, sriracha, and kimchi.

12. Vegan Black Bean Fajitas + Guacamole

13. Broccoli Almond Sweet & Sour Tofu

14. Blackened Tofu & Butternut Coconut Rice served with steamed kale

15. Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Waffles - perfect for a snow storm!

Happy New Year Everyone! :)