A Study in Greens: The How to Pack Lunch When You Can Barely Get through the Day Post

I admit that I used to focus a lot of energy on lunch. I’d make sure that I prepped needed ingredients beforehand (even days in advance) so that I would always have an abundant and fresh pile of greens paired with something savory each day. I’d have salads with curried sweet potatoes, sprout wraps with nut pate, heaping containers of local baby kale or arugula with wild rice and olives. Even on those days when I woke up late, I’d still have a supply of ripe avocado and cherry tomatoes to have a huge avo-tomato tortilla plate (I still keep a bag of unsalted tortilla chips in my desk) to satiate in the middle of a crazy day. I even made my salad dressing from scratch. Every. Single. Day.  Now, with so many (important!) things vying for my attention that seems like some alternate reality when I had more that 5 minutes to devote to what I am going to ingest in the 20 minutes I have for lunch. This lack of focus has produced some horrifying results: espresso binges, bagel overdoses, desperate almond scrounging in my desk and purse, grease truck weaknesses, and the list could go on. When it is more important than ever to keep my strength up to face each day, how can I deal with lunch?

This year, I have attempted to do better and I realized that if I relaxed my standards just a little (seriously, how did I ever have time to make dressing from scratch) and gave that 5 minutes of thought some actual thought, I could keep up with lunches, and stay away from hangry brain decisions.

The key here is to always expect to take a bag full o’ greens to work with you. What you pair with them will make that healthy base taste good. So, each week I already plan on having some romaine, spinach and/or kale on hand (I am religious about making morning green smoothies - more on that later) and one other green. Usually this is arugula, but I don’t discriminate (with the exception of Swiss Chard – I just cannot). This never changes so I always have enough greens to go around.

Now the fun part! What do you pair with your greens? As you have already read previously, I used to whip up homemade veggie delights to nestle in the bed of verdant lushness– well now, I sometimes just grab a bag of Trader Joe's Frozen falafel for the week and a bag o' organic spinach to boot. The trick to succeed is to not spend any time thinking about it and to never feel guilty. So here are some of my recent examples of lunch. Hope you enjoy!

Spiralized zucchini and carrots with buckwheat noodles and not-really-authentic Pad Thai dressing over romaine

The spiralizing takes time, but luckily my grocery store carries prepared packs of noodle-fied veggies! I also have a tiny one and can make carrot or zucchini noodles in about 10 minutes.

You cook the buckwheat noodles according to the package (I did mine the night before) and then toss with the veggies in 1T tamari, 1 tsp maple syrup, spritz of lime juice. Throw in some peanuts and you are done. Sometimes I have this on top of some romaine.

Mushrooms, spinach and potatoes

This is as easy as it sounds. Heat mushrooms and some small potatoes (I used unsalted canned here, but usually have leftovers) in some salt, pepper, splash of tamari and I like the smoky flavor from liquid smoke. Put it all over spinach. If I take this to work, I heat the already cooked potato and mushroom slightly in the micro and put it over the spinach to wilt. This looks like I have not spinach, but it completely shrunk and sucked up all the yummy saltiness!!!

Kale and spring rolls

These are Trader Joe’s frozen veggie spring rolls. I cook them the night before or have them as leftovers from dinner and just put them over kale. Then I use my stand-by tamari, lime and a little maple syrup.

Romaine and Falafel

This is by far the easiest. Again, T Joe’s comes to the rescue with frozen falafel that can be ready in 2 minutes. Cook the falafel, throw it over some lettuce and add your fav dressing. For me, I like a vegan ranch or some tahini-based creaminess. 

Kale and leftover lentils

I literally threw leftover lentil soup on top of kale and ate it up.

Arugula, rice, chickpeas

Leftover rice tossed with some chickpeas over arugula with a teeny-tiny splash of EVOO and apple cider vinegar.

Some tips:

* Keep EVOO and some vinegar at work for dressing on the fly

* Always incorporate leftovers
* Always have 1-2 frozen options in emergency situations. You can grab one with your bag of greens and have something healthy waiting for you.

The How Could You Let a Kid, Your Marriage and a Full Time Job Get in the Way of Your Food Blog? Blog

The next time someone asks you how long it takes to find the right balance between work, family and the residual effects of a horrible illness you can tell them with full confidence that it takes three years. So, besides unsuccessfully finding work-life stability, what have I been doing for the last three years? I have been eating. I even managed to get in some good meals here and there, but I have mostly been focusing on getting from Morning Edition to All Things Considered without dire mishap (moderately awful mishap is acceptable). In the last three years, somehow, the sacred hour that I looked forward to in the kitchen each evening has morphed into the most dreaded thirty minutes (if I am lucky) of every-single-day. It is the last battle that remains to maintain a tenuous hold over my quotidian chaos.

Oh, I tried everything to get back to that peaceful place of cooking where I could coax the subtle spice and heat from unsuspecting vegetables (and from myself after a stressful day). At first, I bought into a co-op and picked up a box of bounty each week in the hopes of forcing myself to learn how to cook new things like garlic scapes and kohlrabi. As you might imagine, my good intentions inevitably ended up in a crisper of unused items whose mysteries were no more clear to me than before.

When my little one finally started to eat full meals, in an effort to make life easier, I toned down our usually fiery fare for palatable and slightly less adventurous meals (anything beyond carrots and peas is still a little suspect to my toddler). But without my spicy standbys, I lost my way entirely. In the end, I’d long for the one day of the week that I didn’t have to face the kitchen – Pizza Night.

I can’t entirely blame my child for this. After all, I was the one illustrating disdain for the kitchen, and who knows what this little person thought when I collapsed into the high-backed chair at dinner time proclaiming, “It’s not the best, but it will have to do.” In our household, food was clearly the enemy and making it to the table at six was a true battle of will.

And then, one day (recently), I put my foot down. I didn’t want to be the person who looked to Rachel Ray’s “30-minute meals” as the dinner bible (and for full disclosure, it always took me at least 45 minutes). I wanted to create my own masterpieces. I wanted to help my child see how important food can be to life, and even to experience the joy of the kitchen. For the last month or so, I have been following a strict plan and, so far, it seems to have worked.

Just to be clear, I am the worst with planning. I call my life philosophy “seat-of-my-pants living” and rarely think to prepare anything. It makes life interesting, but it also turns food into the devil. Here are the steps to my plan that has finally allowed me to look forward to dinnertime – All Things Considered blaring as I lord over a mildly controlled, inspired experiment each evening.

1    A weekly menu: This step is crucial. It goes against all that I have ever practiced when it comes to food (remember when it was like “Ooh, what shall we eat tonight, honey?”), but without it the Pizza guy gets a speed dial number on my cell phone. If I have everything that I need ready to go, I am less likely to succumb to bad habits. In the end, it saves time, money and my mind. 

2    New Recipes: I need to expand my base and to reignite my relationship to flavors. To do this I make sure that I include two – or one if it is a crazy week – new recipes that require new ingredients. This isn’t always a success, but it does help to bring in a lot of different aromas, tastes and surprising favorites to our table. The key here is to always include an element everyone will eat, like rice or chickpeas, even if it is on the side.

3    Collaboration:  There is no better way to show how much I love cooking with my little one than sharing the experiences. It is also a great way, I have found, to start talking about chemistry with a 4-yr old. Heat changes things, some ingredients react to each other, flavors cancel each other out. Focusing on the experience brings back joy!

4    A Healthy Backup Plan (or two, or three):  When disaster strikes (in the form of ruined food, combinations gone wrong, forgotten ingredients, which tends to happen a lot!) no sweat. I just pull out the backup plan. For me it is usually a simple vegetable soup since I always have broth, frozen veggies and quinoa or some other grain on hand. In the most stressful emergency situation I always allow for spaghetti.

Typical weekly plan:

Day 1: Black Bean & Brown Rice Enchiladas with Tortilla Chips

Put rice, beans, peppers and broth in a huge pot and cook together until rice is soft. Roll up the rice filling into corn tortillas and whip up a quick enchilada sauce (flour, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and some salt). Bake at 350 until heated through. Kid version: Serve the black bean and rice with homemade corn tortilla chips on the side.

Day 2: Buffalo Cauliflower over Romaine with Tofu Crumbles

Personally, I don't need the tofu and this picture is from the following day when I took it to lunch. Cut up a large head of cauliflower. Mix 1/4 cup Cayenne Pepper Sauce, 1/4 cup hot broth and 2 cloves of finely cut garlic. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until all the liquid is gone and the veggies are slightly blackening. Kid version: A pile of cauliflower in olive oil and garlic without hot sauce (I cook it in a small pan beside the rest) on top of some greens with tofu cubes lightly breaded and fried on the side.

 

Day 3: Zucchini and Leeks over Rice (and/or noodles)

I just threw in a bunch of things that I had in the house. Rough cut leeks, and half-moon the zucchini. Sprinkle with olive oil and some salt. Add 1/4 cup water and cover. Cook until all veggies are warm or crisp to your liking. Serve with brown rice on the side. Kid version: For me, leeks are a deal-breaker, so I usually just serve rice with zucchini on the side and often, I will throw in some cooked chickpeas. 

Day 4: Quick Pad Thai Noodles with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Peanuts

Heat broccoli and thin sliced mushrooms in a skillet with a tsp of coconut oil. Boil water on the side for the rice noodles. When all is done put the cooked noodles in the skillet and mix it all together with some peanuts, tamari and a splash of lime. Kid version: Simply separate the ingredients on the plate - noodles, broccoli, mushrooms and peanuts. For me, letting my child put everything together is the key.

Day 5: Hearty Chili (spiced to taste) with Tortilla Chips

This chili was a last minute decision on a very busy night. I put in some kidney beans, zucchini and corn and made a quick chili sauce from tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and vegetable broth. A pinch of gluten-free flour and you've got a hearty soup. I sprinkle mine with nutritional yeast, but my other half likes to smother his in cheddar. Kid version: reserve some of the ingredients to heat separately. Serve beans, and veggies on a plate with tortilla chips.

Back up plans and lunches: Homemade Fried Rice w/ Spring Rolls, Chickpeas and Rice over Arugula, Smoked Paprika Potato Medallions and Arugula, Quick Stir Fry with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Brown Rice

You will notice that I repeat here – use Arugula for a few days, then rice, then broccoli, etc. I can use up leftovers and also plan on using items when they are most fresh.

Presentation is also key. My child would never touch chili, but if I keep some of the black beans and corn on the side, I can heap those up on a plate with tortilla chips and we are all happy without creating more dishes.

The Post-pregnancy, Post-illness, Post-vegetarian Post

I am back fellow foodies! I must confess that my long absence has been the equivalent of a mid-life descent into the food inferno and the climb back up mount vegetarian has left me just shy of opening the pearly gates to veganism once again. I make no excuses. I judge not. I simply admit that pregnancy, a near-death experience and a very hungry little baby boy have left my palate in such a state of neglect that I scarce know where to begin. 

I did start a post on healthy pregnant noshing, and, yes, it is grand to be pregnant so that you may eat as much as you want. Although they always leave out the unbearable heartburn and debilitating nausea. So, yes, you may eat all that you see, just remember that you will pay for that dearly! I was the most healthy that I have ever been pregnant. Don't believe me? Here is what I ate for breakfast every morning:

Followed by a big bowl of steel cut oatmeal chock full of chia seeds, some peanut butter and celery, avocado strips with tomato slices, and typically a hearty dose of vegan fare for dinner. I did, on occasion(s) eat an entire pizza, but hey, no guilt here! Here is my 8th month pregnant glow:

I was also incredibly uncomfortable and a raging insomniac who was addicted to reading romance novels and watching the Oprah channel. But that faded and I had a healthy baby boy naturally.

The gods must have figured an 'easy' labor was a blessing for what comes next is rather shocking. I contracted a virulent Strep A infection from being in the hospital with a depressed immune system (yes, having a baby does that to you). It entered my bloodstream and began to damage all of my limbs. I had emergency surgery on my ankles, knees, elbows and wrists a week after delivery. I very nearly lost my right arm. From all accounts I was a very lucky girl to survive. Here is the first time I could see my little one after being in the hospital for two weeks:

 The hospital cuisine was my first step off the healthy road (oh, the irony!) I was not able to eat for quite some time. I distinctly remember looking to my mother with envy as she tore open a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips and washed it down with a Coke one night at 2 a.m. In her defense, she had been up all night with me and a very high, delirium rich fever. Food options were scarce and she surely deserved some sustenance after convincing me that I could not, in fact, jump out of my bed and run around the hospital. (I could not move any of my limbs at that point) My first "real" food was broth and juice and when I began to recover, I had to eat massive amounts of protein to heal. I ate eggs, cheese sandwiches and peanut butter in addition to a protein supplement with Greek yogurt. I must say that nearly dying does help with the baby-weight, but I do not recommend it!

It has been six months. I am finally able to cook for myself and eat the things that I have craved for so long: quinoa, vegetable curries, tempeh steaks, kale, green smoothies! And now I have a little birdie to feed as well. No sour cream and onion chips for him! Nothing but a fresh organic feast for this little one. This is one of his first meals, haricot vert, cherry tomato and potato soup with cinnamon and squash puree:

 He has already had turnip, parsnip, all sorts of squash and potato. This week he begins the Glowing Green Smoothie!



In the next months I hope to post some new inventions of mine that include hot and spicy inspirations and old Italian favorites! I will also post some baby food recipes and tips - so easy and curiously pleasing to prepare.

Foodie-Hiatus: Red Potato-Spinach Mash Up

I know, I know, I have been absent from the vegan interwebs for quite some time. I finished my dissertation and then pretty much dropped off the cyber-planet. Well, those of you out there who have had the exquisite pleasure of finishing a project that essentially dominated your life for a few (or more!) years will understand my truancy. For the rest, well, I am not sure how to explain the particular paradox of finding yourself on the finished side of a massively time-consuming project with less time on your hands than before. The only way that I can explain it is to perhaps say that for the first time in years I found myself actually present and able to enjoy things, which, of course, led to wanting to do more things. That the doing more consisted of eating, exercising and videogaming (all, I might add to extremes) shouldn't really concern you (although the food part kinda does involve you lovely readers of my blog). Rest assured that even though I have been playing hookey from my computer, I have been accumulating photos of some delectable dining over the past months.

First up, I have already praised the benefits of Kimberly Snyder's Beauty Detox Solution, more specifically, the power of the Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS), but I also really liked the philosophy and began to incorporate copious amounts of greens into my diet. This is a photo of one dinner made Kimberly Snyder style with large salad with lots of sprouts, quinoa and squash bisque, yum!




I have made many meals from her book and anxiously await her new cookbook to be released next year. Some favs: GGS, Raw Chickpea-less Hummus (zucchini based!), Delish Squash Bisque, Ganesha's Sweet Potatoes, Veggie-Tumeric Quinoa, and the best are the Raw Cacao Truffles. If I have learned anything from this book it is that most of the time food tastes better when you don't do anything fancy to ruin it.

Though I would like to have been able to maintain Snyder's diet, I really craved some more variety and branched out a bit. Here is a quick recipe for Red Potato-Spinach Mash Up.

Ingredients:
2 C small red potatoes quartered
1 T vegan butter
1/4 C rice milk
1 small bunch of baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes in a small pot and cover with water. Cover with lid and bring to boil, cook until you can easily pierce a chunk with fork - the softer the better.

2. Use a potato-masher or just a strong utensil (I've used a mallet, fork and wooden spoon to varied results) to gently mash potatoes. The softer your potatoes the easier the mashing. They should be rustic and chunky.

3. Add butter and rice milk and let sit until butter begins to melt. Stir together. Add more water for creamier potatoes.

4. Stir in half of the spinach bit by bit, incorporating it into the mash.

5. Cover mash and let sit a few minutes to wilt the spinach.

6. Scoop out onto a bed of sweet baby spinach and salt and pepper to taste!

I basically ate this for dinner, but you can use this as a side to some more protein-rich main course.

Dinner at Random: Four Easy Meals

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like, but I did take pictures of some of my easy meals to post. These are some random inventions that have made their way into staples.

1. Cheesy Broccoli and Pasta
I have grown to love nutritional yeast as a cheese alternative to macaroni 'n' cheese inspired dishes. It has a great flavor, is easy to work with, and gives you that thick consistency that you want with old school dishes. I basically make the pasta as normal, but steam the broccoli over that pasta water as I cook it. Then I place 1/3 C of nutritional yeast, 1 T of Arrowroot powder or flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/3 C water into a pot. Heat for about 10 minutes stirring until it becomes thick to your preference. (In a pinch the micro works too) Pour cheese mixture and broccoli over the drained pasta and mix well. Sometimes I just use this cheese over broccoli.



2. Couscous, Spinach, and Tomatoes
This is a quick and easy lunch or dinner if you are starving or just don't have time to bother. I place 1/2 C wheat couscous in a bowl and then heat water in a kettle. When the water is boiling, I cover the couscous, add spinach leaves and tomatoes and let sit. For more flavor you can add a broth cube to the mix. Sometimes I simply put a dab of oil in this and sprinkle with salt. Once the couscous is done mix well.


3. Quinoa, Arugula, and Chickpeas
Really easy meal. Cook 1/2 quinoa for about 20 minutes in 3/4 C water until the water is absorbed. Use a broth cube if you want more flavor. Once the quinoa is finished, add the arugula and chickpeas and warm through.


4. Greens, Beans, and Onions
Though lately I have been steering clear of beans in every meal, this is a great way to dress up your greens for a healthy side or, as I've done here, as the main event. Saute 1/2 onion in olive oil and add water if it begins to stick. Add your greens (any type, kale, swiss chard or even spinach) some garlic if desired and red beans. Saute until greens are slightly wilted (the less cooked the better for you!) and the beans are heated through. I sprinkle this with a dash of low sodium soy sauce and it's good to go!

Vegan Taco in a Bag or the Vegan Walking Taco

Last weekend I went to the infamous Centre Hall Grange Fair. I really can't avoid it since I live in the center of Centre Hall, which is essentially invaded by animals, rickety rides and their dangerous contraptions, craft and tractor vendors, local campers, prize winning vegetables and, of course, fried food booths galore! I know, I am supposedly here to blog about healthy food choices, right? Well sure, but I also think that in moderation street fair food can be just the treat for someone with certain food cravings. Plus, you don't have to look far and there really are plenty of vegan options: fried dough, fried Oreos, fried zucchini, french fries, corn fritters. Recognizing a pattern here? Yep, these are all goodies swimming in grease. But hey, once a year I indulge:)

Last year's delight was the fried Oreo. Oreo cookies (totally vegan!) dipped in batter and fried. The Oreo kind of melts inside the batter so that when you bite into it - it looks like a tiny doughnut - you get an oozy, yummy chocolatey mouthful!

This year I was blown away by one food that I had never seen before: Taco in a Bag. It is the perfect way to eat a taco. Fritos lightly smashed topped with ground meat, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream. You just need a fork! Of course I was not able to eat this delightful walking taco since the vegan version would have basically been lettuce and Fritos, but I have decided to make my own scrumptious version at home! Hurray for street fair inspiration!

Vegan Taco in a Bag or the Vegan Walking Taco

Ingredients:
Small bags of Fritos
1 C tvp or vegetarian refried beans
1/2 C onion diced
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 pkg vegetarian taco mix
1/4 C h20
2 roma tomatoes diced
1 head romaine lettuce chopped
vegan sour cream (I used tofutti brand)
vegan cheddar (Daiya is fantastic)
salsa (optional)

1. Hydrate the tvp with water while you saute the onion in oil until translucent.

2. Add hydrated tvp (or refried beans), taco mix and h20 to the skillet and cook until absorbed.

3. Lightly smash up the Fritos in the bag, add the beans/tvp, Daiya, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream.

4. Pop in a fork and enjoy!

If there were street food vendors in State College selling a vegan version of this, I would eat it everyday. So I suppose I should be glad that there aren't any:)


Special thanks to Robyn for pointing out the wonder that is the Taco in a Fritos bag!

Hydration for the Hydrophobe

If there is one thing about me that you learn rather quickly on a road trip its that I have an illogical aversion to water. Not all water mind you, just certain water experiences. For instance, I never drink plain water out of a glass made of glass. I have a very strong olifactory reaction that immediately transports my nose memory to a sidewalk directly after a rainstorm, you know where I am going with this, that strong earthwormy fragrance? Uh huh, I can't get past it. And isn't it altogether Hitchcockian the half-steamy warm, half-goosebumpy cool feeling that you get jumping into a shower? Yikes! Plus, have you ever been caught in the rain fully clothed? Well, let me tell you that it is not romantic in the least! Try feeling pretty while you waddle back home in a pair of soaked jeans that weigh two-hundred pounds. Definitely not a Notebook worthy scene!

I know, I know, our bodies are like 90% water, and in some way this means that I am a self-hater, but I really want to like water. I really want to love water. I really need to drink more water. So, today's blog is dedicated to some tips on how to make water desirable to the hydrophobe.

1. Add Fruit to disguise the tastelessness of H20

I am not simply talking about adding a lemon slice to your glass. I mean an all out fruit infusion. Think sangria without alcohol. I've tried many fruits and combinations. I'd even suggest cucumber and mint for a hot summer day. Basically you add a lot of fruit to a pitcher of water and let it sit. Drink and enjoy the subtle flavors!

2. Tea in your belly is sublime

I could drink gallons of peppermint tea without ever knowing that I was really drinking mostly water. Tea is much better than those flavor packs that contain a lot of sugar and preservatives. I use straight up herbal teas that don't caffeinate me or give me too much flavor. Plus, the warm tingly feeling of warm tea in your belly staves off hunger and promotes good digestion! Score on both counts! You could also ice herbal teas for those East Coast heatwaves that we've been having.

3. Almost Natural Street Fair Lemonade

This delicately sweetened drink is for when I just can't bear the thought of drinking a full pint of water. It is a version of street fair lemonade but without the cup of refined sugar. Squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into a glass, add a quarter tsp of Stevia, fill the glass with ice, then water, stir, enjoy.

4. The Not-so-into-Gatorade Coconut Alternative

If you need some fast hydration coconut water is simply the best. It is flavorful and naturally packed with electrolytes. No artificial ingredients here, and it works like a charm to get you feeling steady after an incredibly rigorous two hours of dance aerobics! I actually like it when I am writing, it gives me a boost of energy.