6/6/18
Name a quicker, healthier, easier breakfast than overnight oats. I’m listening. No?
I have been smoothie and smoothie bowl-obsessed for the past few weeks, but sometimes I don’t have the 10 minutes to blend all of my ingredients and wash my Vitamix (I love you but you are not as easy to wash as the demo lady at Costco told me you would be). Pulling a container of overnight oats from the refrigerator takes less than two minutes but doesn’t taste like something that efficient. I use this basic recipe from Bon Appétit (cutting the portion in half), but instead of whole milk Greek yogurt I use non-fat. I prefer a hefty dollop of peanut butter as my source of fat in this breakfast. I make the oats the night before, top them with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, then put them in the fridge to soak. In the morning, post-workout and shower-fresh, I take 45 seconds to top the oats with a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter and a little extra almond milk. I enjoy creamy, delicious spoonfuls as I take my sweet time to get ready for the day.
Sometimes I have to listen to music (Taylor) or podcasts (Pod Save America) to distract myself at work. Not because work is boring, but because the thought of my delicious lunch in the office refrigerator is as distracting for me as a squirrel might be for a dog. When my breakfast finally wears off (keeps me full for hours!) and I’ve sent in that monthly report, it’s time to take a little time for myself and some sort of epic salad. Here’s my current obsession: take half a can of tuna (use the other half for tomorrow’s salad), mix it with muffuletta olive tapenade. Add this combo to a tupperware container or mason jar (#trendy) along with a couple chopped cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Top it all off with as much lettuce as you can fit in the container, and pack a simple balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette to go along with it. Packing your salad specifically in this order (from heaviest ingredients to lightest) ensures that the lettuce doesn’t get soggy come lunchtime. When you’re ready to eat, dump the contents into that one bowl at the office that you’ve claimed (hands off, Steve), add the dressing, salt, and pepper. Top it with a dollop of hummus if you like your salad extra creamy and an aggressive amount of toppings doesn’t intimidate you. Sometimes I’ll eat sweet potato chips or a piece of fruit on the side but this is pretty filling on its own.
Rx Bars have been my afternoon snack lately. I’ll eat half and (try to) save the other half for tomorrow. Have you tried the chocolate coconut flavor yet?
Curry with Any Vegetable is my go-to weeknight dinner when I want to eat something ridiculously delicious that also happens to be ridiculously healthy. It’s all so absurd because it’s so easy and you can make it with what you have in your refrigerator right now. It’s always good and, seriously, you can’t screw it up. Start out with onions in a pan, maybe some garlic, maybe some ginger if you have it. Add whatever spices you like: curry powder and turmeric, gochujang and cumin, salt and pepper. Next, add some sort of liquid: coconut milk, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth (all three!) and some sort of vegetable. In this version, I wilted down a bit of spinach with some coconut milk and vegetable broth while frying tofu on the side. Top with a dollop of yogurt and some warm naan, and you’ve got the world’s most comforting, most delicious, healthiest 20-minute meal.
I capped this Wednesday well-spent with my current favorite cinnamon cardamom tea from Celestial Seasonings and an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. I thought about my productive day at the office, that great story Mom told me, and my excitement to see friends that weekend. I thought about the nourishing, delicious meals I enjoyed with the anticipation of sharing them with friends and family (and you), and I thought about how this might be all I’ll ever need.
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