real food/no time
It was a warm & cozy spot Thursday night and such a treat to host a January reset here. We discussed some great books about food and hardwiring good habits. We got focused & fueled. It looked like this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtD_lxKHl6F/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=usqr35ls7cxq
In keeping with new beginnings, the ticket price went to hurricane relief.
I came back the next day with one of my littles. They cater to his ilk with a sweet, fun section that’s beautifully curated.
This delicious, easy-peasy recipe provides several freezer meals.
You can literally chop vegs, add everything to a dutch oven and simmer ‘til carrots are tender.
Big (24 oz) jar tomato sauce
One little can tomato paste
Any chopped veggies you want, like:
1 pound bag of carrots
2 red or green peppers
1 lb asparagus
One eggplant
One onion
Four cloves of garlic
1/4 cup chili powder (sounds like a lot but we’re talking chili *powder*...not pure cayenne pepper, etc.)
2 TBSP cumin
Salt (I do about 15 shakes).
For protein and a bit of healthy fat, top off your chili bowl with one of the following:
- 3 ounces of beans, an ounce of grated parmesan, plus a tablespoon of good olive oil
- 6 ounces beans and a tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 ounces grated Parmesan with one teaspoon of olive oil
- 4 ounces cooked grass fed ground beef
When I snapped the photo, I was on day three of a veggie chili kick, so to change it up, I served it over riced cauliflower.
To keep up the veggie-forward life I love, I have to go bare bones SIMPLE most weeks, sacrificing the perusal of recipes to keep food prep & shopping to a minimum. The bulk of the work is done just in stocking my fridge and pantry. The image of a small but well curated closet of clothes comes to mind. It’s about high quality essentials that work in various combinations and get pulled together last minute in a fresh, easy way. I enjoy choosing high quality protein, vegetables and healthy fats, a whole grain or two, staple spices, and sometimes I simple-cook a single item in advance and use it several ways over a few days.
There aren’t really any recipes, although I might crack an Alice Waters book for a quick shot of inspiration. I don’t know if Alice would approve of me sourcing all of my food from Publix & Costco on one of these guerrilla-fast-meal-prep weeks, but health & happiness -wise, it beats most survival strategies by a mile.
