When people find out that I eat a plant-based diet, they often ask what I typically eat. That’s a really hard question for me, because I don’t make the same thing twice very often. What do you mean you don’t make the same thing twice? Don’t you run out of things to make?
Ha – never! =)
Before I found healthy living blogs, I typically planned my meals around new issues of Cooking Light. In the past year, I actually cancelled my long-time subscription, because there are so many amazing recipes online and I enjoy the challenge of creating my own recipes!
I think the best way to really answer the “typical” question is to share my recent meals. Recently this has been filled with recipes from others and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. I realize I just did a similar post last Friday, but there’s already more to share and WIAW is so much more appropriate. And it is my blog. =)
So what did I eat this week?
1 – Quinoa Basil Bean Burgers with Basil Aioli from Spabettie. For this meal, we cut the burgers in half and served in a corn tortilla with diced avocado & tomatoes.
2 – Artichoke Power Dip (from me!). For breakfast, I spread this over toast and topped with a fresh sliced tomato. Yum!
3 – Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce from the NYTimes.com (Kirk actually found this one)
4 – Beet Burgers from Oatmeal After Spinning. For this meal, I made it Mexican-style with fresh guacamole, heirloom tomatoes, and spring greens!
5 – Tiramisu Protein Parfait from Sprint 2 The Table, served with Raw Whipped Cream from Fork and Beans. I used the whipped cream in place of yogurt to make this plant-based and amazing!
How does this fit into the Summer Staples theme? How about a few “staple” tips for maximizing “summer” cooking time:
- Prep ahead of time, when possible. This is one I’m working on, but looking ahead to see if you can make all or part of the recipe when you have a few minutes free – then just assembling when you’re ready to eat.
- Always make at least double the servings we need for a meal. That means you’ll have enough for at least TWO meals from one cooking session. It doesn’t usually take longer to cook more of the same recipe.
- Using the same ingredients, tweak the second (or third) serving of a meal to make it a little different. Like the beet burgers above, adding different toppings or side to give it a different feel.
- Pre-portion the leftovers in Tupperware, so it’s easy to grab on your way out the door for lunch!
I hope you enjoyed this peak into my weekly eats and maybe you’ve found a few ideas or recipes to try as you go into the next week!
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Questions for you:
1. Do you have a rotation of meals that you repeat often?
2. What’s your favorite tip to save time in the kitchen?