Everyday Non-Recipes & Things
I think the most beautiful part about living a whole foods, plant based lifestyle is the simplicity brings to my life. Of course there are the specialty recipes with over a dozen ingredients to make me feel fancy every once and a while. But most days, it’s the simple things I choose that bring me the most joy and satisfaction with this path I’ve chosen. I thought I would take a pause this week from sharing a more detailed recipe, and instead share with you a bit of my day to day life. This includes the basic meals often found on my plate, and the plates themselves (later in this post).
My main philosophy when it comes to feeding Scott and I is to keep it simple and varied. Whole foods are the stars, and specialty ingredients are kept to a minimum (for cost, and just overall life simplicity). I get caught up from time to time with the myriad of health food “products” being marketed to me constantly. My pantry will get too full, our wallets will get too small, and then I’ll bite into a fresh plum and think what am I doing buying anything but things like this to sustain me. The past few weeks I’ve weeded out and used up most specialty items and variants of certain things I just don’t need more than one or two of at any time. My grocery cart is back to only being filled with produce, dried beans and grains, and occasionally a few bottles of vegetable broth/tomato sauce. Our pantry is trim, the fridge is clean, and our meals are so flavorful and varied.
Although no day looks the same as the next with me at meal time anymore (thank goodness) I have had a few favorite “simple meals” below that I was able to snap pictures of to share with you. (See below the photo for all the descriptions.)
My main goal with this post was to open up a bit more about our lifestyle, and hopefully encourage anyone new to plant based eating that it doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or fancy in the slightest. The header image shows Scott and I enjoying some of our favorite cereals in bed this past weekend, and although cereal is a major treat that rarely enters our home – it was important for us to simplify our mornings for a few days and indulge a bit in something that soothed our kid-like souls. So we did, it was wonderful, and I’m back to oatmeal again – no harm done ;).
I posted a photo the other day of our daily dishes cabinet and received such a sweet and positive response from you! I decided to include the photo later in this post, along with one of our drinks cabinet, linking to some of our favorite sources and makers who have led us to accumulating a collection we rather love. I hope you enjoy and find something you like within it’s shelves too. On a random side note, I’ve finally updated my images in the sidebar/on the ‘about’ page to *gasp* reveal my face after hiding behind my hair for two years ;). Thank you for making me blush like silly with your comments on my Instagram post the other day, shucks times a million you guys! This goof appreciates you.
E A T S
The first up is a simple banana oatmeal, which I enjoy pre-workout sometimes in the morning. I know there are tons of beautiful ways to “do up” a bowl of oatmeal, but I really just like it best with ground flax, cinnamon, and a mashed banana stirred in – so that’s what I do. A smoothie is always a part of my day, and I don’t have a dozen ingredients or special powders racking up the dollar bills in mine. Just fruits, vegetables, ground flax, and sometimes a few sprouted nuts. They are thirty two ounces, and therefore water based – cause plant milk does not grown on trees, plus I find it more refreshing this way.
Sometimes for lunch, or a lazy dinner, I love a simple platter of fresh veggies (carrots and celery and occasionally pre-steamed beets) with a hefty portion of brown rice, a simply dressed salad (maple and mustard), and a portion of homemade hummus (chickpea or red lentil based). Burrito bowls have also been a major go-to lately, either over brown rice or a baked sweet potato. Black beans and a kind of vegetable (grilled zucchini here) with lots of spices, garlic, shallot, cilantro, and lime (my go-to recipe is coming to you next week). Occasionally with a half of an avocado when one is ripe. Sometimes with cherry tomatoes. I just roll with what is already prepped and sitting in the fridge.
And my favorite two snacks this week have rotated between fresh fruit on the hotter days (plums and nectarines are amazing right now) and a loaded slice of toast. This one here is topped with cooked french lentils I had in the fridge, a half an avocado, squeeze of lime juice, minced garlic and shallot, and chopped cilantro leaves (the last three I had pre chopped sitting in the fridge – easy peasy). As you can tell, aside from my nine to twelve servings of fruits and veggies a day, I value two to three servings each of whole grains and beans/legumes. Fiber is my friend, and I welcome it wholeheartedly. Of course there are so many little meals I enjoy different from these I would have loved to squeeze in, but time wouldn’t allow for me to in this post. Let me know if you enjoy these non-recipe snaps of my day-to-day and I can try to do more in the future too!
T H I N G S
It should have been a sign when we chose yellow, turquoise, and peach for our wedding colors five and a half years ago that those same tones would grace every inch of our future home. Of all the pieces that have floated in and out of our cabinets, these have been the ones that stuck, and we are rather smitten with each piece (and use them all weekly). I hesitate to say we are “completely settled” knowing I’ll jinx my contentment, so before I do, onto the people and places that connected us to them – and happy nesting/collecting from me to you.
