Andrea
Meatless Mondays Week
2 3/10/14
This second
week of Meatless Mondays began a little differently than the previous week. My
schedule was cleared until the late afternoon so this gave me more time to
devote to improving my Meatless Monday; I was hoping to be able to actually
prepare at least one meal this time.
I was able to meet a friend out for
breakfast, so it wasn’t my typical breakfast made at home. I had a small glass
of orange juice and three lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries and blueberry
sauce on top. Also, with the extra time able to spend at home before going to
school, lunch wasn’t such a rushed affair. I was able to pick up some
ingredients that I didn’t have on Sunday, so that I could make the quick black
bean soup that Sowmya sent the recipe for. I made the soup with most of the
ingredients listed in the recipe, with a few exceptions. Instead of frozen red
onion, I used fresh that I already had in my fridge, minced garlic from a jar,
and I didn’t have any cumin, so I just substituted some crushed black pepper.
It turned out to be delicious! The soup was really flavorful and filling and I
felt accomplished that I had actually consumed a real, cooked meal in the
middle of a weekday. All in all, my prep and cook time took about a half an
hour – definitely doable if you can set aside a little bit of time during your
day.
For a snack, I cut up an Empire apple
and a stalk of celery and dipped both in some peanut butter (I rarely go a day
without sneaking in some peanut butter). Being at school during dinner, I would
have brought some of the leftover black bean soup, but I don’t have time to
heat it up in a microwave in between my classes. I needed to pack something
ahead of time that didn’t require any fuss. I brought a low sugar, mint
chocolate protein bar, and a banana and clementine fruit salad. These are
things I am able to easily eat during class that don’t disrupt note taking or
other class activities. After I got home around 8:45 p.m., I grabbed a handful
of lightly salted cashews that I already had in my pantry, and that rounded out
my day. I’m proud that I was able to cook a meal for this second week, and hopefully
I can keep it up for next week.
Andrea,
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it nice to have a cleared scheduled so you actually have time to execute what you want to do? Mondays are so iffy with me, so they’re either really busy or I don’t have a lot of time. Your breakfast sounds absolutely delightful. I’m such a sucker when it comes to breakfast because everything with different fruits sounds so delicious, yet so nutritious at the same time!
It’s also exciting to hear you tried a recipe that Sowmya recommended for us! I didn’t have time for it this week; however, I would love to try one of them in the next few Meatless Mondays. Good job on replacing the frozen red onion with fresh ingredients, especially since it’s healthier and you obtain better nutrients out of it. Replacing ingredients with others I always think it’s fun..it kind of gives you a surprise as to what it’ll taste like despite what the recipe is telling you (especially replacing your cumin with black pepper). The prep cook time didn’t seem unrealistic as well since it was only a half an hour. I think as long as you get the ingredients ahead of time, know what you’re planning on using, and follow the recipe, you should be golden.
On a note with the protein bar, I always think it’s a great idea to bring those on the go. Like I said in my entry, I also bring those with me to substitute as a small meal or eat it as a snack with fruit. I love them! I also want to mention that I can’t go a day without eating peanut butter as well. I tend to spread it on a LOT of my snacks because it is one of my weaknesses with food. Overall, good job with the recipes and preparing your meatless meals!
- Kara
Hi Andrea and Kara!
DeleteGreat job this week! Reading your posts, it looks like planning ahead of time when it comes to meals is becoming more of a practice for both of you. It definitely can be tough when you have packed schedules but when you do go grocery shopping, purchasing snack foods like nuts and fruits in larger quantities can help you be prepared to grab and go when you need to.
Good luck this week!
Sowmya