This Is This Week

This week, I decided to share my “formula” for food through a day-in-the-life style post.

I love, love, love food.

I usually enjoy cooking it – experimenting and playing with new ingredients and recipes.

But I do sometimes go through seasons when no food sounds appealing and I end up mindlessly eating when I’m hungry.

I’m really good about consistently meal prepping for my husband regardless of my own mindset toward food at the moment.

And I am usually good at making sure my kids have balanced meals – even though they eat an exorbitant amount of food.

But when it comes to my own meals, I have often found myself staring into the fridge, waiting for something to jump out at me.

Magic happens when I’m in the mood for a particular food or become obsessed with a certain meal for a period of time.

One summer I was on a roll with Greek salads. I ate them all day, every day.

Another time, it was poke bowls.

Last summer, I ate kale salads on repeat.

And sometimes – often times – I get in a taco mood.

Well, right now, I’ve been into an ingredient more than a food. Feta cheese with crushed red pepper flakes.

This combination makes everything delicious. Eggs, grilled chicken, pasta, salads.

But how do I decide what to eat on a given day?

The Formula

I’m not sure when it really happened, but I’ve fallen into a bit of a pattern when it comes to food.

Despite my extensive meal prep routine to ensure my husband is well-fed on his workdays, I don’t typically pre-make my own food.

Instead, I like to ensure that I have some basic staples prepared and then I mix and match them.

I like to have grilled chicken in the fridge and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

When I’m really on top of things, I keep hummus and homemade non-dairy ranch dip in the fridge too.

I generally avoid beef and pork because they don’t sit well in my stomach – at least not recently.

So my basic formula for my own meals goes something like this:

1. Breakfast: eggs, chicken, vegetable (and sometimes a starch if I’m feeling very hungry)
2. Lunch: leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or a salad with lots of veggies and the aforementioned chicken. If it’s hot and I’ve been working outside, I switch to a smoothie bowl with vegan protein powder instead.
3. Dinner: this is where I get more creative and mix things up. Instead of just cooking for myself, I’m feeding the whole crowd, so I ensure there is a variety so the kids and JM can “customize” their meals to some extent. Essentially I focus on including a protein, a carb, and veggies.

I don’t mind sticking to basic staple items, and when inspiration strikes, it’s easy enough to mix it up or try a complicated new recipe since the rest of my meal preparation has become automated.

One Day at a Glance

Breakfast

For my birthday, my friends all chipped in and got me a really fancy espresso maker. I make hot or iced lattes with a splash of unsweetened almond milk.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling super fancy, I add a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

On this morning, I made some over-easy eggs with sauteed greens, chicken, and crumbled feta on top.

Lunch

Leftover chili with some vegan mozzarella shreds and crisped leftover french fries made for a really hearty lunch on this day!

Snack and Dinner

Muffins are always a hit in my house, so I made some chocolate banana muffins on this day. I snacked on one and had plenty more for easy breakfasts and snacks for the kids throughout the week.

Dinner was more grilled chicken and feta with a big bowl of greens, red onion, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Delish!

(I told you I get on a kick sometimes – feta on everything!)

What’s your food kick lately? Do you have an ingredient or a meal you’re making on repeat? Leave us a comment!