Meal Planning Tips

I’m no expert on meal planning but I think this is one thing that helps me stay on track most days and avoiding temptations. As they say, fail to plan and you plan to fail. Here are some tips that can help you take steps to better eating:

1. Map it out. One of the first things I do before going to the food store is create a mental map of the foods I want to cook. This may also include visiting Pinterest for some inspiration and ideas about what I want to cook. I don’t always write out a menu but I do have a mental map of how meals are going to look for the next two weeks. I also factor in the ripening time of fruits and vegetables so that stuff actually lasts into the second week.
2. Write the list. Once I have a good idea of the things I want to cook, I write out an old fashioned shopping list on a sticky note and stick it to the back of my phone or on my wallet.
3. Shopping time! I’ve been shopping mainly at Aldi’s because the quality of their produce and their overall prices suit my college budget. They have a nice variety of gluten-free products for those of you concerned with gluten content. There may not be foods listed specifically as ‘vegan’ but fresh fruits and vegetables don’t need that label. During my shopping I spend a few extra seconds reading labels to ensure there’s no milk, eggs or derivatives in the products. I’ve also been trying to cut down on soy so I’m on the look out for that. When purchasing I also think about the shelf life of items. This helps me determine which week I’ll cook and eat the item. Pineapples, mangoes, avocados, and bananas do have a longer ripening period so this allows me to pick up sufficient fruit for two weeks because they all ripen at different times and they won’t spoil before I get to them. I always eat berries in the first week because they seem to recognize that they’re out of the food store and immediately start dying on me.
4. Cook and prep. As a working college student who still tries to have a social life, read a million chapters for classes, work out and watch a ton of shows, I don’t like spending hours in the kitchen everyday. I do major cooking an average two times per week. I boil or bake my sweet potatoes, cook rice and prepare one or two main meals that can stretch for a few days as dinner and/or lunch. When I make pancakes on Sundays, I make enough for a few extra work days so I don’t have to wake up and cook breakfast, just heat and eat. The only things I “cook” on other days are salads for lunch because I like to make those fresh, oatmeal for days I don’t have pancakes and the one-off burger or something if I’m running late to evening class. I always keep almonds and a bottle of water in my school bag and when I pack my lunch, I usually pack 1-2 fruits as snacks.

I hope that some of this can be helpful to you. Eating healthy has become second-nature to me. It just takes time to build your routine. Good luck and happy eating!

The Little Ramen That Could

This was a lost file. A few weeks ago, my colleague and I were counting down the minutes until we got off from work because we were both super hungry. I also happened to have a Ramen noodles in my desk drawer because yes, having emergency food laying around is important to me. She then recommended an Asian ramen salad with cabbage which sounded kind of intriguing. I basically followed the recipe except I used red onion in lieu of the scallions it called for.

Here’s how my version turned out.

I ate it and found the rawness and perhaps the onion a little overwhelming in flavors. So I figured, why not turn this salad into a stir-fry and make it a little less crazy. Since the recipe already called for oil, there was no need to add any more. All I did was throw in some soy-rizo and some thyme and fried that bad boy down. It turned out great in my book.

If you have a salad involving cabbage and you’re tired of eating it raw, try it as a stir-fry and that way you get two meals out of one!

Weekly Mealy Pics

I don’t know how many legit recipes I’ll actually post to be honest. Many of the recipes I gain inspiration from are on my pinterest board dedicated to vegan food. Pinterest is a great tool for gaining inspiration on what to cook so here are a few items I made for this week’s meals:
Glazed tofu with spinach and mushrooms

Beignets

Black bean chili  with quinoa

Roasted potatoes and asparagus

Quinoa with spinach and mushrooms

I like to cook several meals at a time that last a few days. It saves time in the evenings not having to cook every evening.