What I Really Eat

As much as I'd like to, I don't eat cupcakes for every meal. 

A girl can't survive off pie, cake pops and lattes for long. My sugar rush always seems to come to a crashing halt sooner than I expect, which can make these long, busy winter days pretty hard to get through.

Most weekdays I'm lucky if I have time to throw dinner together at all. Too many times I’ve ended up starving at 7PM, searching my cupboards for something (Anything?!) that can be made into a healthy meal in 5 minutes or less. 

This is never very successful.

I have been known to down an entire bag of tortilla chips with salsa, a spoonful of peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips. Then call it "dinner". So nutritious!

 

For this reason, my favourite favourite favourite thing to do is to take a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon and prep a big pot of soup and a hearty grain or noodle salad to last us the week.  If I have the time I like to throw together some muffins or bars for a healthy snack, too.

Being prepared makes me SO HAPPY. Seriously. It might be unnatural the amount of joy I get from having a fully stocked fridge. It chases my worries away. The world could crumble to bits and at least we would have delicious food.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Yams and Chickpeas

I enjoyed this salad a number of ways... Most common was on the go, straight out of a tupperware container in my backpack. But it was also delicious warmed slightly, with a poached egg or two nestled on top (let the yolky part run into the salad, so good), or with warm roasted beets and extra feta. Mmm. Easy, healthy, and seriously yummy.

Ingredients

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons white wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

2 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely chopped

½ Teaspoon each salt and pepper

½ Cup olive oil

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, slowly add olive oil while mixing vigorously to form an emulsion. Or combine all ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix well. 

Salad:

½ Cup quinoa

About 2 cups yams, peeled and cubed (for me this was 3 small yams, 2 larger ones would do)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ Teaspoon each, sea salt and pepper

2 Cans chickpeas (14oz), drained and rinsed

1 Carrot, peeled and grated

1 ½ Cups spinach leaves, cleaned well and coarsely chopped

½ Cup parsley, chopped

½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled

½ Cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss yams in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool.

3. Combine chickpeas, vegetables, sunflower seeds and feta with the quinoa and yams in a large bowl. Toss with dressing.

Enjoy at room temperature or warmed slightly. Follow with a handful of chocolate chips for good measure ;)

Recipe adapted from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook.

I'm off to beautiful San Francisco later this week. I've never been and will have lots of time to explore. If you have a favourite restaurant or foodie place (or just a place) to visit please share in the comments!! I'll be sure to share the highlights of my trip on the blog. Hoping that it stays sunny for us :) So excited! Have a lovely week friends!

 

XO, 

Maia