Parsnip, Leek and Potato Soup

One of my coworkers is legitimately the queen of soups. She has a new amazing creation almost every day, most from vegetables she picked from her own garden. This inspired me to start experimenting with different vegetable mixes, which quickly lead to disasters like the turnip and chickpea situation (never again will I touch another turnip). Now I've learned to not make so much soup that I could feed the Duggars and to use ingredients that I'm slightly more comfortable with.

This one turned out really tasty and it didn't require much more than just the vegetables. I asked my coworker what spices she recommended using with a soup like this and she mentioned that the leeks have a special enough flavour that you don't need much more than salt and pepper - she was right!

This one won't take you more than 40 minutes from start to finish and makes enough to feed 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 large parsnip
• 2 small potatoes
• 1 leek
• 1 small onion
• Butter
• Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock

Baked chicken bruschetta

You know those days when you get home from work at 5:30, collapse into bed and the next thing you know it's almost 9pm and you've done absolutely nothing productive other than bitch about your wireless provider on Twitter and kick your sisters out of your room? Yep, I'm having a great night you guys!!! I figured it was time to block Twitter for the night (where would I be without Chrome's self control add-ons?) and try to be a little more productive. So not only am I about to actually step out of bed right after I post this, I'm finally sharing this recipe I've had drafted for over two weeks now! I know, I can't believe what a productive human being I am either.

I've made this baked chicken bruschetta twice already in the last couple of weeks, each time using slightly different ingredients. The first time I had fresh basil and parmesan and the second time I used kale and gouda. Both ways were really flavourful and there was cheese involved so it's a win no matter what, right? The dry basil in it is really key so I recommend using a lot!

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 potato
• 1 onion
• Dry basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Cubed chicken (mine had been boiled and I threw it in but you can fry up some raw chicken if you'd like)
• Grated parmesan (or any other type of cheese, I used gouda the second time I made it)
• Salt and pepper
• Black mustard seeds (optional)
• Fresh basil (optional)
• Kale (optional)

Lunch Ideas: Part III + easy roasted chickpeas and spinach

I've come to realize I eat an unbelievable amount of chickpeas. I know I've written about it before but I realize it more and more every time someone I know brings it up. Last week it was my cousin, last night it was my aunt. The only excuse I have is that I'm trying to cut down on the amount of meat I have, meaning once a day instead of every meal and some days maybe even not at all, though it hasn't worked yet. But really, chickpeas are cheap, can be flavoured in a lot of ways and they're incredibly filling so I've got nothing left to justify!

Anyway, someone shared a link to Smitten Kitchen's spinach and chickpeas and I thought I would give it a try. Since I'm completely incapable of following directions (also I have a very short attention span), I just kind of did what I wanted and it still turned out great, took less than 25 minutes, and was perfect for lunch the next day.

All you need to do is chop up spinach and kale, cut garlic into thin slices, mix chickpeas, spinach, kale, and garlic in olive oil, salt, paprika, crushed peppercorns, and a little bit of cinnamon and bake for around 15 minutes. Easy, right?

And now for the lunches! Here's what I've been eating over the last couple of weeks:

• Cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, half an avocado
• Pecans and raisins, guava, olives, slice of olive and oregano havarti (DELICIOUS)
• Roasted sweet potato (easy: slice them up, mix them with oil, cinnamon, paprika, and salt. roast for 15 mins. Caroline at AndStaySweet says sea salt is a must though!)
• Roasted chickpeas, spinach and kale

• Pomegranate seeds, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, and some more of that delicious havarti
• Spinach pie, cucumber, and radish

• Almonds and guava, some crackers and gouda
• 1/2 can of tuna, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, radish and tomato salad. (olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper for dressing)

Lunch Ideas: Part II

Obviously there's nothing I love more than pictures of food. That's probably why I'm so obsessed with Instagram, I just want to see what people are eating, wearing, and also what their babies look like. I think people are finally understanding the extent of my food obsession because over the last couple of days, I've been tagged in and sent photos of homemade meals by multiple different people. And let me tell you just how happy that makes me. Literally ecstatic.

And if you don't get where this is from, I feel sorry for you.

So please, send me photos of what you're eating and don't feel bad. Because really, I'm probably the only person who cares.

Anyway, here's a rundown of a few lunches I've had over the last few weeks:

This is what happens when I don't have time to pack a lunch the night before: I run out the door with a packet of oatmeal and a few clementines. Delicious, but definitely not filling!

• Avocado, cherry tomatoes, green onions, sliced almonds, apple, olive oil, and lemon with a boiled egg.
• Zaatar, goat cheese, olives and crackers.
• Raspberries, apple and peanut butter.

• Mjadara (red lentils with bulgur), green onions, grape tomatoes.
• Peanut butter and apples.
• Grapes, raspberries and walnuts.

Coconut lime chicken with black rice

Black rice. I recently discovered it on one of my Bulk Barn trips where I go completely overboard and spend too much money buying a little bit of everything, especially things I've never heard of. Although I had a little bit of trouble cooking it at first, it turned out to be very tasty and it made a great addition to a quinoa salad I made earlier this year. Little did I know, it's apparently also a crazy superfood (I guess maybe everything I eat is). It contains really high antioxidant properties which can help protect your body from cell damage, lowering your risk of cancer and heart disease. The rice is also packed with fiber and has a really low sugar content.

And I already mentioned that it looks cool and tastes good too, right?

The rice went perfectly with the coconut lime chicken that I made, which had a slightly sweet taste to it.   The coconut browned perfectly and the brown sugar complemented the lime really well. I also added some shredded coconut to the rice as it was cooking and then again when it was done and it added a really nice flavour. I highly recommend soaking the rice for at least an hour to cut down on cooking time.

Lunch ideas

Since this blog is about packed lunches, I thought I'd share some of the ones I took to work over the last couple of weeks. Tips and tricks? Buy dry foods in bulk if you can, they don't go bad and they're excellent for lunches: filling & healthy.

One thing I include in almost all my lunches is goji berries. They have a sticky sweetness to them, almost like a mini cross between raisins and dates. According to the Internet, they're a superfood that can treat a whole slew of medical issues and they're packed with vitamin C. Unfortunately, they're a little bit expensive but I'm still running off a bag from when my mom became obsessed with every health fad that's ever existed. I'll probably buy another bag only because I think they're delicious.

• Ginger shrimp stirfry with radish, red pepper, broccoli, onion, and eggplant (leftovers!)
• Strawberry yogurt with hemp seeds
• Raw almonds and goji berries
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 chocolate banana cookie

• 1/2 a can of tuna with raw dandelion greens
• 1/2 of grapes
• 1 avocado
• Cucumber slices, goat cheese, and olives
• Greek yogurt with honey, walnuts, goji berries, and raisins

• Arugula, radish and ground beef with goat cheese and a roasted potato
• Walnuts and goji berries
• Olives, goat cheese and basil
• Rice crackers and grapes

Quick, easy, delicious: chick peas

For whatever reason, there's a never ending supply of chickpeas in my house. My mom refuses to let us buy canned ones so she we have gigantic bins of dried chickpeas in the basement which we then have to soak and boil. Personally, I'd rather my preparation of a chickpea meal include a can opener but it is what it is. Now it's already a well-known fact that these beans are amazing. Hello, hummus anyone? Definitely my number one favorite meal (yes, I can eat a bowl of it for dinner). Since they're easy to cook and fill me up fast, I love making dishes that involve them. Even if it means sprinkling them with cumin and salt and calling it a day.

Here's a list of some chickpea dishes I've put together over the last couple of weeks. And don't forget to check out my chickpea & fish stirfry!

Lunch: Mint & cinnamon chickpeas, grapes, carrots & cucumber with hummus, and greek yogurt with goji berries, raisins, walnuts & honey

Black rice & quinoa spinach salad

I love salads as meals in every way shape and form and they're even better when they include my two favourite ingredients: spinach and radish. Here's one that I threw together after another crazy Bulk Barn trip where I found some black rice. I wasn't really sure how to cook the black rice properly, it took me so much time because I'm the worst. But it worked out in the end and it turns out that black rice is actually really tasty and good for you (similar to brown rice but even BETTER). 

Ingredients: 
1/2 black rice
1/2 quinoa
3 green onions
5 radishes
2 small cucumbers
1/2 cup spinach (I used regular spinach but baby spinach works too)
crushed garlic (I used 4 cloves but I love a lot of garlic)
olive oil
lemon juice
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
feta cheese
olives

1. Prepare the quinoa and the rice.
2. Chop up the vegetables, crush the garlic.
3. Mix vegetables with lemon juice, balsamic, salt and pepper, olive oil, and garlic.
4. Add rice and quinoa, mix again. 
5. Add feta cheese and olives on top when you're ready to serve.

It made enough to feed 5 people with leftovers for lunch! And it still tasted great the next day.

Lunch: salad; Snacks: walnuts feta cheese, & olives; kiwi, banana, and guava with some Nutella

how instagram impacted lunch time & other ways I'm crazy

So it took me a year and a hiatus to finally learn the ~art of packing a lunch~ and I found it.

GET YOURSELF A BENTO BOX. (and instagram)

It changes everything, I swear.

All of a sudden my lunches went from Ziploc container chickpeas on top of yogurt on top of celery sticks on top of cheese, to this:

That's right, organized, healthy lunches that are perfectly instagrammable.

Lunch:

• Carrot sticks
• 2 dates
• Almonds & hazelnuts
• Goat cheese
• Salad: radish, cherry tomatoes, smoked salmon, and goat cheese on a bed of arugula

What did you have for lunch today?

Lunch motivation

Got this "lunch" cookbook from Winners over the weekend. I mostly bought it because it was 3 bucks (I'll buy anything on sale).

I can't find the recipe of the cover photo anywhere!

But it turns out it's got some pretty easy and amazing looking recipes in it. Can't wait to try some of them out and share the results!

Salmon tortillas with sweet corn salad, anyone?

Packing lunches, managing a blog, and being lazy

So it's been over a month since my last post! The good news is, I've been packing a lunch every day since I started my challenge. The bad news is, I haven't been documenting or actually blogging. The one excuse I have is this: life got busy!

But I've learned something very important: you need to plan ahead!

I've compiled a bunch of the photos that I took before I stopped documenting and I'm starting to write up some easy and tasty recipes. Stay tuned for some great recipes!

For now, I'll share some photos of lunches I've had.

The First Lunch

September 1 was supposed to be my first day of packing my lunch and in true Maya-style, I forgot my lunch at home. Great start, right?

But now that Labor Day weekend has passed, summer hours are over, school is back in motion - I'm back on track!

Some things I've learned about food preparation:

1) Think ahead! Make a week-long plan and buy  your groceries based on that. Not only will it save you money in the long-run, but you won't stress about not having food ideas.

2) Pack your lunch the night before! I, for one, am way too tired to wake up even 10 minutes earlier in the morning. Pack your lunch the night before and leave it in the fridge. Just don't forget to grab it from the fridge before you leave! I've started putting an alert on my phone to remind me.

3) Portion control. I'm an over-eater, as are most other people I know. We don't know what proper portions mean. I bought containers that have measurements on them to help me gain an understanding of what "one cup" of something really is. (I looked at it and thought I would die of starvation - I didn't.)

4) Snack often, snack healthy.We hear this all the time. Smaller meals, more often. But for me that means an excuse to stuff my face with fries and fuzzy peaches every hour. Make sure you pack filling snacks, like almonds, veggies, fruit, even crackers and cheese. 

With that said and done, on to today's lunch!

Warning: BEETS TURN EVERYTHING PINK.

Snacked on peach slices and blueberries.

Then had beets, corn, one spinach pie and a meat pie (recipes coming soon!)

Yum.

I will say it was absolutely amazing but I promise, promise, promise I will start taking more appetizing looking photos. My iPhone is failing me!