Things worth trying

When in doubt, don’t freak out.

Weird title for a WIAW post….. but I’ll explain.

I’m on a really hectic schedule recently – I’d dare say even more so than during the school year. As much as I love having a regular schedule and knowing more or less what’s going on – it’s so NOT happening for me right now.  And so more often then not all my meal plans go out the window and I’m stuck with the grab and go option.

Although this situation isn’t ideal for me, as I prefer to eat my meals in a calm, peaceful atmosphere, and I enjoy actually being able to cook something before I dash into the house, ready to eat my arm off – I have been experminenting and trying new things, delicious things, bland things, not so delicious things.  But I am trying!

Overnight oats with cherries and almonds. There is something magical about waking up in the morning to a ready made meal – this was actually a weekend breakfast, so I could actually savor the experience without having to scarf it down in 10 minutes flat (which is more often then not the case these days)

Creamy, juicy and delicious

Another thing worth trying is a cherry banana smoothie when you don’t have time to chew anything: made with 1/2 cup frozen cherries, soya milk, yogurt, 1/2 a frozen banana and some ice. Homemade oatmeal bar and almonds on the side

 That being said, I would rather have this for a snack, because for breakfast I enjoy something that I can chew.

Homemade peanut butter. Cheeper then anything you can buy (and more natural as well) and the best thing is it’s 100% customizable to your personal taste preferences. I make mine with an immersion blender, so I can only make it in tiny quantities – still good though.

Oat bran – when previously making oat bran I tried adding too much water in an attempt to up the volume. What a mistake! This batch was perfectly thick, creamy and delicious – made with 1 cup soya milk and 1/3 cup water. Perrrrfect

Egg sandwhiches – I’ve been eating SO many eggs recently – mostly due to the fact that they are one of the few protein sources that don’t bother my stomach AT ALL. And when I need something quick and on-the-go what better way to eat them then in egg sandwhiches

Things not worth trying:

Oatmeal when you’re totally burned out on it.  I knew an oatmeal burn out was bound to happen sooner or later, especially since I’ve been eating it at least 5 times a week for the last 2 years.  As much as I tried to dress it up with PB (which I DON’T enjoy on oats – shocking I know), this wasn’t working for me. Sorry oatmeal, it’s not you, it’s me

Polenta on a boiling hot day….

Inspired by this photo, I set out to make polenta for lunch (in a desperate attempt to break out of the sandwhich routine I’ve been in for the past two weeks).

As opposed to looking like this:

It ended up looking like this:

And kitchen looking like this:

On the side I had some oversalted, scrambled eggs. So hot soupy watery polenta and scrambled eggs for lunch- in all honesty I should have tossed it , but I’m far to saving for that. (I guess that’s why you shouldn’t cook when you’re too hungry . For all polenta novices out there – a word of advice – DON’T add more water than you’re supposed to, it takes the cornmeal from a creamy thick texture to a waterly bleh. And do not skimp on the butter – it adds ALL the flavour, trust me on this one That being said I’m still not sure I’m ready to experiment with cornmeal any time soon )

Moral of the story: Don’t eat something because it’s healthy, because everyone else does it, because it’s what you should.Eat it because it’s what you crave, it’s what your body needs, it’s what makes you happy and feel good. And don’t be afraid to try new things, because you never know what you might discover something that’s just right for you. Not being able to stick to a regular eating schedule makes me want to freak out sometimes, but I’m trying to keep my cool and just go with the flow. And guess what – the more you do it, the easier it gets.

You ever tried making your own nut butter?

How do you handle hectic eating on a busy schedule?

Have you ever burned out on a “health food”?

Ode to summer salads.

There are lots of reasons I love summer: the heat, the sunshine, the flowers…

But possibly what I’m most exited about summer is all the fresh produce that becomes available…

and so, I am now able to welcome summer salads back into my life

An ideal summer lunch – hummus, cheese and mango chuntney sandwhich and a chickpea salad 

The wonderful thing about salads is that it’s hard for them to get borning, as long as you’re not afraid to play around and try new things. Some times it’s good to stick to the tried and proven, and other times it pays to branch out and try something new.

 A “leftover salad” – tuna pasta salad topped with chickpeas and smoked fish. Possibly the weirdest combination I’ve ever tried – and possibly one of the tastiest.

Kind of like life, there’s a fine balance in doing what works and branching out and trying new things. Sure, there’s always an element of risk involved, but without it – where would the fun be?

Do you enjoy salads? What’s the weirdest combination you’ve ever tried?

10 reasons why home cooking (and eating) is better.

1.  You have a larger variety/ better ingredients to work with. The frigde is (usually) stocked and so is the spice cupboard. A stark contrast to the usual state of my dorm fridge.

2. There are always plentifull leftovers which make even more awesome meals.

Leftover fun -brown rice, chickpeas, spinach, hummus and nooch.  Simple, but amazing

3. Most meals can be eaten sitting down at a table as opposed to on the go, in between classes in crouded hallways or smuggled in the back of a lecture hall.

4. Cooking becomes much more fulfilling  at the end of the meal you hear the words “That was delicious. Can I have some more?”

5. Even old classics somehow take on a new spin.

Hummus/ egg and veggie san

6. You get to “convert” others to some of your favorites.

So ugly, yet so delicious. Overnight oats with kefir, banana, and strawberries. My family had a variation of this (they had theirs with milk) and loved it as well

7. You are re-united with your trusty kitchen appliences.

8. More freedom to experiment and try new things.

I finnaly tried oatbran (minus the oats). I was worried I wouldn’t like it, but I LOVED it. Topped with cottage cheese , salted peanuts and cereal ( wasn’t a fan of the cottage cheese though – don’t do it )

9. Healthy, balanced eating becomes less of a challange.

10. Food eaten surrounded by people you love always tastes 100 x better.

Do you prefer dorm or home cooking? What makes food at home taste better to you?