finding time for cooking

for the time-starved or curious culinary adventurer

Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl

So…I’ve been chastising myself lately for my diet.  Between crazy work schedules, travel, and being on crutches, I’ve just been a bit too reliant on Uber Eats and definitely lacking in fruits and veggies.  It’s kind of amazing I don’t have scurvy.

Then this morning as I was working I decided to finally get around to watching “What The Health?” on Netflix, which talks through a lot of the things wrong with our diets and how that’s impacting our health, and the medical establishments and lobby groups that are set on keeping it that way.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Sauce | Finding Time for Cooking

Its basic conclusion is that we’re meant to eat plant-based diets, and that anything else is unhealthy.  It’s definitely an interesting watch, and while I don’t completely agree that meat is the devil—I grew up on a family-run cow farm, after all, and I also believe that God designed us to eat some meat—I 100% agree that we’ve totally screwed up our food chain in so many ways and that a heavier plant diet is a good thing, and overall it guilted me REAL HARD into really putting on my adult pants today.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Sauce | Finding Time for Cooking

So I did some digging on plant-based diets and found some recipes that I want to try to rotate into my everyday routine.  This was the first one I came across that made me go “Hmm!”  The flavor combos are awesome, it’s easy to make, I’m a sucker for a good tahini sauce, and I’m hoping it’ll make an awesome lunch for a couple days this week as well.  For a non-pasta vegetarian meal, I’m totally on board with this one!

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Healthy Eating in 2015…Back to Basics

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I don’t judge people for making them or anything, but I’m more of a believer in making a change as soon as you see the need for it, not waiting for some contrived start date. Plus, if my old gym was any indication, few people keep them. It was nuts there the first few weeks of January, then back to normal within a month.

HOWEVER, I know that lots of you are making resolutions right now, and I myself have definitely slipped into bad habits over the last few months. I’ve got to lock it down now. Every time I call the Chinese place I want to go all Becca on myself…

Here is my healthy manifesto, though:

1) Healthy doesn’t mean unsatisfying—I believe things can taste good AND be good for you.

2) This is NOT a diet, this is about making good choices most of the time. I don’t believe in diets. Diets involve deprivation, and when you tell yourself you can’t have something it just makes you want it more. They’re unsustainable and that means that eventually people revert to their old ways. Plus, they’re just not fun, and I believe in fun. (And food. I love food.)

3) Quality of food  (i.e. packed with as many nutrients & as few chemicals as possible) is much more important than type, quantity, fat content, etc. And exercise is and always will be critical. Never underestimate the power of walking. Walking is amazing for body and soul.

So I’ve outlined some of my favorite healthy recipes below. This is as much for me as anyone else…for the last few months my schedule has been insane and I’ve been totally exhausted. That means I’ve been choosing convenience over everything else, eating out more often and have lacked the willpower to use portion control like I should. So now that I’ve had a week or so to decompress, I’m getting back to my good habits.READ THE POST

Quinoa Nut Maple Granola

Granola is one of those things I really WANT to love. I do.

Quinoa Nut Maple Granola

I have all the best intentions of loving granola, and then I pour my milk in and try to eat it, and I chew. And chew. And chew. And then my jaw and teeth hurt. But this granola is pretty special.

Quinoa Nut Maple Granola with Yogurt & Strawberries

While it has a traditional base (oats and nuts, some coconut), it brings in a number of interesting flavors and textures. Chia, quinoa, and sunflower seeds provide extra crunch and protein, craisins and dried cherries substitute for raisins (which I’m not a huge fan of), and maple syrup and coconut oil hold it all together. I threw in some flaxseed, wheat germ, and hazelnuts, for good measure, since I didn’t have the pumpkin seeds or buckwheat the recipe called for.

Quinoa Nut Maple Granola finished

The result is a delicate, crunchy, cinnamon-y obsession. If you want to see the original recipe click here, but I’ve outlined my version below.READ THE POST