More Lunches….For Adults

I thought I would share one of my own lunch plates, since what I eat is often what gets passed down to my family. Today, I had some comfort food. For me, that’s a thick peanut butter and jelly. It reminds me of my childhood: my mom only gave me peanut butter and jelly (on luscious white bread) and an apple. She says that’s all I ever asked for. The flavors of strawberry jelly with creamy peanut butter bring me comfort, for sure, and my taste buds love it.  Now, however, my sandwich is made with homemade, whole grain bread, almond butter, and a strawberry jelly (from Mrs. Maison) that has only 4 ingredients. If you haven’t tried almond butter yet, do it! It’s pretty yummy, and tastes very nutty, which I suppose is the goal of nut butters.

I paired my sandwich with a few servings of veggies. I was going to opt for carrots, but I had already planned to grate carrots into spaghetti sauce for dinner. Then, I eyed a bag of spinach in the vegetable crisper. I didn’t much feel like chopping other veggies to accompany this. So, I went for the small bowl of mixed veggie soup. I almost always try to have a veggie soup in my fridge for this reason (see previous post). I can add it as a side dish to a meal for a quick veggie. I can add grains and beans to it and make a complete meal. It can be a snack alone. I’ve heard of people that eat veggie soup for breakfast, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do that yet. It just doesn’t seem right. In the past, I couldn’t even stomach an omelet with veggies in it.

What do you eat for lunch? What have you tried recently that is WFPB? Have you started looking for a healthy alternative to peanut butter and a good jam? What did you find?

Creative Genuises

One thing I want to do with this blog is encourage readers to just start, even with baby steps. Here's my story of one baby step. I tried a new food on the girls the other night: bok choy. This is another great food that belongs to the cruciferous family and is loaded with antioxidants and cancer-fighting nutrients. It’s good for adults too! Before we were WFPB eaters, I cooked with bok choy; one favorite dish was strips of beef, bok choy, carrots, pasta and broth (very similar to the recipe this week). But I would place only the foods that the girls liked, by itself on a plate so nothing touched, and assembled the soup for Paul and myself.

This week, I made a soup with the bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms, and rice noodles (recipe below from The Engine 2 Diet). Lesson learned: I included foods that the girls like (carrots and rice noodles) to persuade and entice.

They loved the clear noodles, and so did Paul and I. The sauce that I made to go with the veggies included vinegar, which we love but they do not. It was a bit too sour for them.

Here, Nelia is getting creative. She didn't really like the bok choy, so she put strips of it on bread with Earth Balance. She said, "Mom. I can't even taste it!" Success in my book.

Lourdes adding low-sodium soy sauce to enhance (okay, mask) the taste of the sauce. Genius!

Lourdes is thoroughly enjoying the rice noodles. Highlight of her meal. 

The proof’s in the pics! So try something new this week, engage your creative genius, and definitely include fave foods. Then, share your stories with me. 

Check out the recipe from The Engine 2 Diet.

Gingered Mushrooms, Bok Choy, and Carrots with Soba Noodles

¼ cup mirin (I used Japanese vinegar)

2 tsp tamari

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

2 tbsp cornstarch

16 oz mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large bunch bok choy (I thought this would be too much, but it wasn’t once it began to steam)

1 ½ cups vegetable broth

16 oz cooked soba noodles (I substituted rice noodles)

2 tbsp black sesame seeds (toasted white will work also)

 
Combine the mirin, tamari, brown rice vinegar, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside. Stir-fry the mushrooms on medium heat in nonstick skillet or wok for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots, ginger, garlic and bok choy, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth and mirin-cornstarch mixture, and continue cooking until the bok choy softens and mixture thickens. Serve over noodles and garnish with sesame seeds.