Eat food.
Mostly plants.
Not too much.

Michael Pollen's Food Rules seem simple enough, but the fact that books had to be written about them at all shows how challenging it can be to nourish our bodies while doing all the other things we have to do in a day.

The pattern we'd fallen into was that we ate a good breakfast and then not much during the day. Our jobs have us arriving home later in the evenings, and we were often going to bed with aching stomachs after eating too much too close to bedtime. 

I've always thought that eating the bigger meal in the middle of the day made sense. So, we decided to try it out.

:: Goals ::

• fill up on whole foods in order to knock out cravings for processed food
• focus on getting enough (or at least more) protein + calcium throughout the day
• eat more in the middle of the day + less closer to bedtime 
• spend little time meal planning + cooking
• enjoy what we're eating

:: Thinking it through ::

Before we began, I made lists of how many grams of protein + calcium are recommended for each of us. I listed out foods + amounts that could realistically help us meet those recommendations. (It's hard to meet those recommendations.) My first priority was to focus on nourishment + quitting processed food apart from a focus on weight.

After a couple weeks of eating this way, I counted the calories + added them up too. We both feel like we'd feel better if we were a few pounds lighter. I feel like it's very important that this be secondary, however. Long term wellness is the real goal.


:: What we're eating ::

I decided to pack a good lunch that we could eat over the course of the afternoon, if we feel that it's too much or don't have time to eat it all at once. I hoped that this would curb the craving for other snacks + keep our energy going.

This meal consists of: 

• greens
• grain (quinoa for the protein + fiber)
• vegetables
• protein (chickpeas, beans, tofu, eggs, chicken, salmon, tuna)
• flavor (current faves: hummus, chimichurri, cowboy salsa, tamari, tahini, lemon, za'atar...)

Flavors can shift significantly with changes to any or all of these elements. We are currently using these 24 oz. Le Parfait Jars in order to have a wide mouth to eat over + a little extra room for stirring. 


:: Meal Prep ::

Once a week, we shop. Back home, he mows the lawn + I:

• roast a couple of sheet pans full of veg + then put them in a glass dish
• make the whole container of grains (2 cups dry) + put them in containers, freezing what I don't think we'll eat in a week
• drain chickpeas/beans + putting them in jars
• make a sauce, if necessary

Along with a big container of greens + any premade sauces I may have bought...I have the makings of all our main meals for the week. 

I make our lunches each morning while he makes our coffee.  :)

We've been eating this way for a few weeks now + we LOVE it!

:: Feedback ::​

• I feel so liberated from the stress of thinking about different things to eat or if we're getting enough nutrients- we may not be getting the total recommended grams of everything, but we're doing so much better than we were
• we have more consistent energy throughout the day
• our stomachs don't hurt when we go to bed
• we're better at saying no to processed food

I love doing experiments like this! I think this one is actually a system that works now, and I couldn't be happier!

Love,
Jane 

Having a garden revealed that there are people in this world who refuse the offer of homegrown strawberries + tomatoes! I had no idea, and I am not one of those people.  :) My friend offered these homegrown tomatoes to me in the midst of our home project. We did not eat them all fresh, but I happily froze them. Today there is snow on the ground. Temperatures are struggling to reach double digits, and I'm putting sunshine on our plates.

I'm trying to embrace the beauty of cooking (when I remember) + today I didn't miss it. Whizzing these beauties in the blender released their summery scent even as tomatoey slush. The scent deepened with their color as they simmered. I can't wait to taste their brightness on our plates with root vegetables + veggie burgers topped with freshly grown sprouts! 

I'm putting a loose recipe here mostly for my own remembering. I remind myself that recipes like these (this doesn't apply as much to baking) are mostly just guidelines + inspiration. Often the spice ingredients used are what the author had in their kitchen at the time. I don't need to go out + buy each ingredient on their list. 

Homemade Ketchup

4-6 cups whole, little tomatoes
1/4 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili flakes
dash of cinnamon
dash of cumin

Blend tomatoes. Heat over medium heat until reduced to desired consistency. Mix in remaining ingredients + heat a little longer. Place in a jar. Refrigerate + use within 3-4 weeks.

Hope you are experiencing the sensory beauty of cooking these days too! Light a candle. Put on some music. Dance. Sing. Laugh. Taste. Share.  :) 

Love,
​Jane

Winter is doing its thing...and we're growing sprouts. I love that we can grow fresh, delicious nutrition even during the coldest months. Just a little reminder that with a sprouting lid + a big jar, one teaspoon of seeds will yield a jar full of sprouts in 4-5 days! We're enjoying ours on tacos, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, salads + in smoothies. Yum!

Love,
​Jane

I've been trying to tell myself that I am a healthy person who does healthy things. I'm not always sure how to do all the healthy things, but I'm trying to make moves in the right direction.

Lunches are not always my strength. I try to eat mostly whole foods, and I think a good meal involves vegetables + protein. Salads with protein are what I think of healthy people eating for lunch, but I don't always want to eat salad. Lately, my favorite lunch is a green smoothie + a protein. It's a sort of pre-chewed salad along with something to chew. :)

If we want to take smoothies with us to work, we can make them the day before + freeze them overnight. In the morning, we can put them in the fridge + they will soften again. My favorite combination is currently:

• frozen mango (or whatever frozen fruit I have on hand)
• fresh spinach
• a splash of coconut milk
• a little maca
• a little cinnamon
• protein powder
• a squeeze of date syrup
• cold water from the fridge

Our other current lunch go-tos are:

• overnight oats (made in the morning) currently with frozen blueberries, pecans, chai + oat milk 
• leftover supper, of course  :)

I like to keep my grocery list easy to remember, and it's easy enough to grab frozen fruit, fresh spinach and chicken (yes, we are eating a little chicken again...but mainly legumes + tofu) each week. The other ingredients last for a while, so don't need to be stocked often.

Love,
Jane

About a week ago at this point, I looked through the cupboards + fridge to see if I could wait until my next day off to go to the grocery store. As I took stock, I noticed all these ingredients that could not only become full meals, but also yummy drinks. There was a jar of cashews and two nubs of turmeric + ginger that needed to be used​ soon. A quick rinse, equal parts water to cashews + a whir in the blender was all it took to make two jars of thick drink or sauce mix.

This stuff feels like liquid gold waiting to work its magic on anything from a salad to a rice bowl. The cashews offer protein while the turmeric + ginger offer anti-inflammatory properties...and it tastes so good! To make a sauce/dressing, I might add some combination of: a squeeze of lime, salt, pepper, +/or cinnamon.

It also makes a delicious drink. This time I added a spoonful to a little date syrup, cinnamon + coconut milk topped off with some water from the kettle for a lovely, little, hot, golden milk. Soothing in all the most welcome ways on this cooler day after a sweltering week spent on my feet.

Love,
Jane

Hopefully the idea that these tonics are not recipes, but permission to play with what is on hand is coming through. The mint leaves here are from our garden. They dried the first time I brought them inside before I could decide how to use them. Simple. They make the best tasting mint tea I've ever tasted, and they are so plentiful that I feel like I can play around with them to my heart's content. Today I added a dried orange slice, honey + the juice of leftover lime. After that steeps in a little water from the kettle, I will top it off with tap water + chill it in the fridge.

I find so much satisfaction in throwing a little of this in with a glug of that...all whole foods...often a feast for the eyes, a treat for the nose + a joy to the tastebuds. The creative act of making these tonics elicits at least as much joy for me as does the consuming. I find more freedom here than with my usual meal making, because often other's tastes don't need to be considered. (Though I often make enough to share.)

This feels like a luxurious permission. I'm a person who spends a lot of time happily trying to be empathetic + compassionate. This act of love toward myself need not be labeled selfish or exclusionary. It is simply nourishing in a way that feeds so many parts of me in small, yet meaningful, ways.

Love,
​Jane

I decided to make a "tonic" each day this week as an offering of ritual + rest to myself. A smoothie certainly fits this idea during these days when the temperature climbs into the sticky 90s. Icy mango + pineapple mixed with coconut milk, grated coconut, chilled water + honey cool, nourish + offer a bit of relief from the stifling heat. A scoop of protein powder makes it feel meal-worthy on a busy day when something light is enough to keep me moving.

I've been keeping a rotating selection of frozen fruit on hand for smoothies, which has been making me really happy these days. It doesn't take much to make a really tasty, nourishing drink that yields different results each time! 

Love,
​Jane

I'm not sure why I'm choosing the word tonic for these drinks other than that maybe it sounds fancy or fun somehow. The definition of tonic is "a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being." This drink might fit that definition better than most I'll make, because magnesium is meant to calm the nervous system, support strong bones + soothe sore muscles and joints. 

When I decided that drinks could be part of a daily ritual, I let myself purchase a thing or two just for fun. Spirulina gives this magic magnesium its deep blue hue which makes it supremely fun.  :) My partner believes that he sleeps more soundly after drinking magic magnesium, so last night we mixed it with a little coconut milk, honey + sparkling grapefruit water which resulted in a frothy, calming, evening treat.

Mmmmmmm.
​Zzzzzzzzz.

Love,
Jane

Tonics have long held a sort of mystery + allure. I've often felt like there is a sort of monetary + educational barrier there. Lately, however, I have allowed myself to view them with a sense of play. I see them more as a ritual imbued with the meaning they bring to my own day rather than a preexisting prescription.

I had forgotten what these little moments of creativity can add to my day. There is a sort of stretching + imagining that adds an extra sense of wellness to these concoctions. 

Today I made some tea, added a few ripped up dried peaches (bought for snacking, but found less appealing than anticipated) + a squeeze of date syrup (a new-to-me ingredient bought for a specific recipe).

Maybe it's just a drink, but maybe it is so much more:

• a way to use up things that could otherwise languish into waste
• a way to hydrate + nourish my body
• a reminder to take a breath + savor the moment
• an call to creativity
• a ritual I want to make part of my day

Love,
Jane

Last year was a bit different. My time + focus were not so free for our garden, so I decided to be gentle with myself and not stress over tomato plants gone wild + tomatoes unpicked. When one of us picked a bowl full of tomatoes, I didn't process them like I had in years past (after we ate all we wanted). I rinsed them, threw them into a few freezer bags I've had for years + froze them. I wasn't sure they would be any good to eat, but it was the best I could do, and I simply wasn't going to feel guilty about any of it.

One cold day, when the time for fresh tomatoes had passed, I took some of those frozen tomatoes out of the freezer. I put them on a baking sheet with some sliced red onions + rolled them all in a bit of olive oil. They baked until they browned a bit + then we tossed them with pasta, parmesan cheese, salt + pepper flakes. They tasted so flavorful...like little caramelized orbs of sunshine + summer. I prized every single one of those frozen tomatoes...so glad I'd made the tiniest of efforts.

So...guess what? This is the way I am preserving tomatoes from now on. I cut the larger ones into pieces before throwing them into those same freezer bags. These tomatoes can be blended + made into pasta sauce, curry, soup, shepherd's pie, taco casserole or any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes...but I gotta say that the baking sheet method is my favorite way to eat them. Yippee! Simplicity!

Love,
Jane

P.S. Full disclosure: I whizzed this (pictured) gathering of goodness up in the blender with some onion, salt + a peeled lime to make the most delicious salsa (devoured immediately)!