I love vacations, but it’s nice to be home! Back with my puppy (who needs a haircut)…
… my bed, and my kitchen! It’s fun to cook and eat with 30+ people, but it’s also great to make simple summer meals again.
After getting sick with meningitis, I was kind of “over” giant salads for awhile. Big, nutrient-dense bowls are usually my go-to lunch, but for the past few months I’ve been craving all things brown: pizza, quesadillas, bread, rice, etc. I’m glad to report that I’m feeling the green- and red, and purple, and orange- stuff again!
My latest obsession is chopping fresh summer fruit up with my veggies. Sweet + savory dishes rule!
I put nectarines in a salad with coconut-crusted tofu:
Kiwi in a sauerkraut-heavy bowl:
And blueberries with an Amy’s veggie burger and hummus salad that I took for my lunch today.
Last night for dinner, I attacked my giant basil plant and made summer pesto!
I pulsed in a little sundried tomato and spinach, and tossed it with spaghetti. On the side, I made a marinated mushroom, tomato + spinach salad that paired nicely for a little Italian-inspired dinner!
For dessert, I whipped up a quick half-batch (now gone-batch) of Sarah’s latest chocolate chip cookies. They were really good! I subbed in half the amount called for of maple sugar for stevia (I’ve found that you can use half for nearly all baked good ingredients), but otherwise stayed true to the recipe. We call non-traditional cookies like these “health cookies,” but healthy doesn’t have to mean flavorless!
Gena’s banana soft serve (doctored LVP-style with fun mix-ins) has also made it back into the rotation. Sometimes homemade “ice cream” is better than taking a chance on a non-dairy brand that may end up disappointing.
Thanks to the sun’s late setting, we took a nice long walk last night.
We ended up walking farther than expected (sorry, bladder) but got a great view of the sunset. So many active people were out walking, biking, running, and even roller-blading!
What have you been cooking lately?
