Hello everyone! How is your May going? I can’t believe it is almost Memorial Weekend!

Aside from usual work routines, I have been getting outside on walks/runs/hikes whenever I can, spending time with friends + family, and, of course, having fun baking + cooking in the kitchen!

I hope these recent eats posts inspire you to regularly enjoy creative, satisfying, flavorful food as often as possible. In my opinion, nutritious, well-balanced eating is full of foods from all food groups, from veggie-heavy salads to chocolate frosted cupcakes! Nutrition & enjoyment for a truly healthy, freeing, sustainable approach.

Onto recent eats from the past couple of weeks! 

We had a couple of our friends over for dinner the other week and I dreamed up a Mediterranean-style meal of my favorite Fattoush salad with the best mint dressing that I then topped with chicken marinated with this amazing chicken shawarma marinade. The chicken turned out so juicy and flavorful! 10/10 would make again. I let it marinade overnight so the prep right before the meal couldn’t have been easier. Served alongside some fresh sourdough with sun-dried tomato hummus + olive oil for dipping.

Followed by some fabulous chocolate PB cookies that my friend brought!

Leftovers the next day (to see what the chicken looked like…).

I don’t do a lot of “meal salads” for dinner but this supremely hit the spot!

When making a “meal salad,” I recommend incorporating a significant source or two of fat, protein, AND carbohydrate. All 3 macronutrients present in satisfying quantity for a winning meal, every time! If I don’t have a complex carb directly on my salad I’ll enjoy something like a roll or tortilla chips on the side.

By “complex carb” I am talking things like quinoa, bread, farro, rice, tortilla chips, rolls, potatoes, crackers, etc. Fruits + veggies are generally also primarily carbohydrate but I don’t consider this a main carbohydrate source when I am putting together a meal.

SO.. this new morning coffee drink is my other latest obsession. Into the Vitamix goes a miraculous combination of coconut water, dates, molasses, peanut butter, almond butter, cacao powder, and fresh ginger (recipe from this outstanding cookbook). If this all sounds skeptical, don’t necessarily judge a recipe from its description! After a sufficient blend to get everything nice and combined I use it to mix into my iced coffee in the morning (with an additional splash of almond milk). I’ll say it’s an energizing morning drink to get you going if there ever was one!

When I was in the middle of my eating disorder, I avoided “higher calorie drinks.” Now I see them as an excellent way to get in more nutrition + energy + flavor throughout the day!

Continuing to love roasted asparagus… I recommend spraying with avocado oil (which I find in spray form at Costco) since this keeps the texture nice and crisp and everything evenly coated (versus drizzling). Season generously with salt + pepper and roast at around 400 F until done. Avocado oil = a good oil to use at high temps (such as for roasting veggies) as it has a higher smoke point than olive oil.

Some tasty peanut butter protein balls I made the other day. So good washed down with a glass of almond milk!

Something I have been talking about with several of my clients lately is the value in SNACKING. “Snacking” tends to get a bad rap (mindlessly eating chips all afternoon, associations with an unhealthy lifestyle, etc.).

The way I think about snacks is that they can be tasty + nutritionally-dense additions to a regular 3 meal/day eating rhythm.

Some benefits of snacks –> get in additional nutrition, ward off extreme hunger (which often leads to binge/overeating), keep blood sugar stable throughout the day, & are simply tasty/enjoyable. I see them as an all-star component of a regular eating rhythm and recommend ~2-4 snacks daily! Personally, my snacking for a while now has looked like a snack right when I wake up (see below), a snack (or two) between lunch + dinner, and a snack/dessert after dinner/before bed.

While we are talking snacks, have you tried my fudgy cacao energy bites yet?? If not, once you give them a go you are in for an instant up-leveling of your snack game! We consume these on a daily basis and probably will forevermore. I have one or two every morning before my devotional and exercise time. Breakfast later around 9ish.

I have been such a fan of Elyse Kopecky and Shalane Flanagan’s cookbooks that I ended up buying all three in the series! Especially finding some good finds in Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow (but I truly love all three) :). These chocolate coconut cashew energy bars are by far my new favorite homemade bar! They come together in mere minutes and are much more satisfying than store-bought!

Two more recipes from the same cookbook series. Coconut cacao macaroon-type cookies topped w/ drizzled chocolate and crushed pistachios. These look a lot fancier than the effort needed! Super simple and only a few ingredients. I brought these to church and had a couple of people come ask me for the recipe!

I liked the cookies a lot but was an even bigger fan of these homemade chocolate PB cups! Again, couldn’t be easier. I made them in a regular-sized muffin tin (would make x2 or x3 if serving more than a few people). Luckily I found a copy of the recipe online for you all! (Not sure why a couple of the ingredients are listed in metric units but could use a kitchen scale if you have one).

You know me and my usual TJ’s dark chocolate evening snacking, but these chocolate PB cups will have to make a regular appearance as well!

Delish salad combo of mixed greens, fresh strawberries, toasted pecans, crumbled feta, chopped dates, tempeh, + homemade dark balsamic. Served with some tortilla chips on the side. Randomly have been really into tortilla chips lately! Also a refreshing glass of my chamomile lavender tea.

Behind the scenes photo lunch prepping my lunch + Alec’s lunch/snacks. Still loving pasta salad w/ veggies, feta, + mint dressing.

Putting together a simple but satisfying meal of scrambled eggs, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted veggies. I found an organic pepper jack cheese at TJ’s which I am so glad to know about now! I added that to the eggs along with plenty of salt + pepper + paprika + red chili flakes. Sweet potatoes seasoned similarly with salt + pepper + paprika + garlic powder (THE best seasoning combo for sweet potatoes). Served with a side salad for extra veggies (and because I generally like to round out my dinners w/ a salad).

One of my fave veggie bowl meals w/ roasted sweets + brussels + chickpeas plus the most scrumptious tahini honey mustard sauce. I also roasted some red bell pepper that I had on hand. We later used the honey mustard sauce drizzled over chicken for another recent meal!

I have been craving yogurt more with the warmer weather, but who wants yogurt without some crunchy granola to go along with it?? I made this peanut butter granola from Joy Food Sunshine that couldn’t have been easier. Shout out to my mom for introducing me to this recipe blog that has quickly become a go-to source! As expected, this granola has not lasted long in our kitchen!

Fave yogurt bowl combo lately –> organic plain whole milk yogurt + drizzle of peanut butter and almond butter + peanut butter granola + fresh blueberries. Highly recommend.

Loving breakfast as my favorite meal of the day lately (although, let’s be honest, when is it ever not??) since it is currently featuring cold overnight oats w/ peanut butter + drizzle of agave + fresh berries that are more in season now. And my new iced coffee concoction! 🙂 Supremely hitting the spot after running outside in the morning sun!

Everyday Enjoyment: 

Blog post/podcast: I recently listened to a couple of Allie Beth Stuckey podcast episodes where she was interviewing Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and addiction/mental health expert. Part 1 was focused on going “inside the mind of a mass shooter” and Part 2 was focused on the science behind screen addiction. While I would highly recommend giving both episodes a listen, I found Part 2 especially interesting as they dove a lot into the issues surrounding screens, phones, and social media, something I am really passionate about! I think many of us (myself included) aren’t always aware enough of how profoundly our devices/Internet/screen usage shape our hearts and minds. The day I listened to the podcast, one of my favorite blogs posted an interesting + related article. Would recommend giving this a read as well!

Currently reading: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter (only a few chapters in but liking it so far), finally finishing Vision of the Anointed, and now starting Art & Faith. Alec and I are also reading through The Hiding Place together. Other recent reads include The Last Russian Doll and Table for Two: Biblical Counsel for Eating Disorders. I feel like I am finally slowly getting back to a more typical reading amount/pace for me as this decreased quite a bit over the last year or so. Still was reading regularly / always having a few books going, but I found it harder to have time to read with the launch of the business and when I did have time there was too much on my mind to have the mental space to dive into a book. Glad this is improving since I enjoy my weeks more when I am reading a lot!

More consistent morning weather: My favorite months for running/walking/getting outside in the mornings are definitely May and June… I love the consistently sunny and warmer days and would choose to have that every day if I could! It does SO much for my energy and mood for the rest of the day when it is sunny and nice out in the morning and I’m able to get outside.

 

Any good book or podcast recommendations?
Would you choose to have consistent weather or do you like more variability?
What snacks or desserts have you been enjoying lately?