Vegitamins, gravy, and more: 5 uses for veggie cocktail
I can’t drink vegetable juice. However, I ALWAYS keep a jug or a can in my fridge, because Veggie Cocktail is the secret weapon that adds flavour and nutrition to ALL THE FOOD. Here are five out-of-the-box reasons to keep some around…
Mouse poops helped me give up coffee
Some people might think this is blasphemy, but I gave up my coffee habit. I work overnights. I wake up when the rest of the world goes to bed. As you can imagine, it’s not particularly easy to go to bed at 2pm. Nor is it easy to wake up at 9:30pm. I was intrigued when a radio DJ I follow on twitter — who works about the same hours I do — mentioned that he had given up caffeine for a while, and had never slept better.
Let’s talk about the raclette, retro step-sibling to the fondue pot
Last month, our friends, the hot architects brought their vintage raclette over to have dinner. (Yes, the same hot architects whose wedding I crashed last summer. They’ve become friends, and in fact we’re hiring them to help us with our condo remodel). So, have you ever seen one of these things before? I had not. It’s basically this portable double-decker hot plate, with these special little dishes you use to melt a shit load of cheese over veggies and/or meat. You then scrape the hot, oozing, deliciously cheese-greasy mess onto bread (or I guess just straight into your mouth).
“Baskets!” moment: Your veggie scraps are actually delicious soup in the making
Next time you’re chopping up some veggies, get out a gallon-size zip-top bag. Toss in any edible pieces that you’re trimming. This includes peels, end bits and weird fleshy bits that wouldn’t look appetizing, but are harmless. Then use those veggie bits to make soup stock!
Replace oatmeal with quinoa for an energizing, Megan-simple breakfast!
It is my pleasure to introduce you to your new best morning friend — Quinoa Breakfast Cereal! I began replacing my morning oatmeal with quinoa because I need lots of protein to stay energized and feeling good throughout the workday, but I don’t like eating eggs every single morning! Quinoa has tons of protein, is low in fat, and gluten free. What’s not to love?
Megan-simple, winter-friendly Chana Saag (chickpeas with spinach)
This Megan-simple recipe from our menu turns out to also be super fast, vegan, gluten free, inexpensive, winter-friendly (frozen and canned ingredients totally fine) and yummy! This simplified recipe relies on ingredients that are easily available in a fairly well-stocked pantry, or everyday grocery store. Don’t be frightened by the long list — this is actually very easy to make.
10 healthy eating hacks we use everyday
We have two growing boys who seem to shovel the food in their mouths most days. I’m not sure if you know this, but growing boys eat. They are also grazers. They like to graze through out the day so we have to supply them with healthy snacks otherwise they will graze upon whatever is available. Candy, sour milk, stale cookies they find hiding in the couch cushions, literally anything. So instead of letting them scavenge the couch cushions for breakfast, I’ve found that with a little prep work after a big shopping trip can be worth it.
Megan-simple kale salad (with bonus scavenger cocktail action)
It seems my friends make EVERYTHING with kale — salads, risottos, pastas, and even drinks. I go to my buddy Jessica’s house once a week so that she can make sure I’m eating at least one meal that’s not microwavable, and this time I stopped drinking wine long enough to document her incredible kale salad recipe. (Not only that, but we got a little creative and made a cocktail out of the leftover kale stocks.)