One of the prominent ruts we find ourselves in is the breakfast and lunch rut. For many, what they eat for breakfast is absolutely routine and unchanged for years. I know some adults who now cannot abide oatmeal, as they had it everyday of their childhoods. For many, the car is practically on autopilot to their nearest Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on the way to work. There is comfort in having these patterns; they've become rituals, a preparation our inner life almost depends on to bear the boredom or sameness that they are meeting everyday. For better or worse, these are habits we cling to, often at the expense of the subliminal life force that begs for something different, found in the curiosity of what is now, how I am on this new day and what I might need. We habitually turn to the familiar as we are far from the caring for the immediate self and we desperately want something easy, fast and (usually) mindless so we don't have to take the trouble to drop into ourselves.
So breakfasts become a hot grain, granola with fruit, yogurt is a common addition. Every so often for variety of flavor and nutrition, it's a good idea to switch up your oatmeal. This activity opens the palette and curiosity. Would cinnamon or cardamon or turmeric go well with millet or amaranth? what's the best fruit with it? The trial and error is an interesting process, and it's nice to get to know a new anything. Most of our breakfasts are sweet, rarely savory. How different is it for the body to start the day savory as opposed to sweet. In my experience, sweet wants more sweet, calls for it during the day. Savory is more a blank canvas and doesn't set me up for "like" during the day like sweet does.
With breakfasts, rarely do you see vegetables. SAD (Standard American Diet) breakfast is usually high in complex/simple carbs and proteins. Open your hearts and mind. Vegetables can be a soothing addition, as I found on a trip to China. Vegetables (baby bok choy and spinach specifically) are at every meal there. And it was the only food I ate that was reliably good from meal to meal. By week three, dreading the 100th Chinese meal (not ever my favorite cuisine) of the trip, I always thought, well, at least there will be the simple, delicious, bok choy and spinach. Since that trip, I regularly include vegetables in my breakfasts. In fact, I sometimes exclusively eat them for breakfast. They're clean and sustaining; a good way to start the day. I found a gorgeous head of baby kale at the farmer's market, sauteed it up with some garlic, tahini (protein) and a shot or two of tamari. So good. For those wanting more protein, dry roasting some nuts of choice topping it off that way, or some sauteed mushrooms (high in protein) with favored fresh herbs. Adding some heat via a hot sauce with yogurt on the side is another version.
For those devoted to their oatmeal, other hot cereal or granola every morning, try adding some innocuous cooked squash (acorn, butternut, delicata), throw in a few frozen cranberries, use maple syrup (lower glycemic value) instead of sugar or honey, add roasted/unroasted seeds or nuts. These additions not only give you more vegetables and whole foods in the day, they up the nutritional anty of the meal; always a good thing. these veg don't collide; they are sweet and gentle and not loud. They know how to elevate the hero of the meal.
Soups are a winter staple, but can wear out their welcome after the 2nd or 3rd month of overuse. Believe it or not, counterintuitively, going streamlined simple is a way to address thick, hearty winter soup burnout. Miso is easy and full of nutrition; scoop a tablespoon from the miso box and pour boiling water over it, mixing well. Top with scallions, tofu if you must and some scissored fresh herbs like chive to makes a complete impression. Likewise, roasted beef bones made into a deep, rich broth with some rice noodles and scallions is another thin soup that packs a hearty wallop, enriching kidney chi to boot. Variations would be to add some thin sliced jalapeño pepper, a squeeze of lime, whole tai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts and parsley gives a filling impression to our yearning selves.
Proteins proteins proteins. We're obsessed with getting our proteins. Nutritionally, proteins are needed in small amounts. A portion of animal protein should only be the size of a deck of cards. Nuts and legumes or whole grain (ie: rice) make a complete protein. Again, not a huge amount gives you what is required. 7-10 nuts with a quarter cup of cooked rice does it. In these terms, proteins become a condiment-size to a meal not the big kahuna. Proteins ARE in vegetables and herbs as well. Check the nutrition content in herbs I listed in my last post, Herbs: Nutrient packed flavor. It was surprising to me how much protein is found there and in many greens.
The old standby lunch foods wedged between two pieces of bread (egg, tuna, chicken salad) have other possibilities than what we once knew. We're used to a dense tuna, chicken, egg salad. Dense in texture and flavor, combined with usually sub-prime mayonnaise. In this state, we're used to eating 3 or more eggs at a sitting, or almost a full can of tuna. Give some breath to these old standbys. Combine any of these proteins with several vegetables. Radish, dakon, scallion, 1-2 herbs, chopped spinach, celery, onion, different colored peppers, shredded carrot, capers, pickles. The choices are almost limitless. Your final effort should yield 1/3 protein to 2/3 veg. Keep it all together lightly; a little yogurt/mayo combo (flavored with chive, curry, mustard, hot sauce, etc). Or try a little evoo (extravirgin olive oil), balsamic, salt and pepper. It doesn't have to be dense. It begs not to be dense. Take one or two gorgeous, generous pieces of whole lettuce (or delicate chard, young kale leaf), put a few tablespoons of the protein mix on it and roll it, tucking in ends like an egg roll or burrito to make a fat cigar shape. It keeps it all together, is a delightful size and easy to handle, plus the addition of the lettuce gives you more vegetable/fiber. Pack a few of them for lunch. They keep and travel well. You can add toasted seeds or nuts, a little grated cheese to the filling. If you need more complex flavor, make a dipping sauce that is related to the "moistener" of the contents (i.e.: curried yogurt, evoo/vinegar). Once one's attitude is altered to protein possibilities and portions and the larger role vegetables should play in our daily diet, we start to think differently, be more creative, think outside the (lunch) box.
If you are able, keeping a few often-used products in a work desk drawer is handy. A small olive oil bottle to refill as needed, a small favorite vinegar, a whole lemon, an avocado for the week, some dry roasted nuts (an additional salted variety) and/or seeds, some pink salt, a piece of whole fruit or two, some dried fruit. These can stave off raiding the snack machine indefinitely. When you open the lemon, throw the used part into a glass of water to get a subtly spunky drink and some alkaline while you're at it.
Having a melt down? Winter blues setting in? A sorrow anniversary has come around again? Comfort and joy is required. We don't have to turn to mac and cheese, sugar cookies and icecream to assuage the low spirits. We've grown up and we have other options (some of these can be used for lunch as well!).
The simple ("gift of the gods") sweet potato, baked to carmelized perfection hits the spot. Just bake it 400 degrees for a real long time, 1-1.5 hours, and eat (melts in your mouth goodness). You don't even have to add butter, but if you have to, you have to. Adding cinnamon at the end is a treat as well (good antioxidant, too). While we're on veg, the good ole winter standby of roasted root vegetables is good hot or cold. Potato, onion, carrots, parsnips, yams, beets, rhutabaga turnips. Cut one of each up in pleasing shapes and sizes, toss all with olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme. Bake in one layer on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 1h+; flip them midway. They are really yummy if they're browned nicely; this means giving them lots of room on the pan, lots of heat space in-between components (might need two cookie sheets). If you make this a lot, try varying the vegetable (ie: pearl onions whole instead of sliced onions, parsnips instead of carrots, etc.). Because roasted veg is always good, it's the perfect time to try unfamiliar vegetables like rutabagas, turnips, brussel sprouts, even cauliflower; it's almost impossible to mess up roasted vegetables. Variation experiment with hot sauce, herb variations. "Himmel und Erde” which means “Heaven and Earth, is a great German comfort food. Equal parts potato, turnip, apple, peeled (if you have to), boiled together, mash w/ evoo or butter, salt and pepper, splash of (butter)milk or dollop of yogurt, maybe a little cinnamon. Yes, it's where heaven and earth meet, that is for sure.
Then there is always the satisfying bowl of rice. Leave the white rice behind for now and choose brown rice, dirty rice, black rice, Lundberg's red rice, etc. Grate a couple of teaspoons of fresh romano over it, drizzle with olive oil, pink salt and pepper, fresh chopped herbs of your choice (cilantro, parsley, thyme) and some toasted nuts/seeds. It is the best comfort food there is especially if you're in a mood... lots of vitamin B in there to help with the lows.
As you may tell, my food philosophy doesn't include deprivation, or rigidity; nor should yours. There is no absolutely bad anything that nature created for our sustenance Bringing a black and white thinking to the table of nourishing ALL of me, just clamps down on exploration and pleasure. What we eat should be fully pleasurable, fun and nourishing to body, mind and spirit.
These are just a few suggestions to help switch up what might have become entrenched eating habits. Making an attitude adjustment about what constitutes lunch, comfort foods and the "main course" (proteins) and how we can include more vegetables (happily!) through our eating adventures, will help us maintain our immune systems and overall wellness. Curiosity is key. Experimenting with this readjusted attitude, having some fun, trying unlikely choices opens us up. This makes us more available to what we really want to eat and how we want to be. Surprises are around every mealtime corner.
