Per your request, I am dedicating a post to my favorite go to lunches as a busy momma. I’ve found it’s really hard to nourish yourself properly when you have little people constantly hanging on you and demanding your constant attention and energy. Honestly this was hardest when I only had one baby. My first rule of thumb has been to only have nourishing foods in the house. If you have processed food in the house (cookies, crackers, bagels, candy, pretzels, etc.) of course you are going to eat it instead of veggies and you’re really setting yourself up for failure. These kinds of foods are nutrient sparse and will make you feel even more exhausted. If you keep those types of food out of the house and fill your pantry and refrigerator with whole foods, that’s what you’ll eat!
Lunch looks different every day, some days I am eating leftovers off my little’s plates or scarfing down a whole avocado. Lately, with the cold weather I’ve been having last night’s dinner leftovers, pretty much every day. I make big batches of soups, stews, curries, pho, etc. that way all I have to do is warm it up and I have a nourishing lunch. If there’s no leftovers, sometimes I’ll have avocado toast (made on whole grain bread) topped with arugula. In the summer I have a big raw salad most days but in the winter I tend to want something warm. The “recipe” below is one of my go to’s that takes about 10-15 minutes to throw together. If you don’t have bean pasta, warm up a can of beans or chickpeas, throw in some greens if you want! Eating plant based whole foods doesn’t have to be complicated!
lentil pasta with cauliflower & shallots
serves 1-2
ingredients
4 ounces lentil pasta (I like Tolerant or Ancient Harvest)
1 small shallot, finely diced
frozen cauliflower and or broccoli (i usually buy giant family packs from Wegmans – $1.40/lb!)
extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
directions
in small pot boil enough water to cook pasta and cook according to instructions on the box. i usually set the pasta aside and steam the cauliflower in the same pot to minimize dishes.
after the pasta is done, fill the same pot (or a different one while pasta is cooking) with about a half inch of water and desired amount of frozen cauliflower/broccoli. simmer, covered, until you can easily pierce the cauliflower with a fork. strain and set aside.
add about one tablespoon of olive oil and diced shallot to the same pot and cook on medium heat until shallot has softened, just a few minutes. toss in pasta and cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. enjoy!
