Lighter Meals & Indian Food Attempts
I haven’t done a snapshot of daily eats here in awhile, and since What I Ate Wednesday typically takes over the food blog world on Wednesdays, I thought it was time for an update. My meals have been looking fairly typical, although I usually try to make my meals a little more veggie-heavy, since this time of year typically brings extra snack, drinks, and treats that I wouldn’t want to pass up. Rather than banning myself from the cookie jar, I’ve been filling up on fruits and vegetables, and indulging in cookies (or champagne) when the opportunity arises.
So here’s what meals are looking like, lately:
Breakfast
I usually start the day off with a bowl of Greek yogurt and frozen blueberries or blackberries. Frozen berries are so much cheaper this time of year, and I sort of like the way they make the yogurt super, super cold. I would normally add granola on top, but like I said, I’m saving extras for treats!
Lunch
I haven’t been great at packing my lunch lately, but that’s been partly intentional. We have such a great salad bar at work that I usually get a big salad and either a cup of soup, some fruit on the side, or soy crisps to munch on later. I always get kale if the cafeteria has it, and I usually top it with a grain of some sort to make it a little more filling. This was kale salad with barley.
Dinner
If I’m trying to go for a veggie-heavy dinner, then I’ll try something like spaghetti squash, or a vegetable based soup, but on Friday night I decided to get a little more creative. I had a really random craving for Indian food, and I decided I was time I start trying learning about those spices. I had to go to the store and load up my spice rack with things like garam masala, but it was totally worth it!
Since I truly know nothing about Indian cooking, I followed a recipe for Channa Masala very closely. I tried not to improvise, since I knew it could get pretty spicy if I wasn’t careful! I used this recipe from Eat, Live, Run and it was absolutely delicious. Alex said it was the best Indian food he’d ever had, and I swear I could start eating it every week. We ate the chickpea dish with basmati rice and naan, so it ended up being a very filing meal. I’ll be adding this recipe to the usual rotation.
Dessert
On a typical night I’d finish off dinner with a glass or red wine, but these days it seems like cookies are often involved as well. Like one of these peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies…
I posted that recipe on Monday, if you want to make them!
What are some of your favorite dressings for salads? 🙂
jon and i both love indian food, but the spices always seem to intimidate me- time to change?? maybe a goal for 2014?
that chana masala looks hella amazing, ah! i definitely also go by the whole eat veggies and fruits when you can thing, so that when fun stuff comes up you don’t have to miss out 🙂
Sounds like a great strategy for eating at Christmas!
I’m all about Indian food. Have you ever tried Banana Leaf in Columbus? I LOVE that place. I’ve never had Channa Masala (I don’t think?) but this loks like a tasty recipe. I usually go for the lentil dishes at Indian restaurants!
Never have I attempted Indian Food! I actually want to attempt making Shawarma, which is Lebanese, It’s so flipping good, and I think I found the LEGIT RECIPE — It’s on! And you have motivated me 🙂
I changed the food this week a little. I added more integral grain and I reduced quantity of vegetables. Probably, it because of winter days when more food is really necessary to be warmed… And yes, chocolate – that is necessary for me every day now. Usually I throw a cocoa spoon into oatmeal or I eat couple of segments at supper 😉
I love a few squares of dark chocolate in the evening. It just feels so relaxing!