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!
SO FUNNY! I literally have been eating curried everything this week!! I’m not alone in the world 🙂 This is honestly so funny!!!!
Haha that is too funny!!
Lots of sweets and drinks have been on my plate recently too! I just can’t up all the wonderful treats the holiday season brings. I definitely try to load up on the fruits and veggies when I’m not celebrating, and if the cafeteria at my work served such a beautiful kale salad, I would totally go for it!
Oh, I love Indian food… You can use the different spices and cooking methods to make similar foods very new and different. Great way to keep things interesting!
Looks like a great day of eats 🙂
I’ve been terrible with packing my lunch lately too, I am hoping to improve in the New Year to save some money!
All of my attempts to make Indian food have been just that – attempts! Maybe I will check out the recipe you used!
Indian food is SO delicious and once you get the hang of the spices, it becomes so easy! I had to learn to cook it out of necessity (no Indian restaurants here), but I am so glad I have. Getting spice mixes is a great and easy way to do it. I love Rogan Josh, Briyani Masala, and Vindaloo – you can get them all at Penzey’s.
Perfect! I love any excuse to browse through Penzey’s 🙂
I LOVE Indian food 🙂 We found a generic Indian spice mix at the grocery that has served us well for improvised dinners. Basically, any veggie can be sauteed with some onion and a little oil and spice, and then add coconut milk and/or diced tomatoes with some chicken broth (or veggie!), boil it down – instant curry. But nothing compares to real Korma sauce. MMMM.
Oh wow! It would be nice to have a pre-made blend though! That would take out some of the guess work 🙂
I love Indian food, especially chan(n)a 😉 masala! Indian food is SO vegetarian/vegan friendly, which is part of the reason why it is one of my “go-tos.”
Hahaha the spelling was totally throwing me for a loop!
My husband has been leaving hints that we should be eating more Indian food, but I have never made an Indian dish in my life! This one looks easy enough though 🙂
i have been eating a lot of snack type foods lately, hummus + pita chips to be more clear. I made an effort to make some wholesome meal last night though. Chana masala is one of my favorite, esp with fresh naan.