Lovely Meals Lately: 07-22-2020

Friends! How's life? What's new? And where oh where has July gone?

I feel like the days pass slowly lately but I crave the weekend so much that the weeks themselves seem to be flying by. Does that make sense?

I've been into cooking a wee bit more which has made dinnertime less stressful. We've got a stir fry with peanut sauce planned for tonight and I'm pumped about it!

Lovely Meals and Snacks Lately

Did you catch my new Summer Quinoa Salad recipe yesterday? I've been loving it for lunch with some snap peas and TJ's Mediterranean hummus + hot sauce on the side.

We have a new poached peach and chevre toast at Alchemy and it's the bomb! I've been eating it every time I stop in the store.

Even though it's been insanely hot, I was randomly craving my Salmon Corn Chowder. It totally hit the spot. This would also be great with chickpeas or chicken if salmon isn't your jam.

English muffins egg sammies with this amazing three-ingredient spicy cashew sauce and avocado!

On Saturday we made these pancakes (my favorite pancake recipe) with chocolate chips in a few for me. Obsessed.

For snacks, I made a batch of my Fluffy Lemon Blueberry Muffins with some sugar sprinkled on top for crunch. Very tasty with coffee in the morning, too.

Banana and sunflower seed butter for an afternoon snack.

Two over easy eggs, a whole wheat English muffin with avocado, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice, plus fresh fruit on the side. Pretty much my daily breakfast lately!

I've been making ice cream sundaes of sorts with Ripple's vanilla ice cream (easily the best plant-based ice cream ever), hot fudge, and salty peanuts. I found this date hot fudge via Google and LOVED it.

I made it as written but I soaked the dates in hot water for a few minutes before blending in the Nutribullet. I didn't boil the mixture, just put the baking chocolate in the pot with the blended dates and almond milk until melted. I added maple syrup because I didn't think it was sweet enough, plus salt and vanilla. Once refrigerated, it's like pudding!

Another round of Aladdin's takeout because I could bathe in their baba ganoush.

We changed it up and grabbed Dirty Frank's on Friday night. I got a veggie dog with all the fixings and we shared sides of mac and cheese, baked beans, and fries. YUM.

Still not over a simple bowl of Cheerios. Never ceases to satisfy!

Fox In the Snow's tomato tart with an almond milk latte eaten on the deck...does it get more summery than that?

5 Things I’m Loving Lately

1. Favorite product: These storage bins. It makes such a big difference to have boxes of pasta, grains, bars, snacks, etc. nicely separated in the pantry for easy finding. If you're like me and have Tupperware lids everywhere, you'll also appreciate this lid container!

2. Favorite quote: “A lot of cheap seats in the arena are filled with people who never venture onto the floor. They just hurl mean-spirited criticisms and put-downs from a safe distance. The problem is, when we stop caring what people think and stop feeling hurt by cruelty, we lose our ability to connect. But when we’re defined by what people think, we lose the courage to be vulnerable. Therefore, we need to be selective about the feedback we let into our lives. For me, if you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.” --Brené Brown

3. Crushing on: Is it too hot for this epic looking Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip? This Watermelon Smoothie looks insane. Gimme a slice of this Savory Zucchini Bread with chive butter, please and thank you! I want this Triple Berry Chickpea Salad for lunch. Key Lime Blueberry Muffins sound like an ideal summer snack situation.

4. Favorite show: Goliath on Amazon Prime! My friend recommended it to me and we flew through the three seasons. They seem unrelated, but characters and story lines actually connect until the end. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat!

5. Favorite article of clothing: These seamless v-neck bralettes. I could not tell you the last time I wore a real bra, and these are game changers. (I will say that if you have a larger chest, these probably won't have enough support.) If you prefer thicker straps, I also live in these.

Have a happy, healthy Wednesday!