Tag: Lifestyle

Crispy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Meal Prep Bowls

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Hey guys:) I thought I’d post another meal prep recipe, because you can never really have to many of these on hand. This one is even more simple than my Mexican Inspired Meal Prep Bowls, and it’s super easy to make multiple servings of. You only need 6 ingredients (not counting oil, salt and pepper because those are a given), and about 45 minutes to hang around and keep an eye on the oven.

I never really roast any legumes other than chickpeas, but one time I roasted some red kidney beans and they got nice and crispy on the outside, and a bit soft on the inside. Today I roasted black beans and got the same awesome results🙌 They go in a Tupperware along with roasted sweet potato, brown rice with soy sauce, avocado, and cucumbers to make a delicious portable lunch🥰🥰

Definitely give this recipe a try if your struggling with school lunches! These bowls would keep in the fridge for up to a week, without the avocado on top. Just slice up a fresh avocado in the morning or the night before to top your bowl👌 Enjoy!!

Crispy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Meal Prep Bowls

Serves: 2 (double or triple the recipe for a whole week of lunches)

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 can of black beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a long English cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Peel the sweet potato and chop it into small cubes. Add them onto a parchment lined baking sheet along with the black beans, and toss everything with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft and caramelized.
  3. Mix the rice together with the soy sauce. Split it evenly between two containers. Then add half of the sweet potatoes and black beans to each, as well half of the cucumbers and avocado. Store in the fridge until ready to eat!!

Hope you like this simple recipe! See you guys on Friday:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

10 Healthy Freezer Meals

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Lots of places are starting to open up again, which means a gradual return to our busy lives. I found out a few days ago that I’m going back to school in September, and I’m really excited about it! Hopefully sports and activities can begin again soon too. But something I’ve really enjoyed over these past months is all the time that I had to cook. Now that I’ll have a somewhat full schedule again, I might not have the luxury of taking an hour to make an awesome dinner each night! Not to mention I’ll have to make school lunches again. So I thought I’d do a roundup of a bunch of Healthy Freezer Meals that I’ve posted.

I always like having a few things in my freezer that I can take out for my lunch the night before. Having freezer meals on hand is also handy for busy nights when we’re rushing to different things, and don’t have time to cook. I know things aren’t going to be completely back to normal, so maybe I won’t be THAT busy, but sometimes I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking anyways. My point is, it’s not a bad idea to have some delicious food stocked up and ready to go.

On this list, we’ve got everything from soups and stews to curries and falafel. Not all of these recipes have freezing details in them, but you can pretty much throw any of these meals into a resealable bag and freeze them like that. To reheat frozen soups, stews and curries, just run the bags under some cold water for a bit, then pop the frozen meal into a pot with a bit of water to melt. It also helps if you place the bags in the fridge to defrost the night before; that way you just have to heat up your meal. These freezer meals are all super nutritious as well, which is a bonus for when you need fuel before or after sports.

I like to take a day or two to just make big batches of a few recipes on this list, and throw them in the freezer for emergencies. It’s a fun and productive thing to do on a rainy day! I hope this post helps you out;))

10 Healthy Freezer Meals

Lentil and Barley Stew This Stew is so hearty and comforting! It’s packed with protein and complex carbs to fuel you through your day.

Cauliflower Soup This soup is full of flavour and makes for a great light lunch:))

Soul-Warming Chickpea Curry Curry is one of my favourite meals to make and eat, and this one has so much flavour and texture from the chickpeas. Defrost and serve with pre-cooked quinoa for a quick weeknight dinner, or pack it in your thermos for an awesome school lunch.

Vegetable and Coconut Curry A delicious meal that’s packed with veggies and deliciousness. Add some noodles for an easy lunch.

Falafel These falafel are full of protein, and when defrosted make a great addition to salads, bowls, wraps, and sandwiches! They’re so great to have on hand.

Golden Lentil and Coconut Soup Such a velvety, flavourful, and gorgeous soup! This will definitely both warm you and fill you up! It’s so good:)

Stuffed Pepper Stew Another hearty stew that’s super tasty as well:)) It would go great with a piece of toast.

Lentil and Coconut Curry I love this curry SO MUCH because of its creaminess and flavour. Freeze some for when you want a kick-ass meal!

Beans and Broccoli This is a vegan take on beef and broccoli that is great with rice, quinoa, or in salads, wraps and bowls.

Moroccan Style Chickpea Stew This stew is super delicious and has big chunks of hearty veggies with warm middle-eastern spices. Love it!

Definitely stock up your freezer with a bunch of these recipes! Hope you enjoy them:))

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Stuffed Pepper Stew

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Hey there! Hope you’re all doing well;)) I find that cooking is a great way to stay busy, so I’ve been trying to at least plan out new recipes every day. I wanted to make stuffed peppers, because they’re so comforting and delicious. But it turns out that I only had one big pepper, and two mini ones. Here’s where some quarantine problem solving comes in! This Stuffed Pepper Stew combines all of the flavours of a stuffed pepper, but in stew form. It’s so good and uses super simple ingredients! It actually might be better than a stuffed pepper, because it reminds me of an amazing Hungarian pepper dish that my Mom and Grandma make. Plus, there’s lots of protein in there from lentils. I also used some soy sauce to boost the savoury flavour, which is a trick I learned from The Stingy Vegan. All the veggies get simmered in a delicious broth that’s loaded with herbs and spices, and it’ll make your house smell really good;)) This stew is also one of those things that tastes better the next day, because all of the flavours sit together overnight. Check out the recipe down below;))

Stuffed Pepper Stew

Serves: 4

Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, any colour, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 sprig of oregano, finely chopped (or 1/2 tbsp dried oregano)
  • 1/2 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 cup green lentils
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add in the peppers and garlic, and cook for another six minutes until the peppers are soft.
  3. Dump the diced tomatoes, spices, soy sauce, herbs, and lentils into the pot and stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for about an hour, until the lentils have cooked through.
  4. Once the lentils are cooked, stir through the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Enjoy with rice, quinoa, some bread, or by itself!

Keep cooking and creating!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked

Spiced Carrot Falafel

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Hey there! I’m starting to feel a bit of cabin fever, but I’m trying to keep busy and positive;) Cooking is a really great way to do that, and today I have a great recipe that’s freezable and super versatile. These spiced carrot falafel are super flavourful and easy to make! I like eating them with hummus in their own or in bowls, and they’d also be great in wraps or in pasta dishes. Maybe I could even make a sandwich with them… veggie sandwiches are amazing😍😍 Hope you like this recipe!!

Spiced Carrot Falafel

Serves: Makes 12 falafel

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded carrots

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a blender or food processor, blend the chickpeas, garlic and all of the spices until smooth and combined.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the shredded carrots.
  4. Scoop out a tablespoon of the falafel mixture and form into a flat disc, and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have about 12-15 falafels.
  5. Place the falafels in the oven, and let bake for 15 minutes before removing the pan and flipping them over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes on the other side.
  6. Remove the pan from the oven and let the falafel cool completely before enjoying;)

I wrote a list in my bullet journal of ways to keep busy during this time, and so I’ll try to share it in my Instagram page soon;) For now, stay safe and hang in there!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Butternut Squash Hummus

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This first week of staying at home has been alright, although I’m finding it a bit harder than I thought to stay disciplined and be productive. However, I haven’t gotten very antsy yet, so that’s good. Hummus is a great “I’m trapped at home snack” because you can eat it with pretty much everything- veggies, pretzels, rice cakes, bowls, sandwiches, etc- and it’s something to make when you’re bored😂😂 This hummus uses frozen butternut squash, which I defrosted. I’m really into this frozen stuff because you can just throw it in a pot with some water and it’s done in like 5 minutes, whereas cooking it from scratch would take waaay longer. I also used two cloves of garlic because I love my garlic, but you can use one if you’d prefer. The people who you’re hanging out with at home all day will thank you for your less garlicky breath if you just use one. But I mean, if you really need to enforce social distancing, go ahead and use two. Either way, make this hummus right now because it hits the spot!!

Butternut Squash Hummus

Serves: 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tbsp cumin
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Add the butternut squash with a cup of water into a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.
  2. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until you are left with a smooth, delicious hummus. Enjoy!

Hope you like this recipe! Stay safe everyone;))

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))