Stir-fried Lunch

Ingredients:

1cup Quinoa

2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1 Onion

2 stalks celery

1 Bell Pepper

1 cup Mushrooms

1 bunch Baby Bokchoy

1 bunch Mustard Greens

1 handful Green Beans

Any other veggies you like

1 oz Ginger root

2 cloves Garlic

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/8 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce 

Seasonings (I.e. Chili powder, paprika)

Directions:

Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces. Chop ginger and garlic finely. 

In a small pot, bring 2 cups broth to a boil. Add Quinoa, bring to a low simmer, stir occasionally. 

In a large pan, heat olive oil on a medium flame. Add ginger, onions, and celery. When the onion and celery are translucent, add the rest of your vegetables. Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. Make sure nothing burns, the liquid from the vegetables should prevent this but stir to be sure. When the Bokchoy and mustard greens are limp, add the garlic, seasonings, and soy sauce. Continue cooking, stirring all ingredients together. 

Separate the ingredients into 5 containers, adding 1/2 cup cooked quinoa to each portion. Enjoy for 5 days of lunch! 

Side note: add chicken or another protein if you so choose. I prefer without meat for lunch but if I was serving this as a dinner I would add chicken or shrimp. 

A Veggie Sensation

Ratatouille 

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant 

2 Zucchinis

2 medium onions

2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)

5 tomatoes

1/2 cup tomato purée 

2 tsp chopped garlic 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped basil 

1 tsp thyme 

Salt

Pepper 

Directions:

Dice onions and bell peppers. Sauté in vegetable oil. Set aside. Cut eggplant into quarters lengthwise then cut each quarter into 1/4 inch pieces. Sauté with 1 tsp garlic until tender but not brown. Slice zucchini into thin pieces. Sauté until tender. Combine onions, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini together. Add the remaining garlic. Peel tomatoes (see instructions for this step below). Slice into bite size pieces and add them to the veggies along with any juice. Once combined, add parsley, basil, and tomato purée. Lid your pan and simmer for approximately 10 more minutes or until the juices look soup-like. Serve with rice or by itself. 

Onions sauteed in vegetable oil

Peeling tomatoes isn't as hard as it sounds!

Once the sauce is soupy you know it's ready!

Peeling tomatoes:

Core your tomatoes. Place in a large bowl. Boil water and pour over tomatoes. Use a lid to trap the steam inside and this will loosen the tomatoes' skin. You'll only need to leave them for a minute or two. Use a knife to peel the skin off completely. 

A new fall favorite!

Fall Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound Farfalle pasta

2 cans Cream of Celery soup

1 yellow or green squash

1 pepper (red, yellow, or orange)

1 qt mushrooms

1 medium onion

1 cup frozen peas

1 head of broccoli

8+ oz. milk

vegetable oil

salt

pepper

crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Chicken breast (tenders preferred)

Directions:

Dice pepper, squash, mushrooms, onion together. Trim broccoli florets. Boil water. Add pasta and broccoli. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Saute vegetables in pan using vegetable oil sparingly. Remove and place into a bowl. Add more oil and saute chicken pieces, sprinkling red pepper flakes for flavor. Remove broccoli and add to the bowl with vegetables. Remove pasta from water when al dente. Throw peas into water to defrost. Add to vegetables afterward. Once chicken is cooked thoroughly, add two cans of cream of celery and 8+ ounces of milk, stirring it until smooth. Add vegetables, stirring it thoroughly. Lastly, add pasta. Stir to ensure everything is coated by the sauce. Serve hot immediately after. 

Finished product!