What I’ve Been Up To

The seasons are shifting here in the PNW; significantly colder nights in the 30’s, gloomy drizzly skies, and brisk blustering winds take all the color out of our trees. It’s challenging to leave bed when the outside world is turning to hibernation instead.

As we approach winter with ever increasing speed, I’m compelled to uncover hidden energy by simplifying what’s in my life. Although I was following the Meal Building guidelines, I knew I could streamline my time in the kitchen even further. And what do you know? I quickly found more space for the important things like spending time with loved ones, getting some extra sleep, volunteering in Forest Park, and writing in my journal.

This approach to Autumn Meal Building has been incredibly useful for me over the last few weeks and I’m super excited to share it with you. I hope that this serves as a helpful guide or inspiration for uncovering all that hidden energy and Pumpkin Spice for life.

>> If you’re unfamiliar with Meal Building, I recommend reading more about it here before embarking on the rest of this post.

What I’ve Been Eating

Aside from being delicious, I craft my meals to be extremely quick to put together. That’s why I eat the same combination of foods most days; it makes my decision process around meals almost nonexistent.

> Below, I’ve listed out pretty much everything that’s in my current fridge/prepping/meal rotation.

Autumn Meal Building Favorites

• Structures: Rice Bowls, Kale Salads, Romaine & Arugula Salads

• Bases: Roasted Sweet Potato & White Beans, Roasted Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Cauliflower, and Roasted Delicata Squash

• Toppings: Baby Tomato, Green Onion, Apple, Shallot, Romaine, Arugula

• Sauces: Sweet & Smokey Tahini Dressing and Cashew Lime Crema

Autumn Breakfast and Snax

• Coffee: Always drinking coffee

• Smoothies: Berry Beet Smoothie, and PB & J Smoothie (Banana, Strawberry, PB, Hemp Seeds, Water)

• Snacks: Carrot Sticks, Celery Sticks, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Dates, Walnuts, Cashews

Meal Prep Lists

Especially in colder months, there has to be an overwhelmingly compelling reason to eat healthfully or I'll fall off track very quickly. I’ve created this system to be as quick and straightforward as possible for myself, that way, there’s no way I can weasel my way outta doing it.

> This is the weekly Meal Building Prep for one person (me) eating 2-3 hearty meals a day.

Weekly Prep List

1. 1.5-2 cups (dry) Jasmine Rice, cooked in Veggie Bouillon

2. 1-2 batches Roasted Sweet Potato & White Beans

3. 1-2 pints Baby Tomatoes, halved

4. 1 bunch Green Onion, sliced

5. 1-3 heads Romaine, chopped & tossed with a few handfuls of Arugula
   and/or 1 bunch Kale, chopped

6. 1 bunch Carrots, chopped into sticks
   and/or 1 bunch Celery, chopped into sticks

7. 1-2 batches Sweet & Smokey Tahini Dressing
   or 1-2 batches Cashew Lime Crema

Irregular* Prep List

1. 1 batch Roasted Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts

2. 1 head Cauliflower, roasted

3. 1-2 x Delicata Squash, diced & roasted

* I choose 1-2 things from this list to prep, each week

Other Fresh, Unprepped* Fruits & Veg

• 4-5 x Apples

• 4-5 x Pears

• Lots of Dates

• 6-12 x Bananas

• 2-3 x Beets

• 1-2 x Shallots

• 12 oz Baby Spinach

*These ingredients are for snacking on, blending into smoothies, or preparing as needed for meal toppings

Step by Step Meal Prep

1. Carve out about 1-2.5 hours. Whether it’s broken up over a weekend or during the span of a day, this is about how much time you’ll spend doing this prep. It’s easiest in one go, but do what you can with the schedule you’ve got.
   p.s. timing varies based on kitchen familiarity and amount of food prepped

2. Make a grocery list. Double check your recipes & kitchen for any ingredients you may need to prep. Then head off to the store and stock up.

3. Turn on some music. Or put on a podcast, audiobook, or call a friend. Whatever makes you happy or energized, use it! This is your time. Silence is totally okay too.

4. Clear off your counter and sink. Clear out your fridge too, while you’re at it. Give yourself as much space as possible. Seriously, do it. It makes things way easier as you go.

5. Take out your needed tools. You don’t need everything out at once, but starting with the basics is always good. Grab a cutting board, knife, airtight storage containers, and a few towels for cleanup.

6. Prep your foods. Start the things that take the longest right away to save time, such as the Rice and Roasted Veggies. You can prep the rest while those foods cook. This requires a bit of multitasking but nothing too outrageous.

   >> The Weekly Prep List is in the order of which I prep these items, followed by whatever I decide to make from the Irregular Prep List.

7. Put prepped food away as you go. Nobody likes a cluttered counter!

8. That’s literally it. Once you’re done with this prep, you should be stocked up and ready to make a delicious meal!

Examples of Meals

Now that we’ve got all our food prepped, how do these foods come together to make meals? These have been a few of my favorites, as of late.

Sweet Potato Rice Bowl

Structure - Jasmine Rice
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato & White Beans
Toppings - Shallot, Apple, Arugula
Sauce - Sweet & Smokey Tahini Sauce

Sweet Potato Salad

Structure - Romaine & Arugula
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato & White Beans
Toppings - Green Onion, Apple
Sauce - Sweet & Smokey Tahini Sauce

Harvest Kale Salad

Structure - Kale
Base - Roasted Sweet Potato & White Beans
Toppings - Apple, Shallot
Sauce - Sweet & Smokey Tahini Sauce

Roasted Veggies and Rice

Structure - Jasmine Rice
Base - Roasted Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes, Green Onion
Sauce - Cashew Lime Crema

Fresh Rice Bowl

Structure - Jasmine Rice
Base - n/a
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes, Green Onion, Arugula
Sauce - Cashew Lime Crema

Simple Salad

Structure - Romaine & Arugula
Base - n/a
Toppings - Baby Tomatoes, Green Onion, Apple
Sauce - Cashew Lime Crema

Some final notes

If you decide to experiment with this Meal Prep Schedule, be mindful of the amount of produce you’ll be purchasing/prepping as to take into account what your eating habits are and how many people you’ll be prepping for. Don’t wanna wind up with soggy lettuce at the end of the week, yuck!

Those aren’t the only options for Breakfast and Snacks, oftentimes I just throw together a salad or Rice Bowl whenever I’m hungry. I’ve strayed away from the idea of eating “breakfast foods” for breakfast to embrace the multitude of options out there.