“He who is best prepared can best serve his moment of inspiration.”
― Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The topic for last week’s Weight Watchers meeting was Fake It Until You Make It. In my meetings we discussed what healthy changes we have made to our lifestyle that are now routine. The things that we do automatically – like eating breakfast, drinking water instead of soda, and adding vegetables to our meals to bulk them up. I shared that one of the biggest changes that I made when I joined WW was a weekly shopping trip (sometimes two) to make sure that our house is stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables. Before I joined WW my husband Mike and I would often go on one huge shopping run once or twice a month, and though we love fruit and vegetables, our supply would be depleted. I cannot
imagine how we survived before. Now Mike eats 3-4 pieces of fruit a day and on most days I eat 10-12 servings of fruit and vegetables each day. While fresh produce can be expensive, making sure our house is fully stocked prevents us from scrambling to put meals together and we do not have to rely on expensive take-out.
Another important step in my shopping routine that I practice is meal prep. On the weekends I make soup, dinner entrees, and prep lunches. Yet, even though I try to have a strong plan for the week, sometimes I end up making mistakes. A couple of weeks ago I found that after eating breakfast and lunch that I was still hungry. I realized that I was not eating enough protein at lunch and I had to make some changes.
Last week I made a layered Greek hummus dip (recipe to be shared soon) and for this week’s lunches I made a protein packed spicy salad with beans, lentils, and quinoa.
Yesterday while shopping I made sure to grind fresh peanut butter at our local food co-op
which I will eat with apples and sprouted Ezekiel bread as a mid-day snack.
The salad recipe is reminiscent of my Confetti Salad. I decided to make a version of it with what I have on hand.
If you have been following my blog you have probably figured out that I like spicy food and this salad can be made to suit your personal taste by controlling the amount of taco seasoning and jalapeno pepper. This salad screams TORTILLA CHIPS. Okay, everything I eat seems to demand tortilla chips – but we all must have our weaknesses and I will make due this week without. This recipe makes eight cups of salad and I packed one cup for my lunch tomorrow. I squeezed a little extra lime and vinegar over the top to give it a little extra zing.
BLACK BEAN, LENTIL, & QUINOA SALAD
*1 cup of cooked black beans
*1 cup of cooked lentils
*1 cup of cooked quinoa
*1 quart of halved grape tomatoes
*1 chopped green bell pepper
*1 cubed avocado
*1 large clove of minced garlic
*1 seeded and finely chopped jalapeno
*1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro
*1/4 cup of chopped onion
*1/4 cup of lime juice
*2 Tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
*1 – 2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning (to taste)
Printable recipe: BLACK BEAN, LENTIL, & QUINOA SALAD
Pin recipe HERE
Check out my other Salad Recipes.
I hope that my recipes help you create healthy routines in your life. Once you start prepping meals ahead for the week you will be hooked. It carves out precious time during the week, saves money, and helps a busy schedule feel more manageable. Make sure that you sign up for email updates of my recipes and let me know which ones are your favorites. Stay tuned for more produce packed dishes. I wish you a productive week!
Produce with Amy 