Eating Clean: My "S" Lunches

Photo: Beglip, Morguefile

The point of following a whole foods diet is to eat clean. Since I avoid preservatives and processed foods, this means cooking from scratch a lot.

Often I'm asked how I can do this without being in the kitchen for hours each day. Well, I try to keep breakfast and lunch simple. Breakfast is usually a mix of fruits, soy milk and juice blended into a smoothie.

At lunch, I stick to my favorite four "S" lunches:

1. Salads
Salads are so fast to put together. Start with a bed of dark leafy greens such as romaine or baby spinach. Then I chop whatever vegetables I have on hand, add a little cheese and chopped hard boiled egg (made ahead of time) for protein. Lunch is ready in 10 minutes or less. If you're not a vegetarian, add cubes of cooked chicken or turkey.

2. Soups
My go-to lunch soup is usually potato. I put a cup of water and a thinly sliced potato in a small pot. While it boils I chop up a bit of red onion. After the potato is softened and most of the water has evaporated, add a cup of milk and use a stick blender to make the soup creamy. Finally toss in the onion, some shredded cheese, a little seasoning and lunch is ready. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Steamed
Lately I've been on a Brussels sprouts kick. I've been buying them fresh and experimenting with how to cook them. Today I washed, cleaned and sliced in half a big handful of the little green cabbages. I tossed them and a thinly sliced potato into the steamer and five minutes later they were soft. I sprinkled on some sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a pat of real butter. Yum!

4. Sauteed
Ok, when I have a little extra time, I fire up the rice cooker and saute a bunch of vegetables on the cook top. While the rice cooks, I slice onions, broccoli, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers and really any other vegetable I want to add. Add a little extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and caramelize the onions and brown the mushrooms. Finally, I add the other vegetables and cook them just until they are warm and slightly softened. Serve over a bed of brown rice with a splash of soy sauce or liquid aminos for a healthy lunch in about 30 minutes.

What are your go-to, whole foods lunch favorites?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

###

Sauteing Summer Squash

Yellow summer squash, tofu and red onions.

Tomatoes are showing rosy cheeks, peppers are ripe and summer squash are ready to pick off the vine. If you're overloaded with fresh yellow summer squash, I'm sure you're looking for several ways to enjoy it.

The other night I decided to saute some red onion slices and tofu cubes in olive oil. Then, I added thin disks of yellow summer squash. It was fabulous!

Since the entree had such a mild flavor I paired it with a peppery arugula and avocado salad.

Arugula and avocado salad.

How do you enjoy cooking summer squash? I usually roast or saute squash and toss it with a more flavorful vegetable, such as onions or carrots.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

###