When All Else Fails, Add More Wine

Popped into the market this morning and realized, I need some veggies to snack on. Yep, low effort all the way. (The “light” dill dip is only because they were out of the regular…but it’s surprisingly decent!)

In fact, I’d say it’s pretty great!

I have a job that has been beating the crap out of me lately, and it doesn’t leave much energy for well, anything.

But – ya gotta eat!

Pre-sliced cheese, aka “cracker cuts” – awesome and fit perfectly on a Triscuit! Good source of calcium and protein, and ready in moments. Grab a package of sliced salami and you’ve got yourself a charcuterie board! Cheese and Triscuits are one of my go-to’s when I’m at that “oof, I should eat” point.

Raw veggies and your favorite dip! It’s OK to get a ready to go veggie tray, especially if you’re like me and know you’ll never get around to actually cutting up full sized vegetables. And, the dip doesn’t take away any of the benefits of those veggies and if that dip makes you eat more veggies, then it’s worth it.

Frozen chicken patties. I really like these, cause in just a minute or two, I’ve got hot protein. I don’t even make sandwiches of them, just cut ’em up and have some BBQ sauce and/or mustard for dipping. And there are tons of variations on the theme out there – nuggets, strips, tenders and whatnot. All quick, tasty, and reasonably good for you.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with low effort food and don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it.

I’m not going to link directly to Gwynneth Paltrow’s terrible interview about eating, because I don’t want to give it more oxygen, but if you saw it and it didn’t set off alarm bells or it has you reconsidering your eating habits – just stick with me here for a minute.

First, I am not a dietician or nutritionist – but I love food, I feel like I have a fairly healthy relationship to food and eating, and at least a little common sense.

Iced coffee for breakfast, bone broth for lunch, veggies for dinner, and IV’s for nutrients you can ALREADY GET IN FOOD – well, that ain’t it, kids.

Yeah, coffee isn’t breakfast, we’re pretty much all guilty of treating it that way – I know I am, so I’ll give a half pass on that.

Breakfast is important, but it doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be breakfast food! Slice of pizza? Leftover combination fried rice? Ready to go chicken caesar salad because that is what strikes your fancy at the moment? Grapefruit? Little bowl of pineapple? All can be breakfast cause they’re all food, just like cereal, eggs, english muffins and toast are all food.

Bone broth. Now, I know that people who like bone broth REALLY like it. But unless you’re dealing with stomach upset and all you can keep down is broth and toast, fine. But other than that – it’s not lunch on it’s own. Great base for a good soup, or stew, or ramen? Absolutely.

I know, time/energy/etc and trying to hit the sweet spot between “just enough fuel for the afternoon” and “oh no, food coma” is all hard – I’m not discounting that. But, please, have some lunch!

Veggies for dinner. Veggies are great! I should eat more! But if the rest of the day has no protein or carbs…

Remember – protein isn’t just meat. Nuts, beans, dairy, tofu, among others are all proteins and go well with veggies!

Carbs aren’t evil. Carbs are what your body uses first for fuel. Nothing wrong with pasta. A slice of good bread and butter alongside your chicken and lima beans? Well, I’d toast it and put some garlic butter on it. And you can’t have a great curry without rice.

I am lucky and self-regulate to an extent to boot. Fettuccine Alfredo one day? 9 times out 10, the next day my body wants a salad.

I know sometimes eating feels like a chore – we’re tired, and putting something together feels like scaling a mountain.

But it’s a gift to your body. Give yourself that gift, and give it with joy and kindness.

With nice, soft, edible kidney beans! Yes, we are a chili over rice household.

This is the recipe I use – scaled and tweaked from one I found on Allrecipes.com that makes 6 gallons… (I thought I had posted it before, but maybe not.)

1 pound lean ground beef
~ 1/2 cup chopped onions
2 decent sized cloves garlic, minced – 3 if they’re smaller
1 small can tomato sauce (1 8oz can)
1 small can tomato paste (I like the garlic infused when I can find it.)
1-2 cans kidney beans (don’t start with me)
1 tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown beef, garlic, onions, drain off excess fat.  Add the rest, simmer 1 hour.  Eat!

For the kidney beans, it really depends on how much you like them in your chili. I like them a lot and usually go with 2 cans. I drain off most of the liquid.

If it seems too thick, I’ll put a glug of beer or red wine in. You could also use a bit of chicken stock, or more tomato sauce.

If you are using dried beans, please learn from my mistakes and cook them separately ahead of time.