b’vive.

Part 2 in a Series: How to Eat for a Nutritious and Delicious Life

This is going to be a short article. 

The question is: What should I eat?

The answer is: Eat real food.

The end. Thank you for reading.

Just kidding. Let’s get into it.

Real Food Takes So Much Work

There’s the meal planning and the menu making and the grocery shopping and food prepping. It’s just too much sometimes.

I confess that I love to make a weekly menu. I love looking at new ideas and planning out the week. The anticipation is part of the fun for me. And I’ll dive into that in a later article. 

However, there are some weeks where I just can’t see past the weekend so planning for the week feels like too much. And I get that some weeks or all weeks you might feel the same. It’s just too much work.

So, I’m going to give you a meal planning shortcut.

You don’t have to do ALL of those things. You don’t have to look up new recipes. You don’t have to plan out every day of the week. 

This is where I embrace my inner Basic B and go with my Basics Shopping List. These are real whole foods that I know my family likes that I can mix and match for nutrition and variety.

Basic protein, basic produce and basic staple items from the freezer and pantry. 

Summer Basics

It does vary a bit by season, so we can call this list my Summer Basics. I’m growing basil, dill, green onion and parsley in my garden. Otherwise, at least fresh herbs would be on the list.

I’ll be honest, I don’t really love ground beef. But it’s so versatile. My family loves burgers and tacos, so that’s an easy go-to meal. And I’ve recently discovered that Mediterranean-spiced meatballs are quite delicious. 

Later in the week, if I feel inspired I’ll pick up some fish or steak.

So, now that we have all of these delicious ingredients. What do we make? 

A Basic Meal Template

We have three go-to meal templates in my house.

Grilled chicken and salad bar.

For the salad bar:

• Arugula
• Avocado
• Bell peppers
• Cucumber
• Romaine or Butter Lettuce
• Tomatoes

Top with your favorite salad dressing. I like to whip up a lemon vinaigrette and use that throughout the week.

Change up the veggies if you like. Replace the chicken with your protein of choice. 

I love grilled sourdough with my salad, but if I didn’t have time to pick up bread, then a whole grain from our pantry staples works great like pasta, rice or quinoa.

Fajitas. 

Or fajita bowls. 

We like to use the grill to cook up the peppers and onions and get that fajita sizzle going. There are so many variations on fajitas, but for an unplanned week, I like the classics:

• Avocado
• Black beans
• Bell peppers
• Onion
• Tomatoes

Bowls. 

Sushi bowls, Buddha bowls, Mediterranean bowls. In summer, the fresh, raw veggies are so refreshing. 

Pick your protein.

Beans, tofu, chicken

Chop up your veggies and fresh herbs.

• Cucumber
• Fresh herbs like basil and dill
• Bell peppers
• Lettuce

Add your sauce.

My favorites are a Thai peanut sauce or a lemon tahini.

Serve with rice, quinoa and/or a tortilla.

A Common Theme

For each of these dinner templates, I’m using my basic ingredients. Beyond that, you might notice that each meal offers similar benefits:

* Veggie forward

*Versatile protein options

*Customizable – I give my family the components and they can put it together how they want it.

*Great for leftovers

*Minimizing oven time – a must in summertime!

And finally, keeping it simple so we can get the nourishment we need and enjoy the time together.

Be well, my lovelies.

Read Part 3: How Much Should I Eat?

Margaret Faintich

b’vive