Fast {Whole} Food, and a little announcement.

These last few weeks (okay maybe months) have been all about the quick meal. A snack on the go, a meal when you can’t be bothered, or something you can throw together in a pinch. I LOVE cooking, but when time and circumstance don’t afford you the luxury of blissful kitchen creativity, you need to get a little business like. Organisation is definitely key here: planning, meal prep, making large batches and freezing for later – but I have to admit, I am not wonderful at this. I prefer a day-by-day, let’s see what’s at the market for inspiration kind of approach, which is great when you have a little time, but wheels start falling off when you don’t. Normally this may mean take away, removing something from a box and putting it in the oven, or becoming re-acqainted with your sandwich press. I wanted to put forward some more options for consideration. All fast, all whole food, all nourishing and delicious.

I wanted to start with a little thing called an egg. So simple, but a complete powerhouse of nutrition. Chock full of all the amino acids, eggs are a complete and fabulous protein. Eggs from chickens that have been pasture raised also contain vitamins A, D E and K, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, selenium, beautiful carotenoids and fully formed omega 3 fatty acids. They also boast ALL of the B vitamins. It’s quite the resume. Apart from poaching, boiling and frying, here are a couple of things you can do with them.

Actually it can be any time of day, but this is so easy and adaptable to anything you have in your fridge. I love to get turmeric in anywhere I can due to it’s amazing anti-inflammatory quality.

2 eggs

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 small clove of garlic, smashed and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Filling suggestions: avocado, tomatoes, fresh herbs, sprouts, sauerkraut, kimchi, left-overs, beans, any salad goods, or feta. I used avocado, cherry tomatoes, basil, black sesame seeds and a little nettle for fun. Just be sure to heat it slightly if you are going to use stinging nettle as it will sting!

Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl with a fork. Add the turmeric, garlic and salt and pepper, and combine. Heat a little coconut oil in a frypan on medium heat, and gently pour your mixture in. Depending on the size of your frypan, you may need to tilt it a little to encourage the mixture to stay to one side so as not to be too giant or too thin. Leave to cook for a couple of minutes, or until lightly golden underneath. Flip your omelette and let it cook on the other side for only a few seconds to cook through, then transfer to a plate. Add your fillings, roll and enjoy!

This takes a little longer, but you don’t have to do anything aside from chopping up a few greens.

1 egg

1/2 avocado

1/2 clove garlic

1/2 red chilli or to taste

1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

A handful of leafy greens (kale, spinach, basil, parsley, etc)

A handful of chopped almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Halve an avocado and remove the pip. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, crack the egg and carefully place into the heart of the avocado where the pip was. You are likely to have some spillage here. Don’t be too fussy about it. Using small sized eggs will help, but if some spills over the side, it’s okay.

Place into the oven at 180 degrees C (350F) until the egg is cooked (I wish I had taken note of how long this took for you – I think it was about 20 minutes?). While this is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Remove the avocado egg from the oven and serve on a plate accompanied by the salad.

Yes it’s more avocado, but this is a super quick snack / meal idea for any time of day – and can use anything that you have lying around. This one has avocado, hummus, radishes, sunflower seeds, snow pea sprouts, parsley, lemon and some celery.

And finally, I love chia puddings for ease, portability and deliciousness. I have spoken about them here before, but here is another version for you to try.

2 tbs chia seeds

½ cup almond milk, or milk of your choice

A handful of coconut flakes

1/8 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ cup blackberries (or any other berry you like)

¼ cup walnuts (or substitute with any mixed nuts and seeds of your choice – raw and unsalted)

1 tsp bee pollen (optional)

Add the first 5 ingredients to a small bowl or jar and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or overnight. Layer with the berries, walnuts and bee pollen if using, and enjoy!

These are just some ideas for quick meals and snacks, but some others are:

*Apple slices with nut butter (yum)

*A lovely piece of toast with tahini and banana

*This Breakfast Loaf Cake (not super fast to make initially but freezes brilliantly), same with the vegan pancakes from the last post.

*A green smoothie. Or any smoothie really. Smoothies are the ultimate in fast and easy food. Make sure you add a healthy fat (avocado, coconut butter, linseed oil) and some extra protein (chia seeds, nuts, almond butter, etc) to keep you going. There are some ideas here and here.

So what’s with all the quick meals? My little announcement is that I have been writing a book. Yay! It won’t be published until next year, but I wanted to share now as it’s exciting! It is a book about fermented drinks, their health benefits, and loads of fabulous recipes. Think kombucha, kefir, kvass, and lots of other cultured beverages that are super amazing not only for the health of our gut, but for immunity, detoxification, skin, and even the mind. So that is a little taster to explain why there will likely be more posts on fermented goodness coming your way. Thanks for reading! x