Bind & CrEATe

The blog’s been busy with sentimental feelings lately, but in the background I’ve been eating – eating lots of good-for-me power foods that’s keeping me sustained. When it reaches Thursday, and I’m feeling at my wit’s end with the week, I almost want to give myself a hug. Hug myself for making meals on Sunday. Hug myself for having things organized and planned. I’m not sure when I became this person, but I like her, and I think I’ll keep her around. Because by this point, I almost don’t care what I shove into my mouth. It’s handy to have a ‘fridge stocked with vegetarian options.

Many of these meals came from – where else – Pinterest.

1. Lentil Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash “Pasta”

I liked these quite a bit. Especially in red sauce. But they must be becoming a “thing.” I saw them featured on another blog this week. The one thing I dislike about Pinterest is the redundancy. It makes me feel much less cool that I’m not the only one making “meatballs” out of lentils, cheese, and breadcrumbs.

2. “Egg” Salad Sandwiches (made with tofu!)

So it was pretty much confirmed this week that low-fat mayo has a remarkable taste. It doesn’t matter if you use egg or tofu – this will taste just like the picnic egg salads of your youth. It tasted as if like there was no trace of tofu. I couldn’t get enough of this and ate three sandwiches for dinner on three separate occasions. The protein was incredible! Looks like I really don’t mind redundancy after all.

3. Quinoa with Lentils & Chickpeas

This was the less-than-stellar meal of the week. It lacked in flavor. What do you know – it was one of my one recipes? I was basically trying to use up some old ingredients and threw this together along with some “Pasta Sprinkle” seasoning. I revved it up on Wednesday by adding some tomato sauce from home. That made this lunch much more tolerable.

I have a lot of baking on the agenda for this weekend. Cupcakes are becoming a slight obsession. I don’t even want to eat them; I just want to pipe icing out of a ziploc bag. It’s the most therapeutic thing I’ve done in weeks.

What’s on your weekly menu?

This morning didn’t go as expected. I had a 5 or 6 mile run on the books for my Sunday, and when I got out of bed all I could feel was pain. My back. My legs. My ribcage (especially). I think it’s from poor sleeping positions and the two-hour hip hop class I took yesterday. I also didn’t drink much water after my class or fuel my body properly. Not good. So, rather than get frustrated and angry that I can’t do it all, I’ve decided to have a leisurely Sunday morning. Coffee, some oatmeal, a little laundry on the side, and let’s not forget a little meal preparation.

I actually created this dish last Sunday. But I’ve had it in my dashboard to share. It’s recipes like these that make Pinterest worth perusing. I’m not an addict, no. But I do enjoy the site’s functionality and my ability to easier find recipes, arts and crafts, and fashion.

Last Sunday I had quite a bit of quinoa in my house, and I’ve been enjoying its protein-staying power. I did a quick search on Pinterest and found a slew of tasty recipes. I substituted peas for corn (what I had on hand) and came up with this somewhat spicy meal. I ate this about three times last week for lunch.

I cherish my Sundays. I am never lazy on a Sunday, but my tasks are slower. I work here and there, not just to complete something. Throughout the week I often feel so rushed by my schedule that cooking, cleaning, or organizing gets done in a flash. Usually this means it’s not done well. It takes a little bit of patience. So today, I’m not trying to set a personal record. I’m just trying to survive the marathon.

Hope you enjoy your perhaps lazy or productive or fulfilling Sunday.

I still remember the first time my friend Amy made this recipe. She and her partner Brian were having a gathering at their home, and I remember seeing a bowl of this on the table. I almost faceplanted forward. I’d tried quinoa before, was obsessed with chickpeas and quickly fell in love with the dish. Since then, I’ve always associated Amy with this combination.

Amy was important for a lot of reasons. For starters, she and Brian were older than most of us, so they had that life experience thing down. They could give advice, had been-there-done-that. Secondly, they were killer party planners. I always looked forward to a Friday night beer tasting there, or a dinner out to a new restaurant. I still fondly remember the time I watched she and Brian make falafels. It looked like magic. Thirdly, Amy was the person who bought me the Veganomicon, which houses this recipe and is a staple in my kitchen.

I did a lot of growing up in Washington, D.C., and Amy was there to see it. I’m sure she knows by know how much I think of her, and how much I appreciated the time we spent together. Especially surrounding food.

In addition to making me feel sentimental, this dish has also given me a great source of energy. Makes sense I’d associate it with such a good friend.

What’s a dish you always associate with another person?