Thursday, September 22, 2011

Simple Eats For Busy Work Days

Wow, it's been a busy week!  So, I thought I'd let you in on a little behind the scenes Fresh Young Coconut insider information blahblah.... If it's quiet around here on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays every week it's because my alter-ego is off working with people on the other end of the health spectrum.  Some of you probably already know that I'm a Registered Nurse.  One of the reasons I'm such a cheerleader for the vegan and raw lifestyle is because I see first-hand the consequences of sickness and disease when they've reached the point of needing surgical intervention.  I have literally held hearts in my hands that can no longer function properly because the vessels are so occluded by plaque and fatty deposits.  My job inspires me to lead a healthy lifestyle and to hopefully inspire those around me to make healthy choices so that our long term quality of life can be awesome!  And that's why my posts are sparse and I don't visit the blogs I love and I sometimes can't respond to comments until Thursdays.  But Thursdays are great because I get to catch up.  Fun!

With such a busy start to my weeks I eat quick & simple foods. Like these:

 Roasted Roots Wrap from Kitchen Dances

 Hearty Salad for Lunch featuring hemp seeds, currents, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds, pecans, tomatoes, cabbage and arugula

Chia Pudding, Hearty Lunch Salad, Gala Apple, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa
 
Keeping it simple and using up left-overs from the weekend is my key for making it to Thursday.  I also rely on a lot of fresh fruits & veggies.   Do you have a strategy for keeping yourself full of delicious, healthy foods on your busy days?

And I know we're all kind of experiencing different opinions about things like spirulina and chia drinks.  But I thought I'd share, even though I'm pretty sure my taste buds are in the minority on this subject.  I tried the chia kombucha in several flavors and LOVED all of them.  Haha, what can I say?  My tastebuds are wacky.  Anyways, I made this drink at home and enjoyed it very much:

 water, spirulina, lemon juice, and ch-ch-ch-chia!

Feel free to be grossed out in my comments!  But, apparently my taste buds have a mind of their own.  Rebels :)

With Vegan MoFo coming up in just over a week (YAY) I've been doing lotsa planning so I can post every single day for the month of October.  I now have a link on my sidebar in case anyone wants to sign up *wink-wink*. 

Hope everyone enjoys the final day of Summer.  Tomorrow is the start of my most favorite season.  xoxo!

27 comments:

  1. Its me Dianne From Washington.Remember colonics in Seattle and RFR;-)... I am so glad I found your new blog.I also see Portland makes you a happy place called home. I am glad to see you are still doing RAW.I am getting back into it more then as I let go for awhile. Look forward to reading your BLOG. I have a new blog but stopped it too. Update your end -http://diannesjuicyadventure.blogspot.com

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  2. Hi Dianne! Of course I remember. I'm so glad you left a message. I'll update my blogroll with your new info. Looking forward to catching up on your blog :)

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  3. I didn't know you are a nurse but I appreciate your motivation for a healthy life. This food looks lovely - no hardship getting through to Thursday in your house! What are your roasted roots wrapped in? I'm tempted to be grossed out by your drink but maybe I should try it first. We are making good use of tiffins in our house at the moment with leftovers from the night before for lunch the next day...

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  4. The wrap is whole wheat. I get it at a vegan food cart in my neighborhood, so I'm not sure about the brand, but it's soft and delicious, however not raw. Ahhh, tiffins. I need to add those to my Christmas wish list. Left-overs are the best lunches.

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  5. I'm pretty sure I'd like the chia drinks but I feel it's silly to buy when I can make my own chia at home for less money. Did you make yours? Looks good.

    Wow it must have been powerful to have experienced life and death up close like that. Intense.

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  6. I'm participating in Vegan MOFO too! Yay! I work in healthcare as well and definitely see that as extra motivation to take the best care of myself possible. I pack a cooler daily and my lunches look a lot like yours. Always a salad, fresh chopped veggies, some kind of healthy grain, a piece of fruit, and sometimes a special raw/healthy dessert of some kind. My MOFO posts are going to be on vegan & raw treats all month!

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  7. Hey, there is chia in that one :-)

    I've done Mofo in the past, but I don't think I could keep up with the required pace this year. I'll have to just check in on you then.

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  8. I am one of the haters of chia in kombucha! Lol, but I respect your opinion! ;)

    In wish there were more nurses like you! I think nurses are amazing! Ive been hospitalized so many times, that I've gotten to know a few, best people on earth!

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  9. Yum! Everything looks so hearty and healthy! I'm definitely someone that needs some pointers on packing good, nutritious food. I work for a wedding photographer and when I work weddings I am out of my house with no guarantee of a vegan meal for 10-14 hours. I never pack enough so tips for portable, nutritious vegan food is ALWAYS appreciated! :)

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  10. Everything looks great, especially that salad. I've got to pick up some hemp seeds. I first noticed those chia/kombucha drinks today but am very curious.

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  11. Yep, I made it because the store drinks are spendy. Some friends of mine add them to their bottles of lemon water and I thought that was an awesome idea. Of course I had to add spirulina :)

    Luckily I haven't had to experience the death side. Sometimes I get to hold the heart during surgery while the surgeon sews on the bypass veins. It's still intense, but the patient gets a second chance on health. I just always hope that they have enough information to make the right choices after surgery. In my experience doctors are not the best at prescribing prevention when it comes to things like nutrition, etc.

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  12. Leslie, lead me to your blog... so I can follow you during MoFo!

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  13. Yeah, it's going to be a challenge but fun. I can't get enough chia right now and I just introduced my sister and BIL to the chia kombucha today. They loved it. My bf loves chia pudding and we had a competition the other night to see who could make the best chia drink. He thought he won and I thought I won, so it was a success :)

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  14. Awww, thanks Lauren. I love my work. Hopefully someday I'll get to work with people before they end up needing surgery. But until then I'm happy to be able help people through a difficult time.

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  15. Me too. I'm away from home for at least 14 hours and have had to work through the night when I'm on call. It's intense and having enough food on hand is so important. My coworkers make comments about my huge lunchbox, but I don't want to get stuck searching for something acceptable in the hospital cafeteria. I love seeing what other people take in their lunches too :)

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  16. I love how the hemp seeds coat the avocado pieces. It adds nice texture to the salad. The chia kombucha are pretty tasty. My favorite is the cherry flavor.

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  17. I recently tried the Mamma Chia drink and really liked it. Haven't tried the kombucha chia but hearing how you loved 'em I'll pick one up to try.

    I love your food eats. I need to start making awesome lunches like yours.

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  18. i've always wondered what your job was! it must be hard to work in that field knowing what you do about nutrition and medicine, but it must also be so rewarding to help those in need.

    that drink looks like you scooped up a cupful of pond water that had some tadpole eggs in it or something! sounds nutritious though, and easier to make then a smoothie of juice. i think i'll try it.=)

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  19. Hi- my blog is Pixiepine blog, at http://cuppapixie.blogspot.com!

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  20. Just found your blog and love it! I love chia pudding!!!

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  21. Yay, I just added you to my blogroll. Looking forward to MoFo!!!

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  22. I think I'll call it "Pond Water Bliss" hahahaa. It is pretty good to add chia to just about any drink though :)

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  23. That wrap literally made my mouth water. Ahhhh! To keep full, I start my day with a giant bowl of oats - as long as I have that, I usually eat relatively light throughout the day.

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  24. I agree. When I'm wanting something heavier than fruit I usually go for the oats. They're easy for me to digest, and I like to mix them with chia seeds.

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  25. Sarahfae - Addicted to VeggiesSeptember 30, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    Your tastebuds and my tastebuds should hang out together! They've got a lot in common. ;)

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