Meatless Mondays: Easy Eating

This was a week with very little cooking.  I'm having a hard time shaking this bug, so my meals were basic and boring.  I did make a quinoa veggie soup (just quinoa, veggie broth, carrots, celery, scallions, and some seasoning), and man, was it...healthy tasting.  You know you have failed as a vegetarian when you make something and think, hmm, this needs chicken.


Even on weeks when I'm "healthy," like most folks, I'm beat when I get home.  And I have fibromyalgia, and other bizarre health issues.  Bottom line, I don't get to cook fun meals nearly as often as I would like.  But I've gotten much better at whipping up healthy dinners than I was as a college student (I'm not going to disclose how many meals of cottage cheese with salsa and tortilla chips were consumed between 2005 and 2009), and here are a few of my favorites.  I know all two of you out there are just dying to know :).

boyfriend works long hard hours in the kitchen, comes over afterward, and falls asleep.  Sometimes on the floor, in the middle of the doorway, with his legs in the air.

Once spring hits, I can't get enough asparagus.  My favorite way to eat it is just to coat the spears with olive oil, a little salt and a dash of pepper, and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus.  It stays crunchy that way, and I like to pair the asparagus with a lightly fried egg.


I discovered that broccoli is actually delicious if you chop it into small pieces, throw it in a baking dish with about 1/4 inch olive oil and a few cloves of garlic (peeled, raw, and left whole).  Roast at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes (though I should warn you that my oven never follows recipes and rarely sets a timer).  Once the broccoli is slightly crispy, remove and toss with lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and chili flakes if you like.  Broccoli is a good source of protein, especially if you pair it with quinoa.


Spinach is an excellent superfood that is actually also a source of protein.  I've started throwing in a handful with my smoothies!  The color is awful, but the spinach taste is mild and goes well with pretty much anything you'd throw into a smoothie.  I've seen chocolate smoothie recipes with spinach (I'll keep my chocolate pure, thankyouverymuch), but I like it with tangier combos.  Smoothies are an important part of my springtime dinners - filling, tasty, and a good way to help meet my daily fruit demands.  Throw in some yogurt to increase the protein factor.


What are your go-to dinners for tired evenings?