Friday Lunch and Dinner

I was feeling extra motivated this morning (thank you, french roast) so I made my lunch. Working from home, this seems redundant, but believe me, if I don't, lunch ends up being two bites of the kids' pasta and then maybe some crackers and almond butter while the kids sleep. So I made my salad before the preschool opened and stuck it in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Carrot, shredded

Apple, shredded

Cucumber cubes (a third of an English cucumber)

Avocado, half, cubed

handful of sunflower seeds

A drizzle of shitake vinaigrette

SO GOOD. I should have used less cucumber, but hey, it's a very healthy ingredient, so whatever.

After eating the salad, I realized I need some grain so I toasted a piece of wheat bread and added some Earth Balance. It hit the spot.

The latest recommendation is 9 fruits and veggies per day. Let's see, did I get mine? I'll count backward: 9. Avocado, 8. Cherry tomatoes, 7. Cucumber, 6. Carrot, 5. Apple, 4. Banana*, 3. Frozen blueberries*, 2. Frozen mango*, 1. handful of baby spinach*. Wow, I just hit the mark, and that is me really trying.

*These were in my smoothie this morning, with soaked almonds, cacao powder, oats, ground flax seeds, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, and some honey. Gosh, I am grain deprived. And that would be what prompted my dinner.

And dinner would be these pancakes.

Adapted from this recipe, these pancakes promise flavor but not a good vegan feeling afterward. I eyeballed all of the ingredients, substituted almond milk for the soy (I'm 99% soy-free, remember), and substituted agave nectar for the sugar (cheating, but better than refined sugar! Well, is it?)

Okay, okay, I added Earth Balance margarine and a fine drizzle of maple syrup. Totally cheated on this one (there is soy in the margarine and the syrup might as well be sugar)!

And now I feel a little lousy so I wish I had used honey. Or nothing! The batter is so good I licked the spatula after pouring the batter from the blender into a saver bowl.

Really, really wished I had used honey. Pancake stomach!