Run Plant Based

Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

Simple Lunch & A Whatever Dinner

by

What a week, I’m so glad I’m taking tomorrow off! It won’t be entirely relaxing though, I have a list of errands and tasks to do at home like wrap gifts, meal plan, shop. Though I’m not looking forward to the errand part so much, holiday road madness is in full force! Why does something so joyous as the holidays have to turn everyone into complete bat-poopy insane drivers? I had to slam on my brakes so hard last week when someone cut me off my car’s oil light flickered and I was really thankful I just had my brakes checked. But jeez, that shattered my nerves for the rest of the night. When I worked at a supermarket during high school, I used to enjoy watching all the fender benders in the parking lot over the holidays … not that I find that entertaining anymore. :-) But literally we could sit on the benches in front of the store and watch 5 or so during break.

Anyway, I’ve been battling a little cold over the last few days eating into my sleep and not helping stress. So my theme for lunch was easy, raw and healthy. Fresh chopped veggies with artichoke spinach hummus.

The hummus was store-bought, but very interesting and tasty. Kind of a mix between hummus and a creamy spinach dip and very good. My mind is already turning on how I can recreate this with fresher ingredients and even more flavor, so stay tuned. :-)

After another long day at work with a stuffed head and dealing with post office lines after, I was in no mood to think for dinner. But I did know I was craving something hot and filling. Again I started throwing ingredients into the blender – tomatoes, basil, garlic, red pepper, lemon juice, oregano and water ending up with a marinara soup base.

I poured that into a soup pot and dumped in some lentils and a minuscule amount of quinoa I had left in the pantry that I otherwise wouldn’t know what to do with.

Then I started chopping up veggies that I needed to use up – celery, zucchini, leeks, and dumped them into the pot. Then I found a half used bag of frozen spinach in the freezer, so into the pot it went.

I let the mess simmer for 30 minutes while I pulled off some manic kitchen cleaning and ended up with a loaded marinara stew. Yup, another stew this week. But a delicious one loaded with goodies.

I admit it, I read US Weekly. A little celebrity snark is a guilty pleasure of mine. But the latest issue has got me rethinking that.

In the last few months, the teen moms of MTV have been featured on the covers a lot which I couldn’t care less about since I don’t watch the show. But this latest issue disturbed me highlighting all the drama like it’s a glamorous Real Housewives show. This is a sign that I shouldn’t renew the subscription I think. What do you think? Do you watch the show?

Comments

  1. All that food looks fabulous! The hummus has especially got my stomach growling. ;) (I just accidentally typing “growing”; maybe that, too, if I get my hands on that delicious stuff? Haha.)

    Yeah, seriously – WTF is up with all the teen moms on the covers of these gossip rags?! I saw that particular US Weekly at a bookstore yesterday & went on a rant to my boyfriend. While I think it’s cool that these girls are able to make a little (or kind of a lot!) of money by being on the show, I agree with you that it glamorizes the drama. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these girls will inspire OTHER high school girls to get pregnant on purpose or anything, but I just don’t think this is where we should be focusing our attention as a nation… Not like I want to be serious & read news all the time, but I guess I just feel that there are plenty of real celebrities out there with their crazy antics that magazines shouldn’t have to give incentive to these “Teen Mom” ‘stars’ (I’m using that word loosely) to act out their drama for all to see – including their kids someday… I dunno. Just pretty gross to me.

    I used to be a major trashy magazine addict, but then I found some funny celeb gossip blogs that I find far more entertaining – and free! And they don’t talk about Teen Mom!

    • Thanks, that hummus was great, I almost ate half the container!

      I agree, I wouldn’t say the girls are intentionally promoting the life, but it doesn’t look good. I do like a little celebrity gossip fill, but these girls aren’t celebrities and I would have much preferred Scarlett & Ryan’s breakup to be the cover feature and maybe teen moms being a news tidbit somewhere in the back – maybe. Awesome comment, thanks!

  2. I honestly watch soooo little tv
    (other than Bravo and E! when i do watch it and it’s real housewives or kendra, kardashians, etc) so I do like my guilty pleasure tv WHEN i watch it…like an hour a week. Anyway i had no idea what the whole Teen Mom stuff was about on mag covers at the groc store til last week..i realized it’s a show, it exists, etc. I am shocked.

    Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. Period. I was a college grad, married, stable in all aspects, 29 yrs old, 30 when i gave birth…and it STILL shocked me. In no way as a teen is anyone ready for parenthood and i havent seen the show but if in any way they “promote” teen pregnancy as good…I would flip a lid. I saw a thing on Cnn that girls are trying to get preg just to get on the show..wow…

    • I’m not a parent, but I’ve watched my sisters and many friends go through the same shock at much more mature ages. As a teen, I was absolutely terrified at the thought of getting pregnant and what it would do to my life. I can’t imagine the conflict these poor girls are going through trying to adjust, deal with the “fame” and be a parent. And when I get a celebrity mag, I want to see actual celebrities on the cover, not awkward pics of young mothers I don’t know. I’m glad I didn’t see that CNN thing, I would have freaked!

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