Making Food Fun

For many, food can feel repetitive, boring, or even scary. I myself have struggled through this, but lately have learned to turn this mindset around by making food something I can enjoy. I do this by making meals that are balanced and give me the nutrients I need, but still allow me to love what I am eating. The meals don't have to be complicated at all, in fact, mine are quite the opposite. Here are some of my favorite meals lately that have helped me love and look forward to food again.

1. Protein Yogurt Bowl

I find that yogurt bowls are one of the most satisfying things to eat both because they are satiating and easy to make look pretty. Here is how I like to make my yogurt bowls:

- Fage 2% greek yogurt or Nounous "Vanilla Bean" yogurt

- 1/2 or 1 whole scoop of Truvani protein powder (my favorites are vanilla and chocolate, but there are many more options such as vanilla chai, chocolate peanut butter, etc)

- Purely Elizabeth "Original"granola (best granola EVER!)

- Half of a banana, sliced

- 1 or 2 berries of choice (my go-to's are strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

- A drizzle of Manuka honey

- Optional: nut butter of choice, superfoods (chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc), shredded coconut

2. Salad

As I said in the beginning, these meals do not have to be complex by any means. Most people tend to dislike salads because they think they are boring, dissatisfying, or unexciting. The key to making the perfect salad is experimenting many times until you find something you love, which is exactly what I did. I started by going out to "Create Your Own" salad bars and choosing from their selections, and as I started to realize what I liked and disliked I started to make them at home. This is currently my favorite salad I have almost every day:

- base: chopped kale

- protein: roasted chicken, chickpeas

- veggies: roasted broccoli, shredded carrots, chopped cucumbers

- starch: chopped sweet potato

- fats: half an avocado, Primal Kitchen "Miso Sesame" dressing

- superfood (optional): sunflower seeds

3. Protein Chia Seed Pudding

We have all seen the famous chia pudding all over social media. I have to admit, I was extremely skeptical about this at first. The texture did not seem exactly appealing to me, and I thought it would taste bland; but I was sorely mistaken. This is my favorite way to prepare my chia seed pudding:

- 3 tablespoons of chia seeds

- 1/2 or 1 whole scoop of Truman protein powder

- Water (add as much as you would like until your preferred consistency is achieved)

- Matchaful "Grain-Free Matcha Granola" in the "Cacao Mint" flavor

- Fruit of choice (ex: figs, as shown here)

4. Lettuce Tacos

This recipe certainly seems strange at first, I must admit. Nonetheless, this meal is a perfectly satiating, sustainable, nutrient-dense choice. To make, you need:

- Two big lettuce leaves (I ran out of lettuce this day so I used kale, and it was just as good!)

- Avocado, smashed and mixed together with a protein of choice (I use chickpeas and add salt, pepper, and chili flakes to the mixture)

- Chopped cherry tomatoes

- Sliced cucumbers

- Ithaca "Lemon Beet" hummus (delicious, and makes the dish look colorful and pretty!)

- Optional: dressing of choice

5. Sweet Potato Avocado Toast

As someone who struggles with a gluten allergy, it can be tough to find gluten-free breads that actually taste good. I find that this is the perfect alternative to the classic avocado toast, and it is so filling! This one is quite simple, as you only need a few ingredients:

- Caulipower "Roasted Sweet Potato Slices"

- Half an avocado with salt, pepper, and chili flakes

- One sunny side up egg

6. Homemade Acai Bowl

One of my favorite meals (especially in the summer time) is a smoothie bowl, which I think is the case for many others as well. These delicious treats can get quite expensive though, so I decided to start making my own at home. It took awhile to find an acai base that actually tasted sweet, believe it or not; but once I found that I think I can confidently say my homemade smoothie bowls are just as good as those that we can buy from the outside world. To make this, you will need:

- Sambazon Acai Bowl (this is the base I use; the flavor "Super Berry" is delicious)

- Purely Elizabeth "Original" granola

- Sliced bananas, strawberries, and whole raspberries

- Chia seeds

- Roasted pumpkin seeds

- A drizzle of Manuka honey

- Optional: nut butter of choice

7. Protein Smoothie

This is my go-to breakfast or snack when I have less time than usual, or just when I am feeling lazy. It is important to remember when making a smoothie to add the proper nutrients to make sure our bodies are properly fueled, such as adding protein, healthy fats, fiber, and more. Here is how I make my favorite smoothie:

- 1/2 cup of plant-based milk (almond and macadamia are my favorite)

- Protein: 1 Scoop of Truvani powder, 1 tablespoon of almond butter (this is also a great source of fat)

- Fiber: 1 handful of spinach, chia seeds (flax seeds work as well)

- 1/2 of a frozen banana

- 1 handful of frozen blueberries

- Optional: chlorophyll, collagen powder

- Also optional (but strongly suggested: top your smoothie with something crunchy, such as cacao nibs! Digestion starts in the mouth, and if you think about it, your smoothie is still food (in liquid form); so it can be difficult for our bodies to digest a smoothie if we are sipping on it without chewing. Adding something crunchy will promote this and therefore help your stomach!

I hope you find these recipes helpful! All of these are easily flexible in the sense that you can change them to be however you'd like. If you try any of these, please take a picture and tag me on instagram @mynirmana ! Thank you for reading :)