It's High Time

...that I shook things up around here meal-wise.

Each week tends to look generally the same:

Monday: leftover day or vegetarian burger + veggies,

Tuesday: brown rice + French onion soup + salad,

Wednesday: vegetarian chicken + pasta + salad,

Thursday: vegetarian chili + salad + Jell-O

Weekends nearly always consist of cringe-worthy restaurant foods, though I am gradually making better choices without sacrificing fun or flavor. For instance, I've found that I don't need to eat so much cheese if I choose chicken entrees instead of vegetarian ones. It seems that most restaurants equate vegetarianism with cheese-lovers... which is great, if you never want to poop again!

Sometimes that "+ salad" looks more like "+ frozen veggies" or "+ canned seasoned turnip greens," but it's usually salad or sliced tomatoes and cukes with a splash of vinegar.

Breakfasts vary little between Kashi topped with berries and/or bananas and oatmeal topped with a smorgasbord of goodies. There is the occasional omelette...

Dessert will undoubtedly consist of a Chobani, Jell-O, or a cup of decaf hazelnut Folger's. Without fail, Thursday is always a Jell-O day, as if I'm saying to myself, Congratulations on making it to the weekend!

It's not that I aim to make all of my meals boring or overly predictable. You know you eat predictably when you can draw (multiple) examples from previously taken photos. The problem lies in ease; all of these meals are so simple to prepare before I leave for class or immediately after I return.

Last night, in about 30 minutes I whipped up rice pilaf topped with a baked sliced chik'n breast brushed with olive oil, and a spinach salad topped with feta, tomato, cuke, cilantro, pickles, and light Zesty Italian. It was simple, delicious, and filling. I'm all about simple.

So, I'll shout it from the mountaintops: I want to get out of my meal repetition rut without making things difficult for myself.

Tonight, I'm going to shake things up and have Jell-O! Look out, world -- I'm gettin' crazy! ;)

If you have suggestions for how to shake things up or for quick and easy recipes, I would greatly appreciate anything you can provide me! They don't even have to be vegetarian -- I can sub ingredients to make almost any meal veggie-friendly. I've been eating meat when I go out, but I'm still preparing solely "lacto-ovo-pescetarian" foods at home.

Ta ta, and happy Tuesday!