Produce run!

Ok, this is like a greatest hits album for the produce department. I have whole wheat penne pasta on the bottom, covered by black beans, portabella mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, julienne carrots, kale, and broccolli. Apologies to any veggies I may have forgotten. I cooked a pound of penne for the week. I put all of these veggies in one large pot filled about halfway with water. I kept the water boiling on lower heat for about 15 minutes, while stirring the pot every few minutes. Again, I made enough veggies for the week. Good combination!

Burrito

Here is a combination of three items, shown before adding any spices. The potato was microwaved in a large, sealed Pyrex bowl for 7 minutes. The beans were drained well, microwaved 2.5 minutes in clean water, and drained again. Amy's frozen bean and rice burrito cooked easily in the microwave in 2.5 minutes. I sliced up the potato while the beans were cooking. It is easy and satisfying.

Loaded baked potato

This is a "baked" potato cut into pieces, mixed up with a can of black beans and chopped kale. The prep and cook time combined is about 12 minutes. The potato was shrink-wrapped when I bought it, and that keeps all the moisture inside when microwaved. I microwaved it for 7 minutes. While that was happening, I opened a can of beans and drained and rinsed them well in a colander. When the potato was done, I replaced it in the microwave with a bowl of beans covered in water, which I cooked for 2.5 minutes. While the beans were cooking and later cooling, I sliced up the potato and the kale. The beans will need draining once more after microwaving, but do not rinse them at that time. This is great for something quick, delicious, and filling.

Pasta with mixed veggies

This is a combination of whole wheat penne pasta, chopped carrots, pinto beans, fresh green beans, portabella mushrooms, kale, and sliced bell pepper. I made the penne in a big batch for the week, boiling it for maybe 11 minutes on the stove top in a big pot. The pinto beans can be acquired from Whole Foods with almost no salt in either a box or a can. I put the kale (after chopping it up), the mushrooms, and the red and yellow bell peppers (after slicing them up) in a big pot of water and boiled them about 20 minutes. The carrots and green beans were both fresh. I chopped the carrots and microwaved them in water for 8 minutes. The green beans only needed 3 minutes in the microwave, again I microwaved them in water. This is the kind of meal I really feel good about because of the variety of flavors and nutrients included.

Pizza

Tonight is an easy one - frozen pizza! This is Amy's Roasted Veggie pizza from Whole Foods, and it has no cheese. That is the only way I like them these days, although I used to like Godfather's Pizza because they had cheese on the bottom and top of the toppings. Anybody remember that place? It was started by the presidential candidate, Herman Cain. Getting back to this pizza, make it by just preheating the oven and baking for 10 minutes. It tastes great, and this is a favorite of mine on the road.

Sandwich with fries

Here is a portabella mushroom sandwich with home fries, sans oil. The portabellas came sliced from Whole Foods. I baked them for 10 minutes at 400 F the night before. Then, I took them out of the fridge and warmed them up for 30 seconds between 2 slices of whole wheat bread in the microwave. For the fries, I put a potato inside a large pyrex bowl with the lid shut, and microwaved it for 7 minutes. I checked it out and found the middle wasn't done. I sliced off the outer part and put the middle back in for one more minute. Everything is topped with crushed red pepper, black pepper, and bar-b-q powder.

Cold cereal

This is a bowl of "Heritage Crunch" by Nature's Path Orgainc at Whole Foods. It has kamut khorasan wheat, spelt, barley, millet, and Quinoa. I do not recognize those words, but the taste is great, and it stays crunchy in organic apple juice.

Chili and crackers

This is vegetarian Spicy Tomato Chili, joined by brown rice crackers. Yummy! I picked these up at Whole Foods and cooked the chili in my hotel's microwave. I had to double-check the list of ingredients to make sure there was no meat in there. The soy protein is very convincing.