Around this time of year, 3-4pm becomes the new “evening”. Once night time hits around 5pm, it is hard to feel inspired to go out and do things. Somehow, the earlier darkness and chilly weather encourages me to stay in. I love utilizing this sort of ambiance to make flavorful one-pot meals like hearty soups or pasta dishes. You already saw my five favorite soups in last week’s Friday Five. Therefore, today, I bring you five of my favorite pasta dishes.
Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can find something to enjoy in the carbalicious entrée. Even if you’re gluten-free (like I’ve recently become), there are pasta options for you! My thing is to always include vegetables in a meal so it isn’t just a purely starchy meal. The following pasta dishes are vegetable-filled and sure to be satisfying!
I can’t be the only one who still has cobs of corn and baskets of tomatoes to use up, right? I love cooking with fresh herbs and this pasta is an excellent way to utilize them. Pesto, corn, and tomatoes are a trifecta of deliciousness you must try! I don’t consume dairy so I omit the cheese in the recipe but otherwise, I love everything about it! The basil vinaigrette is dreamy makes this pasta ideal for a simple lunch or even a side dish!
I’m sure anyone who dabbles in plant-based cooking has heard of Minimalist Baker. This pasta dish with roasted cauliflower is seemingly simple but incredibly flavorful! Take my word for it and just roast double the amount of cauliflower. Trust me, you’re going to want more of that tender and crispy veggie to pile onto your spaghetti.
I’ve got to throw a mention to my good ol’ pumpkin pasta that I created last year. I created the recipe last year for a competition with Banza pasta company but, of course, use whatever pasta brand you like. The recipe is a perfect single serving but multiply as needed to feed more people! I love enjoying pumpkin pasta with warmed spinach, oven-crisped kale, or even some sautéed yellow squash.
Jeanine from Love and Lemons is a queen at building pasta dishes around vegetables. Her one-pot vegetable penne pasta is one of my most favorites because it includes leeks. Yes, leeks! If you haven’t cooked with these babies, they’re similar to onions—which I’m also wildly obsessed with adding to everything I cook. Jeanine only uses the white part of a leek in this pasta but I often double the recipe and use the entire white and green parts of the leek!
Butternut squash might be a little more accessible all-year round nowadays but it is fall produce. I stockpile my butternut squashes until the following year: I’ll chop it into cubes and store it in freezer bags to use in the spring or summer if I so desire! If you haven’t tried turning butternut squash into pasta sauce, you haven’t lived! Okay, exaggeration aside, you’ll want to keep butternut squash on hand in your freezer like me just to make this pasta!
Now go enjoy yourselves some pasta dishes of your choosing!
Pasta is a creative base that can do no wrong in my book. I’m always looking for new ideas to experiment with. Feel free to tell me what your favorite pasta dishes are!
I can speak from experience when I say: food is more than just food. To me, food is a reminder that we are delicate ecosystems reliant on nourishment from the earth we were born out of. It serves as fuel, medicine, and strength all-in-one. Aside from the physical aspects, some people may find when life gets wild and unpredictable, food takes on an emotional form. (aka food anxieties develop)
In a recent post, I described some things no one tells you about going vegan. (It’s a pretty interesting article if I do say so myself—so go check it out!) One of the items I mentioned in the post was how a limited set of options can lead to restricted or disordered eating patterns. While food anxieties can affect anyone, my personality type can be a bit extreme and overly controlling. I have found, from my own experience, that my vegan preferences increase my desire to restrict food in other ways.
Why would someone want to control their food?
Simply put: food can be a clutch when other situations in life are not within your control. In this case, food may be the only thing you really feel you can control. When you’re sad, frustrated, bored, or experiencing any feeling, and you reach for food, you’re filling a void.
Many times, emotional eating patterns can be accompanied by food phobias. These are maybe things that you try to avoid (“off-limit” foods) but end up binging on. The off-limit foods may be ones you choose to avoid because some magazine article or fitness influencer told you they were bad. If we hold preconceived notions of “healthiness” and desire to only eat “healthy food”, there we are experiencing orthorexia at its finest.
Let it be known that it is possible to have a healthy relationship with food and omit foods. If you’re able to completely stay away from a certain food or consume it as an occasional treat, without any guilt, you’re probably not dealing with disordered eating patterns!
Tell-tale signs of disordered eating can come when food anxieties are stirred up needlessly! A Huffington Post article describes some behaviors below:
When food is the enemy, you’re going to continuously have to face it. This personal villain, if you will, is going to be on your mind a lot. The average person engages in eating three to five times in a day but thinks about eating nearly every hour (or every 38 minutes for men). That is multiple times a day you’re stressing about what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat, and more!
The way I see it, there are two straightforward routes when dealing with food anxieties on your own. The first option is to abstain from food that you really want. Consequently, that can also kind of makes the food extra-desirable. We want what we cannot have. Therefore the second option is to partake in occasional indulgence. It may be just the ticket to moderate your consumption of a food while keeping you sane.
For myself personally, I still find that to lead to overindulgence. A “treat” can be a slippery slope because one snack or one serving might not seem like enough. Has anyone ever found themselves halfway through a loaf of banana bread only to suddenly feel very uncomfortably sick? Yeah, gluttony is not a cure for the feelings you’re trying to disguise by eating.
The thing is, food is not supposed to be feared or separated into “good” and “bad” categories. There are obviously some foods with greater nutritional profiles but how we feel when we go in for a bite also matters. Heck, it might even matter more!
I can’t tell you the magic trick to getting over food anxieties because there isn’t one. I believe those of us who struggle with this more intensely tend to place more emotional ties on food. It is a pattern we formed and, therefore, we can also break. How can we break it? It is going to sound simple but we simply make the choice. We say: enough is enough!
Food should not be a substitute for dealing with emotions. If you don’t feel emotionally well, try:
Going for a walk
Talking to a friend in-person or on the phone
Playing with your pet
Cleaning (works wonders to get your mind off of most anything!)
Watching a movie or listening to a song/podcast
Creating some art by drawing, writing, painting, etc.
And hey, if you genuinely are hungry, by all means, EAT
At the end of the day (not a literal day—give it some time), if you’ve tried all of the above mentioned techniques to overcome food anxieties, please seek help. I find I go through phases where this is more of a problem for me than other times. It helps me to recognize what my triggers are and then I can talk myself down. I think understanding the why behind the patterns proves useful. Then, I can take steps to combat them. I like to ask myself: is it true hunger that you feel right now or your emotions?
Thanks for reading! This is a subject really close to me. As much as I have the knowledge of how to properly manage my emotions, I don’t utilize my toolbox often enough. Temptations around food are strong; so the battle to overcome emotional eating is one that I have to deal with daily. I am a work in progress but I want to get to the place of freedom from food anxieties.
Have you dealt with food anxieties? What methods do you find to be helpful in dealing with them? Please share.
As a disclaimer: I am not a doctor or therapist. This article is not intended to treat, diagnose, or be a substitute for seeking professional assistance for an eating disorder.
In honor of fall, I’ve assembled a list of my 5 favorite soup recipes! Funny enough, when I was a kid, I used to hate soups. If my mom said soup was for dinner, I’d anticipate something brothy where I’d need to dig around for substance. I’d also expect to eat 2-3 bowls just to feel satisfied. There’s a place for simple broth-based soups (*cough cough* when you’re sick.) but for the rest of the time, I like a hearty bowl of soup!
In essence, I’m pretty much a low-key connoisseur of soups. Therefore, I’m only recommending soup recipes that I’ve tried and enjoyed multiple times! So, you can be rest assured that these are delicious and will keep you satisfied as the weather cools down!
This recipe is a feature from Angela Liddon’s Oh She Glows Everyday Cookbook. I actually own the cookbook but, prior to that, I was frequently referring to the recipe here. Blended soups can seem a bit boring…texturally. So, the tamari almonds included for topping are essential! You’ll be swooning over how sweet, salty, and luxurious this recipe is.
Sometimes you feel like a giant bowl of vegetable soup, right? Though, the standard onion, celery, and carrot triad of vegetables isn’t the most exciting. I love that this soup utilizes some hearty cabbage, kale, and broccoli! The colors and unique combination of ingredients makes this soup taste like it comes from a gourmet restaurant! Oh, and I also like to squeeze extra lemon into my individual soup bowl—it really makes the flavors sing!
In my hometown, there was a restaurant my family and I would always go to called Millie’s. Literally, we would be there once a week, if not more. I could probably recite the menu by memory. One dish that they offered was a chicken tortilla soup. Ohhhh that soup. Due to my previously mentioned ideas about soup, I wouldn’t usually order it myself. Though, my dad would often order it and I’d steal some from him 😉 So, to my delight, this tortilla soup has all of the classic flavors but it’s made vegetarian. And please, do not pass up making your own tortilla strips for the soup. It is simply essential!
You guys might not know it but Minestrone Soup is probably one of my favorite soups ever. It can be made so many different ways. There’s team pasta and no pasta. I’ve also seen potato and, other times, no potato. What is consistent is that it is a good way to utilize lots of vegetables! With that being said, I often reminisce on the minestrone soup offered at Olive Garden. Whether the restaurant is true to Italian food or not, their soups are still the bomb. This recipe is the closest thing I’ve tried to OG’s classic minestrone.
Again with my Mexican roots! I take for granted how much I actually enjoyed the Mexican dishes I grew up with. Soups like menudo and posole are staple dishes in Mexican culture. It wouldn’t be a holiday or family get-together without one of these. Kate, the culinary queen, once again proved that a traditional meat-based dish can be made vegetarian. I’m positive you’ll enjoy this pinto bean version of posole even if you don’t follow a meatless diet. Fun fact: the cover photo for this post is actually my recreation of the Pinto Posole! 🙂
Thanks for checking out my favorite soup recipes!
If you make any of them, let me know. Oh, and be sure to let these fantastic bloggers know you found their recipe through me. I hope I’ve provided some fall meal inspiration. Be sure to let me know what you’re cooking up this fall! Also, would you be interested in some other Friday Five recipe round-ups? Perhaps snacks, entrees, breakfasts, and such? Comment below or on Instagram and let me know what you think!
In a society where the average person is still shocked by the idea of vegetarianism, where do vegans fit in? While I don’t completely associate with the term vegan, I have tried to follow the lifestyle for the most part. Also, when I say lifestyle, that involves not just food but any material products I choose to consume, too. Today’s post is a quick list of three things no one tells you about going vegan. I’m not saying going vegan is bad or good but, rather, with any choice, there are obstacles. The following are some of the obstacles I’ve had to deal with but they may not necessarily be the case for everyone.
The world isn’t changed, just you.
You know how it feels when you learn some new information and suddenly feel like you want to make a change in the world? For anyone who has watched a video on cruelty in the meat industry or the environmental issues surrounding a diet loaded with animal products, those things are hard to unseen. Personally, I’ve taken those learnings with me and tried to inform others. People might be moderately interested in hearing about such information once but few times are they ready to change their lives because of a conversation.
Your new enlightened state of what the meat/dairy/egg/or other industries are doing may make you not want to so much as look at the deli counter of the grocery store. Beyond the cruelties of the industries, the benefit of a plant-based diet speaks for itself. Though, I feel like people need to come across that information on their own.
People don’t feel motivated to change by hearing someone else tell them why they need to change but by seeing when someone is doing something right. Right now vegans only comprise a mere 6% of the population in the United States. The plants, animals, and environment still need an advocate but I wouldn’t get so invested in trying to convert your family and friends to be like you. That is a sure-fire way to lose some friends. Rather, if you’re passionate about this or anything, lead by example and the rest will follow.
Food serves as a bonding experience in every culture. To not partake in the mainstream experience can make you feel like an outsider.
No matter what your background, food is one facet that brings people together. It is necessary to stay involved and participate in familial or social gatherings despite personal preferences. Many cultures have their staple dishes that involve meat and/or cheese at center-stage. I definitely don’t have a desire to eat the dishes but I miss the feeling of enjoying what everyone else is enjoying.
As my family oohs and ahs over the barbecue ribs or seafood cocktails, I feel like an awkward wallflower at the table. Sure, there might be dishes like salads or rice that are prepared vegan-friendly and can be taken advantage of. Though, oftentimes, when I know there won’t be something I can eat, I’ll even make my own meal and take it to a gathering. I’ll receive curious looks and maybe even some questions about what I’m eating but that’s as far as it goes.
If you want to be adventurous and make a vegan dish to take to a gathering, be prepared for the worst. I’ve spent days planning delicious wild rice pilafs and three-bean salads only to have to take the entire dish back home. Understand who you’re dining with when deciding whether or not to cook. Hopefully your company is more willing to try something different.
A limited set of options can lead to restricted or disordered eating.
I know this is super controversial to say. It definitely is not the case for everyone. Though, the more I read about nutrition and try to tackle symptoms of intolerance, the more I limit my options for food. When you are a vegan, obviously that involves zero animal products. What if you are also intolerant to gluten or sensitive to caffeine? I’m not saying this to make you question what you can or should eat. Rather, I personally feel that my world gets significantly smaller when I eliminate so much from my diet. Thus, my anxieties about food increase. This can be a whole post on its own so I’ll pick this topic up again later!
The ingredients label is its own unique language.
So, you took Spanish in high school but did anyone teach you that “natural glaze” can be an alternative phrase for “glaze made from insects”? Or that filtration methods for alcoholic beverages might involve fish bladders? There is entirely no way to know this sort of thing from the packaging alone.
Besides being helpful, it is downright necessary to read every ingredient label. Some brands are good about listing allergens like Milk or Egg in big print under the ingredients list. Though, if you’re vegan, you’ve got to look out for more than that. Some seemingly simple crackers might look fine but honey is listed in the ingredients list. An ice cream boasting a “dairy-free” label may still have egg yolks or, less conspicuously, whey powder.
When in doubt about an ingredient, pull out your master sleuth skills and Google it. For alcohol, I’d suggest researching ahead of time and having a few brand names in mind as options. Also, don’t forget that packaging may be deceiving but real, fresh produce doesn’t lie. Fruit and vegetables need no ingredients label. : )
Bonus: for my small town homies, you know what it feels like to scavenge off the side dishes.
Just because trendy restaurants like True Food Kitchen or Chipotle offer vegan menu items, that doesn’t mean your mom-and-pop diners are going to, too. In my hometown, chain-restaurants are my best bet. As much as I’d love to support local businesses, they don’t post allergen menus online. That is basically the cheat sheet to knowing whether a dish contains or may be cross-contaminated with milk, eggs, soy, gluten, or nuts.
Even given that tool, I’m lucky if I can find three items on a menu that I can eat without asking for accommodations. House salads, guacamole, and French fries are usually safe bets. Though, the last one is also dicey if you think about the shared fryer oil. Those pitiful but humble choices make you really appreciate the value of home-cooked food. Plus, if you ever get the chance to eat at a vegan restaurant or vegan-friendly restaurant, it will make you appreciate the meal all the more.
I do not want to deter anyone from adopting a vegan way of eating or living. Given the above mentioned things no one tells you about going vegan, I give myself leniency and offer the same to others. You pick your battles and you do what you can, my friends. While I whole-heartedly advocate for going 100% vegan if you can do it. I also whole-heartedly believe we need to do right by our minds and bodies.
My ethics lie in veganism but dietary preferences sometimes fluctuate between vegetarian and vegan. Lately, I lean more towards the latter but you’ve got to do what is right for you. I believe in moderation. An extreme approach in anything does not allow for you to live your life to the fullest but it is up to you to determine where you draw the line.
Thank you for reading! What do you think? Have you felt any of these situations to be true? Also, stay tuned for an upcoming post elaborating more on the topic of food anxieties!
I’ve never been the girl who celebrates my birthday in any grand sort of way. My best girl friend (whom I’ve known since junior high), for example, has continued to have week-long birthday celebrations ever since I met her. I’m not about completely dismissing my day but, rather, I tend to use it as a marker for reflections of the past year.
I look back on where I was a year ago today and, at first glance, I am the same. It’s frustrating to think a whole year has gone by and, just like last year, I am currently jobless and questioning my life’s purpose. Not in a melodramatic sort of way, but in a I-can’t-wait-until-I-can-find-my-thing sort of way.
On the other hand, it isn’t fair for me to completely dismiss my experiences. Even if I seemingly am in such similar circumstances to last year, my last year’s self could not have predicted the things I went through!
Shortly after my birthday last year, I finally got hired somewhere. It was part time for the holiday season. Around a week into the job, I found out I was chosen for a full time position at an office job I’d applied for. I began my new job in mid-November and continued my part time job through the first week of January. I never thought I’d be hustling with two jobs like that but I did it!
I’m a bit timid around new people so both of my jobs really threw me into the water with all of the customer servicing and coworker communications I needed to learn. I still have a little anxiety about talking to people but it’s far less. The circumstances and needs of the jobs helped me break out of my shell!
I learned what it means to employ self-care when time really doesn’t allow it.
Everyone has things going on but, admittedly, it is easier to tend to yourself when you don’t have a full time job and obligations to others. I’d literally squeeze in morning workouts for the sake of starting my day doing something for me. My life felt controlled by time so I savored even moments to just eat a meal in peace and quiet. That was all I could manage because other activities I enjoyed, like: journaling, meditation, leisurely cooking, painting, and writing for melmakesithappen.com weren’t happening regularly.
I also went through a hell of a lot of mental and physical health issues, perhaps largely brought on by stress. So, I really had to relearn what self-care means for me.
The challenge of standing up for myself and knowing my place was an interesting one.
I’ve always been a person who speaks her mind so that presented some problems at my workplace. Though, opening up about myself (under appropriate circumstances) also enabled me to make some really cool friends. I’m not delusional enough to think I am going to be liked by everybody. Still, I learned the hard way that there are going to be some people that just don’t like me. It may not even have anything to do with something I am doing wrong, and I probably won’t ever get a real reason why.
Though, there are actual people who like me like me. Yeah; I hadn’t even contemplated the idea of dating until I started working. The people I know from school and the ones I come into contact with around town are just not into the same things as me. I’d seriously thought I’d be a singleton 4 life! All jokes aside, I dated not one but two coworkers back-to-back. I’d never intended for that to happen but, after casually dating someone in my department for a few months, I met this other guy from a different department in my building. Simply put, I felt the sparks immediately.
I fell in love.
There is no way to say it without sounding woo-woo or completely ludicrous but I believe he is the one someone I’ll always cherish having met. We met under less than ideal circumstances. Situationally, things were not in our favor because of work and his personal uncertainties about himself. We couldn’t be open about our relationship but that didn’t stop us from opening up to each other. We had so much in common. Yet, in the ways we differed, we still sought to lift the other person up.
For the first time in my life, I felt open to the possibility of commitment, marriage, and maybe even children. I can’t express how much of a deal this is so I’ll quote my best friends reaction when I told her how I felt about him: “What? Melanie? The woman who needs no man?!” It shocked me and everyone around me. I loved myself but I loved who I was when I was with him. It was the most special and true feeling I’ve ever felt. He said I taught him a lot and, equally, I feel like I learned so much from him. I’d like to think we will reconnect when the time is right make peace with the way things ended between us. It doesn’t do me any good to dwell. So I’m moving forward and trying to relearn what it means to be me.
I didn’t realize how quick of a fall it is to rock bottom and how far of a climb up it takes.
Basically, after getting (both of) my jobs, I felt confident and capable! I knew I could learn and excel with just a bit of training and practice. Yet, in the words of Taylor Swift, “people throw rocks at things that shine” (Ours). Slowly, that took a toll and, couple that with the ending of my relationship, I fell into depression and simply couldn’t keep my head above water. After leaving my full time job, I felt relief. I was extremely saddened to lose all that I had spent months building but I realize I had become so weakened and unhappy that I was at an ultimate low point.
My family has my back. Oh, how I disregarded them the moment things got busier with me and my jobs. I wanted to avoid bringing the outside into my house so they didn’t know too much about what I had going on day-to-day. It wasn’t until things got bad that I broke down and told them. Their support was everything. Even now, when I sort of feel like I’ve lost it all, they’re here for me.
This brings me to now. I’m just a girl, another year older. I am taking a class at community college, searching for a part time job, and just trying to find direction. I’m still confused about what my place is but reflection shows me I am making strides.
Not too different from a year ago, right? (Well, I guess you wouldn’t know that.) Situationally, October 1st, 2018 does look rather similar to October 1st, 2017. Yet, inside of me the changes are vast. I can’t begin to predict what my 24th year will bring but I’m here and I’m ready.
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