Hope you guys are doing well and not suffering from cabin fever too much yet? I must say that I’m struggling a little lately, not in a big way, but I am feeling a little uprooted. Days merge into each other and I’m finding it hard to settle into a sustainable morning routine. Being a natural owl, I come to life in the evenings and have way more energy than in the morning. Duncan and I have been going on long walks after he finishes working at 5:30 pm and we managed to get a gentle yoga practice going in the evenings, but it’s moping around in the mornings that I struggle with.
I am always full of good intentions the night before. I plan to wake up early, do some morning yoga first thing, but when the time actually rolls around I bury my head under the pillow and carry on sleeping. Then, when I finally get up, I feel guilty for letting myself down yet again. I did manage to get up at 5:30 AM every morning when I lived in London in order to go to the gym before I started work at 9AM so I know it’s possible, but with no external motivator I have not managed to establish a sticking habit just yet. I’m currently trialling various tips I heard on many of my healthy living podcasts, but my lifelong owl nature keeps on getting in the way… Foodwise, I am focused on making us eat healthily, to make up for all the test bakes we are taste testing alone, as giving food away to strangers is frowned upon right now. This simple burrito bowl is what we often have for lunch so I thought I would share it as it’s easy to make, great for batch prep – I make a big portion of black beans, quinoa and sweet potatoes in advance – and conducive to shortcuts. Store-bought guacamole is mine, for example. It’s very nutritious and filling, full of carbs, plant protein, raw veggies and good fats. It’s almost too easy to make, but sometimes that’s exactly what I need. I hope you’ll find it useful too.
30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 3 large garlic cloves, finely diced 1½ tsp cumin 1½ tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional 500 g / 3 cups cooked black beans + cooking water* ¾ tsp fine sea salt, adjust to taste 1 lime, juice
DRESSING
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2-3 tbsp lime juice (I use 3 to contrast with sweet potatoes) hot sauce, to taste (I use Cholula Chipotle or Smoky Tabasco) 1 garlic clove, very finely grated salt, to taste
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
180 g / 1 cup quinoa (sub with brown rice) 30 cherry tomatoes, cut small (I quartered mine) ½ small red onion, very finely diced small bunch coriander / cilantro 2 little Gem / Cos / Romaine lettuce, shredded store-bought guacamole**
QUINOA ASSEMBLY
I used a handful of homegrown mustard micro greens for decoration, in case you are curious.
