Black Bean burger w/vegetable fried rice
As a child, Sunday’s was a day reserved to elaborate meals. For breakfast we could expect to see foods like sausage, bacon, eggs, grits, biscuits, and gravy. My mom usually supplied some type of fresh fruit, and vegetables too. She made everything from scratch, and so our breakfast meals, just like lunches, and dinners were an elaborate affair.
Naturally, my mother prepared Sunday breakfast early, so there’d was plenty of time for all of us to get ready for church. Sunday dinner was usually already in the oven; The aroma of baked turkey, ham, or chicken could be smelled throughout the house along with some type of vegetable dish (usually greens or carrots.) Although our family always ate meals together, Sundays were special since it was our parents day to relax. My brother and I looked forward to Sunday, since it meant we had extra time with our parents.
A lot has changed since my childhood days…
I became Vegetarian in 1992, and switched to a Vegan lifestyle shortly afterwards. I’m what you’d consider a whole food Vegan, which means I eat as close to the natural food source as possible. You won’t find too many processed food items in our household. They simply don’t have the flavor and wholesome goodness of the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit that are available.
Oven roasted vegetables
Sundays are still a special day in our home. My seven year old daughter loves to cook, and I let her help me prepare a few of our meals. Even though I’m not making the traditional meals from childhood Sundays are still special for myself and my daughter, since I let her share in the cooking experience. She also gets to choose some of her favorite foods. Makes sense, since she’s helping prepare them, right? It’s a great time for us to chat about food, nutrition, and whatever else crosses her mind.
The majority of my meals aren’t elaborate (even though I do love cooking) but they are still nutritious, simple, and delicious, and I prepare our meals and have them on the table withing twenty minutes. I love color, so you’ll see me picking a lot of bright and colorful vegetables and fruits in the meals I prepare.
We’re fortunate to have a garden bursting with produce, and so we’re always have a steady supply of fresh vegetables and fruits. Currently we’re getting a lot of eggplants, green onions, tomatoes, collards, kale, cucumbers, squash, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and figs. It won’t be too long before it’s time to pick the corn, sunflower seeds, grapes, and a few other vegetables that I cannot think of at the moment.
Today my daughter and I are taking it easy. Our meals were prepared yesterday, and so after arriving home from church we needed only to heat our meal. How’s that for convenience? What was on our vegan menu? Black Bean burgers, vegetable fried rice, savory lentil soup, oven roasted vegetables, with green smoothies and freshly prepared fruit pudding were the choices available. Naturally, we didn’t eat all of that, but the option was there.
Question: How was your day? However, you spent your Sunday, I’m hoping you and your family is have a sparkling day!