What I Know--{One Dog Woof}

Happy Friday!  

I have a fun guest post for you all today. 

Check her out!

Hi everyone!  I'm ChiWei and I'm so excited to be guest posting here at Southern Lovely!  You can usually find me over at One Dog Woof, talking about all sorts of random life happenings, crafts, recipes and showing off the occasional baby/dog photo!

When Lindsay put out a call for guest posters for her "What I Know" series, I thought it was such a fun open-ended idea.  Then I stopped in my tracks and wondered "What do I know that someone else may not?" and got a bit stumped.  I'm sure many of us feel this way, but we all know something different, and we all use that knowledge in a variety of ways.  So, I am going to stick to basics - food!

I know I love to eat.  

I know I get hungry, often.

I know I can eat a lot!

I know I'm supposed to eat healthy, but that doesn't always happen.

I know I should cook hearty nutritious meals for my husband and my growing toddler, but again, that doesn't always happen.

I know I love color.

I know that God created a beautiful world full of color for us to see, to love, to appreciate and to use to our advantage!

So keeping in mind my love of food and color, here are two quick tips for when you go grocery shopping or when you're cooking!

1. Always try to create a colorful plate.  

Providing an assortment of colors for a meal helps ensure that you are also providing an assortment of vitamins and minerals for your family, since different colored fruits and vegetables have distinct nutritional advantages.

http://support.pcrm.org/site/DocServer/Nutrition_Rainbow_handout.pdf?docID=1643

Plus, food is good for the tummy, but good looking food is eye candy for the soul, right?  Isn't it more appetizing to dig into a colorful bento box or a stunning plate of sushi?  Not that there's anything wrong with my favorite comfort foods of homemade beef stew or curry chicken, but if you think about it, a whole array of colors went into that pot too!  

2. Think in groups of threes, like you're trying to complete a set.  

I always try to have a protein, a starch, and a vegetable for dinner; for energy, for filling up (cause I'm a hungry hippo), and for extra vitamins!  This helps me figure out what to buy at the grocery store, and also what to make out of what happens to be in my fridge or pantry.  I don't use recipes (I'm absolutely terrible at them), so I tend to make up meals with whatever I have.  It usually involves me standing in my kitchen, asking myself  "What protein do I have tonight?  Meat? Beans? Eggs?  Then, "hmm, potatoes, rice or pasta?", followed by "Ok, what veggies can I use up to add texture and flavor and color?"

Globe Trotter Diaries

Another type of a set of three would be in colors, like my favorite fall back combinations of ham/bacon/sausage (red) with scallions/onions/peas (green) with eggs/potatoes/rice/pasta (yellow) for some sort of quiche, frittata, fried rice, or pasta primavera.  

Homestyle Fried Rice

Here's my Sesame Peanut Noodles with carrots, cucumbers and peanut butter (orange + green + brown).

I also like a salad with tomatoes, green beans and roasted corn, topped with scallions and Parmesan cheese (red + green + yellow). 

A Couple Cooks

Or what about cantaloupe wrapped with prosciutto and arugula/mint (orange + pink + green)?

Bell'alimento

The combinations are endless, and I love that I can just make it up.  Which means, so can you!  The bounty of summer provides so many opportunities for beautiful, nutritious meals.  I'll be sharing more fun and fresh recipes and tips in the coming months, so come visit my blog and Happy Eating!

Thank you ChiWei!  This is a really awesome way to look at meals.  Gives you more variety AND is good for you!  I will definitely be trying this method out!