Sometimes the day requires I eat pizza and cookie butter other times that is just what strikes my fancy. And still other times the belly needs a chance to rest and digest. There in enters the "simple meal."
The simple meal is just that, simple: a grain such as brown rice, a protein such as lentils and a green, preferably fresh from the garden. I buy dried beans and rice in bulk so they are always on hand and with the warm weather upon us gathering fresh produce from the garden has never been easier.
Prepare using the simplest of ingredients: olive oil, salt, pepper and perhaps some garlic. Depending on the greens do the same or enjoy raw with a balsamic dressing. Voila! There's breakfast, lunch or dinner. This way of eating offers our digestive system, liver and kidneys a bit of a break.
My guiding motto is "Eat Clean, Lean and Green." Though of course there are meals when there are exceptions. Wink. But like Karen Le Billon says in her book French Kids Eat Everything the French approach food with both pleasure and nourishment in mind. A balance of the emotional and physical appetites sums up the idea of the French term Aliment. It is about real food in as close to the form it was grown in, nothing packaged or processed and enjoyed in its simplicity, bursting with natural flavors (which when we make a habit of eating processed foods our senses become dull to real flavors) and of course with good company.
Here are a few simple meal ideas include:
Veggies: roasted or sauteed in olive oil
Chick Peas
Lentils
Greens
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Green Beans
Wild Rice
If you have any simple favorites please share below!
Bon Appetit!
Deirdre
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