I’ll add the recipe in a bit… but made this for lunch today.

This is only ramen. I added dried vegetables and cooked them together. No spices, then separately cooked green peas, French cut green beans, mild diced tomatoes, and seaweed. I cooked this only with a bit of French Celtic sea salt, then topped the ramen with it. It was extremely easy, and the only reason why it may take longer than expected is the boiling of the ramen and the roasting of the extra vegetables.

I have been very accustomed to eating vegetables and greens since a child. I learned how to eat salads by the age of 5. This is not difficult for me, but I must admit that I like to plan meals. I like to plan them so much that I sometimes do nothing at all and eat whatever I find. Sometimes crackers, sometimes a slice of bread. No, I do not do chips, neither do I drink soda. Last week I quit caffeine. Lest I get terribly ill I eat something, vegan, and as nutritious as I can make it.

This year has begun very different. After the Super Bowl “Real Food” commercial I am completely focused on how I eat. There has always been a tug-of-war between eat bread, “you need carbohydrates,” and balance your diet to feel the way you’d like. And so, despite that I do not eat bread much—flowerless bread and Swedish crackers—I have decided to change a few things this year. I am going to do what I did to become vegan. I am going to choose ramen with vegetables instead of ramen or pasta or rice alone. Essentially, the majority of my diet will be those vegan staples I like so much (no, that does not include pasta). It will be things like tofu, fried why not? Ramen with vegetables and spices—filling and good. It is not necessary for me to give up what I like if what I’m doing is adding more of what’s better.

Healthy and delicious can coexist. Even with cookies or cake. Even with vanilla cake 🍰 which is pure magic! 🪄 ✨