I think I’ve been in a little bit of a rut lately with regard to meal prep. I suppose for a few years (many) the formula was a protein (in my 20s and before that meant a meat), a starch, and – hopefully – a veggie (of course, now, as 5+ years vegan, but before? Was a maybe. Or a garnish).

I have noticed that when I’m stressed – I go to a green veggie, a potato or quinoa, and a gardein chix or t’rky something or other. Sometimes I’ll make a mushroom gravy to go with it -and often I’ll sautee or steam some KALE (all hail kale).

But I’ve been *trying* to cook with less (almost no) prepared / boxed / packaged foodstuff. Not too easy. Seems boring when I just have some beans and a veggie and something like a potato.

Why is it that even after years as #vegan… I still have this image of “meat and potatoes” alternatives on my plate?

I had lunch with a non vegan a few weeks ago. Business associate in his 50s… nice guy… ordered a chicken salad. Ate about half of it and took it home. What? I’d pass out from starvation. But that’s another story. Just didn’t seem like a meal to me.

I will admit, I love food. My family loves food. We celebrate with food. We talk about food. We rate food. We eat food. And, thankfully, 3 out of 5 of us are #vegan and love it. And the 2/5 who aren’t… well, they’ll eat and enjoy any vegan food that’s cooked for them (or great restaurants).

So what’s the point of this rambling post?

Why is planning and preparing meals so overwhelming? I know, I know. Silly, right? I have like 10 (maybe really 6) go to meals… and it can be boring.

I have dozens of great recipes here on this blog… but in stress or anxiety or boredom or just in a hurry – I always fall back to salad, green veggie, starch, and a protein. And I read on the amazing @isa blog that she always adds a special sauce. I need to work on sauces. Any suggestions, anyone?

I want to try more Indian dishes. And why do stir-fries scare me so?

For someone who loves to cook… and cooks nearly every day… I’m kind of scratching my head and going *hmmmm*…

Of course, it should also be said, I don’t always have 2 hours or more to prep a meal. Sometimes, for sure, but not always.

Last night we were going to go out for #vegan sushi… a favorite. But then the bottom fell out of the sky… and rain was so intense we decided to stay in. What did I make? A big salad with sautéed mushrooms… sautéed broccoli, seasoned quinoa, and gardein chix. Yawn. It was good, sure. But. Yawn. And missing a sauce.

Thankfully, @toddveg suggested we hop on our bikes and ride to Publix to get some vegan ice cream… which we did…and it was awesome.

Is it wrong to want a wow meal most nights? Is that expectation too high? Or is just balanced food and nutrition and a nice taste and texture enough…?

Wow is the word. So I’ll keep striving.