I think I need an intervention.
Look what I had for lunch yesterday. An open-faced sandwich with a veggie burger.
And look what I had for lunch today…an open faced sandwich but this time with an egg. I think I had this for lunch or dinner every single day this week.
I feel like some bloggers have signature foods that they repeat over and over. I would have to say that the open faced sandwich is my calling card. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! 😉
It’s been a nice Saturday. I kicked off the morning a couple of glorious hours of super sweaty hot yoga before hitting up the Atherton Mill Market.
I was so ready for coffee and headed straight to the coffee vendor where I tried Monk’s Groovy Beans for the first time. I had an amazing dark roast. I think coffee is one of those things where you really get what you pay for. I love to splurge on good whole beans from time to time.
One of the things that I love about the Atherton Mill Market is that there is a combination of farmers with produce and specialty vendors. I picked up some things for the week and sampled everything from cheese to brioche to focaccia bread to homemade pickles. There was also a cooking demonstration going on where the chef was using ingredients from the various vendors so I got to sample this polenta cake topped with shrimp and tomato sauce. So good!
I came home with butternut squash, sweet potatoes, collards, a muffin, pepperjack cheese and eggs. I also bought Sullie the cutest little mini-dog cake that she promptly inhaled when I got home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting settled in my new office at Metro and then camped out in a coffee shop working. I am now off to figure out dinner. I am all over the place with what I want.
Is there a food that you repeat all the time? Do you have a signature/go-to meal?
I had the same day as you! Commenced with 90 minutes Baptiste-style power yoga followed by Dean and Deluca coffee, a green smoothie, and later, half a bagel with cheese, arugula, guacamole, and an egg. Yum! Then went to a frigid bonfire and ate s’mores with my boys. I LOVE your open-faced sandwiches. Thank you for the inspiration.
I was also thinking of you when I made my lunch. I have been a bit stressed out for a few days as we are moving to North Carolina in a couple of months (near Emerald Isle/Jacksonville) and I haven’t been sleeping well or taking care of myself. I decided to turn it around and wondered what you would do … thanks for being such a rock star role model!!! Honestly, if you ever wonder why you blog or do what you do, please know that your example has helped so many people. We don’t get a lot of great role models in this world, and by being your authentic and beautiful self, you show others how to be our authentic beautiful selves too. xoxoox
your day sounds amazing! if mine had included s’mores it would have been perfect! 🙂
thank you so much for your kind words. they brought a smile to my face when i read them last night.
All these open faced sandwiches even made me want one, so I made one for lunch today. I eat endless amounts of kale, especially as a raw salad. Living in the Pacific Northwest it thrives and is especially tender and sweet in the cold winter months. It’s so easy to assemble and like the open-faced sandwich, has endless possibilities. An added bonus is that it gets better with time because it has time to tenderize and the flavors to develop. Sometimes I feel like a need a kale intervention, too.
haha – glad that i inspired your lunch! how was it?
how do you prepare your raw kale salad? i love kale but have only ever eaten it cooked.
I don’t follow a recipe for kale salads, rather an approach or template that has endless possibilities. The prep takes the longest, but it’s an easy do-aheader that refrigerates well. Thoroughly wash, dry and cut the kale. I like smaller pieces and it helps tenderize the kale faster. Add a small amount of olive oil, drizzle of lemon juice and salt (for this I love pink Himalayan salt, it’s pretty and has more mineral-y flavor than just salty). Next, roll up your sleeves and massage the kale. It sounds weird, but it totally helps break down the toughness. I don’t think it’s possible to over do it. You can eat it or let it sit. Sometimes that’s all I do, other times I add toasted almonds, avocado, green onions… you get the idea. I’m sure there are tons of recipes online, but I just experimented to find what I like. Enjoy 🙂
thanks! i’m very familiar with the pain of cleaning it. i will definitely try this. i have heard of having to massage raw kale.
I’m all about the poached egg; for breakfast, in a wrap, on a spinach salad or a nice BELT, there are 2-3 poached eggs in my diet nearly every day!
i love poached eggs! how do you prepare yours? do you do it the traditional way in water or have a special kitchen tool for it?
all of your open-face sandwiches always look delicious!! i’d have to say my go-to breakfast and snack is a tortilla with nut butter. currently my favorite is barney butter – i’m addicted!
i’ve never tried tortilla and nut butter…pretty sure i’ve topped just about everything else with it though! 😉
i’ve never tried barney butter but i have a jar in my pantry. can’t wait to finally try it!
You had my favorite kind of Saturday. 🙂
My signature meal … scrambled eggs. I can’t get enough. Especially on a biscuit! YUM. I think I could eat it every day.
Hope you have a good rest of your weekend!
oh biscuits…it’s been way too long since i’ve had one.
I love the farmers market…I’m going there tomorrow 🙂
My signature meal is whole wheat pita chips and homemade hummus. I think I’ve seen that on my plate four days in a row for both lunch and dinner. I added different vegetables each time as my sides lol!
By the way, I’ve noticed you use Trader Joe’s peanut butter…do you find it to be very liquidy? When I buy it I usually pour out the oil thats on the top then stick it in the fridge and it hardens up quite a bit. But when the jar is almost empty the peanut butter is very thick. Do you just stir the oil back in and put it in the fridge (or do you use the same method I use?)…Does it thicken a bit if you leave the oil in?
Thanks Jen! Hope you have a relaxing Sunday!
hummus and pita is ALWAYS a good combo!
one of the things that i love most about TJs peanut butter is that it’s liquidy. it makes it easy to spread on top of oatmeal and greek yogurt. i stir in the oil with a knife when i first open the jar and then keep it in the fridge so that it doesn’t separate again. it does thicken up a bit when chilled.
Looks like a very nice and relaxing Saturday. 🙂 I tend to fall back on hummus sandwiches for lunch. I take two slices of whole wheat bread or an english muffin and toast them and then top w/ whatever fresh veggies I have on hand. Veggie burgers are another staple. I find that I tend to repeat lunches more often (just for convenience) than I do dinners.
i love hummus sandwiches too! i make them a lot during the summer when veggies are plentiful.
I have oatmeal every single morning for breakfast! I can’t remember the last time I ate anything else. I love it so much.
A go-to lunch/dinner is definitely an open-faced black bean burger. I usually try to make a whole bunch and freeze them so I always have some on hand!
i love oatmeal too but i don’t eat it every morning. a couple of times a week. i went through a phase where i did eat it every morning.
love the idea to freeze homemade veggie burgers. do you have a good recipe?
New reader here! That lunch looks amazing…. I agree, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I go through phases, recently I’ve been obsessed with Kale salad and can’t get enough!
welcome and thank you so much for the comment! how do you prepare your kale salad? i love kale but only eat it cooked!
I got that pepper jack cheese the other day from there and it is the bomb. It will be good on one of your open faced sandwiches!
i love pepper jack cheese – i used it on the egg sandwich and loved it. it melts beautifully!
I think I go crazy with protein pancakes!! 1/2 c. oats, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 3 egg whites, 1 stevia, sprinkle of cinnamon mixed in a magic bullet. High protein, super easy and sooo yummy!! I also go on overnight oat kicks… I know you can relate 😉
i’ve never made protein pancakes. i tried to make protein waffles one time and they were a huge fail. i’ll have to try your recipe!
I admire that you somehow manage to go to these markets and not buy EVERYTHING in sight. Athens has a good (small, but nice) farmer’s market twice a week and it is hard for me to not get one of everything I see. Everything always just looks so fresh and tempting!
i’ve heard really great things about the athens farmer’s market. i struggle a lot more during prime produce seasons when i want everything there! luckily during the winter the offerings are a little more limited.
just discovered your blog…really enjoying it! Question though, did the chef at the market happen to give you the recipe for the polenta cake? That looks fantastic! Is it gluten free?