While the Western world is definitely becoming more and more interested in healthy eating, it can still be hard to find delicious, nutritious meals when you’re out and about. More often than not your options are a sandwich or a plain salad, neither of which is especially appealing. If you’re new to the Deliciously Ella way of eating and trying to avoid things such as gluten and dairy, you’ll inevitably pick the unexciting salad—and I would do the same—but it’s likely to leave you feeling uninspired and probably hungry. So, instead, I want to introduce you to some fantastic on-the-go options that will get you buzzing with energy and help you to fall in love with plant-based eating.
Staying healthy when you’re really busy or out at work all day can be easy and very delicious. All it takes is a little bit of organization. I do understand that finding the time and energy to be this prepared may seem like an impossible task but, trust me, it’s way more do-able than you might think and it makes the world of difference! I know that our lives don’t go to plan one hundred percent of the time, but if you prepare well and have some easy things stashed in the fridge to grab when you’re running late, or if plans change, then staying healthy and feeling awesome are going to be a lot more manageable. Plus, it’s worth remembering that taking your own food with you normally tastes better, while also giving you more fuel to power through the day as each bite will nourish and support your body. It’s normally less expensive to prepare your own meals, too, so you’re really winning on all fronts here.
I love knowing that I have a box of rainbow goodness to be excited about. Before I got super-organized and starting doing this, I would get serious food envy when people around me starting eating their lunch while I chomped on the world’s least exciting green salad. This was even harder when I first changed my diet and my taste buds still craved sugar rather than avocado and kale, as I found that whenever I left a meal unsatisfied, I started craving everything I was trying to avoid, notably cookies, cakes and chocolate! My palate has now changed and I no longer dream of processed sugar (yay!), but I do still find it difficult to leave a meal hungry and uninspired, so I really value the importance of being organized with my food.
So how do you fit it in? In short, you need to find a couple of hours twice a week to prepare delicious things. This may sound like a lot of time, but it’s so worth it and it quickly becomes a habit. I always make my on-the-go food on Sunday and Wednesday evenings and it’s become a little ritual! I’ll hang out in my kitchen, dance around to some music and get creative until I’ve filled lots of airtight boxes with exciting dishes, which will form the basis of my lunches for the next few days. In fact, it’s a great way to switch off from the world and have some me-time. Try not to see it as a chore, instead view it as a chance to explore new recipes and relax. Maybe persuade a family member or a friend to join you in the kitchen, so you can catch up and cook at the same time, or, if you’re not a fan of cooking, then watch your favorite TV show as you chop: just find a way to make it fun. No matter how busy your life is, I promise that you really do have two hours or so twice a week to cook foods that will make you look and feel your best. It may mean that you have to reschedule something else to prioritize your health, but investing in wellness is really the best commitment you can make.
Every week I find that I’m so grateful to myself for making that time, even if I didn’t really want to. I love that I can take just two minutes in the morning to grab a delicious rainbow bowl filled with Spicy Turmeric Hummus, Miso and Sesame Brown Rice, Sesame Marinated Kale and roast veggies; it makes me so happy. It means I can run around all day without getting exhausted or worrying that I won’t find anything good or nourishing to eat, plus I get pretty grumpy when I’m hungry so it’s always good to avoid that!
I base my on-the-go meals on three categories—dips and spreads, grains and veggies—this keeps it as simple as possible, which saves you precious prep time. I then combine the three elements in one container, so I have a delicious, varied meal to take with me. Each time I cook food I pick one dip, one grain and a couple of veggie dishes—then make portions of each to store in the fridge, so I can have a little every day. Of course, eating the same thing all week would get boring, so I also buy a variety of other veggies that I add to my lunch as I assemble it in the morning. For this, I focus on things that won’t take more than a minute or two to prepare. I love using cherry tomatoes, arugula, avocados, olives, pomegranate seeds, spinach, artichoke hearts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, raisins, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. I’ll buy three or four of that selection each week, so I can keep things interesting, then I finish my lunch box off by drizzling lots of lovely extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice over everything. And don’t forget that my great soups also make an excellent portable meal.
For my dips and spreads I love using things such as hummus, Smoky Eggplant Dip, creamy Sweet Potato and Garlic Purée and Fresh Mint and Cashew Pesto. I find they each add really nice textures, while also bringing all the different elements of the meal together, sort of in the same way as a dressing.
For my grains I use brown rice, quinoa or buckwheat groats. I cook them all in slightly different ways to keep them interesting, although you can mix and match the flavor combinations with the different grains, as they all work well together. I normally add sesame oil and miso to rice, lemon to quinoa and creamy tahini to buckwheat; this way all the grains have so much flavor, which helps bring your lunch to life. My veggie dishes vary hugely from a raw Cashew Coleslaw to Baked Tomato Chickpeas; classic roast veggies with tomato pesto to Roasted Parsnip “Fries”, all of which are truly amazing.
I also find packed lunches a real lifesaver when I travel. Traveling can be really tricky for those of us who love eating well, as we all know that airports and train stations are practically the antithesis of health food shops! So I always travel with lots of my own food. The important thing to note here is that you’ll have to forgo your dip, smoothie or spread if you’re going through an airport; sadly, they count as a liquid and security will take your meal away from you. You can, however, take any solid food. Flight attendants think I am totally crazy as I take out my various boxes and decline their meals, but it means that I arrive at the destination feeling awesome and energized rather than sleepy and bloated, and that my trip is off to a much better start! I always take snacks with me, too, if it is a long flight. I normally also take sweet things, such as my Cinnamon and Honey Energy Bites and a bag of sweet Trail Mix (both in the Simple Sweets chapter), as both travel really well and are great pick-me-ups.
When I go away for a few days I also take a travel blender with me; again I know this may sound a bit crazy but, honestly, it’s a lifesaver. I find that if I have a smoothie every morning for breakfast I don’t have to stress about whether I’m getting enough vitamins and minerals during the rest of my day and I continue to feel healthy and amazing throughout the trip.
When I arrive at my destination I go out and buy nuts, spinach, bananas and berries from a local market or supermarket and then blend them up every morning for an awesome breakfast. If I’m going away for more than a few days, I’ll also take a couple of boosters with me so that I can make even better smoothies: my go-tos are chia seeds, hemp seeds, bee pollen and spirulina, as together these give you an incredible amount of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron and a whole heap of other vitamins and minerals that strengthen your body and your immune system.
MY TRAVEL CHECKLIST
A travel blender
Core smoothie ingredients: chia seeds, hemp seeds, bee pollen and spirulina
Homemade trail mix or energy balls, or any store-bought healthy snacks that can be carried in your bag, such as seeds, snack bars or crackers
A packed lunch for the travel day, plus a packed breakfast if you’re leaving early; I find that Sweet Beet Overnight Oats or Bircher Muesli are the easiest to travel with
A glass water bottle (so you can refill it on the plane if you need to)
MY BUSY DAY CHECKLIST
A packed lunch using recipes in this chapter
Some snacks from the Simple Sweets chapter: Gooey Black Bean Brownies are great, as are Cacao, Oat and Raisin Cookies
A glass water bottle to make sure I stay hydrated all day
SHOPPING LIST
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
BUCKWHEAT GROATS
CHICKPEAS
CUMIN
GARLIC
LEMONS
MISO PASTE
PAPRIKA
QUINOA
RICE (SHORT-GRAIN BROWN)
SESAME OIL
SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
TAHINI