What I Ate in a Day #5

 Do you ever wake up and think, why do I have to be awake today? On a day like that recently I decided that the solution to my problem was butter.

So I made some basic farina--just soy milk, a bit of salt, and dry farina cooked according to package directions--and topped it with a pat of Earth Balance. I made a little fruit salad to go with it, made of what I happened to have--half an orange, half a banana, some blackberries, and some fresh cherries. I had this with a cup of tea, and it helped. My breakfast compilations have a lot of fancy things in them, but sometimes, the most basic things are all I want. Making the porridge like this gives it more of a savory flavor and I love the way the butter melts into a sauce.

The other nice thing about it is that I can't wolf down hot cereal in a hurry, so it forces me to slow down and enjoy my food. I had this breakfast with a cup of tea, and faced down the day I was dreading.

Lunch was a hodgepodge of things I had around: focaccia crackers with eggplant dip, a walnut and olive pasta salad I tried out, and the end of a package of frozen falafel balls with some quick tahini dressing poured over them. Strangely, this felt like it went together anyway.

Not pictured, I also had a multivitamin and an algae-based DHA supplement with my lunch. Got to get the B-12 and omega-3s and whatnot! (I am not that kind of doctor and this is not medical advice; you know the drill--consult with your own to find out what you need.)

I needed a really quick dinner because I was attending my Town Council meeting after work and only had a little bit of time. I recommend attending such things, when you can; I can't imagine my town is any more or less weird than any other. But this one made me nervous because there was going to be drama about a town official who had been harassing local residents on social media. I went in support of one of the harassed people, but I've had my own encounters with the harasser and I also want to keep a low profile. I am glad I went, but I was not anticipating there being a side plot in this month's local drama involving another contingent of residents who were having unwarranted anxieties about local bakeries selling pot brownies to children in some unknown future if the Council doesn't explicitly prevent this. They were reassured that existing laws will prevent the bad things of their imaginings.

Seriously. Go to your local government meetings when you can. You will learn things.

In any case, I decided to go with breakfast-for-dinner and made a hash brown patty, a JUST Egg veggie scramble (onions, red bell pepper, and broccoli, with a little Daiya cheddar for added flavor), and a slice of toast. Not pictured, I also had a glass of orange juice, because this meal somehow demanded orange juice.

Easy food doesn't do much to diminish the pantry I'm working on clearing out, but it gets me through hard times and I'm not going to look askance at it. This was enough for me on this day, so I didn't end up having snacks. It probably could have had more vegetables, but altogether it wasn't a terrible day. Butter generally does help.