Uni can be tough: juggling school, work, and assignments. For this reason, I am intentional about deriving joy from the little things in life, like food!!
I start my day with a hot cup of honey and lemon water to drizzle out the cold and cleanse toxins in my system. Being sick scares me, so I either take vitamin C to boost my immune system or as many fruits as I have in the house.
I recently started settling for light meals before lectures (lunch) - light enough to keep me through lectures - and heavy ones after (dinner) - heavy and interesting enough to stop me from getting hungry at night.
Lately, I’ve been having chicken wraps for lunch. On my way back from lectures, I like to stop by Sainsbury’s to get a pack of milk chocolate cookies. Sometimes I don't because I’m trying to live healthily. Baby steps! On the other hand: you only live once! A popular Nigerian musician once said, “I am here for a good time not a long time.”
Let’s talk about dinner. I love Pasta! To name them: Farfalle, Linguine, Tagliatelle, Fusilli, and drum roll for my queen: Penne. I think each pasta serves a purpose.
I’ve just redeveloped an obsession for penne. I made it one day with Gochujang, a Korean hot red pepper paste, alongside garlic and buttered Broccoli: I haven’t gone back ever since. It’s now my go-to for dinner.
What I eat depends on my mood and strength: How far am I willing to go to make that meal that would spark joy?
I boil the pasta and mix in the sauce with garlic, chilli flakes, parsley, oregano, basil, and Italian seasoning. Chef’s kiss. In the spirit of eating healthily, I stir-fry broccoli in butter, garlic and a little seasoning, then mix with the pasta. Honestly, sometimes I just cut the broccoli and let it cook with the food. I call this meal: penne and broccoli, because I had tried it with fusilli, which was nice but the Penne was more in sync with the sauce and broccoli.
What I eat depends on my mood and strength: How far am I willing to go to make that meal that would spark joy? Do I just want to eat to survive that day? Would I rather eat something I didn't make myself?