Recipes

Meal Prep That Keeps Me on Track: My Go-To Quinoa Bowls

August 24, 2026August 24, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

One thing I have learned about trying to maintain healthier habits is that good intentions only get me so far. When life gets busy—and especially when I am working long shifts—it becomes much harder to make thoughtful decisions about what I am going to eat.

That is where meal prep has become incredibly helpful for me.

Preparing some of my meals ahead of time saves me time during the workweek, helps me spend less money on food while I am out, and, most importantly, makes it easier for me to stay on track with my health goals. Instead of waiting until I am tired and hungry to figure out what to eat, I already have something nourishing waiting for me.

Lately, one of my favorite meals to take to work has been these quinoa bowls.

They aren’t complicated or particularly fancy. They’re simply a combination of foods I enjoy: seasoned quinoa, roasted sweet potato, black beans, edamame, stewed peppers and onions, and a slightly sweet and tangy tahini dressing.

The result is colorful, filling, plant-forward, and surprisingly satisfying.

Cooking Without Measuring Everything

If you have followed my cooking for a while, you probably already know that I don’t always measure my seasonings.

I cook by tasting, smelling, looking, and adjusting as I go. A little more garlic here. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast there. Maybe a little more seasoning if something needs it.

That’s how I made these bowls.

So while I have included measurements where I remember them, consider this recipe a starting point rather than a strict formula. Taste your food as you cook and make it your own.

My Meal-Prep Quinoa Bowls

For the Bowls

1 very large sweet potato, peeled if desired and cubed
Quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Edamame, cooked according to package directions
Bell peppers, sliced
Onion, sliced
Fresh ginger, grated or minced
Fresh garlic, grated
Seasoned salt, to taste
Turmeric, to taste
Nutritional yeast, to taste
Oil, as needed

Roast the Sweet Potato

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the cubed sweet potato with a little oil, seasoned salt, grated garlic, turmeric, and nutritional yeast.

Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 25–35 minutes, turning them about halfway through cooking. The sweet potatoes are ready when they are tender inside and beginning to brown around the edges.

Prepare the Quinoa

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly before cooking.

Cook according to the package directions, adding seasoned salt, garlic, turmeric, and nutritional yeast to give the quinoa some flavor as it cooks.

Once the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, fluff it with a fork and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Season the Black Beans

Drain and rinse the black beans.

Warm them with seasoned salt, garlic, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and a small amount of oil if desired. You don’t need to do much to them—the goal is simply to make sure every part of the bowl has flavor.

Make the Pepper and Onion Mixture

Add a small amount of oil to a pan and cook the sliced bell peppers and onions with fresh ginger and garlic.

Season with seasoned salt, turmeric, and nutritional yeast.

Allow the vegetables to cook until they are tender and flavorful while still retaining some texture.

Prepare the Edamame

Cook the edamame according to the package directions and set aside for assembling the bowls.

Maple-Ginger Tahini Dressing

This might be my favorite part.

The tahini makes the dressing creamy, apple cider vinegar adds some acidity, maple syrup gives it just enough sweetness, and the ginger and red pepper flakes add warmth.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Seasoned salt, to taste
Ginger powder, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
A dash of turmeric
Water, as needed

Make the Dressing

Whisk together the tahini, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, seasoned salt, ginger powder, red pepper flakes, and turmeric.

Add water a little at a time, whisking after each addition, until the dressing reaches a smooth, pourable consistency.

Taste it.

If it needs more sweetness, add a little maple syrup. If you want more tang, add another splash of apple cider vinegar. If you like some heat, don’t be afraid of those red pepper flakes.

Putting the Bowls Together

Divide the quinoa among your meal-prep containers and add portions of roasted sweet potato, black beans, edamame, and the pepper-and-onion mixture.

I prefer to keep the tahini dressing separate and drizzle it over the bowl when I am ready to eat.

And that’s it.

Several components require a little preparation, but they can all be cooking around the same time. Once everything is finished, I have meals ready to grab before heading to work.

Make It Your Own

One of the things I love most about meals like this is that you don’t really need to follow the same recipe every week.

Think of the quinoa bowl as a framework.

Use chickpeas instead of black beans. Swap quinoa for brown or wild rice. Roast whatever vegetables you already have in the refrigerator. Add greens. Change the peppers. Toss in vegetables from the garden when they’re in season.

You can build the bowl around what you have.

That also makes meals like this a good way to use food before it goes to waste.

Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

I am learning that taking care of myself doesn’t always have to involve making some enormous change.

Sometimes it looks like spending a little time preparing food before the workweek begins.

Meal prepping doesn’t guarantee that I will eat perfectly—and I’m not trying to eat perfectly. It simply removes one decision from an already busy day.

When I’m tired, hungry, or rushing to get ready for work, I don’t have to rely on willpower. I can open the refrigerator, grab something I already prepared, and know that I am giving my body a meal that will actually nourish me.

For me, that is what sustainable healthy eating is beginning to look like.

Not perfection.

Preparation.

And a really good quinoa bowl doesn’t hurt either.

Recipes

Three Kids, Three Appetites, One Kitchen

July 27, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

One of the questions I get asked the most is, “How do you come up with so many different recipes?”

The truth is, I rarely have to look very far for inspiration. It lives right here in my home.

Cooking for my family is a little like running a restaurant with four very different customers—including the chef.

One child has an undeniable sweet tooth and would happily eat seafood whenever I put it on the menu. Another loves the comforting, familiar flavors of Sierra Leone—the foods that connect us to family, tradition, and home. Then there’s my youngest, who keeps me on my toes. What she’ll love one week might be completely off the table the next, so every meal feels like a new adventure.

And then there’s me.

I’m about 90% vegan. I rarely eat meat or dairy, though I do enjoy seafood from time to time. My own meals are centered around vegetables, beans, grains, herbs, and whatever is thriving in my little garden.

At first glance, it might sound exhausting to cook for so many different tastes. Some days, it certainly can be. But over the years, I’ve learned that meal planning isn’t about making four separate dinners. It’s about finding common ground.

A pot of rice can become the foundation for several meals. Roasted vegetables can be served alongside grilled seafood, tucked into a Sierra Leonean-inspired stew, or added to my own plant-based bowl. A homemade sauce can completely transform the same ingredients into something that feels entirely new.

Instead of asking, “What do I have to cook tonight?” I’ve started asking, “How can one meal make everyone feel cared for?”

That simple shift has changed the way I think about cooking.

It has also challenged me to become more creative in the kitchen. Some of my favorite recipes have been born from trying to satisfy four different appetites without spending the entire evening cooking.

Over the next few weeks, I’d love to share some of those family-inspired meals with you. I’ll show you how I adapt one recipe into several variations, how I keep meal prep manageable, and how my children continue to inspire nearly everything I create in the kitchen.

Because in this house, every recipe has a story.

Coming to the Blog

Here are a few recipes I’ll be sharing soon:

Garden Vegetable & Chickpea Rice Bowls (with optional grilled shrimp)
Sierra Leone–Inspired Groundnut Stew with plant-based and traditional variations
Homemade BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with my garden tomato barbecue sauce
Sweet Potato Leaf Stew (Plasas) made the way my family loves it
Healthy Banana Bread for the sweet tooth in our house
Easy “Build Your Own Bowl” meal prep that keeps everyone happy without cooking four separate dinners

What inspires your favorite family recipes? I’d love to hear the stories behind the meals that bring your family together.

From My Garden to My Grandmother’s Kitchen

July 6, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

A Plant-Based Sweet Potato Leaf Stew Inspired by Sierra Leone

One of my favorite things about gardening is watching memories grow alongside the vegetables.

This week, I harvested tomatoes and sweet potato leaves from my garden, and as I carried them into the kitchen, I couldn’t help but think of my grandmother.

Sweet potato leaf stew was one of those meals that brought our family together. Growing up, it was often prepared with meat or fish, just as it is in many Sierra Leonean households. The aroma alone could fill the house and let everyone know dinner was almost ready.

Today, I still make that same stew—but with a few twists of my own.

Over the years, my diet has become mostly plant-based, so instead of meat, I use extra-firm tofu. It adds a satisfying texture while allowing me to honor the flavors I grew up with in a way that fits my lifestyle today.

Every time I make this dish, it feels like I’m bringing a little piece of my grandmother’s kitchen into my own.

Garden-to-Table Sweet Potato Leaf Stew

Ingredients

For the stew

About 6 cups chopped sweet potato leaves
1 block extra-firm tofu, thawed, pressed, seasoned, and fried
5 medium garden tomatoes
2 yellow onions
2 medium bell peppers
Oil for frying

Seasonings

Hot pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3–4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
Seasoned salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

To Serve

Cooked jasmine rice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Score the tomatoes with a shallow “X” on the bottom of each one and bake for about 10 minutes, until the skins begin to loosen. Remove them from the oven, peel away the skins, and blend or mash the tomatoes into a smooth sauce.
While the tomatoes are roasting, season the tofu to your liking and fry until golden on all sides. Set aside.
Blend the onions and bell peppers together in a food processor until smooth.
Pour the vegetable mixture into the hot oil and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the hot pepper flakes, grated ginger, garlic, seasoned salt, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, allowing the spices to bloom and become fragrant.
Stir in the fresh tomato sauce.
Add the chopped sweet potato leaves, reduce the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste the stew and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Gently fold in the fried tofu and simmer for another 10–15 minutes, allowing all of the flavors to come together.
Serve over warm jasmine rice.

A Meal That Gets Better With Time

Like many stews, this one tasted even better the next day.

The flavors had more time to develop, making every bite richer than the last.

It’s one of those meals that’s perfect for meal prep because tomorrow’s lunch might be even better than tonight’s dinner.

More Than a Recipe

As I stood in my kitchen cooking this meal, I realized that gardening has become about so much more than growing food.

It’s about preserving traditions.

It’s about remembering the people who taught us to cook long before recipes were written down.

It’s about taking something familiar and making it your own without losing the heart of where it came from.

My grandmother may not have made sweet potato leaf stew with tofu, but I like to think she’d appreciate that the spirit of her cooking still lives on.

Every harvest reminds me that traditions don’t have to stay frozen in time.

They can continue to grow—just like the gardens we tend.

❤️ Happy cooking,
Lulu

Recipes

Juneteenth, Legacy, and the Stories We Choose to Carry

June 29, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

Every year, Juneteenth offers us an opportunity to pause—not only to remember a pivotal moment in American history, but also to reflect on the stories, traditions, and resilience that continue to shape our lives today.

For me, Juneteenth is about more than looking back. It is about honoring the past while intentionally building a legacy for the future.

As someone who has spent the last few years learning more about my family’s Sierra Leonean heritage, I have come to appreciate just how precious our stories are. Some histories have been carefully preserved through generations. Others were interrupted by migration, time, or the devastating realities of slavery. Whether our ancestors remained on the African continent or were forced across the Atlantic, every family’s story deserves to be remembered.

This year, my family celebrated Juneteenth in one of my favorite ways—around the dinner table.

Rather than trying to recreate the past, we chose to honor it while creating new traditions of our own. We prepared a meal inspired by Southern Black traditions and the African diaspora: fresh callaloo, creamy macaroni and cheese, homemade watermelon lemonade, and a rich chocolate cake topped with fresh strawberries.

Every dish carried its own story.

The callaloo held special meaning for me. Although collard greens are often associated with Juneteenth celebrations and Southern Black cooking, I already had fresh callaloo on hand. Across the African diaspora, leafy greens have nourished families for generations, connecting people through shared histories while reflecting the unique ingredients and traditions of each culture. Serving callaloo felt both practical and deeply personal—a reminder that traditions continue to grow and adapt while still honoring where we’ve come from.

The macaroni and cheese reminded me that recipes are often more than instructions. They are memories shared around family tables, expressions of love, and traditions passed from one generation to the next.

Our watermelon lemonade added a vibrant splash of red to the table. Red foods and drinks have become an important part of many Juneteenth celebrations, symbolizing resilience, sacrifice, joy, and the enduring strength of those who came before us.

We ended our meal with chocolate cake topped with fresh strawberries—a simple reminder that celebrations are not only about remembering hardship but also about embracing the sweetness of freedom, family, hope, and the opportunity to create joyful memories together.

As we shared our meal, I found myself thinking about legacy.

Many of us inherit more than recipes. We inherit stories, values, traditions, faith, strength, and sometimes unanswered questions. Some names have been lost to history. Some stories were never written down. Others were intentionally erased.

That reality has deeply influenced my writing.

When I wrote Dark, Still Rising, I wasn’t simply writing about suffering. I was exploring endurance, identity, healing, and the quiet strength that is passed from one generation to the next. Poetry became one way for me to honor both the ancestors whose names I know and those whose names may never be known.

The more I write, the more I realize that preserving our stories is one of the greatest gifts we can leave behind.

Perhaps that’s why I find so much joy in gardening, cooking, and writing. At first glance they may seem unrelated, but each one is an act of cultivation.

In the garden, I plant seeds that will one day nourish my family.

In the kitchen, I prepare recipes that connect us to culture and tradition.

Through writing, I preserve stories and reflections that I hope my children—and perhaps one day my grandchildren—will return to long after I’m gone.

Each is its own way of saying, This is who we were. This is what we valued. This is how we loved.

Juneteenth reminds me that remembrance is an act of love.

It encourages us to ask our elders questions while we still can. To preserve family recipes. To write down our stories. To speak our ancestors’ names. To celebrate not only survival, but also the freedom to dream, create, and build something better for the generations that follow.

Whether that legacy is found in a handwritten recipe, a family photograph, a poem, a flourishing garden, or simply gathering around the dinner table, every story we preserve becomes a gift to those who come after us.

This Juneteenth, our family celebrated with food, laughter, gratitude, and reflection.

As I watched my children enjoying the meal we prepared together, I realized that legacy isn’t only about what we inherit.

It’s also about what we choose to leave behind.

May we leave behind stories worth telling, traditions worth continuing, and hope that grows stronger with every generation.

Gardening

Building a Backyard Food Forest One Harvest at a Time

June 22, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

When I first started gardening, my goal was simple: grow some of my own food.

Over time, that vision has expanded. What began as a few vegetables has slowly evolved into something much bigger—a small backyard ecosystem filled with food, flowers, pollinators, and the promise of future harvests.

This week, I spent some time walking through the garden and reflecting on how much progress has been made. Looking at the pathway, the raised beds, and the growing plants, I can finally begin to see the vision coming together.

Harvesting From the Garden

One of the greatest joys of gardening is bringing fresh food directly from the garden to the kitchen.

Recently, I harvested sweet potato greens and used them in meals for my family. Sweet potato leaves are one of my favorite garden crops because they are nutritious, productive, and often overlooked by many gardeners.

I also harvested fresh greens that became a colorful salad filled with garden-fresh ingredients. There is something incredibly satisfying about preparing food that was growing just a few feet from your back door only hours earlier.

Every harvest, no matter how small, feels like a victory.

Before making their way to the table, the sweet potato leaves were carefully washed and prepared. One thing I love about growing food is reconnecting with the process from garden to plate.

The finished dish was simple, nutritious, and made almost entirely from ingredients grown at home.

What’s Thriving

The sweet potatoes have completely taken off this season. Their vines are lush, vigorous, and filling the grow bags with beautiful green growth.

The corn has become one of the most impressive features in the garden. Every week it seems taller than the last, creating a living wall of green that reminds me how quickly summer arrives.

The tomatoes are loaded with developing fruit and continue to grow vigorously. Seeing clusters of tomatoes forming is one of those moments that makes all the watering, pruning, and patience worthwhile.

The cucumber vines are spreading throughout the bed and producing beautiful yellow blossoms that promise future harvests.

More Than Vegetables

One of my favorite flowers in the garden recently opened—a stunning dahlia bloom that added a burst of color among all the shades of green.

Flowers are just as important to me as vegetables. They attract pollinators, support biodiversity, and remind me that a garden should nourish the spirit as much as it nourishes the body.

Over the years, I’ve found that gardening isn’t only about producing food. It’s also about creating beauty, building habitat, and finding moments of peace in the middle of everyday life.

Lessons From This Season

Gardening constantly teaches patience.

Some crops thrive immediately while others struggle. Some plans work exactly as expected, while others require adjustments along the way.

This season has reminded me that growth doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.

The pathway is still evolving. The garden layout continues to change. New projects are always waiting around the corner.

But when I look at the harvests coming into my kitchen and the life filling these garden beds, I can clearly see that progress is happening.

One plant, one harvest, and one season at a time.

Thank you for following along on this journey with me. I look forward to sharing more harvests, lessons, and garden adventures as the season continues.

Happy gardening,

Lulu

Recipes

Sunday Lasagna and a Garden-Fresh Salad

June 8, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

After working all night, I came home this morning feeling tired but determined to make something special for my family.

I haven’t been eating much meat these days, but my family loves my homemade lasagna. It had been months since I last made it, and for some reason, today felt like the perfect day to bring it back to the table.

As soon as I got home, I started working on the sauce. I browned about half a pound of ground turkey and then turned my attention to the vegetables. I gathered one large bell pepper, five sweet peppers, two large onions, one steak tomato, and two carrots. After blending everything together, I added the vegetables to the turkey and let the mixture cook down into a rich and savory base.

Next came the seasonings.

If you’ve been following my recipes for any length of time, you already know that I rarely measure anything. I cook the same way my mother and many home cooks before her did—by instinct. A little ginger, basil, garlic, seasoned salt, and chicken bouillon found their way into the pot. There is no exact science behind it. I taste, adjust, and trust my senses.

After about fifteen minutes of cooking, I added a store-bought pasta sauce. Normally, I make my sauce from scratch, but after a long shift, convenience won the day. Sometimes good enough is exactly what we need.

I lowered the heat and let everything simmer together for another fifteen to twenty minutes while I prepared the rest of the ingredients.

The oven was preheated to 350 degrees, the baking dish was waiting on the counter, and three different cheeses were ready to go alongside the oven-ready lasagna noodles.

Then came my favorite part: assembling the layers.

Sauce.

Pasta.

Cheese.

Repeat.

There is something almost therapeutic about building a lasagna layer by layer. Maybe it’s because you can already imagine the finished dish before it ever goes into the oven.

After forty-five minutes of baking, the house smelled amazing.

While the lasagna rested, I stepped outside and harvested fresh lettuce from the garden. I paired it with tomatoes, carrots, and baby spinach we already had on hand to create a simple side salad.

I had every intention of making a cheesy garlic bread to go alongside dinner, but by that point exhaustion had caught up with me. After being awake all night and spending the morning cooking, I decided the garlic bread could wait for another Sunday when I had a little more time and energy.

And honestly, that was okay.

Sometimes a meal doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.

Sometimes it’s enough to gather around the table with the people you love, share a homemade meal, and enjoy the fruits of your labor—whether they come from the garden, the grocery store, or a recipe you’ve been making for years.

Today’s meal reminded me that caring for the people we love often happens in simple ways. A warm pan of lasagna. A fresh salad from the garden. A quiet afternoon after a long night’s work.

Those small acts of love matter more than we realize.

Recipes

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Quiet Morning Memories

May 22, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

Some cravings come out of nowhere. This morning, I woke up thinking about chocolate chip banana bread. Not just the taste of it, but the feeling attached to it. The warmth of it. The comfort. The kind of recipe that somehow carries memories inside of it.

That thought immediately made me think about my mom.

She was not a big baker, but banana bread was one of the things she made so well. Hers always had nuts in it, and it was honestly hard to stop eating once it came out of the oven. The smell alone could fill the entire house. Over the years, I tried to recreate that recipe, but one of my children has a tree nut allergy, so I had to make changes. Eventually, chocolate chips became the replacement, and somehow it turned into its own tradition. Different from my mother’s version, but still connected to her in a way that matters.

Today happens to be junk food night in our house, so I decided to lean into the craving and make a loaf for breakfast. Nothing fancy. Just comfort food made from what I already had sitting in the kitchen.

I used:

6 very overripe bananas
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
A dash of cinnamon
A dash of cloves

I also meant to add a teaspoon of salt, but completely forgot. Honestly, that happens sometimes when you cook from memory instead of from a recipe card. I figured I could always spread a little salted butter onto a warm slice and call it even.

The bread came out soft, sweet, and full of chocolate in every bite. Exactly what I wanted.

Right now, I’m sitting here with a warm slice and a cup of coffee while the rest of the house is still asleep. The kitchen is quiet. The sun is barely up. And for a moment, life feels still in the best possible way.

Sometimes healing looks complicated. Sometimes it looks like rebuilding traditions in ways that fit your current life. And sometimes it looks like standing in your kitchen early in the morning, making banana bread that reminds you of where you came from while creating something new for the people you love now.

There is something beautiful about recipes evolving through generations. A little bit of memory. A little bit of adaptation. A little bit of love in every version.

Recipes

Almost Hits: Beet Pulp Vegan Brownies & Learning to Cook Differently

May 12, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

There’s something oddly satisfying about making a recipe completely from scratch — especially when it starts with ingredients that most people would probably throw away.

Recently, I decided to experiment with a healthier vegan brownie recipe using homemade almond flour, homemade almond milk, and the leftover beet grounds from a batch of homemade fruit punch. I’ve been trying to find more ways to naturally incorporate iron-rich foods into our family’s meals without making every meal feel overly “healthy,” and honestly… this recipe landed somewhere between an almost hit and a full success.

The brownies came out soft, delicate, and more cake-like than fudgy. Considering I was working with homemade ingredients that tend to behave differently than store-bought versions, I was actually pretty happy with the outcome. I used homemade almond flour, applesauce, flaxseed meal as an egg substitute, cocoa powder, vanilla, sugar, and chocolate chips on top before baking everything at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

And surprisingly? It worked.

Now, did everyone in the family immediately fall in love with them? Not exactly.

Some people enjoyed them, while others were a little skeptical — which is fair. When people are used to rich, ultra-sugary brownies, healthier versions can feel a little different at first. But that’s part of this journey for me. I’m learning that healthier cooking doesn’t have to be perfect to still be worthwhile.

Sometimes the goal isn’t to recreate traditional comfort food exactly as we remember it. Sometimes the goal is simply finding better ways to nourish ourselves while still enjoying the process.

What I loved most about this recipe was the intention behind it:

Using beet grounds instead of creating food waste
Making homemade almond flour instead of relying on heavily processed ingredients
Using flaxseed instead of eggs
Finding simple ways to increase iron-rich foods in our daily meals

It reminded me that not every recipe has to be a viral masterpiece to be meaningful. Some recipes are stepping stones. Some are experiments. Some are “almost there.” And honestly, I think there’s value in sharing those too.

Because real cooking — especially when you’re trying to feed your family healthier meals on a budget — is a lot of trial, error, adjusting, and trying again.

I’ll probably tweak this recipe next time by adding a little more healthy fat for richness and maybe reducing the bake time slightly for a softer center. But overall? I’d still call this one a win.

Not every healthy recipe has to fool people into thinking it’s unhealthy to be worth making.

And maybe that’s what this new series is really about:
celebrating the almost hits too.

Recipes

Simple Tofu Curry with Potatoes (Cooked by Instinct, Not Perfection)

April 20, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

Some of the best meals don’t come from measuring cups—they come from instinct.

Today, I made a simple tofu curry with potatoes, using what I had in my kitchen and seasoning as I went. It’s one of those meals that doesn’t require perfection, just a little patience and a willingness to trust your taste.

Cooking Without Measuring

I’ll be honest—I rarely measure my seasonings.

I cook based on how things smell, how they look, and how they taste along the way. This dish was no different. Every step was about adjusting, tasting, and letting the flavors come together naturally.

Ingredients

1 block extra firm tofu (thawed, drained, and diced) 1 red onion (thinly sliced) Several sweet peppers About 6 spring onions 2 stalks celery (diced) 3 medium white potatoes (diced)

Seasoning & Base:

Vegan butter (used for browning tofu) 1 small can tomato sauce 1 can coconut milk 1–2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder 1 tsp turmeric Black pepper, salt, and vegan bouillon (to taste) ~1.5 cups water

How I Made It

1. Brown the tofu

I started by browning the tofu in vegan butter until it developed a nice color, then set it aside.

2. Build the base

In the same pan, I sautéed the sliced red onions until they softened. Then I added the sweet peppers, spring onions, and celery, letting everything cook together for a few minutes.

3. Add the seasoning

Next came the curry powder, turmeric, and the rest of my seasonings. I stirred everything together and let it cook for a few more minutes to deepen the flavor.

4. Bring it all together

I added:

coconut milk tomato sauce diced potatoes browned tofu about 1.5 cups of water

Then I lowered the heat and let everything simmer.

5. Let it simmer

I let the curry cook for about 45 minutes, checking it occasionally for:

flavor consistency

This is where cooking by instinct really comes in—adjusting as needed.

How I Served It

I had mine with a small bowl of rice, while my youngest enjoyed theirs just as it was.

That’s the beauty of this dish—it works either way.

Final Thoughts

This was one of those simple dinners that came together without stress.

It was:

filling flavorful and easy to make

And honestly, those are the meals I find myself coming back to the most.

Recipes

🍲 30-Minute Seafood Paella (Real Life, Tired Mom Edition)

March 24, 2026 Lulu LeeLeave a comment

Some days, I have the energy to cook from scratch.

And some days… I’m tired.

Today was one of those days.

But instead of ordering out or skipping a good meal, I leaned into something simple that still felt like a real dinner—and honestly, it turned out better than I expected.

I used a boxed seafood paella mix I picked up from the store last week and added a few small touches to make it feel more like my meal.

🌿 What I Used

Boxed seafood paella kit

1 small onion (chopped)

1 bell pepper (chopped)

1/8 cup olive oil

Fresh parsley

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup shelled edamame

1 3/4 cups vegetable broth

👩🏾‍🍳 How I Made It

I kept this super simple (because that’s all I had the energy for):

Heated olive oil in a pan Sautéed the onion and bell pepper until softened Added parsley and cayenne pepper and cooked for about a minute Mixed in: the canned seafood the rice mixture edamame vegetable broth Stirred everything together and let it cook on low heat for about 20 minutes

And that was it.

From start to finish—about 30 minutes.

💭 Real Thoughts

I didn’t overthink this meal.

I didn’t try to make it perfect.

I just needed something:

warm filling easy

And it delivered.

Even better?

👉 My very picky eater loved it.

That alone made it a win.

And now we have leftovers for tomorrow, which means one less thing to think about.

🌱 Why This Matters (More Than the Recipe)

This is something I’m learning in this season:

Not every meal has to be from scratch.

Not every day has to be “high effort.”

Sometimes, taking a shortcut is taking care of yourself.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about the food—it’s about:

feeding your family conserving your energy and still showing up

And today, this was more than enough.

✨ If You Try This

Make it your own.

Add what you have.

Use what’s already in your kitchen.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

Because simple meals like this?

They’re the ones that actually get made.