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lifestyle || some of my favourite food recipes during lockdown

IoanaMay 19, 2020

Earlier this year, I stumbled upon a golden video while watching YouTube with the (or so I convinced myself) non-mindless goal of learning more about cooking and the culinary arts.

It was a 42 minute video titled, “How to Chop Every Vegetable”.

As is usually the case when you watch someone else go at their absolute, genuine passions, I became enraptured with the vigor and energy with which the narrator chopped up her vegetables. And just like that, an activity I would have usually passed off to my cooking partner became my favourite part of the activity. Chopping vegetables. Who knew?

This somewhat exaggerated anecdote is relevant because, as it so happens, once chopping vegetables becomes enjoyable, cooking also becomes very enjoyable. After all, the main difference between cooking (meals) and baking (desserts) is the act of chopping. Otherwise, both involve tossing food, placing food, and waiting for the oven or stove to do its magic.

When we began lockdown and being stuck at home without the usual option of resorting to restaurants, I took up cooking more seriously.

In fact, if you’ve seen my latest vlog which includes a dramatic rendition of cooking pasta, you’ll understand what I mean by taking it up more seriously. I have really gotten into chopping up my veggies.

As a cook, I would describe myself as experimental. I enjoy trying new types of foods (except new types of meat – I’m very much plant-based), and doing my best to learn the process of combining items. Although I’m far from having accumulated enough experience to be able to know which spices go with which foods, and to have elaborate recipes memorized, I’ve had my fair share of succeses.

In this post, I want to share some delicious photos of the most successful dishes I’ve put together in the past two months.


breakfast

The first photo depicts my classic, everyday, typical breakfast.

coffee and oatmeal

It’s coffee, made with a turkish pot, and oatmeal. Except I generally make my oatmeal in the microwave, just by dumping oats, adding water, and topping with fruit, nuts and maple syrup. The stovetop oatmeal was, like many other things, a bit of an experiment.

There’s not really much to this recipe. Even the coffee can be made in any kind of pot, really. All you do is dump in enough water, add in about 2 teaspoons of fine-ground coffee for every cup of Americano you’re making, and wait for it to boil. Then you remove it from the stove, cover with a plate and let it sit for a little while – but not too long because then you’ll be drinking cold coffee.

variations of my oatmeal toppings

Spoiler: it’s usually half a chopped apple.

amish-style oatmeal – apple crumble

One day, I woke up with an ambition to create a more elaborate oatmeal that the whole family could enjoy. Sadly, it lasted three days, which is cook-speak for it wasn’t a big hit. I think it was just a little too sweet.

The recipe I used was from one of my favourite cooking blogs, called Once Upon a Chef.

Amish-style oatmeal recipe

SIDE NOTE: Generally, when looking up recipes I don’t use the usual Google search cards but search up uses for an ingredient or two directly in my favourite blogs. I’ll link them at the bottom of this post.

simple homemade bagels

I also gave Blue Bird Kisses’ bagel recipe a try last month and it was DELICIOUS. I would highly recommend it. Only thing to watch is that you don’t accidentally add too much baking powder like I did.

This recipe uses up any bulk Greek Yogurt you may have bought, and flour. That’s pretty much it. You can find it below! I don’t think she’s put it on her blog, Blue Bird Kisses yet.

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✨save this recipe!✨Yummmm these bagels have been a daily bake in our house and they’re a huge hit. I saw a friend of mine post a recipe for a low carb bagel recipe but it had white flour which I avoid becAuee it has almost no nutritional value and tends to act as a filler rather than actual food. So I set out to make this recipe with healthier ingredients and here’s what I came up with! You can store them on the counter and they are excellent for days after cut in half and toasted. The boys love them too so it’s a definite bonus. Ok here’s the full recipe and watch the video for the instructions to make 8 bagels:⁣ ⁣ You’ll need:⁣ • 1.5 cups spelt or whole wheat flour⁣ • 2 cups almond flour⁣ • 1 tbsp baking powder⁣ • 1 tbsp salt⁣ • 1 cup Greek yogurt (I used 10% fat)⁣ • egg white + water or whole egg + a little water as egg wash ⁣ • toppings of choice⁣ ⁣ Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add yogurt and mix well. Shape into 8 bagels on your baking tray making sure to leave a big space in the middle for when they expand. Brush with egg wash, add toppings of choice. Bake for 25-30min depending on your oven. You want the tops to be nice and brown. Remove from the oven and enjoy! I’m biased and love them hot and fresh just in their own. But they’re great for lunches and more! #lowfatcooking #lowcarb #lowcarbbagels #homemade #bagels #cooking #recipe #healthyrecipe #food #food52 #food52grams

A post shared by Ana Klizs • bluebirdkisses.com (@bluebirdkisses) on Apr 2, 2020 at 10:33am PDT

Note also: it’s a bit sticky when going onto the tray, but still comes out great!

cottage cheese mini egg muffins

These took so long to make and I realized halfway through the muffin part was utterly unnecessary. But they turned out great and I guess I have a lot of extra time these days, so let’s call it a “fun experiment” as well.

We also evidently had a lot of extra cottage cheese to consume, which is why the recipe I searched for explicitly had the words “cottage cheese” in the title.

cottage cheese egg muffins recipe

I’m linking all the recipes into the bright turquoise buttons, in case you want to check them out!

massive omelette – also known as a frittata

We’ve also whipped together a fritatta several times. Another great way to use up strange veggies that wouldn’t otherwise get eaten, this is such a perfect and versatile recipe. It also allows you to cook for the entire family, which is great for weekend mornings.

One time, I even used a bunch of celery in it and surprisingly it worked really well!

the only frittata recipe you’ll ever need

I love this link from Epicurious, because you can adapt it to any ingredients you have in your fridge.


lunch

the Signature Leftover Buffet

As before, we start with the classic, go-to, ordinary-day meal. It’s usually a combination of fresh veggies (HELLO large chops this time!), whatever is leftover from previous days, and often some avocado toast. If we’re feeling saucy, maybe we’ll throw in a fried or boiled egg in there, too.

What’s that delicious looking quiche/pizza in the back, you ask? That’s my mom’s new signature recipe and unfortunately not my creation so I don’t know how it was made. If you’re interested in finding out though, leave me a comment and I’ll get to it!

the quinoa salad variation

Sometimes influencers really do succeed in influencing, and my recent obsession with veggie-laden salads comes from a what-i-eat-in-a-day video by Sorelle Amore. Her beautiful energy towards fresh veggies and home-grown foods is contagious. Skip to around minute 2:00 for a little bit about fresh foods.

As a result, I’ve started adding seemingly boring vegetables like cucumber back to my grocery list. In fact, I’m combining veggies like never before (once they’ve been thoroughly washed to be safe).

The meal above is a creamy quinoa salad I made in the first week of lockdown. I credit Pinch of Yum completely for this recipe and the avocado dressing that goes with it. The salad itself is fairly easy – it uses up quinoa and any assortment of veggies you’ve got in the fridge.

quinoa summer salad recipe

The dressing was a bit more challenging to make, and I think I would save it only for a special occasion in the future.

avocado cilantro dressing recipe

And I’ll add one more salad…

couscous summer salad recipe

This one has couscous as a base. I haven’t made but think would taste delicious as well.

go-to honey dijon dressing for summer salads

Instead of the more complicated avocado cilantro option above, a simple honey dijon dressing has been my addition to every salad I’ve made in the past few months. I think it’s the perfect spring/summer meal and having a quick and healthy dressing to whip up for any salad is so great.

The ingredients I generally combine in an estimated ratio are:

  • olive oil
  • dijon mustard
  • lemon juice
  • maple syrup (or honey)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • ground cumin
honey dijon dressing recipe

For an official recipe and blog post, this is a very comprehensive and helpful one by Thriving Home Blog.

chicken pot pie from scratch

I became obsessed with chicken pot pie during my first year of university. When living in residence, one cafeteria meal that I always went for was the chicken pot pie. It was likely just a frozen and re-heated dish – or the majority of it was – but it was delicious.

So, I decided to take on the challenge. Plus, it uses up some celery too, of which we had a big bag from Costco at the start of the lockdown.

This turned out DIVINE. It was so successful that it was gone in just one and a half days. The flavourings were superbly creamy, and combined with the pie crust made from scratch, it was so fresh and filling

homemade chicken pot pie recipe

homemade chicken pot pie recipe

dinner

lentils with baked lemon garlic salmon

One of the first meals I made while in lockdown, this combination is so great. What really makes the dish, though, is the lemon dressing recipe I followed by Pinch of Yum.

The awesome thing about this dish is that it’s all cooked in a single pan.

baked salmon and lentils recipe

You’ll need lentils, vegetable broth, salmon, and for the dressing – some lemon juice, oil and honey.

haloumi taco night!

Haloumi cheese is a type of cheese that grills really well without melting. It’s also got a very salty, tangy taste that combines perfectly with its somewhat rubbery (in a good way!) texture. It’s been a hit in our family ever since my parents made a Hello Fresh recipe for vegetarian haloumi burgers.



This recipe is from Cookie and Kate and includes lots of fun delicious sauces to make for the taco night. We chose it specifically because this time, we had a pineapple that needed to be eaten, and she includes a recipe for a pineapple salsa.

vegetarian haloumi tacos recipe

I hope by now you’re spotting the pattern…

A main driver for recipe inspiration these months has been “what’s in our fridge that we need to consume?”

fried rice

Sadly, we only recently got hold of some soy sauce, but that didn’t stop me from putting together my go-to university meal of fried rice.

This simple dish uses rice and a combination of cruciferous vegetables, which is a great way to get a variety of nutrients in a cooked equivalent of a salad.

I pretty much always use this well-ranked recipe by Gimme Some Oven if I forget the steps or spices needed.

the best fried rice recipe

However, by now I’ve more or less memorized it, which is a step towards chef-dom that I am quite proud of!

salmon and fried rice

You can really combine fried rice with anything, but I think it goes particularly well with fish.

For this meal, I simply fried the salmon and added salt, pepper, lemon and thyme. It turned out a bit dry, but I assume it was just from over-cooking it. This one needs a few more attempts before it gets recorded to memory.


dessert

Baking and dessert-making is usually the kind of activity I enjoy doing with my mom, so we’ve made a lot of sweet treats in the past two months. Unfortunately, baked goods often induce much more excitement than cooked meals and I sometimes forget to take photos. Cookies and muffins also tend to look more or less the same, recipe-to-recipe.

raisin scones

This recipe, though, was so cute that I couldn’t help but take some photos.

scone recipe

I’m fairly sure this is the link we used, but either way it’s a fairly fail-safe treat!


my favourite food and recipe bloggers

As I said above, when I’m looking for recipe inspiration I usually go to my collection of favourite food and recipe blogs, and search their sites. That way, I’m guaranteed a great recipe as well as some interesting new ideas I can experiment with if I’ve never tried them before.

  • Cookie and Kate
  • Pinch of Yum
  • Once Upon a Chef
  • Kristine’s Kitchen Blog
  • Well Plated by Erin
  • Damn Delicious

I’ll populate this list as I find more! Do you have any recommendations for great recipes you’ve tried or go-to food bloggers you would recommend?

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Comments (2)

  • Travels with Lissa

    May 21, 2020 at 2:41 pm

    I love your little red pot. Where did you find it?

    Lissa A. Forbes like Melissa without the “me” 303.885.0652 *“You don’t take a journey; a journey takes you.”* ~ John Steinbeck

    Reply
    1. Ioana

      July 2, 2020 at 11:40 am

      It’s called a “Turkish Pot”! I’m not quite sure where mine is from but I’m sure they’d sell it on Amazon or at a larger grocery store 😉

      Reply

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Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

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ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
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Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward th So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward this book being about video games. It’s a delight for my brain so far and I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent all of this morning and afternoon reading (it was glorious) and I’ve learned 3 new words I adore:
- dilettante
- Weltschmerz
- palimpsest

Pls note: photos taken “while reading” are obviously not as impromptu as they may appear on Instagram. They’re usually when (a) you’re on a reading intermission because you either haven’t started or are getting a bit tired of reading for so long or (b) there’s a long period of descriptive text that doesn’t necessarily represent the quality of the book and is a good time to hashtag let-me-take-a-selfie. So don’t read this one page and form an opinion about the book. Instagram isn’t reality. 😜

Pls also note I’m only 40% through the book so my review isn’t definite. I’ve been burned before by jumping too excitedly to recommend a book (in this case, TV show) to everyone around me before realizing it gets WEIRD later on. So take my moment of excitement with a grain of salt - more thoughts to come!
Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and @leuchtturm1917 @leuchtturm1917canada! 👀 Here’s a closer look!

Can you tell I had so much fun unboxing this 😅 It’s my new desk pen for days that I want to feel a little ✨fancy✨

#gifted #pen #amwriting #bulletjournalleuchtturm1917 #gelpen #journal #journaling #planner #studygram #aestheticstudy #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournalpen #bujopen #minimalistplanner #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalcommunity #penlover
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