Introducing: Meal Planning with Popit!

Perhaps you’ve seen the immaculate rows of perfectly curated lunchboxes captured for posterity on Instagram, or entire shelves dedicated to meal prep and make-ahead recipes in bookstores. Meal planning is all the rage these days, though it seems daunting to dive right in.

Meal planning is not just for busy office workers or students on the go. Even if you’re eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home, everyone can reap the benefits:

  • Prevent mindless snacking by setting aside perfect portions.
  • Save time by cooking in batches.
  • Stress less by knowing exactly what’s for dinner.
  • Maximize your budget by resisting the lure of takeout.
  • Reduce food waste by using up what you already have.

The best containers are durable, lightweight, leak-proof, microwave- and freezer-friendly, easy to clean, and available in multiple sizes. That’s why I’ve chosen Popit! to house my meals. They offer all that, in both glass and BPA-free plastic food storage containers, which snap closed with airtight locking lids. No leaking, no cracking, no discoloring here. Plus, they conveniently nest together for space-saving storage.

Popit! has made it possible to bring you a bold new series featuring fresh recipes every month, to help fill the gaps in your daily menu. I’m excited to kick things off with a simple, satisfying burrito bowl worth throwing a fiesta for.

Brains and beauty go hand in hand for this well-balanced bundle. Colorful, crisp vegetables sit comfortably on a bed of fluffy cilantro rice, with a hearty scoop of black beans for a complete protein complement. Rich, thick avocado crema gets packed alongside to keep everything fresh, but I wouldn’t blame you for breaking out the chips to polish off the final drops. It’s everything you could ask for in a properly loaded burrito, minus the grease, stodgy flour tortilla, and potential wrap malfunctions.

Served cold, straight out of the fridge, at room temperature on-the-go, warmed lightly in the microwave, or hot from the moment it’s made, it’s a delicious combination at any temperature. Designed for two servings, it could be one lunch for you and your partner, two lunches for you, OR double the quantities and containers to maximize your time and effort. Get twice as much delicious food out of the deal, and spend that much less time worrying about it. Get in, chow down, and get on with your life. That, my friends, is the beauty of meal planning.

Continue reading “Introducing: Meal Planning with Popit!”

Bowl Me Over

Even the auto-correct function on my phone knows me better than to suggest I might be a sports fan. After typing in a casual comment about the upcoming Superbowl, I glanced back to discover that, unbeknownst to me, the conversation had suddenly become about a “superb owl.” Thank goodness we have such advanced artificial intelligence to set me straight here, but now I’m unreasonably curious about what would make any average owl truly “superb.”

Technological tangents aside, it’s true that I have no intention of suddenly becoming a football aficionado. I am, however, quite passionate about a different sort of super bowl, born of a much more satisfying sort of culinary action, and with far less potential for full-contact injuries. In recent days I’ve shared two of these superlative bowl-based meals on Go Dairy Free that would be ideal for the cold days of February ahead.

When you’re craving a bite of comfort, few dishes can rival the universal appeal of mashed potatoes and gravy. This all-in-one Mashed Potato Bowl with Creamy Cashew Gravy is savory and deeply satisfying, layered with a mélange of seasonal vegetables and hearty plant-based protein. Best of all, each component can be prepped separately in advance and thrown together in short order.

Dressed in a stunning shade of lavender and studded with deep purple gems, it’s easy to see at a glance that this is no average potato soup. Thai flavors meld with unsweetened coconut milk in my Purple Potato-Eater Chowder to create a warming, soulful, yet remarkably delicate brew. Plain purple potatoes are responsible for the unmistakable color, although purple sweet potatoes could be swapped in for a richer flavor.

Whether you’re gearing up for game day or on the lookout for exceptional birds of prey this weekend, you’ll want these recipes on hand for some hearty, healthy eats. Hit the links for details!