Hello everyone… Its Emi! I hope you all are having pleasant time! In Melbourne where I am located, spring is approaching and it is opening up my appetite for bright and fresh meals! As an extensional topic from last post (Minimalist Kitchen), I would like to talk about sustainable, mindful eating! 🥗😋
In the pursuit of a minimalist lifestyle, the essence of simplicity extends to all aspects of life, including what we eat. Minimalist meals aren’t just about fewer ingredients; they’re about savoring the pure flavors of whole foods while maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. Let’s explore how to create simple, nourishing meals that align with the principles of minimalism.
For example… the above picture is taco🌮 that my partner, Aaron made. This was the first time he cooked for me when we started to date… and I was blown away! Freshly handmade tortilla, slow cooked pork, cut up corianders and onions, fresh zesty and vibrant sauce made from scratch…! I remember I said to him: “this is such as a springtime meal!🌷” It was a beautiful food experience for me. 😁
Fewer Ingredients, More Flavour:
A minimalist meal doesn’t require a long list of ingredients. Instead, focus on a handful of high-quality elements that work together harmoniously. For example, a salad of fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil is a simple yet flavourful dish that celebrates the ingredients’ natural flavours. (The picture above is my breakfast from when I lived alone. I had very limited resources, and kept simple on my plate) By centring your meals around these ingredients, you not only simplify your diet but also boost your nutritional intake.
Mindful Preparation:
Minimalist cooking is also about how you prepare your meals. Embrace simple cooking techniques like roasting, grilling, steaming, and sautéing to bring out the best in your ingredients. These methods enhance the natural taste and texture of the food without the need for excessive seasonings or sauces.🧑🍳
In the picture here… Aaron was basting the duck in the pan with fat that flow out of the meat itself. With right level of the heat and spooning hot oil to wash the surface… the meat came out so juicy with satisfying texture!
The duck was part of his Aromatic risotto.
Key ingredients he used here are of course the duck, rice, sun-dried Shiitake mushrooms, and some vegetables for stock (for cooking rice into risotto).
I came home from work and once opened the door…I could smell the fragrance of vegetable stock coming out of the pot! His meal stimulates my five senses! Such as listening to the sizzling duck in the pan… smelling the steam coming out of rice with great funkiness of mushroom and rosemary…! It always put a smile on my face to see Aaron being in the kitchen, joyfully assembling pieces into beautiful meal with love and care! 🪄🥘
Balanced Nutrition:
A minimalist approach to meals ensures that you maintain a balanced diet. Include a variety of colors on your plate to ensure you’re getting a wide range of nutrients. For instance, a meal consisting of grilled chicken, quinoa, and a colourful mix of roasted vegetables provides a balance of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Mixing mixture of raw fresh food, pickled vegetable, and healthily cooked protein also gives varieties of textures and flavour balance that is stimulating to your taste buds. Happy stomach firstly comes from healthy appetite! 🥣😋
Portion Control:
Minimalist eating also emphasises portion control. By serving reasonable portions, you reduce food waste and maintain a healthier relationship with food. Remember that you can always have seconds if you’re still hungry, but starting with smaller portions can help prevent overeating.
Me and Aaron have different appetite in types of food. For example, he takes more portion of protein🍖, for me is fibre🥬. Our body is different, so it will be great idea to separate plates and communicate about the amount to put in. 🍽️
Meal Planning and Prep, Reducing Food Waste:
To truly embrace a minimalist approach to meals, consider meal planning and prep. This not only saves time but also ensures you have healthy options readily available. Plan your meals around a few versatile ingredients for the week, and prepare them in advance to streamline your daily routine.
Plan meals that allow you to use ingredients efficiently, and get creative with leftovers. For example, roast extra vegetables one night and use them in a salad or stir-fry the next day.
Also… when the amount of ingredients run low in our fridge, Aaron and me get very creative to make meals out of them. The picture on the side is from one time we made “Tiger egg”🐅🥚. We only had couple of eggs and fruits, but had wide range of condiments. This was the chance we tried out the recipe we always were curious about! With bit of help from sauces, cooking process and Furikake (Japanese rice flakes), we had experimental and satisfying meal! 🔬💪
This is why in our fridge, there are often few varieties of protein and vegetables. For examples, 3 types of vegetables, 2 types of proteins. We rarely buy extra ingredients just because they are cheaper so that we can have variety and stocks. We are well aware that we might not be able to fully utilise all the food and that cause wasting them. Moreover, when one of the food becomes bad, we are exposing others with bacteria. With limited resource, it is more likely we use up all of them in their best condition.
Substitutes store bought snacks for control your intakes:
One of the thing I like to constantly have in the fridge is home made lemonade! Once I see someone introduce this simple recipe, it became my continuous habit and routine during hot summer! The only ingredients needed here are one lemon, some honey, and a jar full of water. That’s it! It is simple yet nutritious and yummy with only about five minuets of preparation. It will be handy to have a citrus squeezer, but I find pushing the juice out from lemon with back of a spoon does the job! (Because I am also all about having limited cooking utensils!) While having store bought juice is handy, this way prevents us to have high intake of sugar. No plastic waste such as bottle, label, caps will comes out of this so it is eco friendly! I can even utilise the remaining lemon skin for cleaning, and bury them in the soil of plants pot as nutrition! Besides… making fresh juice with just your hands and simple tool is so satisfying! I always feel refreshed with zesty, lemony smell in the air! 🍋🌿
Accentuate the best of the ingredients:
Aaron LOVES meat!🥩❤️ He have great knowledge of meat handling to bring the best out of them from just right style of cooking. As he would say… “respect the product! It was once a living thing!” That is why he is not very heavy handed in seasoning and processing with good quality ingredients. When the star if the dish is the ingredients… why complicates the process and hide them with unnecessary sauces and condiments?
The pictures above are Aaron’s smoked beef steak and steak tartare. Attending the meat over the smoker, checking their temperature requires such care and time! With the tartare, he corporate the fresh meat with very limited elements such as small amount of finely diced fermented fish and pickled vegetable. I definitely am learning a lot from him about flavour balance and patients. When Aaron is around food, it seems to be artistic and meditational experience.
Mindful Eating:
Finally, practice mindful eating. Sit down, savor each bite, and appreciate the flavors and textures of your meal. Eating slowly and with intention not only enhances your dining experience but also helps prevent overindulgence.
By having clean, clutter less dinning table we can achieve that! We used to have tissue box, plants… but once we eliminate them, we found that we can truly focus on appreciating the meal, as well as each other’s company.
In front of me…it is only you, the food… it is perfect! 😁
-Aaron (when he convinces me not to keep putting plants on dinning table.)
Incorporating these principles of minimalism into your diet can lead to a healthier, more sustainable, and mindful way of eating. It’s about savouring the simplicity of whole foods and celebrating the natural flavour that nourish your body and soul! So, as you simplify your life, let your meals be a reflection of the beauty that simplicity can bring.
Enjoy your simplistic and joyful food creation!✨🥘 I will come up here again!
Minimal Lifestyle. 
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