Cooking In Quarantine: What STYLE’s Recipe Developer Is Eating Every Day This Summer

Cassandra Wardrope is STYLE Canada‘s resident recipe developer and micro-blogger over @tomato__tomatoe. She’s passionate about storytelling through globally inspired cooking and travel, and on style.ca, she guides you through a wealth of food knowledge, how-tos, last minute meals, and easy weeknight recipes (like her incredible Baked Shrimp with Feta and Jammy Tomatoes!). Cassandra has a special talent for making the most decadent recipes taste just as good with healthier ingredients, and her  food photography will have you drooling over every. single. dish. Bon appétit!

As part of my new #WFH routine, I’m spending less time in the kitchen and more time trying to balance work, taking care of my dog, household duties, and self-care.

During the work week, I like to focus on making meals that are quick, easy, healthy, and delicious. I save time meal prepping on Sundays and I always make sure to cook three staples to last the week: a carbohydrate, oven-roasted chicken, and veggie soup.

Having a protein pre-cooked makes lunchtime effortless and veggie-filled soup serves as a nice, light snack. Cooked rice, quinoa, or roasted sweet potatoes add heartiness to my meals. And though prepping on Sunday helps me opt for healthier choices throughout the week, there’s a few other things I whip up to fill the in-betweens.

 Mornings:

I like to start almost every morning with a green smoothie. I’m a creature of habit and tend to stick to the same smoothie recipe: one banana, a handful of frozen mango or blueberries, one or two cups of spinach (or any other leafy green I have on hand), chia seeds, oat milk, water, ice, vegan protein powder, and collagen powder.

The protein powder keeps me full until my mid-morning snack or meal at lunchtime, and the collagen helps to promote a healthy, happy gut.  

Around 10:30 a.m., I start feeling peckish. To fill the void, I’ll have chia seed pudding with berries that I made the night before. If I’m feeling something savoury, I’ll have the veggie soup that I normally prep on Sundays.

Midday:

When lunch rolls around, I’ll make a salad with the chicken that I cook on the weekends or a rice, chicken, and veggie bowl. My afternoon snack usually consists of veggies and hummus or a piece of fruit with almonds.

Dinner time:

I like to keep things simple for dinner with a protein, carb, and lots of veggies. For protein, I’ll usually have a piece of teriyaki glazed salmon or chicken with sweet potatoes.

For my salmon/chicken marinade, I grate one clove of garlic and one knob of ginger. Then I add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper.  

Hot Tip: Make These Go-To Summer Salads

Summer food is all about light, simple meals that contain fresh ingredients. If you’re getting together with family or friends at a distance or hanging out in your own backyard, make a couple of different salad options while prepping your food for the week.

My favourites are the Quinoa Greek Salad and Mango Chicken Salad with Spicy Thai Dressing pictured below. Add all of your chopped ingredients to a bowl and toss! It’s that easy.

Quinoa Greek Salad

 1 large cucumber, peeled

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup black olives, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 chunk of feta, crumbled

1 tbsp capers

1 cup cooked quinoa

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mango Chicken Salad with Spicy Thai Dressing

Mix of spinach and romaine lettuces

1 mango, chopped

2 cooked chicken breasts

1 chunk of feta, crumbled

1 green onion, sliced thinly

Dressing:

1 tbsp spicy Thai sauce

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste