From Us

Labor Day has come and gone. The leaves are turning. The midwest the mornings and evenings begin to welcome the feel and smell of Fall. Kids have headed back to school and many of us return to the office for the first time in over a year. Ever since we were school aged ourselves, September has felt like the right time to reset. It’s the month when you lace up your new kicks, grab your fresh notebook and settle back into a routine. Now, we understand that “routine” can look wildly different for all of us. No matter what we do for work, how we’re returning to school, or starting a new venture, the one thing we most likely have in common is the need for packing a satisfying lunch. While we still love a good sandwich and bag of potato chips every now and then, we find our palates more regularly craving fresh and wholesome foods in the middle of day. Meals that are hearty but won’t leave our bodies begging for sleep right after. Sounds a lot like FARE ;)

The buzz phrase, meal prep, along with packing lunches have become somewhat synonymous and for good reason. Batch cooking some solid staples at the start of the week can make throwing together a meal at home or taking one to-go a real breeze. While it sounds nice in theory, meal prep can also feel overwhelming, just one more thing to add to your to-do list. We’re here to tell you it doesn’t have to be complicated! Truly, a very short list what we like to call “base recipes” can bring some welcome variety, not to mention joy, back into your daily lunch routine. To honor all of those heading back to school or work, we’re sharing our short list of "base recipes” for you to have in your fridge during the week! Not to worry...we’re also here to add some inspiration for what kind of meals you can make with them.

Here are the base ingredients you’ll need:

Brown Rice

Tahini Dressing

Chicken, (pulled)

Shredded Slaw Mix

With the above plus handful of additional raw ingredients, you’ll be able to make:

Veggie Hand Rolls with Ginger Sesame dipping sauce

Chicken Salad, to eat on greens, with crackers or in a wrap

Brown Rice Veggie Bowl with or without chicken, topped with a Spicy Turmeric sauce

This will also leave you with leftovers to get creative on your own!

‍

Brown Rice

• Make a batch of your favorite brown rice. We prefer the short grain variety.
• 2 cups, cooked

‍

Tahini Base

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3 tsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 cup ice cold water
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste if you like
• Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Store in a glass container in the fridge.

Pulled Chicken

• The easiest, no-fuss way to have pulled chicken is buying an organic rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and pulling the meat off yourself. You can also roast a chicken if you prefer and do the same.
• You will be using the breast / white meat for the chicken salad and all remaining chicken for your grain bowl and /or other meals throughout the week.

‍

‍

‍Slaw Mix

• 1/4 - 1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced very thin
• 1 small bunch lacinato or dino kale
• 2-3 carrots, shaved into ribbons
• Shave cabbage on a mandolin for thin and even shreds, remove kale ribs and slice thin, use a peeler to make long carrot ribbons.
• Combine all prepared vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge.

Now that your base ingredients are prepared, you can throw together these easy lunches in just minutes.

Chicken Salad

‍We recommend making this ahead of time. Flavors get better as they marinate together in the fridge

‍

• 2 cups pulled chicken, mostly breast/white meat
• 2 celery stalks, chopped, include leaved of celery if they’re intact. These impart great celery flavor
• 2 green onions, white and light green parts chopped
• 1/2 cup grapes, cut in half
• 2 T. Dill, chopped
• 3 T. Slivered almonds (optional)

‍

Dressing for Chicken Salad

• 1/3 cup tahini base sauce
• 2 tsp. Maple syrup
• 1 tsp. Lemon juice
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix well until all ingredients are coated with dressing.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with greens dressed in lemon and olive oil, as a salad or wrap, or as is, with your favorite crackers, lettuce wraps or raw veggies
‍

‍

‍

‍Veggie Hand Rolls

• 3 toasted nori sheets
• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup slaw mix
• A palmful of herbs, such as basil, mint, green onions

Lay out nori sheets on a large cutting board.

Divide brown rice, avocado, slaw mix and herbs evenly on nori sheets.

Roll each tightly and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine the following to make your dipping sauce:

• 2 T. Tahini base
• 1/2 tsp. Maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. Tamari
• 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds

Dip and enjoy!

‍

‍

Warm Grain Bowl

• Sauté a handful of slaw mix with 1/2 cup brown rice and any other veg you have in the fridge.
• Add pulled chicken, if you like to keep it vegetarian you can add white beans or tofu
• Finish w/ squeeze of fresh lime juice, spicy tahini sauce, lots of herbs! (We love the combo of basil, scallions + parsley)
• This can also be enjoyed cold!

Spicy Turmeric Tahini Sauce

• 2 T. Tahini base sauce
• 1/4 tsp. Turmeric
• 1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper

‍