Alright, so I decided to dive into the Daniel Fast. Heard a bit about it, and thought, why not give it a whirl? My main concern, like always, was how I’d manage to eat without spending hours in the kitchen. I’m all about quick and easy, you know? So, finding recipes that fit that bill was priority number one.
My First Foray: Breakfast
Mornings are usually a bit of a scramble for me. So, the first thing I tackled was breakfast. I needed something I could make in minutes. My go-to became a super simple fruit and nut mix. Literally, this is what I did:
- Grabbed a bowl.
- Threw in a handful of whatever berries I had – blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. Sometimes sliced banana.
- Added a small handful of almonds or walnuts. Unsalted, of course.
- Sometimes, if I felt fancy, a sprinkle of unsweetened shredded coconut.
That was it. Took maybe two minutes to assemble. And honestly, it was surprisingly filling. Kept me going till lunchtime, most days. No cooking, just combining. That’s my kind of recipe.
Lunchtime Solutions: Salads and Wraps (Sort Of)
Lunch can be tricky when you’re trying to avoid all the usual stuff. My solution? Big salads. But not boring ones. I started by chopping up a load of romaine lettuce or spinach at the beginning of the week. That saved a ton of time. Then, each day, I’d just add to it.
My typical salad assembly line went something like this:
- Base of greens.
- Chopped cucumbers, bell peppers (any color!), tomatoes.
- Often, I’d throw in some canned chickpeas or black beans – rinsed really well. That made it more substantial.
- For dressing, it was usually just a squeeze of lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil, with some herbs.
Sometimes, instead of a salad, I’d use large lettuce leaves – like romaine or butter lettuce – as a sort of wrap. I’d fill them with a mix of beans, corn, chopped avocado, and salsa. No bread, but it still felt like a complete meal. Quick, no real cooking involved apart from maybe heating up some leftover roasted veggies to add in.
Dinner: Roasted Veggies and Lentil Soups
Dinner felt like it might be the biggest hurdle, but I found a couple of staples that worked wonders. Roasted vegetables became my best friend. I’d chop up a whole bunch of whatever I had: broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, zucchini. Toss them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe some garlic powder or smoked paprika. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast at around 400°F (200°C) until they were tender and a bit caramelized. Made a big batch, and I could eat it for a couple of nights or use leftovers for lunch.
Another winner was a simple lentil soup. I’d sauté some onion, carrots, and celery in a pot. Add vegetable broth, a can of diced tomatoes, and a cup of brown or green lentils. Season with cumin, coriander, and maybe a bay leaf. Let it simmer until the lentils were soft – maybe 30-40 minutes. It’s mostly hands-off time. Super hearty and really easy to make a big pot of.
So, yeah, that was my approach. Kept it simple, focused on whole foods, and didn’t try to get too complicated. The key for me was prepping some things in advance, like washing and chopping veggies, so assembly was faster. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to find quick and easy options, thankfully!