This is an easy, hands off meal that’s done in 45 minutes top to bottom. Sweet, roasted Brussels sprouts and tart, oven-bursted cherry tomatoes tangle with spaghetti in a cheesy, buttery sauce. Make the most of those veggies that quickly move past their prime with this delicious pasta dish!
You know how some days you never feel like you're doing enough? Never knowledgeable enough? Continually falling down bruised, all throughout the race, while dropping behind the pack? I do.
I'm a sensitive and emotive person but rarely do I ever exhibit any sort of suffering around anybody other than my husband. Let's just say that in the past two weeks I've had the first-time embarrassment of calling my dad, sobbing. Every day I spend my hour lunch break forsaking yoga and just sleeping it out. I'll dash off during the quiet moments of the day to hide and have a quick, uplifting pep talk with myself that usually, regrettably, ends up with welling tears instead of feeling better.
Everyone goes through a period like this some time or another. If life is zooming along at the pace of a high-speed train and you feel as if you're pointlessly chasing after it barefoot with arms outstretched, doing all you can to catch up as it bullets past...you're not alone. I feel you.
If you feel the unrelenting urge to suddenly drop everything and quietly slip away to live in a tiny, remote cabin in the Scottish high country with your loved ones and furry companions, live off your vegetable garden and spend your days reading books and baking at the local cafe...I hear you. Alas, that won't happen and I wouldn't want it to.
I am exhausted with excitement for the near future, but that doesn't mean I'm not utterly silenced by the weight of it all. It doesn't mean I haven't been a zombie-like, cantankerous little asshole just trying my best to keep it together and be cheerful. I'm so grateful for the awesome opportunities I've been granted but good heavens, I think it's crushing me! I just tell myself that we've all been there and it's not shameful to feel this way. #endthestigma
All of Us campaign
If you've ever been a distant friend, mute co-worker, emotional spouse, dreary employee, or an irritable, worrisome ghost of a person wearing your hair in front of your face so people won't notice you and ask you what's wrong...I hope you know you're not alone. Lift that chin up, put on those rose-colored glasses, and wait for this massive wave of anxiety to tide out. Don't be crushed by change.
Bloggers (and people in general) often put on a good face and act like nothing is wrong. That their life is the stuff of dreams and envy and everything is just perfect and they are always sunny and happy as can be! That isn't real life. And it's what drives stigmas. That ain't the way over here at Produce On Parade!
Should you desire support, there are a multitude of professionals that are ready and waiting. Find resources here.
“We don’t all struggle with a mental illness, but we all have mental health.”
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bursted Cherry Tomato Spaghetti
This is an easy, hands off meal that’s done in 45 minutes top to bottom. Sweet, roasted Brussels sprouts and tart, oven-bursted cherry tomatoes tangle with spaghetti in a cheesy, buttery sauce. Make the most of those veggies that quickly move past their prime with this delicious pasta dish!
Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 2 heaping cups of Brussels sprouts, quartered
- 1 heaping cup of cherry tomatoes, whole
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- dash of salt
- dash of ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lb. spaghetti pasta, dry
Cooking Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and wash the veggies.
- Slice off the stem end of the Brussels sprouts and discard it, along with any outer leaves. Cut in half lengthwise, then again to quarter. Place the sprouts along with the tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Arrange the veggies in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- While the veggies cook, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low. Add the garlic and sauté about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. When there is about 10 minutes left for the veggies to cook add the pasta and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
- Stir the sauce into the pasta as well as the roasted veggies. Be sure to get in any juice that has escaped from the tomatoes while cooking.
- Serve hot with a glass of red wine.
A big thanks to Whole Foods Market who sent me this excellent vegan, organic red wine. What a perfect pairing for this pasta dish. It's "a delicious Spanish import that is made with 100% certified organic grapes that come from Jumilla, a region near Valencia that is said to be the birthplace of the Monastrell grape.” So if you're looking for a smooth, Spanish wine that's vegan and organic, look no further. No fish bladders here!
Dutch Word of The Day
Overwhelmed --> overweldigd (over-velldigt"
Information for The Day
All of Us campaign
All of Us: A Campaign to Rethink Mental Health is a program founded by UCLA undergraduate students with the goal of shifting the way people and the public perceive and treat individuals with mental illness, through education and advocacy.
