This Is #WhatIEat: Susan Jane White’s Week In Food

Welcome to our inaugural #WhatIEat, where we talk to foodies and personalities about what they actually eat.

First up, we have the luminous Susan Jane White, author of bestseller?The Extra Virgin Kitchen cookbook and The Virtuous Tart (out September 2015). Susan’s first book was a runaway success, with her sugar-, dairy- and wheat-free recipes becoming word-of-mouth must-tries.
As a working mum with ‘Irish twins?, Susan relies on stocking up her freezer with artillery for the week ahead. Prepare for some pantry envy.

Day 1
Breakfast:?I wake up late, and wolf the boys’ leftover porridge straight from the saucepan. I parachute superfoods on top, with the intention of impressing Image.ie readers. (We’re seriously impressed.) Bee pollen, cacao nibs and goji: so pretty, I almost don’t eat it. I almost wished I hadn’t – bee pollen is like fermented earwax.

Snacks:?I live for snacks. The freezer is my ?artillery base? storing lots of healthy treats for when cravings hit. A quick rummage results in a tray of my calcium-rich halva. Score.

Lunch: Lazy but good. I collect random greens from my fridge and dip them into an omega-3 rich aioli I made on Sunday using Udo’s oil. Great fuel for an afternoon with children.
Supper:?Once my little vandals are in bed, I recipe-test this week’s column for the Sunday papers: caramelised butternut with garam masala walnuts, feta and pomegranate. It takes 5 minutes to prep, and 30 minutes to burn. I still manage to convince my husband it’s char-grilled.

Day 2?
Breakfast:?Leisurely breakfast after the school run. Always a better idea. I make a new multi-grain granola recipe for my blog and can’t stop eating the props.

Lunch:?I polish off the omega-3 aioli with tinned sardines. We keep a stash of sprouted linseed crackers in our fridge for days like these. These crackers last for three months, so are worth the price tag.

Snacks:?Back to the freezer to discover a supply of Office Bombs, a popular recipe from my cookbook. I high five my forehead in a moment of giddy stupidity.

Dinner:?Dinner is a power-packed bowl of quinoa with random chopped greens, loads of black garlic, spicy olive oil and an egg yolk inspired by last night’s dream of beef tartare (vegan tartare?) So easy to make, I bemoan why I don’t make quinoa more often. I resolve to eat more quinoa. Then I resolve not to be the kind of person that needs to make resolutions. Gah!

Day 3
Breakfast:?Knew I’d get stuck in traffic on the way to a country flea market, so I arm the journey with superfood bon bons and almond milk in a jam jar. I always have a supply of both in the fridge. It made the road rage delightfully tolerable.
Snacks:?An avocado, and a spork (a spoon and a fork in one). I like to take one leaving the house because I hate resorting to dodgy petrol stations when I’m road tripping. I treat myself to an expensive cold-pressed green juice on the way back from my prop-hunting morning. The lads serving us are achingly gorgeous. Think I’ll make a habit of this.
Lunch:?In a health store. Was about to grab a loaf of rye bread and smother myself in thick hot slices drenched in olive oil. But remembered you’d be reading, and reached for a despondent looking sprouted bean salad from the health store instead. Gah!

Snacks:?The boys and I make beetroot candy. These are sumptuously whipped Medjools with almond butter and coconut oil, coated in bright pink beetroot powder. The Snazz.

Dinner:?My husband and I love one-tray dinners. We throw some cauliflower florets into a very hot oven, cover with our favourite curry spices, coconut oil, great chunks of banana, a tin of chickpeas and roast for 20 minutes or until charred. Top with kale, return to oven for another few minutes while we chat, set the table and light a candle. Bliss. Little washing up, especially as we lick the plates.

Day 4

Breakfast: The entire family got up late, and ate Badass Breakfast Bars in the car on the school run. It’s a multi-grain and multi-seed bar I make every Sunday night, designed for moments like these.

Lunch:?Ceviche is my favourite dish – fresh mackerel, salmon, lime, parsley, pomegranate, loads of sea salt flakes. It takes 10 minutes to prep, but the taste lasts all day. We’re filming recipes from my next cookbook The Virtuous Tart and the crew are ravenous. I lob in lots of chilli to keep us on our toes. I forget it’s an aphrodisiac.

Snacks: Snacking all day, eating the props again – a healthy Victoria Sponge, Earl Grey tarts, teff shortbread.?Missing my children today. Doing another superfood supper club at Harvey Nichols Dublin. Snacking on the dregs of my handbag. On my feet for hours talking but having fun. Found an unsupervised mackerel pate and kale pesto. Beyond Bach.

Day 5
Breakfast:?I wake up to ready-made breakfast of pre-soaked chia seeds in almond milk and mashed banana. All it needs is some maple, sea salt and passion fruit. Hypnotic stuff. Great brain food, and a break dance for the taste buds.

Snacks:?Another dose of green juice. And love sickness. I freeze what I don’t drink into little ice pops for my boys later. I also puree an avocado into it. They’ll never know.
Knee-deep in online garbage, I forget what time it is and belt out the door to collect my boys. Grab an avocado and a Badass Breakfast Bar to horse into on a park bench. I bring some chocolate seed soldiers, prepped on Sunday for the boys and their pals. I’ll probably eat most of them. Stealthily.

Dinner:?Defrosted a large container of 5-spice apple and lentil soup. I keep my freezer well stocked, and replenish every second weekend with our favourite curries, soups and treats so my weekend is sorted. I add a dollop of coconut yoghurt and kick back on a deck chair. It’s not dinner, but I couldn’t care less. Besides, I brought home that magical rye bread. And there’s still some seed soldiers in the fridge. Good night y?all!

Follow Susan Jane White on Twitter, Instagram and her website. Pre-order The Virtuous Tart here.