My Week in Food: Zoe Lind van’t Hof, Wunder Workshop

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My Week in Food: Zoe Lind van’t Hof

As the founder of  Wunder Workshop , a functional food brand that creates organic turmeric-based products, Zoe is used to experimenting with different dishes and so we knew her food diary would make for interesting reading. Here she shares her ayurvedic approach to nutrition and a seven day food diary for inspiration...

"I have been very fortunate to grow up eating vegetarian, organic and local food and my family’s approach to food has always been about nurturing our bodies with the most radiant and fresh ingredients possible. We would forage for wild garlic, nettles, elderflower, apples, dandelion and more from the woodlands and fields surrounding our house. There isn’t a single dinner I remember where my late mother wouldn’t make a salad as a starter that would contain at least 9 different plants. I would snack on raw sauerkraut, tamari fried seeds and avocado as a child and golden turmeric porridge was a daily winter treat. My late mother would take me to Sri Lanka to learn more about Ayurveda and the plants and spices that grow there. This experience led me to explore more spices and inspired me to start a turmeric focused business.

"This all probably sounds very odd to some people, but since this was the norm for me, my palate has become very tolerant to all kinds of interesting ingredients and it has led me to be very in tune with my body. I know exactly when something isn’t right for me, such as dairy and sugar, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve someone else. The most amazing thing about food and its macro and micronutrients is that you can really feel so incredible if you nurture yourself the right way. This, of course, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t treat yourself to something unhealthy occasionally, as I believe denying oneself anything is also unhealthy for the mind. In my view, ultimately health is a holistic approach to the body and the mind."

Follow Zoe on Instagram  @wunderworkshop

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Monday

Breakfast: On those evenings where I don’t forget to prep the next day’s breakfast, I will soak chia seeds with almond milk, vanilla extract, brazil nuts, maca, shatavari, reishi and turmeric powder overnight. During the morning I will add some Ceylon cinnamon, brazil nuts or almonds and bee pollen.

Lunch: As I usually don’t snack throughout the day, I always really look forward to lunch. Lunch is usually quite simple and today it involved fried garlic shiitake mushrooms in brown miso, sesame seeds and onions, tossed in with watercress and radishes, served on homemade sourdough bread.

Dinner: I call this my lazy dinner, where I just throw some vegetables (beetroot, sweet potato, onion, stem broccoli and courgette) into the oven with a dollop of coconut oil, garlic and curry spices. I serve it with some fresh green leaves, tahini or hummus and some seeds sprinkled on top.

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Tuesday

Breakfast: I start every day with a splash of apple cider vinegar , turmeric powder, black pepper and hot water on an empty stomach. I usually have 3 Brazil nuts (too many can lead too much selenium in your body). If I didn’t soak oats or chia the night before I will only have my warm potion, which usually contains, coconut oil, MCT oil, almond milk, pine pollen, vanilla and one of my adaptogen blends such as Golden Balance containing ashwagandha, turmeric, liquorice and ginger. On days when I need a little extra boost to focus I will add a shot of espresso. Throughout the day I drink about 4 cups of green tea too.

Lunch: Today I made a big salad with iceberg lettuce, a couple of potatoes, watercress, spinach, radish, seeds, nutritional yeast, fresh garlic and olive oil. I used some sourdough bread to soak up the leftover oil.

Dinner: Growing up in a Dutch family has made me very accustomed to ‘borrel’, which basically stands for Happy Hour. But it entails a glass of wine and a few nibbles. I love this moment, it always reminds me of my family getting together after work to discuss the day and to unwind. I usually have some biodynamic red wine with chickpea crisps and read a book, whilst the food is in the oven/cooking. Today I made homemade sourdough pizza, with caramelized onions, courgette, spinach, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes. As it’s cold today I finished off the day with some fresh almond milk with vanilla, warmed it up and boiled some chai spices with it and had it with a piece of raw chocolate. What a naughty evening haha!

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Wednesday

Breakfast: Today I just had my apple cider vinegar, a handful of walnuts and brazil nuts, followed by a potion. Today’s potion contained ashwagandha, turmeric, oat milk, raw ceremonial cacao and a bit of rosewater. The ceremonial cacao will keep me focused for a couple of hours, which I love when I am working from home.

Lunch: Today I mashed some organic Spanish avocados with coriander and broccoli sprouts, tomatoes. I served it on top of sliced tofu on a couple of toasted sourdough bread slices.

Dinner: I went out for dinner with some friends, so I had some white wine and a Mexican inspired bowl with beans, brown rice, vegetarian falafel style burger, lots of spices and coriander on top.

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Thursday

Breakfast: I had the usual apple cider vinegar to start with and then took the time to make some delicious acai bowl with maca, oat milk, vanilla, half a banana, and lots of walnuts and bee pollen sprinkled on top.

Lunch: I went out for lunch as I had meetings in town and I had a beautiful fresh organic salad with a warm broccoli and asparagus quiche. It did contain dairy and eggs, but sometimes knowing it’s from a good origin, I don’t mind treating myself to this. It was delicious!

Dinner: My Riverford vegetable box arrived. So, I made a big fresh leafy salad with nut butter tahini dressing, sprouts, sprouted seeds, apple cider vinegar dressing, followed by spelt tagliatelle, nutritional yeast flakes and mushrooms. I am obsessed with mushrooms so always very happy to fit them into every meal as often as possible.

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Friday

Breakfast: Yippee! I remembered to soak my oats last night, so today I am having soaked oats in almond milk with vanilla, turmeric, cinnamon and Golden Balance blend and walnuts on top.

Lunch: I went out for lunch as I had some meetings out and about, and I had a beautiful vegetable bowl containing roasted aubergine and mushrooms with kimchi, red cabbage sauerkraut, sautéed spinach, seeds and a tahini dressing.

Dinner:  I love Friday evenings, I usually don’t do much and just unwind from a busy week. Not that I ever stop working, but I guess the Friday feeling is still very much engrained within me. Anyway, I made a “borrel” with some crackers, fermented cashew cheese and biodynamic prosecco which I enjoyed with a good friend. We then just roasted some sweet potatoes, made a garlicy hummus with vegan mayonnaise and sautéed some stem broccoli.

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Saturday

Breakfast: I forgot to soak chia or oats last night, so today I only made a potion with a shot of espresso as I had a lot of work that I still wanted to get done before the start of a new week.

Lunch: Mushrooms fried in almond cream, lots of black pepper and turmeric, served on spelt pasta and topped of with nutritional yeast.

Dinner: My friend and I cooked a beautiful Sri Lankan style curry with okra, lots of beautiful freshly ground spices, tomatoes, coconut milk, brown rice and of course golden turmeric. I made some spelt chapattis to soak up the beautiful sauce.

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Sunday

Breakfast: After my usual start to the day, I walked to my favourite local café that has wholemeal spelt croissants, which is my favourite treat on Sundays and I enjoyed it with an oat milk matcha latte.

Lunch: As I am going out for dinner tonight, I used up most of my Riverford vegetables and made a stir-fry with lots of vegetables in a sesame oil, spinach and onions. Quick and easy.

Dinner: I went out to meet some friends for dinner and had my favourite pizza…again very naughty but I love a good pizza. I had my favourite truffle oil pizza with mushrooms and courgette and a little bit of goat’s cheese. Alongside a glass of beautiful organic red wine. I love finishing off my weekend like this. At home I made a tonic with some boiled burdock root (simmer for up to an hour) to purify my body and liver and start a new week feeling happy and balanced.