Here's Exactly What I Cook And Eat While Working From Home
Houston native Jazzmine Woodard, 30, sticks to a work-from-home meal routine that's nutritious and under-budget.
Meet Jazzmine Woodard — she's the Houston-based blogger behind Dash of Jazz.
The 30-year-old Nigerian-American grew up in Texas as the oldest of five. At 13, Jazzmine made her first Martha Stewart recipe — and has been cooking ever since. She learned a lot from her maternal grandmother, a classic Southern cook who always hosted Thanksgiving and summer cookouts.
"A few years ago, she passed down to me a huge binder with all the different recipes she used to make or had clipped from different cookbooks and magazines over the years," says Jazzmine. "That's one of my most prized possessions."
Cooking is a passion of hers, but Jazzmine says her daily food habits — especially now, at home — are based on practicality. She sees the food she eats as the fuel she needs to get through the day.
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When Jazzmine started getting more into fitness a few years ago, she had to make adjustments to ensure that she was getting an even flow of energy to support all that activity. "Before I started working out, I rarely ate dinner because I either wasn't hungry or I would have an event after work," she says.
Now, following a schedule not only helps Jazzmine eat well even on the busiest of days, but it's also helped her maintain her structure when she started working from home in March because of the pandemic.
"I use meal times to help punctuate my days and keep up that structure," says Jazzmine. "I try to eat around the same time every day and eat things that I like so that my days don't run together."
Jazzmine says her day job as a diversity and inclusion advisor for an energy company allows her some wiggle room with grocery spending. Still, she always follows a carefully-planned list on her weekly trip to H-E-B to stay within budget.
Because Jazzmine has found a way to eat well even with her busy schedule, we were curious about what she eats on the regular. Below, you'll find Jazzmine's food diary from a recent day in her kitchen! 🍋
8 a.m.: I'll start my day with a large glass of lemon water.
I always do a full glass of water with lemon or lime squeezed in. It wakes me up and gives me something to take my vitamins with. I try to drink water as often as I can, and it's been a habit I've had since college. I also don't really drink coffee. Coffee actually makes me a little sleepy!
At 9 a.m, I'll make a breakfast smoothie with fruit, veggies, vegan protein powder, and a kick of cayenne.
Pre-pandemic, when I was going into the office, I'd prep frozen smoothie packs at the beginning of the week so I could just toss everything in the blender and put it into a to-go cup. This recipe is one of my favorites. It's really good with cherries, blueberries, and peaches — and it's easy and fast to put together.
In the cooler months when I want something cozy that doesn't take a ton of time, I'll have an oatmeal muffin or instant oatmeal — both of which I prep ahead of time.
I like these options because I can do them any day, even on a really hectic workday morning. I prep them at the beginning of the week and have them throughout.
The muffins are baked oatmeal cooked in cupcake tins so that they're grab-and-go. I'll just microwave them for like 30 seconds in the morning. The oatmeal mix has nuts, dried fruit, spices, and sea salt. Just add hot water!
Around 10 a.m., I'll drink a gingerade — made with ginger, turmeric, and mint — that's inspired by an old family recipe.
I drink the gingerade when I want something flavorful and bubbly. It's actually based on an old family recipe that my dad and uncle still drink as a tea. I wanted to do something fun with the original recipe, so I made a syrup with turmeric and other ayurvedic ingredients. I'll keep it in my fridge and add it to club soda.
At noon, it's time for lunch! Today is leftover spaghetti and meatballs with extra veggies thrown in.
I made the spaghetti for dinner the night before. It's baked using the same method my mom used to make lasagna when I was growing up. The base was unboiled lasagna noodles which she would toss into a pan along with sauce and veggies. The steam from the latter cooked everything through.
That's how my spaghetti works, too. It comes out perfectly al dente because it's just sucking in whatever water is in the sauce and veggies, so it doesn't get too mushy.
Around 3 p.m., I'll snack on a plum and some cherries.
I want to have something sweet every day, and I'll try to turn to fresh fruit for that. Summer is my favorite season because there's such good produce! I love cherries, but I think plums are my favorite. I'm always on a mission each summer to find really good plums.
Dinner is usually around 7 p.m — and tonight I'm treating myself to take-out. I order roasted gulf fish, gumbo greens, and hoppin' John from my favorite restaurant in Houston: Lucille's.
In normal times, I don't usually order in as often. But for the past several months, I've tried to make it a point to order from a local restaurant at least once a week because the hospitality industry has been hit really hard.
Finally, around 8 p.m., it's time for a nightcap of golden milk and honey.
My evening routine is I turn off all screens, do my skincare routine, and stop eating a few hours before bed. I'll have a drink though — and I'll make this golden milk and honey one when I want to have a really good, deep sleep. The golden color comes from turmeric, and the warm milk base helps relax me. I usually make it in the microwave, but you can also do it on the stovetop really quickly.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.