I don’t want to talk about my job, the weather or what I had for lunch. I don’t want to talk about the things we’ve missed out on in the last two years apart.

I don’t want the small talk.

I want to take late night trips to the ocean, and feel the sand in my eyes after 3 hours of sleep. I want to share a bottle of whiskey on a random rooftop, in a sparkling city. I want to go dig for clams, and share the fruits of my labor, as I have no intention of eating them. I want to ride my bicycle on roads I shouldn’t, taking evening routes where the silence seeps up from the pavement, like a secret. I want to shake off formality and the awkwardness that is first dates, old lovers, and the pain that comes with patching up old wounds.

I want to get into the messy stuff. The messy people. The ones that don’t know the meaning of mundane conversations, that laugh off normalcy, and find joy in the bizarre. These people freak me out. These are the people who are out of my comfort zone. I am risk averse, I am calculated, and I find that my type A personality can be suffocating at times.

But I want to shake the dust. What’s the point of this big, beautiful life if we color in the lines? My time away from home pushed me to grow. It nudged me to let go, if only just a little. I will still always want to plan out my life, I will still make lists. These are things I can’t, won’t and don’t want to deny.

So here’s to those big moments. Living spontaneously. Just living.

Vegan Quinoa Bowl with Grapefruit Slaw

Quinoa Bowl

• 1 cup quinoa

• ½ red onion

• ½ sweet potato

• 1 cup mushrooms

• ½ red pepper

• Salt and pepper

• Dash of cumin

• 3 green onion stalks

• 1 can black beans

• 1 cup sweet corn

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

• Avocado

Grapefruit Slaw

• ½ small red cabbage, cored and shredded

• 1 small carrot, grated

• Juice of 1 grapefruit

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 green onions, sliced thinly

• 4 sprigs of mint, leaves sliced thinly

• Salt and pepper

First things first. Make your quinoa. Bring 2.5 cups water to a boil, and add in your quinoa. Cook for 20 minutes until water is evaporated, and the quinoa is cooked fully. While the quinoa is cooking, chop up your veggies (onions, sweet potato, mushrooms and bell pepper) and saute  in a dash of olive oil for 5 minutes. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and cumin. Continue to saute until everything is cooked. While the vegetables are cooking, heat up the black beans. Once everything is done cooking, warming up, etc. mix it all together– yum. Squeeze on lime juice and mix together.

Set aside and then make some slaw. All you have to do is combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning, adjust and you’re done! And now all you have to do is combine the two over a handful of arugula, and you’re SET! It’s 100% delicious. Oh! And make sure you top it with avocado. Because what’s a dish without avocado?