Department of Self Love

🍎 Pantry Interview — The Director’s Self-Love Menu

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by

Department of Self Love
in

Date: 19 September 2025
From: Office of Nourishment & Energy
To: All Staff
Subject: “Director, what do you eat for Self Love?”

Nourishment & Energy expected hustle. We found a 5:30am breakfast service, zone-2 walks, and family dinners that look like calm in a bowl. Consider us pleasantly shocked — and very inspired.

N&E: Director, how does your morning run?
Director: I’m up at 5:30am. Breakfast for the kids: 2 eggs, 1 fruit (kiwi/berries), 1 small sourdough bun, pumpkin seeds, cheese and lemon–ginger tea with chia seeds & goji berries.
N&E: (gasp) You cook before sunrise?
Director: I run a Department. We fuel the staff.
N&E: Respectfully refuelled, indeed.

N&E: Movement?
Director: 4–5 km walk in the park (hello, vitamin D), zone-2 pace. I also do 40 minutes of rebounding daily. And 2 days/week of strength training — not my favourite, but I show up.
N&E: Showing up is policy.

N&E: Dinner operations?
Director: Home-cooked most nights. Here are this week’s examples.
N&E: Clipboard ready. Hit us.

Dinner Rotation — 3 Examples

1) Black Rice Night

  • Black rice
  • Stir-fried bok choy with enoki mushrooms, carrots, chopped garlic
  • Stir-fried chicken seasoned with salt + turmeric + black pepper (pepper helps turmeric absorption), basil, red onions
  • Seasonal fruit (mangoes, strawberries, mandarins, etc.)
  • Chicken bone broth (simmered ~6 hours; made ahead for the week)

2) Steak Night

  • White rice
  • Pan-seared steak seasoned with salt and pepper
  • Purple cabbage sautéed with mushrooms, chopped garlic
  • Seasonal fruit
  • Chicken bone broth

3) Udon Night

  • Stir-fried udon with chicken, seasonal vegetables, shitake mushrooms, carrots, basil, red onions
  • Seasonal fruit
  • Chicken bone broth

Principles behind the plate: ½ plate veg • a palm of protein • a cupped-hand of carbs • water with meals. (Organic/grass-fed/wild-caught when possible).

Warm Insight: Busy is real; so is breakfast — and dinner doesn’t need to be fancy to be steady, warm, and shared.

Self-Love Reflection: Fuel the people you love — including you.

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