When I first moved out of my parents’ house, I had all classic experiences that come when you’re learning to do stuff on your own. Like grocery shopping, and budgeting your money so you can eat at the end of the month. I particularly remember being amazed at how little correlation there was between the tastiness and the price of things when doing the groceries. Take carrots, for instance. I love carrots. Back then, in Denmark, you got 2 kilos of regular carrots for less than a dollar. My dad still jokes to this day that I must have the largest repertoire of recipes featuring carrots and onions known to man. That’s probably not true, but I nonetheless remain very fond of carrots.

Especially fresh, organic ones, which we’re getting in our CSA box at the moment. If you’ve never tasted a fresh carrot, you’re in for a treat, because they are radically different from the (sometimes) sad, plastic bagged carrots that most supermarkets tend to carry.

Long story short, I’m eating carrots for lunch at the moment. On a side note, isn’t it amazing that what used to be called eating left-overs and be for penny-pinchers that couldn’t or wouldn’t afford to go out for lunch, is now called meal prep and is a sign of great organizational skills and of having your life together? I’m way cooler now than I used to be (on this front, at least), despite no effort whatsoever on my part.

The carrots in my lunch box come in the form of a wonderful salad. They are roasted with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and olive oil, and tossed with chickpeas, cilantro, crumbled feta, and toasted almonds. If you make a big batch of this, you can serve it as a side dish for dinner, and then join the cool kids’ club by boxing the leftovers for your lunch.