Fridge Voyeur is a virtual visit into the chill zone of the Spoon Crew — our team, our friends, and some of your favorite wellness gurus. We may eat a lot of plants, but you better believe there’s a whole lot of variety, and a little bit of naughty, going on behind closed doors. We know you want a peek ;).
This week, we’re peeking into the fridge of our very own community coordinator, Molly Hentz.
Splendid Spoon: Hey Molly! Tell us about yourself.
Molly Hentz: Hi! I’m a Food Studies graduate student at NYU, and community coordinator at Splendid Spoon. I’ve always been obsessed with food. It was a running joke in my family growing up: we’d walk out the door and, wide-eyed, I’d ask if there would be food wherever we were going. I vividly remember doing this.
In the past few years I’ve become passionate about plant-based eating and holistic nutrition. I went from someone who would eat anything, to someone who ate very deliberately. Realizing that food could bring more than momentary satiation has changed me. I’ve been learning how to better nourish my taste buds and body.
SS: What are the 5 staples you can’t live without?
MH: Apples, hemp seeds, adaptogenic almond butter, hummus, and shelled edamame.
I started making almond butter and hummus on Sundays and it’s become a therapeutic ritual. There’s something satisfying about making your own staples when you could easily get them at the store. I started doing this when I realized the almond butter I was buying had a lot of sugar in. This didn’t make sense to me, so I decided to make it myself!
SS: What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge?
MH: Probably jackfruit. I recently saw a recipe for a jackfruit “chicken” salad and want to try it out. I used to love chicken salad but I don’t eat chicken anymore! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
SS: What’s your fave sweet and what’s your fave savory?
KW: For sweet I like making smoothies or milkshakes. I blend hemp milk, half a frozen banana, frozen berries, tocos [Tocotrienols are a type of vitamin E supplement. — Ed.), almond butter, coconut flakes, a little protein powder, and pearl powder extract [Pearl powder is typically used for glowing, radiant skin. — Ed.]. I used to be a candy fiend, so it’s pretty incredible I never eat candy now. I also love “nice cream” which is blended frozen banana with whatever I want added. I often do banana, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, and spirulina. I’ve learned to get pretty creative, and it’s fun to experiment and play.
For savory, I’m obsessed with collard wraps with almond butter, garlic sautéed kale, half an avocado, and red onion. I have them in the morning as the good fats in them keep me going all day.
SS: If you were one thing in your fridge, what would it be?
MH: I’d probably be high-vibe, adaptogenic almond butter. It might sound a little “woo-woo”, but I believe that the food we eat is energy. Some is high-vibe and some is low-vibe. I’m definitely high-vibe! The almond butter I make is good on its own and makes a great complement to other foods (a go-to snack is a spoonful with some hemp seeds)! I practically run off it now, so it’s definitely a big part of me.
SS: What food do you turn to when you want something comforting or nostalgic? Although we eat to keep our bodies strong and healthy, food also connects us to our past, to friends, and to different times in our lives.
MH: I usually gravitate towards something warm that I can wrap my hands around. I’m very vata [An Ayurvedic dosha — a body type — associated with air, wind, and movement. — Ed.], so it’s important that I eat grounding food. Recently that’s been rolled oats with chia seeds, ghee, almond butter, hemp seeds, goji berries, fruit, and maple syrup. It feels like a hug from my mom, which I need sometimes.