We know many things about Meghan Markle: She starred in Suits, she famously wed Prince Harry last year (you can call her Duchess, thank you!), and she recently welcomed a little bundle of joy on May 6. But did you know that she's also a major foodie?
"I love food. Unapologetically so," she told Today in 2012. Back in the day, she even had a food and lifestyle blog called The Tig, which featured her favourite recipes, travel adventures, and other fashion and beauty finds. Though her blog and social media accounts are no longer active, cooking and eating fresh, healthy foods are still a priority.
Whole fruits and veggies are front and centre. "Growing up in Southern California has so much to do with this," she told Athena Calderone in an interview for Eyeswoon. We had a lemon tree and fig tree in my backyard, I loved gardening and growing my own vegetables."
Markle also strives for balance. "Because I work out the way I do, I don't ever want to feel deprived," she told Best Health in 2015. "I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. It's not a diet; it's lifestyle eating."
The Duchess of Sussex loves fruit for breakfast
With a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call, it only makes sense that Markle eats healthy, filling foods to keep her energised all day. We imagine her schedule is a little thrown off now that Baby Archie is in the picture, but the Duchess is known to be a morning person. The first thing she does when she wakes up is drink a big glass of lemon water. Then, it's either an acai bowl, a green juice, or steel-cut oats with bananas and agave syrup. "If I’m at a hotel I will likely order poached eggs and toast with avocado," she told Calderone. But the breakfast dish on her ultimate food day menu? Blueberry pancakes with extra crispy bacon and maple syrup.
Meghan's eats Baja-style for lunch
Her lunches are packed with fresh seafood and veggies, though "it's usually a salad with some kind of protein." She's also a fan of fish tacos or seasoned veggies. "I love seafood," she told Today. "It's all about the quality of the fish and keeping the ingredients simple and clean."
The former Suits star would whip up her own lunches to have on set while filming in Toronto. At the start of each week, she would cook a box of quinoa, and while it was simmering, she would sauté onions, garlic and other veggies. Then, she would "season the vegetables with a seasoning blend my mum always used when I was growing up."
Her go-to snacks are (unsurprisingly) healthy
The Duchess loves almonds and almond butter, so naturally they have become her favourite snack. Later in the afternoon following lunch, the star will typically have an apple with almond butter. If she needs another snack, green juice it is.
"Green juice is a food-as-medicine philosophy for me," she told Delish. She blends some apple, kale, spinach, lemon and ginger in her Vitamix and has that instead of coffee. "It's easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4 p.m. slump," she told Today, finding that the juice gives her a bigger boost than espresso.
Markle also snacks on crackers, hummus, and carrots, or some homemade kale chips with sea salt.
Her favourite dinner involves a "sexy" pasta recipe
When it comes to dinner, pasta is almost always on the menu - and she's pretty good at making it, apparently. The star told Calderone that she could make Cacio e Pepe pasta with her eyes closed, and she has a pasta sauce recipe that she can't live without. Markle told Delish that a friend suggested slow-cooking zucchini for 4-5 hours, until it broke down into a "filthy, sexy mush." Meghan said that, though it's just zucchini, water, and a little bouillon, it makes the sauce so creamy that it tastes like oil and butter.
Sometimes, she'll enjoy a dinner of rib eye and sautéed broccoli rabe, Filipino-style chicken adobo, turkey meatballs, or cioppino. But it's not dinner without a glass of wine.
She indulges on chips and wine
"There is nothing I enjoy more than a glass of wine," Markle told Today. Her two vices? "French fries and vino." Apparently, Markle would choose a "big, beautiful red" over any decadent dessert any day. Tignanello is her favourite wine, though she also loves Argentinian Malbecs, French cabernet, and pinot noirs from Oregon. "In the summer, though, when I'm out with my friends, it's rosé all day," she told Delish.
While filming Suits in Toronto, Markle fell in love with the Canadian dish poutine, aka hot chips covered in cheese curds and gravy. "It's got to squeak when you bite into it," Meghan said to Delish. "Really. The cheese curds should make a squeaking noise when you bite into them or squeeze them. That's how you know you've got the right kind."
What the Royal Family isn't allowed to eat
Just like social media and Monopoly, some things are banned from the Buckingham Palace menu, like pasta, which is only reserved for special occasions.
In an interview with Recipes-Plus, Darren McGrady, former personal chef at Buckingham Palace, revealed that Queen Elizabeth II preferred lighter entrees, like fish with vegetables, salads, and fruit. Garlic and onions are also to be avoided. "We can never serve anything with garlic or too much onions," McGrady said. "We also couldn't serve meat that was rare, as [The Queen] liked her meat more well done."
Queen Elizabeth II isn't the only one banning foods from the Royal household. According to PETA, Prince Charles banned foie gras from the menu due to animal welfare controversy surrounding the production of the meat.
Despite having a royal chef on-hand, hopefully Meghan can still find some time to cook, as it makes her feel "loved and lucky."
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