Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

So I like to cook a whole bunch of food at once so later in the week when I'm so busy that I can't remember my name, at least I'll have something yummy to eat. So since I was already chopping sweet potatoes for my tacos, I chopped some more for a yummy sweet potato and lentil stew. This recipe is adapted from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. Really good book and lots of good vegan recipes. I have no idea how mine differs than hers because I just stopped looking at the recipe and do my own thing. I do know that this sweet, spicy, delicious soup is the cure for pretty much everything. I went through  a phase when I made this every week and ate it almost everyday. For 6 months. I even eat it cold when I just can't wait to heat it up. It's that good.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 cup lentils
1 tbsp oil
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon


Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil until they are soft. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes longer. It will start smelling really good. Then add the broth and the water. Add the potatoes and the lentils and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes and lentils are soft and delicious. Then get a really big bowl and a really big spoon and prepare to be the happiest you've ever been.

Sweet Potato Tacos

Hey everyone!! I had the most relaxing day today. Slept in, treated myself to a spa day and then went for a long run with my dog and looked at all the awesome houses around me (I swear we have the smallest house in a 2 mile radius). Then I came home and cooked. A lot. It was so fun. If you know me at all, you know my unhealthy obsession with anything (and anyone ;) ) Mexican, but a lot of Mexican food can be really bad for you, so I made a healthier, super Americanized Mexican meal. So here's what I made:

Sweet Potato Tacos with Refried Beans
For the potatoes:
2 sweet potatoes, skin on, diced
1 white potato, skin on, diced (If I have them on hand I'll also use blue and red potatoes because they're just so pretty)
2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

For the beans:
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 veggie burger (optional)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup water

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

salt to taste

Toppings:
Basically whatever you want! I would suggest lettuce, more salsa, guacamole (my mom makes the world's greatest guacamole, and I dare anyone to challenge her) and maybe some sour cream or cheese if you're into that. Or you could use some of the fabulous salsas my mom taught me how to make like a roasted corn and black bean, creamy and smokey jalepeno, or creamy cucumber. Then just fold everything into a tortilla or put it over some brown rice for a taco bowl.

For the potatoes, just mix everything together and throw it into a baking dish. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You could totally stop here and just eat those. I loooooooove sweet potatoes and this is probably my favorite way to eat them. So freaking good. For the beans, I made some with ground beef for my brother and I felt deprived just having mine plain so I took a frozen veggie burger and cooked it up in a pan (you could leave this out if you like or use any kind of meat), then I broke it up so it looked kind of like ground beef. Then I added the remaining ingredients and cooked them over low heat until they were warmed through. Then I ate them out of the pan until the potatoes were done. Oopsies!!

Seriously, Heaven in a tortilla

Don't mind my fork ;)

So pretty and sooooo yummy

While my potatoes were baking, I also threw another plain potato and 2 sweet potatoes in the oven to have baked potatoes later in the week. They freeze really well so when you're ready for one, just throw it in the oven to reheat. I usually make mine into a meal and top it with black beans, broccoli and salsa. A lot of people started to fear white potatoes when this whole low-carb bullshit became popular, but fear not!! White potatoes are full of potassium and fiber. They're only about 250 calories an loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. Yes they're full of carbs, but carbs are good for you, and you need them!! And they're yummy. They become bad for you when you load them up with butter and sour cream and bacon and cheese. So preparation is key. Baked, boiled, or Mexican roasted are my favorite ways to eat them up.

Now please excuse me while I stand in front of the fridge with the door open and eat the rest of those potatoes. Haha Happy Wednesday everyone!! :)

Can We All Just Be... REAL?!

We live in a country with a fear of fat. A fear of being fat, of eating fat, of looking at fat, just thinking about fat is making me anxious. Well, here's the truth: We're fat. Over one third of Americans are obese and we're spending $150 billion a year to deal with it.

Why are we so fat? French food is full of cream and butter and croissants, and they're not as fat as us. Italian food practically can't be made without cheese, and they're not as fat as us. Mexicans fry EVERYTHING, and they're not as fat as us. So what the hell is going on?

In a nation so obsessed with staying thin, we're making products that we think will keep us skinny, but are actually making us giant heaps of lard that waddle around trying to figure out why we're so fat. Sound confusing?? It is. Because we're making it confusing. Here's how we fix it. Eat real. Stop eating so much artificial, processed crap, and start enjoying nature's gifts to us. Let me explain.

In the 1950's and 60's, science gave butter a bad name. Health experts determined that a diet full of the saturated fat in dairy and meat products is bad for you and can raise your risk of heart disease. They were right. They also found that plant oils that are unsaturated are better for you and reduce your risk of heart disease. Right again. Here's where they went wrong. They thought that when you chemically process these healthy oils to make them more shelf stable and solid, they would retain the same benefits. They thought that hydrogenation of these oils would allow more versatility of a healthier product. And so trans fat (a manmade kind of fat) started being used with increasing frequency. Then it became prevalent in all kinds of food. It wasn't until 40 or so years later that we realized that trans fats are WORSE than saturated fat and create a whole list of health issues, including raising "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. So by fearing unhealthy saturated fat, we created deadly trans fat.

The next disaster of frankenfoods came from out fear of sugar. Artificial sweeteners are basically the worst thing you could ever put in your body. Their history is one full of self-funded safety studies, corruption, and data lacking scientific support. Most of these sweeteners probably should never have made it on the market. Why are they so bad? First of all, they trick your body. When you eat something sweet, your body gets ready for the glycemic impact. It thinks you're ingesting a lot of sugar, so to combat that, it releases insulin. When you consume artificial sweeteners, the sugar never comes so that insulin is just hanging out in your body screaming, "Feed meeeee!!" This causes more cravings for sweet food, and then when you eat more sweets, more release of insulin. Continue this cycle for a little while and congratulations, you have diabetes! Not only do artificial sweeteners make you fat and give you diabetes, they also give you cancer. Multiple studies have shown the link between these chemicals and cancer. In fact, of the major sweeteners produced, 3 have been pulled off the market by the FDA for links to cancer, BUT big corporations stepped in and forced their products back on the shelves and in our food. So 2 of these carcinogens are still being used today. I could go on and on about these and other cancer and fat causing chemicals, but I'll spare you... today.

There are a whole host of other manmade chemicals in our food that are making us sick, fat and tired. So here's my plea to you: Eat whole, unprocessed food, full of natural flavors and taste that just can't be manufactured. Indulge in real flavors and healthy preparations. Cooking your own food can really be super simple and will taste much better than picking something off the shelves. It may be a little less convenient, but I promise there are so many meals that are quick and easy and satisfying, and I would personally be willing to take a few extra minutes to ensure I'm giving my body something healthy rather than wolfing down a cancer-causing mystery food. Trust me, I have a full-fledged obsession with food. I love food. Being healthy doesn't have to be bland or boring. Cooking with real ingredients (even sugar and fat) will make you healthier and happier. So stop fearing fat, and carbs, and sugar, and dessert (and basically everything good in life) and start embracing them in a healthy way.

There will be more recipes to come using REAL ingredients that will nourish your body and be totally yummy.

Peanut Butter, Bananas and Chocolate! Need I Say More??

So like I said, I have the world's biggest sweet tooth. I am craving something sweet and tasty, but trying to be good too. Luckily I came up with a solution. I absolutely despise baking so this was an easy, no bake, vegan recipe!! So here it goes...

Peanut Butter and Banana Pudding with Chocolate Shell
14 oz. package silken tofu
3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 ripe bananas
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Blend the first 4 ingredients plus 2 tbsp of the coconut oil in a blender or food processor until smooth. Meanwhile, melt the remaining coconut oil and chocolate in a small pan. Separate the pudding into 4 pretty glasses. (I used margarita glasses partially because that's all I have, but also because they go with my badass apron.) Then just top each glass with a tablespoon or so of the chocolate and chill them in the fridge until they firm up. Yummmm

Badass Apron... :)

These were soooo yummy and I guess you could theoretically leave out the chocolate, add some fresh bananas and granola and have it for breakfast, but really what fun would that be?? ;) 

Oh p.s... Don't tell my brother there's tofu in these!!!

Earth Day Recipe 2fer

Hello and Happy Earth Day!!! Sidney and I celebrated by taking a walk and having a picnic in the park. Aren't we cute?!

For my picnic, I brought the most delicious grilled veggies. It’s one of my favorite summertime sides. You can make it with pretty much any kind of veggie, but since I had some zucchini and carrots left from my curry, I used those. So simple and soooo yummy! :)

Grilled Veggies

2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal

1 zucchini, sliced on the diagonal

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp fresh basil, julienned

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

½ green onion, copped

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Toss all the ingredients except the vinegar and arrange the veggies on a hot grill (or a grill pan like I used). Grill the zucchini for about 2 minutes on each side and the carrots for about 4 minutes per side until they’re a little soft and have those pretty little grill marks on them. Meanwhile, heat the vinegar over medium heat until it reduces and thickens up, about 5 minutes. When your veggies are done, remove them and drizzle with about 2 tbsp of your balsamic reduction. I like this dish served at room temperature, and it looks so pretty!! It’s really tasty on its own or served along with my Reno Chicken.

Probably the easiest dish ever and definitely a crowd pleaser. I came up with this recipe when I lived in Reno and was so beyond broke that the only things we had to eat were frozen chicken, mustard and an economy size jar of dried parsley. It came out so good that I classed it up a little and make it all the time (I also tried a dish with brown rice and frozen blueberries... Not quite so successful).  If you’re not into eating meat, you can also prepare tofu the same way and it is deeeeelicious.

Reno Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or thighs

¼ cup honey or Dijon mustard

2 tbsp oil

3 tbsp fresh basil, julienned

2 cloves of fresh garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken, then pour over the chicken, and arrange in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I usually use chicken breasts, but if my budget is a little tight that week I'll use thighs. The nutritional value is about the same and they're wayyyy cheaper. Plus, they come out juicier. If you're using tofu, follow the same instructions but bake until it firms up a little bit, about 15 minutes as well. I’ve made this dish for so many events, and everyone loooooves it. I’m almost afraid to reveal my secret recipe, but I’m feeling generous today.

I hope you enjoyed my recipes, now go outside and play on this beautiful day!!!

Peanut Curry Stir Fry :)

Hey Everyone!

I really wanted to share one of my favorite soup recipes first since I've been feeling a little under the weather, but it's just so nice out I can't eat anymore gloomy soup! So in honor of the beautiful spring day, I made Peanut Curry Stir Fry. It's super easy and you can mix it up however you like, but these are the veggies I used. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand or whatever is fresh and in season at the store. I also used tofu for my protein, but I made one with chicken for the little bro and it's delicious with shrimp!

1/2 Zucchini
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1/2 head cabbage
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 block extra firm tofu
4 tbsp peanut butter
1 can light coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Start off by grilling your tofu. I cut mine into 4 equal strip and cooked it on a hot grill pan for about 2 minutes on each side. Then, in a large pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add all your veggies and cook for about 4 minutes so the ginger is fragrant but the veggies are still crisp. Next add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and spices. Stir the mixture to dissolve the peanut butter. Cook over low heat until the liquid thickens up a bit. Cut the tofu into smaller pieces and add this to the pan. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over brown rice or udon noodles like I did. Enjoy!! :)

*Sorry for my crappy cell phone pick. haha

The Path That Led Me Here (Part 2)

I am, by my nature, a workaholic. I get it from my dad I think. Until Sunday I had never called in to work. I would work 90 hours a week if I could. Ask me to do something and somehow, I'll get it done. I absolutely cannot say no to someone (that part comes from my mom).

A change in my work schedule has been having me work crazy hours. And when I say crazy I mean thisshouldbefuckingillegal. I am constantly running from school to work to volunteering back to work and grabbing a few hours of sleep when I can. Running on caffeine and nervous breakdowns, I stepped back to evaluate my life.

I thought about how life will be when I go to med school. No sleep, constant studying, living on coffee, stressful rotations, no free time. Then I thought, okay maybe residency will be better. 80 hour work weeks, shit for pay, no sleep, no free time. Okay certainly if I'm going to spend $200,000 being a doctor, which is what I've always wanted to do, that will be better. The money is better, but pediatric orthopedic surgeons are on call all the time and knowing myself, it would be more of the same. No sleep, no free time, 80 hour work weeks. Then what? I'm 70 years old and I haven't had any time to LIVE.

So welcome to the biggest and most important nervous breakdown of my life:
"OH MY GOD! I CAN'T SPEND THE NEXT 50 YEARS LIKE THIS!!"

I started thinking about what would matter most to me if I could have it all. I still have a passion for the human body and health and this will always be interesting to me. I also really want to have a family. I always wanted this, but in the back of my head I knew it would mean choosing between this and my medical career. I want to make a difference. I want to teach people. I want to see the look of enlightenment of people's faces when they realize how powerful their body is. I want to be proud of something. Most of all, I want to have free time, and do the things I love. I want to travel and see what the rest of the world has to offer.

Another thing that concerned me was the way that modern doctors practice. I've been battling a serious cold for the past week so today I went to the doctor. A nurse took down my information, and about 30 minutes later the doctor came in. He listened to my breathing, looked down my throat, announced that I had bronchitis, wrote a prescription for an antibiotic and sent me on my way. I saw him for about 45 seconds. Great. Except that bronchitis is caused by inflammation in the lungs usually following a VIRAL infection like a cold or the flu. NOT a bacterial infection. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. Google treatments for bronchitis and pretty much every page will tell you not to take antibiotics. Use of antibiotics when they aren't necessary causes resistant strains of bacteria to emerge so when people to get bacterial infections, it is harder for them to be treated. Way to go, doc.

So after considering my options and what is important to me, I did what every good premed student does and went panicking to my advisor:
"Soooo, I don't think I want to be a doctor anymore."
"Uhhh what?!"

Like I said, my advisor is very supportive and knows the struggles that I've had to deal with and still encourages me all the time and ensures me that I am a competitive candidate for med school. He told me to calm down and told me about some other option I may not have known about or considered.

After a lot of research and consideration, I decided on Naturopathic Medicine. It is a natural, whole body approach to medicine. It focuses on natural remedies, using diet and lifestyle changes to help heal the body. When this option was explained to me, I was so excited I couldn't even sit still. I have a new plan now, involving this, my passion for cooking, and my passion to open the eyes of others. Here are some links to check out if you haven't heard of naturopatic medicine or if you'd like to learn more. The first is just an overview. The second is to the school I would like to go to :)

http://www.naturopathic.org/index.asp

http://www.bastyr.edu/

The Path That Led Me Here (Part 1)

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

Like I mentioned before, I have always wanted to be a doctor. I've always loved the idea of helping people get better. My little brother was born with a club foot and wore a cast for the first two years of his life. I was young then too so I don't remember much of that, but what I do know is that he had a complete recovery and was able to play sports his entire life. I know that he can walk, run and jump just like anyone else. In my first few years of college when I started thinking about specialties, I decided on pediatric orthopedics. I love kids and it seemed like the perfect specialty for me, to fix little kids like my brother.

So it was set. I had a plan. I started working towards my goals. I think people really underestimate the amount of work that goes into this. I was one of the unlucky few in my major that actually has a life. I've worked 40 hours a week for most of the time I've been in college (except my first year). I don't have the luxury of just focusing on school when I have to worry about how I'm going to pay the bills and who is going to feed my dog. When you are trying to get in to med school, it's not just school you have to worry about. You need volunteer work, clinical experience, recommendation letters, research positions, not to mention MCAT studying. Now add 40+ hours of work to that. I couldn't do it. Life just got in the way. I tried. And I actually didn't do half bad, but for someone that is used to straight A's, a 3.2 GPA is just not good enough.

I finally started getting it together and got involved with some of the organizations on campus. I started throwing myself into volunteering. I just can't get enough. I love knowing that I can help people, even if it's with something simple. It's really one of the best feelings you can ever feel.

One of the organizations I was (and am) heavily involved with teaches a health class at a women's shelter. Teaching these women simple things like proper nutrition or vitamins really opened my eyes to how little people know about their health. Every other week when I go down there, I get so much joy from helping them take a few more steps towards healthiness. I learned how much I love to teach and share what I know.

After several less than perfect semesters and a few tearful trips to my advisor (who is awesome and very supportive and encouraging) I was informed about a different path I might have to take towards my goal. I only ever knew about MDs as doctors, but that's not the only way. DO schools have less strict admissions standards and their focus is on treating the cause of disease rather than the symptoms. I was a little bummed to hear that this might be the only option for me, but interested in the different philosophy. I made peace with the fact that I would probably be a DO and kept going.

Why I'd like to be NATURALLY HEALTHY

Since I was seven years old, I've had an insatiable desire to be a doctor. I started college as a biochemistry major and later switched to biology when I transferred schools. I was overwhelmed with information about what your body can do. Everything that happens in your cells, how your systems communicate and work together to perform simple and complex functions, and the speed and accuracy of all of this. Once you see what happens inside all of us, all the time, it makes you wonder why we all aren't just walking blobs of cancer all the time. I have such respect and awe at what the human body can do.

Growing up, I had an exceptionally average childhood. By this I mean that my parents cooked dinner every night, and it wasn't tofu with a side of alfalfa sprouts. I had sugary cereal or pop tarts for breakfast, and brought my turkey sandwich and Hostess Swiss Rolls for lunch, and had the standard meat, starch and vegetable dinner. I also had (okay, HAVE) a sweet tooth that can't be satisfied. I was always thin and never really had to try for it. I played sports my whole life (but was never really good at them) and stayed pretty active. When I went away for college and started cooking for myself, I had a roommate that was basically anorexic and obsessed with calorie counting and working out. I supplemented her eccentric diet with peanut butter and Twizzlers. Not a good idea. I felt horrible. All the time. I had no energy and I started gaining weight.

When I came back home the next year, I started eating healthier and started being more interested in nutrition. I read a couple books and started toying with the idea of being a vegetarian. It really wasn't possible in a house of carnivore's on a college student's budget. When I moved out of my parent's house and had more control over what I ate, I followed a mostly vegan diet with a little dairy and fish every once in awhile. I was the healthiest I had ever been. I had so much energy, I never got sick, and I felt good. I love to cook more than anything and it was easy for me when I didn't have to worry so much about bills and work and school and everything else.

A year after slipping away from my super healthy life, I've never felt worse. I feel tired all the time, I have no motivation to work out, and I get sick a lot more often. I still try to be healthy, but I would love to be back to what I was. Settling into my new house and putting away all my kitchen gadgets has rekindled my desire for health. I crave healthy food and cooking, and I'm so excited to resume my healthy lifestyle. With everything our bodies do for us, it's a shame for us not to do right by our bodies.

Growing up, I never cared about the high fructose corn syrup I was drinking or the red food dye I was eating. I never knew what trans fats were or where BPA lurks in our food. I never knew what all these chemicals and artificial dyes and preservatives did to our bodies. Now that I know, I make conscious choices to avoid these products and keep myself safe.

Being healthy makes me feel better, not just lighter, but cleaner and more alive. It takes work. Stopping by the drive through is a lot easier than buying ingredients to make a healthy meal, but in the end, if we want our bodies to be good to us, we have to be good to them. And, with a few shortcuts, healthy cooking and living can be easier and tastier than you think. I'll be using this blog to show you some of my shortcuts, recipes, and tips for a naturally healthy life. Enjoy :)