BEHOLD. The Super Soup.

Has it really been since December that I last wrote here? All you need to know is I’m full of ideas and projects, which can only be a good thing for you, my dear reader. Alrighty then, on to business. Of the munchy kind.

“I’m too busy to eat right.”

“Hey, I’m lucky I even get to sit down and eat.”

“I just grab whatever because I’m always on a rush.”

And so on. I’ve heard it all, and dude, I’ve said it all. And you know what I say now? Bull to the shit.

Making healthier food choices can be easy– if you make it easy on yourself.

Listen, I’m no different than you and if I’m rushing to get things done and the baby has decided that she will shrill-scream to the top of her lungs lest she’s held with both arms and bounced like a human trampoline, but I’m starving and on one side there’s a salad to be chopped, assembled and dressed, and on the other side there’s a bunch of ready to eat Oreos, then fuck it and damn straight I’m stuffing those Oreos in my mouth– except I’m kissing them first for being the lifesavers they are.

Been there. Done that. Learned from it. 

It doesn’t mean I’m failing as a human being for not being able to do it all at once. It doesn’t mean my baby is a demanding tyrant who won’t let me eat. It just means I have to make things easier on myself.

What this means to me is that on the weekends, when hubs’ work load may be lighter and older sisi Anna is around to help hold the baby I go on a two hour cooking and prepping rampage. If you give it even a little bit of thought you will find a pocket of time here or there where your life situation will allow for you to do the same. And there’s no shame in asking for help. Think about it: if eating is something you have to do every single day, isn’t it worth your while to give yourself the best chance of success by using a bit of time to set up a few healthy meals? I sure think so.

And here is a recipe ideal for this purpose: a truly super soup. Full of protein and nutrition, this is a meal you won’t regret. I made a HUGE batch of it, and am I ever thankful because it has made for a healthy lunch the last three days as I’ve been squeezed for time to cook. Store it, freeze it, keep it handy. Make it easier on yourself. 

The Super Soup

4 C vegetable broth

1 C uncooked quinoa

1/4 C dry lentils

1/4 C dry split peas

1/4 C cooked chickpeas (you can used canned, but what I do is I cook dry chickpeas and freeze them in batches for cases like this)

1 onion, diced

1/3 C mixed veggies (I used frozen: green beans, corn, peas and carrot mix)

salt & pepper to taste

mustard powder

dry parsley

bay leaves

cilantro for garnish

goat cheese for garnish (optional)

Bring your veggie stock to a boil and add the quinoa, lentils, split peas, and bay leaves. After 15 minutes, add the onion, chickpeas and frozen veggies. Let it all simmer together at low heat for about 10 minutes more, add salt and pepper to taste, a bit of mustard powder, and sprinkle with dry parsley. Donezo. Seriously, that’s it peeps. Just remember to remove the bay leaves when serving.

To serve you can add goat, feta or panela cheese, or skip those to keep things vegan. Do not, however, skip out on the fresh cilantro. It makes things sooooooo good.

I love this kind of soup because it’s so easily transformed into something different. Add or remove any ingredients you want. Is it too bland? Add paprika. In the mood for zing? Ginger powder! Feeling daring? Chipotle powder (or adobo, omg yum). See? Now I’m hungry all over again just thinking of the possibilities. ENJOY.

Eating Junk Food: We Know It’s Wrong. So Why Do We Do It Anyway?

 

The answer to the question above is in this video, short and sweet, easy to watch and understand.

Regardless of your nutritional approach (you don’t have to be paleo, or vegan, or anything in particular to get the jist of the issue here) I recommend you watch it, watch it, WATCH IT.

 

Suck It Up, Buttercup

I hate winter. Then I love it. Which means I didn’t really hate it to begin with, it just annoys the crap out of me. The idea of six months of cold, darkness and –gasp– absolutely NO cute shoes is enough to have me in fetal position in a corner, holding myself and rocking.

But then there’s fireplaces, Christmas, playing in the snow, hot drinks, and creamy soups, and things don’t seem all that bad after all.

Creamy soups. Today’s order of the day.

Although this soup requires minimal ingredients, it is the kind of food that gives you warm, fuzzy feelings inside; it makes your innards giggle with childish joy and next thing you know you’re polar bear hugging the shit out of the mailman and the bank teller. Consider yourself warned.

For this soup I used one of my new (to me) discoveries, a favorite ingredient of mine for the cold months. Please meet Miss Kabocha:

Otherwise known as butter cup squash, this lil’ pumpkin is sweet and of beautiful, creamy, spreadable texture. Well, like butter!

And as with many other concoctions I cook, how do I know this is good? Because the husband loved it. That is all you need to know.
Ok fine, I’ll tell you more. Stephen is picky-ass-picky um, particular about his soups. They have to be just the right texture, not too watery and not too thick; they have to have the precise amount of savoring, not too salty, not too bland. The flavors need to be craftily meshed together through the right amount of simmering. You get the picture. Me? Throw shit in a pot and call it a day. There ain’t nothing that can’t be fixed with more water or salt, me says.

So maybe I’m not your most reliable source for tasty soups since my bar is low way down there, but trust the husband. He knows his shizz.

 

Kabocha (Butter nut) Squash Soup

1 kabocha squash

2 Tbs butter (or vegan spread)

a splash of coconut milk (or your milk of choice)

sea salt to taste

Begin with slicing the squash in half and placing both halves with the cut parts facing down on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until the squash is super tender. Once ready, use a spoon to remove the seeds. Spoon out all the meat and place it in a blender with a little bit of water. Blend well.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the liquified squash. Add the splash of milk and salt, and bring to a rolling boil. Once the mixture is boiling lower the temperature to leave it simmer. Adjust your seasoning to taste, and add more milk until you reach your desired consistency.

And this is the part where you can make things interesting. If you wish, go crazy with the toppings. Here are some ideas of things you can sprinkle on top:

-Crumble cheese (like Feta or Panela)

-Roasted pumpkin seeds

-Hemp seeds

-Nutritional yeast

-A dash of chipotle adobo, to make it hot and spicy.

-Crumbled walnuts

Many possibilities for different flavors! Suddenly winter doesn’t seem so looming and dark. Now we just gotta work on designing high heel cute snow boots.

Roasted Veggies And Quinoa Salad

This is the kind of salad you can tweak around all you want, and the results are equally fantastic. Unless you add, like, Skittles or something weird like that. Please don’t add Skittles.
But really, in the mood for cheese? Sprinkle some feta on top. Wanting a dose of healthy fats? A bit of walnuts, almonds or cashews will do the trick. In the mood for a dash of hotness? Dice a jalapeno and roast it, too. Have the odd leftover veggie starting to look sad in the fridge? Toss it in, almost any vegetable works great here.
You know how roasting vegetables can take a bit of time. What I like to do is roast double the amount and save the leftovers for next day; you can even do more if you don’t mind eating the same food for a few days in a row.

 

Pair it up with a bed of leafy greens and you’re left with a nutritious powerhouse– an excellent energy source for middle of the day meal, or a protein packed light dinner.

 

 

Roasted Veggies and Quinoa Salad

3/4 C of quinoa, cooked

Yellow and red pepper

Zucchini

Red onion

Cherry tomatoes

Mushrooms

Two handfuls of leafy greens (I went with baby spinach)

Coconut oil

Balsamic vinegar, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat oven at 350 F. Prep your veggies by chopping to the shape and size you prefer and drizzling lightly with the melted coconut oil. Place them on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on them and moving them around once in between.
Once roasted bring them out and flavor them with the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Place a bed of leafy greens on your plate, then add the cooked quinoa (and you can drizzle some balsamic vinegar on the quinoa for added flavor). Chuck the veggies on top of it all, and scarf down with joy!

 

 

 

Still Counting Calories? At Least You’re Not Working Out To Jane Fonda. Are You?

Fad diets come and go with the times, as did leotards and fuzzy headbands– though leg warmers seem to be making an interesting comeback. (I still don’t know what to make of that.)

But something that needs to go away already is the useless practice of calorie counting. But. BUT. You’re going to say. And I’m going to wiggle my finger in your face because Nuh huh.

The control that calorie counting offers is more of an illusion, because it allows too big a room for unhealthy practices to be justified. “I’m 300 calories short for the day! This means I get to have a slice of chocolate velvet cake deep fried in butter stuffed with lard.” You know what I mean. If at the end of one day you discover you have consumed a smaller amount of calories than what your goal is it will be easier for you to convince yourself it’s totally fine to snarf down a bag of chips, raid the leftover cake, or finish the extra big chocolate bar. And it’s not.

I honestly believe counting calories sets you up for failure, because there is no specification about the quality of said calories. Two hundred calories of cookies is not the same as 200 calories of raw veggies. You know which one is the smartest option and yet, given the chance by having “spare space” in your calorie count for the day, you’ll choose the unhealthy sugary shit. You know I’m right.

Besides, tell me the truth: Do you really want to be a slave to counting that shit every day for the rest of your life? Do you think it’s  healthy mental practice to obsess about amounts and counts of this or that? Do you honestly want to be that person that brings their motherfucking scale to parties and reunions? Please don’t be. Those people suck the fun right out of getting together with friends.

BUT. You’ll argue. That’s what they do in The Biggest Loser, and they lose a lot of weight! And you’d be correct. But what you don’t see much of in the show is the kind of food they eat. They aren’t limiting their caloric intake and still consuming crap foods. They have a team of people showing them how to eat, when to eat it, how much to eat… it’s television and it’s in the show’s best interest that these peeps lose a lot of weight, and fast. Ratings, babeh. Their meals consist mostly of fresh food. REAL FOOD. Food that is alive and in turn gives life, because that’s the food that allows the body to shed unnecessary weight.  My guess is that thorough nutritional explanations aren’t what most of the population would describe as enthralling TV entertainment, and this is what they don’t show us much of that. Seriously, if you think they lose weight by pure magic of the brutal workouts they’re subjected to, you’ll be highly disappointed. It’s been proven time and time again, you can even repeat after me: You cannot out-train unhealthy eating habits.

You cannot out-train unhealthy eating habits.

You cannot out-train unhealthy eating habits.

YOU CANNOT OUT-TRAIN UNHEALTHY EATING HABITS.

Basically this means you can kill yourself in the gym, on the treadmill, or run your dog to the ground, and the changes in your body will likely remain insignificant for as long as you keep eating the same shit you’re still eating.

And this brings us back to the calorie conundrum. You’re right in that there are amounts of nutrients the body needs for optimal functioning, so how can we know how much to have of what? I’m glad you asked.
Enter the Calorie Control Guide, from the geniuses at Precision Nutrition.

FOR THE GUYS:

                                     FOR THE LADIES:

Click on either picture to be taken to the full article, with more reasons why counting calories sucks and to access printable versions of this guide. It’s very simple to remember! Everything you need is… wait for it… in the palm of your hand. Ba dum tss.

It’s “Steakhouse Good”, The Husband Said: Grilled Marinated Shiitake

Is it still grilling weather in your region? You can say so if it is. I won’t be jealous nor will I wish torrential rains upon you. Promise.

During this past summer something was decidedly off with my cooking: I managed to ruin entire meals on the grill, on the stove, and in the toaster oven. Husbando was rooting for me to break the record and char something in the microwave already. Har har.

With this dish I finally got it right, though. A grilled shiitake mushroom so juicy and flavorful that, in the hubs’ words “it’s really good. It’s, like, steakhouse good.” Now if only I could get the kid to overcome her aversion of edible fungi.

And why shiitake, you ask? Because they are a fabulous! Regarded as medicinal by the Chinese for thousands of years, these humble looking ‘shrooms pack an amazing amount of iron, B-vitamins, and minerals. They also support cardiovascular health and they help our immune system. Add to this that an estimated 100 compounds in the shiitake mushroom work together as anti-tumors, and we have a winner.

I chose to serve my mushroom accompanied by the veggies I would add to a burger (lettuce, tomato, red onion) but I skipped the buns, and grilled asparagus and fresh baby carrots completed the meal. Shiitakes are fleshy in a very meat-like way, which makes them excellent stand ins for burger patties or steaks.

Grilled Marinated Shiitake

4 Shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and clean

Asparagus

Baby carrots

Any veggies you want for accompanying your mushroom: lettuce, tomato, onion, zucchini, peppers, etc.

Soy sauce

Sea salt to taste

For the mushroom marinade:

1/4 C of Extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp dry rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Mix up your marinade and place the clean mushrooms in it. Leave them there for 30 minutes to an hour, making sure you flip the mushrooms once so they soak equally on both sides.

In the meanwhile, prepare your asparagus by cutting off the lower ends and shaving off the tougher stems. Place them in tin foil and drizzle lightly with a bit of soy sauce and sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap up the tin foil.

You may want to put the asparagus on the grill a few minutes before you add the mushrooms, since we want to make sure everything cooks at the same time. The mushrooms will need no wrapping, just place them directly on the grill.  The ‘shrooms will cook very quickly, needing at most maybe 3 minutes on each side; you don’t want to overcook them and thus cancel out the nutrients!

Since it goes so fast, be vigilant. Be very, very vigilant. Unless you want to end up like me, cussing like a sailor because you managed to burn dinner again.

I’m Back and I Bear Gifts Of Triathlon Inspiration

I haven’t been on the ball lately, but I swear I have a really good reason.

Yes, a cuddly reason…

A sweet and snugly reason that has flipped my world upside down.

Her name is Era and she was born on September 16th. For the longest time my mind had no room for anything other than cooing and loving this little bundle of cuteness, but I’m finally catching up on my sleep and getting the hang of having a tiny baby all over again, after over a decade of last having an infant around. Thanks for sticking around while I figured this out!

And now back to business. Of the non-cuddly but very inspirational kind.

Let’s meet bad girl Harriet Anderson:

This lady was 74 years old when she competed in the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship. SEVENTY-FOUR cheesuschrist. And you see her arm up with the red tie? That’s because missus there broke her clavicle falling off on the bike portion of the race, and still managed to finish the race on time. This means she completed the remaining 32 miles on bike and an entire goddamn marathon with a broken collarbone. Are you feeling like a total wuss yet? I sure am.

She began competing in her fifties and has been relentless since. She’s badass and I want to be like her when I grow up. I’m not even kidding.

Now click over here and read her full story, you won’t be sorry. Hard core chicks, yeah!