A Women’s Magazine Article that Actually Said Something + A Recipe

   

     I read an article in Glamour magazine’s September issue while at the gym last week, and it was pretty great. In a nutshell, it dispelled the myth of today’s ideal woman—Wonder Woman. So it got me thinking about the comic book starlet…She has super powers. She’s smart. She kicks ass at work and at home. And did I mention that she’s hot? It’s no surprise, then, that Wonder Woman is actually the product of a pretty famous male psychologist. His name was William Moulton Marston, and he was already a big deal in his profession because he invented a blood-pressure monitoring apparatus that was instrumental in the creation of the lie-detector test. In describing the underlying theme of his female superhero creation Marston said, “Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world."¹

    While William Marston may have had the best of intensions in creating a new female heroin for little girls to look up to, Wonder Woman has become the caricature of something young women today constantly feel pressure to live up to. Young women including myself! Of course I am rational enough to know that there’s no such thing as a Gisele Bündchen, M.D. PhD that also has a perfect home life, tons of friends, a sweet spot for humanitarian work, and a knack for entertaining and bake sales. Actually, I think I kinda have believed that. Slowly, but surely I’m learning that Wonder Woman is not real and trying to be like her just leads to disaster. I am also learning the best tricks at surviving real life—not Wonder Woman style,not Gangam style, just me style. Me-style includes (but is not limited to): 1) frugal- I’m a med student surviving on student loans 2) quick- I have to study all the time, and when I’m not studying I want to see the people I haven’t seen in forever because I’ve been studying  All. The. Time. 3) taste conscious- I love eating, and it can sometimes be the highlight of my day, so it’s got to taste good 4) healthy- after I graduate my job will be to tell people to be healthier and help them become so. I want to walk the walk not just talk the talk. Plus I feel better.

     I’ll continue to share these tricks of surviving me-style on the blog, but let’s start with one of my favorites….

Crockpot meals! (No, not queso dip) They’re not glamorous, but we’re talking about real life here, remember? What’s awesome about these are that they work on my $50/week food budget, allow me to still get my 8 hours of studying in, and provide something yummy and healthy to eat. One of my favorites right now is Chicken Tortilla Soup. The recipe takes away any excuse you have to not make yourself a healthy home-cooked dinner tonight.

1. Hendrix, Grady (December 11, 2007). "Out for Justice". The New York Sun.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 5

2 lbs Chicken Breast*

1 (15 oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes Mashed

1 (10 oz) can Reduced Sodium Enchilada Sauce

1 Dried Ancho Chile

5 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Serrano Pepper, halved and chopped

2 Cups water

2 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth*

1 ½ teaspoon Cumin

1 ½ teaspoon Chili Powder

1 ½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Bay leaf

1 Cup frozen Corn Kernels

2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 Lime

2 Avocados, sliced

*To make this recipe vegetarian: Substitute frozen edamame and/or black beans for the chicken. Don’t add the edamame or black beans until the end of the cooking time. Sub low sodium vegetable broth in for the chicken broth.

Directions

Before you go to sleep: place the raw chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, garlic, onion, Serrano, water, chicken broth, and seasonings in a crock pot. Do not add the (edamame and/or black beans), corn, cilantro, lime or avocado in yet. Set it to medium or low heat. Allow it to cook over night: 6 to 8 hours.

After it is done cooking, use a fork to break apart/shred the chicken (while in the crockpot). Add in the (edamame), corn,and cilantro. Cover the pot with the lid and allow it to slowly cool down for 30 minutes. During this time, the (edamame and/or  beans), corn, and cilantro will also warm up.

Serve into bowls. Squeeze in a bit of lime into each bowl and add 5 or 6 slices of avocado to each bowl. You can also add some tortilla chips in, but I love it without chips too. Enjoy!

(Or, store the chicken tortilla soup in Tupperware until it’s meal time. Heat up individual servings in the microwave. Then add slices of avocado and some lime before eating).

Recipe Photo Credits: KiwiConfections

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