Why does unhealthy taste so #*$#@!% good?

I ask my friends, my mum, my sister, and my fiancé this question. Sometimes I ask this question mid-pain-au-chocolat-bite or post-pasta-massacre (as in, I killed all the pasta on my plate). But in all seriousness: How are humans-- the arrogant over-achievers of evolution-- so vulnerable to the dangers of cookies, cheese, and bread?! We humans have no natural predators (other than ourselves), and, yet, come 3:00pm those oreos seem like the closest thing to just that. The issue is that our love affair with food has outpaced the evolutionary tweaks needed ever since we stopped having to run after and shank our food. 200,000 years ago our Neanderthal ancestors didn't live the cozy life of being able to stock up on food at the local Piggly-Wiggly, and foods high in fat, sugar, and salt were rare. When they did find those paleolithic equivalents of a snickers bar, they cherished it and ate up because who knew when you'd find another. Fast forward a quarter of a million years and our brains are still hard-wired to cherish and gobble that [actual] snickers bar even though there's about 4000 of them within a 3 mile radius of your condo. Eating healthy definitely has the most significant impact on your physical health when compared to exercise, but for me (and many) it's probably the hardest thing to modify and stick with. Salad is something I rarely want to eat when I'm in my own kitchen, but at many restaurants there are salad magicians. These salad sorcerers can take leafy greens and mix them with random gems like fruits, nuts, and more veggies and suddenly you have a dish that can honestly compete taste-wise with that other delicious, carby, fatty thing on the menu. The trouble is-- most of us do not live with these salad magicians. But...now, you too can make at least one magical salad! On a recent trip to a favorite KC eatery, I begrudgingly ordered a salad as opposed to that other delicious, carby, fatty thing on the menu...and it turned out to be the best thing we ate that night. The next day I was determine to re-create it, and I honestly think I created its exact magical clone! The key to making this or any delicious salad part of your "everyday" is to chop up everything once and store everything in separate containers in the fridge. When it's Tuesday night and you don't have the energy or motivation to be a salad magician, you can just be a regular person and simply mix what you've already cut up. It really is impractical to do all this prep work every single time you want a salad-- so do it once, and reap the benefits of your one-time-only prep work.

The Salad You’ll Actually Want to Eat

Serves 10

Salad Components

3 Heads of Romaine, washed and chopped

1 Bag of pre-washed mixed baby kale and chard

2 Golden Beets

2 Red Bell Peppers

8 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped

Sliced Almonds

Goat Cheese

Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette

½ Cup Raw, Unsalted Sunflower Seeds

¼ Cup Olive Oil

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Honey

2 Garlic cloves

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ Cup water

Directions

‘Da Beets

1. Chop off the tops of the beets. Place them in a large pot and fill it with water to cover the beets. Boil the beets for 20 minutes on medium heat.
2. Once the beets can be easily pierced through with a fork, remove the pot from the heat.
3. Peel the beets and set them aside to cool.
4. Once cool, slice and quarter the beets

‘Da Bell Peppers

1. While the beets are cooking, work on the bell peppers. Wash, core, and julienne the red bell peppers.
2. Toss the bell pepper slices in olive oil and spread them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Roast the bell pepper at 425° F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow peppers to cool.

‘Da Dressing

1. To prepare the Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette, begin by toasting the sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, tossing constantly, until color deepens slightly. Don’t allow the pan to get too hot, or you will scorch the sunflower seeds. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Remove the seeds from the pan and allow them to cool
3. Place all the vinaigrette ingredients (EXCEPT the water) in a food processor.
4. Run the food processor for one minute. Add the water.
5. Run the food processor again until the dressing is smooth and free of lumps.
6. Taste and add more honey, salt, or pepper if you see fit.

Magic Time!*

1. Place your greens in a large bowl. Add some of the Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette to the greens and toss to coat.
2. Add beets, bell peppers, dates, and almonds to the greens. Toss to combine.
3. Plate the salad. Crumble goat cheese on top and serve

*I would advise assembling only the amount of salad you plan on eating immediately. I would not assemble all the ingredients into a salad and then store that. However, you can assemble a salad in the morning, store it in a Tupperware, and eat it for lunch a few hours later.

Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette Recipe Adapted from: Naked Cuisine

Recipe is inspired by the Napa Garden Salad at Urban Table in Kansas City

Long Distance Relationships: A How To Guide (Kind of)

Photo Credit

When I tell people that my significant other and I are doing long distance for at least 4 years while he is in dental school and I am in medical school, the typical responses are: "Oh my gosh! That sounds so hard!" or "Wow! I don't think I could do that..." or "That sounds really difficult, but if your relationship can withstand this then it can withstand anything." The truth is: It is really hard. And if you have to do it, you can, in fact, do it. And sometimes the things that would normally be no big deal for a same-city couple might very well knock down a long distance couple. So far, we've done 3.5 years of living 333 miles apart. I kept my hopes resting on the idea that May 10, 2015 (his graduation date) would be the end of this annoying distance...but alas, it seems there are no guarantees in the world of residency matching. And so the very real prospect of another 3 years of long distance looms ahead. And as tempted as I am to throw a 1-year-old-style temper tantrum and chuck the whole thing out of the window of a speeding car-- I can't. (Full disclosure: I have already thrown the aforementioned tantrum). As several dear friends put it, 'how do you give up the person you know you're supposed to be with because of complicated logistics and inconvenient geography?' And to this, I have no logical answer except that 'you don't.' Instead I have compiled a list of things that helped me survive the last 3.5 years... and possibly the next 3. If you or someone you know is faced with having to do long distance, I hope this helps!

1. FaceTime: Usually this devolves into a contest of who can make the silliest faces

2. Audio Books: These are almost necessary to make the boring trips across The Plains pass by quickly. My favorites over the years have been #1. Bossy Pants, #2. Middlesex, #3. Anything by David Sedaris, #4. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me & Other Concerns, #5. The Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy, #6. The Kite Runner, #7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, #8. The Fault in Our Stars,  #9. Bringing Up Bebe, and #10. The Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale

3. This American Life podcasts & Snap Judgement podcasts: See #2. Simply stated, these are wonderful AND free!! Great for when the library is out of the audiobooks you've been wanting or you can't pay $20 to buy an audiobook.

4. Working Out "together": We loved working out together when we were a same-city couple, but it's hard to keep each other motivated to workout when we're apart. We text each other as soon as we're done with our workouts each day and encourage each other with a 'congrats!' or 'good job, babe!' Also, we have a sort of penalty system going for missing workouts: I must donate $5 to the NRA Institute for Legislative Action and Ry must support fame hungry, albeit entertaining, dregs of society by buying me an episode of the Real Housewives on Amazon Prime. If you know either of us, you'll know just how punitive (and thus motivating) these conditions are.

5. Safe Cars w/ good mileage: If it's at all an option, driving a car with good fuel economy really helps! It gets you to your destination faster and cheaper than a guzzler. At the same time, driving a Smartcar at 80 miles an hour on a highway for 5 hours does not exactly reassure loved ones of your safety-- remember that safety is still the most important thing.

6. A Southwest Credit Card: We don't fly to see each other much ever since the direct route got cancelled, but this credit card is amazing! You get 2 free roundtrip tickets when you sign up and it's pretty easy to continue to rack up more free flights just by using it for daily expenses. Even if we don't use the free flights to fly to Oklahoma or Kansas City, we can use them to go somewhere different and fun together.

7. A Supportive Network of Friends and Family: This is by far the most important tool in your LDR survival kit. Being in a LDR means A LOT of time alone, which inevitably leads to feeling lonely. We've each leaned on our friends a ton to keep those feelings of loneliness at bay. Make it a point to make plans with your local friends and spend time with your family. Go out! Start a new hobby! Don't put your life on hold because you're apart. Being individually happy makes your relationship a lot stronger and healthier. When you are in the same city, hang out with each others' friends. It's great that I can call Ry's friends my own friends too and vice versa.

I'm currently visiting Ry on one of my rare breaks from school. We love to cook together when we can. With Autumn occasionally peaking through the 80 degree weather we're having in September, I decided to make something delicious with one of my favorites-- butternut squash. I'm extremely impressed with the richness of this dish considering the fact that unlike most butternut squash recipes, this one is not swimming in heavy cream or butter! It's very easy to make...and easy to make disappear as well :-) We ate this for dinner last night next to some smoked chicken Ry's parents whipped up in their Green Egg.

KiwiConfections Butternut Squash Pasta

With Crispy Sage and Bacon

Serves 5

4 Slices No or Low Nitrate Bacon, finely chopped

1 ½  Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

1 2-lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½” pieces

2 large scallions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

12 oz. linguine

¼ cup grated Pecorino, plus some shaved Pecorino for serving

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and reduce heat if necessary. Cook until crisp, 3-5 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon onto a paper towel. Discard 80% of the bacon grease.
3. Add the chopped sage to the skillet and toss to crisp it up in the remaining bacon fat. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the sage out of the pan and onto the paper towel with bacon.
4. Add squash, onion, and garlic to skillet; season the mixture with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7–9 minutes.
   
5. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, 15–20 minutes.
6. Turn the stove off and let cool slightly. Once slightly cooled, pour the squash (with all the liquid) into the blender. Keep the skillet—you’ll use it again soon.
7. Purée until smooth; season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
9. Combine pasta, squash purée, and ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid in the skillet and cook over low-medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes.
10. Mix in ¼ cup grated Pecorino, bacon, and sage.
11. Serve pasta topped with shaved Pecorino.

Recipe Adapted from Bon Appetite

Meatballs, baby!

I've never really been a baby person. I did have baby dolls growing up, but they mainly served as my patients to which I afflicted unlikely diseases-- tetanus, measles, and elephantiasis to name a few. Yes, I kept index cards AKA medical records on these dolls and marked the babies up with the appropriate symptoms. I like to think that I've come a long way since my early days as a cavalier play-pediatrician. However, babies still intimidate me. They are fascinating in their tiny-ness and indefinite curiosity, and yet their cryptic sleep schedules and inability to communicate terrifies me. As easy as it would be to swear off having my own kids and commit to the "cool aunt" role, I can't help but wonder if I may regret it down the road. Never has my internal battle been more salient as this past weekend I spent with my 1-year old niece.

After spending the work week busy in the hospital, it seems like a true herculean feet to raise a child while also being a medicine resident. I surveyed some of the residents asking: 'How in the world does someone DO IT?!' The answer seemed to be: 'you just do' and 'there's never going to be a good time.' Then of course I got to spend the last 2 days with my niece, who is all of the fascinating wonderful things that consist of being a 1-year-old and for, at least a little while, those things were able to dwarf the terrifying things. Watching her eat the meatballs I'd made also reassured me that maybe one day even I could sustain another human life and....perhaps even enjoy it...just maybe. In the mean time I will continue to be in awe of dedicated parents.

These meatballs are healthier that your average subbing bison meat for the traditional beef and veal combo. People are nuts about bison meat because it has only 2.5g of fat per serving versus over 10g in beef. It's also lower in calories (140 vs. 215) and a little higher in iron. You can find out more on bison meat here. These bison meatballs are also easy to make because of the baking method. They freeze well, so you can make extra and keep them for the next time you're wanting a kid-friendly, adult-tasting recipe! Enjoy :-)

KiwiConfections Gluten Free Bison Meatballs & Pasta Sauce

Serves 8

Meatballs

1 cup Schar gluten free breadcrumbs

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon red chili flakes

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 /2 pound extra lean ground beef

1 ½ pounds ground bison

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 Cup milk

1. Place the first 9 ingredients in the bowl and mix
2. Add the meat and combine it with all of the dry ingredients (hands are your best tool here)
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce, egg, and milk. Continue mixing the mixture with your hands.
4. Preheat your oven to 400°
5. Form your meatballs by rolling in your hands
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the meatballs on the baking sheet about ½ an inch apart.
7. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes at 400°. The baking time will depend upon the size of your meatballs. I suggest taking the tray out and cutting the thickest meatball in half to see if it is cooked all the way through (no pink should remain).
8. Remove the tray of meatballs from the oven and allow it to cool

Tomato Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ Cup Chianti

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 ½ teaspoons Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

1. Add oil to medium pot and heat over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until onion becomes transparent. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
2. Add Chianti to the pot and scrape the bottom. Allow this to cook until almost all the liquid is gone
3. Add the tomatoes and stir
4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for about 7-8 minutes.
   

Giving Thanks: version 1.0

Facebook, texting, Instagram, emailing, Twitter, Snapchat....this blog! Technology has done a pretty amazing job connecting people better over the last couple of decades. Or has it? The question contemporary sociologists are posing today is: Does having hundreds of followers or thousands of friends make us truly feel more connected or is it making us feel more alone? The growing research points to an actual increase in feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness among those in the facebook generation.1 Why? To put it simply: we're not actually compelled to leave our social media-machines (i.e. cell phones and computers) and go interact with people. The faster pace and increasing demands of work and school only perpetuate the compulsion to stay plugged in. Luckily, there are still wonderful facets of life that prevent us from heading straight  into a world of soma, obstacle golf, and conditioning centers. Girls night, book clubs, classroom discussions, phone calls, brunch dates, pot luck get-togethers....THANKSGIVING! These are a few of my favorite things and things that I hold sacred enough not to dilute with too much tech. Every week I look forward to getting together with some girlfriends and cooking a meal. We take turns bringing ingredients and/or hosting. We catch up, cook, eat, and enjoy. It helps me stay sane. The recipe below is for my very favorite Chicken Pot Pie-- a dish I made at one of these girls' nights. It's part of my Thanksgiving post because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (surprise, surprise), and this is a great dish to make with turkey leftovers OR just because you're around the ones you love and want to show them how much. Although I am ever-grateful for advancing technology, next Thursday I'll be sticking with my non-updated version of Thanksgiving and expressing my gratitude for wonderful friends, family and health in person at an actual table!

p.s. If you do decide to use turkey leftovers, just use store-bought low sodium chicken broth in place of making your own as seen in the recipe below

1. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/09/the-real-reason-facebook-makes-us-unhappy.html

Chicken Pot Pie

Serves 6-8

Chicken Broth:

2 lb raw chicken breast, cut into 3 inch pieces

4 cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoons salt

½ Tablespoon pepper

1 sprig of Rosemary

7 Cups of water

Pot Pie Stew:

2 Cups diced yellow onion

1.5 Cups diced carrot

1.5 Cups diced celery

6 Tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons rosemary

1 bay leaf

¾ Cup corn starch + ¼ Cup cold water

1/3 Cup dry sherry wine

6 Cups chicken stock (from above)

1 Cup frozen green peas

1/2 Cup heavy cream

Crust:

1 package frozen puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Fill a medium pot with 7 Cups of water.
2. Chop the garlic and add it to the pot of water. Add salt, pepper, and rosemary to the pot as well.
3. Place the cut, raw chicken in the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over low, medium heat.
4. Reduce the heat to low once it comes to a boil. Keeping the lid on, continue cooking for 15-20 minutes.
5. Turn the heat off, remove the lid, and allow the chicken and the resulting chicken stock to cool.
6. Start the process of cooking the pot pie stew (directions below). During the step of waiting for the veggies to cook, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the stock. Cube the cooked chicken and set aside. Save the chicken stock (throw out the solids) because it is the stock you will use for the pot pie stew. 
   

1. In a large saucepan, sauté onions, carrots, and celery, in butter over low/medium heat. Once the onions start to turn transparent, add garlic and herbs in.
2. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with ¼ Cup cold water. Stir until a smooth paste is formed. (this step helps you avoid the clumps that would form if corn starch was added directly to the hot pan).
3. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees
4. Once the carrots have softened slightly, lower the heat. Add the corn starch paste to the sautéed vegetables and stir constantly to form a roux.
5. Add chicken stock and sherry and stir to make sure clumps don’t form. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, and the mixture will become thicker. Turn the heat down to low.
6. Add chicken breast and stir to combine.
7. Add heavy cream, stir, and bring the mixture to a boil once more. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until thickened.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir and allow the pot pie stew mixture to cool.
   

1. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper
2. In a small bowl use a fork to beat the egg with the water and set aside.
3. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour.
4. Roll some refrigerated puff pastry to 1/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter cut circles that are ½ wider than the rim of your individual ramekins or mini-pie dishes.
5. Fill each ramekin or mini-pie dish 80% full with the warm pot pie mixture
6. Brush each circle of dough with egg wash and place each circle of dough egg-washed-side down on top of each of the filled ramekins.
7. Cut a small slit in the middle of the pastry.
8. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. Place each of the completed ramekins/ mini-pie dishes on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
9. Bake for 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Decrease the heat to 400 degrees and bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown (another 15-20 minutes)

          Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Adapted from Beth-Ann McFarland-Lyons' recipe at her restaurant Kitchen 324

Photo Credits: KiwiConfections

Getting By

"Getting by" might seem like the mantra of under-achievers everywhere, but when I use the phrase I mean doing your very best to handle/juggle everything life may hand you. For some it's raising kids while working, for me it's school and everything in between, and for others it's the daunting combination of work, school, and kids. Whatever the circumstances are, sometimes just "getting by" or surviving the day is quite a feat and, in my opinion, not possible without the support of friends and family. My parents, sister, and fiancé have all been my biggest pillars of support but my friends are the daily, even hourly providers of comradery and encouragement. Living alone underscores the importance of friends even more-- especially when it comes to the kitchen. Cooking for one is no fun (and since that rhymed, it's probably worth becoming an official "saying"). I'm ashamed to think about the once beautiful bell peppers, plump mushrooms, crisp kale, and nutrient-packed sweet potatoes I've thrown out...Not to mention the food I prepared, got sick of, and left "to mature" a few weeks in the fridge. I've had to learn the hard way that cooking and eating one's food alone is simply a recipe for disaster and waste. Once I started cooking for and with my friends and exchanging dishes, things became much more manageable. The social aspect of eating and cooking is practically imprinted in our DNA and done solo they can become yet another monotonous chore. Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas that I make to share with friends. The flavors are best the next day, and it makes a great lunch you can heat up at work or school. Bonus points: it's great on your wallet at under $20 for the whole meal or less than $2.00 a serving. Whether it's cooking, motivating myself to get to the gym, or studying for hours on end, I get by with a little a lot of help from my friends.

p.s. Don't let the length of this recipe fool you. I made these again last night and timed myself: from start to finish, it took 30 minutes.

KiwiConfections Enchiladas

Serves 8-10

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Cups sliced white mushrooms

6 Cups raw baby spinach

½ Cup finely chopped onion

3 Tablespoons chili powder

4 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

3 Cups Organic, Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 (8 oz) Can Low Sodium Tomato Sauce

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded

2 Cup reduced fat “Mexican Blend” cheese

Directions

1. Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan or wok and heat over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion to the pan. After allowing the onions and mushrooms to cook for about 1 minute, add the baby spinach to the saucepan. Sautee the vegetable until the spinach starts to soften. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool down.
2. Pour the cooked vegetables into a colander and allow the excess water to drain while you make the enchilada sauce.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl
4. Stirring constantly, add enough chicken broth to create a thin paste. Pour into saucepan and add the rest of the chicken broth.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
6. Stir in Tomato Sauce
7. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into a heat safe bowl
8. Add the cooked chicken to the remaining half of the enchilada sauce and stir.
9. Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
10. Heat corn tortillas in a pan or heat them up in the microwave with a wet paper towel on top.
11. Fill each warm tortilla with a mixture of chicken, mushrooms/spinach/onion, and cheese.
12. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam down in a baking dish.
13. Repeat this until your casserole dish is full.
14. Spoon enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
15. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes.
16. Serve and Enjoy
    

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

When in Singapore…

Eat Haianese Chicken rice. Actually, that goes for when you’re in Malaysia or Melbourne, Australia too. For me, Haianese Chicken Rice is the definition of comfort food. The elements seem simple enough, but the flavors are simply amazing. My aunt used to babysit my sister and I when we lived in Melbourne. She had lived in Singapore for a long time and had perfected the signature dishes of the region. To this day, the smell of this dish takes me right back to childhood. That’s why when Ry and I visited Singapore and Malaysia a few years ago, I ordered the chicken rice at pretty much every hawker centre we went to. It’s a universally loved flavor profile, and I love making it for friends and family—it’s pretty and hearty and in a small way it’s part of who I am. Selamat makan! <enjoy your meal>

Haianese Chicken Rice

Serves 10

Haianese Chicken

8 Chicken leg quarters (skin on), rinsed

Ginger, peeled cut into 4 one-inch pieces

8 cloves Garlic, peeled

1 Cup chopped spring onions

2 teaspoons salt

Haianese Chicken Rice

5 Cups long grain rice

Ginger, peeled cut into 3 one-inch pieces

4 Garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chicken fat, skimmed from the top of the cooled stock

5-6 Cups chicken stock (according to the rice cooking instructions)

2 Pandan leaves (also known as screw pine leaves)

Brown Sauce

3 tablespoons Garlic oil (sauté 4 crushed pieces of garlic in vegetable oil to make garlic oil)

3 teaspoons sesame oil

¾ Cup Soy Sauce (use gluten free soy sauce for those with gluten intolerance)

3 tablespoons sugar

½ Cup chicken stock (from the Haianese chicken you cooked)

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

Garnish

Cucumber

Spring Onions

Sambal Oelek

Brown Sauce (from above)

Directions

1. Fill a large pot up with water (enough to cover the chicken). Do not place the chicken in the pot yet.
2. Place the pieces of ginger into the water, 8 garlic cloves, and spring onions in the water. Add in the salt.
3. Bring the pot of water to a boil, then turn of the heat, add the chicken, and cover with a lid.
4. Keeping the pot covered with a lid, bring the water to a boil again on low heat (level 3). Once the water has come to a boil, keep the lid on and turn off the heat. Leave the chicken in the pot to stand in the water for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, bring the pot of water to a boil at low heat. After it comes to a boil, turn the heat off and allow the chicken to stand in the water with the lid on for another 30 minutes.
6. Take the lid off and carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Remove the pot of chicken stock from the stove. Place the cooked chicken on a plate. Allow the chicken and the chicken stock to cool down. Once cooled, pat the chicken dry. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. 
   
7. Add all of the rice ingredients to a rice cooker and cook.
8. While the rice is cooking, prepare the brown sauce for the chicken. Combine all the sauce ingredients except the corn starch in a small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir the cornstarch and water into a thin paste. Add the corn starch paste to the brown sauce and whisk it until the cornstarch has completely incorporated (no lumps). Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool down.
   
9. Turn on the broiler in your oven. Remove the chicken from the fridge.
10. Pat the chicken dry, and place it on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Brush on some of the brown sauce onto the chicken. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Watch the chicken carefully. You only want to crisp and brown the chicken.
11. Once the rice is done cooking, plate the meal. Garnish with cucumber, spring onions, the brown sauce, and sambal oelek.
    

Photo Credits: KiwiConfections