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

Being Bad 30% of The Time

Photo Credit: Tucker's

Ever hear of the 80/20 rule? No, not the the Pareto Principle or the one defined on Urban Dictionary. (you can pretty much assume anything on this blog has not been also defined on Urban Dictionary). The 80/20 rule I'm talking about is what a lot of fitness gurus and the like swear by. It means eating at an almost pious level 80% of the time and "treating" one's self 20% of the time. It makes a lot of sense to me, except that my ratio is a lot more like 70/30...and you know what? that's totally okay! And if the ratio dips into 50/50 during those summer days when you just can't say no to ice cream after your dinner of grilled hot dogs and potato chips, then so be it! (For a great read on accepting one's self flaws and all, please head to my friend Caro's hilarious and poignant blog) The important thing is to be aware of what's going into your body and to enjoy every crumb and dribble of the naughty stuff when you do have it. Another way I stick to my 70/30 manifesto is my body's own saturated fat/sugar/salt threshold. I can't eat burgers/fries, pizza, and ice cream for every meal every day because I hate how I feel. After I indulge in one of the above, I crave a guilt-eraser if you will. Some sort of healthful food that not only balances out my last not-so-virtuous meal, but also something that actually makes me feel good inside again. Doing something active every day also helps keep that 70/30 ratio in check too!

Photo Credit: Tucker's

Earlier this week, we went to Tucker's-- a must-eat burger joint when you're in OKC. On the nutrition side, these delectable onion burgers have no redeeming qualities. However, the ingredients are local and the taste is uncomplicated and sinful. I don't need to look up the nutrition facts because there is nothing that tastes this good under 800 calories. After enjoying Tucker's the way it's meant to be enjoyed: AKA with a side of freshly-cut fries...I knew I wanted a guilt-eraser for dinner. Enter, the Kale Salad with Dates, Almonds, and Parmesan. On the good-for-you/terrible-for-you spectrum of foods, I believe Kale is at the exact opposite end from Tucker's cheeseburgers. This Kale salad, however, is truly delicious-- in its own, non-cheeseburger way!

Photo Credit: Me

Guilt Eraser: Kale Salad with Almonds and Dates

Serves 3

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 shallot, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bunches kale, stems removed, leaves chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup sliced almonds

8 dates, pitted and chopped

2 1/2 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a peeler

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper flakes.
2. Add kale; toss well. Let sit 20 minutes. Mix in oil. Refrigerate for up to 1 day, or serve immediately.
3. In a dry pan, toast almonds over medium heat, tossing constantly, until color deepens, Don’t allow the burner to get too hot, or you might scorch the almonds. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add almonds, dates and Parmesan to kale; serve.

Recipe adapted from: SELF Decemeber 2012 by Zoe Singer