Healthy Twists

Hello! How was everyone’s weekend? I had yesterday off for President’s Day so today felt like a Monday, and not a normal one at that, since I was in an all-day seminar all about mobile media that was way over my head. And tomorrow at work we’re doing a press conference in the morning, which is always stressful because we put a lot of work into them, and there is a chance no one will show.

Mitch and I went on a long hike with Nina for Valentine’s Day, which was really nice, but during parts of it I was wondering why I didn’t request “chocolate chip pancakes” instead of “hiking a big mountain” as my activity of choice.

See that guy at the top of the hill? That’s Mitch (it’s harder for him to go slow so on big hills, we just meet at the top. I know, romantic). I don’t know if you can tell but this hill was REALLY steep so I played the “oh, I’ll just stop for a sec to take a photo” excuse game.

I’m joking (kinda). It was really nice to be out in the sunshine, but it wasn’t too hot since it is, you know, February.

And here I am at the top of Mt. Fortuna, rocking my running skirt, doing the “stupid hip pose” and a little too out of it to forget to put down the camera case.

We took Nina, but we think it was a little too much for her because her paws got a little irritated by the end. Just to be safe we took lots of water breaks and went slow on the second half of the hike and I was very happy to blame that all on her.

Look at my dog, hanging out in nature. She was a trooper and slept very well that night. I think she had fun with all those different nature smells, and now we know that we shouldn’t take her on the “full” hike.

Then yesterday, I made a casserole, based of a recipe I found online by Googling “sweet potato chickpea curry.” Mitch is doing the low-carb thing for a few weeks, so I thought I’d go the complete opposite way and make something vegan for myself. It came out well! I stuck two portions in the freezer so I don’t have to eat it every day.

Curried Sweet Potato and Bean Casserole

Adapted from Recipezaar (and Eat Drink and Be Vegan, apparently)

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans (or other white beans)
• 1 (4 oz) can green chilies, drained (I used the “hot” kind)
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used light)
• 1 cup water
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/2-1 tablespoon curry
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients into a large casserole dish. Cover.
2. Bake, covered, for 70 minutes at 375 degree
3. Serves 5

Curries always look so unappetizing but taste so good. Lentil curries especially. Side note: I want real Indian food, stat.

I served this “inauthentic” curry over spinach (you know, the whole Popeye thing) topped with Sriracha. I love how food like this is so filling and nutritious and not that calorie dense. I calculated this meal to be under 300 calories a serving. Not bad!

Give it a try!

I’m going to watch the rest of American Idol and go to  bed. Cross your fingers there’s no political scandal, celebrity wedding, or “heavy” rainstorm that might pre-empt our press conference!

Question of the day:

How do you handle stress at work (or school)?

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