Monthly Archives: July 2012

Vegetables in Coconut Milk Recipe

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It’s that time again!  Another delicious recipe coming your way for Meatless Monday.  I’m totally craving Thai food today, so I’m serving up Vegetables in Coconut Milk.

This is super quick & tasty.  Prep + cook time is about 35 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 medium eggplant, diced
  • 1 medium sweet potato, diced
  • 4 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • Pound and a half of fresh asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (I like A Taste of Thai Light Coconut Milk)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Heat vegetable oil in a wok.  Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the eggplant, sweet potatoes and 2 teaspoons of water, cooking for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Stir often!

Add the green beans, cover, and steam for 4 minutes.  Shake the wok during cooking to prevent the green beans from sticking.

Add the asparagus & coconut milk and cook until the asparagus is tender (about 3 minutes).  Add the fish sauce, baby spinach, and basil leaves.  Toss until the spinach and basil have softened.  Serve alone or over brown rice.  Add a little chopped basil on top for garnish.  Enjoy!

Other recipes you may enjoy:

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Quinoa with Shiitake Mushrooms

Easy Peasy Roasted Vegetables

Learn more about Meatless Monday!

 

 

Chocolate For Breakfast?

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As a chocolate lover & serious sweet tooth, I almost always prefer something sweet vs. savory for breakfast.  French toast with fresh berries, chocolate chip pancakes… bring it!!

As I was reading my issue of Fitness magazine this month, this question caught my eye…

“Is it unhealthy to eat chocolate at breakfast?”

Chocolate for breakfast?

I was happy to read that new research shows having a treat in the morning can help you from going overboard on sweets later in the day.  The trick?  Limit yourself to a few chocolate chips in your yogurt or pancake batter.

Don’t go crazy with a chocolate donut or chocolate croissant every morning!

Looking for an on-the-go chocolate breakfast option?

My personal favorite are Luna Bars in Chocolate Peppermint Stick.  I must not be alone in this, because it is almost impossible to find this flavor in stock anywhere anymore!  These are a good option with 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber in every bar.  These also have less sodium per serving than than calories.

My golden rule for choosing snack bars (and other packaged foods as well)?  Shop for items where the amount of sodium (in milligrams) per serving does not exceed the number of calories in the serving.

 

 

 

Meatless Monday Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta

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I found this delicious veggie pasta recipe at RealSimple.com and wanted to share as today’s featured Meatless Monday dinner idea.  This recipe serves 4 and takes about 35 minutes to put together.

Photo & recipe courtesy of Real Simple magazine

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound spaghetti
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
  • grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 450° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
  2. Meanwhile, on 2 rimmed baking sheets, toss the eggplant, onion, bell pepper, and garlic with the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Roast, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the vegetables are golden brown and very tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
  3. Add the vegetables, tomatoes, and reserved cooking water to the pasta and cook over medium heat, tossing, until the liquid coats the pasta, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the oregano and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

P.S., if you like more cheese, sprinkle some feta on top for even more flavor!

 

Meet Me at the GoalSponsors Beta Launch Party on Sunday July 22!

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Hello peeps!  Super excited about today’s post!  This week I’ve been planning some pretty cool giveaways for GoalSponsors Beta Launch Party this Sunday, July 22nd at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto.

If you are in the Bay Area, you have got to come to check out the party, enter to win some pretty fabulous prizes, and maybe even get on TV?  Not a bad way to spend two hours on a Sunday, right?  Here’s the info:

I am excited to be a GoalSponsors sponsor!  If you have a health & fitness goal & need a partner to motivate and guide you along your path to success, I’d love to work with you.  You can watch my GoalSponsor video here:

Come to the event, meander over to my booth, and sign up to work with me!

I’ll also be raffling off some awesome prizes, including:

  • A Lululemon gift card
  • The most awesome non-slip headbands you can find anywhere, donated by the fabulous folks at SPARKLY SOUL

 

Sparkly Soul has also kindly provided a coupon code for the event!  You’ll get 20% off your entire order with this promo code from Sparkly Soul.  Stop by my booth on the 22nd, and I’ll give you the code! :-)

I hope to see you there!!

Veggie Spring Rolls

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I’m all about salads in the summer, however I’m a little bit obsessed with fresh spring rolls these days.  The fresh, crunchy veggies and cool minty goodness in the same bite — I’m sold!

I thought it would be fun to try making them at home.  I found this recipe in the latest issue of Natural Health magazine, then modified slightly. The following recipe makes 16 spring rolls.  Here is what you need:

 

For the rolls:

  • 2 ounces rice noodles
  • One half head of green cabbage, julienned
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1 bunch sliced scallions (just the green part)
  • 15 chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 12 chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
  • 2 packages of rice paper wrappers

For the dipping sauce:

  • Juice of one lemon
  • Juice of one lime
  • Juice of one mandarin orange (aka California Cuties) :-)
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 cup soy sauce (I prefer Japanese low-sodium soy sauce from Yamasa)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts (optional)
  1. Fill a shallow bowl with hot (NOT boiling) water. Soak rice noodles in water until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
  2. To make the dipping sauce, whisk all ingredients (except the peanuts) together in a bowl & set aside.
  3. Fill a shallow dish or pan with hot, but not boiling, water. Submerge 1 spring roll wrapper until softened (about 20 seconds).
  4. Remove and flatten on a cutting board or designated assembly area.
  5. Add 1/2 cup of the filling and a small handful of the rice noodles to rice paper.  Lift the edge closest to you and fold the rice paper up and over the filling.  Lastly, fold the right & left sides toward the center and pull towards you as you roll it up like a burrito.
  6. Repeat until you have used all of the filling & noodles.
  7. Cut into thirds just before serving.  Note: the spring rolls can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 hours if you are not planning to serve right away.
  8. If using, sprinkle crushed peanuts on top of dipping sauce. Serve with sauce on the side.  Enjoy!
Great for Meatless Monday, or any day!

 

Other vegetarian recipes you might like:

 

Are you following along with our FREE 21-Day Clean Eating & Fitness Challenge?  Like Wellness Science on Facebook & get a new FREE healthy living tip every day of the challenge.

 

How to Get Your Happy Fix

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The last few weeks have been incredibly busy for me, but also incredibly fun.  There were the three weeks in Asia, then that trip to Vegas, then the 4th of July…

Then, I hit a bit of a slump this week and it started to feel…well…icky.  Some weeks, I relish my alone time to do… whatever I want!  In fact, not too long ago, I wrote The Benefits of Spending Time Alone where I talked about exploring Tokyo.  This week, I realized I needed to come up with something on my own to fuel my happy fix.  So I started to think about things that get me into my flow…that feeling of total engagement where you don’t notice time or anything else.

 

What gets you into your flow may not come to you right away.  Think about something you used to do when you were younger.  For me, I find it is tapping into the creative side of my brain.  For years, I worked in an environment where I used my analytical side almost exclusively.  One of my outlets years ago used to be making wedding and party invitations.  At the end of last year, I discovered Nia, and it reminded me how much I loved to express myself through dance.

Whatever it is for you, don’t be afraid to try it again…maybe in a whole new way.  If it makes you feel connected to something, it will make you feel better.  That’s what fuels your happy fix.

What’s the special thing that puts you into your flow?  Tell me about it below this post.  It may inspire someone else’s happy this week!

You may also want to read:

What Makes You Smile?

5 Things You Can Do To Feel Better Instantly

Did you see this week’s newsletter?  If not, you can read it here.

 

 

Smoothie Recipes to Run For

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Happy Monday!  Welcome to Day 1 of your 21-Day Clean Eating & Fitness Challenge.  Following along with us is simple… and FREE!  Simply check out the Wellness Science Facebook page first thing in the morning every day for 21 days for your Daily Challenge.

Since today’s challenge was to go meatless in honor of Meatless Monday, I wanted to feature this awesomely curated list of smoothies that I found on the Lululemon blog written by Allessia (Thank you Allessia!)

Smoothies are a great way to start your day.  You can pack in your servings of fruits, veggies, and protein and take it to-go if you need to.

These smoothies will keep you feeling cool as you kick your fitness into a higher gear.  So without further delay, here are 13.1 smoothies for 13.1 miles (with links to their recipes):

smoothie recipes

Photo courtesy of lululemon.com blog post by Allessia

1. Green Machine Smoothie – Whole Living
2. Cherry Almond Vanilla Smoothie – Running To The Kitchen
3. Kale Spinach and Pear Smoothie – Joy The Baker
4. Tropical Green Smoothie – 52 Kitchen Adventures
5. Preet’s Special Smoothie – Yyoga + OrganicLives
6. Power Protein Smoothie – Whole Living
7. Mango Coconut Water Smoothie – Whole Living
8. The Mojito Smoothie – My New Roots
9. Crunchy Coffee Fix – Runner’s World
10. Banana Oat Smoothie – Martha Stewart
11. Pineapple and Banana Smoothie – Whole Living
12. Key Lime Pie Protein Smoothie – Peanut Butter Fingers
13. Gingered Beet Smoothie – With Style & Grace
13.1 Raw Blizzard – Rawified

I can’t figure out which one I want to make first!  Let me know which one is your favorite!

 

 

Being Inspired By The Ordinary

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“Things don’t have to be extraordinary to be beautiful. Even the ordinary can be beautiful.”
― Wicker Park

When I was younger, it took something truly extraordinary to inspire me.  As the years have passed, I look for inspiration in the little things — the day-to-day.

Some ordinary moments that inspire me are:

1) Driving my car on the open road on a beautiful clear, sunny day.  I am truly blessed to live where I do. When I get past the road construction and traffic and find a stretch of road on a clear day, the feeling is something I can hardly put into words.  I was driving back from SFO airport the other day on the 280.  The views of the citylines and the hills and the sky were just breathtaking.  It made me want to go for a run and just enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.

 

2) The smell of coffee in the morning  I am a sucker for a good cup of coffee.  I taste coffees like some people taste wine!  The smell of freshly roasted beans being ground is intoxicating to me.  I think I enjoy the smell more than actually drinking the coffee itself.

3) Bringing home fresh flowers.  I picked up the most beautiful dahlias and Bells of Ireland at the Los Altos Farmer’s Market yesterday.  It amazes me how something so simple can be so beautiful and put a smile on my face for days.  It’s like art in a vase — Love it!

fresh from the los altos farmer's market

Every ordinary day is filled with extraordinary moments.  What ordinary things give you inspiration?

Karen’s Homemade Salsa

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Last night, we did a little impromptu summer grilling.  We had tortilla chips to snack on, but I realized that I didn’t have any canned salsa in the pantry.  I had canned tomatoes and fresh cilantro that I’d picked up at the farmer’s market on Thursday, so I figured I would try and whip some up myself.

I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it turned out and how quickly I was able to put it together.  I thought this was a must share for summer & a perfect quick & easy Meatless Monday recipe.

easy salsa recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 14-oz can organic diced tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • Lime juice (from 1/4 of small – medium lime)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.  Puree until desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips & enjoy!

Looking for another great and easy dip to serve?  You might also like:

Easy Guacamole

 

 

 

 

Want to learn more about Meatless Monday?  Click here.