Indian Vegetarian Curried Fried Rice

This recipe incorporates two of my favorite things right now: curry and ginger. The warm and cozy flavors of the two of them together are delicious. I think of this dish as healthy comfort food. I usually double to recipe because its a good one to have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next night. This has even been approved by my 4 year old, so give it a try and let me know what you think.

Indian Vegetarian Curried Fried Rice

Serves 4

2 T peanut, sesame or canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 T minced ginger
1 cup green beans, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 T curry powder
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 T soy sauce
1/8 t freshly ground pepper

Heat large wok or skillet over high and swirl in 1 T oil. Add onion and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds or until ginger is fragrant. Add green beans and carrots, stir-fry for 1 minute or until beans are bright green. Stir in curry powder and stir-fry for 5 seconds until fragrant. Swirl in remaining oil, then add rice. Stir-fry for 1 minute, breaking up rice with spatula until it's well combined with vegetables. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, soy sauce and pepper, cooking until heated through.

Authentic Self Care

So I have been studying nutrition for a while now and a significant part of my training focuses on primary foods. Primary foods are the foods that you don't eat. They are your relationships, spirituality, career, exercise and whatever else it may be that feeds your emotional self. What amazes me is how important and connected these primary foods are to your secondary foods, or the foods you actually put into your mouth. Each day I realize for myself how my lack of primary foods affects the decisions I make about the foods I eat. Keep in mind that primary foods are very personal and will be different for each of us. While one person may exercise 7 days a week and run marathons several times a year, for many of us this is not the solution to meet our needs in caring for ourselves. It is important to accept ourselves for who we are and realize it is okay. Set goals that are attainable for you. Maybe this means walking every day for 20 minutes and breathing in fresh air. It could be picking up a good book for 30 minutes a day to recharge and have some alone time. Lately I have been pushing myself to achieve things that aren't nourishing myself, although my brain seems to think I need to do them to be happy. My struggle with being perfect leads me to set goals and care for myself in ways that aren't what I truly need. Balance becomes impossible. When you think about yourself and what it to means to be happy you always need to remember to be true to yourself. Self care is just as important as eating nutritious foods. I like to tell clients that you can eat all the broccoli in the world but if your heart and soul aren't fed then it is impossible to achieve optimal health and happiness. Right now my primary foods are met with quality time with my family, delicious new green smoothie discoveries and yoga. Take a moment and think about yourself. What does authentic self care mean to you?

Taking a Leap

Not off a tall building, but a leap of faith. Last week I turned in my notice at my current job to pursue my career as a Health Coach. I am following my passion and I am so excited to help people become healthier, gain more energy, resolve their digestive issues, learn what foods work best for them and lose weight in the process. It feels good to follow my heart which I haven't been good at doing in the past (except when it comes to my husband...marrying him IS the best thing I have ever done!). Life is this incredible journey, filled with many ups and downs. In the past, the downs have always thrown me into a spiral of self destructive behavior because I didn't believe in myself. Now I finally have the self confidence to just keep going. I know some people won't be into what I do or like what I say but there are many people out there waiting for me. Watch out world, here I come!
Here is a green smoothie recipe that has been making me happy. I just love the savory taste and the ginger avocado combination is delightful. Enjoy!

Creamy Ginger Spinach

2 cups spinach

1 pear

1 apple

½ avocado

1 inch fresh ginger

2 cups water

From: Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko