10 MINUTE VEGAN GRAIN BOWL

I suck at cooking. 

I'm not a BAD cook, (at all)- It's just that I DON'T cook.

Living solo is my main excuse, but the truth is I also get super bored with leftovers and am not the type to meal prep. Most nights, I rely on giant kale + sweet potato salads from Sweetgreen to hit my nutrients. However- when I do cook, I love to eat simply and nutritiously. 

I also only cook vegan, with an emphasis on low to no oil in my food. One of my favorite things to make are grain bowls. I love this type of dish because it requires no recipe, is super customizable and can be made in 10 minutes. 

Basic Grain Bowl:

• Grain - brown rice, quinoa, couscous, polenta, farro, etc.

• Vegan Protein - tofu, black beans, chick peas, pinto beans, etc.

• Vegetable - sweet potato, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, etc.

• Dark leafy green - spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, etc.

• Healthy fat - avocado, hummus, tahini, etc.

• Dressing - lemon, balsamic, etc.

This version is comprised of equal parts couscous, adzuki beans, spinach and asparagus, and topped with avocado + lemon juice. (See below for recipe)

10 MINUTE VEGAN GRAIN BOWL

-COUSCOUS (I just made the whole box and added 1 cup to my portion)
-1 CUP ADZUKI BEANS
-3 CUPS SPINACH
-1/2 BUNCH OF ASPARAGUS
-1 LEMON
-1 AVOCADO
-1/2 TSP OLIVE OIL
-RED PEPPER
-LEMON PEPPER
-SEA SALT

Cook the couscous according to the directions (aka boil water, add couscous, cover and wait 5 minutes). Rinse asparagus. Add oil to pan on medium. Add asparagus and squeeze 1/2 lemon on top, then add red pepper flakes and lemon pepper. Let this saute for 5 minutes on medium. Rinse beans and warm up in a sauce pan. After asparagus is taking some color, add your spinach to the same pan (trying to save on dishes here) and squeeze a bit of lemon juice and add salt. Spinach will cook in about 2 minutes. By now, the couscous should be cooked and it's just a matter of assembling everything together. Add sliced 1/2 avocado to the bowl, and squeeze remaining lemon on top. Season with salt/lemon pepper.

Voila!  

START EACH DAY WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

Anxiety- it seems like so many of us suffer with it, yet I still feel the subject is grossly misunderstood, as well as grossly under discussed. Growing up- mental health was as commonplace a conversation as anything, (my mom is a therapist, go figure). 

INTERRUPT ANXIETY WITH GRATITUDE

While my anxiety has been at times, violently crippling, I have been working heavily with the practice of mindfulness in the past two years to try an quell these bursts of panic. Intertwined with bouts of depression, keeping these two at bay is an active and on going practice. It takes work, and it takes consistently checking in with myself to evaluate how I'm feeling and how I'm reacting. 

What has helped me enormously is the aforementioned quote "interrupt anxiety with gratitude." Making lists- both on paper and in my head of the things I have to be thankful for at any given moment. These can be material items (I am so thankful for the jewelry my grandmother has given me), conceptual (I am thankful that I have the ability to think critically and deploy empathy for others), or even more specific (I am thankful for the ability to use my legs and walk where I need to go).

By taking a moment to reflect on the things I am indeed thankful for has been so helpful for gaining perspective when my mind wants to freak out and take me into 'flight' mode. This practice isn't meant to diminish the reasons for being anxious, but rather- to open up the lens through which my mind is tricking me into viewing any situation by. 

One important note- when listening the things I am grateful for, I am conscious never to compare + downplay the fortunes of others (such as, 'I am thankful for my nice apartment, because many people have to live in worse places'), it isn't relevant to the exercise and it also isn't the type of energy I want to attract. 

By no means does this eliminate anxiety from my life- but it has been an incredibly effective technique to gaining perspective and quelling the panic. What are you thankful for? 

INTRO TO MINIMALISM

Growing up- I was the opposite of a minimalist. Going shopping every week with my mom was our bonding time, and I was convinced that I needed to have a new set of outfits to wear to school all the time. 

In 2015 I was kind of forced to try out living a more minimal lifestyle when an ex boyfriend literally threw all of my belongings on the side of the road. I gathered some of my stuff, but the majority of possessions I owned were lost - I didn't have any way to collect it, and honestly didn't have any will to try. After that, I sort of reverted to my old ways, meaning, I spent a lot of money on things just to have them. Going out that weekend? Definitely need to buy a new top, and necklace, and shoes. Have a trip coming up? Really need to get new clothes for that too. I realize now, looking back, that any time I've been overly indulgent in my pursuit of acquiring new items, it has been for deeper issues. What I've learned is that things do not fill a void within. 

Fast forward to 2016 and spending a ton of time reading about things like creating a 'capsule wardrobe' and 'decision fatigue.' What I realized is having a surplus of things brought me down. When I really evaluated, I wear the same colors day after day. Regardless of seasonality, you can catch me in black, white, army green, burgundy and navy. That's it, those are my colors. So why would I hang on to a bright yellow flowy 'going out' top? (That always sticks out to me because I do not wear bright colors and have no idea why I held onto that top for so long!) 

I began by taking everything I couldn't see myself wearing in the next 3 months and putting it into a plastic storage bin. If I particularly missed an item, I took it out and added it back to my regular closet. If not, after 3 months, those items got donated. I did this again, realizing that I had been too prudent in my first go round, this time eliminating more.

Moving at the beginning of the year was the cherry on top of this quest to become more minimal- as I took this newfound empowerment and applied it to all other areas of my belongings- cosmetics, kitchen supplies, nik naks, etc. So many of us fall into the trap of hoarding items that no longer serve us, they just simply sit there and occupy our space. Getting rid of these types of items is such a great exercise in realizing what is important, and what you actually use and brings you benefit.

I could probably eliminate another 25% of my items, but I am pleased to say the number of things I own is very lean. What I do have, I am fully aware of and for the most part, am fully using. Having less in my space has reminded me that items do not define who I am. 

FAVORITE WORKOUT CLASSES IN CHICAGO

The majority of my workouts come from barre classes at The Barre Code, and long walks around the city (or on the lakefront path... my favorite). However- when I'm looking to mix it up or just give myself an extra challenge, these are my top picks:

1) BRAWL @ THE BARRE CODE
Hands down my favorite workout- I love the high intensity of this class and how the kickboxing moves are choreographed into a sequence. The energy is through the roof and the cardio is broken up with a brief strength set in the middle. You will leave sweaty and inspired by this class, it's addictive!

2) WERQ @ ENRGI FITNESS
 This class is basically dream workout- cardio dancing to current hip hop and pop hits in a basement downtown. It's hard not to feel like Britney back in the day at Millennium dance studio while you are learning these moves. The class is extremely fast paced, but the most important rule is to just have fun with it- don't worry about hitting all of the moves perfectly, you'll still work up a killer sweat.

3) BARRYS @ BARRYS BOOTCAMP
I was scared to death to try a class at Barry's, but the energy of this place is infectious and you will quickly realize why it has a cult like following of red room devotees. I may not be a great runner, but Barry's inspires me to give my "all out max" everytime. The instructors here are what really make it among the best, every single instructor is so passionate about what they do and make a genuine effort to get to know their clients.