As the week ends I automatically get into "weekend mode" which is a pretty way of saying "I try not to engage in anything that requires too much effort"
I normally don't cook on weekends unless it's a special occasion like...when we realize our monthly eating out budget is gone before the end of the month.
Either because you're in a rush or feeling like you can't be bothered an easy fix is always welcomed. Making yourself a fast but delicious meal is rewarding.
For this salad I used:
1 cup of edamame
1/2 cup of sweet corn
1 fresh ball of mozzarella
The edamame was filling and this salad held up to the I'm-not-hungry-by-3:00-PM challenge. I didn't add any dressing but I'm sure a little olive oil and vinegar would go fine with it.
I've been looking into vegetarian hamburger recipes for a while now. I even attempted to do them once but it was a complete mess. The mix was too runny and I couldn't make it stick together. It was chaos.
I didn't give up on the idea though.
This weekend I was decided to find one recipe that would convince me try to make veggie burgers again.
The recipe calls for a food processor but I decided that I could chop up the ingredients so that no processor would be needed. I also substituted the bread crumbs with rolled oats.
I used
1 cup of cooked red beans
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 green bell pepper
1 egg
I tried to smash the beans with a fork but they kept sliding. I didn't put too much effort into it and just managed to smash a few. I chopped the green pepper and added it to the beans. I mixed the oats and the egg. The mix starts getting stickier the minute you add the oats.
I made four patties out of the mix and placed them on a flat surface. This time the mix held well together but I wanted to be extra sure that it would stay that way so I put them in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Once it was time for lunch I preheated the oven and baked two of them for 10 minutes on each side.
As you can see in the pictures my patties were quite chunky but they turned out amazing!
The best part is that no food processor was needed.
I served it on a whole wheat bagel and topped it with avocado -of course- and yogurt sauce made with cumin and chives.
How about you? have you tried a veggie burger before? I want to try and make a lentils version. We'll see how that goes.
I heated the nutella in the microwave for 10 seconds. It didn't turn to liquid but it softens up and becomes easier to mix.
I mixed the almonds, the oats and the nutella and then spread the mix into a baking sheet. Once in the oven i let it bake for around 30 minutes, tossing it around every now and then so it browns evenly.
The final result...nutella crumbs.
I have to say that there is nothing better than having your house smell like home made granola in the making. I prepared this batch last week while I was sick and it was an instant up-lifter!
I hope you're all off to a great start this week! happy monday!
I didn't add any more sweetener because 1. I don't like over sweet stuff and 2. I thought the chocolate would give it a soft sweet touch enough to skip the honey.
I mixed everything together and placed it on a baking sheet. I tossed every 10 minutes until it was brown.
You will see the chocolate wont melt, it will only soften so with a spoon you can break it into almost powder. If you don't want to break it that's fine but it distributes better if it is broken into smaller bits.
Chocolate granola being put to good use!
I think it turned out sweet enough. Heinz on the other hand thinks it could have been sweeter. He solves this problem by adding a little bit of honey to his dish when he has some for breakfast...along with my home made yogurt I might add :)
I've recently found pleasure in making home made everything. If you want to start doing it you can begin by making this easy recipe. Home made granola is really easy and worth all the way.
How about you? Is there anything special that even though you can buy it at the store you like to make it home made? Let me know.
I can say a lot about chia seeds specially to those who haven't tried them. Let me tell you my story with these little ones.
I used to read in other blogs about chia seeds. Chia here, chia there...chia everywhere, Just like quinoa! Hasn't it happened to you? Quinoa is everywhere! Breakfast, salads, bread, recovery runs, fuel food for long runs...you name it, it's got quinoa...or chia seeds.
The problem is here in El Salvador we don't get a lot of things like quinoa. Almond milk just recently made its way to one supermarket and you can only get one kind. There is nowhere to get almond flour or chickpeas flour or agave nectar among other things.
You get the idea right? To get these kind of things you either have to be very resourceful and make your own, be constantly on the lookout at certain stores or have people coming from other countries bring it to you.
But that's ok. I mean El Salvador can live without chickpeas flour it's not a bare necessity.
hehe sorry had to to this!
When it came to chia seeds I assumed they were impossible to get and that having them shipped just to try them out was simply a dumb idea so I continued my life thinking that someday, somewhere, someone would let me try them out.
I was going around living my chialess life when I read this post.
And then my world was turned upside down - or up if I look at it from the bright side.
While I read Gia's post on chia seeds I saw a picture she posted. Never before had I seen a picture of the chia seeds being soaked in water. It looked...familiar.
And it clicked! My mom makes this disgusting looking drink she leaves sitting in the fridge over night that looks EXACTLY like the picture I was looking at.
I picked up the phone and called her immediately. This is how the conversation went:
- Hi mom, I was just calling to ask you about that weird water you leave in the fridge every night.
- Oh yes, I drink it every morning it gives you tons of energy. It's CHAN you know and they are called chia seeds in english.
- What? Mom how do you know this?
- Everybody knows chan gives you energy.
- No, I mean that chan is called chia in english.
- Oh, your aunt looked it up on-line.
- Mom but chan is red I've seen the fresco (a traditional drink here in El Salvador) and it's red.
- (Insert laugh) that is added color to make it look pretty.
It turns out we do get chia seeds and we get tons! We even have a traditional drink here in El Salvador made out of chia.
I went ahead, got some chia seeds and I have been giving them a try since then. I still had not found one recipe that would make me fall completely in love with them until I found this recipe for Blueberry Cardamom Chia Seed Pudding from my newly discovered blog Choosing Raw. As a side note I love Gena's blog! When I found it I spent so much time going through her recipes, opinions, advices. I love how outspoken she is about what she believes in. Passionate people inspire to live a passionate life.
Back to the chia seed pudding. The recipe clearly calls for blueberries but I didn't have any so I just skipped it.
I used:
1/2 cup of chia seeds
2 1/2 cups of almond milk
1 1/2 tsp of cardamom
1 tsp of cinnamon
I mixed the milk with the cardamon and cinnamon then poured it into the chia seeds. I let it rest for five minutes, gave it a whisk with a fork, let it rest for ten more minutes and then gave it a final whisk before covering it and placing it in the fridge over night.
Next morning I was in heaven. This pudding is simply delicious.
The tastes is like a chai tea with thicker texture. I even went ahead and heated some up in the microwave to have as a warm breakfast. It worked great as I topped it with sliced bananas. Yumm.
How about you? have you tried chia seeds? what do you call it chan or chia? Have you tried the fresco de chan?
I want to write about something very personal today. Not that what I eat, the distance I run or how Heinz falls asleep on our couch is not considered personal but I had drawn an intimacy line, a line I am crossing today.
This blog is an outlet and even though I share a lot here I had decided not to torment any reader with unresolved aspects of my life. The problem is right now I have a lot of those aspects going through my mind and ignoring them -both here and in real life- wont make them go away.
I have been giving it a lot of thought (as usual) and contemplating the possibility of addressing it here and as a confront and let-go exercise I'll go ahead and do it.
Here are the things that have been in my head lately:
Mostly there is the big issue with me starting my own business. Heinz has been nothing but supportive but it is me who is having the hardest time dealing with the fact that I am not contributing to our home income. It troubles me and to be honest it is a touchy subject for me. I snap at people who see me as a stay at home -nothing- because I am not even a mom so I can't even use that noun.
I am pursuing my dream yet I feel judged and scrutinized. How is that even possible? How can I do what I love and feel guilty at the same time?
Anyways it is my fault to let it get to me. So I am working on that.
Then there is my continuous worry of getting wrinkles. Please don't laugh. Maybe this thought does come with age but I can't deny it I feel my skin has changed and I am scared to get wrinkles so young. As I explained to someone this saturday I feel that my skin is oily but not hydrated -Hello expression lines- I am researching and applying some creams but I see no immediate improvement.
When it comes to the blog I am worried that I am looking into more elaborate recipes. I am torn between keeping it simple and what I am really into right now.
I am into making things form scratch -just to be clear this is not always the case- but lately I like to make my own home-made food. Not only is it healthier but it helps me make a meal time special. Heinz has a very demanding job and I like to see our time at the table as very special "us" time and I don't see how special time would translate to mac & cheese for dinner.
I also have a new itch. Now, this does not mean I am going vegetarian but I find myself looking more and more into vegetarian/unprocessed/raw dishes. Meat is not a big part of my diet so it's not the fact that I want to avoid meat but that I find meatless options are -to name one- easier to digest. I also believe it triggers a particular kitchen creativity because you have to think outside the box to come up with delicious, rich and well balanced meals.
It worries me because I know that some of my readers are starting out on healthy eating habits and I've always wanted to share practical recipes to show them eating healthy can be easy. I still would like to be part of their support team but I would also like to start creating awareness on food perception and a cleaner diet and that may not always mean easy.
As a note to self I can say this is a time to stop and think. Think for myself.
There is a misconception that a healthy lifestyle is usually diet and fitness oriented but I can tell you from experience it's not. My head is filled with too much information and I have to clean it up. Think of it as a detox diet. I have to cleanse my mind so I can hear my own voice better.
I've been forcing myself lately. Pushing myself to do things I don't want to but also abstaining from things I enjoy just to avoid being questioned. It shows here on the blog too. When my head is filled with worrying thoughts I can't concentrate on writing. So I don't or do it less often.
I know none of these subjects are a matter of life and death...believe me I know...I am just over thinking stuff but hey! if something worries me it can only mean it's important to me so the only way I can make it not-worry me is by doing something about it. Even when doing something only means talking about it. Right?
-Right!-
Now let me leave you with a few photos of what is coming up in the blog. I am very excited about it!
Home made chocolate granola, yogurt and chia puddings snacks that can work as breakfast too. I am looking into a coconut yogurt recipe that might pop up here IF I am able to make it.
I am planning fun stuff to go on around here and I am only hoping you can be part of this IMakeMyself journey.
Have an amazing week and if you are worrying/stressing/over-thinking something go ahead and write it down. That is step one of a mental detox.
As a Salvadorean you don't grow up "loving" yogurt. You just don't.
We have the most either sour or artificially flavored kinds. You learn to eat yogurt because it's "healthy" but that doesn't mean it's enjoyable.
Honestly yogurt here sucks.
I started eating yogurt when I was living abroad and Heinz loves yogurt too so I was able to try what real yogurt tastes like. Believe me it is NOTHING like the yogurt we get here. I love natural yogurt and that is the only kind I used to buy until we moved back. I've tried to enjoy the yogurt I buy at the store but I have to mix it with other stuff so I can mask the sourness.
Apparently I am not the only one dealing with this issue. Cami is the blogger behind Como.Come.Cami an amazing vegetarian and pretty things blog. She currently lives in El Salvador too so that puts her right in runny-yogurt land. When I read Cami's post on home made yogurt -and not any yogurt but greek yogurt- I had to give it a try.
HAD TO.
I followed her instructions and well I am happy to announce that this lady won't be buying any more yogurt from the supermarket.
It was really easy and implies almost no effort at all and if you are desperate like me, trust me, this will feel like you've just won the lottery.
I used:
I Lt of low fat milk
4 table spoons of regular natural yogurt.
I heated up the milk until it was warm enough so I could see some vapor coming out and then let it cool in a separate container. I added four spoons of yogurt and then covered it with a lid. I left mine sitting in the microwave with the light on (my conventional oven automatically turns the light off) just be sure you don't turn the microwave on! what you need is a warm -not hot- place to keep it overnight.
I went to bed and 14 hours later a.k.a -next morning- it was ready. I laid a cheesecloth on a colander and poured the yogurt in. The final step was to let it drain for a couple of hours.
Yogurt doesn't have to taste awful and it doesn't have to be runny either. It can be heavenly if you make your own.
This is the story of how I was saved from my yogurtless life. Give it a try and save yourself too.