Thoughts for your Thoughts (Volume 2)
Thoughts for your Thoughts (Volume 2)
A random newsletter where I update you on all the stuff I've been consuming lately in hopes that you'll check them out 😈
Greetings from cold and snowy Minnesota! We are currently in the midst of a winter storm, but overall the weather this winter has been straight up bizarre. We’ve had days where the high was in the 40s and days filled with rain, followed by days where the temperature fell below zero and it snowed for hours. Every step feels treacherous outdoors right now because you are literally walking on a few inches of fluffy snow that sits on top of a solid six inches of packed, hard-as-rock ice. Shout out to my YakTrax for helping keep me upright! They are easily one of the best purchases I made this season and I highly recommend them to anybody who lives in an icy environment :)
Okay, enough about the weather, that’s not why you are here lol. Upon the end of my social media hiatus, I was *immediately* back on my bullshit aka I was/am spending too much time on my phone again. I am trying to find ~balance~ but it is hard because I have formed many connections (on instagram in particular) that I want to continue to nourish. I also recognize that I am ANXIOUS during this season of my life and scrolling helps distract me from my woes, helping to keep me from panicking about all the things including our upcoming trip to Colombia. Anyways, it is a constant work in progress and I have no good tips or answers yet, just wanted to word-vomit about where I am at in regards to my relationship with social media.
And now, let’s get into the good stuff! Let’s talk about books, babyyyyyy!
Solito by Javier Zamora was a memoir that moved me to tears. Javier writes about being nine-years-old and traveling three-thousand-miles from his home country of El Salvador to America where he hoped to be reunited with his parents. He details the dangerous conditions he endured during his journey and he talks about the strangers that risked their lives and safety to help him along the way. It was an incredible book that I highly recommend! Shout out to @lupita.reads on IG for putting it on my radar.
Author Javier Zamora in a portrait taken by Gerardo del Valle next to the cover of his memoir, Solito (Source: kqed.org) I’ve mentioned it before, but I am (slowly) writing a book! It is a murder-mystery of sorts, in the same vein as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn so I decided to reread the novel since it’s been a decade since it was first published and nearly as long since I read it. I wanted to see if it was as good as I remembered it being, if it stood the test of time. Spoiler alert: it still slaps! There’s a reason that even ten years later, new releases still have blurbs that mention Gone Girl—it truly is one of the best of its kind! I’m going to watch the movie adaptation soon, which will also be fun because I have no recollection of ever watching it but my husband swears we did lol.
52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time by Annabel Streets was a very informative and fun read. Walking is easily my favorite form of exercise, and this book gave me ways to change up my walks so that they have an even greater impact on my health. Each chapter gives examples of different things to try or consider when walking, like how walking backwards may help with knee pain or walking in the morning sun can help you get a better night’s sleep or taking a stroll in the cold can help improve mental clarity. Each chapter is only a few pages long, making it the perfect nightstand book for when you are tired but still want to read before hitting the hay.
Not a reader? No problemo! I have TV recommendations too!
I love Adam Scott because of his role as Ben Wyatt in Parks and Rec, and I love him even more after watching him crush it in a more serious role in Severance. In the Apple TV series, Adam Scott plays Mark, who is employed on the severance unit at a corporation. People employed on this unit have had surgery so that they are unable to recall their personal lives while at work and once they exit the office, they are unable to recall what they do for work either. The show is WEIRD, but so good. A sci-fi, dystopian thriller—it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Can’t wait for the next season!
The Last of Us is a series about a global fungal pandemic that destroys civilization, a 14-year-old girl who may be the key to saving humanity, and the troubled man who is helping her. It also features some terrifyingly fast zombies. If you like to think about the fragility of society and enjoy being emotionally wrecked by fictional characters, this HBO Max show is perfect for you! The series is actually based on a video game, and I wish I could handle all of the jump scares that come with zombie games because I bet it would be a fun one to play.
A new episode of Poker Face streams on Peacock every Thursday. The series stars Natasha Lyonne (you know, the redhead from Orange is the New Black) as Charlie Cale, a woman who can detect when someone is lying and who is on the run after this talent lands her in some murky mess. Each week brings a new cast of characters and a new crime that Charlie can’t help but involve herself in so that she can solve it. The show is fun, and even though each week is getting a lil’ more predictable & a lil’ more on-the-nose, I’m gonna continue watching until the very end.
And last, but not least, recipes that get my stamp of approval!
We are just over a month out from Ben’s stem cell procedure (eeeek!!!!!!) and that means we are eating an anti-inflammation diet at casa de JoBen. Basically, this means avoiding processed foods and eating mostly vegan. I have definitely improved as a homecook the last year, but I have been making recipes that call for lots of butter, cheese, meat, and refined carbohydrates. I wasn’t sure I would be able to cook a delicious meal without these ingredients, so I checked out a whole stack of cookbooks from the library and got to work finding recipes that were either vegan/anti-inflammatory *or* could be easily modified.
I ended up finding lots of recipes that I am excited to try! Here are a few recipes I have made recently and LOVED!
Slow Cooker Coconut Chickpea Curry—This recipe is adapted & modified from a recipe found in the CookingLight Everyday Slow Cooker book. It’s the first curry I have ever had so I can’t attest to the authenticity of the taste, but I can attest to the fact that it is very delicious!
To start off, dice 1 large yellow onion and sauté it in a pan for ~5 minutes or until onion is tender & translucent. Add in 4 cloves of minced or grated garlic and cook for ~30 seconds. When it is done cooking, add the mixture to your slow cooker.
Drain and rinse 3 (15.5 ounce) cans of chickpeas, and then add them to your slow cooker. Add in 3 (14.5 ounce & UNDRAINED) cans of fire-roasted tomatoes. Add 3-4 tablespoons of red curry paste. Add 1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk, shaken & stirred. Add the juice of 1 lime.
Stir everything together and season to taste! I added in some extra sriracha, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ground coriander. You can also add in extra curry paste and/or tomato paste to get a deeper color & flavor.
Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or until the flavors ~blend together~ and then stir in 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve over cooked rice and garnish with cilantro leaves and/or lime wedges.
A plate of coconut chickpea curry served over brown rice with a side of asparagus. YUM!
Jammy Peppers—This recipe is adapted & modified from a recipe found in the OTK Extra Good Things cookbook. In the original recipe, you make brown rice & black beans to go with the peppers, and it’s pretty time intensive for a rather bland end result IMO. That portion of the recipe is nothing to write home about *BUT* the jammy peppers that top the rice & beans— well they are divine and I’d eat them on anything!
To start off, peel & half & thinly slice 2-3 onions. Thinly slice 2-3 red peppers, discard the stems & seeds. Mince or finely grate 6-8 cloves of garlic.
Put ~6 tbsp of olive oil in a medium sauté pan (the pan needs to have a lid that fits too!) and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for ~5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Add the peppers and a healthy pinch of salt, cook for ~6 minutes until softened. Turn heat to low and stir in the minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp of water, and some fresh cracked black pepper.
Cover the pan with the lid and cook for ~30 minutes, stirring a few times, until the mixture is soft. Serve cold or at room temp.
Slow Cooker White Chickpea Chili—Okay, this recipe is a mish-mash of a bunch of random white chicken chili and vegan chili recipes that I’ve found on the ol’ internet. Every time I make it, it is slightly different based on what ingredients I have on hand. What can I say, I am a frugal lady who hates food waste 😎 See below for the general recipe that I follow.
Dice up a yellow onion and saute in olive oil for ~5 minutes until soft & translucent. Add in 4 cloves of minced or finely grated garlic and cook for ~30 seconds or until fragrant. Add that mixture to your slow cooker.
Drain and rinse 2-3 (15.5 ounce) cans of chickpeas and add to slow cooker. Drain and rinse 2-3 (15 ounce) cans of beans of choice and add to slow cooker. Add in 2 (4 ounce) cans of diced green chilies. Add 1 cup of frozen corn. Add 2.5 cups of vegetable or chicken broth. Add in 3-4 (14 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes. Squeeze some lime juice in & toss in a handful of chopped cilantro.
Season mixture with salt & pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, garlic & onion powder, or whatever spices you enjoy. This is your chili so season it to YOUR taste :)
Cook on LOW for 4 hours or until flavors are blended. Then stir in 3/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk *or* a block of cream cheese *or* 3/4 cup of heavy cream *or* 3/4 cup of unsweetened nut or oat milk. Let cook for ~45 minutes longer and top with chips, avocado, cilantro, pickled onions, or whatever toppings YOU enjoy.
****Chili is a good way to use up random stuff that’s about to go bad. For example: if I have an open bag of spinach wilting away, I toss it in with the rest of the ingredients. A nearly empty container of sour cream or plain greek yogurt? Cool—lemme scrape the sides and put it in the pot too. Have fun with it, get creative, and see what food waste you can prevent :)
Annnnd that’s a wrap! Thank you for reading—I hope you found a new book to add to your TBR list, a new TV series to watch with your BFF, or a recipe to try out! If you’d like to further support this newsletter consider sharing it with a friend with a recommendation to subscribe :)
