Cooking Creative

Ahhh yes my daily struggle... trying not to get bored with meals when I have so few foods to choose from. I've been on an elimination diet for a while, meaning (for me personally) no eggs, beef, pork, legumes, raw vegetables (unless juiced), oranges, gluten, spices (!), nuts, seeds etc. I'm on this diet for the time being to help my digestive issues heal.
So, since I'm always in a rush to make my meals (student life!) I usually stick to thin chicken breast fillets or fish plus vegetables, possibly with a side of rice or rice noodles. Requires minimal preparation and is super quick. But, as you can imagine, I get extremely bored with this meal combo. Today's supper was a little more unique, so I'll share it with you. Best of all, it's done in 20 minutes.

Cashews and Veggies with Quinoa:

1. Cook the quinoa! (Rinse the quinoa first) I used 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water. You can also use stock for more flavor. Takes about 15 minutes.
2. After getting the quinoa going, steam the vegetables. I used from frozen carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, so there was no chopping preparation to do. Because I can't have raw nuts, I also steamed the cashews with the vegetables. I also threw in some frozen chopped parsley, just because.
3. Wait for the timer to go off! Everything was done at the same time, which makes me incredibly happy. Eat up :)
Bonus: sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top for a mild cheesy flavor and a boost of vitamins!!

Protein from cashews and quinoa
Fats from cashews
Carbs from veggies and quinoa

Having the occassional vegetarian (or vegan) meal is extremely healthy & is a nice change of pace. I hope this "recipe" inspires you to think vegetarian today and realize it really is just that easy!

Stress Management Tips

For me, this weekend was one of the more stressful ones, because I have 3 exams coming up this week. I realize I'll be stressed out until the last midterm of this week is done on Thursday. That's midterm season though, it's to be expected as a university student.

"Some of the negative physiological consequences of ongoing stress include hypertension, high levels of muscle tension, and lowering of immune system defenses" (Baghurst and Kelley, 2014).

The connection between stress and the immune system is well established - this is why we often get sick when it's so important to be at our best, for example during exams.

To reduce stress:

• Exercise! Cardiovascular physical activity is especially good to reduce the effects of stress
• Meditation or other relaxation techniques can be just as helpful (stress management)
• Study breaks, generally recommended to be approximately every hour

Stress management techniques and physical activity were analyzed by Baghurst and Kelley (as well as other studies) to significantly reduce test anxiety, personal burnout and perceived stress in college students.

Animals tend to be a great study break partner - whether cuddling with your pet or watching birds feed. These are pictures of my study break partners today that visited outside my window:

This guy was always on the look-out

He ate lots - and stayed longer than any other bird

Peek-a-boo!

Does anyone know what kinds of birds these are??

Reference:

 Baghurst, T., & Kelley, B. (2014). An Examination of Stress in College Students Over the Course of a Semester. Health Promotion Practice, 15(3), 438-447. DOI: 10.1177/1524839913510316 

<3 Jessica