The Poachie Bowl

Happy Thursday!

Today, let's talk about the best quick dinner recipe in the world (seriously!). I'm going to make a bold statement here and say that adding a perfectly poached egg to just about any savory dish instantly makes it swoon worthy. Add glorious chunks of fresh avocado, tangy kimchi, and spicy siracha to that equation? Heaven.



Combine the above mentioned ingredients and add some hearty brown rice and garlic sauteed greens .....BAM...  The Poachie Bowl. Now, I can't take credit for inventing the poachie bowl. My mom used to make a version of this meal for herself when my Dad was traveling for work and she wanted something simple, comforting, nutrient dense, and supremely delish. I don't know about you, but during the week, I don't like to spend much time in the kitchen preparing elaborate dinners. I mean, ain't nobody got time for that! (if you do, please send me an invite for dinner, and I will be happy to enjoy the fruits of your labor... hehe.) My mom and I were chatting one day about weeknight meal prep, and she shared this easy go-to meal with me. Well, she created a monster. PJ and I now have poachie bowls once a week (at least!), and admittedly, I could probably eat this same thing every night for dinner and die a happy woman.
The staple ingredients in The Poachie Bowl are brown rice, avocado, poached eggs, and siracha. The extras (i.e. greens and veggies) can easily be swapped for whatever leftover veggies you have on hand! Also, quinoa works great instead of brown rice, but I personally think the nutty flavor or the brown rice makes the dish. Just sayin' :)

Now, one of the most important parts of this bowl of goodness is getting the poached eggs right. I have had some major fails in this department.

photo credit

BUT... after much trial and error, I think I am finally a poaching aficionado.There are numerous tutorials on how to perfectly poach an egg, but my go to method is as follows:

1. Add a small dash of vinegar to a pan of steadily simmering water.

2.  Crack egg individually into a ramekin or cup

3. Create a gentle whirlpool in the water to help the egg white wrap around the yolk.

4. Slowly tip the egg into the water, white first. Leave to cook for three minutes.

5.Remove with a slotted spoon

6. Drain onto kitchen paper

I have the bowl all ready so I can just plop the poachies on top! Happy poaching and eating!

The Poachie Bowl

(serves one)

• 1-2 poached eggs


• 1 cup of cooked brown basmati rice (or quinoa)


• 1/2 ripe avocado, sliced


• 1/4-1/3 cup jarred kimchi, diced


• 1 cup sauteed greens of choice (my favorite is swiss chard or kale sauteed in garlic and coconut oil!)


• 1-2 cloves of minced garlic


• 1 tsp-tbsp coconut oil


• Siracha to taste


• Optional: leftover roasted veggies (i.e. asparagus, zucchini, brussels)


• Optional Garnishes: sesame seeds, scallions

Saute your greens with coconut oil and minced garlic. Heat (or cook) leftover brown rice. Mix brown rice with chopped kimchi. I occasionally add a small dash of soy sauce (tamari) in addition to the kimchi, but it's not really necessary. Place greens in the bottom of your bowl. Top with kimchi rice mixture, any additional veggies, poached egg, chunked avocado, and siracha. Garnish with scallion and sesame seeds. Now enjoy, smile, and rub your happy belly!

**Note: This bowl can be totally customized.  For example, my mom does not use kimchi in her bowl. Instead, she heats a little sesame oil and adds the cooked rice into the pan and mixes with a bit of soy sauce. Sometimes I add extra roasted veggies, sometimes I don't. It all depends on what I have any hanging around. I will say that the roasted asparagus was a fantastic addition to this epic bowl, and I would probably add it again.

From me to you :) Bon appetit!

Love and Hugs,
Sarah

Who am I?

Hi there my little spring tulips!



 

How are you? I hope that you have been enjoying the slightly warmer temps that have finally graced us here in the Northeast.  As much as I love a good sweater, I am more than ready to not look at them for another 6 months.



Alright- moving on from sweaters to self love. Let's face it- the world we live in- and more specifically the media- tells us that who we are is defined by our physical appearance and how much time and effort we put into perfecting it. People begin to take on their physicality as the main marker of who they are. Have you not identified someone else (or yourself!) as being the healthy eater, the dedicated cross fitter, the perfect yogi, the die-hard gym goer, the always put together fashion maven, the vegan, the vegetarian, or the paleo person? Come on, we have all done it. We are on a never ending journey of self discovery, which we are constantly being told starts with assigning labels to "things" about ourselves. I can't tell you how many amazing people I have spoken with that have confessed they felt the need to get a hobby or a passion project to feel like they have something to tell people that they are interested in. They feel like they need that something to label themselves as.

 



Now don't get me wrong... hobbies and interests are amazing. We can LOVE our yoga practice or putting together interesting ensembles that say  to the world, "Hey, today is a say something hat day!" ( To Wong Foo reference, hehehe). These things can make us feel strong, capable, and creative, which is all good stuff, right? Right. However, I would challenge that these things are not at the core of  who we really are.



I have spent the majority of my adult life allowing food, weight, exercise, and body image to define who I am. Honestly, I wasn't even fully cognizant that these were the measures by which I defined myself. If you asked me who I was, I would take that to mean what are the things that set me apart? My answer would probably be: I'm a diligent yogi, a healthy cooking connoisseur, a minimalist fashion lover. The thing is... what if I broke my legs and couldn't practice yoga, or I had a job where I traveled 80% of the time and couldn't cook, or I had to wear a uniform to everyday? Then who would I be? The point is, these "defining characteristics" could be gone in a second. Therefore, they can't be who I am, but instead, things that I like. There is freedom in this, people. What this means is that you don't need to keep searching for that "thing" to define yourself by. At the core or your being, who you are is already there. You have everything that you need right in that big beautiful heart of yours.

Over the past couple of months, I have been encouraged to make a two lists. The first list was who am I . The caveat was that this list could have NOTHING to do with food, weight, body image, or exercise. In addition, I also listed what makes me feel a sense of purpose. I'm not going to lie, these were challenging exercises for me, but they were so worth it. I realized that striving for labels is unnecessary, because I have all of these wonderful things that make me who I am naturally.  I am going to share these lists  with you and encourage you to do this exercise for yourself.  You are so much more that what you look like, or the "things" that you do or have. Remember, you already have everything that you need.

Who am I?

I am a loving wife

I am a loving daughter

I am an empathetic friend

I am a future mother

I am a compassionate soul

I am a diligent worker

I am a dreamer

I am a person who does not judge or hold grudges

I am an eternal optimist

I am spiritual

I am a learner

I am flexible, adaptable, and I accept change

I am strong

I feel like I have a sense of purpose when:

I am serving

Being a good listener

Providing insight and ideas that help and empower people

Teaching

Learning something new and exciting that I can share

Being authentic and sharing my "imperfections" to help others feel less alone

Giving love

Contributing to a cause that I am passionate about

 

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

 

Love and Hugs,

Sarah

 

 

And after another hiatus...

Hey There!

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate. I hope you have all been well over these past few months. While I have greatly enjoyed yet another break from social media, I am ready to return to my little corner of the blogesphere. On a side note, while I would really love you to continue reading the blog, I highly recommend that you treat yourself to a total social media detox at least once! It's amazing how much time we spend creepin'.  I mean, don't get me wrong- it's kinda fun- but it can make you a little nuts after a while!

Oh, hey there :)

So, what can you expect from me now that I'm back? More nutritious and delicious meal ideas...

a sprinkling of style...

lots of personal self development musings and updates...

 yoga love...

and plenty of cameos from my favorite people...

and animals...

Stay tuned!!!

...and a little spiritual nugget for the road :)