Category: Wellness

Szechuan Green Beans, or I Know What You Did Last Summer (and Happy Autumn Equinox, too)

Though I’ve neglected to type and publish, I’ve had a busy summer full of a variety of new ventures. I left y’all right before Easter, with this parting thought:

I’m going to beat the ides and get over the seasonal depression and become newly inspired for Philly, and life, and myself.

I totally forgot about this until rereading it, and with the upcoming change of seasons, this was a perfect time to rejoin the blogosphere. Plus I owed Chrystina the recipe to these Szechuan green beans I made for a dinner party, which is honestly the whole reason I got back on here. If I’m going to type it out, I might as well blog it, right? This led to the inevitable “let’s contemplate the meaning of life” and where the past 6 months have brought me. How did I “become newly inspired for Philly, and life, and myself” as I set out to do? Here’s how, in no particular order:

  • I took a part-time job working twice a week at a restaurant/bar on South Street
  • I started running and completed my first 5k
  • My dad visited me for a weekend and we had one of the best conversations and bonding times over a bottle of wine and live jazz. He’s been one of the biggest encouragements to me lately.
  • I learned so much about the food industry that I decided to continue following a mostly vegan lifestyle even after Lent (yes, I’ve cheated with an Ishkabibble’s cheesesteak at 1 a.m.)
  • I came to believe in magic carpets and made my second appearance on a Broadway stage (technically I was on the stage! Shout out to fellow Harrison School for the Arts grad, Yurel, who is in Aladdin and took us backstage!)
  • I traveled to Arizona to meet my niece, Emilia, for the first time; I am well on my way to being “crazy Aunt Carly” and cannot wait to take her to the bar (never mind that I’ll be in my 40s by that time)
  • I presented a break-out session at two conferences
  • I have been planning my 5 year college reunion at Stetson University Homecoming — wait, what? How many years?
  • I took a summer graduate course in Marketing and met a new friend, made strong professional connections, and developed a pretty decent idea for a company that I wish I had time and resources to pursue further
  • I had absolutely no dating/boy drama. No, really! I don’t think…
  • For the first time, I was drunk at the Phillies game. Solid points on my Philadelphian status right there.
  • I got to be home with family and friends in Florida twice in 3 months
  • Along with a committee, I developed curriculum for a college course
  • I joined Monster Milers, a volunteer group that takes shelter dogs for walks/runs
  • After taking on another side job doing work for a digital marketing and advertising company, I became temporarily obsessed with Reese’s peanut butter cups as result of working on a project for Hershey’s
  • I had one of the best weeks and most relaxing times of my life down the shore with cousins

I guess it’d be hard to argue that I didn’t become more involved in life and Philly and myself in mostly positive ways. Now that summer is ending and the autumn solstice ushers in the cooler weather, a grounding, and of course preparing for winter and the holidays and all, I think I can calmly welcome the longer darkness. I always did love fall.

I have no idea how to tie green beans back into this post, except for maybe adding it into my adventures of eating a plant-based diet, reminiscing of my summer of 2012 trip to China, and learning that cooking is a therapy for me. What really makes this dish is a combination — to taste — of my 3 new best kitchen friends:

favorite cooking ingredients

Sriracha, chili garlic, and hoisin

So, here it is, a spicy, warming, delicious rendition of my favorite authentic Chinese dish. I put it together reviewing a variety of online recipes for Szechuan green beans but didn’t really stick to the book on measurements (as per my usual) so these are estimates. I taste as I go. I also use and recommend all organic ingredients when possible.

SZECHUAN GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Oil (sesame recommended, but I use coconut or olive oil)

1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed and with ends trimmed

1 tblsp fresh minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium variety is recommended)

1 tblsp fresh minced ginger (or powdered)

1 cup chili garlic sauce (or amount to taste)

1 cup hoisin sauce (or amount to taste)

1 cup chopped or halved peanuts

1 tblsp fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)

OPTIONAL: Sriracha

Directions

  1. In an oil-coated pan, fry the garlic and green beans on medium heat until beans are wrinkly
  2. Add soy sauce, onions, and ginger, stir, then simmer for ~5 min.
  3. Add chili garlic, hoisin sauce, and the peanuts and stir until beans are coated; simmer for ~5 min.
  4. Before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro and Sriracha for more heat (Szechuan cuisine is supposed to be spicy!)

Bon appetit! Enjoy the green beans, and enjoy some new things in life, too. ~CkB

How I Learned to Meditate, or Mindfulness of Anything But How Much Everything Costs in Your Big Red Cart

I’ve recently developed an interest in meditation, even though I have no earthly idea how it works or how it helps.  I’ve read articles, I understand the concept, but I don’t get the practice. Since there’s nothing else challenging going on in my life, I thought I’d add this challenge to it. (Sarcasm, of course. I’m adding meditation to help get through other life challenges.)

I attempted a 21-day Meditation Challenge, which went well for the first 3-4 days. Sort of. I had some technical difficulties with the recorded guided meditation a day here or there, but I liked what I did so far. Then a friend came to visit, then I went on vacation (which would have been the perfect time to meditate… oops) and I never got through one week straight. A good first attempt, and even though I was too tired, too busy, too whatever to do the 21-day challenge, I still was interested in incorporating meditation into life.

Someone recently explained meditation a little better to me, and I think I understand now of what I can do with it. Meditation can be anywhere, anything, when you’re focused on your breath, the present moment, the sensations in and around you, and not preoccupied with rabbit trail thought strings, your to do list, or what else is going on in your life. You don’t have to sit on the floor like a Buddha and close your eyes and burn incense and listen to monks chanting and “clear your mind” – in fact, you can’t really clear your mind ever (at least I can’t, but I do like sitting in Easy Pose, burning incense, having my Buddha statue nearby, and listening to Sanskrit/meditation music on my Spotify radio station). I had a realization that, if that is the definition of meditation – to be fully present, undistracted by fleeting thoughts, concentrated on the moment, place, and sensations  you’re in right now — there is one place I can and do meditate.

When I go shopping at Target, I lose myself. I lose track of time while there and after I push my cart through the automatic exit doors, I feel like I’ve escaped the world for a bit, and I leave happy (only because I don’t pay attention to the amount I just swiped on my Target RedCard). When I’m pushing that big red cart through the aisles, I’m not thinking about what happened to me that day, I’m not worrying about when I’m going to get a new job, or if that one guy is ever going to text me again, or if I’m exercising enough, or all the other things my mind generally stresses me out about daily/hourly/by the minute. I’m in my Target zone. In a temple of divine goods that consume my full participation – how do I feel about this shirt? I see it, I touch it, I check the price tag, I envision it in my life, I consult my inner self about it. And usually put it back. I do the same in every department I visit for on my trip – I’m fully present in that moment with my thoughts and feelings about an item, I’m unaware of other people around me (except for the screaming, unhappy child, there’s one in EVERY Target EVERY time I go), I’m allowing myself to be absorbed in the moment and with whatever item I’m considering and how it will impact my life and wallet. Surprisingly, I’m not distracted when I hear my phone whistle a text alert – not now, I’m in Target!

Maybe that’s actually not meditation at all. Maybe that’s mindfulness? Whatever you want to call it, that’s how I’m beginning to understand it. I’m peaceful, I’m in no rush, I’m not thinking a mile a minute about a million preoccupations, I’m there with myself, I’m warm and comfortable, I’m taking a break from life to experience the present moment. Note: I’m not receiving any compensation from Target for this post, unfortunately. I’m open to offers, though. And I’ll have to develop stronger meditation skills at home, otherwise meditation is going to become one expensive new habit! If you have a different understanding or meditation practice, I’d appreciate any other insights. Preferably ones that are free. Namaste. ~CkB