Graduated.

Almost two months since a post. A first on the Meals with Morri site.

I’ve completed the Conflict Analysis and Resolution MS Program. My last class technically finishes on Wednesday, but I turned in my assignment early so I would have the weekend devoted to catching up on sleep and spending time with CK. This will be our longest time spent together, and my first summer spent with a partner ever, so you can imagine my excitement.

A lot has happened in two months. I took six credits worth of highly intensive schoolwork (as in, two graduate-level classes in the half the time) alongside working part-time and full time at my internship. I wasn’t sleeping well. I stopped exercising. I was a nervous wreck. I struggled.

But I did it. I’m done. Now, halfway through my internship, I feel like I can enjoy Malta for the rest of my stay.

I’m a bit behind in recipes, and I’m still processing the post-Graduate inevitability (sound familiar?), so please bear with me. My goal is to resume regular posting in August. For now, I'll be editing the website and brainstorming ideas on how to refine the Meals with Morri focus as well as what in the gods' names I'll be doing as a career.

In the meantime, thank you for visiting my area of cyberspace, and feel free to email me suggestions on what recipes you'd like to see in the upcoming months.

Risotto is an Italian classic, and one of my favorite rice dishes out there. CK and I have made it over Skype and together, and it’s one of those dishes that is easy to make and easy create variations with little to no effort at all. Pea and mint is a fantastic combination, and recipes for this risotto variation can be found everywhere.

Sweet Pea and Mint Risotto

25 g salted butter (or olive oil for a dairy free and vegan risotto)
1 Red onion, finely diced
400 g Arborio rice
1 glass of white wine*
200 g Fozen peas
1 tsp. dried mint
1 L water, hot (preferably boiling)**
Sea salt and cracked peppercorns, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to top***

Finely chop the onion and “sweat” (known as soffrito in Italy) it very gently in the butter over medium heat in a large saute pan or pot.
Add the rice and cook until it has a transparent look (this shouldn't take long) followed by the mint, wine, and peas.
When the wine is more or less gone, add the water (or stock) a little bit at a time (never submerged).
Keep stirring it and keep adding more liquid as it cooks away, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste to see if the rice is done: the rice should be soft, but have enough bite to it to feel the individual grains of rice.
Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese*** on top.

Makes 4 – 8 servings.

*A traditional risotto usually calls for a dry to semi-dry. I had a bottle of Maltese white wine that was sweet but with a dry aftertaste. It gave the risotto a wonderful depth of flavor that harmonized well with the sweetness of the peas and the coolness of the mint.

** One easy way to maintain the heat is using an electric kettle.

*** For a dairy-free/vegan cheese replacement, I recommend nutritional yeast.

Morri in Malta

It’s hard to begin again after such a long hiatus. Graduate school, for lack of better words, is done. All I have left is the internship credits I will be completing in Malta and four more class credits I will complete online or as independent study. 

Malta goes all out around Christmastime

Meals with Morri, I am sad to say, was put on hold. The fall semester was freaking hard. At midterms, I just couldn’t focus. I had to give up a day of work just to have those three extra hours I didn’t have. My social life and my academic studies were greatly reduced because of recurring anxiety attacks and exhaustion. I didn’t rock climb. I didn’t do Insanity. I didn’t make recipes. I didn’t write. But I did get through it with A’s, and yes, it was worth bearing through.

So now I am in Malta for the 2014 year. I have an apartment near where I work. I spent quality time with Mama Dazz for the first ten days while I finished my finals. And for anyone who decides it is a good idea to move halfway across the world and finish three finals at the same time… seriously reconsider. 

Malta is so different than Virginia: an island so compacted with people and history and streets it is easy to get overwhelmed. The culture is vibrant and intimate: everyone knows everyone. The buildings are named, and directions are based on localized markers that only the people who have lived here all their lives could possibly know. And the people are quite possibly the friendliest and most accommodating I have ever met. 

As anyone with health concerns and dietary preferences can tell you, there is more to preparing for a trip than just buying the plane ticket or hotel room. There’s this physical dread of whether or not you will be able to eat anything substantial, whether or not people will understand – let alone know – what ‘[allergen] free’ is. There’s medication and supplements to have the pharmacy pack. There’s the insurance company to talk with about prescription travel overrides. There’s research on restaurants and nearby supermarkets to confirm, and whether or not the plane’s meal options are exactly what you can eat. It can be a downright terrifying experience, and you haven’t even boarded the plane yet.  

But Malta is different. The Mediterranean concept of food – simple, wholesome, and adaptable – reigns supreme here. In a place where a marathon is longer than the country is and the next city is literally next to the one you are in, the term ‘local’ is serious business. Small and specialized markets are found at practically every street corner and parking lot. Depending on the time of day, a produce truck will come by with their freshly picked fruits and vegetables to sell. Orange trees are common sights, and it takes every ounce of my being to not pluck one from someone’s yard to eat something with all of its richness still intact.

Perhaps it’s the feeling that I’ve left behind all the stress, but I cannot believe how many posts I want to write: how to search for gluten free items in a new country; how to turn gluteny Maltese favorites into gluten free delights; my experiences regarding my internship in a conflict resolution perspective; rock climbing excursions; restaurant reviews and EU food policies; practicing and enhancing my photography technique; keeping in touch with the people back home and making new friends; and mainly, how Malta made this gluten freer feel welcomed, accepted, and a little more confident.

Naturally, gelato is everywhere.

Homemade Gnocchi (recipe still in the works)

I don’t know how often I’ll post, considering I’ve never really lived on my own or worked a forty-hour work week longer than a month or two before, but I am most certainly going to try to not let there be months in between. Luckily, I have CK to keep me company until after the holidays.

One Year Closer

I did it. One year of grad school over, and another to follow. I don’t like to think about it very much, simply because the idea of leaving academia in search of a career scares the heck out of me. School was my only focus for months, and as a result my work at the community center suffered, as did my overall health and social life. I wrote my final papers and proposals in a haze of fatigue and tear-filled vision, my walls finally crashing down and hard. How long have I been like this, you ask. Too long, dear friends. Too long.

The Meals with Morri front page was up on the screen of my laptop on a daily basis yet untouched, a neglected hobby you once couldn’t tear me away from. At one point I had so many recipes and photos it took, I kid you not, weeks to get them all down. It’s been over three weeks, and not one recipe was recorded, with only one meal photographed. I didn't even celebrate my site's second anniversary back in April. Something was seriously wrong. 

Mother's Day Dinner: Grilled scallops & crispy polenta salad

I don’t take the idea of depression well. It’s a phenomenon that happens to other people, whereas all I experience is a funk that won't go away. All the stress and the obligations and the things I simply wasn’t doing were purposefully replaced with over-activity and worrying. I wasn’t eating enough, sleeping enough, or being enough… and people noticed. All I wanted to do was sleep and read, a red flag telling me to slow down if I ever saw one. But I didn’t slow down. I just kept going and going and going.

I know I said I wouldn’t use the “h-word” early on in my writing, but I’m using it now. I hated it. I hated that I couldn’t do it all. I hated that people and activities I loved with every essence of my being were left in the dust while I scrambled to make everything work. The past wouldn’t stay where it was, and the future was a mixture of uncertainty and terror. Never mind the present, I said to myself, because if I work my butt off now I will have everything in place for later. That’s the thing about time, though: it’s always the present.

So with summer school starting next week, I’ve decided to change my focus. I’m not working at camp this year, sadly, but I will have the energy to get through school and also spend these months being with friends and family, starting new hobbies, and going on adventures. 

After all, Life isn’t about how much you do but how much it means to you doing it.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Late Night Classes

Grad school. It can be overwhelming and exhausting with all the reading, late night classes, projects and papers, and discussions. In most cases, you have on campus nourishment to get you through the lectures when they’re taking place during mealtimes, usually in the forms of drip coffee and a sandwich.

There are some gluten free options provided such as fruit salads, chips, nuts, and meal bars, but I prefer bring my own food to ensure certified Morri friendliness. That, and it has been a substantial amount of time since I’ve posted a BBS.

Leftovers are the perfect starting point for delicious and filling bento boxes. There was some red and white quinoa and a sweet potato to enjoy, and I was feeling inspired to make sushi. The answer: quinoa nori rolls. Although I didn’t do it on purpose, the entire BBS turned out grain-free and vegan. It helped keep me alert and satiated up until class had ended at 10:00 p.m. 

(And I will admit I beamed at it with pride when more than one of my peers commented on how pretty it looked.)

It's Quiet... too Quiet

There are a few things I’ve learned since limiting my daily coffee intake (currently 120 ml, and will be 30 ml less in a week): one, how coffee had pushed my adrenals; two, how much my body had been pushed and for so long; and three, how my body is truly feeling.

Right now, my body is healing from a lot of abuse I didn’t know it had been suffering.

Last week was the last week of camp. 9 1/2 hours working with children each day put teachers in an all-new light of respect in my eyes (especially those in the K – 6 range). All of Saturday was slept, as well as the majority of Sunday. And then there’s today, my first day of school.

Graduate school, that is.

Despite the hectic workweek and literally doing a one-eighty in my life, I still have been playing around in the kitchen. My first jar of fermented veggies (recipe to come later) was devoured, with the second in the fridge (recipe also to come later). There’s homemade nut butter, soaked black beans and rolled oats, whey just waiting for lacto-fermentation, and finally, a jar of  the remaining sourdough starter I had from making pancakes.

“Homemade” has certainly gone up a notch in this household.

Sourdough Buckwheat Bread

120 ml Filtered water
120 g Greek yogurt
240 ml Sourdough starter
200 g Buckwheat flour
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Baking soda

Combine the ingredients (except the salt and baking soda) in a mixing bowl and cover to sit at room temperature overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Add the remaining ingredients and let it rest for another 10 minutes (it should bloom slightly).
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 12 x 16” baking pan* and bake for 30 – 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for fifteen minutes before serving.

Makes 8 – 16 servings depending on use.

I treated this as “sheet bread”, something to cut into squares and slice in half. It made a delicious sandwich bread option, and it was equally delicious to eat wholly. This recipe would also do well as a skillet bread and flatbread, but monitor the baking time.

Another thing I made with the starter was pizza. Yes, a sourdough, grain-free and vegan crust with a multitude of veggie toppings. Omit the cheese if you must, but I still think pizza was made for breakfast.

Grain-free Sourdough Veggie Pizza

For the crust:
500 g Sourdough starter
120 g Garbanzo bean flour
14 g Coconut flour
1 tsp. Sea salt

Mix the ingredients and let it sit covered at room temperature for twenty-four hours.

For the toppings:
120 g Pizza sauce*
90 g Parmigiano-Reggiano
Veggies, by preference
15 ml Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Press the dough onto a 12 x 16” baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Ladle the sauce in the center and spread thinly, followed by the cheese, the veggies, and sprinkle with olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 400ºF to bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for ten minutes before using the parchment paper to carefully transfer the pizza onto the counter for slicing.
Serve hot.

Makes 6 – 8 slices.

* When I went on vacation to Bedford, the family visited the DelGrosso Amusement Park, a place where rides and Italian cuisine unite! The majority of the their sauces are gluten free, but one particular sauce didn't have added sugar or soy. I had to try it out, and it certainly made this pizza yummy!

Choices

Has it really been a week? Seven days flew by like there were twenty-four minutes in a day instead of twenty-four hours. So much has been happening lately, and because of it I haven’t felt much like blogging.

In an attempt to regain some sort of control of my destiny, I decided to increase my fitness regimen. Yoga has sort of slipped from my daily routine, but rock climbing six times a week along with my attempts to run three miles five times a week (the latter is new) outside or on the treadmill/elliptical has brought much frustration. In truth I was expecting miracles, hoping to see my “problem areas” melt away and a lean, strong, and confident Morri would show herself in the mirror. But because I’m working out more, I am waking up early again, hungry and tired and doing what I can to stay in the present through partially closed and exhausted eyes.

From last Tuesday to today, I have done what I know makes me feel in control: cooking and baking, exercising and eating. But it’s a little better now… kind of.

Looking b.a. with my B.A., but really...

I know I said I finished school in December, and received my diploma in February, but I participated in my school’s convocation ceremony last Saturday. To think I had considered not walking across that stage in my cap and gown, cheering and being cheered by friends and family. Grinning ear to ear, I was inspired by the speakers and their speeches, and I fell in love with my discipline all over again. There was a feeling of closure as I moved my tassel from the right side of my green cap to the left, embracing my peers, both graduating and not. And because of this memory of facing the stage and listening to these beautiful people speak, and shaking hands with the Dean, and being photographed and smiling all the while, I decided to apply for grad school in the Spring.

... I'm freaking ecstatic!

Wish me luck.

I learned this week that life is all about choices, and how the choices you make not only affects you but everyone around you. Sometimes these choices are hard, and you need to see where your priorities lie and conflict. (This is conflict resolution in its intrapersonal form: what are you willing to negotiate or compromise or give up for another priority or choice? Are you even able to?) Sometimes the choices you think are easy turn around and show you another choice that takes you down another path entirely.

We had a full house!

My biggest fears are the fear of regret and the fear of time, (and I’m terrible at decision-making when both choices are equally grand and amazing), especially when I have put upon myself a schedule of the times in my life said choices are to be completed. It’s silly, it’s exhausting, and I’m done with focusing on the uncontrollable things and making the things that are controllable not good enough.

I have a good life with numerous options. I have my education, my loved ones, my health, and my passions. That’s really all anyone can ever ask for. 

There are times, though, when comfort is needed on a plate, something rich and filling, diverse and healthful, and sweet and savory. Risotto (or any rice dish that has a creamy consistency, really) has become one of my favorite dishes to play around with, and I wanted a recipe that had ingredients synonymous to spring.

Sweet Rabbit Risotto

800 ml Water
1 2 lb/32 oz Rabbit, whole or in pieces
1 tsp. Sea salt
292 g Arborio rice
2 Carrots, grated
1 White onion, coarsely chopped
1 Garlic clove, coarsely chopped
2 Green onions, thinly sliced
120 g Petite peas, frozen or fresh
45 g Walnut halves, coarsely chopped
50 g Dried currants
1 heaping tbsp. Dried parsley
1/2 tsp. Dried tarragon

In a pressure cooker (or large pot) on medium-high heat, cook the rabbit in the water (along with the teaspoon of salt) until the meat can be easily removed from the bones (for a pressure cooker, this will take about an hour, while in a regular pot it will take significantly longer.
Remove the rabbit from the water and place it on a cutting board, shred the meat with a fork, and place the meat in a bowl to use later.
Pour the Arborio rice into the rabbit broth and cook as you would normally prepare rice.
In a large cast iron skillet on medium heat, grease the bottom with your choice of cooking oil and add the remaining ingredients (except for the parsley and tarragon) to cook until soft and slightly colored.
When the rice is done, fold in all the other ingredients until completely integrated.
Serve hot over French-cut green beans.

Makes 8 servings.

Looking to the Future with a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

A lot of turning points happened this week. It was a merry-go-round of enlightenment. I went to a resume builder workshop on Tuesday. I roamed a job fair on Wednesday. I facilitated a focus group and partook in a CARmunity meeting on Thursday (As of this week we are officially recognized by George Mason University and the first School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution student organization legitimated by the school!). I went to my chiropractor appointment and walked out with spider technology for my wrist as well as my monthly visit with Cheryl. As for today, I’m writing it down to make sense of it all after coming back with the boyfriend from the pumpkin patch in Delaplane.

Well, that, and also to tell you the joys of pumpkin and my latest smoothie creation.

As I sat in the workshop I couldn’t help but feel so underachieved in comparison to the others. One was in the navy for nearly twenty years and was worried about finding a job. Another worked full time, volunteered often, and managed a 3.97 GPA. Sure, I was part of the BFSI this summer and I helped to create CARmunity with a small group of amazing individuals in both cases. I’ve facilitated talks, simulated conflicts, done extensive research based on theory and practice, attended seminars, and went abroad to Sweden. I have over three years of office experience and a year working in two cafés. I will be working with kids in an after school program part time in the next week or so at a local community center. But after my job fair experience on Wednesday, I feel so unprepared for life after graduation.

I considered grad school, but I missed the deadline for spring due to some mishaps with my grades. True, I have wonderful references, but the Universe seemed to say that I needed to go out in the world and take a break from traditional academia for a semester. So that’s what I’m doing, and I have no idea where I’m going.

The employers at the job fair were mostly computer or business oriented, and one or two maybe had jobs for public relations or human resources. As a CAR major, our blessing and curse is how wide our potentials are. Since my concentration is international (with a little community/organization on the side), I could be a diplomat, run a non-profit, and work for the government. But I left that fair disheartened; no one there was looking for a Morri.

For a brief moment I felt like the world didn’t need what I had to offer, and that there was a lack of belief in my visions and potential. Doubt spread throughout my being like a sickness, a disease that only cooking and talking to other CAR majors experiencing something similar helped put it into perspective for me.

I have this vision, of founding a movement that follows in Busboys & Poets footsteps, a restaurant that promotes to flourish a healthy and cohesive community, one centered on the arts, dialogue, and holistic food. The holistic food part of my aspirations will have a modern take on traditional and comforting foods, that’s allergen friendly, mostly organic and local, and finally (I cannot stress this enough), affordable.

So I keep thinking about that job fair, all those people dressed in three-piece suits with resumes and this air about them I couldn’t relate to, and started thinking I was unqualified for what lay before me. Graduation is closing in, a mere two months away, and I don’t know what to do.

Actually, I do know what I want to do, and what I will be doing. I will get a job helping an amazing organization with sustainable development around food, or something to do with food distribution to those who may not know when their next meal will be, or do field work revolving around food and conflict. In a few years I’ll earn enough money to go to Johnson & Wales or Boston University and learn the art of professional cooking, restaurant management, and hospitality.

I will have my restaurant by the time I’m thirty (or at least something similar). Make no mistake about it, and it will be the most bangin’ thing since gluten-free sliced bread.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake, Trial 1

Now, about my love affair with pumpkin.

I’m sure you know that the wondrous pumpkin is incredibly rich in vital flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants and vitamins such as leutin, xanthins, and carotene. It is a member of the cururbaceae family along with cucumber, squash, and cantaloupes, and is one of the most popular commercial field crops all over the world.

Oddly enough, I’ve found I’ve been craving pumpkin almost as much as I’ve been craving socca (definitely another post of the multiple variations I’ve done since my sweet and savory carrot socca recipe), and I think it has to do with manganese.

True, the pumpkin seeds (or pepitas) are the part of the pumpkin that has the majority of this trace mineral crucial to – you guessed it – thyroid and adrenal function.

According to The World’s Healthiest Foods website, high-manganese foods:

• Help your body utilize several key nutrients such as biotin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and choline
• Keep your bones strong and healthy
• Help your body synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol
• Maintain normal blood sugar levels
• Promote optimal function of your thyroid gland
• Maintain the health of your nerves
• Protect your cells from free-radical damage

And although manganese deficiency is rare in humans, the symptoms include (with mine starred):

• Nausea*
• Vomiting
• Poor glucose tolerance (high blood sugar levels)*
• Skin rash*
• Loss of hair color
• Excessive bone loss
• Low cholesterol levels
• Dizziness*
• Hearing loss
• Reproductive system difficulties*

If you think of incorporating more manganese into your diet, consider using these gluten free food sources:

Excellent sources of manganese include flaxseed, mustard greens, kale, chard, raspberries, pineapple, romaine lettuce, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, maple syrup, molasses, garlic, grapes, summer squash, strawberries, oats, green beans, brown rice, garbanzo beans, ground cloves, cinnamon, thyme, peppermint, and turmeric.

Very good sources of manganese include pumpkin seeds, leeks, tofu, broccoli, beets, and tempeh.

Good sources of manganese include cucumber, peanuts, millet, figs, bananas, kiwifruit, carrots and black beans.

I have been eating pumpkin and socca almost every day and literally cannot get enough of either. Even more interesting is that most of my favorite foods and spices are listed above. Anyway, here, have a piece of pie in a glass.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

8.6 oz (about 1 c.) Canned pumpkin
1 Banana, frozen (or fresh) and halved
4 oz Carrot juice
4 oz Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Place all of the ingredients into the blender and mix until thoroughly combined.

Serves 1, but can easily be multiplied to the servings you need.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Turkey, White Bean, and Quinoa Chili Verde

Yesterday my evening class was canceled, so I was able to come home for dinner and my Bento box was lovingly put in the refrigerator. It just meant I had a lunch already prepared for today, which is great because I tend to get hungry between 10:30 a.m. and 1:10 p.m. (the same time as my three-hour CAR Integration class). And since I’m feeling significantly better than I did this time last week, I think I’ll be going to the gym for an hour afterward. Along with the chili I cut up some veggies and corn tortillas and packed my daily apple and spirulina-nut butter spread combo (as well as a can of wild salmon in case I'm still hungry).

Despite my being a week behind schoolwork, everything is still merging into something wonderful. For one, I can see the floor of my bedroom and my desk is almost completely cleared off. For another, my life after college is coming into focus. At this point, because some crucial grades from my time in Sweden have still not transferred, applying for Grad school may have to wait. I had intended on starting immediately after graduation, but I think the Cosmos is trying to tell me something, and it's something along the lines of taking things slow and to enjoy the ride. Maybe I’ll apply to the various research assistant positions at the USIP or work at a restaurant to learn the tools of the trade. Maybe I’ll join the ranks of some bangin’ NGO or create my own non-profit. If Grad school wasn’t meant to be in January, I’m sure August will be a different story. It’s all about adaptation and timing.

I do my best to stick to other people’s tasty recipes (heck, my own), but sometimes I either don’t have a particular ingredient or don't have enough of it, and I tend to add and subtract others as I go. Sometimes it doesn’t go as I expected it to, but usually the result is extremely delicious and post-worthy. The philosophies found in cooking can be relative to those in life. So if something just isn’t going to happen no matter how hard you try or want it to, find something that will. You can always go back to it when you’re ready.

This Bento Box Snapshot comes with a recipe. It must have been Monday (getting sick turns days into one consecutive day) when I decided to try my hand at white chili, but ended up adding more chili powder than I had planned to and turning it flamingo pink. So it wasn’t white chili by definition, but it was very different than the chili we usually make. It wasn’t exceptionally spicy though there was a nice kick from the jalapeño and green chile, and there was a delicate sweetness the cut-up apple provided to balance it. The tomatillos that I replaced the tomatoes with gave it a green undertone beneath its pinkish coloring, and the ground turkey made it light but still comforting to the tender stomach. It also was a great dish to use up all that leftover quinoa we had.

Turkey, White Bean, and Quinoa Chili Verde

 3 tbsp. Olive oil
1.25 lb Ground turkey
2 lb Tomatillos, coarsely chopped
24 oz Water
1 can (15 oz) Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (4 oz) Fire roasted diced green chile
1 Jalapeño, seeded, veined, and coarsely chopped
1 Red onion, julienned and finely chopped
11 oz (2 c.) Cooked quinoa (you could also use rice, millet, pasta, etc.)
1 Sm. Granny Smith apple (about 4.5 oz cored), finely chopped
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1 tbsp. Crushed garlic
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

In a large mixing pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high and separated the ground turkey into chunks as it cooks.
Add in the remaining ingredients (or cook up some quinoa if you don’t have any on hand and put it into the pot when it’s done), and let it simmer on medium heat for thirty to forty-five minutes.
Serve in your favorite large drinking mug or soup bowl, and garnish with your choice of cheese, fresh salsa, herbs, and finely chopped sweet onion or shallot.

Serves 6 – 8.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Saucy Boiled Chicken, Sesame Peas, and Sweet Potato

It was last Friday when the Cosmos made everything right again, and the weekend when everything began falling into place. My whole perspective was given a one-eighty, and I was back to the Morri that found life grand, didn’t sweat the small stuff, and laughed often.

After what seemed like months, perhaps semesters long, I finally feel settled and back into the rhythm of things.

This is my first Bento Box Snapshot with Cheryl Harris’s perspective on my meals when I’m at campus all day. So I’ve altered how I packed my Bento Box, mainly because my love of veggies made it colorful but very low in calories. From now on my veggies will be packed in another container (or in a plastic bag). She had also advised me to pack a hard-boiled egg, a piece of cheese, or a small container filled with nuts to curb me over between meals.

Also, I noticed that when I use butter instead of peanut butter in my morning oatmeal, I am significantly fuller and don’t have the jitters a few hours later.

So what’s being served for today?

Mr. & Mrs. Eggston, newly hard-boiled.

For lunch, I have two hard-boiled eggs, slivers of carrot, red pepper, and celery, and a Granny Smith apple with peanut butter, spirulina, and chia seeds. It isn’t pictured, but I added a small chunk of Parmesan cheese to the equation.

 

As for the Bento Box itself, there’s boiled chicken marinated in tamarind chutney, petite peas with sesame seeds, and sweet potato. And in case I’m still a tad peckish, I packed a combination of raw pepitas and sunflower seeds.

 

Happy Monday, all. I have a feeling it’s going to be an amazing week, with quite a few recipes to share.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Pork roast with rice and veggies

Before my 4:30 class starts, I thought I’d post the first "Bento Box Snapshot" of the semester! I can tell my Mondays are going to be busy. From 1:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. I have class, with 1 hour 45 minute break in between. With fifteen credits to take to graduate (three classes or nine credits for my anthropology minor and one class or three credits for my last conflict resolution class as an undergrad), as well as CARmunity starting up again, applying for grad school and looking for a part-time job, I have a feeling BBSs will be rather common this semester.

And that’s fine by me.

For lunch I packed another rice cracker sandwich with roasted turkey and gouda slices with a granny smith apple and a dollop of peanut butter.

As for dinner, I sliced up last night’s pork roast with a side of a combination of sweet brown and black rice. Along with my protein and grain is a salad, consisting of Kumato (or Olmeca) tomato, carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber, and labneh. There is some coconut aminos sprinkled around… somewhere. Oh yes, and sea salt and cracked pepper brings it all together.  

The Mediterranean Table: Hummus

It’s my first official week as a free woman. Free from studying and papers and campus life. Free from exams and classrooms and PowerPoint slides. Summer vacation is here, and everyone I know and love has gone back to their lives outside of school, where family and internships and summer jobs await them.

Last week was a medley of deep thoughts and philosophies. I kept thinking how I seemed so detached and isolated from my life back in the states since Sweden. I was invited to parties and other fun activities, but for some reason I didn’t end up going. I spent my weekends at home with the family instead of on campus. As awesome as my roommates were, they had their own lives to attend to and were rarely at the townhouse. The off campus housing community wasn’t as close-knit or as lively as I remember it being my first and second semesters at Mason. I spent the majority of this semester either at home, in the classroom, or alone with my thoughts.

As mentioned before, I was accepted to be part of a wonderful program this summer. The meeting held on Monday was quite intimidating, but a learning experience. For one, I am the youngest member of the team, and the only undergraduate among them. The rest are either entering the S/CAR Masters program, are in the Masters program, or on the road to earning a PhD. These people knew what they wanted to do with their degree, knew exactly their point of focus. And here I was, one semester shy of graduating, and life has so many options to choose from I’m getting lightheaded just thinking about it. But from this meeting I learned something about myself, something I didn’t realize to be a true-blue term for what I’ve been going through.

The term, my friends, is reverse culture shock.

There are two elements to defining reverse culture shock: one, an idealized view of home and two, the expectation of total familiarity (that nothing at home has changed while you have been away). Typically students coming home from being abroad are able to pick up from where they left off. Only when their reality is not meeting their expectations is there a problem. The four stages of RCS are disengagement, initial euphoria, irritability and frustration, then readjustment and adaptation. In a matter of nine months I had to move in and out of places seven times, so I don’t think I’ve felt settled since last summer. Much is changing, and friends are off in their own realities that seem farther away then they were a year ago. My outlet for my isolation and estrangement has been making meals for others. In the kitchen, as I prepare a bowl of this or a plate of that, I know that I’m important, that I matter. Cooking has been my way of feeling stable in a world that kept going after I left and came back.

Being abroad really shifted my priorities. I love traveling, and I still do, but I’m done with packing and unpacking every few months into another place. I want stability, a place that I (and a select few of my extended family) can call our own for as long as we wish. I’m done with my life being in boxes, of feeling like a part of me has been put on hold in my attempt to get back into the groove this side of the states grooves to.

This weekend I overexerted myself to feeling like a valuable part of the household by cooking, after three exams and moving out of the townhouse in a matter of hours. We had a close family friend stay with us, and I was determined to do my part to make her feel welcome. Since she is from the Mediterranean, we typically go to a bakery that supplies Mediterranean favorites: pita bread, hummus, baklava, and various teas. But I wanted to make some of the things we bought from scratch, just to see how it would turn out.

And let me tell you, homemade is always better than store-bought, especially when you make it gluten free.

These next few posts will give you a taste of what was on the dinner table on Friday, what was made fresh on Saturday, and what was still enjoyed on Sunday. The beauty about Mediterranean cuisine is how easy, refreshing, and filling meals can be.

Hummus

2 15 oz cans Garbanzo beans, drained of excess water
2 Lemons, juiced
2 tbsp. Olive oil
5 tbsp. Tahini
3 tbsp. Filtered water
1/4 tsp. Cumin
2 dashes Sumac
2 dashes Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Pepper
Paprika and sesame seeds, for garnish

In a food processor (or blender), combine all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
If you want it smoother, add more water or tahini.

Makes a heaping bowl of the stuff.

Finals, Goodbyes, and Yeasted Waffles

Two exams down. Two more to go. Both are today, and one is within an hour.

The end of the school year has been one heck of a roller coaster ride. One week, I feel on top of the world, attending classes and going to the gym. The week after, I’m like my fellow peers, tearing out my hair because it seems like I can’t hold on to the information I learned in my classes or textbooks.

Last week I wanted to try grain-free eating, which turned out to be a big mistake on my part. When you have a hypothyroid condition and you’re gluten free, you need those nutrients found in grains to be happy, healthy, and whole. I managed five days and by the end of it, I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world while sleepwalking through the day. I couldn’t study. I couldn’t read, even for recreational purposes. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t blog. It was awful.

I admit it; going grain-free during the last week of school was a bit much. Plus, with the sadness of the boyfriend leaving for his internship on Saturday and the stress of moving out of campus housing… there’s only so much a Morri can take in a week.

There are upsides to this post, however. After IB left that morning, the family met up later in the day for some good ol’ family hilarity. We talked around the table, passing meade clockwise, and I cried a little. I will (and do) miss him, but I believe he will be simply amazing this summer in Texas, and will learn a lot about himself. I couldn’t be prouder, Love.

That is why I made him waffles that morning. Yeasted waffles, actually; a breakfast I’ve never tried before, even with a mix. I may have been burnt out to do anything school-related, but in the kitchen I was at peace.

As for going grain-free, I think having recipes under this category (much like vegetarian, vegan, SCD, ACD, and paleo), are great to have throughout the day, sometimes for a day or two to cleanse your system. But as far as being grain-free for every meal, I think I’ll stick to what works best for my body and have the gluten free “grains” I love.

Overnight Yeasted Waffles (adapted from Annie Eats)

4 oz Warm water, about 110ºF
2.25 tsp. (or one packet) Active dry yeast
16 oz Whole milk, warmed
4 oz Unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Agave nectar (or whatever sweetener you prefer)
5 oz White rice flour
1 oz Millet flour
1 oz Amaranth flour
1 oz Buckwheat flour
1 oz Cornmeal, finely ground
1 oz Almond meal
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp. Baking soda

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl until the yeast has fully dissolved.
Add the milk, butter, salt, agave nectar, flours, and vanilla, mixing by hand or with an electric mixer. Note: the batter will be runny but will thicken over time.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight on the counter. (It will rise significantly, with a loose spongy texture, and will fall slightly.)

The next day, preheat the waffle iron.
Also preheat the oven to 200ºF and place a plate in the center. (This is where the waffles can be kept warm until you are ready to serve them.)
Just before pouring the batter, add in the baking soda and egg yolks until completely integrated.
With an electric mixer or by hand, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks and fold into the batter.
Cook the waffles via the waffle iron’s specifications. (I had to grease the waffle iron before every pour to keep the batter from sticking.)

Makes 24 individual waffle squares. Serves 4 – 6 people.