A few months back, I drifted off my usual plant-filled bandwagon. I traded salads for nachos and big grain bowls—which isn’t a bad thing—but I started to notice I wasn’t feeling as vibrant. There is no doubt in my mind that plants are magical and, thus, consuming them radiates their magical properties into us 🙂
So, when I realized I was lacking in the plants department, I decided I wanted to introduce some new ones. I had been enjoying eating “noodle” dishes with zucchini, beets, carrots, and cabbage (not necessarily all at once) but I wondered how else vegetables could make up the base of my dish. Then, with a little inspiration from inspiralized, I dabbled in veggie “rice”.
We all know cauliflower rice is a thing but what about other vegetables? Let’s not get into a vegetable rut when there are so many great options to choose from. Admittedly, many times vegetables have their own distinct flavor. Part of our sensationalization of cauliflower rice comes from how neutral in color and flavor it is. Therefore, I sought out a vegetable similarly neutral.
All it took was a stroll down the supermarket aisle and a little sale sign next to some giant round root vegetables for me to pick up a jicama. Yes, jicama! In Mexican culture, jicama is often paired with chili spices and fruit, like cucumber and oranges, to make a fresh, spicy snack. It kind of tastes like a slightly sweet water chestnut. That might be a weird description but, for me, jicama now makes the most crisp and addictive rice!
Jicama can be eaten raw or cooked. Either way, it maintains a watery-crisp crunch without being soggy. Oh, and there isn’t really a risk of over-cooking it so, if you’re new to using jicama, have no fear—it will come out tasty regardless!
I offer some suggestions for how to use the rice down below but I’m curious to know how you would use it. Comment below or tag me on Instagram if you give it a try!
Jicama “Rice”
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1-2 servings
A fresh and flavorful veggie to mimic rice in any meal! It tastes great as a main in salads and sushi or serve it as a cooked side dish to complement a warm sauté or buddha bowl.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups chopped jicama
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1 large clove of garlic, pressed or minced (optional)
½ inch knob of fresh ginger, grated (optional)
¼ tsp salt + more to taste (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the jicama: I prefer to chop it into matchsticks and then finely dice it by hand. This way, I can control the rice chunks (see photo above in the post). Alternatively, you can chop jicama and throw it into a food processor and “rice” it that way.
The jicama is ready to eat raw if you want to eat it with some other fresh ingredients OR you can cook it with the optional ingredients listed above.
Cook the jicama: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Then, add the garlic and ginger and salt to the pan. It’s important to salt these because they are your flavor-boosters! Give them about 30 seconds to cook before adding the jicama and stirring.
Let the jicama cook (no stirring) for 3 minutes before stirring it. Then, leave it to cook for another 2-3 minutes. The jicama should be warm and slightly caramelized. Add additional salt to taste.
Serve the rice as a side dish for two or as the base of an entrée for one.
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A refrigerator clean out meal utilizing one recipe for jicama rice. I served it with chopped and sautéed beet stems, black beans, kale, cilantro, and pesto.
I’ve tried jicama rice with sautéed vegetables like collard greens, radishes, cabbage and whatever beans I have on hand. It can also be enjoyed as a fresh salad with romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and chickpeas. It also tastes great “fried rice” style.
The possibilities are endless so be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you come up with! #melmakesithappen
Recently a friend of mine and I were talking about how we’ve been off our sleep schedules. It seems silly to keep blaming the energy from the holidays for us developing a late night bedtime routine but, truly, any slight change can cause our sleep to be thrown off.
If you’re one of those rare few who can drink an afternoon coffee and still go to bed at 9pm AND fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, then more power to ya! Though, from my experience and the experience of those around me, a sleep routine can be a difficult thing to master.
Some might argue that sleep is variable depending on whether you are a night owl or a day person. I’ll refute that by saying sleep is a matter of routine. Honestly, a couple of nights of staying up late once in a while are not a big deal. When those few nights start to form a routine where you aren’t getting the necessary 7-8 hours of sleep then you’ve got some work to do.
The biggest reason I feel we stay up later than we wish is because we tend to stay active up until bed and that makes it harder for us to actually fall asleep.
Not what you expected to hear? Well, I figure if you’re reading a post like this you’ve probably tried what you think is everything to solve your insomnia.
You probably already know you shouldn’t consume caffeine, i.e. coffee, caffeinated teas and sodas, or energy drinks in the afternoon.
Sugar can be just as bad as caffeine for some people. It is worth minimizing or eliminating sugar in the evenings to see if that helps sleep arrive sooner.
Also, as important as exercise is for us, no one is going to be ready to sleep after sweating, lifting, and maybe chugging a protein shake at 8:30pm or later. I won’t tell you not to do an evening workout but I will let you decide where it best fits in after reading this post.
Food and exercise can certainly impact your ability to sleep at night but so can a few lesser addressed areas.
Time is everything when it comes to sleep.
If you’re still up at 9pm doing laundry, cooking, walking around, or even watching TV, you’re stimulating yourself to stay awake. Think of it: our bodies have protection mechanisms built-in. How safe would it be if we were to be taking a walk and just drop down and fall asleep all of a sudden? Yet, you’re doing all of these activities at night and then going to bed and asking, “WHY CAN’T I FALL ASLEEP?”
The best thing we can do to help our bodies get ready for sleep is to draw the activities in a little earlier. That means eat an early dinner, try to work out in the morning or during the day, and stop scrolling through your phone or surfing the internet late at night.
I think most people know the artificial light from screens like the TV, computer, and phones have a way of keeping us up. Though, I’ll just mention that as a sidenote here incase you didn’t know! If you must do late night work, keep red lights turned on in your house or choose blue-light blocking filters for your electronics. I like f.lux for my computer (PC and MAC) and Twilight for my cell phone (Android) .
Anyway, let’s get back to drawing in those late night activities. I know many people have jobs that prevent them from being home early. So, it is only natural that cooking and leisure time will happen later. Still, keep in mind the time you want to go to bed. Remember that old rule about how we should avoid eating two hours before going to bed? Well, that rule is relevant not just for the sake of digestion but so that you also have a chance to relax as well.
If you can’t meal prep, at least plan your meal out so that you can prepare something to eat right when you get home. It might be tempting to arrive home and take off your shoes and chill but save that for later! I promise you’ll get a chance to do that and it will coincide with better sleep, too. Go ahead and get your food cooking, throw your clothes into the washing machine, or take out the trash. When you get the chores out of the way first, you’ll have nothing but rest time leading up towards bedtime. It’s much more streamlined this way rather than going into spurts of activity and rest then activity and rest.
So, let’s apply that two hours rule to not just food but to avoid ANY stimulating activities before bed. Dim the bright lights in your house, shut down your computer and TV, and puh-lease shut off your phone or put it on airplane mode. You don’t need to do these all at once but aim to slowly knock out each of these one at a time.
It sounds like I’m playing hardball here. You might be wondering what the heck you’re supposed to do with yourself if not eat or scroll through your phone.
Think: leisure and relaxation.
Example activities: playing with your pets, reading a book, taking a shower, doing some light yoga or stretching, and meditation. Instead of wondering what can entertain you at night, opt for self-care and figure out ways to entertain yourself!
If you need to pack a lunch or pick some clothes for the next day of work/school, then consider those as the first activities to do in the evening. Get those done before settling down into your night routine. Once you start the leisure time, you want to stay in relaxation mode.
🌔My night routine for better sleep⭐
I start thinking about how to wind down around 5pm. Yes! This might sound extreme but I aim to be in bed by 10pm. Honestly, I am not so structured that this can’t be adjusted for a date or a trip the movies but I know I want to rise early the next morning (6am is ideal). I want to make sure I get enough sleep so that I can feel my best!
By 5pm, I’m not doing heavy exercise anymore. That is for earlier in the day. I am definitely still doing some computer work but my red-light filter has probably kicked in already.
Around 5:30pm I start preparing dinner. Depending on if I am cooking for myself or for my family, I usually have a meal ready between 6pm and 6:30pm. I aim to stop eating by 7pm. This is more of a metal bookmark rather than a strict rule. More often than not, eating past this hour wouldn’t be feeding actual hunger for me so 7pm benefits me but maybe another time would be a better bookmark for you.
So, after eating, I brush my teeth. I try to do that immediately—again, so that I don’t feel tempted to snack. Then, I might do some more computer work if I’m feeling up for it or watch a movie/tv program with my family. Whatever I choose, I wrap this up by 8pm so that I can take a shower. Hopefully most people already take a nighttime shower but this is a great way to ease into that relaxation mode we’re looking for.
After the shower, it is around 8:30pm and I usually put on a podcast while I dry brush and rub myself down with lotion. I also might do a face mask or jade roll my face at this time, too. Notice how I said I listen to a podcast at night still? I’ll allow a podcast up through around 9:30pm, if I’m feeling it. Like I said earlier, the goal is to ease out of your lights and electronics slowly throughout the evening. BUT if you’re tempted to go on Instagram by having your phone/media device available then say no to the podcast. I’ve developed more of a routine that I don’t feel as inclined to go online at this time of day.
After my dry-brushing and jade-rolling, I like to do some light stretching or foam rolling so that my muscles can relax. Lots of rolling is going on here but it’s all gentle, I promise! 😉 From here, it is around T minus 45 minutes. Depending on how I feel, I might sit and meditate; this could also be a moment for me to journal or read my book.
In an ideal schedule, I’d be feeling sleepy and hop into bed at 10pm. Of course, I’m human and this fluctuates a little bit but I try to stick with this routine as much as I can because I know it’s what makes me feel best.
Alright, I’ve explained my tips for getting better sleep which primarily involves starting your nighttime routine earlier. Just to recap:
Eat dinner earlier ✓
Get your chores or workout done earlier ✓
Turn off electronics ✓
Shower and self-care ✓
Unwind with relaxing movement ✓
Bedtime! ✓
If you can’t do all of these things then try to integrate one change at a time but I guarantee this will change your sleep game. These habits have been years in the making so I’m happy to be able to share with you guys what works for me. If you have any sleep hacks that help you, be sure to tell me what those are in the comments or message me on social media. I’d love to hear!
When I first started my blog, I knew I had a passion for cooking and was hoping to go down the route of a recipe developer. While I have certainly made the recipes I’ve posted on here, multiple times usually, I know they are relatively simple.
My love for cooking made me also consider the idea of starting a food business. I was legitimately investigating how I could go about getting a permit to make food and sell it out of my kitchen!
Ever since I realized how important of a role food has in my personal health through my own struggles, I have a growing desire to share that with others. I’m not totally giving up on the idea of a food business or becoming a professional recipe developer (more romantic in theory than it really is), but right now I think my path is taking me in another direction.
My way to bring the message of nutrition for health is not necessarily by cooking for people, but by providing meaningful information. Not everyone is willing to do the nitty-gritty research about why you should cycle-sync, if you’re a woman, or what to put in their smoothies besides fruit but I will be your girl! 😉 I find that while many people won’t seek it out, they welcome the information. Knowledge is power and they may then utilize it, if they so choose.
As I face obstacles in my wellness journey, I will continue to be open and share those with you all. I’ve already talked about everything from issues with veganism and anxieties surrounding food to not feeling good enough and discovering presence. Some of these things are uncomfortable to talk about but I feel good sharing them. The way I see it, if my posts can reach even one person who resonates with what I’ve been through then that’s already enough. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
For today, I’m tapping into the recipe side of me (hey, I didn’t say recipes won’t be a thing at all) again. Just like my turmeric chickpea and potato salad, this is also more of a lose add-as-much-as-you-like style recipe. I’ve been eating this one for months and have posted it on my Instagram stories so much that you probably think I don’t eat anything else. The sweet potato and quinoa make the salad hearty. Yet, the water-rich cucumber and romaine/greens make the salad super hydrating. Oh, and the curried tahini dressing on top! Mmmmm! 🙂 I’m in love but don’t take my word for it—try it and let me know what you think!
Xoxo,
Melanie
Sweet Potato and Cucumber Salad with a Curried Tahini Dressing
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 salad
When you batch cook staple items like sweet potato and quinoa, it makes for easy salad throw-togethers at lunch or dinnertime. Add a fabulous dressing and you’ll wonder where this simple salad has been all of your life.
Ingredients
2-3 cups mixed salad greens or chopped romaine lettuce
Chopped cilantro and/or parsley
1 small sweet potato chopped and roasted
1/3 – ½ cucumber, chopped
¼ cup raw or roasted beet, chopped (optional)
½ cup cooked white quinoa
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp water
Instructions
This recipe assumes you have all of your ingredients cooked already: the sweet potato, quinoa, and beets, if using. In a bowl, add your quinoa (mine is hidden under the lettuce), greens of choice, cilantro, cucumber, and beets.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, curry powder, salt, and 2 tbsp of water to form a dressing. The amount of water depends on the thickness of your tahini. Also, cold water seems to make for a thicker, fluffier dressing so that may also require 4 tbsp. However you like it, this recipe usually leaves me with an extra serving for another salad but you do you.
Add the dressing to your salad bowl and top with half of a chopped avocado. Crack some fresh black pepper over your salad and maybe another squeeze of lemon if you’re zesty like me! Enjoy!
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Be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram if you try it out!
Happy 2019! This is my first blog post of the year on melmakesithappen and I am tying it in to my intentions for 2019. I posted a photo of my intentions here on Instagram but I’m really passionate about my chosen intentions so I want to dive a little deeper into a thought that influenced the creation of many of them: the fear of personal truth.
The year 2018 was certainly the most trying and painful year for me yet. I sank to new lows that literally tore my soul to pieces. In spite of those hard times, I learned to pick myself back up. I also find it important to mention that my road to feeling like me again hasn’t been straight and narrow. It has involved steps forward and steps back; reaching contentment with situations and then revisiting old wounds; rinse and repeat.
Of course, all of the experiences that we have can be seen as lessons that only lead us closer to that which is meant for us. I would never have signed up for a true passion project if I hadn’t gone through what I did. Still, in reflection over the events that have transpired over the last year, I realize the only regrets I have are for the times I did not express my personal truth.
Throughout my life, I’ve let others voice their opinions and make decisions that affected me. Sure, I have my own thoughts but I am also indecisive and that made me more apt to take on others’ views as the truth. A lot of introspection made me see that only someone who does not know themselves is capable of being pushed around to the point of defeat in a battle they didn’t realize they were involved in.
I sympathize with my younger self for all of the times she let fear keep her from being the person she wanted to be.
I always thought I needed to fit into the mold of what society has established. If my thoughts, behaviors, or dreams did not fit into the societal structures or labelsthat already exist then I felt I needed to adjust myself for the world. I can’t have expected more of my slightly younger self because she, and those around her, did not know any better.
Parents, counselors, and friends only know what they know and it is people’s inclination to encourage you to choose what is safe.
Don’t rock the boat.
Know your place.
Be grateful for what you have.
While those conventional messages have a purpose and a place, they also can be confining. They box you in and discourage the formation of unique desires for personal growth, career, religion, or other avenues.
Fear isn’t what we think it is.
If we put aside the very big influence that others have on us, we are still left with our thoughts. Let us not underestimate how much we, ourselves, place a huge restriction on saying what we want. I can certainly vouch for letting FEAR stop me from challenging myself; consequently, I shut the doors on possibilities to experience more. Fear is largely psychological. We each are fully capable of creating a fear in our minds and elaborating upon that fear until we’ve created a monster that we don’t want to face. The monster is so frightening that just the mere thought of it elicits a physiological reaction that is downright crippling, at its worst.
I want to clarify what I mean about being afraid to say what we want. Frankly, I do not believe we are actually scared to speak up but, rather, fearful of sharing the truth that is in our hearts. The fear we have is based on the risk of experiencing backlash from the outside world. Being vulnerable, misunderstood, ridiculed, hated, resented, isolated, or rejected are, just to name a few, some worst-case scenario thoughts that I’ve held.
What is the way around the fear of embracing our truth?
During my time studying psychology, one (of the many) things I learned is that our behavior in social situations is learned. We take cues from those around us on how to act and even on what to say. So, if you’ve ever had a negative experience after saying what you want, you’re not alone. It’s no wonder we feel afraid to say what we want now!
It is much easier to express yourself in a space where you feel your words will be heard and you won’t be judged or punished.
In my opinion, the biggest and perhaps most important first step in overcoming the fear of speaking our minds is to know the truth—your truth. You must be able to identify what you really want or believe in and say it proudly to yourself. That might be in a journal, in a virtual or IRL (in-real-life, for those not savvy with internet lingo) support group, in conversation with a solid friend, maybe even through visual arts or other forms of creative expression.
Once you can embrace your truth, there is less internal fear surrounding it. There is something magical about the act of expressing your personal truth which then enables you to see your personal patterns and how that aligns with your desires. It becomes the foundation for living your life with purpose. Fear is less of an issue because you can recognize any “worst” thing that can happen to you is not a result of external causes but a result of mitigating your light.
Experiences over the past year taught me that my truth does not need to be someone else’s and that is okay. I can’t express enough how important it is to respect your voice and beliefs. Believe in yourself even if it seems like right now no one else does. Whole-heartedly accept what your soul tells you is true and you will never be afraid of speaking or acting on your desires because your truth will not lead you astray.
I want to help empower people to take control of their personal health. In order to do so, I want to provide people with the tools and information they need to be their most empowered and healthiest selves.
Today’s post is not about me trying to convince anyone else to become a health coach. Rather, I just like to keep you guys informed of what I’m up to and that’s exactly what I’m going to do today. I may have alluded to it before but I find it cathartic to express myself through these posts. It is purely a splendid bonus if, in the event that you’re contemplating anything similar, my experiences feel relatable and are of some help. (Also, if that is the case then feel free to email or DM me and we can chat more♥)
For the past few years, my health has become the most important thing in my life. If you asked teen Melanie what the most important thing in her life was, it would’ve probably been something like watching her favorite shows on The CW…which is just nowhere near as important now. Anyway, my health has been through wild ups and downs all throughout my life. It is a funny thing to look back on what events or behaviors occurred that were basically alluding to something bigger.
What are the big life things that made me want to become a health coach? Well, I could tell you about how I have had issues with disordered eating or exercise addiction that caused me to even lose my freaking period for over a year but I think these sort of situations were only the tipping point(s).
As well, I could tell you how I’m SUPER passionate about food. I have been a foodie since I was born and it was only a matter of time until I started caring what went into my food. Yet, I am only one person with my own experiences in nutrition. Therefore, I want to further educate myself on the subject so that I can help others make informed decisions about their personal nutrition. As a result, better nutrition can lead to improved health in other ways, not to mention, overall an increased state of well-being.
At the moment, I am in the process of obtaining my certification as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Before explaining what that means, let me reiterate the first sentence of today’s post which provides my personal mission as a health coach.
I want to help empower people to take control of their personal health. In order to do so, I want to provide people with the tools and information they need to be their most empowered and healthiest selves.
Though, I want to dive a little deeper into the WHY.
I used to think health coaches were a joke in the health and wellness space. Basically, I thought this was a made-up career. I thought health coaches were people with self-dubbed titles who just spammed fitness accountability groups online in an effort to gain clients (and rip them off). Obviously there is a commercialized aspect of many career fields like this but that isn’t everything health coaching is about!
I have learned that people seek out the information they want when they need it. There is a degree of outward effort that I will put into gathering clients and sharing (ideally with minimal spam, LOL) what I do but people need to find their way to me organically. I can spam all the fitness accountability groups on Facebook and Instagram with advertisements about my services but that won’t get me very far.
I greatly believe that when you seek out information yourself, you are more likely to take action or make personal changes because you are ready to invest in yourself.
I am walking into the next steps of my coaching journey ready to soak up all of the nutrition information and develop skills on how to better assist clients on a personal level. That is my next step and I sought it out by researching, investigating, and signing up for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition’s health coaching program. Not long from now, in 2019, I will hold the title of an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.
It is no secret that everyone has their own ideas of what it means to be “healthy”. There are countless books, blogs, and careers with different approaches to target that exact same concept. Plus, I know the information in the health and wellness industry is over-saturated and nutrition information in particular is confusing. I hope to prove that there is no need for trendy or crash diets because a whole foods way of eating is simply something that everyone can benefit from. Understandably, there are other factors that make eating healthy hard and I will be here to address those, too.
I want to be the link between people and their personal health. I am all about the holistic approach and believe that we each have the ability to achieve optimum health. In my process of achieving my Integrative Nutrition Certification, I look forward to enhancing my own system of knowledge and skill set so that I can help others create their best health.
I hope I’ve provided a clearer perspective on my WHY behind becoming a health coach—a nutrition health coach in particular. I’m not ready to begin seeing clients yet but if you would like to work with me in the future, then stay tuned around here because you all will be the first to know!
As a final note, I did not write this post with the intention to recruit others to join me as a health coach but if you are interested in my same program, through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
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