Week 2-CITRIC VEGGIE COUS-COUS

Week 2 challenge assignment!

CITRIC VEGGIE COUS-COUS

 My go-to meal is a mix of veggies, beans and cous-cous. I love cous-couse because it's so quick to make, healthy and any kind of ingredients will make a great combination with it. It's nice to mix all the meal components together, you don't really need to use a plate as long as you are aware of what you're eating.

Ingredients:

-1 medium carrot, diced                               -1 tbsp cumin

-1/2 white onion, diced                                 -1 tsp chilli flakes

-1 medium red pepper, cut                           -1 lemon (juice and peel)

-A big handful of green beans, cut               -4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 cup of black beans                                - Salt and pepper 

-1 cup of whole wheat cous cous                 - 1 cup hot water

-2 garlic cloves, diced

Process: 

Firstly, I prepared all the ingredients so it'd be handy to have them all together. I cut off all the veggies and sautéed them gradually. Black beans were last because I didn't want them to get mushy. At the same time, I got a glass platter and added 1 cup of cous-cous. I poured all the spices, lemon peel (cut very thin), EVOO and salt. I boiled some water and poured the same amount of water in the cous-cous (proportion is 1:1). Mixed a bit to get all the flavors spread out and covered the platter with a kitchen cloth. Left for 5 minutes until cous-cous had absorbed all the water. Once the veggies were cooked, I added the cous-cous in the pan to get all the ingredients together and cooked for 5 minutes more or less, that way the cous-cous gets a crispy texture too which is awesome. When serving the food, I squeezed a lemon to get a citric and sour taste. Absolutely amazing!

REFLECTION
I chose the "Mind-Body" plate because I believe it’s the most descriptive and complete plate. It explains each meal component in more detail, although some things should be more emphasized and better explained. I would add the physical activity and socializing factors because they are very important in my daily life and should also be encouraged for general population. I’d also describe what mindful eating means, because many people won’t know what that stands for. Frequently, since I love eating healthy, my go-to meals usually match with any kind of “healthy plates”. That translates to a lot of veggies, a side of protein and carbs that are whole grain or starchy vegetables. When I cook, I always use EVOO which is amazingly good, but somehow expensive in America.My veggie cous-cous does contain the following dietary components: whole wheat grains, vegetables, protein (beans are a great source of protein - just a quick reminder for all those meat eaters), healthy fats and fruit. I get my fruit for dessert. Obviously, I eat all my meals with water. I didn't include dairy in my meal because I know that dietary guidelines don't tell you to eat dairy in every meal, but 1-2 servings a day, which is what I usually do, especially for breakfast and afternoon snack. Regarding my mindfulness practice, I’ve always been a slow eater, so I do let my satiety signals have an effect on me. I often get full before finishing the whole plate.