I sit here preparing this post in the sweltering heat. No, I am not at the beach or a park. I am not outside at all. I am, in fact, sitting in my home. Our. A/C. Is. Out. Dun dun dun dunnnnnn.
My hopes are that by the time this post publishes, this will all be a bad dream and the cool wafts of air will again be restored to the vents in my home. I find it all ironic, of course. <–don’t I always? It’s just that we have temperature highs of over 100 degrees every day this week. I know the technicians out there are going “Well, that’s why its broken dummy”, but it just amazes me that this is the time we are without cold air. I also find it funny that every house I have lived in since moving to Columbia has had a broken air conditioning unit during my residence. I guess this is why Columbia is Famously Hot.
Ok, hold up. So far this post has been pretty whiny, but it honestly isn’t even that miserable. A girl picks up on a trick or two after the first time her a/c goes out. Let me share a few tips and tricks for staying cool when you do not have any air conditioning. **Also, these tricks are great if you do have air conditioning but are trying to be more green. Saving energy is key to helping our earth be healthy and happy**
1) Close all blinds and pull all curtains. Create a cave of darkness the best that you can. My kitty, Mary Jane, does not approve of this at all as she loves to look outside. I have tried reasoning with her, she doesn’t seem convinced.
2) Wear loose clothing. I feel like this is a no brainer, but still, needs to be said.
3) Dampen your hair. Wet locks really cool you off, much like sweat does.
4) Set up fans to best circulate your house. We have one box fan that really does the trick. We have it set up so that it pushes the air through our whole home (it is one big circle…and by big I mean small)
5) Drink a shit ton of ICE water. Or better yet, have a big bowl of ice cream. I have some lovely recipes here and here.
6) Power off as many electronics as possible. That PS3 generates a good bit of heat! Same goes for lights, try to use as few as possible.
7) Spritz your sheets with a bit of water. Just enough so they are slightly damp, not wet by any means…gross.
8) Sleep in as little clothes as possible. Birthday suits work great here.
9) This is kind of the fan tip again, but position a fan towards your bed before you go to sleep.
10) Last but not least, keep to yourself. No cuddling. Not with your dog, your cat, your significant other, your snake, your gerbil…no one. Give eachother space because we generate body heat. Except the snake, actually, being cold blooded and all.
Now that I have shared how to stay nice and cool when the odds are against you, let me share today’s recipe. I bet you are guessing I am about to introduce a nice, frosty treat, eh? Well, I am not. This recipe is a hodge podge of ingredients that ended up creating one heck of a meal. While it does not necessary go with my”stay cool” theme, it certainly goes with my “be green for the environment theme”. I present to you the Extreme Lean Green Veggie Bowl! Prepare to be amazed! This bowl is everything you could want from a meal. I give you greens, I give you cauliflower rice, I give you broccoli, I give you potatoes, I give you dreamy and delicious Cashew Cream all over the top of these amazing ingredients. I give you goldddd!!!! Ok, the heat may be getting to me now. On a more serious note, this bowl is amaze-balls. I posted it on instagram a few weeks ago from my dinner and a couple of my girlfriends asked for the recipe. I sent it to them and ended up getting the ingredients myself to make it again. It has a variety of different flavors and textures that leave you full and satisfied.
In addition, cauliflower has some AMAZING health benefits! My new friend, Helen, over at Well-being Secrets recently wrote a wonderful article about all the healthful properties cauliflower has to offer our bodies-check it out here. I highly recommend this read as we can all use an easy to prepare, cheap, tasty vegetable to add to our grocery lists each week. She provides some amazing information ranging from the history of cauliflower, to how its grown, to the multitude of reasons you should add it your diet. Check. It. 🙂
Now, I share it with you. SO, if you make this recipe let me know. Comment below or use my hashtag #peppersandpeaches so I can check out your version of my creation!
- Potatoes:
- 4 russet potatoes
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- Cauliflower Rice:
- ¼ cup soy
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- pepper to taste
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 12 oz. bag broccoli
- Cashew Cream
- 2 tbs hemp hearts
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice potatoes into even sized cubes. Place in small glass casserole dish.
- Add coconut oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbs pepper, and 1 tbs salt. Stir until combined then pour over potatoes.
- Toss potatoes in the sauce and place in oven for about 40 minutes, stirring half way through.
- While potatoes are cooking, take your cauliflower a slice into medium-small pieces.
- Work in 2 batches, and place half the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse for several seconds until the cauliflower is about "rice" sized.
- Add 1 tbs coconut oil to large skillet. Once hot, add the minced garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the cauliflower rice and soy sauce to pan. Stir until evenly combined. Cook for about 10 minutes until cauliflower softens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare your cashew cream (link to recipe is above).
- Heat up broccoli according to directions (microwave or stove top are fine).
- Once potatoes are done then it is time to assemble your bowl.
- Place about ¾ cup potatoes in bowl, along with 1 cup cauliflower rice, ½ cup spinach, ½ bag broccoli (approx 1½ cup). Top with as much cashew cream as you'd like and 1 tbs hemp hearts.
- **this recipe makes extra potatoes and cauliflower rice. Both heat up wonderfully for leftovers!**
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love power nourish bowls like this. Definitely inspired to make something similar for dinner tonight – thanks!
Jenn says
I’m so glad! The best ones always happen by accident too! I hope yours turned out amazing!