- Alright, no need to wipe out the pot.
- Even though it says wipe out the pot?
- Stop it.
(upbeat music)
Hey munchies, welcome to the channel,
if you new or if you not,
I'm Alyssia, and I am so happy
you're here either way.
It is a tough month for healthy choices.
The holidays are here,
there are so many temptations,
not to mention New Years is around the corner,
which is exciting,
but also gives me reasons
to put off making the choices I wanna make.
That's why I thought it would be
the perfect time to talk about
making healthy eating more realistic
with our lifestyles.
I don't think the answer
is really in what we eat,
or when we eat,
although those details can make a difference,
I think how we eat has more of an impact.
So that includes how we eat,
in terms of mindfulness,
and in relation to our emotions,
as well as how we eat,
in terms of sustainability with our schedules,
and what we can keep up with.
So, not committing to a lifestyle
that we can't maintain.
I have tried almost every diet and fad,
and I will tell you from experience,
as many others will,
that extremes are not the answer for most people,
and even when people find success,
it's almost always short-term.
I wish quick fixes were real too,
but they just aren't.
We have got to find
a middle ground between extremes.
Restricting, whether that's calories
or a type of food,
it might help lose weight for some time,
but it doesn't help us long-term
with keeping that weight off,
or finding a way to keep living
when the fad is over.
The next thing I would encourage you to do,
is plan and meal prep when you can.
I talk about this all the time on the channel.
Less is often more with meal prep,
especially with sustainability of the lifestyle.
So, too much prep is overwhelming,
we can't keep up to it week to week,
and we end up wasting food,
but just enough prep,
having staples ready to go,
can help you stay on track
without taking up too much time
or mental and physical energy.
I have also found that getting in touch
with my body and working
on my mental and emotional health
has significantly helped
my relationship with food,
which helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle.
I don't need to restrict specific foods,
because I can learn to listen to my body,
and know when I've had enough.
I can respond to what my body is telling me,
rather than react to my emotions
when I'm activated.
One thing that can make a huge difference
with sustaining a healthy lifestyle
is just cutting out some of those steps.
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service
that cuts out the need to meal plan,
and even cuts out the need to grocery shop.
I teamed up with Blue Apron for this video,
and it couldn't be a better time.
Not only does it help me stay on track,
but I've actually bought Blue Apron gifts
for people for the holidays the last few years.
It gives you menus,
you select what you like
within the health preferences
that work for you, like vegetarian,
family plans for two or four people.
There are sixteen recipes
to choose from each week.
The meals I picked from this week's menu
were a spiced salmon and garlic yogurt
with crispy chickpea and Farro salad,
a crispy potato and kale hash
with baked eggs and hot sauce,
which is vegetarian,
and a coconut vegetable curry with lime rice,
which I'm going to make for you today.
The link in the description of this video
will give the first one hundred people
to sign up, $60 Dollars off
their first three weeks of Blue Apron.
And get this, there is actually no commitment,
you can skip or cancel the service at any time.
Okay, lemme grab Christian and we'll get started.
Hello, so this is Christian.
- Hi.
Careful of the mics.
- Don't touch my mic.
This is Christian, my honey.
He's my boyfriend and partner,
he runs the channel with me,
some of you know him
from our joint channel Eat The Pizza,
he is going to help me with this meal today.
What are we making?
- We're making coconut vegetable curry
with lime rice.
(clapping)
- Yes, courtesy of Blue Apron.
So if you don't know,
it all comes in a box shipped straight
to your door fresh.
I wasn't actually here when it arrived,
but it lasted, it was totally fine.
- [Christian] Everything is pre-portioned,
and you need to do very little prep,
like look at these little knick-knack bags
with all the little ingredients inside.
- They've already measured exactly what you need,
which is the worst part of cooking with recipes,
is having to measure everything,
and you get exactly what you need,
which has helped me on food waste,
I've been working on food waste, tell em.
- Yup, she has, she's been working
on her food waste, all kinds of waste.
- I've been working on not wasting food,
and that means not buying a bunch of produce
that then goes bad in the fruit bowl.
So, let's follow these instructions.
Don't you like this?
- I like it.
- Detailed instructions.
One, prepare the ingredients.
- One prepare the ingredient.
- You start with the knicks and the knacks.
- Okay.
- I'll start with the produce.
So, I love these step by step instructions.
Why don't you get started with the lime,
which is in the knicks and the knacks.
I'll get started with the zucchini.
It tells me exactly how to cut it.
- Okay.
- [Alyssia] I don't know where
the zucchini is from,
but I know that Blue Apron
does prioritize quality ingredients,
and actually local suppliers.
I did see that the eggs that come
with the potato hash in this box.
- [Christian] They're the good kind right?
- [Alyssia] Yeah, they're the kind we buy.
They're the Vital Farms one,
which are the ones I like,
that come with the pretty chalkboard box.
- I'm zesting the lime.
Is that right?
- Do it.
- Can you hear, I'm ready to do it.
- Show me how to do it.
Don't get the white part.
- [Christian] I know.
The rind.
- [Alyssia] The rind, because it's bitter,
so when you're zesting any kind of citrus,
you wanna just get the colored part.
- [Christian] Avoid the rind.
- [Alyssia] Avoid the rind.
For some reason I have this problem
when I go to the grocery store, where like,
even if I know I only need one zucchini,
I'll still buy two,
because I'm like, maybe I'll,
what if I want extra, or maybe I'll use,
and I tell myself that,
and then I don't use it.
- I think maybe, Mind Over Munch
has conditioned you a little bit to do that,
because if something happens,
then that recipe doesn't work out.
- I always need extra just in case
for when we mess up, which is often.
- Yeah.
- [Alyssia] We go to the grocery store
like three times a day when we're filming.
(laughs loudly)
Okay, that's a medium dice on the zucchini.
- That's about a teaspoon of zest.
- That's about a table spoon of zest.
- It's a..
- This is my ultimate recommendation
for weeknight cooking or any kind of cooking,
garbage bowl, so you can put your trash,
like your little zucchini nub,
and your pepper toppers in there.
- You gotta have a garbage bowl.
- A garbage bowl.
This is the Rachel Ray garbage bowl.
- Now that I've zested the lime,
I gotta quarter the lime.
Now when you quarter a lime,
what way are we talking?
Some people, I think, yoink, yoink,
but you could also just all length wise.
- [Alyssia] Well, according to this photo.
- [Christian] All length wise.
- [Alyssia] Yeah, you can't go wrong
when you're quartering a lime.
- You can't go wrong
when you're quartering a lime.
- Medium dice.
I like that it tells me
how big to cut these things,
so I don't have to overthink it.
- Alright, now I gotta do another thing now.
- I like a lot of garlic,
so feel free to use an extra clove.
- Feel free to use an extra clove of garlic
when you're doing a recipe.
- Except I know you don't like
as much garlic as me.
- I don't.
I'm gonna say, it calls for two cloves.
This is like one mega clove.
- I'd do that, plus all the others.
(laughs loudly)
- The whole head of garlic.
- If a recipe calls for two or three cloves
of garlic, I'll use eight to ten.
- Is this really any cheaper than doing it,
just buying the ingredients?
- Is Blue Apron?
- Yeah.
- Yeah. So, how much would you spend
when you go out?
- When I go out to eat?
- When you go out to eat by yourself.
When we go out to eat, how much do we spend?
- I don't know, like in LA, like $100 Dollars.
(laughs loudly)
- Okay, so these meals start at..
- I actually don't know the answer.
- [Alyssia] These meals start
at &7.49 per serving.
- [Christian] Wow, that's pretty good.
- [Alyssia] So, if we went out to eat,
and it costed us, a affordable meal
would be $20-$25 Dollars each.
We live in LA.
I mean really, the best part for me
is I do so much grocery shopping.
- Yeah, you do a lot of grocery shopping.
- I just don't want to do
any more grocery shopping,
and I don't have to do it for this,
I don't have to do any of the planning.
I talked to our viewers a lot
about how I think cooking
with a recipe holds people back,
because it requires so much planning,
and the time of measuring the ingredients,
and the fact that you don't have to do that here.
- [Christian] You got in touch with Blue Apron,
and you're probably like,
"Yeah, I don't have to measure any ingredients.".
(laughs loudly)
Sorry, this garlic is taking me forever.
- Wait, don't you know you just smash it?
Or I meant with a knife.
So, tip if you don't know,
and he just used it all,
but if you have a garlic with a peel on it,
you just smash it with a knife,
and the peel will come right off.
You smash it.
See how it comes right off.
Use all that garlic,
cause the more, the better.
Alright, so the next thing,
is we can get the rice going.
So look, it gives you the exact amount of rice
for two servings.
- What a mini little rice.
- I know, and it tells you
you can just combine this with salt
and a cup of water on the stove,
and let it go,
and continue cooking the rest of it.
These step by step instructions,
it's not only the exact amount of ingredients,
and the recipe,
but it's organized in order,
so you do it as efficiently as possible.
This recipe only takes 30 minutes.
Okay, all of our ingredients are prepped.
The rice is on the stove,
and while that's cooking, what's next?
- zucchini. Well actually,
we gotta do a little oil in here.
We're gonna basically be
sauteing up the zucchini.
- Alright, oil.
- Now we add the diced zucchini in an even layer,
and cook without stirring,
3-4 minutes, or until browned.
- So now that all our ingredients are prepped,
we can just hang here
and enjoy our time together.
- I agree.
- Man, it's really nice
that I didn't have to worry
about any of this planning or shopping,
and we can just do this together.
I don't have to resent the meal I'm about to eat.
So now, peppers?
- Now, add the dice pepper,
season with salt and pepper,
cook, stirring occasionally 2-3 minutes,
or until softened.
Salt.
- [Alyssia] Pepper.
- [Christian] Pepper.
And then, you're gonna cook,
stirring occasionally 2-3 minutes until softened.
- [Alyssia] There you go.
- [Christian] Look, I gotta stir it up
just to mix up the seasoning.
It's like my Mamma Mia's recipe.
(laughs loudly)
- You're mom would like this actually.
- She would actually like this.
- She likes curries and she likes vegan.
(laughs loudly)
Alright, transfer that, and we'll make the curry.
Alright, no need to wipe out the pot.
- Even though it says wipe out the pot?
- Stop it.
- I think it's gonna add flavor to it.
- I make my own rules.
- Yeah you do.
- Chopped garlic and ginger.
Okay, now I like extra garlic,
but I like less ginger.
Here's the thing about this,
you can just use as much as you want.
Oh wait, season with salt and pepper.
- We gotta season this with salt and pepper,
gotta make sure..
- Come on, it only says 30 seconds to one minute.
(screams loudly)
- We're all good over here folks.
- Another relaxed dinner.
(laughs loudly)
Tuesday night dinner.
- [Christian] Potatoes.
- And coconut milk,
carefully as the liquid may splatter.
- Do I use this whole chutney?
- Yup.
You can use as much as you want,
I give you permission.
You like more.
- [Christian] Yeah, let's load it up.
- [Alyssia] You like a chutney.
- [Christian] I like a chutney.
- [Alyssia] I like a coconut milk.
- [Christian] I like myself a chutney.
- [Alyssia] Careful, it may splatter.
Smell it.
- [Christian] It's becoming a curry.
- [Alyssia] It smells yummy.
- It's becoming a curry.
That does smell good.
- [Alyssia] Looka there,
the perfect amount of rice.
All fluffed.
Okay, I'm gonna add in some zest,
I'm gonna leave out about half of that,
cause that's way more than a teaspoon.
- It does smell sweet.
- It smells really sweet.
- It smells like a sweet curry.
- [Alyssia] Okay, it's starting to boil,
and then we can let it simmer on low
for 8-10 minutes.
I gotta say, one pot, less clean up.
- We're gonna now simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- [Alyssia] Smell it.
- [Christian] It smells good folks.
What do you think?
- It smells really good.
Let's see, fork tender.
- Looks fork tender to me.
- Alright, so we can add the rest of it in here.
- Okay, we're gonna add the vegetables back in.
- [Alyssia] Add the cooked zucchini and peppers
and the juice of two lime wedges.
- [Christian] Okay, we can do that.
- [Alyssia] Not four.
- [Christian] Even though we have four.
You can save the other two for later.
- [Alyssia] Look how pretty,
look at all these colors.
- [Christian] I know, look at that,
so should I squeeze these limes in here?
- [Alyssia] Yup, squeeze two in.
Alright, so now we can serve it over rice.
So, we're just gonna distribute this rice,
it's two servings,
the entire meal is two servings.
- [Christian] Yummy.
- [Alyssia] So I'll put half in here,
half in here.
- Look at the little lime zest in there.
- Little limeys.
- Alright, so now what?
- Now we can put the curry on top,
but I wanna make it look really nice.
- As you do.
- Yes, as I do.
I actually do this even when it's not
for Mind Over Munch now.
I take one extra minute to make it look good,
and I just feel like I'm more mindful with it.
- Yeah.
- Just looks nicer.
(upbeat music)
- Actually, this is a lot of food,
this is more food.
- That's a lot of food.
Now this recipe is totally vegan, isn't it?
- [Alyssia] Yeah, it's marked as vegetarian
on the website,
cause I don't think they have a vegan section,
but it is actually completely plant-based.
So it is technically vegan.
But, we've been doing a meatless meal
a couple times a week,
so it fits right in with us.
Alright look, and one minute later,
it looks so nice.
Wait, we need coconut chips.
- They're right here.
- And these lime wedges.
Which you can add on your own if you want.
- Alright, I'm adding these chips.
Do you know how many calories this dish is,
this whole deal?
Just out of curiosity for my own curiousness.
- [Alyssia] This is 640 calories.
- [Christian] That's pretty good actually.
- I know.
- That's less than I anticipated
that it would be.
- That's less than I anticipated too,
that's great.
I mean, this is a big meal.
- [Christian] That's a big meal.
- [Alyssia] Yeah.
- [Christian] It's a hearty dinner.
- [Alyssia] Sprinkle it, make it look pretty.
Alright, what do you think?
- [Christian] I think it's time to eat.
- We need forks.
It looks and smells so good.
- [Christian] Yes it does.
- [Alyssia] Look at how nice this dinner looks.
- [Christian] I know.
- [Alyssia] Ready to taste it?
- [Christian] I'm ready to taste it,
are you ready to taste it?
- [Alyssia] I'm ready to taste it.
- [Christian] I'm more ready to taste it.
That's really good.
- It's perfectly cooked.
- Yeah, wow.
- The sweet potato is perfectly cooked.
Not too soft, not too firm.
- That's killer.
- I was also thinking,
"I probably would have
cooked the zucchini longer.",
no, perfectly cooked.
Oh my gosh, it's so good.
And, with the curry sauce on the rice,
the rice cuts the heat just the right amount.
- Yeah.
- So I get the flavor,
but I don't feel like my mouth is on fire.
Oh my gosh it's so good,
and these coconut chips are sweetened.
You taste them?
They're really good.
They're a little bit sweet.
Oh my gosh it's so good.
- Yum.
- Did you try a little lime juice on it?
- That's what I'm about to do.
I'm about to lime it up.
- [Alyssia] And this is a good amount of food.
- [Christian] Yeah.
- [Alyssia] The tomato chutney
is giving it the heat,
but with the coconut milk it's so creamy,
it tempers it, so it's mild, it's not so hot.
- The sweetness of the coconut chips
is a really nice bonus.
Loving it.
- Good choice huh?
- Yeah.
- Good choice.
- I'm really liking this.
- I didn't have to come up with this recipe,
I didn't have to do any of the flavor preparing,
I didn't have to grocery shop,
I didn't have to measure anything,
and we still got to cook dinner together.
- Yeah.
- It's not like you order it, and it's done,
you still got the experience of cooking,
without the stress of the planning.
- Yeah.
I think this is more fun.
- It's actually really good.
- I know, I have to stop eating now.
- I hope you enjoyed that demo,
and I hope you found these tips
for a realistic,
health-conscious lifestyle useful,
I would encourage you to check out Blue Apron
to make your lifestyle easier,
use the link in the description box.
Remember the first one hundred people to sign up
gets $60 Dollars off for their first three weeks,
so don't miss out.
- [Christian] That's awesome.
We hope you guys have
a wonderful, fantastic holiday season.
- We'll be back next week, and remember,
- It's all a matter of Mind Over Munch.
- So good.
- I know, aren't I?
I've seen you do it enough times I think.