I recently read this article about why being busy isn't respectable anymore, and it made me think a lot about what I've got going on right now. I'll be defending my thesis in 134 128 127 125 days. That's 134 128 127 125 more days of a full time MSc thesis plus a full time job, which is, depending on when you ask me, totally manageable, totally overwhelming, totally awesome, or totally bonkers. I can hardly complain about it, though, as I'm the one who signed up for this madness.
Because I have taken on a bit more than I can handle, I've had to do some priority shifting. I've chosen time over money and hired a cleaning service for our apartment, which is the Best Thing Ever. I've chosen convenience over selection and started ordering most of our groceries online. Because I realized I don't function well when I'm over tired, I've chosen a little extra sleep over that chunk of time I'd been spending on blogging in the early hours of each morning - and I miss it, but I don't regret it.
The good news is, just yesterday I finally finished the terrible /horrible /scary (to me) data extraction phase of my thesis work (hence all those crossed out numbers up there), and ran the meta analysis (with a lot of hand holding from my supervisor). The results are in, they're crazy significant (that's really good!) and now the only thing standing between me and finishing this thing is writing a paper. Plus some silliness about a defence. That I can handle.
Keeping myself well-fuelled with nourishing food through this time has been a challenge. It definitely requires planning and preparation, which I am better at some weeks than others.
This was a good moment - a spicy, gingery broth scented with green curry paste and coconut milk, a few handfuls of vegetables and some edamame tossed in at the last second. If you've got the vegetables pre-chopped you can have hot soup in about five minutes. If you make the broth in bulk and freeze individual portions, you've got an easy and nutritious meal on standby. I can't tell you how many times a portion of soup in the freezer has saved me.
This soup has the kind of heat, speed, and feel good factor that it'll perk you right up if you're feeling sniffly, or feeling blue. Trust me, try it out. Not into curry? Try this Five Minute Feel Better Miso Vegetable Soup instead.
One year ago: Tomato Spinach Lentil Soup (freezes really well!) and Pizza Sallad
Two years ago: Tom Yam Soup and Home Made Bagels
Three years ago: Savoy Slaw
Five Minute Feel Better Coconut Curry Soup Recipe:
The veggies and proteins you add to this soup are, obviously, up to you. I used broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, and edamame. Red cabbage is nourishing and delicious, but be warned it stains the broth a pink / purply colour quite quickly.
Serves 2
.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 green onions, diced
1Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups good quality vegetable broth
1 teaspoon green curry paste
¼ - ½ cup coconut milk
Juice from ½ a lime
Add ins:
small broccoli florets
carrot, peeled and julienned
red cabbage, thinly sliced
edamame
.
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the green onion, ginger, and garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes, until onion is soft and garlic is just beginning to brown.
Add vegetable broth, and whisk in the green curry paste. Add ¼ cup of the coconut milk, and the lime juice. Be careful that the broth doesn't come to a boil once the coconut milk has been added to avoid curdling. Taste and decide if you'd like a bit more coconut milk or a bit more lime.
Add the vegetables, and cover with a lid. Let them steam for about 1 minute, then remove the lid and serve immediately.
Ginger is a host to several therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects. Perfect for both upset tummies, and cold and flu season.
Edamame is a great source of both protein and fiber, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B2, heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and potassium. Edamame is the best whole, unprocessed form of soy you can find, which makes it a great choice. Opt for organic whenever possible as GMO soy is extremely common.
Cabbage is chock full of anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and cancer fighting glucosinolates. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, K, A, manganese, folate, and dietary fiber. Additionally, cabbage has cholesterol lowering benefits. When you eat cabbage, fiber-related nutrients bind together with some of the bile acids in your intestine, which causes them to remain in the intestine and then pass through you (you know what I mean) rather than being absorbed. Your liver then needs to replace these bile acids and does this by using up some of your existing supply of cholesterol, which then causes your cholesterol level to go down. Cabbage for the win!
Shelley says
MADE THIS FOR DINNER TONIGHT AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! I HAVE LEFTOVERS AND WONDERED IF THEY COULD BE FROZEN. I HAVEN'T MADE MUCH WITH COCONUT AND CURRY, SO I WASN'T SURE IF THERE WAS ANY REASON WHY THIS WOULDN'T WORK. THANKS FOR A GREAT RECIPE!
Katie Trant says
You know, I've never tried freezing it so I can't say for sure it would work out, but I can't think of any reason it wouldn't. The only thing I can think of is that the veggies might have a different texture once reheated, but I don't think that would ruin the soup.Give it a go and let us know how the reheated soup turns out!
themuffinmyth says
Glad you like it! Let me know if you try it out and how it works for you.
Jess says
Good for you to take a step back when you need it, Katie - AND congratulations on the data for your thesis (though I can hardly even imagine what all that involves)! That article really rang true for me as well - there so much value in taking time for ourselves and it's about time that we recognized it as just important as "being busy".
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Jess! I'm sure you're needing to prioritize these days, what with babies on the way! It isn't always easy, but it feels good when you figure it out!
Kathryn says
I seriously am in total awe at everything you're managing to balance! The fact that you're even finding time to make nutritious + delicious food is pretty darn incredible in itself, let alone blogging about it.
Deena Kakaya says
This is my kind of soup , fresh, fragrant, quick to whip up and packed with goodness! I like it lots!
Last night I went to sleep early, by accident, whilst putting together a post that I've had waiting for three days. Waking up fresher, I reckon things need prioritising generally! Good on you x
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Deena! It is hard to prioritize sometimes, but so often a good night's sleep is just the thing you need. It's been a hard, but good lesson to learn 🙂
Jenny @ BAKE says
This soup looks incredible! Good luck with you everything you've got on right now with you MSc!
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Jenny!
ardysez says
We love laksa (curry soup) and this version sounds easy and delicious. Thank you. Best of luck (preparation meeting opportunity) on the studies, look forward to seeing you write more often again.
themuffinmyth says
Aren't curry soups the best? So soul satisfying! Thanks for the well wishes, and I certainly hope I'll be writing more often now as well.
cloudthyme says
This soup looks so refreshing and detoxifying! Looking forward to trying it 🙂
themuffinmyth says
It definitely is both of those things! I hope you give it a try and let me know how it turns out.
kellie@foodtoglow says
Hi Katie. Wow, it sounds like you have quite a hectic life right now, but have also been doing a good job prioritising - cleaning service: good idea! And now that the data extraction has been done, and with good results, hopefully you will feel a surge of energy. Of course this soup will help with energy too. Just making and inhaling soups such as this is energising. A proper feel-good soup. I have a lemongrass curry coming up soon, so don't think I am copying you. It's quite different, but along these lines. Great minds and all that... 😉 Keep on keeping on!
themuffinmyth says
Kellie, I never think we're copying one another! But I love how aligned we are in our posts so often. Yes, it feels great to have the data extraction done - I'm so not a numbers person! The actual write up and defence are so much more in my realm, so I'm happy to be moving on.
klopez415 says
This looks so good! I've been wanting to make a curry dish lately and just bought some coconut milk and curry paste hoping to find a recipe soon! Great recipe!
themuffinmyth says
How serendipitous! I hope you'll put your curry paste and coconut milk to good use here. It's such an awesome, flavour packed, and easy soup.