Hassle-Free Healthy Meal: Steaming

Broccoli, tofu and enoki mushrooms - ready to be steamed

Some people love to cook - they find it relaxing and fun. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. I don't mind cooking for special occasions, but at the end of most days, I want dinner on the table as quickly as possible, with the least amount of hassle. I find the easiest way to make that happen is steaming. As one of my go-to methods, steaming is super-healthy, requires minimal prep, and can be finished in 10 minutes (depending on what I'm cooking). It's a lot faster, cheaper and more mindful than ordering pizza. Preparing your own food and knowing exactly what goes into it makes you much more mindful of what you're eating than when you chow down a finished meal. If I have a long week, I'll steam several times a week. The benefits:

• More nutrients. The more you cook a food, the less vitamins and minerals it retains. And when you steam, food doesn't come in contact with water so even fewer nutrients are leached.
• Speed and ease. Steaming is quick, and you don't have to watch your food as it's steaming.
• It's not processed. You are feeding yourself and your loved ones high quality food. This is an easy way to up your whole foods ratio.
• No extra fats. You don't cook with any fat or oil. 
• Multipurpose. You can steam almost anything - vegetables, fish, chicken. You can steam meat too (it's often steamed in Chinese cooking), but find a good recipe. 
• Flavor retention. Food retains its juices and its natural flavors since steaming is moist cooking.
• Minimal clean up - all you have to do is chop, and there are no messy caked-on pans to clean.  

If you've tried steaming before, and you thought it was flavorless "rabbit food", look at the last step below to see how you can spice it up. However, your palate has probably changed so you now need the intensity of artificial flavors and chemicals of processed foods (massive amounts of sodium and flavoring). Stick with us. As you stay committed to a whole foods diet, you will get healthier and start craving the taste of natural foods instead of chemicals. It's amazing how the body adapts!

 

What to do: Steaming Meals (And a Recipe for Steamed Veggies)

1. Make a commitment to steam a meal. Put it in your Mindful Battle Plan.
2. Find a steamer. Any old steamer will do. Sometimes they are packaged with pasta pots. You can use a metal one with legs as in the picture above, or a Chinese bamboo steamer. One benefit of a Chinese steamer is that you can place your food and seasoning on a plate in the steamer, and the food will pick up the additional flavor. I just use a metal steamer. If you are following the recipe, start boil 2.5 cups of water, add 1 c. quinoa, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes (until all the water is absorbed)
3. Find a pot with a tight-fitting lid that the steamer will fit in, and put 1-2 inches of water in it. A wok will also do - you can fill it part way with water and place the steamer on top so it doesn't rest in the water.
4. Turn the heat on for the water to boil, and chop up the food that you want to cook while you're waiting for the water to boil. If you're following the recipe, take two broccoli crowns stalks, remove the ends, and skin the stalks. Then chop the stalks and florets into bite sized pieces. Chop the ends off the enoki mushrooms and pull apart in bite sized strands. Chop 1 block of broccoli (~14 oz.) into small squares. 
5. Load the food into the steamer and place it into the boiling pot. Place the toughest items that take the longest time to cook on the bottom. If you're following the recipe, load the tofu and broccoli on the bottom.
6. Set the timer and come back to check to see if the food is cooked to your liking. If you are steaming vegetables, it can take between 5-10 minutes, depending on how crisp you like them. If you are steaming seafood, it will take longer - check and make sure it is cooked through and opaque in the center. Chicken can take 45-60 minutes.  
7. Take the steamed food out and add seasoning. If you're not steaming on a plate, the food will be fresh and au natural. Add whatever you would like - salt, chili sauce, vinaigrette. I often add a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil. I also mix in ground flaxseeds (raw) for extra flavor.

Congratulations, you now have a healthy meal. Wasn't that fast? Toss with a whole grain carb if you would like - quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta. Be creative.

What I ate: 12 oz. green juice, 1 banana, 1/8 c. pumpkin seeds, 1 c. brown rice,  cod + red chard + spinach + mushrooms (re-savored), 4 squares dark chocolate, 2 clementines, 1 large gala apple, 7 cheddar cheese cracker Combos (for an upcoming post), 2T goji berries, 1T ground flaxseeds, steamed tofu + red chard + spinach, 1 cup hot chocolate, 66 oz. water 

Exercise: none