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Food

Beauty of the Rice Cooker

As my Summer winds down, and the realization that I will be living dorm-style again in two short weeks sets back in, I am finding myself somewhat anxious.

Confession: I’m a bit of a food snob and that is just the problem. Cooking with high quality ingredients and healthy foods is important to me, and I have been blessed enough to have access to those things as I have been living at home this Summer. At school I live in my sorority house…that has no kitchen! Yes, I know… A wannabe chef living in a house with no kitchen. It’s obscene.

Anyway.

Meals are provided Monday through Friday at the house, and although this is something I should be grateful for, I can’t help but dry-heave at the though of overly processed food prepared for the masses every night. Embarrassed Yes, the food often tastes good, but for budgeting reasons, the ingredients aren’t exactly high quality, and the food is very southern and buttery and cheesy. Yummy But not everyday!

I know, I know. I’m whining a bit here. But hear me out! Something I have talked about often with many of my yogi friends is the awareness of your body that comes with yoga. There is a huge connection between food and yoga and the strength needed to practice and be healthy in both body AND mind. My body pays the price when I don’t make the best food choices, and I’m sure many of you have had that feeling too. It’s just not worth it. Processed cheese product just isn’t gonna cut it for me this year!

So what am I going to do about it? Well, meat my healthy food team:

I think my rice cooker and I will be spending lots of time together this coming school year. All you need is an outlet to plug it into, a few ingredients, and voila…dinner! They take up very little space and are so versatile. This one was only about $18 at Target and worth every penny!

I picked up The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook at the library today to get some inspiration and ideas for things I could make while at school. I’m not one to follow recipes, but I love to read them to get ideas and learn the methods so I can create my own recipe later. This book is really great! Did you know that you could cook the rice in the bottom and steam the chicken and veggies on the top all at the same time!? You don’t even have to cook any rice at all. The other day I made a soup type thing with tomatoes and veggies and shrimp. Amazing Wink

I also stopped at Target and Whole Foods yesterday afternoon to get a colander and some spices. The pantry is stocked. Oh wait…rice! Note to self: Buy rice.

Looks like I have all the tools I need to stay healthy this coming school year!

Do you ever use a rice cooker? What’s your favorite rice cooker recipe?