Anything Less Than 100 Percent Does NOT Equal Zero Percent + Instant Pot Plant Based Carrot Ginger Soup

Changing how you eat can be tricky business, and there are lots of things that could potentially trip you up along the way. Fear, information overload, excuses, addiction to unhealthy food- these can all come into play and work against your badass, plant eating efforts.

One of the things that I see most often that leads directly to self-sabotage is the all or nothing mindset. It’s an easy mindset to slip into and once you’re there, it’s like trying to get out of quicksand, but the quicksand is made out of peanut butter. And there’s also jelly. You’re basically stuck in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Here’s a snapshot of what it looks like:

Anything less than 100% equals 0%.

If you don’t get all A’s in school, why bother trying to get good grades at all.

If you don’t eat 100% plant based, you may as well eat whatever the hell you want, even if it involves deep fried cheese followed by more deep fried cheese.

If you can’t clean your entire house, including the back of the refrigerator, there’s zero point in even doing laundry.

If you don’t go to the gym at least 5 days a week and feel sweat actually dripping into your butt crack, there’s no point in even taking a walk.

When you’re stuck in this thinking, smack dab in that PB&J, you set yourself up to fail, not by putting big expectations on yourself, but by jumping ship the moment you don’t meet those expectations.

And then after you jump ship, you feel like shit because you went from striving for perfection to sitting in a dirty ass house, wearing the same stained shirt you’ve been wearing for days and stuffing fried cheese into your mouth hole. It’s a hard landing and the perfect recipe for breakdown city.

The remedy for this is NOT lowering the bar or your expectations. Hell no! You should never sell yourself short, and I believe that you’re fully capable of whatever you put your mind to.

The remedy for exiting the peanut butter and jelly debacle is twofold. In order to ditch the all or nothing mindset, you must first stay rooted in reality, and then you must focus your energy on smaller chunks. Let’s explore.

We’ll start with staying rooted in reality.

Anything less than 100% DOES NOT in fact equal 0%. It equals whatever you reached. 

The only way that anything less than 100% equals zero is if you literally did NOTHING to reach your goal. So take a step back and be proud of any step you’ve taken to reach your goal. That’s not nothing. 

Also, how far up one’s ass do these numbers get plucked from? Can anyone really tell me they’ve reached 80% of their goal?

Instead of quantifying your progress, check in with how you FEEL.

If you’ve done something, anything to reach your goal, put your arms in the air, shake your ass, and do a dance right NOW in honor of your forward motion, especially if it hasn’t been perfect.

You have a plan. You’ve taken action. You’re on the path. Wherever you’re at is perfect.

Now let’s talk about biting off small chunks.

I don’t know about you, but when I think about everything that needs to get done in order to reach my goals, it’s enough to make me puke. And then shit. And then stop everything I’m doing and go binge watch Narcos.

Looking at the overall picture is great when you’re deciding what you want to accomplish, but as soon as you do that, you have to step the hell back, pare it down down into manageable chunks, and take one step at a time.

• If you want to eat plant based, start by following our meal plans and having a plant based dinner Monday – Friday.
• If you want a ridiculously clean house, choose one space to clean and take it from there.
• If you want to get into shape, commit to moving your body for just 20 minutes a day.

Stay rooted in reality, bite off small chunks, and you’ll be out of that PB&J in no time. And then one day soon, you’ll look up from your life and without even realizing it, you’ll be living your goal.

And that’s when it will hit you.

You didn’t reach your goal by being perfect. You reached your goal because you didn’t let your imperfections stop you from reaching your goal.

Things are feeling less sticky already, am I right?

Plant Based Carrot Ginger Soup / Instant Pot and Stove Top Directions

Plant Based Carrot Ginger Soup / Instant Pot and Stove Top Directions

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Author: Molly Patrick of Clean Food Dirty Girl

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup chopped red onion 140g
• ▢ 5 cups chopped carrots 630g
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger 30g
• ▢ 3 cups water 710ml
• ▢ 1 can coconut milk 13.5oz. / 400ml
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

• Prep the onion, carrot, garlic and ginger. The fastest way to do this is to use the “s” shaped blade of your food processor. This isn’t totally necessary, but it makes it much faster. Place the prepped veggies into one big bowl and set aside for now.
• Press the “saute” button on your Instant Pot and let it heat up for about two minutes (make sure the lid is off).
• Pour all the veggies into the Instant Pot and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan (make sure the lid is off). Turn the Instant Pot off.
• Add the water and give it a stir. Lock the lid into place and make sure the nozzle is in the “sealing” position.
• Use the “manual” setting and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the timer is up, turn off the Instant Pot and use the natural release method.
• When the pressure is down, open the lid and add the coconut milk and the salt. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to help cool it down.
• Use a blender stick or blend in batches with your blender until the soup is super creamy and smooth. Add a few turns of black pepper.

Stove Top Directions

• Prep the onion, carrot, garlic and ginger. The fastest way to do this is to use the “s” shaped blade of your food processor. This isn’t totally necessary, but it makes it much faster. Place the prepped veggies into one big bowl and set aside for now.
• Heat a large pot over medium heat for about a minute until it’s hot. Add all the veggies from the bowl and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Add a couple tablespoons of water to the veggies if they start to stick.
• Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover the pot with a lid at an angle and simmer for 20 minutes. If the water level gets too low, add a bit more water. Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk and the salt.
• Allow the soup to cool for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to help cool it down. Use a blender stick or blend in batches with your blender until the soup is super creamy and smooth. Add a few turns of black pepper.

Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with not being perfect and NOT letting that stop you.

Food photography by Christine June