By Molly Patrick
Mar 29, 2016,
Raise your hand if any of the following have made their way out of your pretty mouth lately:
- “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you, I’m just so busy”
- “I would love to get together but I have no time right now”
- “Batch cooking makes so much sense but between the kids and work and other obligations, I have zero time for anything extra”
- “I barely have time to take a shit – there’s no way in hell I can squeeze in a yoga class or 15 minutes of meditation”
Well my dear, I am here to lovingly call bullshit on the “I have no time” sob story.
Here’s why.
I’m gonna’ start by assuming you’re aware of the fact that there are 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day. If you aren’t aware that this is the current situation, you either need to exit the hippie commune or put down the bottle. Maybe both.
Either way it’s okay – I’ve been drunk in a hippie commune before. One time I was drunk, naked, and on mushrooms in a hippie commune. I’ll save that fuckery for another time, but I can tell you first hand that even with this particular mixture of things happening, there are still 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day.
This is a fact that will never change.
And no one gets a workaround for this. Oprah, single moms, President Obama, ER doctors and this dude are all in the 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day boat.
No one gets more.
No one gets less.
So, it’s not that you don’t have time. Because you do have time and everyone gets the same amount of it each day.
It comes down to this. Whatever you truly “don’t have time” for isn’t as important as you think it is. Because when you really, really, really want something, you’ll find the time. You’ll figure out a way. You’ll make better use of the 168 hours in your week. You’ll work that shit out.
So whether you are aware of it or not, every time you say “I don’t have time”, what you’re really saying is “that’s not super important to me right now”.
Yup, “I don’t have time” is nothing more than an excuse dressed up in innocent librarian clothes, dowdy skirt and all. But you know what? Most librarians don’t wear underpants and are into bondage.
So let’s cut the crap and work this out.
I’m not saying that you aren’t busy. I know you are – everyone is. I’m saying that instead of making excuses as to why you can’t do something, either be honest about not wanting to do it and give it the boot, or prioritize your time better so that you can fit it in.
Instead of making “time” your scapegoat, look at all the things in your life that you “don’t have time” for, be super honest with yourself, and start to reassess.
It’s important to do this exercise because we often make excuses for things that we actually DO want. But we get so used to using “I don’t have time” as a crutch that we throw it at everything that comes our way, without pausing for a moment to decide whether or not we want the outcome of whatever it is, or how we might be able to figure it out and make it work.
If it’s a lunch date with a friend who drives you fucking batty and makes you feel like crap every time you see her, maybe it’s time to be honest with her and cut the cord. Imagine how freeing that could be. You’d never have to tell her “I don’t have time” ever again.
If it’s batch cooking that you sincerely want to incorporate into your weekly routine, stop the excuses and do it.
The reality is, batch cooking might take more time up front, but it saves you lots of time throughout the week. Plus, you have to grocery shop, cook and eat anyway. So you may as well do it in a way that works for your body instead of against it. Trust me. You have time and you will make it work if you really want to.
Oh, and spoiler alert: Eating for your health takes ahellofalot less time than type 2 diabetes, heart disease and all the other bullshit that comes with eating a crappy diet.
Here’s the other thing – your body doesn’t care if you don’t have time to cook or eat healthy food.
IT GIVES EXACTLY ZERO SHITS.
It won’t magically start thriving on processed convenience foods just because you didn’t get your shit together to batch cook. It won’t give you a free pass. It won’t turn cheese pizza into kale or potato chips into hummus as soon as they hit your system.
That’s not how it works. And I could have told you that when I was naked, drunk and tripping on mushrooms in a drum circle next to some hot springs.
It comes down to this.
Things that are easy, fast and bring us instant gratification are the things that we come up with excuses for to convince ourselves that we can and should incorporate into our life.
Things that are challenging, take more time and we don’t get instant gratification from are the things we come up with excuses for to convince ourselves that we can’t and shouldn’t incorporate into our life.
Here it is in action:
Netflix binge + take out + ice cream = “It’s been a long week, I deserve it.”
Versus
Batch cooking + a big green smoothie = “I have so much to do this weekend. I have no time for it.”
Here’s another:
Greasy cheap pizza + too many beers = “I work so hard and this will make me happy.”
Versus
Working out + a big green salad = “My leg hurts and I don’t have the ingredients to make salad. I better wait until next week.”
Or maybe:
Checking Facebook…again = “I need another little break.”
Versus
Sitting down and dedicating a solid, uninterrupted hour to your creative outlet = “I have too much to do to be so self-indulgent.”
And one more:
Taking a pill for high cholesterol and high blood pressure = “My doctor told me I should.”
Versus
Eating to protect your health = “I couldn’t possibly give up cheese.”
The stuff that doesn’t bring us an immediate burst of pleasure is exactly the stuff that we need to make time for. And the stuff that brings us instant gratification is the stuff that should be reexamined and tapered off. When this happens, more time will magically appear in front of you. Not unlike the tree that magically started talking to me when I was in that drum circle.
Here’s what I want you to take from this. Every time you say out loud or to yourself “I don’t have time”, know that it’s a silly excuse and empower yourself by saying one of the following things instead:
a) “No thank you, I am not interested.”
or
b) “I will find a way to make this work because it’s really important to me.”
Once you stop saying “I don’t have time”, you’ll have more of it – guaranteed.
If you want to save time during the week and eat ridiculously healthy, our weekly Plant Fueled Meal Plans will do just that. All you have to do is follow along.
Today’s recipe is simple, easy, packed full of nutrients and of course super tasty.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black beans 180g
- ½ cup onion 75g, diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup carrot 80g, diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper 80g, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste about a 1/4 cup / 90g
- 5 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh cilantro as garnish
Instructions
- Soak the black beans in at least 3 cups of water overnight.
- The next day, place the pressure cooker over medium heat for about a minute so the bottom of the pot gets hot. When it’s hot add the onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, cumin, coriander, chili, and oregano and stir. Allow to cook while you get the beans ready.
- Discard the soaking water from the beans and rinse the beans well. Add them to the rest of the veggies, stir and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the pan.
- Add the 5 cups of water and stir. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock it.
- Place the valve on the lid (if your cooker is the kind with the valve), turn the heat to high and allow to come to pressure. Turn the heat down to medium once it reaches pressure.
- Cook for 25 minutes after the pressure cooker has reached pressure (it takes around 12 minutes to reach pressure depending on your altitude and the cooker you have).
- After 25 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to cool, about 15 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, carefully bring the pot to the sink and run cold water over the lid until the pressure has gone down.
- When the pressure is totally down, take off the lid and add the tomato paste and the salt.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro when serving.
Notes
Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with noticing when you make excuses.
13 Comments
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How would you make this without a pressure cooker? Cook beans for a while first? Or make exactly as is but for longer in a pot on the stove?
Hey Jenny –
Soak the beans overnight, use a large pot and cook it for about an hour and a half. Keep an eye on the water levels and add more if too much of it evaporates. Add the tomato paste and the salt at the end – the same as this recipe.
Good luck!
XO
Molly
I followed this recipe exactly, in my Instantpot. Unfortunately, the water did not evaporate and it’s really soupy. It looks nothing like the picture. This happened with the pinto beans recipe, too. I don’t understand how to modify the recipes for the Instantpot.
Hi Angela –
The Instant Pot needs considerably less water than a regular pressure cooker.
Three cups of water would be plenty.
I’m so sorry about watery soup! You can cook it over the stove top without a lid until most of the water evaporates.
I also offer lots of Instant Pot recipes in my meal plans.
xo
Molly
It’s really great soup nevertheless. I’ll keep your tip in mind for the future. Thanks, Molly!
Is the cook time the same for an Instant Pot?
I’ve got an Instant Pot question too! I’m new to Instant Pot. Would you just put everything in together ( I noted three cups of water instead of five as above) and what setting and timing would you use?
Hi Laura, Yes, this recipe is older and was written for a traditional stove top pressure cooker. The three cups of water are to soak dried beans overnight – that water gets discarded. To use an Instant Pot (IP) during the cooking process you’ll first use your IP to saute the veggies with spices (there is a saute setting). Once the saute is done, add the beans and water and switch over to pressure cooking and add the lid with the toggle in the sealed position (like you would normally pressure cook).
The pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI) does not get as high in the IP as it would in a stove top cooker so technically it should take longer than 35 minutes but, even that is a long time to cook in an IP. I’ve checked with Molly we both agree that you won’t need that long of a cook time in the IP (even though it’s less PSI compared to a traditional cooker). Eventually we’ll test this recipe in the IP and rewrite it but for now, we suggest using 4 cups of water instead of 5 cups and cooking for 20 minutes at pressure with natural pressure release in the IP.
~Karen
I have a Duo mini instant pot… I believe it’s a 3- qt size? It’s hard for me to know which recipes are suitable for this small size, because it seems most of the recipes I see are either meant for a 6-qt sized cooker or there’s no indication what size the recipe is meant for. I just don’t want to overfill my little mini. Is there a cookbook specially for this size cooker? Any other tips?
Hi Vickie, With our recipes most likely you will want to cut them in half to not overfill your cooker. Instant Pot has cooking tips on their website and they say:
“-When cooking foods that expand such as rice or beans, do not fill the appliance over the “-1/2” line, as indicated on the inner pot. -Do not fill the inner pot higher than the “PC MAX — 2/3” line, indicated on the inner pot.”
For a 3-quart pot (which should be able to hold 12 cups, 4 cups in 1 quart) – provided that the line marks on the inner pot correspond to the true half and 2/3rds of 3-quarts, this means you’ll want to keep the total volume less than or equal to 6 cups for expanding foods, and less than or equal to 8 cups for other recipes. It may be less if those line marks don’t correspond exactly. You could reach out to Instant Pot directly to ask that question.
Whether it’s our recipe or not, the best way I’ve found to estimate volume it to add up the amount of ingredients to get a rough estimate of how much the recipe makes. In my experience, 2 cups of dry beans, soaked and cooked, equals about 5 cups prepared.
So, looking at this recipe you’ll add together:
the 1 cup of dry beans will make about 2.5 cups of beans cooked
+1/2 cup onion
+1/2 cup carrot
+1/2 cup pepper
+1/4 cup tomato paste
+5 cups water
= minimum 9 1/4 cups volume in this recipe as written
While we don’t have scaling capability on the blog recipes, we do have it for our Meal Plan subscribers. Our base nightly meal size (4 servings) can be scaled down to 1 serving, or up to 10. Not all of our recipes call for using a pressure cooker and we also provide Stove Top instructions for those that don’t use a pressure cooker. This is super helpful for someone preparing smaller amounts of food. You are welcome to check out how the scaling works by requesting our Trial Meal Plan plan (it’s free and does not automatically convert to a subscription) over here.
~Karen
Looks very good but have you updated this to work with an instant pot? Also, could I make it with canned beans?
Hi Ann,
Using canned beans with a pressure cooker or Instant Pot can unfortunately mean a mushy soup. We do have a Creamy Black Bean Soup you can make as a Meal Plan Club member that uses canned beans and has a similar profile, though.
Thanks Stephanie – I’ll just pick up some dried black beans. It seems to be the way to go 🙂