There is progress being made at the house. Trim is up and I have the unenviable task of making sure the nails are set, filling holes, sanding the wood putty and caulking. It’s a bit of a pain. However, I found a tool that made my life easier. Behold the pneumatic palm nailer. If you need to do a lot of countersinking of nail heads so the hole can be filled, this tool makes life easier. I use it with my nail punch to keep the hole small. A hammer is just too slow and I wreck my hands using it. I’m hoping to start caulking the upstairs trim this weekend. We are getting close. On thing that frustrates us to no end is people offering to “help”. We have offered to pay people for their help and they still back out after they realize what they have agreed to. I have no idea why people agree to things without thinking. When you need help, it is not great to get a promise to help just to be nice with no intention of really doing anything. Please don’t do that. This is far from being nice. Think before you say yes.

Another thing that we are doing is going back to vegetarianism. We both love it and since Tony’s health is doing better, we want to lower the saturated fat from our diet. Eating a vegetarian diet can help do that. This week’s recipe is vegetarian from The Modern Proper for Green Curry Buddha Bowls. I wanted something simple to make that was really tasty. Green curry paste is a wonderful ingredient. It adds a ton of flavor. I noticed this recipe has no protein source. There are plenty that can be added to make to increase the protein. A few other swaps and this recipe should be awesome.

Here are the original stats.

Here’s what I changed:

• I reduced the amount of rice by half to lower the calories and carbs.
• I replaced the coconut cream with light coconut milk to reduce the saturated fat and calories.
• I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I replaced the fish sauce with oyster sauce to keep the seafood taste with less sodium.
• I increased the servings from 6 to 7 to lower the calories.
• I added extra firm tofu to increase the protein.

Here are the updates stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Green Curry Rice Bowl

Serves 7

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 14oz container extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
• 2 heaping cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup carrots, julienned
• 1/4 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
• 6-8 large crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp green curry paste
• 14oz can light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1-2 tsp brown sugar

1. To make the curry sauce, combine cashews through brown sugar in a blender and blend on high until for 2 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the tofu on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly oiled. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes.
3. In a skillet add the broccoli and 1/4 cup water and heat over medium heat until the water simmers. Place a lid on the pan and steam for five minutes. Lift the lid and let the water evaporate. Add the olive oil, and the rest of veggies to the pan and fry until the mushrooms are brown.
4. Assemble bowl by layering the tofu and veggies over the brown rice and drizzling with curry sauce. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.