Food to fuel growing minds

Published 9:30 pm Wednesday, December 31, 2025

In the last week of December 2024, I bought myself a kitten calendar for the coming year. I hung it on the wall beside my treadmill and set a black pen on the lid of an old trunk nearby. This calendar would be used to track the miles until I reached my 1000-mile goal. Every morning, as soon as the track stopped moving, I stepped down and quickly wrote the distance traveled, and at the end of every month, I added up the days and wrote the total at the top. I completed my goal early, in September, but didn’t give up my morning workout or lose the strength it gave me. As I write on Sunday, Dec. 28, my total for the year is 1523.76 miles.

My resolution for 2026 will be more difficult and more important by far. It has been the unconquerable mountain looming over me for many years, where past demons prowl and dangers lie around every blind curve and I have never had the courage to seek my revenge against it because the war was never with the mountain, it was with myself. But now I know I’m strong enough. I have the fortitude; I have the grit to grind it out and I will succeed this time. By this time next year, I will complete my degree and earn the right to call myself a teacher, ready to stand at the front of my own classroom in 2027.

The year ahead of me will be a marathon, but now my mind is comfortable at a running pace, and I am fit for the challenge. I will show my son by example that we are in control of our lives, and we can make them whatever we want them to be.

I must remember not to neglect myself on my ascent, and to keep care of my body and mind as I go. I’ll keep the morning run, and I’ll make time for healthy (and frugal) food to fuel all our growing minds. To keep our budget small, I’ll be relying on dry goods and plant-based proteins like lentils, beans, and rice. This yellow split pea curry is mild and rich with coconut milk and spices and, paired with steamed rice, is a complete meal and perfect fuel for late night papers and early morning races.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry yellow split peas, rinsed

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 ½ cups russet potato, small dice

½ can coconut milk

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil

Directions:

In a large saucepan sautee the onion, ginger, and garlic in oil until the onions are softened and slightly browned.

Add the dry spices and stir fry for a minute before adding the rinsed peas.

Cover with water and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the peas are halfway done, about 15-20 minutes, then add the diced potatoes. Add enough water to cover and cook until the potatoes and peas are both soft.

Reduce the heat to medium low and add the coconut milk.

Cook until the curry is smooth and thickened. It shouldn’t be soupy but also shouldn’t be a stiff paste.

Turn off the heat and season with extra salt or lemon juice. Serve with spicy raw peppers, plain Greek yogurt and fresh steamed rice.