Wednesday 20260114

Pete Shaw
Jan 13
3 min read

BODY

5 rounds for time:

12 bike calories

20 lunges

BELLY

Japanese Curry Beef Bowl

Beef simmered in a spiced Japanese-style curry sauce with veggies, served over buttery cauliflower rice.

This is a recipe for Japanese-Style Beef Curry. To make this "Quick & Easy" with zero prep, we are going to use the "One-Pot Braise" method.

We’ll skip searing the beef separately and use the microwave for the cauliflower rice, allowing the curry to simmer hands-free while you handle other things.

⚡️ Quick & Easy One-Pot Japanese Beef Curry

This version eliminates the two-pan dance and uses "parent-hacks" to get the vegetables tender without constant sautéing.

📝 Ingredients

Group	Ingredient
The Curry	6 oz beef sirloin or chuck (Buy "stir-fry strips" to skip slicing)
	1 Tbsp ghee or butter
	¼ cup onion (sliced), ¼ cup zucchini (diced), ¼ cup carrot (diced)
	1 clove garlic (jarred), 1 tsp ginger (paste/tube)
	Spices: 1 tsp curry powder, ½ tsp turmeric, S&P
	1 cup beef broth, 1 tsp coconut aminos
The Rice	1 cup cauliflower rice (frozen bag is fastest)
	1 Tbsp butter, Salt

🏃‍♂️ Instant Assembly (5 Minutes Prep + 15 Minutes Cooking)

The One-Pot Start (2 Minutes): In a medium pot or deep skillet, melt the ghee or butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the beef, onions, zucchini, and carrots all at once.
Flavor Dump (2 Minutes): Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and turmeric. Stir for 60 seconds until the spices smell fragrant.
Simmer (15 Minutes): Pour in the beef broth and coconut aminos. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 12–15 minutes.
- The beef and veggies will cook perfectly in the liquid, creating a rich sauce without the need for searing.
The "Stealth" Rice (3 Minutes): While the curry simmers, put the cauliflower rice in a microwave-safe bowl with the 1 Tbsp butter and a pinch of salt. Cover with a plate and microwave for 3 minutes.
- This is 100% hands-off and much faster than pan-frying.
Serve: Taste the curry—if you want the sauce thicker, let it simmer uncovered for the last 2 minutes. Spoon the beef and sauce over the steamed cauliflower rice.

💡 The "Busy Parent" Shortcuts

Frozen Veggie Hack: Buy a bag of "Peas and Carrots" or "Stew Mix." You can dump a handful of these directly into the pot—no chopping required!
Thickness Trick: Japanese curry is usually thick.¹ Since we aren't using flour/potatoes, you can stir in 1 Tbsp of cream cheese or a splash of heavy cream at the end to make it instantly rich and thick.
Scissors for Onions: Use kitchen shears to snip your scallion garnish directly over the bowl.

BRAIN

Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance

High-carb diets resulted in a metabolic slow-down compared to low-carb

In this randomized controlled trial, adults first lost about 10–12% of their body weight on a calorie-restricted diet and were then assigned to low-, moderate-, or high-carbohydrate diets for 20 weeks while calories and protein were adjusted to maintain weight. Total daily energy expenditure was measured using doubly labeled water. Those consuming the high-carbohydrate diet showed a significantly greater reduction in energy expenditure than those eating low-carbohydrate diets.

Participants assigned to the low-carbohydrate diet burned hundreds more calories per day than those on the high-carbohydrate diet during weight-loss maintenance, indicating less adaptive metabolic slowdown. The effect was strongest in individuals with higher insulin secretion, suggesting that diet composition—not just calories—can meaningfully influence how the body responds metabolically after weight loss.

Read the Article