Sundays Meal-prep Funday

If I don't cook as many meals for the week as possible, I eat like shit.  I've realized lately that I visit a fast food chain most mornings and sometimes in the afternoon.  Even though I feel like crap all day after eating 2 doughnuts and drinking a giant iced coffee, I go to Dunkin Donuts religiously!

Last week I made some eggs and bacon for us to eat for breakfast to keep myself from buying fast food. Unfortunately, I only made enough for 2 days and the rest of the week, I made poor choices.  This week, I made more eggs and 2 batches of bacon so that we could have a cup of eggs and two strips of bacon per day. I've already divvied out all of the servings, too.

I added salt, ground pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, and spinach.  The final product isn't beautiful, but I know it will help!

Guac Master

Okay, so the title of this post is a little pompous, but I just tried my hand at making guacamole at 8:00 in the morning and it went smoothly (pun intended).  You can find the recipe I used in The Sunset Essential Western Cookbook.  I didn't use any tomato, jalepeno, or cilantro and I substituted onion powder for actual onions.

I pulled out my mini food processor, added the necessary ingredients, and processed until smooth.  Most people like their guac a little chunky, but I wanted to see how smooth I could get it using my machine.  I think it's alright, but the real test will be my boyfriend!  I only made a little bit so we could smear some on our wraps; I usually have avocado on mine.

Cumin Beef Tagine

One of my boyfriend's Christmas gifts was The Slow Cook Book because we live busy lives (who doesn't?) and really enjoy using our crockpot to cook because it practically takes no effort, aside from prep.  He felt inspired and whipped up "Cumin Beef Tagine," a Moroccan dish yesterday.  Below are pictures from his beef prep, I didn't remember to take pictures of it slow cooking with veggies or in our bowls with rice.  Now it's in tupper-ware and I'm afraid it really wouldn't photograph well.

It was good, but it seemed as if it was missing something.  I added salt to mine to see if that was the issue, but it wasn't quite enough.  I'm also not much of a beef fan, but we had some in the freezer that he was itching to use.

Sunday Fun-Day

I was going to type up some endearing story that ties my life into the lessons they learn in class, but basically, I'd rather just show you some cool pictures (or, at least my definition of cool) from my day at the park.  

I've never seen a real cactus up-close.

Some cool recycled glass in a cactus garden-type thing

A super tall cactus!

Breathe In, Breathe Out

There is a time and a place for negativity and complaining.  

Being a teacher can really compromise your ability to stay positive on a daily basis.  What really stinks is how annoyed I get with myself for being negative; I guess that's why it really annoys me when others around me are overly negative, too.

My job is extremely difficult and each day is a different struggle- and I'm not even referring to my difficulties following and implementing curriculum.  The best part, though, is that each morning is a fresh start; I love waking up in the morning and thinking about the possibilities for my day.  Sometimes, it is difficult to keep smiling with so much adversity inside of the classroom and out.   

Most of the time, I have to remind myself to breathe and think, "...is this really worth the worry?"  Here's 1,000,000 pictures that motivate ME to stay positive.

February Follow-up

January is one of my favorite months of the year and it always passes too quickly!  Here's where I stand with my resolutions so far this year:

1. Save $1000.  Well, I started out with good intentions when I got paid on the 10th.  I paid most of my bills on my first check, but had some unfortunate unexpected expenses come up when I renewed my license and registration.  It turns out that your registration does not expire on your birthday every year, so I accumulated some late fees.  Also, I bought a blender that cost $150.  Haha.  February seems to be going a little better though; I haven't spent much of my 2nd paycheck from January.

2. Travel someplace new before December 31, 2014.  When filling out my application for CTY this year, I ranked Seattle, Hong Kong, and some other places, but then got scared!  I ended up changing my preferences to just Seattle because I was too nervous to travel to Hong Kong alone, plus I wanted to work for more than just 3 weeks.  There's a possibility that I may still end up going to Santa Cruz, but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for Seattle!  

3. Sign up for and run in a marathon-type thing.  Okay, so I haven't even started running.  I also haven't used my Beach Babe DVD since my birthday.  I am most definitely going to get my rear into gear this month!  I have 2 different fitness related Groupons!  One for a local Barre3 studio and another for a nearby yoga studio.

4. Become more comfortable in the kitchen.  I haven't really had time to do any creative cooking.  Earlier this month, I made one of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes and made a few adjustments based on what I had available in the kitchen.  This month, I promise to make more time for cooking (especially since last week we basically ate freezer food each night).

Originally, I thought about making "monthly resolutions" instead of the traditional year-long type.  I still set some goals for myself in January and accomplished all of them.  I scheduled a dentist appointment and switched my phone plan and got a smart phone.  

This month, my goal is to file my taxes!

Birthday Girl

My birthday weekend has been wonderful!  On Saturday morning, I opened some birthday presents that came in the mail.  I was so GRATEFUL for everything I received.  Sometimes I forget how FORTUNATE I am, despite all of my complaining about my life and the things that seem wrong in it.  Yesterday, I spent my time being lazy, running errands, and catching up on Girls.  Ironically, the main character's 25th birthday party was happening on the eve of my own 25th birthday.  

My favorite birthday gifts :)

I started my 25th birthday by walking the dogs, drinking some Bombshell Spell, and working out with the Beach Babe 2 DVD by Tone It Up.  Then I used my brand new, super duper NINJA to whip up the Green Giant Smoothie.  Obviously, I'm a little obsessed with Tone it Up right now...  All it took was watching the promo for the new video for me to be hooked.  

The Bombshell Spell is sorta an acquired taste...

I love today.  Tonight I'm going to PF Changs with my boyfriend to celebrate!  I can't wait to see what's going to happen in my life this year; I really feel as if it's going to be a good one!

Birthday Smoothie (aka: Green Giant)- it was actually tasty!

Slow Starts + One More Resolution

If this past week has been any indication of how I'll be fulfilling my resolutions for 2014, we're in trouble.

My boyfriend and I drove with our dogs to Sacramento for Christmas and came back on the 28th.  Ever since our return, we have completely neglected our condo and now look as if we live in an episode of Hoarders (it really didn't help that we were both sick Christmas through New Years). There are boxes everywhere, our counters are filled with junk, dishes are piled up in the sink...  Soon, we'll probably find a flattened dead cat somewhere under the mess (sorry, had to slip in a Hoarders reference).

What does that have to do with my resolutions? Well, I haven't done much of anything, including drinking much (if any) water at all these past few days of January.  That is probably the simplest resolution, but I just get busy...  Okay, really I've just been laying around in my living room binging on Netflix and finishing a puzzle.  After not showering for a couple days in a row, I waited until 6pm one night because I had a party to attend at 6:30.  I've pretty much spent every day of winter break in my pajamas and I like it that way.  I've barely mustered up the gumption to take the dogs out every day!  I certainly haven't started any type of running regimin to help myself get started towards that marathon-type thing resolution.

Why am I showcasing my laziness?  Partially because I think it's sadly a little bit funny and because I'm hoping that by writing about it and shaming myself online, I might change my ways.  They say that by the time you're 25, your brain has finished developing and you're pretty much never going to change.  They also say that by 25, your body starts having more complications with fertility and child birthing, but um, while that kinda freaks me out, I'm not really paying attention to those statistics right now.

Drastic times call for drastic measures.  

I'm adding on another resolution for 2014 that I think may help with some of my motivational issues.  Something along the lines of, "take care of myself daily."  Basically, under the rules of this resolution, I would need to shower every morning, put on makeup, and put some kind of effort into the way I look.  Yes, this may be extremely tedious for me (considering most days I see myself in the mirror and kinda just shrug my shoulders- bedhead and all), but I think that if I think I look good, it might lead to me wanting to feel good and follow through with other personal goals.  This is based on the principal of dressing for success; I'm sure you've all heard of/experienced it.

Granola Taste-Test

Recently, I've become interested in granola.  Basically, I had a surplus of oats and wanted to find a creative recipe that wouldn't take a lot of effort and wanted to include items I already had on hand.  Personally, I hate "All-recipes" and find it to be a very annoying and overwhelming website, so I never go there for anything.  Somehow I stumbled across this recipe for Olive Oil Granola and figured, "eh, why not?"  So last Sunday night, with a few changes, I made it.  Every morning this past week I have had some in my yogurt for breakfast and it is SO GOOD.  Honestly, I can't get enough of it and I just ran out yesterday morning.

Now, I'm on a quest to find awesome granola recipes (and even told my boyfriend yesterday that I wish I could find a cool granola cookbook, with the exception that I hate cookbooks focused on one dish) and I don't really know where to start.  In search of inspiration, I picked up some granola yesterday from Whole Foods (each bin was on sale for $2.99/pound and I got four bags at about 50 cents a piece).  This morning, I woke up and decided to "taste-test" each one (with my boyfriend, of course); greek yogurt and honey in one bowl, almond milk in another.

I purchased Cherry Vanilla, Maple Pecan Dream, Wild Blueberry Flax, and Almond Maple.

First, I tasted them all in yogurt.  My favorite was a tie between Wild Blueberry Flax and Maple Pecan Dream; they weren't too weak or too overpowering.  The Maple Almond granola was quite disappointing; it wasn't really even maple-y or almond-y.  Just oats, really.  The Cherry Vanilla was cute (as in appearance), but it tasted kind of artificially sweet.  I probably would never purchase this again and have no intention of immitating it.  None of the granolas lived up to the deliciousness of the Olive Oil granola I made earlier this week.

Then, just in case the honey or yogurt changed the taste of the granola, I tried them in almond milk.  I grew up eating cereal every morning and sometimes I still get that crunchy-sweet craving.  Anyway, they all ranked the same.  The Maple Almond was just sad, Cherry Vanilla was sickeningly sweet, and Wild Blueberry and MPD were shining stars.  I still feel as though Wild Blueberry and MPD need some more depth in flavor; they're not rich at all.  I want a granola that I can crave and savor.  Something that will hold me over until lunch without being a gigantic calorie bomb.

Will I buy any of these granola again?  Probably not.  But, there were some others at Whole Foods that I might want to try in the future.  Particularly the PB&J variation we saw with dried strawberries, YUM!

New Resolutions: Welcoming 2014

So it's time to start thinking about what I want to work on this year.  Before winter break, I taught a lesson about New Year's Eve and making resolutions, explaining that a resolution is a promise you make yourself for the new year.  Although they made resolutions for themselves, they were still a little too young to really grasp the idea of why we need resolutions.  I personally believe it's mainly meant for inspiration to get through another year, you can read all about the true meaning behind resolutions here.

Without further ado, here are my resolutions for 2014:

1. Save $1000.  Really, this goal should be a little steeper, but I am terrible at managing my paychecks and balancing my finances.  Once I reach $1,000 I am going to increase my goal to $2,000.

2. Travel someplace new before December 31, 2014.  Seattle, New York City, New Orleans, anywhere in Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, a national park (Yosemite is close-ish), Phoenix....  I won't be young and free forever!

3. Sign up for and run in a marathon-type thing.  I'm not talking about some silly 5K, but I'm not sure if I'm hardcore enough for a legit marathon. Unfortunately, setting up goals about losing weight isn't working for me, so I'm hoping that making a round-about fitness goal will help.  I've seen so many pictures of people who have completely changed their physique by starting a running routine lately!  I also want to become good at yoga... Should that be a resolution?  Actually, if I am too lazy to commit to running, I'm changing this one to "be active every day for 30 minutes."

4. Become more comfortable in the kitchen.  I have a lot of cookbooks and watching shows like Top Chef and Master Chef Junior (stupid, but those kids can seriously do stuff I have never even dreamed or thought about) has really inspired me.  My step-mother was a terrible cook and I look forward to the day when my kids savor my cooking the way that my boyfriend savors his mother's.

Part of my cookbook collection... I seriously don't even know why I have so many!

5.  Drink 2 liters of water a day.  I just want to stay hydrated!

Happy new year, everyone!