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!