Hello all! Of course today was Meatless Monday - so an intentional avoidance of meat. Don't worry I'm probably going to have some Spicy Turkey Chili tomorrow!
I really didnt eat anything interesting, oats, leftover stir fry, left over pasta... see, boring?
Today I am mentally exhausted. I have started working on other areas of my Grad School Application and its taking a toll on me. I wrote up my Statement of Purpose yesterday and emailed it to my friend who just started law school. He tore it apart. I glad because it will make it better, but I have NO CLUE how to improve it - he gave me some suggestions but my brain is not working at all. I am hoping that in a day or two maybe some idea will pop into my head and I will be able to do another draft of the statement. It is supposedly the most important document of the application...no pressure, right? I sorta (wrongly) thought that after the GRE the rest would be somewhat easy (other than the portfolio which I know will be hard!).... I am not looking forward to being stressed out for the next 3 months trying to finish this application. Pray for miracles...please!
I am so very sore right now. Yoga yesterday and pt this morning - my hip hurts! After 9pm I am fasting for some blood work in the morning. Tests for any blood sugar issues (such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc), thyroid issues, kidney issues, etc etc.... hopefully we will figure out why I am always feeling so crappy (tired, headaches, shaky, etc.)
Anyways, I am just mentally worn out from all of this, so I am going to bed early tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I will have something fun to tell you about. Night Night!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Funny Thing...
About not eating meat, is that the more you do it the easier it is. I unintentionally did not eat meat again! So, that makes 5 days this week that were meat free - and only 1 of those (meatless Monday) was intentional.
So, I had another one of those days where I hardly ate anything all day long. I really just had a HUGE dinner of red bell pepper (roasted), black beans, amaranth, avocado, cherry tomatoes and some cheese...and still need to eat 131 calories. Not that I'm complaining..at least its not like other days where I eat eat eat and still am hungry; its just annoying that my body cannot make up its mind.
I did Flow Yoga class again this morning with Sandra. That class is fun because it kicks my butt, and we do crazy poses that make me think "I'll never be able to do that," but then I do (sorta.) I am already sore from that class and it has not even been a whole day; I'm not looking forward to how I am going to feel tomorrow when I wake up.
Anyways... food talk time. Breakfast was Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats:
You need 1 Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk and 1/2 cup oats - put in fridge over night. Next morning add some strawberry jelly and a bunch of cut up strawberries - I used 8 I think. Seriously if you are going to make overnight oats with just milk, this is the milk to use. Top 2 overnight oats: Pinacolada and Strawberry.
Lunch today was this:
My last piece of High Fiber 5 Bread from Great Harvest (ah, but do not fear I have a loaf of GH Ezekiel Bread to eat now!) topped with 1 banana and 2 tbsp almond butter - a cup of milk on the side. This was a somewhat hard decision to make. I thought I probably should eat something that had veggies in it but everything I thought of just wasn't sounding right, so I went for the banana and AB.
I already told you about dinner but what I did not tell you was that instead of using a Hass Avocado I used a Florida Avocado. This is not my picture but it shows them side by side:
These are my pictures of the avocado that I used in tonight's dinner:
I got it because it looks so much different I just wanted to see if it tasted different or looked different on the inside. It was the exact same just bigger.... a slight let down, but hey I would have never known if I did not try.
Today's art projects included putting a lot of clear stamps on clear backs and two shadow box displays.
One from my trip to China (it was pre-blog start):
And One from my Cruise in June:
Now I just have to figure out how to arrange all the picture frames on the wall and then hang them. I also still need to decide which paintings (I have 30 canvas paintings) are going to go on which wall - and which ones will just be leaning against the wall in the art room.
So, I had another one of those days where I hardly ate anything all day long. I really just had a HUGE dinner of red bell pepper (roasted), black beans, amaranth, avocado, cherry tomatoes and some cheese...and still need to eat 131 calories. Not that I'm complaining..at least its not like other days where I eat eat eat and still am hungry; its just annoying that my body cannot make up its mind.
I did Flow Yoga class again this morning with Sandra. That class is fun because it kicks my butt, and we do crazy poses that make me think "I'll never be able to do that," but then I do (sorta.) I am already sore from that class and it has not even been a whole day; I'm not looking forward to how I am going to feel tomorrow when I wake up.
Anyways... food talk time. Breakfast was Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats:
You need 1 Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk and 1/2 cup oats - put in fridge over night. Next morning add some strawberry jelly and a bunch of cut up strawberries - I used 8 I think. Seriously if you are going to make overnight oats with just milk, this is the milk to use. Top 2 overnight oats: Pinacolada and Strawberry.
Lunch today was this:
My last piece of High Fiber 5 Bread from Great Harvest (ah, but do not fear I have a loaf of GH Ezekiel Bread to eat now!) topped with 1 banana and 2 tbsp almond butter - a cup of milk on the side. This was a somewhat hard decision to make. I thought I probably should eat something that had veggies in it but everything I thought of just wasn't sounding right, so I went for the banana and AB.
I already told you about dinner but what I did not tell you was that instead of using a Hass Avocado I used a Florida Avocado. This is not my picture but it shows them side by side:
These are my pictures of the avocado that I used in tonight's dinner:
I got it because it looks so much different I just wanted to see if it tasted different or looked different on the inside. It was the exact same just bigger.... a slight let down, but hey I would have never known if I did not try.
Today's art projects included putting a lot of clear stamps on clear backs and two shadow box displays.
One from my trip to China (it was pre-blog start):
And One from my Cruise in June:
Now I just have to figure out how to arrange all the picture frames on the wall and then hang them. I also still need to decide which paintings (I have 30 canvas paintings) are going to go on which wall - and which ones will just be leaning against the wall in the art room.
Honey Coconut Cookies
Hi! Good morning. I actually made these cookies yesterday but I was exhausted and did not get a chance to post. I guess I'll tell you about the cookies first, and then I'll tell you about everything else!
Honey Coconut Cookies (may be doubled for more cookies - this recipe makes 10 cookies 115 calories each)
1) In a large bowl combine the following: 1/2 cup pastry flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats (oatmeal), 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/4 tsp ground ginger (I think that is about equal to 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger), 1/4 cup honey (you could also use agave nectar, or maple syrup but would get a different flavor), and 1/4 cup coconut butter (you can also try coconut oil)
2) Mix all the ingredients. The original recipe, which I changed, said to mix with your hands, but how messy - I used a fork and it worked just fine!
3) Make cookie shapes out of the mixture and place on a cookie sheet. If you make 10 cookies (yes they are going to look small) then they will be 115 calories a piece unless you change the recommended ingredients.
4) Bake Cookies at 375 for about 10-12 min.
5) Give em' a few min to cool down and then enjoy!
I ended up having two yesterday. 1 to try it out and make sure it was a good recipe - my first thought was "wow I can really taste the honey" The other one I had with my tea at night time because I had made it all the way to 9pm and had only eaten 1300 calories for the day. Yeah, I am counting calories again. Don't knock it, its a proven way to loose weight - as long as you do it right. I have heard over and over again that if you multiply your goal weight (be realistic when picking this out) by 10 then that is how many calories you can eat for the day and still expect to loose weight. So, being fed up with my inability to loose weight I decided to suck it up and follow that plan. Now I will go ahead and admit to you that my goal weight is 150 lbs, so that means I am eating 1500 calories a day - not much for someone like me who needs to keep their blood sugar level by eating all the time and who LOVES to cook, but I am making due. Now you understand my lack of creativity on the food front this last week. I've been eating this way for 5 days now and I have lost 4.2 lbs - don't be shocked by that number, my body holds on to water weight like crazy, so probably most of it was water. Anyways, so my reason for doing this is that I am fed up with how much my leg limits me and I truly believe that if I loose some weight then my leg/hip will not hurt as much since it wont have to work so hard to move me around all day. I really hope it works - but if not then hey I will be healthier and look better in my clothes, right?
So, enough about weight, lets talk about some other things. Yesterday Gold's Gym in Hope Mills (a neighboring city) had free classes for their Mind-Body Weekend Event. They are having some today too but they did not interest me. I went to meditation class and gentle yoga class. I have never been to either of these. The teacher for the meditation class was actually Chirsty, my normal Thursday night yoga teacher - I did not know she was going to be teaching I just wanted to take the class. I have contemplated meditation before but tend to think my brain is too wired to quite down that much - I have even said to myself before that Savasana is the closest I get to meditation. What I learned in the class is that the asanas (poses) in yoga class are a warm up for meditation and that Savasana is a pose for meditation - thus, after an hour of yoga when you are completely prepped for meditation and then you do savasana you basically melt into it - meditation is easy. I was kinda like "ohhh, thats why Savasana is so easy and relaxing." I have never taken a Gentle Yoga class either. It was similar to regular Hatha Yoga but it was very slow and the idea was to be Gentle on the body and not push too hard. I have a confession: My running obsession is slowly being replaced with a Yoga obsession. I have not given up on running just yet; I think after I get out of the Army and I have been doing Yoga for a year or so that maybe I will try it again. For now, there are so many ways yoga can help me improve my health and I always feel so good afterward that I just want to keep doing it as much as possible, and I want to learn as much as possible too. I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with right?
I mowed the front yard yesterday and sprayed tons of weeds with week killer... I still need to mow the back yard but not sure if I will find the motivation today or not.... I'm not going to stress it - its just the back yard lol.
A good majority of yesterday was spent working on art projects. First I worked on this one titled Letters From Home.
It is all of the letters I got from home (mom and dad only - I did get some from others but I kept them out of this) while I was away in Korea - there are 104 letters, cards, and post cards! I punched holes in all of them and made them into a book. It now resides on my coffee table!!
Another art project I worked on was arranging my shadow box displays for my China trip and my Cruise. I got the China one worked out and today I am going to trim the photos and glue them and write next to them. The cruise on however is not so easy, I don't know how to arrange them. I made 5 different options and took pictures (they are on facebook if you are curious) and mom looked at them - and I finally just gave up because it was making my head hurt. I thought maybe it would be easier this morning, but really I just feel like avoiding it because I still have no idea.
Now that the GRE is over I will start working on other areas of my Grad School Application. The most difficult being my Slide Portfolio of my art work. So, more art to come!! Also I have to find 3 people to write letters of recommendation, write a 1000 word statement about my goals in the field, send in my transcripts (2 from EVERY college I have attended, that's gonna cost like 50$$), and fill out a TA application. Pretty easy except for the portfolio because I have no idea what I am doing. Deadline for FSU application is 1 FEB - but my goal is to have it all submitted by the end of NOV (this way I can include anything I do at the Art of the Carolinas Expo if its good!) After I am done applying to FSU I will look into my UT Arlington application. The idea is this, if the Army doesn't let me out in time to go to FSU for the Fall Semester (Art Therapy only accepts people for fall semester) or I don't get accepted for some reason then I will go home until the following year and while at home I will go to UTA to work on my art pre-requisites.
Ok, I just realized how LONG this post it...oops. Hope I didn't bore you to death...are you still alive? I hope so. I will stop now... besides, I will be back later today to tell you all about today's "adventures." Have a good one!
Honey Coconut Cookies (may be doubled for more cookies - this recipe makes 10 cookies 115 calories each)
1) In a large bowl combine the following: 1/2 cup pastry flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats (oatmeal), 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/4 tsp ground ginger (I think that is about equal to 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger), 1/4 cup honey (you could also use agave nectar, or maple syrup but would get a different flavor), and 1/4 cup coconut butter (you can also try coconut oil)
2) Mix all the ingredients. The original recipe, which I changed, said to mix with your hands, but how messy - I used a fork and it worked just fine!
3) Make cookie shapes out of the mixture and place on a cookie sheet. If you make 10 cookies (yes they are going to look small) then they will be 115 calories a piece unless you change the recommended ingredients.
4) Bake Cookies at 375 for about 10-12 min.
5) Give em' a few min to cool down and then enjoy!
I ended up having two yesterday. 1 to try it out and make sure it was a good recipe - my first thought was "wow I can really taste the honey" The other one I had with my tea at night time because I had made it all the way to 9pm and had only eaten 1300 calories for the day. Yeah, I am counting calories again. Don't knock it, its a proven way to loose weight - as long as you do it right. I have heard over and over again that if you multiply your goal weight (be realistic when picking this out) by 10 then that is how many calories you can eat for the day and still expect to loose weight. So, being fed up with my inability to loose weight I decided to suck it up and follow that plan. Now I will go ahead and admit to you that my goal weight is 150 lbs, so that means I am eating 1500 calories a day - not much for someone like me who needs to keep their blood sugar level by eating all the time and who LOVES to cook, but I am making due. Now you understand my lack of creativity on the food front this last week. I've been eating this way for 5 days now and I have lost 4.2 lbs - don't be shocked by that number, my body holds on to water weight like crazy, so probably most of it was water. Anyways, so my reason for doing this is that I am fed up with how much my leg limits me and I truly believe that if I loose some weight then my leg/hip will not hurt as much since it wont have to work so hard to move me around all day. I really hope it works - but if not then hey I will be healthier and look better in my clothes, right?
So, enough about weight, lets talk about some other things. Yesterday Gold's Gym in Hope Mills (a neighboring city) had free classes for their Mind-Body Weekend Event. They are having some today too but they did not interest me. I went to meditation class and gentle yoga class. I have never been to either of these. The teacher for the meditation class was actually Chirsty, my normal Thursday night yoga teacher - I did not know she was going to be teaching I just wanted to take the class. I have contemplated meditation before but tend to think my brain is too wired to quite down that much - I have even said to myself before that Savasana is the closest I get to meditation. What I learned in the class is that the asanas (poses) in yoga class are a warm up for meditation and that Savasana is a pose for meditation - thus, after an hour of yoga when you are completely prepped for meditation and then you do savasana you basically melt into it - meditation is easy. I was kinda like "ohhh, thats why Savasana is so easy and relaxing." I have never taken a Gentle Yoga class either. It was similar to regular Hatha Yoga but it was very slow and the idea was to be Gentle on the body and not push too hard. I have a confession: My running obsession is slowly being replaced with a Yoga obsession. I have not given up on running just yet; I think after I get out of the Army and I have been doing Yoga for a year or so that maybe I will try it again. For now, there are so many ways yoga can help me improve my health and I always feel so good afterward that I just want to keep doing it as much as possible, and I want to learn as much as possible too. I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with right?
I mowed the front yard yesterday and sprayed tons of weeds with week killer... I still need to mow the back yard but not sure if I will find the motivation today or not.... I'm not going to stress it - its just the back yard lol.
A good majority of yesterday was spent working on art projects. First I worked on this one titled Letters From Home.
Another art project I worked on was arranging my shadow box displays for my China trip and my Cruise. I got the China one worked out and today I am going to trim the photos and glue them and write next to them. The cruise on however is not so easy, I don't know how to arrange them. I made 5 different options and took pictures (they are on facebook if you are curious) and mom looked at them - and I finally just gave up because it was making my head hurt. I thought maybe it would be easier this morning, but really I just feel like avoiding it because I still have no idea.
Now that the GRE is over I will start working on other areas of my Grad School Application. The most difficult being my Slide Portfolio of my art work. So, more art to come!! Also I have to find 3 people to write letters of recommendation, write a 1000 word statement about my goals in the field, send in my transcripts (2 from EVERY college I have attended, that's gonna cost like 50$$), and fill out a TA application. Pretty easy except for the portfolio because I have no idea what I am doing. Deadline for FSU application is 1 FEB - but my goal is to have it all submitted by the end of NOV (this way I can include anything I do at the Art of the Carolinas Expo if its good!) After I am done applying to FSU I will look into my UT Arlington application. The idea is this, if the Army doesn't let me out in time to go to FSU for the Fall Semester (Art Therapy only accepts people for fall semester) or I don't get accepted for some reason then I will go home until the following year and while at home I will go to UTA to work on my art pre-requisites.
Ok, I just realized how LONG this post it...oops. Hope I didn't bore you to death...are you still alive? I hope so. I will stop now... besides, I will be back later today to tell you all about today's "adventures." Have a good one!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Whew!
Its over! The GRE that is. So, there are 3 sections: verbal, math, and writing. You get your verbal and math scores as soon as your done with the testing. I got a 520 verbal and a 690 math. So... I just googled Average GRE Score...and I have higher scores for both art and psychology (art therapy is a mix of these two majors) so I think I am good to go. One of the websites said that if your a not thrilled with your score but it is decent then don't worry about re-taking it just worry about getting the rest of your application in good order. So, 1 down, 8 million other things to do to get in to Grad School! Next up - Art Portfolio... yikes.
So, this morning an old boss of mine said to make sure I had something for breakfast that would make me happy. I decided to have Supremely Chocolately Oats!
Supremely Chocolatly Oats:
1 Cup of Chocolate Milk
1/2 Cup oats
1 TBSP Chia Seeds
Maca powder and bee pollen if you use them
Chocolate Vitatop crumbled on top after oats have been cooked.
I am not one to say something is overly chocolately, but this was bordering on too much chocolate...I still ate it all though.
Lunch today was eaten in the car as soon as the test was over. Sandwich thins w/ laughing cow cheese, tomato and avocado. Later once I got home I had green beans. Popcorn as a snack a while after that.
Dinner tonight was Stir Fry - I wanted to eat "tons of veggies" so, stir fry was perfect for that. I ate the stir fry on top of a brown rice Pattie. Since I eat stir fry so often but rarely photograph it I thought I'd give you some pictures today!!!
So that's it. I am exhausted from using my brain so much today, plus the inability to eat for like 5 hours totally messed up my blood sugar this morning. I am skipping water aerobics - I just don't have it in me today. I am just gunna chill for the rest of the night - watch a movie and then go to bed early. Always going to bed early on Friday nights - my life is super exciting right??
Tomorrow I am doing something interesting in the morning...so I'll probably blog about that tomorrow afternoon. Also I will probably make some cookies that you have not seen yet!!
So, this morning an old boss of mine said to make sure I had something for breakfast that would make me happy. I decided to have Supremely Chocolately Oats!
Supremely Chocolatly Oats:
1 Cup of Chocolate Milk
1/2 Cup oats
1 TBSP Chia Seeds
Maca powder and bee pollen if you use them
Chocolate Vitatop crumbled on top after oats have been cooked.
I am not one to say something is overly chocolately, but this was bordering on too much chocolate...I still ate it all though.
Lunch today was eaten in the car as soon as the test was over. Sandwich thins w/ laughing cow cheese, tomato and avocado. Later once I got home I had green beans. Popcorn as a snack a while after that.
Dinner tonight was Stir Fry - I wanted to eat "tons of veggies" so, stir fry was perfect for that. I ate the stir fry on top of a brown rice Pattie. Since I eat stir fry so often but rarely photograph it I thought I'd give you some pictures today!!!
 |
| Stir Fry in the Pan |
 |
| Pile-O-Veggies on a Plate! |
So that's it. I am exhausted from using my brain so much today, plus the inability to eat for like 5 hours totally messed up my blood sugar this morning. I am skipping water aerobics - I just don't have it in me today. I am just gunna chill for the rest of the night - watch a movie and then go to bed early. Always going to bed early on Friday nights - my life is super exciting right??
Tomorrow I am doing something interesting in the morning...so I'll probably blog about that tomorrow afternoon. Also I will probably make some cookies that you have not seen yet!!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Veggie Day #3 & Lots of Non-Food Stuff
Yes, unintentionally I have not eaten meat again. 3rd day this week. Yep, its true. Anyways...so your wondering what did I eat?
Breakfast was overnight oats (plain) w/ blueberries and fiber one cereal for crunch.
Lunch was Polenta w/ Swiss Chard and Ricotta and steamed veggies. Don't worry, that is the last of the polenta w/ Swiss chard.
Afternoon snacks: celery...then later: pineapple w/ cottage cheese.
Dinner: Avocado, tomato and laughing cow cheese sandwich on sandwich thins w/ baked veggies. That really does make a good sandwich - its VERY cream and if you mash up the avocado (before I was slicing it) then it is not really messy. Of course you have to take the seeds out of the tomato slices too or it will drip on you.
On a non food note:
Tomorrow I take the GRE. FSU's Art Therapy Program does not require a specific score on the GRE if your last 60 hrs of undergraduate work was a 3.5 or higher and mine was a 4.0 so I don't need to get a specific score. I am however a perfectionist so I want to get a good score, so therefore, I am nervous. The math scares me, I'm worried that I don't remember enough. I'm worried that my vocabulary is not varied enough as well. Then there is the whole 4hrs worth of testing. Do they give us potty breaks? What about eating - y'all know I am going to have to eat at some point during that test lol. Anyways...everyone think good thoughts tomorrow from 0900-1300 hrs eastern!
Also I just found out today about the Art of the Carolinas Expo from 11-14 NOV! I am so very excited about this. From 11-14 NOV they will be having workshops from 9am-8pm (different ones at different times; you sign up for what you want to take) and at the same time there is the EXPO portion in the same hotel where lots of vendors will have booths to try out products, and give demos, and sell stuff. Its in Raleigh which is only about 1 hr 20 min drive, but its too much to be driving twice a day for 4 days, so most likely I will be getting a hotel room down there and staying the weekend. I am really looking forward to getting in a creative environment, and having access to a talented artist and meeting other people who are interested in making art as well. I am hoping that I can meet some nice people and at the very least we can go out and explore the city at night time. I know of a few places in Raleigh that I would like to go but have not yet had the opportunity. The only downside to this is the cost (workshops, gas, food, hotel room, etc) but I talked with mom and she agrees with me that it would be a good opportunity; and I think when will I have this chance again? There are no art classes close to here, so probably not anytime soon, so why not suck it up and go for it? I'll probably be picking my workshops and making my hotel reservation next week on pay day. I'm so excited (yeah I know I said it already!)
Another thing I am excited about is my mom is coming to visit on Labor Day Weekend - to see my for my birthday. But who cares about the birthday, I get to hang out with my mom! We are going to see Eat Pray Love (I specifically waited so I could finish reading the book, and see it with her) and I think we are going take a day trip to Pottery Road. What else do I have in store for us? Eating Indian Food - I don't know why but I really want to try out Indian Food in a restaurant (as opposed to my own cooking of Indian food.) Also, we want to go to Haymont Grill, a local steakhouse, that we tried to go to before but it was closed.
Also I have volunteered with the BOSS Program to help out at Senior Day at the County Fair (boo I thought It was going to be the state fair, but I am sure it will still be fun.) I am hoping this will let me meet some other people here at Bragg besides those who are in my unit.
Well friends that is all for now. I am pretty tired and have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, so I should call it a night. "See" you tomorrow (maybe with a new recipe!)
Breakfast was overnight oats (plain) w/ blueberries and fiber one cereal for crunch.
Lunch was Polenta w/ Swiss Chard and Ricotta and steamed veggies. Don't worry, that is the last of the polenta w/ Swiss chard.
Afternoon snacks: celery...then later: pineapple w/ cottage cheese.
Dinner: Avocado, tomato and laughing cow cheese sandwich on sandwich thins w/ baked veggies. That really does make a good sandwich - its VERY cream and if you mash up the avocado (before I was slicing it) then it is not really messy. Of course you have to take the seeds out of the tomato slices too or it will drip on you.
On a non food note:
Tomorrow I take the GRE. FSU's Art Therapy Program does not require a specific score on the GRE if your last 60 hrs of undergraduate work was a 3.5 or higher and mine was a 4.0 so I don't need to get a specific score. I am however a perfectionist so I want to get a good score, so therefore, I am nervous. The math scares me, I'm worried that I don't remember enough. I'm worried that my vocabulary is not varied enough as well. Then there is the whole 4hrs worth of testing. Do they give us potty breaks? What about eating - y'all know I am going to have to eat at some point during that test lol. Anyways...everyone think good thoughts tomorrow from 0900-1300 hrs eastern!
Also I just found out today about the Art of the Carolinas Expo from 11-14 NOV! I am so very excited about this. From 11-14 NOV they will be having workshops from 9am-8pm (different ones at different times; you sign up for what you want to take) and at the same time there is the EXPO portion in the same hotel where lots of vendors will have booths to try out products, and give demos, and sell stuff. Its in Raleigh which is only about 1 hr 20 min drive, but its too much to be driving twice a day for 4 days, so most likely I will be getting a hotel room down there and staying the weekend. I am really looking forward to getting in a creative environment, and having access to a talented artist and meeting other people who are interested in making art as well. I am hoping that I can meet some nice people and at the very least we can go out and explore the city at night time. I know of a few places in Raleigh that I would like to go but have not yet had the opportunity. The only downside to this is the cost (workshops, gas, food, hotel room, etc) but I talked with mom and she agrees with me that it would be a good opportunity; and I think when will I have this chance again? There are no art classes close to here, so probably not anytime soon, so why not suck it up and go for it? I'll probably be picking my workshops and making my hotel reservation next week on pay day. I'm so excited (yeah I know I said it already!)
Another thing I am excited about is my mom is coming to visit on Labor Day Weekend - to see my for my birthday. But who cares about the birthday, I get to hang out with my mom! We are going to see Eat Pray Love (I specifically waited so I could finish reading the book, and see it with her) and I think we are going take a day trip to Pottery Road. What else do I have in store for us? Eating Indian Food - I don't know why but I really want to try out Indian Food in a restaurant (as opposed to my own cooking of Indian food.) Also, we want to go to Haymont Grill, a local steakhouse, that we tried to go to before but it was closed.
Also I have volunteered with the BOSS Program to help out at Senior Day at the County Fair (boo I thought It was going to be the state fair, but I am sure it will still be fun.) I am hoping this will let me meet some other people here at Bragg besides those who are in my unit.
Well friends that is all for now. I am pretty tired and have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, so I should call it a night. "See" you tomorrow (maybe with a new recipe!)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Meatless Tuesday
Hey guys, not much to talk about today so this will be a short post. I did not eat meat today. I did not orginally set out to not eat meat but realized after lunch that I was half way through the day and had a meatless meal in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so why not?
So here is what I had:
Breakfast - Pinacolda Overnight Oats
Lunch - Stirfry w/ Tofu and a Brown Rice Pattie
Dinner - Baked Polenta w/ Ricotta and Swiss Chard, and broccoli.
Not sure if I will go meatless again tomorrow or Friday. I have an avocado and a tomato that need to be eaten so most likely I'll make a sandwich out of that and have it for lunch one day. I also have some more leftovers that are meatless so I could easily make that a meatless day.
Ok, I am out of things to talk about, see, told you there wasn't much today. Hope you had a great night, and hopefully tomorrow I'll have something better to talk about!
So here is what I had:
Breakfast - Pinacolda Overnight Oats
Lunch - Stirfry w/ Tofu and a Brown Rice Pattie
Dinner - Baked Polenta w/ Ricotta and Swiss Chard, and broccoli.
Not sure if I will go meatless again tomorrow or Friday. I have an avocado and a tomato that need to be eaten so most likely I'll make a sandwich out of that and have it for lunch one day. I also have some more leftovers that are meatless so I could easily make that a meatless day.
Ok, I am out of things to talk about, see, told you there wasn't much today. Hope you had a great night, and hopefully tomorrow I'll have something better to talk about!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Pinacolada Overnight Oats (take 2); Open Sky Shop Now Open!
I made Pinacolada Overnight Oats (take 1) before but this time I changed it and it was better! So, here you go:
**Side Note: this post has links galore, but really they are just there in case you are interested in finding out more about whatever is linked - the link will take you to a webpage about said item. Enjoy!**
Get a Pineapple Chobani Greek Yogurt:
Put said yogurt in a bowl with 1/2 cup Oats:
Add 1/4 Cup milk because the yogurt is very thick. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight. The next morning, add 1/4 more milk and mix till nice and creamy. Add 3/4 cup of fresh pineapple and 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut:
ENJOY!!!! This version was so good I am going to have it again with my last remaining Pineapple Chobani. It was perfect because almost every bite had a pineapple in it, and it smelled so good and sort of like butter but I think that was the coconut.
My New Open Sky Shop! If you follow me on Facebook (you should, if you dont, then you need to friend request me ASAP!) then you may have noticed that I got permission to have an Open Sky Shop! What is that you ask, well, its bascially a way for me to make products I use available to you so you can get them and use them too! Everything I put in the shop is something I have/use or have had/used before and will probably use again! Make sense? Hope so! So, go visit the shop and check it out; and tell you friends about it too. Tell them about my blog while you are at it!
Here is a list of things you can get from the shop right now: Maca Powder, Chia Seeds, Coconut Butter, Chocolate Coconut Butter, Shredded Coconut, Golden Moon Tea Sampler, and Golden Moon Coconut Pouchong Tea. Hopefully soon I will have more time to add more stuff. I will be sure to tell you when I do though.
Today for lunch I had Spicy Turkey Chili and Broccoli Corn Bread... I might be obsessed, but its sooo very good! Dinner was Salmon, sauteed spinach and asparagus, and Coconut Cardamom Sweet Potatoes. Very good!
Hope you all had a great day, and hopefully I'll have something interesting to tell you about tomorrow. Good night!
**Side Note: this post has links galore, but really they are just there in case you are interested in finding out more about whatever is linked - the link will take you to a webpage about said item. Enjoy!**
Get a Pineapple Chobani Greek Yogurt:
Put said yogurt in a bowl with 1/2 cup Oats:
Add 1/4 Cup milk because the yogurt is very thick. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight. The next morning, add 1/4 more milk and mix till nice and creamy. Add 3/4 cup of fresh pineapple and 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut:
ENJOY!!!! This version was so good I am going to have it again with my last remaining Pineapple Chobani. It was perfect because almost every bite had a pineapple in it, and it smelled so good and sort of like butter but I think that was the coconut.
My New Open Sky Shop! If you follow me on Facebook (you should, if you dont, then you need to friend request me ASAP!) then you may have noticed that I got permission to have an Open Sky Shop! What is that you ask, well, its bascially a way for me to make products I use available to you so you can get them and use them too! Everything I put in the shop is something I have/use or have had/used before and will probably use again! Make sense? Hope so! So, go visit the shop and check it out; and tell you friends about it too. Tell them about my blog while you are at it!
Here is a list of things you can get from the shop right now: Maca Powder, Chia Seeds, Coconut Butter, Chocolate Coconut Butter, Shredded Coconut, Golden Moon Tea Sampler, and Golden Moon Coconut Pouchong Tea. Hopefully soon I will have more time to add more stuff. I will be sure to tell you when I do though.
Today for lunch I had Spicy Turkey Chili and Broccoli Corn Bread... I might be obsessed, but its sooo very good! Dinner was Salmon, sauteed spinach and asparagus, and Coconut Cardamom Sweet Potatoes. Very good!
Hope you all had a great day, and hopefully I'll have something interesting to tell you about tomorrow. Good night!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Falafels
So, really I have never seen a falafel before and certainly never eaten one before, but I have seen the recipe numerous times online so I figured why not give it a shot because I do things like that. So, today while my lunch was cooking I mixed the following things in the smoothie blender: chickpeas (~2/3 can), olive oil (~tbsp), cumin (sprinkles), paprika (sprinkles), lemon juice (2 wedges worth), and WW flour (2 tbsp). Falafels are cooked by making a ball type shape and frying them (or baking if you want to be healthy..but I wanted to do it for real), but my mix was not forming shapes - too smooth. So, I added some spelt flour (only because it was closer than the WW flour hehe) and also some (double sprinkles) cayenne pepper because it was kinda bland. I also added some of these:
Sprouted beans. I suppose you could just add more chickpeas but I didn't want to open another can. So anyways, I finally got it to be a good thick consistency and I put it in the fridge so dinner would be easy peasy tonight!
When I got back home from work I put some sesame oil in a small skillet and set out to make me some falafels! I decided it was just too messy to make balls out of the falafel mix so I just put some on a spoon and dropped it into the oil.
It took a lot more oil than I had imagined. I got splattered by the oil a few times too - cooking is dangerous I tell you. I ended up squishing them to get the inside to cook. Finished product, on a paper towel to soak up the oil:
Then I used these Flatout Fold-its
I made a falafel "sandwich" (falafels are generally served in a pita so its similar!) with 1/2 an avocado (smashed up) and 1/2 a tomato, and spinach (carrot sticks in the background there):
I then proceeded to devour the sandwich and all remaining hummus...oops hehe. Now I think I will soon have to make my own hummus! The falafel experiment was a success over all. It was pretty tasty and definitely something different which is good sometimes. I don't think I will make them again, but if I was ever in a restaurant that served them I would have to order them just to check em out.
Well I skipped water aerobics tonight so I can study for the GRE (only 3 days left to study!) so I better get going. Have a great night everyone.
**just FYI I foresee Coconut Oatmeal Cookies in the next few days (that means a recipe for you!)
When I got back home from work I put some sesame oil in a small skillet and set out to make me some falafels! I decided it was just too messy to make balls out of the falafel mix so I just put some on a spoon and dropped it into the oil.
It took a lot more oil than I had imagined. I got splattered by the oil a few times too - cooking is dangerous I tell you. I ended up squishing them to get the inside to cook. Finished product, on a paper towel to soak up the oil:
Then I used these Flatout Fold-its
I made a falafel "sandwich" (falafels are generally served in a pita so its similar!) with 1/2 an avocado (smashed up) and 1/2 a tomato, and spinach (carrot sticks in the background there):
I then proceeded to devour the sandwich and all remaining hummus...oops hehe. Now I think I will soon have to make my own hummus! The falafel experiment was a success over all. It was pretty tasty and definitely something different which is good sometimes. I don't think I will make them again, but if I was ever in a restaurant that served them I would have to order them just to check em out.
Well I skipped water aerobics tonight so I can study for the GRE (only 3 days left to study!) so I better get going. Have a great night everyone.
**just FYI I foresee Coconut Oatmeal Cookies in the next few days (that means a recipe for you!)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
My First Flow Class; National Yoga Month
Hey there! Hope your weekend is going well. I went to Sunday morning Yoga class today, for the first time. Normally I go to the "absolute beginning" class which is for people who have NEVER done yoga, or for those of us who like SLOW and relaxing class. Today's class was "Flow" class which is more of a constant movement kind of class. It was a lot harder; there was a lot of poses I could not do beyond stage 1 (where most of the class moved into stage 2 and stage 3.) It actually made me sweat and I am sure tomorrow my muscles will be hurting. I had a lot of fun. We did Wheel Pose (back bend) and Crane Pose and Tripod Pose (headstands!) and a bunch of other stuff I have never done before. Here are some pics from Yogajournal.com
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I think I am going to keep going to the Sunday morning class. So, for now I will be having 2 yoga classes a week. Starting on SEP 14th that will change. I enrolled in a Yoga class at Fayetteville Technical Community College (continuing education department) and will be having class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. (Pottery Class on Saturdays!!) I think I will keep going to my current yoga studio on Sundays so I will be doing Yoga 3 times per week and Water Aerobics 3 times a week; hopefully this will help my leg/hip get stronger.
September is National Yoga Month, and you can get free yoga classes at lots of studios. Here is the link for the information for Dallas: DFW Free Yoga. Free Yoga in Dallas is on SEP 6th. Search for other Free Events on this page. I encourage you to go try out a class if you have never done it before.
Today's food was not very interesting, but I did make my first ever poached egg. Here is what it looked like:
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| My first ever poached egg! First one cooked, first one eaten! |
It was not hard really, so I think next time I try it the egg will look even better.
After yoga I stopped at Harris Teeter (since I was on that side of town) to get some Vitatops and a Multivitamin since I took my last one this morning. I got some grapes (and a lot of other misc. items....I should ban myself from grocery shopping!)...look how HUGE this one grape was:
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| Huge Grape! (next to my thumb for comparison purposes) |
While shopping I went past the salad bar which had chili ... so, ended up wanting Spicy Turkey Chili again and got the ingredients to make it. Yep, I just had it for dinner and it was outstanding. I made it a bit spicier this time (added a jalapeno and went heavy on the cayenne) and it was GREAT. Of course I had the broccoli cornbread with it as well; that last bite of cornbread was so sweet and yummy.
Somewhat out of order but lunch today was a baked potato w/ cottage cheese, black beans, and cherry tomatoes. You are probably thinking its a weird combo but trust me it is so very good. It is also very filling.
That's pretty much it for now. I can't believe its 6pm already! Where does the time go? I need to study for the GRE... "see" you guys tomorrow.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Cookie Monster
Last night I ate my last Chocolate Vitatop, so I knew I would need something for when my chocolate craving hits. So, I made some cookies. I love cookies. I also love nut butters, and these cookies are made with Almond Butter so they have double goodness.
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1) Mix the following in a bowl: 1 cup almond butter, 3/4 cup sucanat, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp sea salt.
2) Add 3 ounces good quality dark chocolate broken into small pieces (I suppose you could get dark chocolate chips as well)
3) Places TBSP size dollops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 min (or until brown) at 350
4) Let cool for a few min and then eat! YUM YUM!!
These cookies were very good. The ingredients are all natural so pretty healthy for a cookie! Hope you guys enjoy!
I also tired something chocolaty for breakfast. I added some of this to my oatmeal:
The idea was for the chocolate covered almonds to melt and make the oatmeal taste like chocolate, and it worked! It was VERY Yummy, but I did not get a picture of the oatmeal, sorry.
On a non-food note, here is a picture of my cute flower bowl that I got yesterday:
This morning I mowed the lawn and did some weed eating; I was out there for 2 hrs and 45 min working really hard, so I decided to just take it easy the rest of the day. I had left overs for lunch and a sandwich, Terra chips and hummus for dinner. The rest of the night will probably be a mix of reading and watching TV. Hope you all are having a great weekend!
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1) Mix the following in a bowl: 1 cup almond butter, 3/4 cup sucanat, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp sea salt.
2) Add 3 ounces good quality dark chocolate broken into small pieces (I suppose you could get dark chocolate chips as well)
3) Places TBSP size dollops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 min (or until brown) at 350
4) Let cool for a few min and then eat! YUM YUM!!
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| Fresh From the Oven! |
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| Warm Cookies on a Plate! |
These cookies were very good. The ingredients are all natural so pretty healthy for a cookie! Hope you guys enjoy!
I also tired something chocolaty for breakfast. I added some of this to my oatmeal:
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| Contains Almonds, Cranberries and Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds |
On a non-food note, here is a picture of my cute flower bowl that I got yesterday:
This morning I mowed the lawn and did some weed eating; I was out there for 2 hrs and 45 min working really hard, so I decided to just take it easy the rest of the day. I had left overs for lunch and a sandwich, Terra chips and hummus for dinner. The rest of the night will probably be a mix of reading and watching TV. Hope you all are having a great weekend!
Friday, August 20, 2010
2 New Vegetarian Recipes!
Today was another meatless day. I did not intentionally set out for it to be that way it just happened. I have been contemplating this recipe for some time now (like 2 weeks?) but it never seemed like the right time to make it. Today though I thought it was time!
Coconut Broccoli Stir Fry
1) Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and add 1 TBSP Tamari (if you don't have this special soy sauce just use regular). Add 1 pkg tofu, drained and cubed. Coat tofu with Tamari and cook until all sides are browned, then remove tofu to a plate.
2) In the same pan add 1/4 cup water and 1 package broccoli florets. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender.
3) Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 tbsp brown sugar to the pan. Stir around, and then add tofu to the pan. Let simmer for a bit to reduce.
4) Serve over a bed of rice (it doesn't matter what kind of rice you use, but if you use sticky rice it should soak up the liquid better; the liquid is yummy btw!)
Today I had the day off. I had an appointment with the therapist and then I went to Fayetteville Technical Community College to register for Yoga and Beginning Pottery (fun stuff!!) After that I decided to go to A.C. Moore - my new favorite crafty place. Right across the street is Pier 1 Imports so I thought I would stop by to see if they had anything cute. I got this plate:
It was on clearance! Originally 30$ I got it for $7.50! Can you believe it? My kitchen is pepper themed so it was perfect. Doesn't my table look cute with the plate as a center piece? Its perfect to put fruit on!
I also go two small pepper plates (not in the photo!) and 2 small bowls that look like flowers. All for only 15$ what a fun shopping experience!
Well that is all the fun stuff I did today. I did, however, make a new recipe for dinner! I was trying to use the left over ricotta cheese from the cheesy spinach pasta and also use up some Swiss chard that was in the fridge. I looked on Eipcurious for those two ingredients and found a great recipe that uses polenta as well. I recently purchased some polenta but really did not have a clue as to how I was going to use it. Anyways, I present to you:
Baked Polenta w/ Swiss Chard, Cheese and Jalapeno!
1) Saute 1 onion in a large skillet until tender. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno (2 if they are small.) Next, add 1/2 lb Swiss Chard (ribs removed; leaves sliced 1/2 inch thick) and cover with lid.
2) In a sauce pan boil 1 3/4 cup water. Once boiling add 1/2 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal), a little at a time, continually stirring. Once polenta is thick, remove from heat.
3) In a bowl whisk together 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and 1 egg.
4) Add cheese and egg mixture to polenta in the sauce pan and stir.
5) Layer a baking dish with 1/2 of the polenta, 1/2 of the chard, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and then repeat the layers.
6) Bake a 350 for about 30 min.
This recipe makes 4 servings at about 260 calories a piece. You can just double everything if you need more servings; if you double it cook time will be about 40-45 min. I didn't get a picture of this because it would not cooperate and come out of the pan looking pretty. It did taste good though!
Coconut Broccoli Stir Fry
1) Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and add 1 TBSP Tamari (if you don't have this special soy sauce just use regular). Add 1 pkg tofu, drained and cubed. Coat tofu with Tamari and cook until all sides are browned, then remove tofu to a plate.
2) In the same pan add 1/4 cup water and 1 package broccoli florets. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender.
3) Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 tbsp brown sugar to the pan. Stir around, and then add tofu to the pan. Let simmer for a bit to reduce.
4) Serve over a bed of rice (it doesn't matter what kind of rice you use, but if you use sticky rice it should soak up the liquid better; the liquid is yummy btw!)
Today I had the day off. I had an appointment with the therapist and then I went to Fayetteville Technical Community College to register for Yoga and Beginning Pottery (fun stuff!!) After that I decided to go to A.C. Moore - my new favorite crafty place. Right across the street is Pier 1 Imports so I thought I would stop by to see if they had anything cute. I got this plate:
It was on clearance! Originally 30$ I got it for $7.50! Can you believe it? My kitchen is pepper themed so it was perfect. Doesn't my table look cute with the plate as a center piece? Its perfect to put fruit on!
I also go two small pepper plates (not in the photo!) and 2 small bowls that look like flowers. All for only 15$ what a fun shopping experience!
Well that is all the fun stuff I did today. I did, however, make a new recipe for dinner! I was trying to use the left over ricotta cheese from the cheesy spinach pasta and also use up some Swiss chard that was in the fridge. I looked on Eipcurious for those two ingredients and found a great recipe that uses polenta as well. I recently purchased some polenta but really did not have a clue as to how I was going to use it. Anyways, I present to you:
Baked Polenta w/ Swiss Chard, Cheese and Jalapeno!
1) Saute 1 onion in a large skillet until tender. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno (2 if they are small.) Next, add 1/2 lb Swiss Chard (ribs removed; leaves sliced 1/2 inch thick) and cover with lid.
2) In a sauce pan boil 1 3/4 cup water. Once boiling add 1/2 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal), a little at a time, continually stirring. Once polenta is thick, remove from heat.
3) In a bowl whisk together 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and 1 egg.
4) Add cheese and egg mixture to polenta in the sauce pan and stir.
5) Layer a baking dish with 1/2 of the polenta, 1/2 of the chard, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and then repeat the layers.
6) Bake a 350 for about 30 min.
This recipe makes 4 servings at about 260 calories a piece. You can just double everything if you need more servings; if you double it cook time will be about 40-45 min. I didn't get a picture of this because it would not cooperate and come out of the pan looking pretty. It did taste good though!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Oats, Fruit and Ice Cream.
I tried something new for breakfast. I had Pinacolada Overnight Oats. Here is how to make it:
Pinacolada Overnight Oats:
1) Put 1 small container Greek yogurt (about 1/2 cup) in a bowl w/ 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup rolled oats.
2) Place in fridge overnight
3) In the morning, add 1/2 cup pineapple, 1-2 tbsp coconut butter, other toppings as desired (i.e. chia seeds, flax, maca powder, etc.)
4) Stir, stir, stir. Sprinkle w/ un-sweetened coconut and serve!
For a pre-physical therapy snack I had some strawberries, almonds and a new fruit...Dragon Fruit!
When you cut it open, it looks like this:
I thought it was pretty tasteless/flavorless. Interesting to try if you have never had it before. I only ate half so now I have to figure out what to do with the other half!!
So, once again I was feeling VERY crappy this afternoon. So, I took a migraine pill and decided to make myself a very tasty snack. Look at it:
Of course I had more "ice cream" than that! Ok, so here is the recipe:
Chocolate Peanut butter Soft Serve
1) Put 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup chocolate milk into a blender (or food processor)
2) Blend away!!
3) Eat it with a spoon, or put it on top of a vitatop (or brownie!)
Pinacolada Overnight Oats:
1) Put 1 small container Greek yogurt (about 1/2 cup) in a bowl w/ 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup rolled oats.
2) Place in fridge overnight
3) In the morning, add 1/2 cup pineapple, 1-2 tbsp coconut butter, other toppings as desired (i.e. chia seeds, flax, maca powder, etc.)
4) Stir, stir, stir. Sprinkle w/ un-sweetened coconut and serve!
For a pre-physical therapy snack I had some strawberries, almonds and a new fruit...Dragon Fruit!
When you cut it open, it looks like this:
I thought it was pretty tasteless/flavorless. Interesting to try if you have never had it before. I only ate half so now I have to figure out what to do with the other half!!
So, once again I was feeling VERY crappy this afternoon. So, I took a migraine pill and decided to make myself a very tasty snack. Look at it:
Of course I had more "ice cream" than that! Ok, so here is the recipe:
Chocolate Peanut butter Soft Serve
1) Put 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup chocolate milk into a blender (or food processor)
2) Blend away!!
3) Eat it with a spoon, or put it on top of a vitatop (or brownie!)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Eat Whatever You Like
So, a new thing I have been trying lately is to eat whatever I want, even when it seems weird. For example yesterday I had Spicy Turkey Chili and Broccoli Cornbread for breakfast. Today I had a Turkey Hotsauce Cheeseburger for breakfast. Yes, yes I did eat those things at 8am and I thoroughly enjoyed them. For about 2 weeks I went through a cold cereal phase; it was all I wanted for breakfast. Now it doesn't sound good and I tired oatmeal on Monday and it just was not working. So, I figured I will just eat whatever random thing sounds good at the time.
I have also been quite tired this week; its a hormonal thing. It REALLY affects my energy levels. Anyways, the result is that I have not felt like cooking. I did make Tilapia fish tacos for lunch today but really does it count as cooking when you just put it in the oven and 20 min later its done? It was more work to prep to taco part of the meal than the fish part. I had absolutely no desire for any certain food for dinner. Every idea I had resulted in an immediate thought of "yeah, that sounds ok, but I don't really want it." I eventually settled on soup. It was a disappointment. Not nearly as good as I remembered it being the last time I had it.
I'm having a chocolate kind of week; that's probably hormonally related too (or at least I can blame it on the hormones, right?) I keep thinking "I need something chocolately." So when I thought that last night, I tried something new, a chocolate vita top.
It was quite good. Like a chocolate cake, but only 100 calories. The only thing I don't like is that the store that carries them is on the other side of town. Also, they only sell packages with 4 vita tops, which is not a lot. I did look at the Vitalicious Website and you can get all sorts of neat flavors in 12 pack boxes if you order online. I might have to try that because they have a chocolate mint one...doesn't that sound good?
On a non food note I went to my Complimentary Alternative Medicine (which from this point on will be referred to as CAM) brief on Monday afternoon. CAM is an extended/expanded pain management program at the hospital on base. They treat people with all sorts of different issues. In my case I am hoping for some pain relief, and to learn how to better cope with the fact that I am permanently injured. They offer education classes, talks from the various clinics at the hospital (i.e. physical and occupational therapy, nutrition, etc), hypnotherapy (you know the psychology student in me says I HAVE to try this), and bio-mechanical feedback.
Today I went to get a massage. Its not my first one since my surgery, but it is my first one in an English speaking country where the therapist could easily ask me about my medical history. She didn't want to massage my leg. I was kinda surprised. I eventually convinced her to do a full body massage, minus my left thigh (the area with the nerve damage)... I really wanted my calves to be massage so it was essential that she did more than upper body! She told me that if I get a note from the doctor saying that its ok for my leg to be massaged then she would do it next time. So, when I go tomorrow to physical therapy I will ask them for a letter.
Speaking of tomorrow, its our "Friday" this week. This Friday is a corps training holiday so we don't have to work. I have an appointment with a therapist to talk about all the mental/emotional issues I have been having as a result of my physical issues. I also am going to try and register for a pottery and a yoga class. I might also do some weed-eating if its not too hot outside. So, anyways, tomorrow - Sunday, hopefully lots of new recipes to tell you about. Hope you all have a wonderful night!
I have also been quite tired this week; its a hormonal thing. It REALLY affects my energy levels. Anyways, the result is that I have not felt like cooking. I did make Tilapia fish tacos for lunch today but really does it count as cooking when you just put it in the oven and 20 min later its done? It was more work to prep to taco part of the meal than the fish part. I had absolutely no desire for any certain food for dinner. Every idea I had resulted in an immediate thought of "yeah, that sounds ok, but I don't really want it." I eventually settled on soup. It was a disappointment. Not nearly as good as I remembered it being the last time I had it.
I'm having a chocolate kind of week; that's probably hormonally related too (or at least I can blame it on the hormones, right?) I keep thinking "I need something chocolately." So when I thought that last night, I tried something new, a chocolate vita top.
It was quite good. Like a chocolate cake, but only 100 calories. The only thing I don't like is that the store that carries them is on the other side of town. Also, they only sell packages with 4 vita tops, which is not a lot. I did look at the Vitalicious Website and you can get all sorts of neat flavors in 12 pack boxes if you order online. I might have to try that because they have a chocolate mint one...doesn't that sound good?
On a non food note I went to my Complimentary Alternative Medicine (which from this point on will be referred to as CAM) brief on Monday afternoon. CAM is an extended/expanded pain management program at the hospital on base. They treat people with all sorts of different issues. In my case I am hoping for some pain relief, and to learn how to better cope with the fact that I am permanently injured. They offer education classes, talks from the various clinics at the hospital (i.e. physical and occupational therapy, nutrition, etc), hypnotherapy (you know the psychology student in me says I HAVE to try this), and bio-mechanical feedback.
Today I went to get a massage. Its not my first one since my surgery, but it is my first one in an English speaking country where the therapist could easily ask me about my medical history. She didn't want to massage my leg. I was kinda surprised. I eventually convinced her to do a full body massage, minus my left thigh (the area with the nerve damage)... I really wanted my calves to be massage so it was essential that she did more than upper body! She told me that if I get a note from the doctor saying that its ok for my leg to be massaged then she would do it next time. So, when I go tomorrow to physical therapy I will ask them for a letter.
Speaking of tomorrow, its our "Friday" this week. This Friday is a corps training holiday so we don't have to work. I have an appointment with a therapist to talk about all the mental/emotional issues I have been having as a result of my physical issues. I also am going to try and register for a pottery and a yoga class. I might also do some weed-eating if its not too hot outside. So, anyways, tomorrow - Sunday, hopefully lots of new recipes to tell you about. Hope you all have a wonderful night!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Cardamom Experience
I've never cooked with Cardamom before. Usually, when recipes have random spices I either 1) dont make the recipe, or 2) skip that one spice. Well, recently I've just been purchasing the spices for the recipes; mostly because I had a completely empty kitchen to stock, so why not? So, today's recipe was Coconut Cardamom Sweet Potatoes! The picture in the recipe reminded me of my mom's Sweet Potatoe Casserole that we make for holiday dinners; that's why I wanted to make it. Anyways... here is the goods:
Coconut-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes
1) Peel (as much as you like) 3 1/2 - 4 lbs sweet potatoes. Next, chop them into similar sized cubes.
2) Boil potatoes in water for about 10 min (until soft.)
I had mine with pork chops and spinach sauteed with onion and garlic. YUM YUM.
I actually messed up the recipe when I was cooking. I had originally intended to 1/2 the recipe, so I only had 2lbs of potatoes. I did forget though (due to hunger perhaps) and added a full amount of everything else. It still came out good just very spiced. It should be the perfect balance though if you use the right amount of potatoes.
Ok, its time for me to get ready for water aerobics - hopefully my leg will make it though the entire class tonight!! Have a great night!
Coconut-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes
1) Peel (as much as you like) 3 1/2 - 4 lbs sweet potatoes. Next, chop them into similar sized cubes.
2) Boil potatoes in water for about 10 min (until soft.)
3) Drain potatoes. Add between 3/4 & 1 cup of light coconut milk, 2 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and blend with a hand mixer.
4) Put potatoes in a 8X8 dish and top with 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
5) Bake at 325 for about 45 min.
6) Serve w/ some shredded coconut on top
I had mine with pork chops and spinach sauteed with onion and garlic. YUM YUM.
I actually messed up the recipe when I was cooking. I had originally intended to 1/2 the recipe, so I only had 2lbs of potatoes. I did forget though (due to hunger perhaps) and added a full amount of everything else. It still came out good just very spiced. It should be the perfect balance though if you use the right amount of potatoes.
Ok, its time for me to get ready for water aerobics - hopefully my leg will make it though the entire class tonight!! Have a great night!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Yoga Workshop
Yesterday I attended a Yoga Workshop that concentrated on Hip Openers and Forward Folds. I learned a lot. For instance I have been doing Parsvottanasana and Uttanasana in a way that causes strain on my lower back. Uttanasana is a forward bend; imagine you are doing a hamstring stretch, you bend over and try to touch your toes, this is Uttanasana (pretty much at least.) We do this stretch twice every time we do pt. Doing this pose wrong can cause your hip flexors to lock up and make them very tight. Tight hips is one reason I ended up having to have surgery. But did anyone in the Army ever tell me that I was doing it "wrong?" No. Thankfully now I know and I can fix it and slowly start to heal the damage the last 9 years have done.
I was the least experienced person in the room yesterday. There was about 10 of us. Me, a 70 yr old lady, another girl in her 20s and the rest were yoga instructors! Needless to say I learned a lot of new poses. A lot of the things the instructor would demonstrate and I would think "there is no way in the world I am even going to come close to that!" But, your body can surprise you. Of course my right side gets a lot closer to most poses than my left (the surgery side) but the instructor always showed me how to alter the post to my own ability level. It does not matter in yoga if you are not as flexible as anyone else. The point is not to be more flexible. The idea is to concentrate on your own practice and focus on your own body and learn from the experience.
We also did some chanting yesterday which was a first for me. I have not yet chanted during yoga class. Well, I've only been going to yoga for 5 weeks and only 1 time per week so there is a lot of yoga stuff I have not done yet. It was VERY cool to do the chanting. Of course we chanted "om" which is more than saying "om" its more like "ah - oh - mmm - (silence)" then repeat. They also did some Sanskirt chanting but I just had to listen because I had no clue what they were saying! Anyways, its a very interesting thing to have everyone in the room being all quite and slowly breathing and chanting together. It sounds neat.
The visiting Yoga instructor was from Gateway Yoga in Raleigh. They have lots of workshops up there so perhaps one weekend I will drive up there and do another workshop (and visit WF and TJs hehe.) I think the workshop was well worth it and I am very glad that I went.
I was the least experienced person in the room yesterday. There was about 10 of us. Me, a 70 yr old lady, another girl in her 20s and the rest were yoga instructors! Needless to say I learned a lot of new poses. A lot of the things the instructor would demonstrate and I would think "there is no way in the world I am even going to come close to that!" But, your body can surprise you. Of course my right side gets a lot closer to most poses than my left (the surgery side) but the instructor always showed me how to alter the post to my own ability level. It does not matter in yoga if you are not as flexible as anyone else. The point is not to be more flexible. The idea is to concentrate on your own practice and focus on your own body and learn from the experience.
We also did some chanting yesterday which was a first for me. I have not yet chanted during yoga class. Well, I've only been going to yoga for 5 weeks and only 1 time per week so there is a lot of yoga stuff I have not done yet. It was VERY cool to do the chanting. Of course we chanted "om" which is more than saying "om" its more like "ah - oh - mmm - (silence)" then repeat. They also did some Sanskirt chanting but I just had to listen because I had no clue what they were saying! Anyways, its a very interesting thing to have everyone in the room being all quite and slowly breathing and chanting together. It sounds neat.
The visiting Yoga instructor was from Gateway Yoga in Raleigh. They have lots of workshops up there so perhaps one weekend I will drive up there and do another workshop (and visit WF and TJs hehe.) I think the workshop was well worth it and I am very glad that I went.
Spelt Pancakes
Most of you are probably thinking to yourself "Spelt? What is spelt?" Spelt is a grain; It can also be ground into a flour. I used Spelt flour in this instance. Spelt is a cousin of wheat and does not cause reactions to those people who have wheat allergies. If you would like to learn more about spelt you can do so at this website.
Anyways, on to the recipe!! This recipe was inspired by Angela's Healthy Spelt Pancakes For One. I did change it up a bit though.
Spelt Pancakes
1) In a bowl combine 1/2 cup spelt flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (more if you like), 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of sea salt, 1/2 tsp maca powder (optional; use less if you don't like the flavor); 1/2 cup milk of your choice, 1 tsp of flax, 1 tbsp chia seeds.
2) Heat a skillet, spray it with non-stick spray, and get to cooking!!
3) Top with your favorite topping(s) and enjoy!
I topped mine with home made raspberry syrup. Wanna know how to make it?? I know you do.
Homemade Raspberry Syrup
1) Get yourself some raspberries and put them in a small sauce pan. Add twice as much water as raspberries. For example I used 1/4 cup raspberries, and 1/2 cup water.
2) Heat to a boil. Let it boil until it starts to reduce.
3) Once reduced to a consistency that you like add sweetener of your choice. I used Sucanat; you could also use sugar, brown sugar, stevia, honey, etc. If you are looking for a sugar free syrup I would not go for raspberries because they do not taste sweet sugar free; perhaps try strawberries instead!
4) Taste and add more sugar until it is sweet enough for you.
5) Pour on your pancakes and eat em' up!
Hope you guys enjoy these recipes!!
Anyways, on to the recipe!! This recipe was inspired by Angela's Healthy Spelt Pancakes For One. I did change it up a bit though.
Spelt Pancakes
1) In a bowl combine 1/2 cup spelt flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (more if you like), 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of sea salt, 1/2 tsp maca powder (optional; use less if you don't like the flavor); 1/2 cup milk of your choice, 1 tsp of flax, 1 tbsp chia seeds.
2) Heat a skillet, spray it with non-stick spray, and get to cooking!!
3) Top with your favorite topping(s) and enjoy!
I topped mine with home made raspberry syrup. Wanna know how to make it?? I know you do.
Homemade Raspberry Syrup
1) Get yourself some raspberries and put them in a small sauce pan. Add twice as much water as raspberries. For example I used 1/4 cup raspberries, and 1/2 cup water.
2) Heat to a boil. Let it boil until it starts to reduce.
3) Once reduced to a consistency that you like add sweetener of your choice. I used Sucanat; you could also use sugar, brown sugar, stevia, honey, etc. If you are looking for a sugar free syrup I would not go for raspberries because they do not taste sweet sugar free; perhaps try strawberries instead!
4) Taste and add more sugar until it is sweet enough for you.
5) Pour on your pancakes and eat em' up!
Hope you guys enjoy these recipes!!
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