How to Use Random Leftovers

Today's post is about that time of the week when all you have is a bunch of random things in your fridge (er..on your counter?):

So, what do you do with these random things?  I have two ideas for you!!!  First up, Pita Pockets!!

I only used 1/4 cup of each left over since I was just feeding myself, but if you have a family to feed then you could just use it all!!  So, anyways, put your left overs in a bowl with some cheese and stir it up:

Then enough of the mixture into each half a pita pocket to make it almost full....and lean it against the side of a pan:

Put them in an oven to heat it all up, make the pita's crispy...and when they are nice and warm put some cheese on top:

Put back into the oven until the cheese melts:

Then, eat it with some salsa and its YUMMY!!

In addition to making pita pockets you could use this same concept to make quesadillas. 

Still have some left overs??  I did, so I made soup!!  Take all your ingredients and dump them in a pan - if the items are in water/juice/fluid (like corn or peas) then drain them first.  Once you have all your ingredients in the pan, then you add chicken broth until the soup is a consistent as you would like.  I tend to like my soup thicker more like stew I suppose.  In addition to leftovers and chicken broth I used these from my very own plant:

I ate the soup with Broccoli Cornbread and it was GREAT.  
Also today I made veggie sloppy joes....well veggie meat crumbles and sloppy joe sauce:

On the side is Okra Fries with organic ketchup.  Neither of those turned out as good as I had imagined.  In no way were they not-good but I had been wanting to make this for so long I built it up too much in my mind.  Oh well.  Tomorrow I am eating regular again, and then I think Tuesday I will start off my Lose Fat Fast Meal Plan again - it worked so well last time, I am hoping that I can lose weight on it again. 

Ok, guys that is all for now.  Have a great night!!

Day Trip to Raleigh

Good morning everyone!!!  Yesterday I was featured on Other People's Pantries.  Go check it out!!

 I got back so late last night that I pretty much went straight to bed, so I am going to tell you about yesterday now.  First though, I did promise to show you my new hair!!  Before...

 and After...

What do you think?  Hopefully it wont fade so much this time.  Did you notice that I was stylish yesterday with my sweater and matching scarf?  Here is a better pic of my outfit:

I have had that sweater for several years (its from Old Navy) and the scarf I got last April when I went to China.  It is a real deal Chinese Silk Scarf!  I didn't even know they matched until yesterday.

While I waited on my friend Mark to come get my for our trip I took some photos of some Art Journal Pages I've don't but not shown you yet:

Ok, ok, you want to know about our trip to Raleigh?  We went to meet up with some friends of Mark's - a guy he knows from work and his wife and 5 week old son!  That baby was adorable, but I am not in the habit of photographing people that I don't know well and putting them on the blog so, sorry, no pics of anyone but me.  I think you will survive though.

First thing we did was go eat lunch...

 It was my first time to eat at the P.F. Changs!!  We got this deal made for two people to share.  First you each pick a soup.  I got egg drop:

Then you pick 1 appitizer.  Mark and I got crispy green beans:

And our friends got Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Both appetizers were good.  I think the lettuce wraps were better but that sauce with the green beans was yummy.  Next up you each pick an entree from a list.  I got Chang's Chicken...which is their version of General Tso's Chicken - my most favorite "Chinese" meals ever!!

I say "Chinese" because I have been to China and I know what Chinese food is like and its not like American Chinese food!  Anyways... Mark got Tempura Shrimp:

I had a few bite but it had a strong flavor and there is no way I could have eaten even half of it.  My plate however was DELICIOUS!  Everyone was eating it (which was perfectly fine since we all agreed to share so we could try different things)....it was the perfect amount of spicy - just enough to be hot but not so much that it makes your eyes water.  Lastly we each got to choose 1 mini dessert - a shot glass worth of cake basically.  The table got 2 Carrot Cakes:

1 Tiramisu:

and 1 Red Velvet:

Can you guess which one I got?  The Red Velvet of course... although there was chocolate cake option that I considered for a few seconds. These desserts were the perfect size - only about 4 small (check out that tiny spoon!) bites worth.  We also got fortune cookies... here is my fortune:

 After eating, and feeding the baby, we went shopping at the mall!!  I am definitely going back to this mall.  They have some of the best stores there!!  They actually have an H&M.... I LOVE that store every since my first time being stationed in Germany.  They also have this store which made my heart flutter:

Anyone looking for something to get me for Christmas?  Here is an idea:

They also have a Pottery Barn, where I found the perfect bowl for oatmeal:

I also visited Teavana...did not get any tea this time but maybe next time!!  Actually the whole day worth of shopping all I got was a bar of coconut soap from The Body Shop!

After the mall we went to a new store in town:

I LOVE this store!!  I didn't find anything to buy this time, but I am sure I will go back again soon.

Then we went to meet up with other friends of the people I was with.  It was their friends birthday.  Anyways... we ended up at a Japanese Sushi House.  So, I had Sushi for the first time!  I tried a California Roll and a Crunchy Roll.  Then I ordered my own food (those others were leftovers from other people).  I got a Ginger Salad and Miso Soup:

I did not eat even half of that soup.  I also ordered grilled flounder:

I ate most of the broccoli on the plate before remembering to take a picture.  oops!  Anyways I ate some of it but most of that went in a to-go box and came home with me.  After dinner we headed home.

When I got home I found some goodies on my door step!!!  I ordered some stuff from Reuseit.com the other day and it had finally arrived.  Here it is:

I got a lunch box (the black purse looking thing) which comes with re-usable plastic utensils, some bamboo utensils, some reusable produce bags (I already have these but run out because I buy so many fruits and veggies at the sore so I ordered more), and bio bags to store fruits/veggies in the fridge - it makes them last longer.

This morning I had one of my new favorite breakfasts!

Yep, Cream of Wheat.  Ok, so this is what I do.  In a bowl I put 1 tbsp flax, 1 tbsp wheat germ, sweet n' low or stevia (or whatever sweetener you like) and lots of cinnamon:

Then once the Cream of Wheat is cooked I add it to the bowl and stir, stir, stir!  Usually I need to add some more water because I don't like it to be super thick!

Today I also had a veggie sausage with it:

And I was feeling the need to have some apple juice:

Also had a glass of hot water with lemon (no pic!)

Ok guys, I am sure this post was long enough, besides its almost time for me to take off for Yoga!!  Have a good morning and I will "see" you soon!!

Black & Orange

Today is national oatmeal day.  In honor of national oatmeal day, I had Apple Cinnamon Peanut Butter Oatmeal this morning.  Just regular Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal but with some peanut butter thrown in for the extra protein and healthy fats (cuz I was HUNGRY!)

I always think of Halloween when I see black & orange.  That's why today's meal instantly made me think of Halloween:

A baked (well, microwaved really) sweet potato & black beans.  Its a combo I have been wanting to try for a while now.  It was not nearly as good as I thought it would be.  But it was good.  I was trying to be meat free today but that didn't happen.  I felt like complete crap and just decided that I needed the protein to feel better.  I think this yucky feeling is due in part to receiving the flu mist on Wednesday.  Along with the yucky feeling I have also had a sore throat.  I hope it goes away soon.

I have been having so much pain lately that it seems like I can feel my bones throbbing.  I don't think normal people ever even think about their bones....but I do all the time.  For instance, today I knew that what was causing my pain was my sacroiliac joint - and then later on it was my right tibia. 

Today I wore my dorky Halloween shirt:

I know its dorky, but its a frog witch - how cute is that?! That is the extent of my dressing up for this year.  I am boring and did not get a costume. 

I got my hair re-dyed today.  Remember when I got it cut and dyed a few weeks ago?  Well it has been about 3 weeks total now and almost all of the color was gone.  So, I called her and told her and asked what we could do because I didn't think 3 weeks was enough (cuz I paid $$$ for this you know)...she re-dyed it for me for FREE.  Woo!  I was going to show you guys a new before & after photo but the pics didn't come out right.  So, I will get some tomorrow and show you then.

Speaking of tomorrow - I am going with a fried of mine to Raleigh.  We are going to go out to eat and to the "nice mall" (his words not mine - I have not been to any malls there) and then possible eat dinner before we come back.  He is getting deployed here in the new few months and I told him we should do something before he leaves.  This is what he suggested and since I didn't have anything planned this is what we are doing.   I will try to get some good pics tomorrow!!

I was told today that I could purchase my plane ticket for Christmas - so I did.  I'm going to be at home for 6 days at Thanksgiving and then 11 days at Christmas.  Seems like a lot huh?  But I have saved up 60 days of leave - and if I don't get out of the Army until next NOV then I have another 30 on top of that.  When they med board you, you can only take like 20 days of leave at the end which means between now and then I have to take all the rest of it.  So, ideas to use it up include taking a vacation with the family once it gets warm again (cruising again perhaps) and yoga retreat or yoga teacher training (usually 21-30 days.) 

I realized today that I only have 3 days left until Art Every Day Month starts - so I need to get on the ball with making some art!!  Ya'll get ready to see more art work!

Oh yes, I almost forgot - tonight I discovered the extreme awesomeness of dried cranberries on a salad.  I think I fell in love!  How did I not always eat dried cranberries on my salad?  Its heaven I tell you.  I used organic dried cranberries from Harris Teeter - but I'm pretty sure they mostly all taste the same.  I got the organic ones because they are the only ones that did not have added sugar.
Ok, well that is all for now.  Hope you had a lovely Friday and I will "see" you tomorrow.

VA Benefits Briefing

Today I spent my entire day in the briefings about my VA Benefits.  They offer us so much its kinda crazy.  The thing it is all really depends on how much my disability rating is.  The Army's magic number is 30% or higher and I will be medically retired, but for VA reasons the magic number is 50%.  I think I may have 30 but not so sure about 50.  I wont know though until next year sometime - when my med-board is pretty much complete and I am close to getting out of the Army.

The VA does so much for veterans that I am going to look into working for them.  I think it wold be very rewarding to help out other veterans.  One of my areas of exploration when I study Art Therapy is going to be working with disabled veterans.  I think there is a lot of work to be done as far as working with those suffering physical and mental disability due to combat.  But even when I am going to school the VA can help me get a work-study job, or an internship.  As far as I know the Army doesn't use Art Therapy but the VA might, or at the very least I could be a counselor since the Art Therapy program results in being a LPC as well - then I could use my own training to use art with clients that I think it might help.

Also today I turned in my phone to get updated.  The service here is horrible lately.  People call me and I can't hear them, or I call people and I can't hear them...or I call my voice mail and some guy answers in Spanish.  So, hopefully this update will fix the problem.  I am going to call though and complain and ask that my bill be credited since I have not been able to use my phone for well over a week now.


FOOD
I want to apologize for the lack of pictures lately - and the lack of food talk.  I have a ridiculous amount of food frozen right now - so I am trying to eat that stuff before I cook more stuff.  A few more days and I should be able to cook again, and I do have some great ideas.  I am not following the Lose Fat Fast meal plan anymore - the 2nd week was not meshing with me so I decided to just eat clean on my own and see how it goes.  Also I plan to go back to the Lose Fat Fast meal plan in a week or two to get the jump start again. 

Medical

I had a physical therapy re-evaluation yesterday.  They said there is noting more they can do for me, that they do not think that I will get much better but I can continue to work on strengthening my leg on my own.  So, no more physical therapy for me - at least for my hip.  I mentioned to them how much knee has been hurting these last few weeks and they said they cannot treat it because my referral was for my hip - even though its my hip being jacked up that is causing the knee pain. So, when I go back to the Dr. on the 16th of NOV I can tell him and he might refer me back to physical therapy for my knee.  I just hope they don't get some grand idea that they want to operate on my knee because I just don't think I can handle that....although, the convalescent leave would be nice (but the recovery would suck.)

School

So, I have decided finally.  I shall finish my FSU Masters of Art Therapy Application no later than (I had typed "NLT" - is that just an Army term or would you guys have known what I meant?) 1 DEC - all that's left is my letters of recommendation, my personal statement (which is almost done!) and my portfolio.  Also I decided that since my med-board is going to take an undetermined amount of time I will start working on my second Bachelor's Degree (in psychology) in January.  I am thinking I am going to double up on classes to finish quicker.  This is however, dependent on weather or not I can convince my supervisor to let me take art classes (which I need for the FSU program) during the duty day (the only time they are offered in this area.)

Again, apologies for the lack of visual interest!  Hope to make up for it over the next few days - got some stuff going on!!  Have a great night!

Bye Bye Pool Therapy - Hello to More Yoga!

Good Morning!!  Yesterday was my last day of pool therapy.  I am not sure how much it helped with muscle strengthening, but it was certainly an awesome cardio workout.  I am going to miss the calorie burn of it and the people too.

Last night I did Tuesday Night Yoga at my regular yoga studio for the first time. It is the same teacher as on Sunday morning so I knew basically what to expect.  It was interesting to go at night because hardly any lights were on so it was a very relaxing ambiance.  We did side crow and I actually got one side (the good leg) for about a second and half!  The other side I attempted but as soon as I tried to get my feet off the ground my leg said "NO WAY!"  Then I was kinda sorry that I even tried it, but I would not have know if I could do it unless I tired.  Now I know my nerves are still too sensitive for that pose.

Every single time I go to Yoga I am more convinced that I need to go get certified to teach.  I just need to figure out the time line - it would help to know more about the medboard process but the Army says they cannot give me a better time line.  So, it is likely that I might just have to wait until I am putting in my terminal leave paperwork to schedule my teacher training.  No worries though, it will happen when it is supposed to!

A few of my favorite bloggers are giving away some really good prizes - check em' out:
1) Monica at Run Eat Repeat is giving away Yoga stuff - A really cute bag and a new mat!!
2) Danica at Danica's Daily is giving away a Wholly Guacamole Pack with lots of super tasty Guac products!! 
Check out their blogs and you can enter their give away too!

Alright friends its time for me to head off to PT!  See you later today I hope!

Hey

Today was not exciting at all, but I wanted to say "hi!"  Here are some random bits of info for you:

*The phone network here is going crazy - people call me (or sometimes when I call them) and they can hear me but I cant hear them

*I ate dinner at the desk and somehow managed to get pepper all over the place

*My forearm hurts...maybe from yoga?

*It rained today and made me sleepy

*I got tired of being cold on the cold days and finally turned the heater on

*I signed up for some free online art journal workshops, but they don't start until Jan.  Next month however is Creative Every Day month so I'll be doing a lot more art! I have been working on my Art Journal - I have been painting backgrounds to journal on - but its nothing picture worthy yet. 

Ok, well sadly that is all for now.  Hope you day is going good.  "See" you tomorrow!!

Zip Line Adventure

Today I went to Zip Quest with the Yoga Studio.  It is a zip line canopy tour right here in our own city!  It was tons of fun - it took me about 3 zips to get the harness adjusted right, but I think most people would have an easier time given the lack of hip surgery.  I am irrationally afraid of heights but since I was clipped in 100% of the I knew I couldn't possibly fall.  Plus, they started us out in "school" with a line that was about 5 feet off of the ground, and then our next one was only like 15 feet up.  So, it wasn't really that scary at all.  I had a great time, but since I did yoga this morning and then we directly to Zip Quest I am worn out.  So, here are some photos, and if you go to my Facebook page you can even watch some videos!!

Have a great night!!