Daily Life

What's for Dinner? 2/6/12

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-05:00

Lentil Spaghetti is what's for dinner!

I honestly can't remember if I already posted this one or not. So if I did...sorry! I adapted this one from the eat clean diet cookbook by Tosca Reno.

(I also got a new iPhone and instagram has been AMAZING. That's how I got this photo. I have wayyy too much fun with it. :) ).

What You'll Need:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves garlic (depends on how big they are. I used 4 huge cloves)
1 1/2 cups lentils, well rinsed (I used plain old green lentils, however, French Lentils would work just as well)
1/2 tsp thyme
1 28oz can of tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 cans tomato paste (optional)
Spaghetti Noodles

1.) Heat Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. Cook until veggies are soft. Add the lentils and thyme, stirring until lentils are coated. Add tomatoes to the lentil mixture and break them up. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until the lentils are done.

2.) Meanwhile, cook your noodles. They can be any variety you like. I do whole wheat pasta.

3.) Now, with the sauce, you can be done when the lentils are done. This makes more of a soup like consistency. You can add two cans of tomato paste to make it more saucy, if you want. What I usually do is dish up the lentil mixture into freezable containers, leaving only what Brad and I will eat in the pot. Then I add about half of a can of the tomato paste. Then when we go to eat this meal later, all I have to do is thaw, heat, and add the tomato paste. It's up to you though! (and I hope that made sense!)

This meal was the perfect meal to recover from running 13 miles on Saturday. And it was tasty! I also like that it's a great way to keep your favorite foods while going meatless. Try this for a meatless Monday meal. :)

Blogging For Books: The Scroll

2012-01-30T12:02:00.001-05:00

Here is a new feature on my blog! I have the wonderful opportunity to combine two things I love: reading AND blogging. I have been added to the Blogging for Books program through Multnomah publisher's. The first book I requested and read is "The Scroll" by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky.

So what did I think of this book? On a scale from "ugh" to "awesome!" I would say this book doesn't deserve an "ugh", but definitely deserves a "bleh". I chose it because it looked intriguing: a little bit Indiana Jones and a little bit Angels and Demons. My suspicions were correct: This book is about a Biblical Archaeologist (David Chambers) who has lost his faith completely and is trying to give up Biblical Archaeology completely. You find out that David Chambers is a bit of a tragic character, his mother died with his father off gallivanting in Israel, the love of his life dumped him, and he finds no happiness any more. Chambers is contacted by a long-time friend and mentor Abram Ben-Judah to briefly return to Israel for one last dig. Chambers decides to take up the offer, finding himself on a team with a frienemy (who, as it turns out, ends up just being an enemy) and his ex-finace. The dig is shrouded in mystery, and as the story unfolds you realize (along with Chambers), no one on the team has all of the details.

Without giving away too many of the details, I have two main critiques. The first is the writing style and plot twists. The story was a little bit cheesy with one liners. Aside from that, the story tried too hard to be unpredictable; there were many plot twists that were meant to take me off guard, but they all seemed forced and at times were predictable. Sometimes they were a little too unpredictable. The plot, eventually, is thick with misguided theology about the end times and some of the Old Testament prophecies. I am not prepared to say the authors are wrong, but their interpretation and bias is definitely evident in the story. My last critique of the story is that the end seemed haphazard. It was as if the authors thought to themselves, "Oh no. We're hitting our page count and have too much story left!"

My second critique is with the books character development. It's like the authors wanted to paint this tragic character in Dr. Chambers, but they simply did not give enough detail. They gave some, but it wasn't enough to make me truly feel bad for him. I mostly thought Dr. Chambers was sort of a jerk, not one really deserving of the sympathy the authors were trying to elicit. I'm also disappointed with the transformation of Dr. Chambers. It seems like it was so very anti-climatic and as if it were too little, too late.

Over all, I wouldn't say the book is absolutely horrible. Aside from the weird theological biases, it isn't a terrible story. It was entertaining at times. But this is definitely not a book I would read again. If another came out as it's sequel, I would probably pass on it.

Disclaimer:
Multnomah publishing gave me this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is 100% my honest opinion.

Scrappy Friday 1/27/12

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's already almost February? I think I say that every month. But really. Life is busy around here. Brad and I have both started classes, so we keep ourselves occupied with school work.

I did manage to make a scrapbook page! It's been such a long time since I posted a page. I have made some, I just didn't post them. This particular page isn't my favorite thing in the world, but it works. I think it's the lettering I don't like. I think it looks like a carnival, now that I look at it more closely. Maybe I'll rip off the lettering and try a different font.

It's still my Australia book. When I finish it, I'm not sure what I'll do next! I'm thinking I might just start scrapping some of the stuff we've done around VA Beach, but maybe not. Hmm, I'll have to think on it. I'm also planning on starting a book with my race stuff in it. That one will be kept current, and right now it would have all of three pages (i've only run three races, if you count the one I'll be doing in march). What do other people scrapbook when they've done all the big events?

Part of me wants to go back and re-do some of my wedding scrapbook pages. I've since gotten my cricut and a some neat cartridges. And I'm really not happy with some of those pages.

But until then... I still have a big number of Australia pictures to get finished!

What's for Dinner? 1-25-12

2012-01-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

New Year's Soup is what's for Dinner. I adapted this from Terry Walter's book "Clean Start".

Here's What you'll need:

1 Medium Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Carrots
2 Parsnips
1 bunch collard greens (i had a really big bunch so I used only half of it)
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
2 tbsp fresh oregano
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop up your onion, carrots, and parsnips. Then put the onions in some EVOO and saute; I did mine in the same sauce pan that I would put the soup in.

After a few minutes, put your garlic through the garlic press and saute it all together for a few minutes. Add the carrots and celery; continue cooking until all veggies are a bit soft.

While those are softening up, chop up your collard greens and add them to the pot. Continue cooking until the greens wilt. Then add your broth, oregano, and black-eyed peas.

Bring it back to a boil; turn it down and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve.

EDIT:
Someone facebooked me this morning to let me know that instead of "add the apple cider vinegar..." I had typed "ass". Oops. I thought it was a great typo, so I just had to tell you all about it.

The verdict? Brad liked it; I wasn't in love. The parsnips were not my favorite. If I make it again, I think I will leave out the parsnips and do potatoes instead.

Style File 1-23-12

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I hit the Jackpot at Target last week. I got several things on clearance. I love when that happens! One of those items is the dress (and the belt!) featured in my style file.

I love getting knit dresses like this because they're so very wearable. I could pair it with sandals in the summer, flats and a sweater in the spring, and like this for the winter/fall. They're so versatile and comfortable!

I've been wearing these grey tights a lot. They're a great alternative to wearing the same black pair all of the time and adds a little more texture (which you can't see in the picture. There's a subtle design on them).

This belt was $3.48. What a steal.

This is my sock bun. I originally tried it to do sock bun curls, but I didn't roll it correctly it just made my hair wavy. So I re-rolled it in the sock bun. I like it.

I love the texture on the top of the dress. Adds interest. :)

Outfit Rundown:
Dress- Target
Belt- Target
Sweater- Old Navy
Tights- Simply Vera Wang (Kohls)
Shoes- Nine West

What's For Dinner? 1-11-12

2012-01-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

Here is another variation on my Lasagna recipe. I made a vegetarian Lasagna that we really liked, but I must not have put it up on the blog. That recipe is on Jen Loves Kev's blog. So I guess this recipe below is a combination of lots of different recipes, but it is on the healthier side. What you'll need:

9 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
1.5 jars Marnara Sauce
1.5 cups diced and peeled Butternut Squash
.5 lb ground turkey
1 15 oz carton fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
3 cups (ish. Honestly I just eye balled it) Baby spinach
Fat free shredded Mozzarella cheese
garlic
Oregano
Salt Pepper

This lasagna was for Brad because it contained meat. Normally he happily (or at least with out complaining) eats whatever vegetarian meal I put in front of him. We're not vegetarians, but for our health (and wallet!) I tend to not cook a lot of meat.

Anyway, start by browning the ground turkey and boiling the noodles. Cook the noodles until they're just about done, but still a little crunchy. While those are cooking put your squash in the microwave. Cook it until it can be mashed up; mash it up. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Add some marinara sauce to the mashed up squash. I like to call this "squash sauce". Strictly speaking, the squash isn't totally necessary, but it is a great way to ramp up the nutritional value without compromising taste.

Then mix up your ricotta. Add the egg, some oregano, salt and pepper and mix it all up. By now your ground turkey and noodles should be done; drain your noodles.

Spread some marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 9 baking pan. Add three noodles; I trim them to fit. Spread some of the ricotta on the noodles.

In a pan, combine some olive oil and one clove of garlic with the baby spinach. Cook until wilted (about three minutes). Add the wilted spinach on top of the ricotta. Spread some Squash sauce on the spinach. Put three more lasagna noodles on top of the spinach. Then some ricotta. Then the rest of the squash sauce. Then your ground Turkey. Then some plain marinara.

I ran out of Lasagna noodles, so I used some rotini on top of the ground turkey and topped it off with some plain Marinara. Bake in the oven, un covered, for about a half hour. Take it out and sprinkle with desired amount of mozzarella cheese. Continue baking until cheese is melted and sauce is bubble (about 15 more minutes).

New Year's Goals

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not usually one for resolutions. The word "resolution" actually freaks me out a bit. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it sounds so formal? Haha, I don't know. I prefer making a few attainable goals for the new year instead. So here are mine:

1.) Continue training for the half Marathon, and then run it on March 18th, 2012
2.) Get back to putting up "What's for Dinner?" Posts. Several people have asked me where they've gone, and I don't have a particularly compelling answer.
3.) Scrapbook more. I really need to finish my Australia book. I got 6 new Cricut cartridges, so I have plenty to experiment with!
4.) Do all this, while in school! Haha, we'll see how it goes, but I think I can do it. Honestly, I end up being lazy if I have nothing going on. But if I have to schedule stuff, it usually goes better. It's weird.

Year in Review

2011-12-31T08:51:00.001-05:00

With it being New Year's Eve, I thought I would do a little year in review post.

2011 has been an interesting year. I feel like we've made no significant changes in our lives, but we did do things. In fact, if I were to describe 2011 with one phrase it would be "Little changes". Here are some of the little changes that affected us this year:

Last January, Brad began classes for an M.S.- Mechanical Engineering through Perdue University
I started a job at Regent University in April
This summer we hosted lots of visitors and traveled lots of places, including Boston.
We bought new couches! Haha, I still need to feature them, but only after we get the livingroom finished off.
I started training for a half-marathon
We re-vamped how we eat, cutting processed foods/sugars and trying our best to follow The Eat Clean Diet

It's been a good year. Tomorrow I'm going to post some goals for next year, so come back then to see what sorts of things I want to accomplish in the next 12 months. Until then, here are my top five Style Files from over the course of the year. I guess they're not a "top five". Just my five favorites. :)

I think this year I've allowed my style to sort of "grow up" in some senses because I have to dress professionally (i.e. conservative) for work. But i've also grown up in that I'm beginning to wear what I want to wear, regardless of whether or not it "goes" or is something someone else would wear. I'm having fun, and that's what Fashion is all about, right?

Style File 12/31/11

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Look at this! Two style files in one week! I'm up at my parent's house in Michigan. It's been great being home! We've been hanging out and relaxing. Brad, unfortunately, got sick but he went to the doctor and seems to be doing much better. I was sick last week, and so, it's now his turn to deal with it. Kind of a damper on things, but honestly, we can't do much right now because of the ice and snow out. But that's Northern Michigan for ya. :)

It has been really great hanging out with my family. I've missed them. The holidays make me especially reminiscent and makes me want to move closer to home. Some day that may be a possibility, I'm hoping anyway.

This outfit features two things I got for Christmas. The first I'm going to mention is the scarf. My grandmother got me two scarves; I'll shoot a style file later with the other scarf. I love the colors on this one. It will go with many of my outfits, and it has an awesome texture to add.

You may recognize these boots and jeans from my Black Friday Style File. They're so comfy I've been wearing them a lot! Those pants... they're super super comfy.

I picked this sweater up at Gap not too long ago. I love the texture in it.

These earrings are awesome. While this isn't the best picture of them, you can get the idea. Brad's cousin Grace gave them to me for Christmas. She made them herself! I love the feathers. They're just the right amount of funk to add to my outfits. With those colors too, they'll will go with a lot of my things! I love pops of color and these definitely accomplish that.

Also, what you don't see in these pictures is the fact that it is only TEN DEGREES OUT. I took these photos in less than fifteen minutes. By the time I got back into the house my fingers were completely numb and I couldn't bend them. Oof.

Outfit Rundown:
Sweater: GAP
Grey Layering tank: ANA, JC Penny
Scarf: gift
Earrings: gift
Jeans: JC Penney
Boots: JC Penney

Christmas Style File!

2011-12-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

This year for Christmas we were in Marion, IN visiting Brad's parents. Christmas morning we got up and got ready for Church. I opted for a wintery outfit without being majorly Christmassy. Plus it was very comfortable, so that's always a bonus.

Brad is making an appearance for this style file! He got some new clothes at Express and is looking very fashionable these days. Fit is key, guys! The photographer pant (that's what Brad is wearing) is amazing. It's tailored and fits very well, especially if you happen to be tall and trim.

The shirt he's wearing is an extra slim fit, again good for those of you who are tall and trim.

This is just a gratuitous shot of us. I think we're cute. :)

I love this sweater. It's thin, so it worked well from September until now in VA Beach, since it hadn't really cooled off until then. And I like the color. This shade is practically universally flattering. Go try it! :)

My Outfit Rundown:
Sweater: GAP
Necklace: Gift; Renfest
Skirt: The Limited, thrifted
Tights: Simply Vera Wang (kohl's)
Boots: DSW

Brad's Outfit:
Shirt and pants: Express
Shoes: DSW
Woman: Gaylord, Mi ;)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T07:25:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note:

I am alive! :) It's just a busy season between Christmas shopping, getting sick, and upping my running mileage. I will be posting a Style File soon, I'm hoping before the New Year. I am traveling to Indiana and to Michigan, so that's where they're going to be shot! Promise!

But if I don't "see" you before then... Merry Christmas! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season and that you allow yourselves to enjoy it. I know that it's really tempting to let stress spoil it all, but don't let it! It's ok to say no to a bajillion holiday parties. It's ok to not have your Christmas shopping done yet. It's ok to not bake one thousand cookies for that Church cookie swap (should have taken my own advice on that one ;) ).

But it is NOT ok to miss out on the joy of Christmas. Spend time with your loved ones. Relish in watching silly cartoons and Christmas movies, all while sipping too-sugary hot cocoa and eating some of those cookies you baked earlier!

I would also like to issue a small challenge. I know I just said relish in the season. And I want you to; but I also want you to think about how you can help make Christmas better for someone else; then I want you to act on that. Donate food to a food pantry. Volunteer your time at Toys for Tots. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen. Give your postman, hair dresser, or waitress an extra big tip just because. Take some cookies to your leasing office or neighbors. Just do something. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Style File 12/5/11

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have been looking for new jeans for a very.long.time. Jeans are always so difficult. But I finally found GAP Perfect Boot cut jeans, and I love them. They have a great amount of stretch, fit well, and are long enough for me. My number one problem with jeans is the length. I am at an awkward height where regular length jeans are too short, and long jeans are too long. Well, they're too long until I wash them a couple times. These are quite long, so these might be my new "wear with heels" jeans, which I am completely fine with.

Sometimes I like to put unexpected colors together, like teal and red. I think it works because it's broken up a bit.

I'm also loving stripes. That is all. :)

Outfit rundown:
Drapey sweater thing: Target
Striped shirt: GAP
Jeans: GAP
Shoes: Target (old).

What's for Lunch?

2011-12-01T06:40:00.001-05:00

This week has been long and tiring. I especially love taking extended weekends for holidays, but it definitely makes coming back tiring. So to be honest, cooking this week has been boring. We have been scrounging for stuff because i'm tired and don't feel like cooking. Or we've had to be somewhere so I didn't take pictures.

In lieu of dinner pics, I thought I would share with you what I packed for lunch and snacks today. :)

Morning snack (around 9:30 or 10 am): plain, nonfat greek yogurt with a smidge of honey stirred in. Clean pumpkin bread.

Lunch (around 12:30 or 1): banana and peanut butter wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla (all natural nut butters are a great source of protein. My favorite is almond butter), broccoli florets, baby carrots, and some crackers (Trader Joe's multigrain cracker minis).

Afternoon snack (around 3:30 or 4): 1 apple and scant handful of almonds.

What sorts of things do you pack for lunch?

Oh, also because it's December first, I am going to share one of my favorite Christmas youtube videos (also posted on Facebook). It's an oldie but a goodie!

Style File 11/26/11

2011-11-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so, Brad and I went out on Black Friday. We left here around 10am, not really expecting to hit anything good. We mostly just like to see the mayhem, and to look around and see what there is to see. But every couple of years I find something awesome. This year, I found two things! So I styled them for your viewing pleasure. And because I love putting on new clothes!

The first Black Friday score: A new pair of skinny jeans for 20 dollars. These jeans are actually grey. They look blue in this pic, but they're grey. I like them. Here's a link to them on JCP's website. Had I seen them online first, I never would have bought them because they look a little lame. But they fit wonderfully and they are so comfy. Almost like PJ's.

I've had this suede jacket forever. I had my senior portraits (as in: Senior in HIGH SCHOOL portraits) done in them. I've been too big for this jacket for a long time, but I never got rid of it because I like it so much. I'm glad I held onto it because it fits again! Yay!

Sometimes less is more, you know? White tee, jeans, boots, go.

And these boots are my second score. 30 dollars. Originally 100. Yes. I wanted some flat brown boots, but for 30 bucks I couldn't say no to these. I'll just have to get some flat boots after Christmas. ;)

Outfit Rundown:
Suede Jacket: Charlotte Russe, I believe. It's old. I think I bought it my Junior year in high school.
Tee: Target
Jeans: JC Penney
Boots: JC Penney
Earrings: Vintage. From my mom's closet.
Necklace: Gift.

What was for Thanksgiving?

2011-11-25T20:08:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful! The Turkey turned out great. We have lots left over though. Now to figure out what to do with the left overs?

For dinner tonight I ate pumpkin pie. Don't judge me.

:) Hope you're recovering well from your food comas. Style file up tomorrow morning!

What's for Thanksgiving?

2011-11-22T06:34:00.001-05:00

TURKEY! That's what's for Thanksgiving! :) Here's what I'm using as a guideline for roasting our Turkey breast:

1 (10-to-12 pound turkey) turkey
1/4 cup(s) fresh herbs, plus 20 whole sprigs, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and/or marjoram, divided
2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
Aromatics: , onion, apple, lemon and/or orange, cut into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
3 cup(s) water, plus more as needed

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475°F.
Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities and reserve for making gravy. Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan; pat dry with paper towels. Mix minced herbs, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture all over the turkey, under the skin and onto the breast meat. Place aromatics and 10 of the herb sprigs in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Add 3 cups water and the remaining 10 herb sprigs to the pan.
Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown, 45 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. If using a remote digital thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the thigh, close to the joint. Cover the breast with a double layer of foil, cutting as necessary to conform to the breast. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours more. If the pan dries out, tilt the turkey to let juices run out of the cavity into the pan and add 1 cup water. The turkey is done when the thermometer (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone) registers 165°F.
Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and cover with foil. (If you're making Herbed Pan Gravy, start here.) Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Remove string and carve.

Except obviously I am not doing a whole bird. So my plan of action is to make the herb/olive oil rub. And then place the Turkey in my pan. I don't have a roaster pan, so this might get interesting. I'm thinking I'll use a generic 9 x 13 pan, and then cover it all with tin foil. But anyway, in the pan I'll place the lemon, apple, and onion. I'll probably only use half of each thing. And then I'll place some sprigs of herbs around and under and probably on it. It's going to be herby! :) I bought some turkey broth that I'll probably use instead of water, just for added flavor, and again, i'll be using less than the 3 cups listed here. Cover it all with tin foil and roast for a while, then i'll uncover it and let it brown up for the last half of the cooking. I think it should go well.

As for the whole day to get in my cooking, here is my Plan of Action to get it all done:

-Tonight after work: Brad is picking up Turkey Breast from the butcher. We'll have to find some space in our fridge. Tear up half of the bread to dry out (for stuffing)
-Wednesday after work: Bake pumpkin pie. Wash broccoli and let dry.
-Thursday am: break up rest of the bread, toss the salad (minus the dressing). Chill beverage.
-Thursday afternoon (around 2ish): prepare turkey, and prepare stuffing, put turkey in at 2:30 (we want to eat around 5:30 or 6). The Turkey Breast will be 6-8 lbs (not sure yet!), so I figured 2.5 hours to cook. Is that correct? Put in stuffing (separate pan) in around 30 minutes before Turkey comes out.
-Thursday evening: prepare and boil potatoes/parsnips, prepare broccoli and put in oven 15 minutes before turkey comes out, mash potatoes, put it all in serving dishes.

We shall see how it all goes! :)

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/21/11

2011-11-21T05:58:00.001-05:00

Thought I would share the recipe I will be using for my pumpkin pie this year. I thought I would break out of using the recipe off the back of a Libby's can. :) This recipe is in no way clean, but pumpkin pie is ok to eat on Thanksgiving, right! I would prefer to not use store bought pie crust as it has all sorts of icky additives, but I honestly do not have the time to make a pie crust nor am I that great at it. If I had a food processor, I might consider doing a no-roll type of crust. But, alas, i have no food processor.

Not my picture. :)

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 -9 inch unbaked pie crust (I use Pillsburyt)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined. Add eggs, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. Mix everything until completely smooth (about 3 minutes in my KitchenAid mixer on medium speed). Pour pie filling into an unbaked deep dish pie shell. Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 50-55 minutes until the center of the pie does not jiggle (loosely). Allow the pie to cool on the counter and then chill it in the refrigerator before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Tomorrow I'll share how I'm going to do the Turkey as well as my plan of action to accomplish all of the cooking!

What's for Thanksgiving? 11/17/11

2011-11-17T06:34:00.001-05:00

GOOD NEWS! I got a turkey breast! yay! Well, actually, I ordered it. I will pick it up on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. I ordered it from a Butcher who sells all natural turkey. So that is going to be awesome. Except I've never cooked a fresh turkey breast. I'm assuming it won't be much different than cooking a thawed frozen one.

On to the recipe for today. Liz's Famous Broccoli (i've been cooking it this way since long before it went up on pinterest).

Not my picture. Came from pinterest. :)

What you'll need:
-Fresh broccoli florets (I will probably use two bunches for Turkey Day. chop them off the bunches. Wash and allow ample time to dry before cooking)
-Half of a lemon
-Olive Oil
-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
-Salt
-Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 (or if you're like me, just put it in the oven with whatever else you're cooking and adjust cooking time. Lower the temp the longer the cooking time!). In a large bowl with a lit, place the broccoli, 3-4 tbsp olive oil (or less if it will cover the broccoli), garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Put lid on top and shake it all up. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet (it helps crisp the broccoli up) and put in oven until the broccoli is crispy and just starting to brown (about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees). Remove from oven and place in serving dish, squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon over and mix to distribute throughout the dish. Serve hot.

What's for Thanksgiving?

2011-11-15T07:57:00.001-05:00

Like many Foodies out there, over the course of this week I am going to share with you some of the recipes I will be using for my Thanksgiving Feast this year. I've found some cleaned up recipes to make so they still fit in with how we eat (mostly. But it's the holidays, we can break the plan. :) )

The recipes I share are mostly just going to be sides because, well, I figure everyone has the way they do their turkey. If it's not broken, don't fix it! That said, I'm on a quest to find a Turkey breast that will be suitable for Brad and I to consume. We don't like dark meat, plus a whole Turkey seems like a lot of food for two people! I'm having a very hard time finding a turkey breast that isn't injected with saline and other crap. I will succeed, though. But I might have to break down and buy a very small turkey and just find someone to take the dark meat off of our hands.

Anyway, so today I am going to tell you (because I don't have any pictures of my own) how I am going to do our potatoes this year. I call them: Not Your Momma's Mashed Potatoes. I adapted them from Terry Walter's Clean Start cook book. I adjusted the proportions a little because in my test run they weren't quite to our liking. Potatoes have gotten a bad rep recently, but they're really not bad for you. They are a starch, but unless you kill them with tons of fat or naughty add-ons (bacon), they're actually a good thing to consume!

Full Disclosure: Not my photo. :)

Not Your Momma's Mashed Potatoes:

-2 medium baking potatoes
- 1 large parsnip (or 2 medium ones or 3 extremely small ones. :) )
-Olive Oil
-skim milk

Peel and cut up the potatoes and parsnip into small pieces. Place in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer until the potatoes and parsnips are mashable. Drain the water off and put the potatoes and parsnips into a bowl (or kitchen aid mixer bowl so you don't have to had mash them). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tbsp skim milk. Mash up! If you don't like the consistency, add milk a little bit at a time until desired consistency is achieved.Trust me on the tablespoon at a time thing, I have consumed lots of runny mashed potatoes because I am impatient and didn't measure! SO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO JUST DUMP THE MILK IN!

This is for two people, and we'll have a little left over. I just really don't like left over potatoes because they get all weird, but if you want more or are feeding more people, simply maintain the ratio of potatoes to parsnips. The parsnips have a sweet taste to them, and last time I made them I used two parsnips (but they were gigantic) and was not happy with how they tasted. Ideally, you shouldn't really be able to tell that the parsnip is in there, but it will still up the nutritional value of mashed potatoes. We don't eat gravy, so that's not a worry for us... but if you must do the gravy thing, please do it sparingly!

And because I had no idea what a parsnip looked like prior to my googling, here is what you're looking for in the grocery store:

not my photo either. :) But don't they look like giant white carrots?

Style File 11/7/11

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, I need to look really professional for work (I guess it makes me look like I know what I'm doing ;) ). Usually when we have an event. In this case, I'll need to look nice for our preview weekend. So I thought I would take you through my tips (as if I'm an expert? haha) on how I shop and put together professional outfits for when we have an event at work.

It's easy to lose a sense of your own style when you work in a conservative place where you have to wear suit-ish outfits. So, in order to keep things feeling like "me" I look for pieces that are tailored and modern looking. The fit is everything in these pieces. Look for jackets that nip you in at the waist. The should seams should always be on the outside of the shoulder, and the sleeves should be just the right fit. The button up has princess seaming and nips me in at the waist as well. That's key, because a lot of button shirts have a tendency to make a person look boxy and shapeless. And we don't want that!

I also look for ways to add color to the outfit. In this case, I tried to find a button up that had some color in it. This one has some red in the stripes. Also try to find pieces that have interesting details. Like the jacket, it has fun buttons on it and some fun pockets. Interesting pieces of jewelry also do the trick.

I also try to use some patterns and textures. These pants have a faint pinstripe (and they're also navy, not black) that I paired with stripes. Some might not like it, but I think they're both subtle enough that I can wear them together. It's also tempered by the neutral jacket. :)

My last tip for professional attire, is to mix and match. It's a little unexpected and a fun way to break up a suit and get a lot of different combinations out of just a few key pieces. You can still look put together even if the pants (or skirt) and jacket don't match. As long as they are both of equal "dressy-ness" you should be fine.

Outfit Rundown:
Jacket- Banana, thrifted
Shirt- Worthington, JC Penney
Pants- GAP, modern boots (I have three of the same pair of pants. They're all just different colors)
Shoes- ?, JC Penney

What's for Breakfast? 11/1/11

2011-11-01T08:01:00.001-04:00

Look at that date. 11/1/11. Two things: 1.) How is it already November?! 2.) That's a lot of 1's. Just wait until the 11th!

I thought I would do a feature on what I normally eat for breakfast: Oatmeal! This oatmeal, however, has a special fall twist that I just can't get enough of lately: PUMPKIN! I love pumpkin. Normally at this time in the fall, I gorge myself on sweet pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll, and many other sweet pumpkin treats. Those treats, however, are not part of the Clean Eating plan, but I have found ways to incorporate pumpkin anyway. I must confess, that while I have cut a lot of processed sugars, I have not cut all sugar. Instead of using white sugar, I've been either using organic sugar, raw sugar, or honey in it's place. So I am still enjoying a cleaned up pumpkin bread. ;)

Onto how to make this. I need simplicity in the morning. I'm in a hurry and have a pretty rigid routine. I eat Oatmeal and scrambled egg whites for breakfast, so to make it quick I microwave both. That's why the oatmeal looks a little sloppy... I just microwaved it until it was done.

What you'll need:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats (less processed than those packets of oatmeal. Plus, it just tastes better. Once you go old fashioned, you'll never go back to instant. Blech).
1 scant cup of water (to make up for the fact that pumpkin has a lot of moisture in it. Plus I like my oatmeal a little drier)
2 spoonfuls of Organic Pumpkin Puree (or one giant spoonful. Eyeball it. Also, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I used Trader Joe's brand and it was delicious. If you don't get organic, look for brands that have just pumpkin and maybe some water in it. No added sugars!)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
Pumpkin pie spice to taste

Combine all the ingredients into the bowl. Mix. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until done.
Eat with your egg whites and you're good to go!

Halloween Style File 10/31/11

2011-10-31T08:15:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween, everyone! So far today I am a bit behind, thanks to skipping my run and heading back to bed. BUT! I will run after work. Brad and I need to get better about going to sleep at nine instead of 10 or 10:30. :)

I thought I would do a special Halloween Edition Style File!

Look! It's Brad! He gets to be part of the Style File. We went to a Halloween party on Saturday evening, and it required us to dress up. I always have fun with these sorts of things. After some back and forth between a couple costumes, Brad decided to go as my counterpart, a 20's ganster/speakeasy owner. The story is that he owns the speak easy I work in.

I went as (hopefully) obviously, a flapper. You might remember these costumes from a Murder Mystery party we went to last winter. But we re-used them and added an accessory or two.

I added the feather boa this time around and Brad added the cane. Let me tell you, those feathers went EVERYWHERE. But it added to the look, so it's all good, right?

This dress came from Target. It's not exactly a flapper dress, but it's close enough with the ruffles on the bottom (that's aren't well seen here). But When paired with the rest of the outfit, it looks remarkably flapper ish to me. My favorite part of the costume was doing the make up. I read several tutorials and if you had seen me in person, you would have seen just how much make up I was wearing. Dark eyes, red lips, and a lot of rouge! Can I just say it was bizarre how they used to wear their lips. Go look it up. They didn't fill in all of them.

And look, we go together! :) Happy Halloween! I'm sure many of you already did your costuming this weekend, so you should link me to your pictures! I love seeing what others went as.

Shameless plug!

2011-10-24T19:33:00.000-04:00

Please like my entry in Mod Cloth's contest. I would love to have a shot at winning! :)

http://apps.facebook.com/offerpop/Contest.psp?c=38443&u=406&a=100142423390621&p=9481787170&v=Entry&id=118301&rest=1

To like me you'll also have to like Mod Cloth's page. Thanks!

Style File 10-21-11

2011-10-21T13:50:00.003-04:00

I loved this outfit. Unfortunately my pictures don't do it justice! I still don't know how to not lose details. My pants are actually Navy but they look black, and since they look black, it's hard to make out my awesome boots. I know it probably has to do with the lighting (I did take these later in the evening) but I've had this happen before when I took them when it was lighter out. All you awesome style bloggers, how do you get pictures that preserve your details (especially in dark colors)? I must be using my camera wrong, but I don't even know what to google to learn how to fix it! Anyway... onto the Style File!

I put this outfit on, at little unsure of how I would like it on me. It was inspired by the lovely Jen at Jenloveskev (one of my favorite style bloggers!). But I loved it. I sort of felt like I needed a hat and a horse and I would be ready to go riding!

Again... my pants are navy and I'm wearing awesome black boots that come up to just below my knee... but you can't tell very well. I was sort of sad by that.

This is the part of the outfit I was unsure if I would like. I don't typically button all the way up, but I gave it a try and I loved it. The patterns conflict, but I think they go well together. I bought this sweater from Chloe Loves Charlie, thanks to a giveaway on Jen's blog. So not only was this look partly inspired by Jen, but it was brought to you thanks to Jen! :)

Happy Friday!

Outfit Rundown:
Button Up: JC Penney
Pants: H and M
Sweater: Chloe Loves Charlie
Boots: DSW
Earrings: Vintage

Motivation?

2011-10-19T11:47:00.000-04:00

WARNING: The following post contains pictures of women with their stomachs exposed, bikinis, and cleavage. It is for a purpose and a point, but if you would prefer not to see them you have been warned.

I don't get on my soapbox too often, but this is something that has really been bothering me lately. These are all pictures I've seen on pinterest that are under "fitness". Many of them are tagged "motivation" or "healthy" or "inspiration" or very commonly "I aspire to this". There about a bajillion worse photos taken from maxim that are labeled as such. Since when did maxim become the standard for fitness? The photos I selected for here, though, are tame compared to lots of them.

So what's my problem with this? Well I have a couple, so we'll start with the first. The first is that these bodies are unrealistic for most people. These pictures might have been photo shopped to accentuate muscles, make waists tinier, boobs bigger, whatever. Even if these are real photos, those girls hit the genetic jackpot. I think it's safe to say most people do not look like this naturally. Or maybe these girls have had surgery to enhance themselves (I am not making a statement about surgery, just throwing out a possibility). I do recognize that it is a naturally occurring phenomenon for a small girl to have a big chest. Or that small girls get made fun of because they are "boyish". Women of all shapes and sizes have reasons to be down on themselves thanks to cultural pressure. As such, I'm not trying to be down on these women in these photos. I am just trying to make the point that these bodies are the exception and not the rule. Are the girls in these photos sexy? yes. Are they considered beautiful? yes. Is it healthy? Not necessairly. Which brings me to this photo:

This one bothered me the most. What sort of message does this send? That skinny is supposed to make you feel better? It's supposed to make you happy? That's my second problem with all of these photos. They're framed in a way that makes it sound like if you can just get to look like this, life is better. You'll have everything you want because being skinny made you feel happy.

How twisted is that? Skinny people have great lives and normal, average, or fat people have terrible lives. What the hell is that all about?

Even worse, these pictures seem to say that your worth is based on how skinny you are. That you cannot accept and love yourself, and others certainly won't accept and love you, unless you look like this.

I am here to tell you that no matter your size or shape, you matter. You matter a great deal and I wish you didn't have to deal with this kind of crap. I want you to know that if people want to treat you differently because you are skinny or fat, those are not the type of people you want to associate with (i know, easier said than done).

These photos bother me so much because they showcase only the outside. The motivation in these photos is not to live longer because you're healthy. It isn't that living a healthy lifestyle is good for you in any way. No, it's to look better on the outside because it's going to bring you happiness. That motivation isn't going to last because happiness is kind of fleeting. That sort of motivation is shallow and if you stick it out and attain your goal, I'll bet you notice something else about yourself that makes you unhappy.

These pictures actually make me angry. They make me sad for the millions of women (and men) who buy into this crap. It makes my heart hurt for the people who resort to eating disorders, or become obsessed with a number on the scale, or any number of other issues that comes along with this type of motivation. I'm not going to go on and on about what should motivate us. But I am going to say that these photos definitely shouldn't. So please, stop repinning these and trumpeting these messages.

They're nothing but lies that will bring you down in the end. Please don't believe them.

What's for Dinner? Thai Inspired Stir Fry!

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Another eat clean recipe! This was adapted from Tosca's book, but I changed it up enough to call it my own rendition. Here's what you'll need:

-Cooked Brown Rice (I think I have about a cup and a half there)
-Chopped onion (I used too much onion in this one according to my husband. I would say probably a half cup or less of chopped onion)
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-3 small to medium chiles
-Cooked chicken cubes (I used four tenderloins)
-Soy sauce
-Fish sauce
-Basil

The great thing about stir frys, is that you can basically put whatever you want in them. Want some more greens in this? Throw in some broccoli or peas. Be creative!

Put some olive oil in a stir fry pan and saute the onions, garlic, and chiles until onions are a bit translucent.

Add your chicken and stir it around a bit for a couple minutes.

Add 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, basil, and rice. Stir fry for a couple minutes so it's all mixed up and heated through. The basil is however much your heart desires (but probably at least 2 tsp).

Serve and enjoy! :)

Style File 10/14/11

2011-10-14T16:25:00.001-04:00

My dress for today looks kind of similar to Stylish White Female's dress. I love my white eyelet dress! I just bought it off a clearance rack and I was debating whether or not to follow the "No white after labor day" rule. And I decided that rule is stupid, you can wear white whenever the heck you want. You just might need to readjust how you style it. So here is my Fallified version of my White Eyelet dress (except that it's definitely 80 degrees out today).

I love these boots. I was counting down the days until it was cool enough and far enough into the fall for it to be considered appropriate to wear boots. I just love boots! I am really wanting to get some flat, brown riding boots too.

Can I take a moment to say how much I adore ruffles? I do. And I like the ruffle on this dress. I think it's cute. I also wanted to take a minute to point out the chevron stripes that the eyelets make. I think it's cute. :)

Outfit Rundown:
Dress: target
Sweater: target
Earrings: ??
Boots: DSW

Neptune Festival 8k

2011-10-01T16:33:00.002-04:00

In lieu of a Style File this week, I'm going to show you what I did this morning. :) I ran the Neptune Festival 8k. You may remember when I ran the Shamrock 8k last year. This was a much smaller race, but I had so much fun! My over all time wasn't as fast as it was at the Shamrock, but I still had a blast.

Just crossing the start. I can tell because I'm way too happy, haha.

Somewhere in the middle. I think I'm wiping my face or something? This was right after an epic fail at trying to drink water and run at the same time.

Approaching the finish...

Almost there...

YAY! I think I was trying to be Rocky? Maybe.

Post race. This was before final results came out... I wasn't expecting to win anything because, well, I felt I was slow. My time was officially 41:54, which was slower than the last road race I ran. Which was disappointing to me, but...

...I got first in my age group! I was very very surprised. I think Brad was actually more excited, haha. It didn't really register with me that, oh hey, I won something...

Until I got my prestigious award (1 point to whoever can tell me what movie this is a reference to. HINT: it is a classic) from King Neptune himself.

I had a blast. I hope you will forgive the lack of style file today. Since I got home, I've been busy running to three different stores to find the stuff to make my Mom's Home Made Laundry Soap. Turns out, none of the Targets I went to had all the ingredients. But walmart did! It was the first time I stepped foot into Walmart in a good six months. I was reminded why I don't go there, but I think I can make a trip every so often for some washing soda and fels naptha soap. Since I am going all natual in my eating, I started thinking, 'Why not just go for it in all areas of my life?' Plus, making my own cleaning products is cheaper than buying them. As I use up the standard products I already have, I am going to begin using cheaper, safer home made cleaning products. Did you know with only a few ingredients you can clean basically any surface of your home? Borax, washing soda, baking soda, and vinegar will get you a long way. If you want to use an antibacterial, you can also use hydrogen peroxide. I'll be updating you as I begin making other things. My Mom blogs about simple living, and I think she's onto something. There is a reason our great great grandmothers cooked and cleaned the way they did: it was healthier, safer, and best of all...CHEAPER. :)

I've also been busy making a meal for a gal in our small group. She just had baby number 2, so we try to provide a few weeks of meals. I made some pizzas and a batch of healthy brownies. The brownies taste a little weird, but they're passable. If you don't call them a brownie, they are much more palatable.

I think that's all I have to update all of my (two) loyal readers. :) Have a great weekend!

What's for dinner 9/27/11

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

3 Bean Chili is what's for dinner! I didn't take pictures of the process because I totally forgot. I 'm not sure how I managed to do that, but oh well. I guess I'll just be extra thorough in my explanations. :) I loved this Chili, and will definitely be making it again. Brad even liked it and he doesn't like a.) beans or b.) spicy things. He did ask me to tone down the seasonings a bit next time, but I probably won't. Haha. It wasn't *that* spicy in the first place. ;) I need to figure out how to photograph my food better. Sometimes it looks awful in these photos. I promise it doesn't taste as gross as it might look!

Recipe (Based on Terry Walter's 3 Bean Chili found in "Clean Food" on page 211). I say "based on" because I didn't follow it exactly and tweaked some things, added others, and left some things out completely.

2 Tbsp Extra virgin Olive Oil
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a really huge white onion (do one onion if it's not as huge :) )
1/2 cup diced peppers (I used Trader's Joe's frozen trio pepper strips and chopped them)
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into small peices
1 sweet potato (bake it and take out the pulp :) )
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (two if you really like tomatoes)
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp (yes, TABLESPOONS. ;) ) chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 1/2 cups cooked aduki beans
1 1/2 cups pinto beans
1 32 oz Carton Vegetable or Chicken broth

In a large pot over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until soft (about 3 min). Add in peppers and saute 2 min. more. Add the carrots, sweet potato pulp, tomatoes and tomato paste, wine, oregano, cumin, chili powder, cayenne and salt. Add the beans. This will render a very thick chili, add broth to thin. I added the whole carton and let it reduce down by simmering for 1 hour. If you don't add quite as much you could get away with simmering for only 30 to 45 minutes.

Notes about Ingredients:
* Wine- The wine is optional. Add less if you don't want a very bold flavor. This is also optional, you could just use tomato juice or add extra tomatoes. Wine is not exactly "clean", but it is not totally forbidden either. Just remember to drink or use wine in cooking very sparingly and no need to feel guilty!
* Beans- cook your beans first if you are using dry beans. The aduki beans are smaller and don't need to soak as long as other beans. For this recipe I put them in a pot, covered them with water, and brought the water to a boil. Then I took them off the heat, put a lid on it, and let them sit in the hot water for 1 hour. Then I boiled them for about 25 minutes to cook them all the way through.
* Pinto Beans- these don't really come canned and I only had time to cook the aduki beans, so I went with 1 can of white kidney beans. Next time I'm using the pintos though, not because the kidneys were bad, but because I think I would prefer to use three smaller beans as opposed to two smaller beans and gigantic kidneys. Just an aesthetic preference, I think haha.

Overall, this is definitely going in our rotation for fall and winter. I have the leftovers in my freezer to enjoy at a later date. Have fun cooking!

Style File 9/23/11

2011-09-23T19:13:00.001-04:00

Well today is the first day of fall! It was actually very rainy and very humid today with a high of about 80 degrees. So I wore a skirt and this denim jacket (which I scored at Salvation Army way back in May!). I always get cold when I am doing grocery shopping, so it's always nice to wear another layer.

I love this necklace. I wear it a ton. I think you've seen it probably a million times by now?

Ok, this jacket... I love it! It's another thrift find, but it's calvin klein. I was very excited to get it and I have been waiting to be able to bust it out. Summer around here is not conducive to wearing cute denim jackets... but the fall is! Yay!

What is your favorite thing about fall fashion? I have three things I love to wear when the season starts getting more fall like: sweaters/jackets, scarves, and BOOTS! It's not quite boot weather yet, but I am waiting patiently.

Outfit Run Down:

-White Tee- Target
-Jacket- Calvin Klein, thrifted
-Necklace- Vintage (thanks Grandma!)
-Flats- Target

Style File 9/16/11

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Again, I feel like pretending it's Fall... haha. I love my scarf, and thought I would use it with my LBD for a little bit of color.

I like this dress too. It's very comfortable. Easily worn to the office or out depending on how I style it. I love having dresses like that in my closet. Gives me much more flexibility with the things I own.

These are my new black pumps! I got them for a bargain at 9 west during a sale. I've needed new close-toed black pumps for a while now. I'm very excited about these. I love the detail on them.

What do you like to start wearing when the weather gets a bit crisper? I can't wait until it's cold enough to bust out the sweaters and boots!

Outfit Run Down:
Dress: Target
Scarf: Target
Shoes: Nine West

Blogging From My Heart

2011-09-14T08:11:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite Scrap bloggers (and mommy, and wife, and a gal who just loves to live life... ;)) challenged her readers to blog from their hearts this morning. I try to keep it real around here because I value authenticity and genuineness. But I thought I would do a special post to tell you all what's been on my heart and mind lately, just because I think it might be carthartic for me. ;) It's going to be in list form, but I think that's ok. I tend to think in lists anyway. ;)

1.) I'm sitting here at 7:58am with my hair still wet and lounge clothes still on. I need to leave for work in less than a half hour, but I find myself not really caring about that. Of course I don't like being late for work, but I am tired and I have a jammed evening tonight... so I'm going to take the five minutes and blog. I'm noticing that at work I tend to feel a bit pressured to stay late and help with events (there's pretty much always an event), or stay late because that's what everyone else is doing. Work is not my number one priority though; nor do I think it should be. Of course I care about my job, but people and relationships are much much more important to me. So that's why I leave work promptly at 5:00pm. Not because I'm lazy and don't do my work, but because I assume that whatever I'm working on can wait until tomorrow morning. Why rush it to get done if I really don't need to? All that does is make my outside life suffer.

2.) Eating Clean is making me feel awesome. I never realized how good I can feel if I cut out processed sugars. While I haven't totally cut them out (I use a bit of it in my bread so the yeast can feed on it, and I refuse to use agave or artificial sweeteners in my baking), I am working on it. After I finish off this bag of refined sugar, I am going to buy raw sugar. I figure I can afford it since I'm not using it all of the time. :) But mostly I just feel better. So excited to keep this going and discover new foods.

3.) I really love the community group we've been involved in this summer. We had been attending a group, but we just never felt like we clicked there. I honestly don't think the people there were doing things on purpose, but we never felt we got to know anyone after being there for a good long while. But with this new group... I felt like I fit in from the very first week we showed up. The girls there wanted to take me out for my Birthday and I almost cried. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's because I just never though they would want to do that for me. They noticed I exist and wanted to celebrate with me. It was awesome and I love them for it.

4.) Lastly, because I really really need to finish getting ready for work, I've been pondering what it means to continually get to know someone throughout your life. This does relate to my marriage, but i've also been thinking of it in a broader sense. You can't possibly know everything there is to know about a person, even if you've known them your whole life. My relationship with Brad is really great (I mean that), but I have noticed that we've definitely fallen into a routine and have kind of lost touch with getting to know one another right now. I think the solution is to break out of the routine a little bit. I'm thinking dancing lessons. :) With friends, I suppose it might be the same. Obviously a little different, but breaking out of the routine will help you see your spouse, sig other, friend, sister, brother, mom, dad, whoever in a different way. You'll get to see another facet of them instead of the same ones you're always looking at.

What's For Dinner?

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here is my first Eating Clean recipe for you all! Here is a modified version of this recipe for Smashed Kidney Bean Sandwich.

List of Ingredients:
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Onion
Garlic Powder
1 Can White Kidney Beans
Avocado
Bean sprouts (any kind. I ended up using pea shoots)
Salt and Pepper

First, take the onion and cook it in the olive oil until the onions are crisp.

Take the can of beans, drain them, rinse them, and put them in the pan with the onions. Roughly mash them with a fork and keep warm.

Halve the avocado, wrap half for later. Peel the other half...

...and slice it. Toast your bread in the mean time.

When your bread is toasted, spread some of the bean mixture on the bread, top with the avocado and some pea shoots. Make it into a sandwich and enjoy!! :)

Style File 9-9-11

2011-09-09T16:43:00.002-04:00

I want it to be fall really bad. So I've started dressing more fall-ish lately. :)

I love this shirt. I just picked it up, and love how comfortable it is. I love the stripes (so in right now!) and the neck line.

This outfit made me feel like Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face".

Oufit Rundown:
Shirt: Gap
Crops: Old Navy
Shoes: Not sure what brand...

Summer Update and Big Annoucement!

2011-09-04T12:06:00.001-04:00

Hey all! So I thought I would do an update for you all,seeing as how I’ve apparently taken a hiatus from here. I do want to apologizefor not being consistent this summer, but life really was crazy. July fourthuntil this weekend we’ve been jammed! Thankfully, life has settled down a bitfor us. So what have we been up to? Well, business as usual with lots ofvisitors and trips too. It’s been a great summer though, I’m sad to see it go,but I’m also extremely excited for the fall!

Here's just a peek at what we did this summer:

We went to Boston (you've seen all those photos) :)

My friend Audrey Visited

My Sister-In-Law Visited:

We went to a Tea House


A little blurry, but I think it's cute. :)

My Parents Visited:


Down at the Oceanfront.

At The Nauticus. This is the Battleship Wisconsin.

My Brother. Haha.

Touring the Battleship!

We Celebrated our 3rd Anniversary with a trip to DC. We did lots of things, but here are some highlights:

WWII Memorial

We did a Scavenger Hunt thing through lots of the Smithsonian Art galleries. We loved the contemporary galleries. :)

Mark Rothko

Jackson Pollock

Tomb of the Unknowns

Hope Diamond

We ran away from Hurricane Irene to spend a weekend in Asheville. We also celebrated my Birthday there. I made my own carrot cake and it was so so so so so yummy.
I met for coffee with my friend Lindsey. This was part of the Asheville trip, but it was so important it needed it's own bullet. :) Also, I forgot to add this the first time I posted this... I am a lame friend.

So what is my announcement? Well, in light of the fact that I am joining a fitness program at work and the fact that I discovered I have high cholesterol, Brad and I have decided to make some changes to our diet. We are going to begin the Eat Clean diet (which isn't so much a diet). Basically, it's not that big of a jump from what I already do. You eat five to six times a day, each time consuming a lean protein and complex carb (veggies, fruits, whole grains). You also cut out lots of unhealthy fats and all processed foods and sugars. The theory is to keep your blood sugar levels low, and from spiking through out the day.

We've already made huge steps to cut out these types of unhealthy foods. The biggest change will be eating more often and being more mindful of our protein intake. We also have a few processed foods and sugars to eliminate. I (and Brad) decided to do this primarily for managing my cholesterol better (yay non-meat sources of protein!) but also because as I increase my mileage running I notice that I HAVE to eat that many times a day. Don't worry, I'm not doing this for weight loss, but I am doing it for my health. You should check out her books and the Eat Clean Diet website for more info. I plan to follow it pretty closely, but not totally strictly. For example, I don't think I'm going to give up my coffee creamer or all sugars. The key is moderation there!

So what does this have to do with my blogging? Well, I am bringing back "What's for Dinner?" and will be sharing my eat clean recipes with you. Lots of them will be adapted from the Eat Clean Cookbook, but some of them will be my own too. You'll notice I'm going to be incorporating lots of flax (helps lower cholesterol), oats (also helps lower cholesterol), and lots more veggies (just bought pea shoots for the first time!). I'll be doing a lot more veggie meals and maybe even feature some vegan substitutes. It's going to be great! I'm hoping some of you will also choose to Eat Clean with me. If you do, let me know and we can swap stories. :) My first recipe should go up on Tuesday of next week (so September 13th), if not this Tuesday.

WHEW! Thanks for reading that whole post!

Style File 9/3/11

2011-09-03T17:22:00.001-04:00

WHEW!! My life has finally settled down a little bit! I shot THREE style files for you all, so you get to have them for the next three Saturdays. I am so excited about my return to blogging. :)

This outfit is one of my summery work outfits. I don't have too many days I can wear this type of thing left! Not that I'm sad. I am itching for Fall to get here.

I got this white skirt from a thrift store. I love it. Very light and springy, but also perfect for summer. I also like the shape of it. Every girl needs a skirt like this.

These shoes again! You've definitely seen them before. :)

I was having trouble getting my camera to render the colors correctly this time. So I had to edit them, so the colors aren't super true to life. I'm out of practice, what can I say.

And the ruffles. I love the ribbon and lace ruffle on this sweater. Very feminine.

Also, I have a big announcement going up tomorrow. It has to do with the state of "What's for Dinner?". Trust me, it will be interesting. I'm also going to do a bit Life Update post tomorrow. So... until then!

Outfit Rundown:
Sweater- Macy's
Skirt- DKNY, Thrifted
Necklace- Great Grandmother's, reset by my parents.
Bracelet- gift
Shoes- DSW

Big Plans... Brought down :(

2011-08-24T07:55:00.000-04:00

Hey all!

Just wanted to do a quick post to let you know I probably won't get to my Style File this week. I know, I know, bad habit? I really did plan on doing it. Unfortunately, if Hurricane Irene decides to continue on her current projected path we will probably be traveling away from here on Friday.

I'll keep you posted! And maybe i'll be able to squeeze in a hurricane style file... I'm thinking something that will look fabulous soaking wet and windblown! ;)

Style File 8/21/11

2011-08-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

For our third anniversary, Brad and I ran off to Washington DC for the weekend. We took AmTrak there and back. We decided it was way easier than bothering with traffic and parking in the city.

We had so so SO much fun! We really crammed in a lot of stuff over the two and a half days we were there. One of the big things we did was go see Shear Maddness. It's a little murder mystery play. It was so funny and so entertaining (albeit mildly inappropriate at times). If you're ever in DC I recommend going to see it. It shows in the Theater Lab in the Kennedy Center.

Anyway, on to my style file. I wore this dress to go see the play. For our particular show, it was a bit dressy. But that's ok because it was fun to dress up! I felt so girly and pretty in this dress. And that's what you're supposed to feel like on your anniversary, right? After the show we ate at Bertucci's Italian resturant. We ate at one in Boston and loved it. As luck would have it there was one right across the street from our hotel!

I apologize for the semi poor quality of the photo, it came from my phone. We couldn't take a real camera into the theater with us. Anyway, this is on the terrace of the Kennedy Center. I love the skyline in the background.

Run Down:
Earrings (sorry you can't see them!): Gift from the hubs for our anniversary
Necklace: High school graduation gift from my grand parents
Dress: thrifted (five bucks!)
Shoes: Target (clearance rack for five bucks!)

Boston Pics Part 3

2011-08-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

O.M.G. I am horrible at this!

I did actually sit down to post pictures a couple of times, but blogger ate them. So I thought I would try again...

Here's the final installment of the Boston pics:

Reception Venue for Gordon and Thea's wedding.

Me and my bestie (with diet coke, i promise).

All of us ladies. (Anna, me, Bekah)

Anna and Jeremy!

Matt and Bekah!

All the boys (Matt, Jonathan, Brad, Jeremy)

The first dance... awww...

Oh, the boys all grown up and married and stuff... (Matt, Jeremy, Gordon, Brad).

The day after the wedding, we Matt and Bekah, Brad and I, with Jonathan went to explore Boston a bit. We decided to walk to the freedom trail.

The next day Brad and I went to tour the Sam Adam's Brewery:

Apparently they make this really really expensive brandy-like beer. It sells for 150 bucks and comes in a bottle like that.

For lunch we went to the Cheers bar!

Building at MIT.

Harvard (I'm pretty sure...)

The T!

The Inn we stayed at.

USS Constitution.

Boston Public Garden

So serene there...

There's the end of the Boston pics (finally). Wish I could go back. :)

Boston Pics Part 2

2011-07-20T07:22:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the Rehearsal:

This photo cracks me up.

Thea looks so happy. :)

Boston Common Frog Pond

Paul Revere's Grave. Isn't it tiny?

Anna and I exploring Boston!

Bekah and I exploring. :)

Random street musician's playing where the Boston Massacre happened.


Grabbing a bit of lunch. :)

More pics tomorrow! :)

Boston Pics Part 1

2011-07-19T08:07:00.000-04:00

Here are a batch of Boston pics. It's from the first day I was there.

Gordon and Thea's apartment. They're on the top floor of the brown side.

Their apartment again.

Cute little place across the street from their apartment.

Courtyard of the Public Library. This place was awesome.

Arch!

They had massive murals in every room. Some were Greek Legends, one was the King Arthur legend, some were roman. It was very cool.

Bekah! :)

They had these giant lion things. I thought they were cool.

I think these are supposed to be part of some Greek myth, but I couldn't quite tell.

I loved the arches everywhere.

Could you imagine studying here? Me either.

Pegasuses (Pegasi?)


The whole building itself.

More to come later! :)

Wedding Style File 7-15-11

2011-07-15T07:44:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Wedding Style File! My good friend Gordon got married to the lovely Thea in Boston. It's kind of the reason we even went up to Boston. I bought two dresses to wear. The first at JC Penney, and I do love it. But then I found this gem in Macy's on the clearance. I would have returned the first dress, but I had already worn it... so I guess I have two new dresses to wear! I love dresses in the Summer anyway.

I love the floral print on this dress. It's kind of loud, but I'm kind of loud so I think it works. I appreciate that it has pinks, oranges, corals, blues, teals... all manner of colors in it. Give me so many options for accessorizing.

I love how I feel just a tiny bit "Mad Men" in this dress. I swear, I was made to live in that time period. And dress with a vaguely fifties silhouette makes me feel rocking! As a side note: Dresses with pockets are awesome.

I posted this dress on here to get opinions on the shoes. I got a lot of questions about the belt, which cracked me up because I wasn't really expecting that. I guess looking at those pics, it does look black. But it's actually blue. Kind of a lighter navy. I did manage to score a brown belt at Salvation Army this week, so I might mix up the belt next time I wear the dress. But even with the navy belt, I think it works.

Oh yes, that house looking thing in the background is where they had the reception. It was awesome. They had a lovely venue, lovely food, and lovely people. I definitely danced the night away. :)

Oh, these shoes. I had been coveting them at DSW for weeks. Checking back each weekend to see if they were marked down... right before the wedding they were, and I scooped them up. I've never owned shoes like these before, but I love them. They are comfortable and I can totally dress them up or down. I love the funky buckles on them. I'm so enamored with these shoes, and I don't even care if no one else thinks they're as cute as I do, haha!

Other Boston pics are scheduled to come next week. Look forward to them!

Style File 7-8-11

2011-07-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

I have two style files that I shot for you while I was in Boston. I hope you enjoy!

I love these crops. I got them off the sale rack at Old Navy. They remind me of Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

I also recently got the pink tank. So comfy!

I wanted to be comfortable and presentable as I walked around the city. I think I pulled that off!

Over all, I loved Boston. I would move there in a heartbeat. I'll share more about the trip over the next week or so. Be looking forward to the other style file next friday!

Style File 7-1-11- Jet Setting

2011-07-01T11:20:00.000-04:00

Hey All! It's been a while since I did a style file, but I did one today for you! I am about to leave for the airport to head to Boston for a mini-vacation. So I thought I would do a jet-setting Style File. When I'm flying, I like to be comfy but still respectable looking (that means no flying in PJs or sweats for me!). So usually I reach for some jeans, flats, and a comfy shirt with layers.

I tend to pick a layered look because it can be hard to predict how hot or cold the airport or plane is going to be. I picked this light weight cardi because it will be warm enough if they've cranked down the AC, but I can also take it off if it's really warm.

Jeans are just comfy so that's why I pick them when I'm flying. I don't usually like to fly in shorts because I tend to get cold easily. Jeans keep me warm, and I think these look nice.

Ok, lets talk shoes. I wear flats because they're easy to take on and off for security. But I also don't like to wear flip flops because those can be uncomfortable if you're walking/running around trying to make connections. I also like to have close toed shoes because, well, airports and planes are kind of gross. I don't need to pick up any foot funk in my travels!

I also like to wear layers because it cuts out on bulky items in the suitcase. I am checking a bag this time (it's a long enough trip where I wanted to take liquids more than 3 oz worth). But don't be fooled, I totally have 5 pairs of shoes packed in there. Since we're going to a wedding, that means wedding rehearsals and rehearsal dinner. I had not yet heard what the dress code for those events are, so I had to pack options.

Plus I'm on vacation, so I like to have options available to me so I can adapt to the activities we do.

Unfortunately it makes for a heavy suit case... I think it's under 50lbs... maybe? That said, I do have a few of Brad's things in there (mostly liquids and such). But i'm not going to feel bad for over packing. I had the space, so why not? I gotta get my 25 dollars worth! :)

See you after my Vacation! I'm hoping to get some style files shot while I'm there so I can post them later for you.

I need your help!

2011-06-28T20:56:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I just bought this dress and these shoes. Do you think I can wear them together?

I think I can, but I'm also tempted to play it safe wearing a peep toe pump. Help!

(sorry they're crappy photos... yay for using Photobooth?)

Edit: the dress and belt have navy in them, not black. :)

30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

Here are my photos for the week! :)

Saturday June 11: Tea and a good book!

Sunday June 12: Breakfast for Dinner

Monday June 13: Office

Tuesday June 14:Walk please?

Wednesday June 15: Leasing office in the Morning

Thursday June 16: Jillian Michaels Kicks my Butt

Friday June 17: Duckies!

Saturday June 18: Music

Scrappy Wednesday 6-15-11

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Since I started work, I definitely haven't been scrapping as much as I would like. But that's ok. Here are two pages I did a couple weeks ago. Still working on scrapping Australia!

Style File 6-11-11 AND 30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's been getting hot around here, but I was running errands and knew I would be in freezing airconditioned buildings for most of the day. So I opted for this linen 3/4 sleeve shirt.

Normally I don't wear brown shoes if I'm wearing a black shirt, but for this one I think it works. Do you?

I bought this shirt off the clearance rack at Macy's for like five bucks, I think. I normally wouldn't think to buy a tunic like this, but with a belt I think it looks quite nice.

Shoes! I like these flats, they're quite comfy.

Better view of the shirt/belt combo. I like the embroidery on this shirt too. It kinda reminds me of Bollywood.

It's hot! I was getting the hair off my neck.

And 30 day challenge photos from Thursday and Friday:

June 9th: Spinach Salad!

June 10th: Running shoes. Got in five miles. Not the seven I wanted, but it'll have to do.

30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-10T07:08:00.000-04:00

I have been taking them! I promise! :) Here they are!

June 6th: New printer!

June 7th: Zucchini Bread

June 8th: First Mary Kay Orders

I'll get up yesterday's and today's probably tomorrow with my style file. Stay tuned: Scrappy Wednesday coming up next week!

30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

June 4th

Miss Louisianna. She's afraid of everything, including the camera. That's why she looks a little concerned in this photo.

June 5th

This was the passage our church looked at today. Matthew 22:43-40. I like the book of Matthew, but this passage really spoke to me today. Read it and see what you think. :)

Just a random update

2011-06-05T08:56:00.000-04:00

Hey All!

I am sitting at church waiting for band practice to be over and to start the service. We were going to have a beach service, but severe weather caused us to move it to the regular sanctuary. My original plan was to sit at starbucks while everyone was setting up for the service (Brad runs sound so he has to help with that) and put up my pictures of the day from yesterday and today, but I forgot my memory card in my camera... so all you get for now is a little update on my life! Yay, I guess?

So lately I've just been working at Regent in the school of Government. I really enjoy working there. The people are great and I'm settling into my job quite nicely. I'm deciding what I want to continue studying. I'm thinking perhaps the divinity program, but we'll see. I get free tuition there since I'm a full time employee, so I think I had better take advantage of that. Free master's degree? Yes please. But it would take me forever to get because I would only be able to take a class or two at a time. Too many decisions to make!

I also recently became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I put through my first order last week, and I'm really excited to continue it. For the month of June half of everything I make is going to go to Joey Cottle. He recently lost his wife and needs as much financial support as he can get, if only to help buy diapers for his six month old daughter. If you're interested in ordering some Mary Kay products and want to help him out, you can order from my personal website: www.marykay.com/liz.boyce. Let me know if you have any questions.

Brad and I had a busy month of May. We had some friends stay with us for the weekend, he ran sound at a show for the guys from church, and we went to Asheville NC for Bree's high school graduation. it was great, but I'm looking forward to having a couple weekends to just relax and not do much.

Look forward to my POTD (pictures of the day) later. Have a great sunday!

Style File 6-4-11 AND 30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-04T10:04:00.000-04:00

I'm here and alive! May was an insane month for us. I feel like we never actually rested in May. But here's another style file for you.

Summer has arrived in Virginia Beach! For the last two weeks we've been hitting the mid to upper 90's on many of the days. Yesterday was fairly cool, it only got up to the 80's!

So with the weather heating up it's definitely time to bust out the cute skirts and tanks. So this is what I cam up with. I like it. It kept me cool, which is what I want when it warms up out!

I felt like being sassy. I am so into braids at the moment. My hair is finally long enough to get something cute out of braid. Before they just looked a little pathetic.

In the summer I tend to keep my accessories simple. When it gets hot I don't want to weigh myself down with lots of jewelry or whatever.

Showing off the skirt! :)

Outfit Rundown:
Skirt: Old Navy last season
Tank: Forever 21
Earrings: Kohls
Sandals: JC Penney

Also here is my 30 Day Challenge photo for June 3rd, 2011.

Shopping bags! I spend Fridays doing errands and such so we don't have to worry about that on the weekends. Works well for me!

30 Day Challenge Photos

2011-06-02T07:54:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures from yesterday and today!

June 1st, 2011:

My husband bought a bag of Hershey's Kisses and placed them around the house. Never know where I'll find a kiss! Also, I apparently need to dust. ;)

June 2nd, 2011

This is the view of the clubhouse from our apartment balcony. Today the lighting was beautiful and I love the reflection in the pond.

Photos edited in iPhoto.

Thirty Day Challenge

2011-06-01T10:42:00.003-04:00

Hey guys! Starting today I am going to be participating in a 30 day challenge. I am going to take a picture every day and make a mini-Scrapbook of all the pictures. I'm going to be concentrating on many of the mundane activities of my life, not because I want the project to be boring, but I really want to capture what my life is like. Some days I just don't do anything particularly interesting, but that's ok. I will be posting my pictures as I take them, so you can see them as I do them and then again in the scrapbook.

You should join me in doing a 30 day challenge. Pick something that you can do every single day of June. Do something manageable so you can commit to it and be successful. Here are a few ideas:

Look up a piece of art every day and do a bit of research on it
Read a Wikipedia article on something that interests you
Read a chapter in a classic book
Read your Bible
Add a vegetable to your lunch
Add two minutes to your workout
Get up ten minutes earlier and do some yoga
Do one random act of kindness every day
Send a message to a friend you haven't talked to in a while
make it a point to smile and say hello to at least one stranger

What are some other ideas? Will you participate too? I will be back later to post my picture!

Style File 5-23-11

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the hiatus again. It's just hard trying to find a schedule that works for me! I think I'm going to modify and say a scrap book page goes up twice a month whenever I get them done. It'll be an unexpected post to keep you on your toes! As for What's For Dinner? I am still going to try to get those up once a week, but I think I'm going to flip when it goes up: Style Files on Monday and What's for Dinner? on Saturdays.

Anyway, here are my photos. I just got a Macbook Pro, which I love. So these are edited in iPhoto until I buy the appropriate editing program. I don't they're half bad for iPhoto. I wasn't expecting to be able to do much in it, but you can do a lot of tweaks in there! Any Mac users have any other insights for me?

You've definitely seen all the elements of this outfit before. I used this shirt in a recent style file, but I just like it a lot for the summer, so you get to see it again! While our friends Matt and Bekah were visiting us a couple weeks ago, we went to the Chrysler Museum of Art. It was a lot of fun, and I got in a style file shoot on the beautiful stairs they have.

So it's starting to warm up here, which means places like the Chrysler crank up the air conditioning. So I opted for jeans and a cardi over my shirt.

I've been very in love with braids lately. I think it's because my hair is finally long enough to employ them in cool ways. You should try implementing a braid here and there. They're great fun!

Owl necklace!

Floral Tank- Old Navy
Black Cardi- JC Penney
Skinny Jeans- Thrifted; Forever 21
Shoes- GAP
Sunglasses- Target
Owl Necklace- Forever 21

Style File 5/14/11

2011-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well... I took a bit on an unintentional hiatus. I just got really busy at work with Graduation, so I was SUPER tired when I got home. Then last weekend we had some good friend's of our from Texas spend the weekend with us. It was great fun, and I do have some style file pics from that weekend that I'll post later. :) But I think I'm back, for now anyway. :)

Here is a simple and comfy weekend outfit for me. I picked up the tee on sale at Target. I also have a white one. There's just something so casual, but still a little grown up about a fitted tee. I feel no shame in wearing them.

I've had these jeans for a bit now, and I just love them. Levi's 515 are so comfy and fit me the best. I have not found a jean that even competes with the 515s as far as fit goes. I should just go out and buy fifty pairs of these jeans before they change how they cut them.

I have had this scarf probably since high school. I rarely wear it, though, because I was kind of afraid. I'm not sure why. there are so many creative ways to tie and wear a scarf. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship I am going to have with scarves.

The earrings are also some of my favorites. I like big earrings. I like kind of funky earrings. I think these are both.

I just picked up these flats from Target last week. They were 4.98 on clearance. That's the second pair of Target shoes i've scored for under five bucks this month. I guess I'm just at the right place at the right time?

So there's my weekend style file. What do you like to wear on the weekend? I tend to go for jeans and comfy clothes now that I'm working because I have to dress up all week long. It's kind of a nice feeling to be dressy enough during the week that I like dressing down a bit for the weekend. Have a happy weekend everyone!

What's for Dinner? 5/2/11

2011-05-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Freezer Spaghetti is what is for dinner! I didn't want any of you to be disillusioned about my cooking habits. Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking dinner. Yesterday night was one of those nights. So I made freezer spaghetti. I can hear you asking right now, "what on earth is freezer spaghetti?" Well... it's spaghetti made almost entirely from my freezer.

This is some already cooked ground turkey that I used last week. I only used half of what I had, so I froze the rest for future use. I'm glad I did!

This is some frozen spaghetti sauce that I had saved from when I made some tortellini. Again, I had extra so I froze it. I did have to add a little bit from another jar I had on hand, but that's ok.

And lastly the pasta that always hangs out in my cupboard. What can I say? we're pasta people around here. So basically all I did for dinner was defrost the meat and the sauce, toss it together, and boil some pasta. Minimal effort. Viola!

I also got some new kitchen gadgets this weekend!

A new oven thermometer because my old one (a really cheap one) broke. It cracked and then ceased to work. Since my oven burns horrifically unevenly and about 50 degrees hotter than the set temperature, I need an operating one on hand. So I spent a little more money on this one.

I also got...

a box grater! The grater I had was rusting. And I had to make some zucchini bread for a BBQ I was going to. I figured rust isn't that great for you. It's one thing to ingest it myself; its another to let strangers and children ingest it. So I just bought a new (more functional) grater. It's Food Network; one of my favorite kitchen brands out there.

Style File 4/30/11

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's another beautiful Friday in VA Beach! Despite the storms that rolled through last night, it is absolutely beautiful today. Not a cloud in the sky, light breeze, 75 degrees. But I'll stop gloating now, haha. But it's been warm all week so I thought I would bust out the sandals. I don't have a whole lot to say about this outfit, so I'll just tell you what I did with my Friday!

Today I didn't have anything in particular to do. My day started off at about 6:30, I checked out the Royal Wedding (which was beautiful!! Kate was spectacular looking!) and then went for my run. I got in 6 miles. It's the farthest I've run! Yay!

Then I went grocery shopping. Yay food! I forgot my list at home, but I managed to not forget anything. I was pleased.

And later I'll go to the library. I have a hold to pick up and so does Brad. :)

Then maybe take the dog for a walk?

I do love these sandals. They're my favorite.

Sweater- Old Navy
Shirt- Old Navy
White Tank- Target
Shorts- Thrifted; American Eagle
Shoes- JC Penney
Necklace- Gift from my Grandma (she has good taste in make up and jewelry. It's awesome).
Sunglasses- Target

Scrappy Wednesday 4//27/11

2011-04-27T06:01:00.000-04:00

This is a page from Australia, the first of the AMOS trip pictures. Basically, we went on a mini-mission trip within our trip out to the bush. The first couple of days on the trip, we went into public schools in very rural towns. These schools were primarily not Aboriginal. The latter half of our trip we were in an Aboriginal community. In general I don't have a lot of pictures of the students either at Mueller College (the church we partnered with) or from this trip because of the laws in Australia requiring extensive permissions from the parents to take pictures of children. As such, I'm relying on journaling to tell those stories.

Anyway, I like how this one turned out. I made the green and pink grid thing from ripping strips of paper using my Creative Memories ripping tool. The ovals were cut using the Creative Memories cutting system. The lettering and fancy circle shapes were cut using my cricut. Here is a close up of one of those circles, I thought they were pretty awesome.

What's for Dinner? 4/25/11

2011-04-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I don't actually recommend eating just bread for dinner, but it's good to eat none the less. As some of you may know, I don't actually buy bread anymore. I make it myself; but I have a bread maker, so it's not so difficult. Here's what I normally do to make it. It's heavily adapted from the pastor's wife of the church I grew up in. She makes wonderful bread, so here are my little tweaks. Enjoy:

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
4 tbsp milk
4tbsp oil
4 tbsp sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 cup white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten

It's important that you put in the ingredients in the bread pan in the order the manufacturer suggests. Mine says to put the liquids in first, so that's what I do. Start with some warm water.

Add the 4 table spoons milk.

And the 4 table spoons oil.

And the 4 tablespoons sugar (noticing a pattern here?)

Now for the yeast. Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons to the pan. It's important that you keep the salt and the yeast from touching each other in this process. So I always put the yeast in as the first dry ingredient and then put the salt in as the last ingredient.

The yeast will start to spread out and look like it's melting. That's good; it's how it works correctly. But this is why it's important to use warm water to make sure the yeast rises properly.

You can use any combination of whole wheat and all purpose flour. Use one cup all purpose to keep the bread light enough to make sandwiches out of. If I use all whole wheat, it's extremely dense bread and not so good for using it for sandwiches and such.

If you notice, I don't use full cups of the whole wheat. Whole Wheat flour sucks up the moisture. Honestly, this is kind of a guessing game as to how much you should reduce. A good rule of thumb is to reduce by a quarter cup, but sometimes the dough is too dry anyway. If it is too dry add a couple tablespoons of water during while the machine is kneading the dough. Sometimes I have to add flour because the dough is too wet. A lot of it depends on how dry or humid it is outside.

Now add your 1 teaspoon of salt.

and lastly, the vital wheat gluten. Bake it on the whole wheat setting if you are using more than 50% whole wheat flour. My particular machine kneads and bakes it for 3:40 minutes.

Finished!! :)

Style File 4/23/11

2011-04-23T08:00:00.006-04:00

I have been on a quest to replace my wardrobe. I am officially down past my goal of weight loss (some of that is an accidental result of increasing my distance on my runs) so that means everything that was in my closet hangs on me all awkward like. Don't get me wrong, this is a good problem to have, but not when spring is arriving and I have events I need to wear dresses to! So I have purchased a couple inexpensive dresses and will probably get some of my favorites from my closet altered down. Anyway, I bought this outfit at Target, for the most part. I had a 20% off coupon for one Merona purchase (the dress) and the belt and shoes were on the clearance rack.

I love this dress. It's very comfortable and I think it will be pretty versatile. I can dress it up or down depending on the event. I can wear almost any of my shoes with it. I could wear it to work if I so chose. I think the first public appearance it's going to make is going to be on Sunday morning at Church. I always like to wear a nice spring outfit on Easter Sunday.

The dress had a tie belt that matches it (made of the same fabric) and I like it ok, but I felt I wanted to jazz it up a little bit more. I found this belt on the clearance rack for 9 dollars, so I picked it up. I think I'll find this belt to be a great addition to my wardrobe; especially since I own very very few belts as it is.

I already had the necklace (and I'm sure you've seen it before). It was my granmda's. She has good taste.

I used the tie that came with the dress as a headband. I'll probably wear it as it was intended every so often but I like to have options!

These shoes... I wasn't really intending to buy shoes. But they were the only pair there. And they were on sale for 5.76. They were an online item that had been brought back. They're *technically* a little big... but I love them anyway. I've been on the look out for some shoes I could rock in the evening if I wanted. And you can wear silver shoes with virtually anything.

Up close so you can see the polka dots. I love polka dots. I've mentioned that recently though. :)

At Target, I also bought some of that Jergen's Natural Glow moisturizer for both my face and the rest of me. I do not tan at all. I really don't think I'm really capable of it. I generally turn red (burn. No bueno) and then turn white again. Nor do I want skin cancer. So I thought I might give this glow a go. In theory it won't turn me orange and it will gradually build up to some sort of "Natural Glow", I suppose. I'll have to let you know how it goes. If it goes badly, anyone have any cures for bad self tanner?

Scrappy Wednesday 4/20/11

2011-04-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

More pages of my Australia trip! These feature the Gold Coast beaches. I kept them fairly simple, but I liked the result. I also made the pages look very different, even though they're from the same event. But I'm ok with it.

I cut the flowers with my cricut. On this second page I used a sticker maker my mom scored at a garage sale for me. It made adhering the flower and letters so much easier. I think I am in love with my sticker maker. Also, I apologize for the weird lighting in the second one. I was lazy and figured it would be good enough. I really enjoy these pages. I really like the look of the blue torn strips on the green background. I used a creative memories tearing tool to get the edges to look decent. I am awful at tearing in straight lines, so it helps me a lot.

Do you ever have pages where you just think "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I really love these pages"? That's how I feel about my green page. Haha.

How are your creative projects coming?

What's for Dinner? 4/18/11

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry there was no style file this week... My Grandparents came to visit me, and I spent most of friday at Colonial Williamsburg with them, so I didn't get a chance to do a shoot. Oh well, I'll make it up next week! :) '

Lasagna is what's for dinner. I promise it's very yummy! Here is a "healthier" version that I make.

What you'll need:

Whole Wheat lasagna noodles
Extra lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1 egg
Italian type spices that strike your fancy
Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
Reduced fat Mozzarella Cheese
Spaghetti Sauce

First the prep work:
Boil the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. I think I cooked ten noodles. Also, brown the beef (or turkey). While you have all that going, crack the egg in a small bowl and add the ricotta. Mix it all together.

In the ricotta mixture, add your spices. I used thyme, onion powder, garlic, parsley, and black pepper. The key is to keep adding and mixing until you can smell it.

This is the sauce I used. I wasn't sure if I was going to need one or two jars, so I got two, just in case. I only ended up using one. In the bottom of a casserole dish (mine is 9 by 9) pour some sauce in. Use just enough to cover the bottom.

On top of that, lay three of the noodles in the bottom of them.

Spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles.

Put half of the meat on the ricotta and top with some sauce.

Top the sauce with cheese. Reapeat these layers as you see fit. (I think on top of the cheese I did noodles, ricotta, meat, sauce, noodles, ricotta, sauce, top with cheese)

Mine was a total of three complete layers, I believe. I topped it with mozzarella cheese and covered it with foil and baked it the next day for dinner. To bake it, I keep it covered and bake it for about two hours on 375.

Enjoy!

Scrappy Wednesday 4/13/11

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Underwater World is an aquarium on the Gold Coast in Mooloolooba. Yes, that's really the name of the city. We also went to some beaches on this mini-trip, but those pictures are for next week.

I thought since they were aquarium pictures, that I would use a background that was reminiscent of Bubbles. Then I decided to stick with the circle theme and make my pictures float around in little bubbles. Maybe that's cheesy, but that was my line of thinking. The lettering was done on the Cricut. The little circles the lettering is in were done with a circle punch. The big circles were done with the creative memories cutting system. Journaling, again, is summarized from blog posts (which you can still go check out!)

What's for Dinner? 4/11/11

2011-04-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Tortellini with Fresh Veggies are what's for dinner. I adapted the recipe from Eat Better America. What you'll need:
Tortellini (This time I used Trader Joe's spinach tortellini, but you could use cheese tortellini too)
1 Tomato
1 Zucchini
Bell pepper (about a half cup)
1 tbsp olive oil
Spices of the Italian Variety (I used garlic, onion powder, thyme, basil, and oregano. And a bit of Kosher salt too)

First, you need to cook the tortellini according to package directions.

While the Tortellini are cooking, chop up the tomato and the Zucchini.

When the tortellini are done, drain the pasta. In the pan you cooked the tortellini in, put 1 tbsp of olive oil. I put the peppers in first because mine were frozen. I let them cook a bit until they were thawed for a bit. \

Then add the zucchini and tomatoes. If your peppers are fresh, just throw it all in together at the same time.

Spice up your veggies to your taste. Then mix it all up.

Cover veggies and cook until the veggies are tender.

As they cook it'll get a bit soupy. That's ok.

Rinse the tortellini to get them to separate and put them in a slightly bigger pan. Pour the veggies (complete with the liquid) over the tortellini and mix them all together.

Top with some cheese and serve with poor man's garlic toast (which is literally some bread that is toasted spread with butter that has some garlic and a slight bit of salt added in too). I put some mozzarella cheese on the top of mine. Enjoy!!

Style File 4/9/11

2011-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week was my first week at work. It was a pretty good week. I just learned how to use some of the programs I will be using. There is a lot to learn with this job and I have a feeling I'm going to have more than a few panic moments trying to get this all figured out. I'll get there though!

Fridays are my days off, so yesterday I went shopping for most of the day. I bought groceries and went to Target. I also hit up the mall for some work clothes. I'll have some pictures for you in future style files. For today's Style File, I thought I would show you what I might wear out to the grocery store. It's pretty casual, comfortable, and not too elaborate.

I've had this jacket for a long time. Probably at least three years? It's comfy and I like it. :) So there you go, my out shopping outfit! What would *you* wear out to shop?

Jacket- Kohls
T-shirt- JC Penney
Skinny jeans- Old Navy (they're really old too)
Shoes- Gap
Sunglasses- Target last summer (after my other ones got swept away in the ocean)

Scrappy Wednesday 4/6/11

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

As the title says, these pictures are from the Australia Zoo (aka: Steve Irwin's Zoo). Here's where I had so many good pictures that I wanted to include, but I didn't want to devote ten pages of the scrapbook to the Australia Zoo. SO, what I did was carefully trim out the parts of the photo I didn't really care about, and then I creatively arranged them on the page. Maybe it's a little boring and lacking in creativity, but it gets the job done, eh?

On the first page, the title is done with some stickers I was given and the "zoo" portion of it was done with my cricut. :)

New Job!

2011-04-04T06:01:00.000-04:00

Hello!!

There will be no What's for Dinner? Today. I am going to be feeling out what my schedule is going to be like with this new job and everything, so this week might be a little wonky. I think I'm going to keep What's for Dinner? on Monday mornings, Scrappy Wednesday, but I think Style Files will be moving to Saturdays.

Have a great Monday! :)

Style File 4/1/11

2011-04-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

So I have an announcement! (No, I'm not pregnant).

Remember about a month ago I posted an interview outfit? I interviewed for two jobs at Regent University. I was not offered the admissions job, but I was offered the Student Services Manager position! I start on Monday. Naturally, after the initial question of what time I should be there and that... my mind wandered to what I would wear. I'm about 90% certain that this is the outfit I am going to be wearing to my first day of work. I love it. (It's been raining for two weeks straight, so I apologize for the kind of weird lighting. Not much I could do about that).

I did a little shopping on Wednesday during a big sale that JC Penney was having. That's where I got the sweater and shirt.

Just so you could see my earrings. :) This skirt is one of my favorite pencil skirts of all time. I love the color and...

The buttons on the front! It reminds me of a sailor type of skirt or something. But I do adore it.

From the back!

and so you can see the buttons up close and see the pattern of the shirt. I love polka dots. I don't know what it is about them, but if given the choice between the polka dots and any other pattern, I will always (without thinking) pick the polka dots. Maybe I have a problem?

So what do you think? Good first day on the job look?

Polka Dot Button Down and Sweater: Worthington, JC Penney
Skirt: New York and Company (thrifted. it even had the original tags attached!)
Shoes: I've had them forever, but they came from Penney's
Earrings: ?? Who knows? Claire's maybe?
Bracelet: Gift from my lovely husband (Christmas a couple years ago)

Scrappy Wednesday 3/30/11

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from our first couple days in Aussie Land. honestly, dealing with the Jet lag we just had a few semi-boring days trying to recuperate. Also, while we were in the school, I couldn't take many pictures of the students because of the Australian Laws about photos of children. The journaling is a summary of some of my entries from my blog from May 2010. You can go check them out if you're curious. :)

On this page, again, I didn't really use my Cricut. I did use a circle punch and some mats, but that's about it. I think I need to step it up with my cricut again... Maybe I need some more cartridges. LOL.

Actually, what it is, is that while organizing my stuff into the new storage system I discovered a boat ton of stickers and such that I've never used. I was also given a lot of "Australia" stickers as a gift, so I figured I would use them.

What's for Dinner? 3/28/11

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Black bean quesadillas are what's for dinner! We used to go OUT for Tex-Mex all the time when we lived in Longview. But the the Tex Mex here leaves much to be desired, so I've been experimenting with making my own incarnations of Tex Mex dishes. This recipe is one I sort of made up, but really... how many original ways can one make a quesadilla? So I'm sure you could find something similar online, or you could easily make up your own! The ingredients are totally discretional and up to however much you want to put in. Most of the ingredients I used were left over from last time I made these. I chopped a whole bell pepper, used what I wanted and froze the rest. Same with the black beans.

What you'll need:
-Olive Oil (for in pan)
- Bell pepper, chopped
-Onion
-Black beans (I used approx. half a can)
- frozen corn (maybe about half a cup, perhaps more. I just dumped some out of the bag until it looked good)
-Shredded cheese of your choice
-Cumin, cayanne pepper powder, garlic powder, and any other spices you want to add
-Tortillas (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas. Best packaged tortillas I've had in a while)
-Salsa (for serving. You could also grab some sour cream, guacamole, or any other trimmings you desire)

First put a tablespoon or two in the bottom of the pan.

Put your onion, peppers, beans, and corn in the pan. Cook and stir until tender.

Add your desired spices. I used two shakes of each spice I listed, but it's totally personal preference.

Spoon some of the mixture onto half of a tortilla.

Top with as much or as little cheese as your heart desires.

Place folded over quesadilla on preheated George Foreman grill. Tortilla will get crispier and not stick if you spray the plates with oil.

Cook until desired doneness is achieved.

Cut into triangles and serve with some salsa. This picture has two quesadillas, so each one made three triangles each. Enjoy!

Style File 3/25/11

2011-03-25T08:00:00.005-04:00

Ok, so you've probably seen these pics on my facebook, but I'm making a Race Day Style File. :) I ran in my very first race this past weekend. It was the Shamrock Marathon weekend. I ran the 8k that was on Saturday morning, then Sunday there was a half marathon and a full marathon. I managed to run the five miles the fastest I've ever run it. It was so much fun, and I'm hooked! I'm probably going to sign up for the half-marathon next year. I'm also thinking of signing up for a 10k in October. I'll keep you updated!

The shorts I had acutally just gotten the day before at the Fitness expo that is also put on for the weekend. I found them in a clearance bin for 14 bucks and they're Nike (dri-fit. Love). I have never seen Nike running shorts for less than 28 dollars. So I was pretty psyched. Anyway, I also wear compression shorts when I'm wearing running shorts. Primarily because I don't like how dang short running shorts are, but also because I just like the feel of the compression shorts. I'm not the only one who wears them, am I? haha.

(this shot is just a gratuitous shot of me approaching the finish line... So maybe I'll take the time to talk about running shoes.) If you don't think they're worth the money, you are wrong. They really really are. I recommend going to a running store and talking with the people there because they will be able to tell you what type of shoe you should wear. I went to a local store and they told me I over pronate, so they got me in some stabilizing shoes that help keep me from injury. While I was at the fitness expo, a Physical Therapist who specializes in sports injuries also did a five minute foot exam. His initial measurements showed opposite of what the running store said (oops!), so he was puzzled. He told me to call him for a free consultation with him, where he's going to put me on a treadmill and film me and watch it together. It's possible that I still run funky even if the stationary exam of my feet say I'm normal. SO I have that on Saturday morning (7 am. Ick). I'll let you know what he says! I have a feeling I really will over-pronate while I'm running because once I got these shoes, I was way less sore.

(another gratuitous shot...) The orange thing on my shoe is Brad's Nike Plus. I want a new iPod so bad so I can get my own nike plus... Saving my pennies!

Running is fun. Running also makes me very sweaty, and I've discovered (recently) that spending the money on technical running gear is far superior to running in a t-shirt. The t-shirt just absorbs the moisture and then I feel damp and disgusting the whole time. But a technical shirt (like the green one I'm wearing) wicks away the moisture, keeps me cooler, and is just better in general. Someday I would like to have the money to splurge on Nike gear, but this shirt was seven bucks at Target. Probably not the best quality out there, but it gets the job done. Also, don't mind how gross I look in that picture... I had just run five miles. ;)

Scrappy Wednesday 3/23/11

2011-03-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

These are the first pages of my Australia Scrapbook. I was so happy to get started on these pictures. I had so many pictures I had trouble whittling down the number of pictures. In future pages you'll see some creative picture placement and creative cropping to get more on the page. But onto talking about these pages!

I love airport pictures. They just crack me up most of the time. The trip organizer insisted that we show up at the Shreveport airport 3 hours early. Despite the fact that the airport has approximately six gates. And despite the fact that, yes, eventually we were going to end up in Brisbane, AUS, but our flight from Shreveport went to Dallas, TX first. Then onto LAX. So I had to be there 3 hours early, so I missed a vital Church service. And what happened when we got there? We checked in in 20 minutes and then sat staring the rest of the time. But I'm not bitter. ;)

But I did have a chance to get some funny pictures. Especially in the first page where everyone is grabbing some sleep! I didn't get a nap in, but I did read, played with the Roudkovski's kids, and typed away on my blog.

I didn't use the cricut at all on these pages. I just matted the photos, and embellished with a few stickers. But I like the way it turned out. I don't like pages that are too fussy anyway. :)

what's for dinner? 3/21/11

2011-03-21T09:55:00.000-04:00

Southwest Blackbean Soup is what's for dinner! Recipe adapted from Where do you think? ;)

What you'll need:

1	tablespoon olive or canola oil
1	medium onion, chopped
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	to 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, finely chopped
2	cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed, drained
1	can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced or fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4	cups Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) or 1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth
2	teaspoons ground cumin
	Ok, so in your sauce pan, put your oil, onion and garlic in. My onions were frozen (I chop up an onion or two then freeze them. If I don't they just go bad in my fridge!) so I put them in first and cooked them for a bit before adding the garlic. Add in your chilies. Usually I use fresh jalapenos, but this time both grocery stores I went to didn't have them, so I used canned ones. Dump in your can of tomatoes. Juice and all! And your two cans of rinsed and drained black beans. I made the fatal mistake of grabbing "cuban style" black beans. They're apparently seasoned and have extra chilies in them. This made the soup unbearable for Mr. Brad who opted for a sandwich. I even left out the spices because I could tell the soup was going to be spicy...I thought it was ok... but unless you like super spicy stuff, just get regular black beans. ;) Add in your broth. And here's where I would put the spices in, if I were going to add them.

	I also added in some frozen corn. I just like the little extra veggie in it. :) The real recipe says to mash it up with a potato masher, but I never do that. Cook it all until it's cooked through, and serve! We usually top our bowls with cheese. That's just how we roll around here. :) Enjoy!

Style File 3/18/11

2011-03-18T08:00:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I have good shoots. Sometimes I have bad shoots. This shoot, was awesome. I set up my camera, adjusted my settings. Took about 12 pictures in a row, got some really good shots, and was packed up and editing them in less than 15 minutes. I lucked out and had some decent lighting this time!

Anyway, most of this outfit came from Forever 21. I had some money to spend this month, so I bought almost an entire outfit because I was feeling like it. I usually shy away from F21 because I don't think the quality is amazing, but these things didn't seem too bad. The skirt seems like it's going to hold up for more than just a season. Time will only tell!

This skirt makes me feel super girly. I think it's the floaty material it's made of. Even though the skirt kind of reminds me of 1995, I like it. Can't go wrong with a rayon chambray skirt!

I like this tank top because of the ruffles. I just like ruffles a lot. I think I have a ruffle problem. I also like the ruching type thing that's going on the buttone of the sweater. I think it adds interest without being to much.

Overall, I feel like this outfit is quite feminine. I like outfits that make me feel all feminine and such. Especially on nice, warm, springish days. When I shot this it was about 60 degrees and super sunny. I know all you MI people are jealous!

This shot was to show you the print and try to show you the buttons. But you can't really see the buttons... oh well! They're there, I promise!

And this is my favorite part of the outfit. The Owl Necklace! Isn't it just so cute?!

Necklace, Sweater, Tank Top, and Skirt- Forever 21
Belt- H and M
Shoes- Kohls eons ago

Not much to update you on. Still waiting to hear back about Graduate school. I was supposed to get an email about it on Wednesday, but it never came, so who knows what's up. If I haven't heard by Monday, I'm definitely going to send an email. I also haven't heard anything about the jobs. I tried calling the guy about the academic advisor job several times but he never answered or returned my voicemail. So I broke down and emailed him, to which I did get a brief reply which basically said we're still deciding, hopeing to make a decision by next week. SO! I'm trying not to over analyze what it means that he wasn't accepting or returning my phone calls....

Other than that, this week has been pretty chill. This week I have been running, baking muffins (again. I just really like muffins right now!), watching Take Home Chef, cleaning, doing laundry, and hanging out with the dog, nothing too exciting.

My race is tomorrow morning, bright and early. Today I am taking a day off and resting. I am so pumped for this race. I feel ready. I may not break the top 100 finishers, but I know that I am going to do the best I can, and for someone that at one time couldn't run for three minutes in a row, this is a big accomplishment for me. I'll probably post some pics sometime over the weekend. :)

Happy Friday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T08:13:00.000-04:00

You may or may not know that I have a bit of an Irish background. Nothing too crazy like having parents who came over from Ireland, but it's definitely in my heritage. As such I thought I would post a few Irish Type things that I like. Some traditional, some definitely not

Claddagh Ring. I love the diamonds and sapphire in this one.

Traditional Irish Music is always awesome...

Ok, so Riverdance is more of a contemporary take on Irish dancing, but it counts. ;)

Shamrock Shake

The Book of Kells

Celtic knots are beautiful. The Celtic artwork is always so intricate and I love it.

And Finally, and Old Irish Blessing:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Scrappy Wednesday 3/16/11

2011-03-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is the last page in my "Our First 2 Years" Scrapbook! It is finished!

I really like this page. It's simple, but I really love the way it turned out. I cut the lacy background with my cricut, and I cut the lettering. Journal panel, picture. Done! :)

What's for Dinner? 3/14/11

2011-03-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

This one's not a dinner entree... But tasty anyway! Today we're having Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins. Recipe is taken from eatbetteramerica.com (my favorite site lately, if you haven't noticed. ;) ) And before we get started I thought I would show you the ridiculously small nature of my kitchen. Those living in your less-than-dream kitchen, take heart! It is possible to cook in a small space.

What you'll need:

1	cup Fat Free vanilla or plain yogurt (from 2-lb container)
1	cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1	egg or 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1/4	cup canola oil
1/2	cup packed brown sugar
2/3	cup all-purpose flour
2/3	cup whole wheat flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease the bottoms of a muffin tin. Take your oatmeal and yogurt and mix it together in a small bowl, like so. Then set it aside for a bit.

In a mixer bowl, mix the egg, oil, and brown sugar. I used just a whole egg instead of two egg whites.

Stir in the flours, salt and cinnamon. It will look like this when you're done:

Next, add in your yogurt mixture.

Mix it all up. The batter will look kind of weird. It will be kind of like a thin oatmeal cookie texture, like so:

Now, mix in the blueberries by hand. If you use the mixer they'll mash up and make for some pretty nasty muffins.

I used frozen blueberries. It's important that you don't thaw them before putting them in. If you thaw them they will get all juicy amd mushy and again make some pretty nasty muffins. After the blueberries are well incorporated, spoon the batter/dough (i'm not sure what to call it! It's thicker than batter, but too thin to be a dough!) evenly into twelve muffin cups. I ended up with about two rounded spoonfuls in each muffin cup.

Bake them in 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. I ended up baking mine for almost a half hour because my oven is super bad at maintaining a proper temperature. For whatever reason it doesn't like to be 400 degrees. It's either cooler, or it's about 450 degrees. So I baked these for about a half hour at 375 degrees. I could have baked them a bit longer, but they were still mighty tasty!

Mine were a bit ugly, but they were so SO so SO good. I ate them with some of the left over yogurt for breakfast. I may have eaten two at at time... Enjoy!

Style File 3/11/11

2011-03-11T08:00:00.003-05:00

So I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do an outfit post this week, but I pulled one off. The lighting was kind of wonky because I had to do them inside... I really need to get a better flash. The lamp casts a terrible yellow glow, but I had to have it on or else it was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too dark and you couldn't see me! It might have been better if our apartment had over head lighting, but it doesn't. Seriously, we had to get a bunch of lamps in order to have lights in most of the rooms. Anyway... on to the outfit!!

I got this dress from Target for 5 bucks for a costume party we went to this past weekend. It was a 1920's Murder Mystery Dinner Party, so I styled it like a flapper. But I thought I might also get some more use out of it. Maybe a date night outfit? Who knows! But I do like this. I like the mix of the feel of the dress with the more casual cardigan.

My mom called during my shoot! HI MOM! Please ignore that red sock on the top of the dresser. And my bumpy hair.

This dress is on the shorter side for me... but I do like it. I'll definitely be wearing it this summer. I might restyle it sans the cardigan and wear it with some sandals and fun hair. So many possibilities for this LBD. And for five bucks you can't beat that!

I got these shoes super on sale a couple years ago from Penney's. They're leather peep toes. I love them and as such I wear them a lot.

The belt you might remember from last week. I like this spring cardigan. I love the details on the neck line. You can't really see it in the photos, but the dress has a detail at the neck too. It's kind of a lacy applique... so for that reason I didn't think I needed to put on a necklace. The only other accessory I'm wearing aside from the belt, are red circle earrings. Thanks to the lighting you can't really tell they're red, but I promise you they are!

So there you have it. An outfit I might wear out for an evening. Brad is taking me on a date tonight... maybe I should wear this!

Scrappy Wednesday 3-9-11

2011-03-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

This page documents getting our dog, Louisianna! I just love the picture of her with her tongue sticking out because that's just her personality. Haha.

I didn't actually use my cricuit for much on this page. Just the lettering. The yellow boarder thing was cut using the creative memories cutting system. The squares were made with a square punch. The paws are stickers, not sure what brand though (I know, that's not helpful).

Enjoy!

What's for Dinner? 3/7/11

2011-03-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

Chicken and Black bean Enchiladas are what's for dinner! I(loosely) adapted this from Betty Crocker. What you'll need:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can black beans

Spices (chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper, and cumin)

1 cup shredded cheese

6-8 whole wheat flour tortillas

1 can 10oz enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)

First, start by cooking your chicken in your chosen method. Then shred it with two forks. Also, drain and rinse the black beans. Put both in a skillet like so and season to your liking. I used about 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper, and 1/2 tsp cumin. Put in about 1 tbsp of water and cook it for a bit until all the liquid cooks out and the spices are pretty well distributed.

Next, put the chicken and beans in a bowl. Mix 3/4 cups of the cheese in with it.

Take your tortillas, and add some of the filling on one side.

Roll them up and put them in a greased 9 x 13 glass dish (make sure you put them seam side down). Dump your can of enchilada sauce on the top of them. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, put the rest of the cheese on the top of the enchiladas and return to the oven for about ten minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

These were soooooooooooo yummy! I served mine with salsa. :) Oh, and I had enough filling to make six. I had some beans left over at the bottom of the bowl, so I made a seventh just bean enchilada. Enjoy!

Sorry...

2011-03-06T16:32:00.003-05:00

So this week's what's for dinner post is going to go up late this week. Probably tuesday instead of tomorrow. I just didn't have a chance to take any pictures of my cooking this week... but be looking forward to a Chicken and black bean enchilada recipe tomorrow. :)

Style File 3/4/11

2011-03-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was having issues scheduling this... so if you saw it yesterday I apologize. For some reason blogger was being strange about the scheduling... But anyway, hopefully I'll get this figured out!

So this is what I actually ended up wearing to my job interviews! I interviewed for two positions at Regent University. And admissions counselor position and a Student Services Manager position (academic advising). After the interviews, I felt really good about both. I really want the Student Services Manager job though. That interview seemed to go extremely well... so here's to hoping that I get a call back!

I think I look pretty snazzy in my jacket and skirt. :) I decided to go the more conservative/professional route. For the Student Services position, I'm glad I did. They were all wearing fairly dressy attire (the men wore ties). Admissions was more casual, but overall I got complimented at both interviews on what I was wearing. Is that a good sign? Anyway...

Here's without the jacket. I love this shirt. I usually don't like button down shirts because they're not fitted and make me look boxy. But not this one. It's tailored and hugs my curves the correct way. I would totally wear it without the jacket over it.

I also enjoy the red/pink (I can't really tell?) stripes on the shirt. They give just a splash of color.

Accessories! Pearl necklace and earrings plus silver bracelet.

Belt! I like the button details on the top of this skirt too. I enjoy the high waisted-ness of this skirt. I have many plans for it! Notice, I also painted my nails. I went all out for these interviews. I'll have to let you know how it goes!

So that's my exciting week for you. Two job interviews!

I've been keeping up on my running. Only about two more weeks until race day. I've been up to 5 miles a couple times already, so I know I can do it. I'm just working on pacing. I think I should finish it in about 45-46 minutes, which is pretty respectable. I'm not the fastest out there, but that's not my goal. My goal is to just finish because it will mark a huge accomplishment for me. I was talking to my dad yesterday about how in high school I never would have even attempted to run as much as I do. Even a year ago I wouldn't have even thought I could run two miles in a row let alone 5. It's a big accomplishment for me to do five miles. So I'm proud of that accomplishment, even if I'm not the fastest person out there.

Scrappy Wednesday 3-2-11

2011-03-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

These are from this past Fourth of July. Brad's family came up for a visit and we went to Colonial Williamsburg for Fourth of July. It was pretty fun, but it was miserably hot and there were so many people there! I much prefer Colonial Williamsburg on less busy days. But we had a lot of fun. :)

I had fun with these pages. I punched the corners on these with a corner punch I have. The blue flower things were actually done with my cricuit. My parents got me these marker things that go where the blade normally would be so instead of cutting, it draws. I colored them in with other markers I had, but I still thought it was pretty cool. I also had it draw the lettering too.

I have to say these pictures of us in the stocks are probably some of my favorites of the whole trip. I just think they're funny, so of course they had to get their own page!

I like this page too. I like the circles. I did the wheel things around the pictures on the cricuit. And yes, those are Katy Perry lyrics. I'm quite sure the song wasn't even out for this particular 4th of July, but that's ok. I think I can get away with using them. :)

What's for Dinner? 2-28-11

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't decided what to call this yet. Italian Gyro? Pesto Chicken wrap? Italian-Pesto-Chicken-Gyro-Wrap?

I think i like Italian Gyro. Because this recipe is sort of inspired by a greek gyro, but modified a bit. Here is what you'll need:
- cooked rice, about a cup. I usually would use brown rice, but this time I used white rice because it cooks faster
-Pesto, either prepared or bought (I used the bought kind). You won't need more than a tablespoon or two. I'm going to use the rest of my jar on a pasta dish later this week.
- Tyson pre-cooked and cubed roasted chicken breast
-1/4 cup onion
- basil
- garlic powder
-pepper
- Flat-out flat bread. I usually use pitas, but our Walmart sucks and did not have them. These are a good substitute to make wraps instead of pitas.
- your choice of shredded cheese (I used a 3 Cheese Italian blend)

Take your chicken cubes and put them in the crockpot. I used about half of the bag I had. Anyway, put them in there, frozen and everything. Put enough liquid to cover the bottom. Flavor with basil, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper. I just eyeball it. I know, i'm too imprecise sometimes. Also, put in your onions. Cook on high for about three hours.

Take your flat bread and spread pesto on it. I like pesto so I used a lot. If you prefer a more mild flavor, just use as much as looks good to you.

Put some of your chicken cubes on one end of it.

Add some rice. This one has more on it because it's Brad's. He's a growing boy and likes rice.

Here's what I used. Put as much cheese as you would like on it.

Roll it up and serve it! We had salads with ours. My salad was simple: romaine lettuce, cranberries, and walnut-raspberry vinaigrette. Sometimes I put apples on it too. Yum!

Enjoy!

Style File 2/25/11

2011-02-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

Well! In an exciting turn of events I got a call about a job interview next tuesday! So of course now I am confronted with what to wear to it. It's an Admissions Counselor position with Regent University. I need to dress professionally, but still. I'm thinking about wearing this outfit (But I am going shopping tomorrow to see if I can find a better fitting shirt/jacket/sweater of some kind):

I got this skirt at Salvation Army the same time I got my red boots. It's a the Limited skirt and I paid like two bucks for it. I need to take it to a dry cleaner's to be cleaned, but I like it. I can't decide if it's brown or grey, haha. It's kind of a brown-grey texture? Well it's grey enough I didn't like my opaque brown tights with it. So I think i'm going to get a more sheer brown tight, or perhaps just go with good 'ole tan panty hose for interview day. Can't go bare legged, that's for sure!

I've had this sweater for a long time. It's Nicole Miller for JC Penney.

Red shirt came from JC Penney a long time ago too.

Belt: Came with some pants from H and M

You've seen my spectacular brown shoes before. :)

Pearl set from my darling husband. I love these pearls. Whenever I wear them I feel all sophisticated and stuff. :)

So what do you think? Should I try again for an different job interview outfit? I want to look professional, but not super super lawyery, haha. I do like this outfit, but I don't particularly like the fit of the shirt or sweater, I think it looks a little big on me. I'm going out with a friend tomorrow, so I think I might look for a better button down shirt. I'm thinking something teal or green. We'll see what I can find!

Other than that, no exciting news here! Just looking for a job and scrapbooking. I've been reading a collection of Leo Tolstoy's short stories and I've really been enjoying them. I just love Tolstoy. I'm not even sure why, I just do! Have you read anything good lately?

Scrappy Wednesday 1-23-11

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, story time! (Explained more briefly in the journaling that you can't read on the page) I took lots of fun pictures of our moving process. I had pictures of all the boxes stacked up in our small dining room, I had pictures of people helping us pack up, I had a picture of the moving truck pulling the escape, I had pictures of the new apartment with boxes everywhere. BUT as I was transferring them from the memory card to my computer, in the space of about a milisecond, all got selected then deleted. And I definitely didn't do it! I was so very very sad. Anyway, now I only have one picture from one of the people who helped us move, and it's on this first page. I also put in pictures of how we got the new apartment set up.

The moral of the story is to be careful when transferring pictures from memory card to computer. Hope you don't have any disasters like that!