Break-Fast

JUST in case you weren't aware just about every day in the United States has a food holiday. For example, March 6th is National Frozen Food Day as well as National White Chocolate Cheesecake day...I'll leave it up to you which you'd prefer to celebrate.


Allegedly Monday was National Breakfast Day according to a normally reliable source. Further investigation shows it was actually National Poundcake Day, but that is neither here nor there. What it did inspire me to do is get creative with my breakfast food (for dinner) for a solid week...

Monday was (frozen) waffles with blueberries, although this recipe for blueberry syrup would have been a nice addition. Tuesday was a "hangover melt" courtesy of Glamour, recipe here. Tonight was crispy roasted potatoes. Original recipe calls for a regular potato with parmesan and seasoning salt, but I made a sweet potato with cinnamon and a little bit of brown sugar. Either way it would be delicious, recipe here.


Tomorrow I'm thinking Chai Spice or Scotcharoo Oatmeal, although I can't ignore the fact that March 7th is National Cereal Day...but let's be honest I would celebrate that morning, noon, for 365 if I could.


What's your favorite breakfast treat? (Waffle Day is March 26th, mark it on your calendars! Ridiculous list of food holidays here)

Adventures of a Hypochondriact Part I

I titled this post Adventures of a Hypochondriact Part I because this is not the last time I will convince myself that I have a disease. Confession time: when I was younger I broke my arm and nobody believed me. I had a tendency to exaggerate, and even the school nurse told me to go back to class. Once I learned to quit crying wolf, I discovered I actually had a myriad of health problems. Go figure. Remember the time I choked and wound up in the emergency room? Me too. Further proof that I will do anything to eat ice cream for a solid weekend.

Any who, since the discovery of my deeper health issues I've been searching for an answer, and after some conversation with co-workers and friends I convinced myself I had Celiac Disease. My doctor said the only way to know for sure is to cut it out and see how I do. So this is the diary of the week I didn't eat gluten:

Day 1: Going through my cabinets and starting to panic. Absolutely everything has freaking gluten in it! I start to wonder what my life will be like without cake, bread, or whole wheat pancakes. I start chanting "pleasedon'tletthisworkpleasedon'tletthiswork!"


Day 2: I feel fantastic! No stomach aches to speak of, I have a good deal of energy that I attribute to making better choices rather than just making grilled cheese sandwiches, and since most chocolate is gluten free I don't feel all that deprived. Kind of awesome.

Quinoa Chocolate Cake Recipe

Day 3: Tired, which I attribute to Thanksgiving partying. Curiously, while grocery shopping I walk past the bakery and feel that I would indeed rip someone's throat out for a brownie.


Day 4: I feel like total and utter crap. Trying to supplement carbs with brown rice but so far, no dice. I fell asleep on the train and I felt completely drained despite not doing a dang thing all day. Boo.

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Day 5: I think about quitting but chalk yesterday up to carb withdrawal. I down a second cup of coffee and seize the day. Have more energy today but it's not solving all of my health problems.


Day 6: Had to wake up early for a training session at work and realized the lag is subsiding but the old problems are still occurring. Co-worker suggests it could be dairy. Oy.

Brown Rice Chicken and Cilantro Salad

Day 7: It appears some of my issues have been made better by eliminating gluten while others remain intact. I think it would be a good idea to limit the amount of gluten I eat rather than cutting it out entirely, and the same goes for dairy. There is apparently a delicate balance for me, and I just haven't hit it yet.


As of another week later, I'm continuing to limit (but not eliminate) my gluten intake which seems to be helping. The next step is finding a work-out routine I enjoy enough to stick to. I hear you number 4. Other than meals being difficult to plan this has been an extremely helpful experiment that I hope to carry on. Maybe I'm not always a hypochondriact!

Whatcha' Making?

Thanksgiving is mere hours away and although I can't run back to Columbus (I work Black Friday, ugh) I'm headed to Roommate's new place for an orphan Thanksgiving. I thought about bringing some sort of sweet potato dish but I'm having second thoughts. I only have tonight and tomorrow morning to make whatever it is I'm making, and I'm being a little indecisive. Tell me what you think sounds good...

/ Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Here / Green Beans, Recipe Here / 

 /Apple and Onion Stuffing, Photo Via Recipe Here / Ginger Apple Bourbon, Recipe Here /

It's okay if you want to pick "all of the above". What are you cooking up this Thanksgiving?

Foooood

Remember that time a long, long time ago when I said I was going to be an adult and actually start cooking my meals? A whole two weeks in and I've actually stuck with it! Of course this means that now that I've announced it there will be a rapid decline in my kitchen productivity, but so far it's been pretty enjoyable. It got a little hairy for a bit trying to pack lunch and dinner to go straight from the museum to the theatre, but overall I'm pretty darn proud of myself, considering my total lack of Julia-Child-like tendencies.

Here are the recipes that I've made so far...I want to preface this list by saying that if I recipe calls for some six dollar spice that I can't steal from my roommate, I won't use it. I also make things by the recipe, like a serving for four people and then I split it up throughout the week. Less prep time overall if you can do it all on one day.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad via The Girl Who Ate Everything I actually made a batch of this and it lasted for three days! Huzzah!

Bistro Style Crispy Chicken via The Fit Cook

Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese via Fit From Conception, otherwise known as the easypeasy recipe that's blowing up Pinterest right now. I left out the icing sugar and it still tasted of awesomeness.

Crispy Coconut Chicken via The Fit Cook I precooked a batch of these and it doesn't do so well on the re-heat. There's still some in my fridge if anyone wants to bring the mango salsa!

I've also been throwing together a lot of fruit salads and experimenting with pita pockets (I'm wild and crazy like that.) Hard boiling eggs in advance for meals is also a big help since I can grab it and go...but I haven't phased out eating cereal for meals entirely. I just discovered quick oats with peanut butter though, and that seems to be a slightly better substitute.

If you're stuck, I highly recommend The Fit Cook. Tons of simple easy to make ideas and still healthy. I'm bent on learning how to make her Banana Waffles and Game Day Chili 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Despite getting my adult stuff together for the most part...full time jobs, apartment searches and whatnot, I feel that in living on my own I haven't been able to conquer one aspect: cooking.

I've never liked the idea of standing in the kitchen for two hours only to have my hard work devoured in five minutes flat. Besides which, in between my two jobs I just don't have the time. Unfortunately when I give up my food service job my one free meal a day goes too, so I have to start getting serious about making food for myself. I've always had fun baking and being the sous chef to my friends, how can I make cooking fun for myself?

First, I found a few great ideas from my beloved Pinterest, and the stand out so far has been thefitcook.net. Fresh, easy and healthy ideas to get to started, a recommendation to all 20-somethings or otherwise who are trying to get in to the routine of cooking healthy.

Second, is making the time. This has been one of the bigger hurdles as I only have a two hour break between jobs. Would it be nicer to sit on my laptop for an extra hour and just eat PB&J? Yes. But would it be as satisfying as Bistro Style Crispy Chicken? No, no it will not be.

Third, making your shopping list/budget. I would love to make every recipe that I come across, but factors like out of season fruit and expensive yet delicious cheeses come in to play. Knowing what's in season and what you can afford greatly affects what I can make...that being said the price of meat is going to rise this year due to the drought, so plan accordingly.

Fourth, try to make recipes that call for the same ingredient in the same week. A family of four could polish off a pound of grapes, but a single gal needs a little more time. Mix them with a salad, freeze them for a sour snack for later, put them in a little baggie for a snack on the train.

I'll have some more 20-something cooking tips to pass along...because hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my progress. Help me out here, what makes cooking fun and easy for you?

24 Before I'm 25

I wanted to give myself some time after the 24 before 24 list to think about which goals I wanted to roll over and which to edit slightly or get rid of. Plus I had to come up with some new stuff, and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. I tried to err more on the side of achievable and yet something that would propel me towards the life I see for myself within the next year.  

So without further ado, here is my list:

24 Things To Do Before I’m 25

1.)                Travel to one place I’ve never been before

2.)               Write something every day

3.)               Be happy and self-sufficient with my employment

4.)               Find a work-out regiment that makes me happy

5.)               Complete a full length play

6.)               Save up enough money for a puppy

7.)               Take a class

8.)              Finish reading all the books on my shelves

9.)               Go on one romantic trip with Viking

10.)           Finish making the dress and skirt I started

11.)            Start researching Grad Schools

12.)           Start shopping vintage/thrift more often

13.)           Get a credit card

14.)           Promote myself without being embarrassed

15.)            Pair down my make-up to only high end stuff or things that get a lot of use

16.)           Shop my closet and wear all of my clothes. If I don’t I have to donate it at the end of the season

17.)            Donate money or time to charity

18.)           Run a 10k

19.)           Learn to cook for myself

20.)          Get out of my comfort zone professionally

21.)           Find a way to manage my stress level

22.)          Get a bike

23.)          Go to the zoo with my Goddaughter

24.)           Dance or sing in public


Anything I'm missing? I have no qualms with this becoming a "28 before 25" list.

Cake Cake Cake

Yesterday I was an unstoppable machine! I think it might have had something to do with the extra hours of sunlight, thank you solstice! I cleaned the kitchen and partook in a brief and humid run with Running Buddy. We had dinner at Potbelly (which was the first place Viking and I ever ate in Chicago when he was doing grad-school visits two years ago) and it was delicious. I came home and cleaned the living room, chatted with E and David for an hour or so, and made a pan of chocolate frosted brownies for work today that I'm sure will be eaten all too quickly. You would be surprised how fast treats go in the health food restaurant...it's like we've never seen chocolate before.

All that's left to do before Mom gets here tomorrow is tidy up and decide what kind of cake Betty Crocker and I want to make for the cast. Many a person has pointed out that the birthday girl/boy isn't supposed to make their own cake, but I really enjoy it! So much so that last year I made two! A Chocolate Peanut Butter Silk Cake for the family and a Lemon Cake with Raspberry Mousse for my actual birthday. Nom nom nom!

This year I've narrowed it down to some easier and less time consuming choices that will hopefully pair well with either Jack Soaked Cherries or Tequila Soaked Watermelon. I am the classiest of broads, I realize. So, here are my choices:

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Over the Moon Cupcakes

Which cake would you like to see on your Birthday?

Pasta Dinner

After the tragic loss of my camera's USB cable these pictures have been sitting on my camera for a couple of weeks. I have been digging through my apartment looking for it and finally pronounced it MIA. I moseyed on over to Tar-jay and picked up an SD card reader so I could upload these gems...I thought I had taken WAY more pictures than this, but I suppose not.

This was Bill's second to last day in Chicago before he took off for Russia, and damn, can that man cook! He made Chicken Parmesan and I made Watermelon Caprice, watermelon and mozzarella...I'm a regular Rachel Ray I realize.  

Weekend Retrospect: Easter

A fantastic weekend if I do say so myself (which I do). Easter egg dying with Roommate, pirate decorating/cupcake making/Fashion Star watching with Running Buddy, and the rest of the weekend spent with the Viking.

We had time to roam the city, find delicious places to eat, visit a good friend at work, have some ice cream, and drink some "?" wine while we watched Tintin and tried to decide who Daniel Craig was voicing. On Easter morning Bill made chocolate chip pancakes, and we went to the beach to dig our feet in the sand and watch dogs play fetch. Afterwards we walked the neighborhood to smell the lilac bushes and cherry blossom trees and find a place to eat. The Viking finally had to go, and I de-celebrated by (accidentally) cutting my foot open and bleeding on the floor and consoling myself with Mad Men and sour patch kid jelly beans.

I will be further de-celebrating by going to work and buying on-sale Easter candy. How was your weekend?

Domesticated

Roommate and I did this back in December, but I still thought it was worth sharing. It's perfect for a snowy cold day and it's super easy to make: Nutella Chocolate Mug Cakes!

The whipped cream is a must since ours turned out a little dry, but use some chocolate sauce and it's just like lava cake! Recipe here.

Hope everyone is enjoying their lazy or productive Sunday, however you want to spend it!

Gone Daddy Gone

Viking boyfriend set sail this morning for the magical land of Cleves, but we did have a pretty rockin' weekend together. This is what we did in photos...

 

Friday was mac and cheese, Saturday was chicken flautas which are shockingly easy and delicious. We inhaled them and watched Elf.

 

Wanting to cross something touristy off my list, we took the el down to Millennium Park and saw Cloud Gate, or "the bean". If someone had asked me where the "Cloud Gate" was, I would have had no idea.



That night we had burgers and watched How to Train Your Dragon. And I didn't even stop to take a picture of the burgers, which were awesome! We just scarfed them down.

Sunday morning we had pancakes!

True story about vikings, they don't like having their picture taken.


Hope every one's weekend was just as lovely! I'll be posting more about the Chicago job search soon...

Guess Who...!

Does your person wear glasses? No. Does your person have red hair? Yes. Does your person have a beard? YES!

Look at that beard!

My viking boyfriend is plundering Chicago! He had a weekend to spare in between finishing his third semester of grad school and going home to Cleveland. This means three days of dueling computers, singing Lonely Island, and being his sous chef while he makes dinners that I would never make by myself.

For example yesterday he made baked mac and cheese and we watched Princess Frog, recipe here.

Tonight we're making chicken tacos and watching How to Train Your Dragon! I sense a pattern here...