Matched!

Hey all,

Guess what?! I matched! I will be heading to the Terry Children's Center in New Castle, DE next year for my pre-doctoral internship. It's APA approved, will allow me to do rotations in residential, day treatment, inpatient, assessment, and a juvenile detention center, AND IT'S CLOSE TO HOME. Get ready for me east coast, I'm comin' home.  It was one of the best days I've had so far. I can officially say that I'm one step closer to becoming a licensed psychologist.  I'm so grateful, and had such a great time celebrating with friends that weekend. I can't wait to start a whole new food adventure in the Philly area.

However, now that I matched, my motivation to finish this semester slash write my dissertation proposal is non-existent. Oh well! I'll do what I can. The next few months are going to be action-packed, full of wedding events, graduation, and vacation!!! In order to deal with the (happy) stress of all this excitement, I've been cooking up a storm! Here are some of the recipes we had from last week.

West African peanut soup! My aunt actually texted me the link for this recipe a couple weeks ago, and it is so tasty. We didn't even add any rice or meat, but it was super filling. Here is the link: http://cookieandkate.com/2013/west-african-peanut-soup/

Flax and blueberry vanilla overnight oats. CAN WE SAY TEXTURE? Holy moly. These were thick and delicious. Steve and I had them twice during the week. They are a little heavy, but if you need a more filling breakfast to get you through to lunch, these are great. Plus you make them the night before, and can take them on the go. I added blueberries, pecans, and honey to mine. Here is the link: http://pinchofyum.com/flax-blueberry-vanilla-overnight-oats

Home-made ramen. YUM. A much healthier version of ramen, with carrots, mushrooms, and kale. This was relatively quick and easy, a great weeknight meal. Here is the link: http://pinchofyum.com/quick-homemade-ramen

Honey chipotle chicken bowls with lime quinoa. Chock full of flavor and variety. The chicken marinade was super flavorful and I would probably use it again just to spice up regular old chicken. That combined with the avocado, other veggies, and quinoa made this salad super filling. Plus, I'm partial to this blogger because she is so funny and has the best recipes. Here is the recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2014/01/honey-chipotle-chicken-bowls/

These different meals kept my week interesting and tasty. However, doing all this food prep is quite time consuming during busier weeks, so I think this week we will keep it more low key. Now for a workout!

I've been really into treadmill circuit workouts lately, but I threw this one in to tone up my tush for Puerto Rico. You do a variety of moves (step-ups, pliet squats, weighted lunges, deadlifts, squat with side leg lifts, superman, lying hamstring curl, donkey kicks, bridge kicks, and ball planks with leg lifts) for 15 reps, three times through. My butt is still burnin'. Here is the link: http://www.fitsugar.com/photo-gallery/34166328/Ball-Planks-Leg-Lifts

Happy eating :)

Hibernation.

Hey foodies.

Okay, this weather makes me not want to leave the house. I do sometimes (regretfully), but it is a struggle. Thus, I cook. Here is another day of healthy-ish meals, plus an extra dinner, a workout, and some Valentine's Day recipes.

Breakfast: Kale and blueberry smoothie

I apologize for not taking a picture, but when you always wake up 20 minutes before you have to leave, it is difficult to find time for photography in the morning.  This smoothie was so easy to make. I had to get used to the consistency of kale instead of spinach at first, but it adds a decent texture.

Here is the recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/01/blueberry-kale-smoothie.html#more

Snacks: Hard-boiled eggs, veggies and hummus, and fruit

I've been trying to do more food prep on Sundays before the week starts, and it makes my life so much easier. Having eggs and fresh veggies ready to go for the week is super convenient and less expensive than grabbing lunch on the go.

Dinner #1: Meatball and tortellini soup

OMG YUM. This is another great weeknight meal that warms the bones when you are hibernating (like myself). It makes a ginormous amount that lasts for many a meal (or only a few when you are living with Steve Donlon). I made it right before we had to rush to a volleyball game, and it was super quick to throw in the pot and reheat when we were ready to eat. I added too much tortellini obviously, due to my pasta addiction. Do they have meetings for that?

Here's the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/meatball-tortellini-soup.html

Dinner #2:  Chicken sausage gyros

I'm absolutely positive I have posted this before, but I just had to again. It's so easy and I want to bathe in this lime cilantro yogurt sauce..I mean..I really like it...Awkward. I also used the leftover pita bread for snacks with hummus this week, and used leftover kale from my smoothies instead of spinach.  Here is the recipe: http://bevcooks.com/2011/10/chicken-sausage-tacos-with-cilantro-yogurt-sauce/

Dessert: Greek yogurt with fixins'

So Steve and I got enough candy for Christmas that we put it in a sack. Yes, a sack. So we call it "sack o' candy." Sack o' candy is not helpful for trying to eat less sugar. At all. Like, counterproductive probably. 

So not that this dessert has NO sugar, but I like to tell myself that it's slightly healthier than sack o' candy. I take one plain greek yogurt and add whatever I have on hand. In this picture, I added some chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Delish. 

 

Workout: Cardio

I've been trying to switch up my cardio, and found this 60-minute interval-based workout that goes by quickly and is good for working up a sweat. I found it on Pinterest, but the link doesn't work for some reason so here is the picture.

Valentine's Day!  I know everyone thinks this holiday is super lame, but I just LOVE love. So...sorry I'm not sorry. Here are some recipes that I made for my valentine yesterday:

Red velvet puppy chow (http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2013/01/red-velvet-puppy-chow.html)

Nutella mascarpone french toast (http://www.grilledcheesesocial.com/2011/02/la-la-love-you.html)
     -I used this salted caramel hazelnut spread instead of nutella and it is BOMBBBBBBBBB dot com. I put some in my smoothie this morning. I wouldn't be surprised if I eat the whole jar this weekend oops.

Chocolate pretzels (http://www.crazyaboutmybaybah.com/valentines-day-chocolate-pretzels/)

Heart cake (http://katiebrownhomeworkshop.com/make-my-heart-sing/)

 Other than that, nothing too crazy going on in my life. Just playing the waiting game for next Friday and getting excited to go visit my lover in D.C. next week for a conference. I am feeling very appreciative of this calm before the storm (and after the craziness of January), and am trying to relax as much as possible. This equates to a lot of Ernie snuggling and watching Bates Motel on Netflix. It's pretty bad, but I can't stop.  I hope everyone is staying warm and eating delicious food :)

Happy eating!

Oh wait, you still have a food blog?

Hey there everyone,

Remember that time I had a blog and didn't write in it for four months? I would say this won't happen again, but really who knows.

So last semester was THE WORST and I almost died but not really. I did pass my preliminary exams, which is wonderful because I never want to look at those hundreds of pages ever again. I also submitted internship applications, heard back from places, and went on a month of interviews across the country. So it's been a little busy. Hence the absence.

Traveling was very fun, but I am happy to be back home. To save money, I drove. And I drove. And I drove. I drove from Milwaukee, to Illinois, to Ohio, to New York, to Pennsylvania, to Maryland, and then back to Milwaukee. Plus a few flights thrown in there. I got to stay with amazing hosts, like Kevin and Bri, Casey, Lisa, Katie, and Andrea!! Thanks to everyone for putting up with me, and providing me delicious food and drink.  I was able to meet up with Steve a couple times for adventures in Baltimore and Chicago, and listened to some great books on audiotape. Listening to David Sedaris and Jim Gaffigan I'm sure was more entertaining than reading them. Overall, it a little hectic but flew by. I didn't have any problems with my car or the weather, thank you Jesus, and it is all over. My rank list has been submitted, and my fate is sealed. I find out in two weeks. So basically, it's going to be a really fun, stress-free couple of weeks. Did I mention I should also be working on my dissertation? This year is kicking my arse.

Back to the blog. Driving across the country does not really lend itself to good and healthy eating. It lends itself more to Subway and Chex Mix. I have a serious Chex Mix issue (traditional obviously), and was really proud of myself for only buying it twice. I did get to experience some amazing meals. Here are some highlights:

-Jeni's ice cream in Columbus. This place BLEW MY MIND. I got it twice in two days and took a picture of how many spoons I had from all the samples I asked for. Oops. But with flavors like sweet potato with toasted marshmallow, riesling pear sorbet, and whiskey pecan, how could I not?
-Some Italian place in Little Italy in Cleveland with amazing vodka gnocchi.
-Duck fat fries at Rye in Baltimore. Amazing cocktails, and amazing duck fat.
-Andrea Cividini's amazing crab cakes in Delaware!

However, now that I am back in friggin frigid Milwaukee, it's time to get back on track. So here was breakfast, lunch, and dinner for one day this week.

Breakfast: Grapefruit and hard-boiled eggs.

You know what? I like grapefruit. I didn't know that. Plus I could eat a million hard-boiled eggs, so this breakfast was bomb.  Also coffee. That was key for this first full week back to work.

Lunch: The Big Vegan Bowl.


So this took A LOT OF PREP. With this, one of our dinners this week, and Superbowl party food, I felt like I spent all Sunday in the kitchen. Which is actually my dream come true. But still. I would've liked to watch some more Parks and Rec re-runs. This is pretty healthy and very filling. I seasoned the sweet potatoes with cumin and garlic powder, and threw them with chickpeas, carrots, red cabbage, avocado, and hummus. Here's the recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/06/the-big-vegan-bowl/

Dinner: Cheeseburger Casserole

YOU GUYS MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW I DON'T CARE WHAT TIME IT IS. This was seriously so easy and delicious..perfect for those cold weeknights. I want to just eat this everyday for the rest of February. Here's the recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/03/cheeseburger-casserole.html


Superbowl dip!

Chocolate peanut butter dip. YUM. We also ate it with apples, which was also successful. Here's the recipe: http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2012/02/peanut-butter-football-dip/

That's all for now! I'll try to post more frequently now that I'm moved from procrastinating prelims to procrastinating dissertation.

Happy eating!

Green Smoothies

Hey there foodies.

Well, I am happy to say that I finally have time to write a post after submitting my preliminary exams this past Wednesday morning. It feels good to submit over a hundred pages of writing. Although I still have to work on my internship applications and prepare for the oral defense of prelims, I'm glad that this step is over. I felt like if I wrote another sentence I would become physically ill. So I waited a few days before writing this post :)

I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful roomie who enjoys cooking just as much as me, and was able to pick up the slack on dinners this past month as I spent countless hours in the library. For example, these AMAZING carne asada nachos in the crockpot.

Here is the recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/09/crockpot-carne-asada-nachos/. Unfortunately Steve made the suggestion that we just eat them right off the pan. Whoops. This meal is great for a weeknight...it just takes a little time in the morning to saute the steak a bit before putting it in the crockpot with your favorite beer. 6 hours later, prepare to come home to the best smelling apartment ever.

Another quick idea for busy weeknights was this meal:

Steve and I are all about chicken and veggies as a quick meal to throw together after class or work. But the addition of this avocado, chickpea, and feta salad was a nice addition to the plate :) It was very flavorful, and an easy recipe that I would consider making for lunch or to bring to a party. Here is the recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chickpea-avocado-feta-salad/.

Finally, spending all weekend in the library is not great for the activity level. As much as I've been trying to eat relatively healthy and exercise, I have mostly been eating a ton of fried cheese curds. I wish I could say I regret this but..cheese curds are the most delicious food on the planet. I have tried to counteract the cheese curds and other fried choices with this green smoothie recipe. I made this every morning for breakfast this past week, and it was SO refreshing. PLUS the recipe is from LC who was probably the most normal person on Laguna Beach/The Hills.

Here is the recipe: http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/good-eats-3-busy-girl-breakfasts-overnight-oats-green-smoothie-allison-norton-2013. Shredded coconut on top?! GENIUS. Next week I think I might try the overnight oats! Please note cute kitten in corner attempting to steal my nutritious snacks.

He is so handsome. And also the devil. 

 I will also leave you with a workout that I like. I've done this a few times already, once every 89 years when I'm not stuffing my face with fried cheese. It's a combination of a Tabata circuit and a butt workout.

burpees 20 sec/10 sec rest
jumping jacks 20 sec/10 sec rest
x 4 minutes

20-30 reps squats
20-30 reps plie squats

30 sec pushups
30 sec walking lunges
x 4 minutes

20-30 donkey kicks
20-30 fire hydrant

High knees 20 sec/10 sec rest
Side leaps 20 sec/10 sec rest

20-30 circling donkey kicks
20-30 Split jumps

30 sec rows
30 sec squat shoulder press
x 3

20-30 skaters
20-30 hip lifts

jump squats 20 sec/10 sec rest
mountain climbers 20 sec/10 sec rest
x 4 minutes

20-30 lunge kicks

30 sec reverse lunges
30 sec planks
x3


Happy eating!

Summer Update

So it is August.

Well...let's be real. It's almost September. Despite my best efforts, even when I'm slightly less busy I can still only manage to update this thing once a month. Oh well, sorry I'm not sorry. My life isn't interesting enough to post more than that. I wouldn't want to bore you :)

Now for a brief summary of what I have been up to since I last posted:

1. I was in my gorgeous friend Sierra's beautiful wedding and got to spend an amazing weekend with my girlfriends from college. The dancing was plentiful, as was the champagne.

2. Laughed my bum off at my cousin's bridal shower where I pretended to be her fiance answering questions about her [note: I got more right than he did...obviously your favorite movie is Fools Rush In, Em. Duh.]

3. Got to spend so much quality time with my family. I galavanted around Milwaukee with my Mom, drinking wine and eating small plates. I read and ran errands with my Dad. I taught my sister what "Beelzebub" means. Drank vodka gimlets and actually relaxed. Basically had a ball.

4. Reunited with my Italy loves in Boston (minus the lovely Katie Waldeisen unfortunately). Walked around the North end, went to the Sam Adams Brewery, and ate eggplant fries.

5. Got offered a job working part-time at Greenfield Public School District as a psychometrician! This is going to be one crazy semester, full of finishing up classes, internship applications, and weddings. But also exciting :)


For your eating pleasure, I have two recipes (but only one picture) and a workout.

Chipotle Lime Grilled Chicken with Avocado Ranch

I was sneaking bites of this avocado ranch all week, and put it on EVERYTHING. It makes the best sauce/dressing. I didn't grill this chicken because it was raining, so I just sauteed it with some asparagus and squash. I also made the rest of the orzo we had and added a little parmesan cheese :) Here's the recipe for the chicken and avocado ranch: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/08/chipotle-lime-grilled-chicken-skewers-with-avocado-ranch/.

I also made an amazing chopped cashew chicken salad with chili dusted mango. I don't have a picture because my camera had no battery left and I was experiencing an extreme case of hangriness so could not wait to eat. This salad was light and flavorful, and didn't even need dressing. Great week night dinner. Here's the recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/08/cashew-chicken-chopped-salad-with-chili-dusted-mango/.

I just tried this workout the other day...great combination of cardio/strength. This blogger is wonderful and frequently posts workouts that she creates. Here's the link to this one: http://www.pbfingers.com/2013/08/19/starting-the-day-with-fruit/

I'll try to keep posting, but I may fall behind because I'm pretty sure I won't have time to breathe this semester. But, cheers to my last year of school, and finding out where I'll be completing my internship :) Happy eating!

July!

Good morning everyone!

My life as of late has consisted of:

1. Way too many smoothies.
2. Bastille Days (food consumed at Bastille Days includes super french options such as crab rangoon and tacos...wait what).
3. Volleyball (both watching and sucking at).
4. Reading amazingly hilarious books like Bossypants and the Mindy Kaling one #behindthetimes
5. Pretending to work on my preliminary exams at cute coffee shops but really downloading the whole soundtrack from Parenthood
6....watching all three seasons of Parenthood...
7. waiting until the next socially appropriate time to eat peanut butter in a given day.

In other news, here are three more recipes for my breakfast/lunch/dinner sequence!

Breakfast

4 Ingredient Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Um so easy and so yum. Easy because, let's be serious, 4 ingredients. So yum and thick and flufffffffffyyyyy. Also I added chocolate chips to the batter (duh) and topped mine with bananas, raspberries, and honey. Yes, I'm weird and don't totally love syrup on my pancakes. When I was younger, I actually used to specifically ask my aunt for powdered sugar to put on the ones she made me in the morning. I know..I should be cast away and isolated from all society. Here's the recipe: http://www.everydaybelle.com/2011/06/greek-yogurt-pancakes/

Lunch

Tuna Salad (Original recipe whaaaaat!)

This is what I have been eating for lunch the past couple of weeks. I make this tuna salad with greek yogurt, so it's a little healthier than your average tuna salad and I also add some fun stuff. It's easy, tasty, and fills me up.

Recipe:

What ya need:
1 can of tuna (in water)
3 TBL plain greek yogurt
2 TBL mustard
Salt and peppa
Garlic powder (just a sprinkle..I know my amounts are so exact)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Chopped pecans (whatever amount ya like!)
Craisins (whatever amount ya like!)
1 cup fresh spinach
A sprinkling of fresh dill if you have it!

What ya do:
Mix it all together and enjoy! I had some fresh raspberries and grapes on the side. This makes for a nice, healthy, and fresh lunch. Just so everyone knows, I usually split this recipe in half across 2 days if you would like to do that.

Dinner

Chicken Bombs (warning-Steve's choice...)

 

 Whoa mamma are these not so good for you but so good in your mouth. They consist of a half of a jalapeno, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in chicken, which is then wrapped in bacon. Add a little BBQ sauce and you are good to go. I served it with plenty of carrots to balance it out. Although there was plenty of brown sugar in the carrots..so...hmm..

Here's the recipe: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/346290727/chicken-bombs/print/

Things I am excited for:

1. MY MOM IS COMING NEXT SATURDAYYYYYYYYYY.
2. I'm reading "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and learning a lot about myths of lifting weights for us ladies. I'm thinking about doing before/after pictures..thoughts?
3. SO many weddings! Our fridge is littered with invitations so it makes it hard to see the Chinese take out menu which is disappointing.
4. Going to Chicago tonight. Will report on amazing food consumed. Hopefully will be more ethnically appropriate than eating crab rangoon and tacos at a French festival...

HAPPY EATING!!! :)

Flavor bomb.

YOU GUYS I NEED TO SHARE THESE FLAVORS WITH YOU IMMEDIATELY BEFORE I EXPLODE.

Breakfast

I discovered this flavor combo by accident. Steve's brother Sean was visiting this past weekend, and I realized he had never had Nutella before. WHAT. UNACCEPTABLE. Obviously I immediately dragged everyone to the store to pick some up and then proceeded to eat the whole jar myself. Sean got a bite, relax...

So I was trying to figure out what to eat for breakfast. I chopped up some fresh strawberries, and mixed a spoonful (heaping) of Nutella with half of a TOASTED COCONUT VANILLA oikos greek yogurt.  Come on now. This will blow your mind. It was a light breakfast, albeit a little too sweet for everyday.

Lunch/Dinner

Kale quinoa cakes with avocado. Yes. Steve actually cooked these up, as I got home from work late and was grumpy and lethargic. As I grunted at him slumped over on the counter, he whipped these up and they were amazing. Super healthy, and actually very filling. We cooked up some broccoli and spinach with lemon to eat with it. If you are a vegetarian, this would be a super yummy and filling meal. I was actually craving them the next day, and we had leftovers for lunch, plus some extra! Here is the recipe: http://yummysupper.blogspot.jp/2012/09/quinoa-kale-patties.html

Snack

Here is the ultimate winner winner chicken dinner, the true flavor bomb. I have been drinking these after my workouts for the past few weeks and I can't get enough of them. It almost encourages me to work out more just so I can have one. 

These are the ingredients for a mocha peanut butter smoothie recipe from one of my favorite bloggers. It has some healthy stuff and some not so healthy stuff, but many of my favorite flavor combinations: chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee. 

I never knew what the deal was with putting spinach in smoothies, but you really can't taste it and it adds a lot of great texture. YUM. I already had one this morning and I want another one. Please do yourself a favor and go make one right now. Here is the recipe: http://www.pbfingers.com/2011/12/14/sneaking-in-vegetables/

Workout

Here is a great strength workout that has been my favorite for a couple weeks now. Sometimes I do a half hour of cardio (running or bike) before, or sometimes I incorporate some high intensity cardio in between the strength exercises. Whatever floats your boat. Choose your weight and reps, and I promise you will be sore the next day.

Squats

Bicep curls

Stationary lunges

Shoulder press

Pliet squats

Bent over rows

Walking lunges

Bent over shoulder flies

Single leg deadlifts

Tricep extensions

Squats with calf raises

Hammer curls

Deadlifts

Skull crusher

This weekend will be full of birthday celebrations, psychological evaluations at the clinic, and hopefully amazing music at Summerfest :) Happy eating!