Happy Reading!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Recycle Cosmetics
Not sure how many of you are obsesed with MAC cosmetics as much as I am, but here is some great news... If you don't already know, MAC takes your old, empty containers (face, lip, eye, etc.) and gives you a free lipstick in return! How great is that?! To get a free lipstick you have to take in 6, yes six, empty containers. It's that easy.
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Here is another recipe I'm trying. (It's in the crockpot as we speak)
Ingredients:
5-6 medium sized potatoes diced in cubes (peeled)
1/2 chopped onion
1 medium celery stalk, diced
1 carton (32 oz.) chicken stock
1 cup water
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup bacon pieces
4 medium green onion, sliced
How To:
Mix potatoes, stock, water, onion, and celery in crockpot
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours
In a small bowl mix flour and milk, stir into crockpot
Increase heat to high and recover, cooking 20-30 more minutes or until mixture thickens
Stir in cheese until melted
Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions and serve
Hope it turns out as yum as it sounds. I'll let ya know! ;)
Happy reading!
Ingredients:
5-6 medium sized potatoes diced in cubes (peeled)
1/2 chopped onion
1 medium celery stalk, diced
1 carton (32 oz.) chicken stock
1 cup water
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup bacon pieces
4 medium green onion, sliced
How To:
Mix potatoes, stock, water, onion, and celery in crockpot
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours
In a small bowl mix flour and milk, stir into crockpot
Increase heat to high and recover, cooking 20-30 more minutes or until mixture thickens
Stir in cheese until melted
Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions and serve
Hope it turns out as yum as it sounds. I'll let ya know! ;)
Happy reading!
Recipes Galore!
Since starting my student teaching (which, by the way I LOVE) I have tried to cook more so I have left overs to take for lunch. And its cheaper than eating out all the time. Thought I'd share a few recipes that I have found either via Pinterest or blogs I follow.
Peanut Sauce with Linguini and Broccoli
Pasta Ingredients:
Linguini noodles
Broccoli
2-3 coves of garlic
1 TBSP canola oil (or peanut oil)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
salt
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter (you could even use less, I probably will next time)
1/4-1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP molasses
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
How to:
If adding a protein, cook chicken and set on plate in microwave to keep warm
Bring large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily
Cook noodles until al-dente, drain, and set aside
In a wok over medium-high heat, add 1 TBSP oil and heat until glistening
Add broccoli (I also added shredded carrots) and give the wok a quick shake. Let cook 1-2 minutes
Add garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Stir until mostly evaporated
Set aside while you add peanut butter to a small sauce pan over medium-low heat
Add water and stir to combine
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and add the rest of the water until desired consistency.
Add noodles to wok with broccoli and carrots.
Pour sauce over noodles, chicken and veggies, stir until combined.
Serve hot
So yummy and made great left-overs!
Happy Reading!
Peanut Sauce with Linguini and Broccoli
Pasta Ingredients:
Linguini noodles
Broccoli
2-3 coves of garlic
1 TBSP canola oil (or peanut oil)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
salt
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter (you could even use less, I probably will next time)
1/4-1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP molasses
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
How to:
If adding a protein, cook chicken and set on plate in microwave to keep warm
Bring large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily
Cook noodles until al-dente, drain, and set aside
In a wok over medium-high heat, add 1 TBSP oil and heat until glistening
Add broccoli (I also added shredded carrots) and give the wok a quick shake. Let cook 1-2 minutes
Add garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Stir until mostly evaporated
Set aside while you add peanut butter to a small sauce pan over medium-low heat
Add water and stir to combine
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and add the rest of the water until desired consistency.
Add noodles to wok with broccoli and carrots.
Pour sauce over noodles, chicken and veggies, stir until combined.
Serve hot
So yummy and made great left-overs!
Happy Reading!
Friday, January 13, 2012
New Season
This post is coming from an anxious heart. As I begin to prepare myself mentally/emotionally for my very last semester as a college student I am feeling a mixture of emotions. Over break I have become a professional at being lazy and wasting time by doing nothing productive, but have enjoyed every minute of it! My body needed sleep and time to relax. Some days I got to spend time with friends and other days Milly and I kicked it by ourselves. During this time of doing absolutely nothing besides sitting on the couch, I found more blogs that have either drawn tears to my eyes because of how raw these women are with their struggles and triumphs, or they have inspired me to spend more time in the kitchen cooking new recipes. Their posts have helped me realize that I am in sort of a slump and needed to give my self a good ol' kick in the booty! They have also inspired me to write out my raw feelings in hopes that someone else is inspired but also as therapy for myself. So here goes...
Sometimes when life is really hectic it is hard to connect with God, yourself, friends, family, etc. I have found this to be true of my life last semester. So as I reflect on where my life currently is, my heart aches a little. Tonight I began thinking of what it means to be a college senior about to enter into my last semester, and frankly I'm scared out of my mind. It is scary how ready you are to grow up and finish different chapters, but at the same time grip onto those last few sentences of that chapter for dear life. Right now, I'm grippin' on for dear life.
These past four years have been exciting, yet scary. Beautiful, yet tainted. Fun and exhausting. I have traveled to a far away land, become a dog owner, made new friends, rekindled old friendships, made good decisions, I have even made some poor decisions. I witnessed a good friend walk down the aisle, celebrated with friends who got engaged, took road trips, grown in my faith, wrestled with God, I've cried and I've laughed. I watched my parents marriage crumble and seen my relationship grow beyond my imagination with my dad. There have been times where there was nothing else that I could do but to throw my arms in the air and worship my Savior and other times when I have sobbed wondering what God's plan was in the mess we call life. I have experienced things in the last four years that I hope no one else ever has to experience or go through, but through those challenging experiences I have learned so much and grown in ways I never would have without going through those things.
I have struggled personally and seen friends and family members struggle. Life lessons have been learned and joyous moments have a special place in my heart from these past four years. So as I think about where I am in this moment at this specific time I am asking myself why I feel so anxious and so distant. My biggest fear for this next semester is that I am not ready for all of this. There are so many deadlines and assignments to be completed. Can I keep up? Where has my positive attitude gone?
Through all of this I am reminded of these lyrics, "O what love, no greater love. Grace how can it be? That in my sin, yes even then, He shed His blood for me!" It's okay that I am feeling anxious/negative and distant from Him, because I know He has grace on me, even in my sin and fear. As long as I am turning to Him and seek His guidance in my life things will go according to HIS plan. He can give me the strength when I have none. He can give me a positive attitude when I am feeling negative. And He can grow me out of the pit and lead me down the path that He has carefully and thoughtfully planned for me. Praise the Lord for His grace! So from this moment I will CHOOSE to be positive and focus on the blessings in my life, because I am beyond blessed.
Happy Reading!
Sometimes when life is really hectic it is hard to connect with God, yourself, friends, family, etc. I have found this to be true of my life last semester. So as I reflect on where my life currently is, my heart aches a little. Tonight I began thinking of what it means to be a college senior about to enter into my last semester, and frankly I'm scared out of my mind. It is scary how ready you are to grow up and finish different chapters, but at the same time grip onto those last few sentences of that chapter for dear life. Right now, I'm grippin' on for dear life.
These past four years have been exciting, yet scary. Beautiful, yet tainted. Fun and exhausting. I have traveled to a far away land, become a dog owner, made new friends, rekindled old friendships, made good decisions, I have even made some poor decisions. I witnessed a good friend walk down the aisle, celebrated with friends who got engaged, took road trips, grown in my faith, wrestled with God, I've cried and I've laughed. I watched my parents marriage crumble and seen my relationship grow beyond my imagination with my dad. There have been times where there was nothing else that I could do but to throw my arms in the air and worship my Savior and other times when I have sobbed wondering what God's plan was in the mess we call life. I have experienced things in the last four years that I hope no one else ever has to experience or go through, but through those challenging experiences I have learned so much and grown in ways I never would have without going through those things.
I have struggled personally and seen friends and family members struggle. Life lessons have been learned and joyous moments have a special place in my heart from these past four years. So as I think about where I am in this moment at this specific time I am asking myself why I feel so anxious and so distant. My biggest fear for this next semester is that I am not ready for all of this. There are so many deadlines and assignments to be completed. Can I keep up? Where has my positive attitude gone?
Through all of this I am reminded of these lyrics, "O what love, no greater love. Grace how can it be? That in my sin, yes even then, He shed His blood for me!" It's okay that I am feeling anxious/negative and distant from Him, because I know He has grace on me, even in my sin and fear. As long as I am turning to Him and seek His guidance in my life things will go according to HIS plan. He can give me the strength when I have none. He can give me a positive attitude when I am feeling negative. And He can grow me out of the pit and lead me down the path that He has carefully and thoughtfully planned for me. Praise the Lord for His grace! So from this moment I will CHOOSE to be positive and focus on the blessings in my life, because I am beyond blessed.
Happy Reading!
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