it's friday!

i had an exam this morning, so my day started with my customary mocha from Suju's in an attempt to get my brain rockin' and rollin. i did okay.. it's done now. so i came hope to get going on david's birthday cake and in the process of pulling out the food pro to shred carrots, i cut the crap out of my finger. needless to say, it has made the rest of my day exceedingly more difficult than it could have been. hopefully it heals without needing stitches...

breakfast:
12 oz nonfat mocha
odwalla trail mix bar

lunch:
15 tortilla chips
3 mozzarella balls, chopped
1/4 cup pico de gallo

snack:
10 teddy grahams
2 tbsp chocolate chips

dinner:
pan-fried tilapia (dredged in whole wheat flour mixed with mccormick's lemon pepper seasoning, fried in a spoonful of olive oil)
ann-marie's chinese "chicken" salad (recipe below)

i was just about to go to sleep when i remembered this...
friday night munchies:
small bit of salad at olive garden
pomegranate martini
1 piece digiorno pizza
honest tea

Chinese "chicken" salad:
this is a party fave that came from my mom's best friend ann-marie. i'm putting it down as written, but for the same amount of veggies, i cut the dressing in half and it's PLENTY. when making it for just myself and kris, i half the dressing again as well as the rest of the ingredients, add shredded carrots and omit the almonds. i also 'fry' the ramen noodles with some pam, just enough to get the powder to stick.. rather than adding extra butter, and i use grapeseed oil (more heart healthy) for the 'salad oil'.

16oz bag shredded cabbage (or you can shred your own- 1 large head cabbage)
6 green onions - chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 pkgs. Chicken Top Ramen
1 to 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup butter

Melt butter in large pan, add sesame oil, and chicken flavor packet from Top Ramen
Crush Top Ramen and add to pan...brown and set aside to cool.

Dressing - mix together and chill
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp.each-salt & pepper

Right before serving, Mix shredded cabbage, almonds, onions, ramen noodles and dressing.
Toss & Serve!

day 3

so i'm still uber siiiiiiiiiiiiick... and spent the entire day home, studying at the kitchen table. these are the days when it's tough not to CONSTANTLY snack, being that i'm sitting in the kitchen all day.. the food calling out to me. "eat me! eat me!" so here we go:

breakfast:
coffee w/ 2tbsp creamer
0% greek yogurt w/ 1Tbsp raspberry preserves
1/2 cup hemp plus granola

snack:
4 ritz crackers (again.. i have a problem)

lunch:
pita bbq chicken pizza (see below)
2 shortbread cookies

dinner:
grilled cheese sandwich (on whole wheat sourdough, using reduced fat shredded cheese)
1 cup tomato bisque
leftover "superfood" smoothie from yesterday

as you can see, my fruit/vegetable intake has been drastically low since i started this... that is for a few reasons: i haven't been to the produce stand in over a week, i've been sick and home-ridden (i was sent home from clinicals both days this week), and i have an exam tomorrow. excuses, excuses.. but i think i've done okay. goal for next week: INCREASE VEGGIE INTAKE. the fact that i had spirulina powder in my superfood yesterday and today makes me feel a little better...

pita bbq pork pizza:
1 pita
2 Tbsp bbq sauce
1/4 cup shredded lite mozzarella cheese
3oz shredded pork (or chicken)
chopped red onion

top pita with ingredients in order, and broil in oven (or toaster oven) on medium for 5-6 minutes... or until cheese is melted.

day 2

i'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!
i have to say, i spent a lot of time thinking about how i promised to blog my menu again... so i think it helped. kind of.

breakfast:
vegan cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic (it was uh-mazing.. and i don't even feel bad)

lunch:
homemade superfood (recipe below.. kinda)
1 cup multigrain cheerios
handful hemp plus granola

snack:
4 ritz crackers (i forced myself to stop)

dinner:
barbacua salad from chipotle
10 tortilla chips

not too shabby... in the morning i actually did make myself coffee, but was feeling so crappy that i didn't drink it. and.. note: when i ate the cheerios and granola, what i REALLY wanted was a big fat bowl of cookies. but i held back, and was really proud of myself.

I HEART SUPERFOOD!!!! my superfood smoothie didn't turn out quite as well as i would have hoped.. but i think that's because my ratios were off. i needed more OJ and less frozen fruit. it was kinda watery-tasting.

2 cups mixed frozen fruit (i used a blend of strawberries, banana, mango, & papaya)
1 cup OJ
1 1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder (this is what makes the odwalla superfood green!)

put fruit and juice in blender, and gradually add spirulina powder while blending is going. i was worried it would clump, so i mixed it with some juice and poured it in. i'll adjust my ratio next time, but overall this was my attempt to stop spending $3 for the odwalla drinks at the store.

hasta manana!

menu.

so here i am, attempting to get my brain to concentrate on community vs. public health.. and all i can think about is my belly hanging over my pajama bottoms. i try to eat healthy for the most part, but i think my problem is quantity.. and sweets. okay, maybe i'm not as healthy as i thought lol. being that it's the first of the month (anyone else here bone thugs in their head right now??), i've decided to attempt to blog my daily menu every day to try and keep myself accountable for what i'm eating.

hey.. maybe i'll even fit some physical exercise in here and there...

breakfast:
coffee w/ 3tbsp peppermint mocha creamer
mcdonalds oatmeal

snack:
1 cup 1% chocolate milk w/ chocolate chip cookie

lunch:
2 eggrolls

dinner:
wonton soup w/ added tofu
1/3 pork vietnamese sandwich

dessert:
2 pieces mochi

try not to judge.. i didn't start my day planning to blab to the world about my healthy food choices (can you hear the sarcasm??). man i feel super gross now. i seriously spend the middle part of my day fueled by sugar and deep fried deliciousness. wow. the only bonus points i can give myself are to the fact that i did actually measure my creamer and milk out of habit. go me!

here's to day 2!

Make-up review, Luna Twilight palettes.

In honor of Bella's birthday.. omg. I know, I'm such a super dork.. I decided to post my make-up review of Luna Twilight's palettes inspired by the women of Twilight. When I first saw this collection come out, I freaked. I love Twilight and all things Twilight.. but everything was pretty pricy! So I held off until I found a 25% off coupon from this website.. and went to town! Okay, not really. I wanted EVERYTHING.. but I held back and got the Rosalie and Bella palettes.

As you can see, they are pretty small.. about the size of a credit card.. but they're perfect for stashing in your purse for an emergency touch up. I normally wear quite a bit of make-up, but I wanted to really be true to these colors, so I only used some clinique tinted moisterizer, a mac powerpoint (waterproof) eye pencil in 'duck', and maybelline's lash stiletto mascara in black (which i LOVE, btw).

I didn't take a picture of the Bella palette, this is Rosalie. On the left are two lip glosses, then two shadows, then a blush. Obviously very pink-toned, and the shadows are very sparkly (LOVE!). The colors were very light, and since that first try I have used the mac 'paints' to increase the pigment on the shadow. Here's me wearing Rosalie:

and closer. I really like the pink cheeks and the sparkly-ness of the shadow. The glosses aren't very dark, but that's fine with me since I'm not a lipstick-wearing kind of girl. I like them more than any other gloss I've used. They go on smooth, aren't sticky, and don't taste funny. Perfect!

Below is me wearing Bella. The shades are even more au-natural.. and 'earth-toned'. The shadows aren't quite as sparkly, and the blush is very nude. It's a perfect summer palette.. and I actually prefer the nude-toned lip glosses over the pinks of Rosalie.

 

Overall, I've been very pleased with them.. and I use them all the time. I would definitely recommend some sort of primer on your eyes and face to increase the pigments a bit. The shadows are pretty loose, so the powder will get on the mirror.. but that's nothing a swipe with a kleenex won't fix. It makes me smile to open up my make-up bag and see my Twilight palettes. What can I say? I have a minor obsession..

second most-requested recipe...

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a serial baker.. and therefore, most of the recipes people request from me are for cupcakes, cakes, cookies, etc. My most-requested recipe is here if you're interested. ;)

However, recently many people have been requesting the recipe for my mom's taco casserole. I think she actually refers to it as "mexican casserole" .. but you catch my drift. It's super yummy, and can easily be modified to suit your tastes. For example, I use brummel and brown yogurt spread instead of butter, 94/6 ground beef or higher, and the light shredded cheese blend from trader joe's. However, I'll write it out as given to me by my mom.. since it is her recipe. That being said.. it's not very exact. lol.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE.. adapted from the kitchen of Nancy Eitel.. <3
this recipe is written for a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.

2 lbs ground beef
2 packets taco seasoning
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis (such as rotel)
2 cans sliced black olives, drained (or you can slice the whole ones yourself.. i'm lazy)
fresh cilantro, chopped*
1 pack large corn tortillas
butter
1 bag shredded mexican cheese blend

*optional, i know a lot of people don't like cilantro

Butter both sides of the corn tortillas, you will use about 4 per layer, depending on the size. Each layer will kind of look like this.. pardon my horrible illustration.

okay.. i'll admit.. i had fun with it. see the tomatoes and olives and cheese?! yes, that's cheese sprinkled on top of the buttered tortillas. lol.

Anyways, what I'm getting at is that you'll have to cut some of the tortillas in half to get them to fit right in the dish.. Also, I don't really know what happens when you don't butter the tortillas.. let me know if you try doing it that way. Set the buttered tortillas aside while you cook the beef mixture.

Brown ground beef in a large pan, drain, and add seasoning according to package instructions. If you want, you can use less water than called for, and add the cans of tomatoes without draining. Simmer the ground beef/tomato mixture until most of the moisture is gone, then add the olives, reserving a handful for the top of the casserole. Remove the ground beef from the heat, and stir in some chopped fresh cilantro to taste.

Now you're ready to assemble! Be sure to spray the dish with nonstick spray. Layer tortillas, cheese, ground beef (enough to cover the tortillas), and repeat. I think I've put the cheese on top of the beef mixture in some cases.. I doubt it matters. Keep layering until you run out of beef. It will probably be about 4 layers, and make sure you end with a layer of tortillas. On the top, sprinkle some shredded cheese and the reserved olives.

I think the last time I made it I baked it, covered with foil, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, removed the foil, and baked it an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese browned a little bit. The key is I think. It's all cooked, it basically just needs to be heated through. Also, my mom told me that when she makes it she adds about a half cup of water inside the pan, around the edges, to prevent the tortillas from burning. I've never done this.. and I've never had a problem. After removing it from the oven, sprinkle on some fresh cilantro for garnish. ENJOY! yummm...

PLEASE don't hesitate to make changes.. there have been times where I've thrown a bunch of extra stuff into the beef mixture. (i.e. my mom doesn't put in the rotel or the cilantro, but I thought it sounded good, and I also usually add chili powder since my bf likes stuff spicy). I hope you like it!

Finally!

So I finally found my camera cord.. and I can post again! I guess you can blame my hiatus on nursing school as well.. considering I haven't posted since BEFORE I started my summer school class.. and now it's over. It was fun to finally study something I'm really interested in and know that I will be applying to my career. I've also been distracted by the logistics of school. I have to deal with financial aid for the first time (since I have the most amazing parents and they paid for my undergraduate education, I didn't have to deal with it.. and everything I've taken since then I've paid for using my salary from my job at Packard).

Needless to say, it's been stressful. I don't qualify for grants since I have a bachelor's degree (yes, in many instances I have felt punished for having a degree.. this definitely isn't the first time).. so I have to get loans.. ugh. And mostly that's because my job won't let me decrease my hours. That means i'll have to go relief/per diem, which means I will no longer be getting benefits, and there's no guarantees to how many hours will be available to me each week. The good thing about that is that I don't have to work if I don't want to (because of exams, clinicals, etc), but I don't have a steady paycheck to pay for school/rent/insurance. So loans it is. I still haven't even told my work I'm going relief, but I'm waiting to make sure Kris will be able to add me to his insurance.. which is something he's kinda freaking out about. He says he's stressing about feeling like he's responsible for supporting me. I understand where's he's coming from, but it's not like this is a fling.. we've been together for, oh.. 8 1/2 years now. But still.. I do get it. And I so love him for being as supportive as he has been while I go back to school when he's ready to really start our lives together. I'm truly fortunate to have him.

So.. after all my excitement I realized my camera is sitting at home.. and I have all these pictures of stuff I've done lately. Like yummy food I've cooked, and cupcakes from my first big event, a wedding! So, I'll have to steal from facebook. I'll be right back.

Well, not right back.. it's been about an hour. But I found them, courtesy of my friend Renee (a bridesmaid in the wedding), who took the photos. Here's a close-up of the top. The red velvet cupcake (with cream cheese frosting) is topped with an iridescent purple flower with purple dragees. I really loved doing these because purple is my absolute faaaavorite color.

The flowers are made of colored gumpaste, which I formed using a make-shift foil flower former instead of an expensive one from the store. lol. I painted the flowers using purple lustre-dust, which I also used to color the dragees (they were initially white, like the one in the center of the flower). Here's a photo of them all boxed and ready to be gobbled up by the guests!

It was stressful, but fun.. now that I'm in school I don't think I'll be saying yes to any weddings for a while.. ^_^