Coming My Way
I guess my body wants me to slow down even more, because I woke up this morning with a sore throat, and I know it’s got to be Matt’s sickness coming my way. He’s been out of commission for 3 days so. I hope that’s not a preview of what’s to come.
On a more positive note, I did discover a delicious new crock pot meal! I found this recipe for curried lentils and sweet potatoes in a magazine.
Despite it’s appearance, it was flavorful. It reminded me of my beloved boxed Indian meals from Trader Joe’s. The recipe recommended serving the lentils over rice, but it already seemed like a lot of mush to me. So, I had it with a piece of naan instead. Sweet potatoes are the best – one of those foods like peanut butter, where I can’t believe it’s actually good for you.
Guys, only one real day, one teacher work day, and three meetings stand in the way of me and spring break. And Easter is coming too. SO much to look forward to!!
xoxo
Read MoreBootcamp
I finally tried morning bootcamp at the Y! I’ve been walking by for many weeks now, on the way to spinning, and I finally found the energy to try it. Of course, it was the one day the class was designed as a partner workout, so I was that awkward new girl who knew no one. But a nice girl agreed to be my partner, not knowing that I’m not in bootcamp shape. She was a tiny little thing, but she was super strong and definitely pushed me. We did stations with burpees, push-ups, box jumps, partner sit-ups, mountain-climbers, sprints, and running with resistance. It was a tough class, but I like it a lot and will definitely go again.
The only real negative was that my tail bone was killing me during the sit-ups – we were using weights, so I was perched up on it for quite a while. I didn’t think much of it after it was over, but when I got in the shower, I felt a horrible pain around my tail bone – like a a stinging insect in the crevice. I guess my form was poor and my skin was rubbing against the mat as I sat up and down because all the skin around the bone was rubbed raw and gone. Gross.
Anyway, it was nice to work out in the morning because I had a teeth cleaning this afternoon. It’s been almost two years since I’ve had them cleaned [whoops], and the hygienist said, aside from coffee stains, I’m doing pretty well!
Dinner was simmering away in the crock pot this evening when I returned. Pork is my favorite thing to slow-cook, so I was excited to find this recipe that pairs pork with plantains. I didn’t mash the plantains though – just sliced them and cooked in coconut oil. When Matt saw his plate, he asked me where the rice was! We love our rice bowls.
This was totally awesome though and I LOVED the combination! Made me want to go to Puerto Rico.
Time is flying my friends. I’m off to bed so I can tackle another Thursday.
Read MoreWhat I’m Loving
I feel like I’m in this peaceful period – the calm before the storm. This winter has been relatively slow in terms of plans and events, and while I know things are about to be super busy, I’ve just been enjoying going to work, slowly making my way through the giant to-do list that is the wedding, and taking pleasure in the slow pace of the cold season. Here’s what I’ve been loving lately:
- I’ve been trying to work out in the mornings 2 or so days a week, so that I can better utilize my time in the evening. I really can’t even describe how wonderful it feels to get home from work and not have to think about going anywhere. I’ve always hated evening workouts, and I’m especially appreciating getting cozy at night during the winter. A few years ago, I would have been bored at home or craving happy hour, but these days, there’s nothing better than being warm on the couch with free time. The best nights involve Downton Abby (I’m stuck now btw because Netflix doesn’t have season 2) or a movie.
- Caitlin’s cornbread quiche. I love that this is easy, delicious, produces leftovers, and can be made with essentially any toppings. I keep coming back to it over and over again.
- Wedding planning, while quite stressful and sometimes annoying, is so fun. For the most part, I’ve really enjoyed the process and I’m starting to realize that I’m a very visual person. I love just looking. The flowers, colors, patterns, paper, dresses, shoes are all so darn beautiful these days, that wedding browsing has become my favorite way to waste time. Even though I’ve already planned so many of the details, I still want to look!
- Date night. There’s just nothing quite like a good one-on-one date (I would be terrible on The Bachelor). It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with going out to dinner, but one of the reasons I love it so much is because it allows for quality time without all the distractions of work, school, or life. Matt and I had great conversation just sitting at the bar on Friday night, and it felt so refreshing after a long week.
- Wine. Every year, after I’ve had every imaginable chocolate porter, coffee stout, pumpkin ale, and winter barley wine during the holidays, I start to crave a little break from beer. And then I have a glass of juicy red wine and remember that I adore wine too! My love for beer just sometimes overpowers it and I have to go on a wine kick to rekindle the flame.
What’s something simple that you’re loving about life?
Read MoreSweet + Sour
I didn’t even know I’d reached a milestone until this arrived today! Whoohoo, only 80 more days of school.
I haven’t really talked about my job much because, well, we know I don’t love it:) But really, it’s going well. There are still plenty of days that I feel ehh about the whole school psychology thing. I’m just much more interested in mental health than special education. But most of the time I feel neutral about it. I do really enjoy the people I work with. And I like having responsibility and independence. Most of all, I like being in the school environment. I’m still craving more of something, but the problem is (and always has been) that I’m not sure what the next step might be in order to turn the corner in my career path.
Moving on…
Matt made dinner! In the crockpot that is. He assesmbed Kath’s pineapple chicken this morning and it turned out beautifully. I sure do love chunks of pineapple and the combination of sweet + sour.
Not having to cook dinner will never get old.
Happy 100 days of school friends!
A Lucky Dinner
Given how late we were out Monday, and how much I drank, yesterday was a very very lazy day! We watched some movie about rescuing whales and did a whole lotta nothing. I realized that this is the first New Year’s that I’ve been at home, with my own kitchen, since high school (and back then I didn’t have my own kitchen!). So, I decided to cook a southern New Year’s Day dinner and invited my parents over. They brought the wine:)
I knew I wanted black-eye peas for prosperity, pork for positive motion, greens for wealth, and cornbread for gold!
I found a wonderful recipe for black-eyed pea jambalaya. It was pretty easy and really flavorful and spicy.
Cornbread muffins were from the TJ’s mix:
And we made turnip greens that were braised with bacon, white wine, and chicken broth. Matt was in charge of the greens and they were the best we’ve ever made (well, we’ve rarely attempted).
Who knows if these New Years foods will bring us any luck, but it seems like a good year to give it a try!
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Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?