Colorado 2019!
7 years ago
Saturday, October 29, 2011
New!
I added a new side thinger - you guys can now see my running progress/not progress... Haha. Check it out and hold me to it!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Oodles of Noodles
I'm super excited!!! Only 2 more days of working at IHC and then I start my job at the University on Tuesday. I can't wait!
I am, however, interested in seeing how this is going to effect my cooking. I haven't had a full time job working away from home in a long time. With working from home, sometimes I'd take my 15 minute break or a 5 minute break or whatever and use that time to throw something in the oven or in someway prepare for dinner that night. Crockpot meals are good, but I get a little anal about not being home to check on them... so we'll see how it goes.
Got some more meatless meals for you though.
Spicy Kale Lasagna - I am a big fan of Annie's Eats. The only problem is that a lot of her recipes are labor intensive and contain a lot of ingredients. If you put forth the effort, it's usually worth it, but most of the time I don't want to put forth the effort. This meal came together quick and easy and I really liked it. Next time, I will probably make 2 pans of this and let what we don't eat cool and firm up to be wrapped in individual portions in foil and put in the freezer for quick meals or lunches later. Justin and I got about 5 meals out of 1 pan. Two changes, I only used 2 cups of cottage cheese because I thought that 4 was way too much. I also used the cheese I had on hand, which was Colby. I really don't understand how people buy so many different cheeses, they're so expensive! It also might be nice to add some zucchini or some other vegetables in, but it was filling and good as is.
Roasted Zucchini Pasta - This was REALLY good and a big hit with Justin. I think in the summer some added tomatoes would be nice, but besides that I wouldn't change a thing. It makes a lot so be prepared to love your leftovers. It tasted even better the next day! This site has quite a few meatless meals that look rather tasty.
Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes - So I have to say... I didn't like this meal. The only reason I'm putting it up here is because Justin LOVED it. He said it was up there with the best things I've made... I thought the spaghetti squash was too much work, and I also didn't like the texture. I'm going to try the same ingredients again, only with regular pasta instead and I'm sure that will work out better. As a side note, the chicken I made to go with this was actually really good. I'm still planning on going mostly meatless, but its nice to know I'm not as limited in my choices... for now at least. Who knows how I'll feel tomorrow.
Look to the sidebar to see what I've got coming up. You might see something that you'll wanna try!
I am, however, interested in seeing how this is going to effect my cooking. I haven't had a full time job working away from home in a long time. With working from home, sometimes I'd take my 15 minute break or a 5 minute break or whatever and use that time to throw something in the oven or in someway prepare for dinner that night. Crockpot meals are good, but I get a little anal about not being home to check on them... so we'll see how it goes.
Got some more meatless meals for you though.
Spicy Kale Lasagna - I am a big fan of Annie's Eats. The only problem is that a lot of her recipes are labor intensive and contain a lot of ingredients. If you put forth the effort, it's usually worth it, but most of the time I don't want to put forth the effort. This meal came together quick and easy and I really liked it. Next time, I will probably make 2 pans of this and let what we don't eat cool and firm up to be wrapped in individual portions in foil and put in the freezer for quick meals or lunches later. Justin and I got about 5 meals out of 1 pan. Two changes, I only used 2 cups of cottage cheese because I thought that 4 was way too much. I also used the cheese I had on hand, which was Colby. I really don't understand how people buy so many different cheeses, they're so expensive! It also might be nice to add some zucchini or some other vegetables in, but it was filling and good as is.
Roasted Zucchini Pasta - This was REALLY good and a big hit with Justin. I think in the summer some added tomatoes would be nice, but besides that I wouldn't change a thing. It makes a lot so be prepared to love your leftovers. It tasted even better the next day! This site has quite a few meatless meals that look rather tasty.
Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes - So I have to say... I didn't like this meal. The only reason I'm putting it up here is because Justin LOVED it. He said it was up there with the best things I've made... I thought the spaghetti squash was too much work, and I also didn't like the texture. I'm going to try the same ingredients again, only with regular pasta instead and I'm sure that will work out better. As a side note, the chicken I made to go with this was actually really good. I'm still planning on going mostly meatless, but its nice to know I'm not as limited in my choices... for now at least. Who knows how I'll feel tomorrow.
Look to the sidebar to see what I've got coming up. You might see something that you'll wanna try!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
For YaY!
I already changed this on Fb, so some of you know - but I thought I'd make it blogger official. As on November 1, I will be working at the University of Utah at the John Moran Eye Center. I'm going to be a Medical Secretary working for 2 pediatric ophthalmologists. As a Medical Secretary, I'll be doing transcription for these 2 doctors, as well as answering phones, arranging travel plans, and other secretarial duties.
I am so excited.
In some ways I'm really sad to leave IHC. I've made a lot of friends there. Funny to say that I've made a lot of friends when I work from home with only my computer to talk to. Whenever we stumble upon a word we can't understand or a word we don't know, we can IM another work-at-home transcriptionist to help us out, which usually leads to us complaining about that particular doctor and sometimes, an actual conversation - which leads to Fb friendships and etc., etc., etc. Even in my secluded environment, I managed to find wonderful friends who love me and accept me for who I really am. I'm REALLY hoping I won't lose this.
On the other hand, IHC as a whole is not the greatest company to work for. Most of their staff is underpaid and overworked. In the medical transcription department, we're paid on production. So that means that you can work for 8 hours straight, but if it was a particularly rough day or there were technical difficulties, etc., you ate that time and money. You have a whole slew of doctors that get frustrated at you for their own mistakes and supervisors who try to advocate for you, but their higher-ups aren't listening and the doctors... well, most people know how doctors are.
I'm also excited to wake up every day and get ready, make myself presentable for the world. Justin and I went to Maurices and bought me a whole new professional wardrobe - and I'm going to be stylin. I'm excited to be working with real people and interacting on a face to face basis with supervisors and bosses. I know that this will bring its own set of problems, but I also know it will bring its own advantages.
I am ready to move on.
November 1, here I come!
I am so excited.
In some ways I'm really sad to leave IHC. I've made a lot of friends there. Funny to say that I've made a lot of friends when I work from home with only my computer to talk to. Whenever we stumble upon a word we can't understand or a word we don't know, we can IM another work-at-home transcriptionist to help us out, which usually leads to us complaining about that particular doctor and sometimes, an actual conversation - which leads to Fb friendships and etc., etc., etc. Even in my secluded environment, I managed to find wonderful friends who love me and accept me for who I really am. I'm REALLY hoping I won't lose this.
On the other hand, IHC as a whole is not the greatest company to work for. Most of their staff is underpaid and overworked. In the medical transcription department, we're paid on production. So that means that you can work for 8 hours straight, but if it was a particularly rough day or there were technical difficulties, etc., you ate that time and money. You have a whole slew of doctors that get frustrated at you for their own mistakes and supervisors who try to advocate for you, but their higher-ups aren't listening and the doctors... well, most people know how doctors are.
I'm also excited to wake up every day and get ready, make myself presentable for the world. Justin and I went to Maurices and bought me a whole new professional wardrobe - and I'm going to be stylin. I'm excited to be working with real people and interacting on a face to face basis with supervisors and bosses. I know that this will bring its own set of problems, but I also know it will bring its own advantages.
I am ready to move on.
November 1, here I come!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Going Vegetarian... part of the way
So... I've basically become a vegetarian. Believe me, it's a shock to me as well. I've mentioned before that I've been having a hard time with chicken lately to the point that I can't eat it (except for whatever my brother's girlfriend, Nerissa, makes - because let's face it, she's amazing), but it seems to have gone much further than that. Not only do I not want to eat chicken, I also don't want to eat steak. This is a HUGE shocker - because I am (or was) a steak kind of girl.
This all started about the time that Emi and I separated. I doubt that has anything to do with it, but due to the stress of the whole thing - I rarely ate (I remember eating 1 piece of bread, and that was it, for a whole day) and for about 6 months had next to no appetite. I remember heading to Applebees with a friend and I got my favorite thing there, the Ribeye steak with shrimp and Parmesan on top. I took a couple of bites and was on the verge of being sick. Not because there was anything wrong with it or that it wasn't of the usual high quality that I like - I just didn't want the meat. The same thing happened when I made Justin and I some salmon earlier this year. I'm tolerating ground beef more than anything - and have had some success with steak and pork in a stir fry (with lots of vegetables and rice). So, when I was planning out our meals I told Justin that I thought I was going vegetarian. Luckily, he agreed. He said that it would probably be better for our diets to treat meat as a luxury instead of a staple.
The other added bonus to this is the price tag. I keep a very stocked pantry so unless you do, you can't really quote me on this, but for 2 weeks worth of meals I spent $25. The next time I spent $35, but I did buy some sausage and some sun-dried tomatoes and I planned an extra meal than normal. That is $60 on a months worth of food for 2 people.
Anyway, to my point: Here are some vegetarian meals that I've already made and had success with.
Super Bean Burritos - This recipe made 16 burritos and we still have about 9 of them in the freezer. Justin has been taking them for lunch and we've had them for a quick meal as well. Not to mention, I really like the way they taste. Only one change, I switched out the beans for kidney beans as those are Justin's favorite and what we have stocked in the pantry from Costco.
Tomato Bisque Soup - This was my first experience with Butternut Squash and I'm hooked. My first taste of this really hit the spot. This is restaurant quality stuff. You. Must. Try. The only thing I did differently is that I didn't want to spend the money on half and half (I'm that cheap!) because I had 2 oz of cream cheese in my fridge that needed a home. So I let that soften, cut it up into chunks, and stirred it in with some milk. I served this with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping and some whole wheat Saltines. Delicious.
White Bean and Sausage Ragout - This is my "part of the way." You hardly even noticed the sausage in this dish because it was so full of beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and kale. A ragout is comparable to a stew for those who don't know (I certainly didn't...) and it was really good. The zucchini was Justin's favorite part. If you wanted to go vegetarian, you could probably replace the sausage with tofu or leave it out entirely since you've got beans for a source of protein and fiber.
Here's what I've got coming up next:
Roasted Zucchini Pasta
Spicy Kale Lasagna
Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes (another halfway and attempt at me liking chicken)
Obviously, I'll need to do some more research on going vegetarian to ensure that we're still getting the nutrients that we need that we'll be missing out on from the meat, but so far my belly is full and my taste buds are happy.
This all started about the time that Emi and I separated. I doubt that has anything to do with it, but due to the stress of the whole thing - I rarely ate (I remember eating 1 piece of bread, and that was it, for a whole day) and for about 6 months had next to no appetite. I remember heading to Applebees with a friend and I got my favorite thing there, the Ribeye steak with shrimp and Parmesan on top. I took a couple of bites and was on the verge of being sick. Not because there was anything wrong with it or that it wasn't of the usual high quality that I like - I just didn't want the meat. The same thing happened when I made Justin and I some salmon earlier this year. I'm tolerating ground beef more than anything - and have had some success with steak and pork in a stir fry (with lots of vegetables and rice). So, when I was planning out our meals I told Justin that I thought I was going vegetarian. Luckily, he agreed. He said that it would probably be better for our diets to treat meat as a luxury instead of a staple.
The other added bonus to this is the price tag. I keep a very stocked pantry so unless you do, you can't really quote me on this, but for 2 weeks worth of meals I spent $25. The next time I spent $35, but I did buy some sausage and some sun-dried tomatoes and I planned an extra meal than normal. That is $60 on a months worth of food for 2 people.
Anyway, to my point: Here are some vegetarian meals that I've already made and had success with.
Super Bean Burritos - This recipe made 16 burritos and we still have about 9 of them in the freezer. Justin has been taking them for lunch and we've had them for a quick meal as well. Not to mention, I really like the way they taste. Only one change, I switched out the beans for kidney beans as those are Justin's favorite and what we have stocked in the pantry from Costco.
Tomato Bisque Soup - This was my first experience with Butternut Squash and I'm hooked. My first taste of this really hit the spot. This is restaurant quality stuff. You. Must. Try. The only thing I did differently is that I didn't want to spend the money on half and half (I'm that cheap!) because I had 2 oz of cream cheese in my fridge that needed a home. So I let that soften, cut it up into chunks, and stirred it in with some milk. I served this with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping and some whole wheat Saltines. Delicious.
White Bean and Sausage Ragout - This is my "part of the way." You hardly even noticed the sausage in this dish because it was so full of beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and kale. A ragout is comparable to a stew for those who don't know (I certainly didn't...) and it was really good. The zucchini was Justin's favorite part. If you wanted to go vegetarian, you could probably replace the sausage with tofu or leave it out entirely since you've got beans for a source of protein and fiber.
Here's what I've got coming up next:
Roasted Zucchini Pasta
Spicy Kale Lasagna
Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes (another halfway and attempt at me liking chicken)
Obviously, I'll need to do some more research on going vegetarian to ensure that we're still getting the nutrients that we need that we'll be missing out on from the meat, but so far my belly is full and my taste buds are happy.
Friday, October 7, 2011
1 year
A year ago today, Justin and I went on our first date and 3 days later, we decided to be exclusive so October 10 is our official anniversary.
Techinically, I met Justin at a party down in Utah Valley sometime in September 2010 with the group of atheists/struggling Mormons/etc. I remember walking in the kitchen to get a drink and Justin was standing on the other side of the counter. He looked right at me and I smiled, but he didn't respond so I imagine he must have been thinking about something. I thought he was gorgeous and to this day, still think that Justin is the most attractive man I've ever met in real life. He was WAY out of my league. I was also at the party with another boy so I didn't actually talk to him.
About 2 weeks later, I had told the other boy I wasn't interested and had decided that I was done dating for awhile having dated 4 boys in the last 2 months, 3 of which belonged to this group. The beginning of October, Justin, having a lot of mutual friends with me, added me on facebook. We had a brief conversation one night, but I didn't think much of it. A couple of days later, I got a message from him asking me if I wanted to hang out that night. I was training for a 10k and going running with my dad so I asked for a rain check and he asked for my number.
The next day, October 7, he sent me a text asking me if I was going to be running that night too. I said no and he told me he'd come up to Salt Lake to pick me up. I was pretty nervous since I'd never ACTUALLY talked to him in person, but I was really excited too. That night, he came and picked me up and couldn't find my brother's condo. I walked out front to where he was and he walked towards me and gave me a hug. He was wearing this black argyle sweater and his glasses. He was adorable.
We went downtown to the gateway, did a little shopping/looking around, ate dinner at Edo Japan (my choice! yum!), and then went and saw the movie Easy A. Afterwards, we went to Murray Park, walked around and talked until we eventually got kicked out by the police for being in the park after 10:00. I REALLY liked him. He drove me home and told me he'd text me the next day.
The next day Justin texted me as promised and I was having a pretty busy morning. My brother's friends were getting married and he had forgotten something at home so I had to run down to Salt Lake to give it to him and to be honest, I didn't want to appear too eager. Eventually, I got a 2nd text from him saying something like, "Amy, I'm going to kick your butt. Answer me!" Haha - so I replied back that it had been a busy morning, but that I was wondering if he wanted to get together again that night. I went down to Orem to see him and we watched a movie. I had my 10k the next day so it was pretty silly of me to go down there that night, but I did and I'm SO glad I did. He kissed me - and it was a really good night.
The next morning when I got to Thanksgiving Point for my 10k, I had a text on my phone from Justin that say, "Try not to die, I'm getting rather fond of you." Haha.
On Sunday, we decided to go hiking to Stewart Falls and on the way up there we had a DTR. We both weren't necessarily looking for a serious relationship, but neither one of us wanted the other person to be seeing other people. Kind of a funny situation, but it appeared that both of us were hooked. We ended up skipping on Stewart Falls because it was too cold and just headed back to Justin's place. A couple of days later we did end up going to Stewart Falls and Justin made me climb all over the place. It was pretty scary, but he was impressed with how I handled the whole thing. While we were up there on the falls, he told me that he was falling in love with me. It all happened very fast and I didn't say it back at the time. It took me about 2 more weeks to let him know how I was feeling.
And now, here we are a year later. It seems like this happened yesterday, but it also feels like a lifetime away.
I pretty much love that boy.
Techinically, I met Justin at a party down in Utah Valley sometime in September 2010 with the group of atheists/struggling Mormons/etc. I remember walking in the kitchen to get a drink and Justin was standing on the other side of the counter. He looked right at me and I smiled, but he didn't respond so I imagine he must have been thinking about something. I thought he was gorgeous and to this day, still think that Justin is the most attractive man I've ever met in real life. He was WAY out of my league. I was also at the party with another boy so I didn't actually talk to him.
About 2 weeks later, I had told the other boy I wasn't interested and had decided that I was done dating for awhile having dated 4 boys in the last 2 months, 3 of which belonged to this group. The beginning of October, Justin, having a lot of mutual friends with me, added me on facebook. We had a brief conversation one night, but I didn't think much of it. A couple of days later, I got a message from him asking me if I wanted to hang out that night. I was training for a 10k and going running with my dad so I asked for a rain check and he asked for my number.
The next day, October 7, he sent me a text asking me if I was going to be running that night too. I said no and he told me he'd come up to Salt Lake to pick me up. I was pretty nervous since I'd never ACTUALLY talked to him in person, but I was really excited too. That night, he came and picked me up and couldn't find my brother's condo. I walked out front to where he was and he walked towards me and gave me a hug. He was wearing this black argyle sweater and his glasses. He was adorable.
We went downtown to the gateway, did a little shopping/looking around, ate dinner at Edo Japan (my choice! yum!), and then went and saw the movie Easy A. Afterwards, we went to Murray Park, walked around and talked until we eventually got kicked out by the police for being in the park after 10:00. I REALLY liked him. He drove me home and told me he'd text me the next day.
The next day Justin texted me as promised and I was having a pretty busy morning. My brother's friends were getting married and he had forgotten something at home so I had to run down to Salt Lake to give it to him and to be honest, I didn't want to appear too eager. Eventually, I got a 2nd text from him saying something like, "Amy, I'm going to kick your butt. Answer me!" Haha - so I replied back that it had been a busy morning, but that I was wondering if he wanted to get together again that night. I went down to Orem to see him and we watched a movie. I had my 10k the next day so it was pretty silly of me to go down there that night, but I did and I'm SO glad I did. He kissed me - and it was a really good night.
The next morning when I got to Thanksgiving Point for my 10k, I had a text on my phone from Justin that say, "Try not to die, I'm getting rather fond of you." Haha.
On Sunday, we decided to go hiking to Stewart Falls and on the way up there we had a DTR. We both weren't necessarily looking for a serious relationship, but neither one of us wanted the other person to be seeing other people. Kind of a funny situation, but it appeared that both of us were hooked. We ended up skipping on Stewart Falls because it was too cold and just headed back to Justin's place. A couple of days later we did end up going to Stewart Falls and Justin made me climb all over the place. It was pretty scary, but he was impressed with how I handled the whole thing. While we were up there on the falls, he told me that he was falling in love with me. It all happened very fast and I didn't say it back at the time. It took me about 2 more weeks to let him know how I was feeling.
And now, here we are a year later. It seems like this happened yesterday, but it also feels like a lifetime away.
I pretty much love that boy.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Recipe Review - White Bean and Tuna Salad
So I decided I'm gonna do recipe reviews from time to time to share with you all. I'll only share with you the ones I like and just give you a quick link over and let you know if I made any changes. You'll find over on the right hand side what's on my menu. I might have a couple within the next week or so, but I promise that there will be a good mix of my life in here.
Justin and I have been trying to eat healthier so we've done some switching over to different foods. Whole wheat pasta instead of the regular kind, adding beans to our diet (I'm not a fan of the texture), eating more vegetables (still working on fruits - don't like the texture), and eliminating things. Also, I've decided in the last couple of months that I don't like chicken, so we haven't been eating very much of that lately either and going meatless more often. I've also been having a hard time with cream. I've been refusing to cook with any "cream of" anything for about the past year, but I'm kind of starting to feel similarly with anything that has heavy cream or cream cheese in it. I'm feeling ok with half and half, but the sauce doesn't turn out quite the same, so my options are pretty limited (I'm PRETTY excited about trying the avocado pasta I have listed over on the right.).
Also, I've recently gotten really interested in freezer meals. Justin and I are very serious about getting back into school in the Spring (We've both been studying for the placement tests to ensure accurate placement, so that's PRETTY serious.) and it's unlikely we'll be home at the same time very often and even more unlikely that either one of us will have time to cook. I don't want us to waste money eating out and I also don't want us to eat unhealthy preservative-stuffed TV dinners, so I've been trying to figure out what to do. Check out this site for an idea on what i'm talking about. I'll update you more when I have a better idea of how to go about it, but I'm going to be buying the book, 'Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer' soon.
Anyway - to the recipe! Go here if you're interested!
This was a GOOOD and a very light dinner. Tuna fish has some amazing health benefits and white beans are low-fat and high in fiber - making this an altogether healthy meal. I served the salad on croissants, but there are many other ways you can serve it. The flavor was fantastic (even having served it right away) and I'm sure it will be even better tomorrow. The idea for this meal was dinner tonight and then lunch for Justin and I for the week. Let me tell you, I'm counting down the hours until lunch tomorrow.
Thanks for tuning in!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Face-everything you don't want to know-book
Lately, I've had a really hard time updating my Facebook status. It's not that I don't have a lot to say. It's just that everything I DO have to say isn't so important. So instead of unleashing myself on the masses, you are going to be the tortured few to what I had to say today...
Stir fry is my favorite thing to make lately. It is so versatile. You can use steak, chicken, pork. Mix up the vegetables (I've just been buying frozen vegetable medleys). Mix up the sauce... I had some sesame and garlic sauce that was really good and just recently bought some actual stir fry sauce that is even better, but I'm sure I'll continue to explore.
When I served Justin up his food today, he said - this is really good babe. I told him thanks and apologized that I had been making it so much lately... He wasn't even aware that we had been eating it a lot lately. See: Stir fry = complete genius.
Phew - glad I got that out there.
Stir fry is my favorite thing to make lately. It is so versatile. You can use steak, chicken, pork. Mix up the vegetables (I've just been buying frozen vegetable medleys). Mix up the sauce... I had some sesame and garlic sauce that was really good and just recently bought some actual stir fry sauce that is even better, but I'm sure I'll continue to explore.
When I served Justin up his food today, he said - this is really good babe. I told him thanks and apologized that I had been making it so much lately... He wasn't even aware that we had been eating it a lot lately. See: Stir fry = complete genius.
Phew - glad I got that out there.
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