A Typical Morning (For Me)

I tend to describe myself as a very organized person, at least for the most part.  I like to know where everything is at all times and have been found cleaning the refrigerator for...uh, how do I put this, fun. 

Out of the past years I have spent in college I have found that one of the dilemmas that most of us crazy students face is food.  Do we have time to eat it? Do we like what we are eating? Are we eating out of boredom? Have we forgotten to eat all day so now we eat all night?  The vicious cycle of eating at strange hours or skipping meals all together because of work, class or clubs is most definitely detrimental to our health, body and even grades. One of my goals for this year is to make sure that I make the time to enjoy breakfast, pack a lunch and have a quality dinner.  Unless there is a day where I am extremely booked from 7 am- 11pm I should be able to do this. Regardless of the amount of work, there is only so much that one person can fit into the day and pulling all nighters does not feel like the best thing to do as a senior (I still have to do it once but I am waiting for just the right day!)

So, a typical morning for me looks somewhat like this:

1. Get up to the alarm and try NOT to hit the snooze button, I also try to get up an hour or so before I normally would roll out of bed so that I can enjoy the morning

2. morning yoga stretch--this hasn't altered very much and is the same sun salutation I was doing 3 weeks ago but it puts me in the right mindset for the day

3. write 4 goals I would like to accomplish in the day--sounds a bit quirky but it really helps me focus in on what the important things are..these goals could range from being nice to someone I was rude to the day before, thanking a friend for something he/she did, not getting stressed for a presentation or exam.

4. make myself a hearty breakfast or leave time to stop at Starbucks on campus for oatmeal

pumpkin pie oats with chia

5. drink plenty of water and try to stick with tea NOT coffee, which I save for early afternoon!

6. Lunch Box Tuesday! Tuesdays are the BUSIEST day of the week for me with classes going straight from 11-4:40.  I have tried eating breakfast before, breakfast and lunch before or just bringing snacks for after breakfast and nothing seems to give me enough fuel to make it through those last 40 minutes of lecture which is conveniently located at the med school.  

I'm trying something new today, bringing my lunch! (note the lovely lunch box). Into the box today goes GF Snyders pretzels, 2 hard boiled eggs, field greeks and quinoa and some local grapes

Chocolate Blueberry Morning Blast

Okay so I definitely have gotten back to my favorite summer routine of getting up early, exercising and coming home to make a great breakfast and blog about either that or something else more exciting..okay maybe not so much the more exciting part since I have been busy working every day but there will be more exciting days to come.

Last night during my evening boredom slump after work I made myself a list of some recipes I want to try this week

Here is what I came up with:

1. Egg and Avocado salad

2. Protein shakes (post-workout)

3. Greek Quinoa Salad

4. Protein pancakes

5. Oatmeal Peanut butter & carob chip squares

6. Cedar Plank Salmon with some sort of salsa (thanks wegmans!)

Today I am tackling the first two and am starting bright and early.  I was up by 8 and went to Cardio Pump with my cousin.  This whole group class environment is pretty foreign to me since I love working out and running by myself (it is my "me" time) but it was actually a challenging workout and I had fun doing it.

Into the mix:

1 packet of chocolate spire-tein protein powder

1 cup blueberries

8 oz almond milk

oh so creamy but a bit too chocolatey, maybe i'll try vanilla next time and less milk! This baby mae two batches for me.

Do you use protein powder? If so, what kinds and if not, why not?

Summer Time Smoothies

It is finally summer and I am quickly falling back into my "typical" summer routine.  When I say typical I mean, yes, typical for me.  I'm not sure there are many other college students that enjoy getting up early to run followed with thinking up some delicious replenishing breakfast. 

 I decided to embrace my typical routine by getting up and running a short 2 miles with my mom followed with my first trip back to the YMCA.  I realized how spoiled I am to have a membership in the city to an all women's gym--specialized machines, comfortable and no strange stairs from the locals. Oh I will definitely be missing that for the coming weeks.  I honestly cannot tell you why I take such issue with readjusting to a gym that I used to be so familiar with but I am almost always stricken with fear that seriously puts a damper on my workout.  However, I pushed through, found the machines that I am used to working with and made myself a list of free weight exercises to do and volia--done.

This morning I had decided to start in with some smoothies and had been craving one ever since I made up my mind.  I had seen this idea on Pinterest which led me a blog with a brief description of how it works--honestly it is pretty self explanatory but here is a picture for all you visual learners out there:

Courtesy of Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs.

Steps:

1. Buy or find a cheap blender

2. Remove the main pitcher that it comes with and separate blade (be careful this is sharp!)

3. fill a medium sized mason jar with your smoothie of choice

4. place blade on top of mason jar, attach the piece that holds everything together

5. flip and place on the blender. 

** I find that holding it down works best since the jar doesn't completely screw into the blender mechanism.

Think Magic Bullet on a budget--except this is better since the Magic Bullet is (a) $50 and (b) pretty time consuming with all those parts that seem to get lost!

Full and beautiful with lots of protein and antioxidants!

Ready to drink!

The recipe for today:

1/2 frozen banana

1/4 (give or take) Wegmans mixed frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries & blackberries)

1 container of chobani

1/2 a packet of Spiruten Vanilla Protein Powder

1/2 cup (i didn't measure)? Almond Milk

Blend and enjoy!

Lazy Sundays

So this past weekend was pretty eventful, at least Sunday was.  Well okay friday and saturday night weren't too bad either since I had a girls night & then went out to a Ballet Performance Group (BPG) wine night and then made my way to the frat quad afterwards.

However, the best part of the weekend was (a) being completely overwhelmed by the new Forever 21 and (b) having a cooking/baking extravaganza on sunday with my housemates.  

To begin with Forever 21 I would have to say that the new Eastview location is a ridiculously huge space.  Being as exhausted as I usually am on weekend mornings I ended up lost from the rest of my housemates and wandered amlessely throughout the store.  While it does have some perks of being divided into various sections including "basics" and "club" wear, there are multiple racks strewn in the middle of the walking aisles in which I found myself losing direction and my mind.

I woke up Sunday morning at noon after sleeping on my friends couch on campus and had absolutely no clue what I wanted for breakfast.  To be honest I could have gone with a cup of coffee and have been set for the day but my mother instructed me that I cannot wither away to nothing while living on my own.  I intuitively whipped out my recipe book and grabbed my favorite "dutch pancake" recipe, which has now been dubbed as something similar to flan.  I have never actually had flan so I couldn't tell you.

The recipe itself is quite simple and only requires 4 ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

(1) Blend ingredients together ( I personally prefer to whisk the eggs prior to adding other ingredients in hopes of creating a fluffy texture).

(2) melt 2 tbsp of butter in pie dish in oven (at 350).

(3) when melted, swirl the dish to coat.

(4) pour batter in dish & bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sounds good, right?

Thats not all, my housemates were testing out some recipes of their own, including homemade pasta & perogies.  I do not have the recipe for either but I assume the pasta recipe was found online somewhere and the perogie recipe is some secret recipe from Ukraine.

Pasta making:

I am going to test this out myself once I purchase some semolina flour (used for italian baking, it is a finer more refined flour) and get back to you on a good recipe.

and finally, here is my first homemade pierogie.  The filling is currently sitting in our fridge while the pierogies freeze and wait to be eaten!

Hope everyone has a great week :)

A Little Logic & A Little Casserole

From my last post you may have been able to tell that I am lacking in any sort of creativity during my free time.  This may be due to a serious excess of time after classes or the fact that we are only into the third week, but phew, what a relief from last year...at least for a little while.  If you have trouble remembering back to last semester, I was a bit of a trainwreck in the sense that I lived in the library (religiously) and very seldom went anywhere else including on weekends.  Oh well, the past is the past.

Last night I managed to make a rather quick and easy rendition of a family favorite. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (The Healthy Version).

Recipe:

1 pkg Uncle Bens Long grain wild rice

1 pkg frozen broccoli

1/4 cup butter (you can leave this out)

1 med onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 can water chestnuts diced

2 cups COOKED chicken diced

1 can mushroom soup (low-sodium)

6oz plain greek yogurt

1 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1.) completely cook rice and add to oven save dish along with greek yogurt, mushroom soup and milk.

2.) meanwhile, cook chicken as desired (broil,bake, pan sear) and add broccoli, onion and celery to saute pan.

3.) once completely cooked and heated add to casserole dish.

4.) lightly mix ingredients

5.) Bake covered @350 for 30 - 45min.  Add desired cheddar cheese on top and finish baking (uncovered) for 5min.

Let sit for 5 min so that contents solidify and serve :)

I will advise you to NOT purchase instant rice but instead actually put a good few minutes into cooking the real thing because it makes all the difference.

Also, if you're trying to be healthy use low-sodium (LS) or no-salt-added (NSA) mushroom soup.  I found that both the combination of instant rice & normal mush. soup was too salty and took away from the flavor I love.

This is also perfect for freezing and refrigerating for a few days!

I mulled over some logic reading while eating my casserole.  Our professor for this class is a bit nutty to say the least but all in all knows how to teach a lecture hall of 40 freshman and a few of us upperclassmen.  The course itself is interesting and the book isn't half bad but as you can see, getting used to letters and symbols will be a bit of a challenge.  I am not looking forward to actual compound sentences and truth tables.

Moving Time.

I am finally posting from my new "house" or apartment, however you wish to see it.  I finally moved everything in this past thursday, and I must say that the two hours flew by.  Last year it seemed to take forever to actually give everything a home and get settled.  I believe I mentioned before that I am living in Rochester's South Wedge.  For those of you who are somewhat unfamiliar with Rochester the area is very up and coming.  While it isn't as developed as Park or Monroe there are some great spots.

I've done some walking (and running) around the past few days and have so far been through Highland Park and have eaten at The Beale Street Cafe.  I decided to go all out at Beale Street and ventured away from my usual entree of anything chicken.  "The Pittsburg" as they call it has pulled pork pilled high beneath cole slaw and french fries which is situated in the middle of a french roll, yum!  I hardly ever do anything adventurous when it comes to food so I was pleasantly surprised and suggest it to anyone who visits the area.  Each entree and sandwich also comes with a piece of homemade corn bread and a side (the salad has a great homemade cajun dressing but it is a bit creamy).  Oh and I should also mention that the atmosphere is casual and fun, so go for a quick bite (and even a few drinks) with friends!

As for the whole moving bit of this post and since I did happen to mention that I am all moved in I figure I might as well post some pictures.  Hey, maybe someone actually reads this blog (ahem Carolyn and Maureen, procrastinators!)

After living in a dorm for two years I decided that it was time to make my bedroom a bit more realistic.  By that I mean not some place that you move in and out of frequently but actually put time and effort into since I am there more than I am at home over the course of the year.  I tried to go with this "travel" eclectic theme and this is what I came up with:

For those of you who are searching and searching for bedding and continually find themselves returning to the coveted Anthropologie, look harder.  I found this gorgeous duvet online at some random homegoods store (though a bit pricey it was marked down!)

The two matted paintings above my bed were found at the amazing TJ MAXX.  I swear you can find just about anything there!

Storage ottomans.  These things are cute, decorative and yes they store A LOT.  I have extra sheets, a blanket and about 5 sweatshirts in this one!

A funny story about the closet: My mom asked when I was going to "sort through" my clothes at home to see which ones I should bring to school because, as she puts it, I always bring too much junk that I never end up wearing anyways.  My response?  Look at the size of this closet, I am bringing every article of clothing I own...so that's exactly what I did.

Carolyn.

This is Cara or as I often call her, Carolyn.  She's a spitfire redhead with big plans ahead of her in the next week.  I am so jealous because she is spending a semester in Florence, Italy.  Now more than ever since I decided to transfer and not go abroad I am wanting to live my life vicariously through this girl, better yet, I can still call her my best friend after admitting this.

Thanks to Cara I was able to meet Maureen.  Now this girl can bake.  Look at this amazing Chocolate Brownie Coffee Mousse Torte. Yum!   I am trying desperately to retrieve the recipe for this dessert and am hoping a blog post such as this will do the trick.  Think of it as a mixture of rich savory brownie with fluffy expresso/coffee flavor...I am in love! Combining my two favorite things all in one.  Perfection.

Summer BBQ.

There are a few things that I look forward to each and every summer...I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, your favorite popsicle or ice cream, lazy rainy days (which were lacking this summer until the past week), tan lines and of course chicken bbq.

I typically prefer a classic chicken bar-b-que that is located on the side of the road usually in a parking lot of your local American Legion.  These BBQ's usually donate proceeds to some cancer research center or a local kid who is down on his luck.  However, luck is never lacking in such a bbq since the sauce is always perfect along with the sides of salt potatoes and either mac salad or cole slaw. Ah Summer!

This summer has been rather ridiculous when it comes to BBQ's since the first one i came across ALL summer happened to be yesterday.  Really? It is mid august and I just passed my first road-side stand.  The best part? I have eaten out almost every day this week (at least once) and all I could bare to each for lunch yesterday was an apple.

Lets get on to the actual story: A homemade bbq put on by the best mother.  My mom uses the old classic NYS fair recipe for BBQ sauce and to be honest I have no idea where she keeps it but man is it amazing!  While the day was rainy and muggy, a nice chicken BBQ really made the sun come out.  Try your own chicken BBQ with some salt potatoes or even corn?  My new favorite combination is actually Heirloom tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.

 We used free-range half chickens from the local farmers market.  Going organic is not only helpful to your body but also local community!

 Try grilling corn instead of boiling.  By boiling corn and other vegetables nutrients are lost.  Grilling gives great flavor also.

 My dad, Big Jer excited for the meal

 Salt potatoes, a staple of summer.

Two photographs that are a big more artistic than "food blogger":

 "Fresh Squeezed"

"Don't Forget Me"

French Dining & Classic Movies.

Last night Brendan and I decided to tackle my new cookbook Around My French Table by choosing Chicken Diable or more literally, Chicken Devil.  The dish, which incorporates a rather rich grainy mustard sauce was juicy and a perfect way to end our thursday.  For a side we paired the chicken with some broiled asparagus brushed with EVOO, salt and pepper and topped with a glass of dry white wine from Bully Hill Vineyards.

perfection.

We completed the evening with watching Casa Blanca, yes a classic indeed.  I remember the first classic I saw, Some Like it Hot and all I could think was oh no it's black and white!  Luckily Brendan assured me that my time would not be wasted and I was pleasantly surprised.

Casa Blanca proved to be a true classic film and I suggest it to anyone who will take the chance with a B&W.  Set during the time of WWII in unoccupied Africa, a couple comes to Casa Blanca in hopes of reaching America.  Victor and Ilsa had escaped Occupied France together as a married couple but surprises and secrets are revealed once they enter Rick's Cafe American.

Colorful Pasta Salad.

Sometimes during the summer months I struggle with what to fix myself for lunch.  Its either too hot out or cold and rainy, we can't win!  Summer for me means lots of fruits and veggies along with many grill nights.  However, we are still left mulling over either a sandwich or salad and what not.  Today I found the cure for this dilemma, Pasta Salad.

Easy Pasta Salad without measuring!

Whole Wheat Noodles (however much you'd like)

Tomatos preferably the colorful ones

Katamala Olives

Spinich

Red Pepper

Artichoke Hearts

Onion

 Feta Cheese

Italian dressing

YUM!

Avocado & Pepper Jack Panini.

Summer has finally arrived, and while I am not quite used to the 85 degree weather, I have managed to make myself used to the kitchen once again.  Today I spent the morning looking for a skirt/suit/dress...something to match my black Ann Taylor suit jacket whose pants don't fit quite right at the moment (a bit too many late night snacks at school).

Afterwards I ventured over to the Tall Trainer to have my fitness assessment prior to starting some personal training (or small group!).  Even the short 10 minute assessment was a bit of a shock having not exercised much since before spring break but the trainer, Bo, was very friendly and knowledgable about nutrition and fitness--I loved it!

So, being 3pm and not really lunch, I decided to splurge a bit and make this amazing sounding Avocado & Pepper Jack Panini on Whole Wheat (WW).  And what do you get out of it?  A tutorial on how to cut avocados, since I didn't know how to either, and a great recipe!

What you'll need:

2 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese (milder cheese if you don't like spicy)

Panini Roll or crusty bread

1 Avocado

Small cup of Salsa for dipping

Equipment: Knife; Panini Press

 Avocado "slicing" (in case you didn't know, like myself!) Take your knife and cut to the core, a dull-ish knife is fine since the ripe avocado should be soft.  Go around the entire outer area and then gently "wiggle" the two halves apart until you have this:

 Then take your knife and slice like so.  Make sure to run your knife around the edges and turn over to POP out.

 pick out the slices you'd like and lay then on top of the cheese.

 Assemble like this:  Butter the outer sides of the bread to make sure they don't stick to the panini press.

 Place it in until the cheese is melted (4-5 minutes) and enjoy!

 TIP: I read in a magazine that you can place avocados in ziplock baggies and place them in the freeze to avoid browning.  Make sure to suck the air out first though!

Chicken Salad SANS Mayo.

Okay so we all have those foods that we crave or are tempted to purchase at a restaurant/ cafe.  Mine? Chicken Salad.  The dilemma comes when I realized just how much mayonnaise is added in the process of making it so delicious.  The other serious issue?  The mushy texture that somehow creeps into my favorite summery sandwich and completely ruins the experience. 

However, I give you the CURE to all chicken salad nightmares in both realms of taste & health.

Introducing: Greek Yogurt!  You may commonly use it as a breakfast or snack item but this yogurt does wonders as a substitution as well.

For those of you who still like a tiny hint of mayo flavor, you may modify this with a tablespoon of mayo (no not a heaping spoonful either!)

What you'll need:

Cooked Chicken breast or Bird as my mom uses

Celery Sticks

Onion

1 Cup Greek Yogurt (Plain variety)

1 Teaspoon Mayo (if you choose)

Red Grapes

1-2 apples

This is simple if you've ever made chicken salad.  Chop the Chicken into small bite size cubes.  Add some salt and pepper to taste while mixing in chopped onion and celery.

After this is in a bowl, mix in the greek yogurt and mayo.

Finally, cut grapes in half and chop apple into small pieces, garish this on top for a more summery salad.

Coca-Cola.

Lets begin with something I must admit to you all, I am a health snob (or at least Womens Health Magazine believes so), which is something you already probably know if you know me at all.  Well, I was thinking about this yesterday when I had this revolutionary epiphany about my life goals and aspirations--yes I know an awful lot to handle for a Friday afternoon.

Coca-Cola, or any soda company, has had bottle evolutions across the span of their existence.  I remember getting my first antique bottle of coca-cola (of course it was empty) and thinking that it was so small.  When I traveled to Europe over spring break I identified another interesting aspect of the Coca-Cola brand.  European Cola (or at least in London), does not have High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.  And if you know anything about food and artificial ingredients, this is a big deal!  Cola in the U.S. always contains this syrup, which is supposedly good for you in small doses, but I mean if you have to have it in such small quantities its obviously not good.

Being the serious investigating wiz that i am, I took a trip to Wegmans to find "SUGAR" Cola, yes that is right, Coca-Cola made with real sugar.  The bottles are sold in skinny glass containers and are located in the "international" aisle amongst a multitude of Mexican Sodas (including Coconut Soda, NEVER try it).

So while it is available, the main product continually being marketed to us contains the "bad stuff" while the real thing is hidden away next to taco mixes and coconut soda, not to mention that it is on the bottom shelf.

Dinner Dates.

I must have been out of my mind last night to not bring my camera to my dinner date with Emily and Alyssa.  Initially I had wanted something summery due to the 80 degree weather we were experiencing but to my dismay, they did not have a grill.  I now know that when I have a house senior year (or hopefully next year), i will require a grill to be on the premise. 

Our trip to Wegmans led us to the following dish, one of my favorites I might add.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic and Vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/2 box Wegmans SUPER pasta

2-3 garlic cloves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

grape tomatoes ( as many as you desire).

Mushrooms

Asparagus or another green veggie

OPTIONAL: chicken.

Directions:

1. Sautee on medium heat the mushrooms and asparagus (or other hard green veggie). NOTE- you want to do these veggies first because they take longer to cook.  Use EVOO to coat pan and add garlic to your desired taste.

2.when veggies are almost done, start boiling your water and add tomatoes to your veggie pan.

3. Add Whole Wheat spaghetti and cook until soft.

4. mix together the pasta and vegetable portions and remain on stove until tomato juices have dispersed throughout the pot.

BONUS: try Wegmans Garlic Tuscan bread by slicing and buttering.  Place in aluminum foil and place in oven (on 350) until pasta dish is fully cooked.

ENJOY :)

Cupcakery.

Is it really almost the end of sophomore year?  It seems to be since I have been assigned my final project for imaging class.  Where has the time gone?  4 more weeks at HWS and then a quick summer and I am off to Europe for the semester, I honestly cannot wait.

So for our final imaging project we were able to choose whatever we wanted as long as it involved photography.  I thought to myself, what do I love?  First off, food and lots of yummy food and then I didnt know where to go from there.  I decided to photograph CUPCAKES from a cupcakery in Pittsford, NY.  They have a great selection of these mini-cakes and have a great location in Schoen Place (next to my favorite restaurant Aladdins Natural Eatery).

THE FINAL IDEA: Cupcake Destruction.

I have always found myself drawn to colorful desserts, especially cupcakes and for the final project I thought that exploring food would be a different and creative approach that may sometimes be forgotten.  By experimenting with different lighting techniques in the studio to create a composition that not only is aesthetically pleasing but also technically sound, I will show the destruction of my favorite dessert while revealing tiny details of the cake and frosting itself.  Cakes, but specifically cupcakes are small enough in nature to be photographed close up and show the shiny texture of the frosting combined with the spongy cake.  The 12 images will be comprised of 6 different cupcakes while they fit together by each decomposing in increments until there is nothing but crumbs on the brightly colored plate.  Each photograph will be the same size and incorporate high contrast and vivid colors.  These photographs will be displayed in a circular format to depict the passage of time.

Here are the photos without photoshop manipulation (to come in a week or so)...

That is all.