My Day in Pics!

Fun day filled with typical Saturday activities: running, eating, cleaning, reading, churching, and random dance parties around my apartment!  What else could  a girl want?

Woke up this morning to go for a run and found that someone had lost their keys in my building.  Luckily someone had posted a sign AND lucky for them, I was there to help correct their grammar!  How wonderful to have a teacher in the building!

I decided to go outside for a run even though it had snowed a bit over night.  That belly is going to be gone soon!  Burning it off!

 

(Walk 4, Run 1)

x5

Ate Breakfast...

Did laundry and cleaned...

Ate lunch...

 

Had a snack...

 

Played with my cat...

Ordered Thai...

Watched Ruby and relaxed!  Perfect day :)

Shit Chicagoans Say!

I HAD to share this video because it's hilarious!  I think I have said every saying in this video at least once! I used to live in Wrigleyville, I have more scary train stories than anyone ever should, have been rerouted due to movie shootings nearby, did not have a car for a year, have been by Obama's house 5,000 times and have seen his helicopter come to town, LOVE the Red Eye, hate Walmart, love LSD, think Belmont is the best el stop, know that Groupon is incredible, know how to properly parallel park (tap in front and tap in back), can get in a cab and not put my seat-belt on, Michael Jordon lived in the same city as my old work, and I would never go to Andersonville to hang out.

Most importantly, you NEVER ask for a chocolate milkshake, at night, at The Wieners Circle!!!  NEVER!

Chicago LOVE!

Quiet Time

Yesterday I was looking in our church bulletin and saw that a women's group was reading, How Big Is Your God.  I decided to buy it and attend the February discussion.  I ordered it YESTERDAY and it was on my doorstep TODAY!  What service!

It's written by an Indian (from India) Jesuit Priest and I want to slowly read through it so I can journal and think through it  more.  The introduction talked about knowing your God.  After thinking, I decided that my God is loving, constantly there for me, and extremely patient.  The first chapter talked about experiencing God and viewing ourselves as a child of God.

I think I feel closest to God when I make time for quiet time in nature.  I enjoy reading the Bible and other spiritual books, praying, journaling and just thinking.  Maybe this summer I can find  a nice quiet and safe place for me to go for some solo time.  My favorite place in the ENTIRE world for solo time is on the hill at Spring Hill camp in Evart, MI.  I cannot express how beautiful it is to be sitting on a hill surrounded by long grasses and an occasional tree for shade.  It's breathtaking!

The pics below are from Kalamazoo, MI, but remind me of "the hill" at Spring Hill <3

 

I think seeing myself as a child of God is difficult at times.  I went through a lot as a kid that makes that part difficult but I think that being a child of God means 1) that you are loved no matter what and 2) that you are need to act like it to show people Jesus.  People often hate Christians because they think they are fake when really we are all trying our best to act like Jesus, but it's SO incredibly difficult.

Sometimes it's nice to just have quiet time to think and journal <3  My cat seemed to like it too!

LUV her!

Love you all!  Have a wonderful day tomorrow!

Date Night!

Awesome date  night last night!  We went to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which everyone MUST see!  It's about a boy with Aspergers whose dad dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11.  INCREDIBLE!

Then we went to Rock Bottom for dinner.  I had a wedge salad that was super tasty and one of their beers that they brew there.

Now off to enjoy my Sunday.  I have to go to church, clean the apartment, plan lessons, and write papers  AHHHH!

Snowy Saturday and an INCREDIBLE LUNCH!!!

Last night I went home and stayed there!  The roads were not getting plowed and it was snowing hard!  The after school program I teach was canceled so I got to enjoy a long evening at home getting organized to sell Scentsy and getting more hints from other direct sellers on Youtube :)

Today I slept in, bought a super cute ring online (in silver), made my goals for the week, and got some things done before deciding to dig out my car and run some errands.  I did not get stuck thanks to the help of my building maintenance man, who happens to be the BEST!

Pangea Handmade <3

First stop, Office Max!  I saw a cute idea for organizing hostess packets.  I'll post pics of the finished product later :)  I have four pending parties but don't want to set dates until I actually work for Scentsy!

Next stop, Target!  I needed a belt b/c my jeans are WAY too huge and the next size down is WAY too small.  I was beginning to get worried that they would fall off my bum in public!  AE is weird with sizes I guess.  Luckily the belt was on sale!!!

Final stop, Jewel!  I added some more smoothie packs to my collection for my daily green smoothie.  They are expensive so whenever I see them on sale I grab a few.  They are on sale almost every time I run to the store, but it's always a different brand.  Jamba Juice ones are my favorite but I add so much to them that it doesn't really matter that much which one I buy.

They also had the pasta that I've been wanting to try!  It's made from quinoa AND it was on sale!  Qunioa is super high protein and super high fiber.  I love quinoa so why not quinoa pasta?!

After Jewel I came home to make an amazing lunch!  Enchillada Pasta!  Click here for the recipe.  The only things I changed were leaving out chicken and replacing Greek Yogurt for sour cream!  I would eat this every day if I could.  INCREDIBLE!!!

• 8 points plus per serving if you split the dish up into 8 and use Barilla Penne Plus pasta, reduced fat cheese, and no sour cream. 
• 321 calories, 15g protein, 38g carbs, 5g fiber, 13g fat

I hope everyone has a great Saturday!!!

Happy MONDAY!

Today I'm off from work!  Wahooo!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job, but it's nice to have a day to catch up on things.  Looks like a lot of the people in my building must be teachers or have the day off too!  Everyone's cars are still around.

This morning, I slept in and completed Body Rock workout #1 which kicked my butt!  Then, I went off on a walk around my neighborhood which was a bit treacherous due to snow and ice everywhere!  I only walked about a mile loop.

This is not me- in case you were wondering ;)

After a great workout, I finally got around to have my green smoothie for breakfast- even though it was actually closer to lunch time!

Spinach, 1 cup juice, 2 teas. fiber, 1/2 cup kefir, 1 smoothie pack <3

YUMMMMM!!!!!!

The rest of the day I cleaned, worked on school work, ran errands, worked on grad school, and got organized to sell Scentsy in 2 weeks.  Busy day!  I could stay at home every day and still be crazy busy I'm sure :)

Hope everyone had a nice MLK day!!!

SCENTSY!!!

I'm so excited to start selling Scentsy on Feb 1 (waiting for the new spring testers).  Below is a link of what Scentsy is if you have not heard of it before :)

What is Scentsy?
Like Me On Facebook! 

My favorite warmer (Jane) and scent (Lucky in Love)

First package ready to be sent out <3  I'm so excited for the person to open it!

15 Min and Dinner is Served!

Step 1: Make some qunioa (1 1/2 cup water: 1 cup quinoa.  Boil on stove for 15 min)
Step 2: Bake some chicken nuggets in oven at 425.
Step 3: Microwave some frozen veggies.
Step 4: Mix all ingredients in a bowl with some BBQ sauce and serve :)

Protein Shake

Ingredients:
1/8 cup oats
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop protein powder
2 T. Peanut Butter Co. PB
2 Ice Cubes

Directions:
Blend oats in blender.  Add remaining ingredients and blend again.  Enjoy :)

Buckle Up!

Buckle up for a healthy day tomorrow... 

Breakfast: Green Smoothie

Snack: Lara Bar with a banana

Lunch: Chinese!

Snack: Veggies, hummus, and naan bread

Dinner: Green Smoothie

Happy Wednesday Everyone :)

Veggie BBQ Salad!!!

This salad was AMAZING!!!  I made it veggie style though b/c I'm weird about chicken.

Get the recipe HERE!

Perfect Sunday!

What a Sunday!  I finally finished the grad class that I had been putting off FOREVER and decided to celebrate by spending the rest of my Sunday eating an awesome dinner and watching a movie.

THE DINNER
Arabian Lentil and Rice Soup with Cheesy Bread

Ingredients:
2 T. EVOO
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 T. cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
6 cups of veggie brother (I used 4 c. broth and 2 c. water)
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat pot on the stove.  Pour in 2 T. EVOO and 1 medium chopped onion.
When the onion is translucent, add in garlic, pepper, and salt.  Then add the rest of the spices.
Add carrots, lentils, rice, and broth.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 40 min or so.  Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and serve :)  This was pretty lemony so if you don't like that then add less lemon juice.

The bread was to die for but I'd make a 1/2 batch next time for 1 loaf of bread.  You also have to make sure you serve it with a VERY healthy dinner b/c it is not so much healthy itself!

THE MOVIE

Back to work tomorrow... this has been an awesome winter break :)

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro ~Amanda Skrip

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Juice of ½ lime

Procedure:

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add chili powder and cumin, stir to toast.  Then stir in quinoa. Add water and salt; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes.

 Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Easy Pasta

Sometimes you just don't have all the ingredients :(  I wanted to try a new recipe from Pinterest and thought I had all the ingredients on hand, which is why I picked it, but I guess not!  So... I ended up making another amazing and crazy easy pasta.

Boil some noodles.
Roast some asparagus at 400 with evoo and salt.
Mix noodles with asparagus, light Italian dressing, and Parmesan cheese.  YUMM!