- iceburg lettuce
- 2/3 of a green bell pepper
- one whole vine-ripened tomato
- a handful of chopped yellow onion bits
Bon apetit!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Salad. I enjoys it
Much has happened today which made my planned trip to the grocery store fall through, but I remain undeterred. Salad fixin's to the rescue! I had hoped to make a full-fledged Vegetarian meal this evening, but putting it off an extra day never hurt anyone. So I'm sitting here enjoying the fruits vegetables of my labours and leafing through my (many) Veg' recipes, planning tomorrow night's meal.
While I'm doing that, here's a photo of my tres delicious salad, with
Bon apetit!
Bon apetit!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Recipes anonymous
Hello, my name is Kathryn, and I am addicted to collecting recipes.
I constantly crawl the interwebs, always on the prowl for new recipes to satiate my desire for fresh foodstuffs. Vegetarian, vegan, raw ... you name it, I've probably got a recipe for it.
And iPhone apps! Oh, do I have iPhone apps! I have at least four recipe compilations on my iPhone, one of which is completely vegan; t'others have search filters for vegetarian and vegan meals.
Therein lies my downfall. Though I love hoarding these scrumptious recipes, I seldom get around to using them. I tend to choose the most complex, ingredient-heavy recipes I can find. It's silly, and I know it, but I can't seem to help myself! They all sound so good! Forget the fact that I'll probably spend an extra $20 on specialty ingredients that I'll never find a use for again...
I have a big, black binder chock-full of recipes that I've printed out from online. Maybe my project for this weekend will be to weed out the pages (and pages and pages) of recipes that I'll never realistically get around to, or that are unnecessarily complex.
It is time that I get my recipe addiction under control - or at least give it a nudge in the proper direction. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I constantly crawl the interwebs, always on the prowl for new recipes to satiate my desire for fresh foodstuffs. Vegetarian, vegan, raw ... you name it, I've probably got a recipe for it.
And iPhone apps! Oh, do I have iPhone apps! I have at least four recipe compilations on my iPhone, one of which is completely vegan; t'others have search filters for vegetarian and vegan meals.
Therein lies my downfall. Though I love hoarding these scrumptious recipes, I seldom get around to using them. I tend to choose the most complex, ingredient-heavy recipes I can find. It's silly, and I know it, but I can't seem to help myself! They all sound so good! Forget the fact that I'll probably spend an extra $20 on specialty ingredients that I'll never find a use for again...
I have a big, black binder chock-full of recipes that I've printed out from online. Maybe my project for this weekend will be to weed out the pages (and pages and pages) of recipes that I'll never realistically get around to, or that are unnecessarily complex.
It is time that I get my recipe addiction under control - or at least give it a nudge in the proper direction. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Gooooooal!!
I'm slowly sweeping out the cobwebs from This Old Blog (sounds like a TV show PBS would broadcast), and as I do, I can't help but compare myself, my current self, to the self of years long past. I'm coming out of a period of semi-stagnation, a time of little self-exploration, an embarrassingly long stretch of just "getting by". The new year has brought new hope, and the goal of vegetarianism seems to be settling in, taking root, and sustaining me right now. It represents something more to me than just changing what I eat. It represents my commitment to take care of and nourish the self. This is the first time in many years that I've wanted to take care of my self. She deserves it. When I let my guard down, I get glimpses of a well rounded, self-assured, interesting young woman. I feel I'm already headed down the path to release her from the layers of personal baggage that I've been clinging to for years now.
For the first time in months, maybe even a year, I'm allowing myself to hope. For the first time in my life, I can say that these dreams I have are attainable.
My darling wife will be going to school in the fall, studying to become an RN. When she finishes in a few years' time, it will be my turn to go back to school. Believe it or not, I won't be studying music again. I know! Crazy, innit? All these years, I've been hemming and hawing over my music, asking myself things like, "Will I ever feel that spark again?", "Why don't I feel the drive to practice anymore?", "What will everyone think if I don't go back to music??" My viola had become a source of guilt and depression - something that it should never have come to. I have been naturally moving away from it for years now, and you know what?
That's ok.
I've given hours upon hours of thought, meditation, and prayer to the question, "If not music, then what??" And I finally have an answer.
My sister invited me to attend the midwife-assisted birth of one of her sons about 9 years ago. I was moved to tears by the beauty of a life, my little nephew, coming into the world. The raw energy of that natural birth was palpable, and touched me in profound ways.
For the first time, I have now given credence to something that has niggled at the back of my mind since that very day. I want to become a midwife. I want to help women empower themselves through natural birth. I want to provide holistic heath care and sound nutritional advice to women throughout their pregnancies, and beyond. And I want to become a certified Yoga instructor, with a focus on yoga during pregnancy.
I've done extensive research. It'll require that I get my RN and then land a job in Labor/Delivery at a hospital. Once I've worked there for a year, I'll finally be eligible to enter the Certified Nurse-Midwifery program at Parkland Medical Center in Dallas. Because it is an extremely competitive school, anything I can do to set myself apart from the masses will only serve me well. I think that with the Yoga training I was already wanting to do, I'll be golden.
I think I've finally developed the patience that it takes to make dreams like these come to fruition. I have the support of a loving wife, and the drive to make it a reality.
This is the stuff dreams are made of.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Going Veg.
I have been remiss in my blog-maven duties. For that, dear readers (assuming I had any...), I offer my deepest apologies.
This blog, for anyone who may remember its old incarnation, has ... evolved. Lets just call it like it is - it's completely re-vamped! There's a new theme. No longer am I merely chronicling my daily escapades (if they can even be called that), this blog now has a purpose. I have a purpose.
Lemme 'splain you:
January rolled around (as it often does), and I took stock of all the things I'd like to accomplish in 2010. It's a new year ... hell, it's a new decade! What do I want to do with my life?
Without hesitation, let me share with you the goal I wrote smack-dab at the top of my list:
I WANT TO GO VEGETARIAN.
Last year ... no, before that. In 2008, I started buying cook books. I wanted to eat healthier by eating at home. I was getting tired of fast food burgers and other overly processed foods. I wanted to go back to the basics.
My body was telling me something, and I was finally pausing long enough to listen to it. But there was something missing ... I needed something more. Eating at home was not enough, and I knew it. At the tail-end of 2008, I was going through a period wherein most foods sounded repulsive, and I had a hard time keeping anything down. I was under extreme amounts of stress, both at home and at work, and I wasn't coping with it well.
That was when I first started making the connection that what I put in my body has a profound effect on the way I feel. It was also the first time that I began to pinpoint specific foods and the way I reacted to them. Milk was my first observation. Milk aggravates my already frustrating post-nasal drip, and if I'm not careful, will make me throw up. Beef, regardless of how well prepared, makes my stomach go sour. I began clinging to my "safe" list and making a conscious effort to omit the worst offenders.
It wasn't until a few months had passed that I was hit upside the head by the Cosmic clue-by-four, and realized that the diet that I was beginning to follow had a name - Vegetarianism - and that there must be books about how to do it, and do it properly.
Being a voracious reader, I went to the local bookstore and sought them out. Another clue-by-four later, it dawned on me that there must be websites and blogs about it, too!
In January of 2009, I excitedly wrote a goal of becoming vegetarian in my New Year's resolutions. My motives? While I know it to be a highly ethical lifestyle, I frankly loved the way I felt after eating a fresh, Vegetarian meal. It was novel. My body was telling me something, and it was right! And furthermore, as I started removing certain things from my diet, the urge to throw-up began to dissipate.
As we all know, however, resolutions - especially of the New Year variety - are often broken. For many reasons, I was not a Vegetarian by the time January 2010 rolled around. I was daunted by the prospect of restocking the entire kitchen. I was daunted by the fact that I have no working repertoire of what constitutes a healthy Vegetarian meal. But I was also frustrated by the fact that, as the only aspiring Vegetarian in a three-person household, cooking two separate meals seemed like the only option. One for me, one for them.
Instead of being frustrated at my (lack of) progress, or being daunted by the sheer magnitude of The Goal, I simply added VEGETARIANISM to the top of my list of Resolutions this year.
My dear wife had a wonderful idea:
So that I don't burn out on the idea (again), why don't I plan just one meal per week? I don't work on Sundays, so that'd be a perfect day to do some meal planning, then hit the grocery store for just the meal's-worth of produce. It'd allow me the chance to slowly build my confidence in the kitchen without feeling overwhelmed. As I get more and more proficient and ambitious, I can begin adding meals. Breakfasts, for instance, would be an easy meal to plan Veg.
AND she offered to help in the kitchen. I'll make a Vegetarian meal for myself, which will be a side dish for the others. SHE will be in charge of cooking the meat for the meal.
Problem solved.
This blog, for anyone who may remember its old incarnation, has ... evolved. Lets just call it like it is - it's completely re-vamped! There's a new theme. No longer am I merely chronicling my daily escapades (if they can even be called that), this blog now has a purpose. I have a purpose.
Lemme 'splain you:
January rolled around (as it often does), and I took stock of all the things I'd like to accomplish in 2010. It's a new year ... hell, it's a new decade! What do I want to do with my life?
Without hesitation, let me share with you the goal I wrote smack-dab at the top of my list:
I WANT TO GO VEGETARIAN.
Last year ... no, before that. In 2008, I started buying cook books. I wanted to eat healthier by eating at home. I was getting tired of fast food burgers and other overly processed foods. I wanted to go back to the basics.
My body was telling me something, and I was finally pausing long enough to listen to it. But there was something missing ... I needed something more. Eating at home was not enough, and I knew it. At the tail-end of 2008, I was going through a period wherein most foods sounded repulsive, and I had a hard time keeping anything down. I was under extreme amounts of stress, both at home and at work, and I wasn't coping with it well.
That was when I first started making the connection that what I put in my body has a profound effect on the way I feel. It was also the first time that I began to pinpoint specific foods and the way I reacted to them. Milk was my first observation. Milk aggravates my already frustrating post-nasal drip, and if I'm not careful, will make me throw up. Beef, regardless of how well prepared, makes my stomach go sour. I began clinging to my "safe" list and making a conscious effort to omit the worst offenders.
It wasn't until a few months had passed that I was hit upside the head by the Cosmic clue-by-four, and realized that the diet that I was beginning to follow had a name - Vegetarianism - and that there must be books about how to do it, and do it properly.
Being a voracious reader, I went to the local bookstore and sought them out. Another clue-by-four later, it dawned on me that there must be websites and blogs about it, too!
In January of 2009, I excitedly wrote a goal of becoming vegetarian in my New Year's resolutions. My motives? While I know it to be a highly ethical lifestyle, I frankly loved the way I felt after eating a fresh, Vegetarian meal. It was novel. My body was telling me something, and it was right! And furthermore, as I started removing certain things from my diet, the urge to throw-up began to dissipate.
As we all know, however, resolutions - especially of the New Year variety - are often broken. For many reasons, I was not a Vegetarian by the time January 2010 rolled around. I was daunted by the prospect of restocking the entire kitchen. I was daunted by the fact that I have no working repertoire of what constitutes a healthy Vegetarian meal. But I was also frustrated by the fact that, as the only aspiring Vegetarian in a three-person household, cooking two separate meals seemed like the only option. One for me, one for them.
Instead of being frustrated at my (lack of) progress, or being daunted by the sheer magnitude of The Goal, I simply added VEGETARIANISM to the top of my list of Resolutions this year.
My dear wife had a wonderful idea:
So that I don't burn out on the idea (again), why don't I plan just one meal per week? I don't work on Sundays, so that'd be a perfect day to do some meal planning, then hit the grocery store for just the meal's-worth of produce. It'd allow me the chance to slowly build my confidence in the kitchen without feeling overwhelmed. As I get more and more proficient and ambitious, I can begin adding meals. Breakfasts, for instance, would be an easy meal to plan Veg.
AND she offered to help in the kitchen. I'll make a Vegetarian meal for myself, which will be a side dish for the others. SHE will be in charge of cooking the meat for the meal.
Problem solved.
=^.^=
The purpose of this blog, then, is to record my progress on the path to Vegetarianism. Each Sunday, I'll write an entry about my newest culinary creation, possibly posting pictures along the way.
So wish me luck! And be sure to tune in this Sunday for the first installment!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Whatever Lola wants ...
... Lola gets.
We. Have. A. Lola ! ! !
It's not the greatest picture, but that's because she's awfully wiggly. Her nickname is now officially "Bumble-Butt", because, when she's excited, she tends to run into things. She's not exactly what one would call "graceful". She's a little stinky, a lot drool-y, but her winning personality more than makes up for any shortcomings. :)
So. Story-time.
Merry and her ex, about a year before they broke up, bought the cutest English Bulldog puppy on the planet. (In the universe. The galaxy even). Because Merry has a very loyal Jack Russel (Bella), the bulldog was going to be for the now-ex. When they broke up, the dogs parted ways as well.
This depressed Bella, who had always had another dog around. For several reasons, Merry and I have discussed getting another dog. I love Bella dearly. She's got the funniest personality, a very sweet and quirky disposition, but there's no denying that she's loyal to Merry. I'd like to have something to call my own, and Bella would benefit from having a pal. We've been looking at different breeds, have looked at one pet store so far, have done some research, but haven't found The One.
Well, the Ex contacted Merry recently and said she wants to get rid of her bulldog. Would we be interested?
Merry was so excited, but tempered it a little. She let me know very clearly that, though she really, really wants this dog, she wants me to make sure that if I agree, I do it for my own motivations - not because I think Merry wants me to.
We met with the Ex on Thursday night, Lola in towe, at Starbucks (our favourite haunt in case you couldn't tell). She is such a little lover! People kept dropping by to see the gorgeous Bully and she just ate up the attention. She wiggled her butt (she has no tail) and did her best to look her cutest.
(There was one guy in particular that dropped by twice, spending at least five minutes with Lola each time. When he approached us a little bashfully, he said, "I lost my Bulldog in the Divorce. Can I play with yours?)
My heart was stolen almost immediately. We almost took her home that night, but there was much cleaning to do in preparation. With their upturned noses, Bulldogs have notoriously bad allergies ... and we hadn't dusted (or swept) in probably 4 months. It was time, and what better reason?!
Come Saturday, after cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, Lola came home! Bella and she have had some growing pains, as I'm sure they will for quite some time. Though she's smaller by about 40 pounds, Bella is definitely Numero Uno, and has been putting Lola in her place. I've got to tell you, there's nothing funnier than seeing a 12 pound Jack Russel say, "Bitch, please" to a dog more than three times her weight ... and see the larger dog back off.
We're one big, unconventional, happy family. :D
We. Have. A. Lola ! ! !
It's not the greatest picture, but that's because she's awfully wiggly. Her nickname is now officially "Bumble-Butt", because, when she's excited, she tends to run into things. She's not exactly what one would call "graceful". She's a little stinky, a lot drool-y, but her winning personality more than makes up for any shortcomings. :)
So. Story-time.
Merry and her ex, about a year before they broke up, bought the cutest English Bulldog puppy on the planet. (In the universe. The galaxy even). Because Merry has a very loyal Jack Russel (Bella), the bulldog was going to be for the now-ex. When they broke up, the dogs parted ways as well.
This depressed Bella, who had always had another dog around. For several reasons, Merry and I have discussed getting another dog. I love Bella dearly. She's got the funniest personality, a very sweet and quirky disposition, but there's no denying that she's loyal to Merry. I'd like to have something to call my own, and Bella would benefit from having a pal. We've been looking at different breeds, have looked at one pet store so far, have done some research, but haven't found The One.
Well, the Ex contacted Merry recently and said she wants to get rid of her bulldog. Would we be interested?
Merry was so excited, but tempered it a little. She let me know very clearly that, though she really, really wants this dog, she wants me to make sure that if I agree, I do it for my own motivations - not because I think Merry wants me to.
We met with the Ex on Thursday night, Lola in towe, at Starbucks (our favourite haunt in case you couldn't tell). She is such a little lover! People kept dropping by to see the gorgeous Bully and she just ate up the attention. She wiggled her butt (she has no tail) and did her best to look her cutest.
(There was one guy in particular that dropped by twice, spending at least five minutes with Lola each time. When he approached us a little bashfully, he said, "I lost my Bulldog in the Divorce. Can I play with yours?)
My heart was stolen almost immediately. We almost took her home that night, but there was much cleaning to do in preparation. With their upturned noses, Bulldogs have notoriously bad allergies ... and we hadn't dusted (or swept) in probably 4 months. It was time, and what better reason?!
Come Saturday, after cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, Lola came home! Bella and she have had some growing pains, as I'm sure they will for quite some time. Though she's smaller by about 40 pounds, Bella is definitely Numero Uno, and has been putting Lola in her place. I've got to tell you, there's nothing funnier than seeing a 12 pound Jack Russel say, "Bitch, please" to a dog more than three times her weight ... and see the larger dog back off.
We're one big, unconventional, happy family. :D
The kindness of strangers
I'm being a bad girl this morning. I'm sitting outside at "our" Starbucks (the one we frequent so often that we know all of the baristas by name ... and vice versa) ... and I'm not getting a drink! I brought my 'puter, my knitting, and my breakfast and just kind of grabbed a table. It's nice weather, so I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.
Just a moment or two ago, I spilt some of the milk I brought (don't worry, I didn't cry). It wasn't too bad, so I just swished it away with my hand. No big deal.
But someone at the condiment bar saw and rushed out with a handful of napkins and a smile.
How cool is that?! That simple act just made my morning.
Isn't it funny how much we rely on outside forces to set the tone of our days? If someone cuts you off on the way to work, your mood sours and it could be hours before it brightens again.
The best days I have are ones in which I create my own happiness. When you choose what affects you and what doesn't, your day seems to go so much more smoothly.
That simple act affected me. I feel more attentive, excitedly watching for other little happinesses.
:D
Just a moment or two ago, I spilt some of the milk I brought (don't worry, I didn't cry). It wasn't too bad, so I just swished it away with my hand. No big deal.
But someone at the condiment bar saw and rushed out with a handful of napkins and a smile.
How cool is that?! That simple act just made my morning.
Isn't it funny how much we rely on outside forces to set the tone of our days? If someone cuts you off on the way to work, your mood sours and it could be hours before it brightens again.
The best days I have are ones in which I create my own happiness. When you choose what affects you and what doesn't, your day seems to go so much more smoothly.
That simple act affected me. I feel more attentive, excitedly watching for other little happinesses.
:D
Monday, October 6, 2008
It's official
I am Rogue. No, really. I went to the administrative office for one of the school districts that I visit (as part of my job) to get a photo ID made. When I looked at the finished result, I saw clearly, for the absolute first time - I have a grey streak. A full-on streak. Can you believe that?? At age 23, I am going grey in a serious way.
How cool is that?!
{ }
And also, I finally asked to be "demoted" back to the retail store for the Music Co. that I work for.
The job I currently hold within the company is so stressful (and has been since I started in February) that I've been barfing on a fairly regular basis.
I visit orchestra directors weekly, all over the metroplex, to provide services and supplies should they need them.
Basically, I am at their beck and call.
And I've been having a hard time juggling the needs of 45 different people per week.
So, I told my manager (who told the owner of the company - it's small and family-owned -) that I've been doing my best and still falling short, so could I please go back to retail.
And they're letting me. I have to fill in until they find a replacement (which could take a while), but the end is in sight, and I am breathing a definite sigh of relief.
How cool is that?!
And also, I finally asked to be "demoted" back to the retail store for the Music Co. that I work for.
The job I currently hold within the company is so stressful (and has been since I started in February) that I've been barfing on a fairly regular basis.
I visit orchestra directors weekly, all over the metroplex, to provide services and supplies should they need them.
Basically, I am at their beck and call.
And I've been having a hard time juggling the needs of 45 different people per week.
So, I told my manager (who told the owner of the company - it's small and family-owned -) that I've been doing my best and still falling short, so could I please go back to retail.
And they're letting me. I have to fill in until they find a replacement (which could take a while), but the end is in sight, and I am breathing a definite sigh of relief.
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