Veggies & Cream

Well. Long time no see, huh?

I haven’t been doing much real cooking lately, because of how ridiculously busy school has been. This week, however, I am at home in New Brunswick, and have a bit more time [and much more kitchen space!] with which to cook. The reason for being home is not so fortunate; Joey’s grandfather passed away on Sunday after a long and hard battle with cancer. We took the week off from school to be with his family.

Two of Joey’s uncles came to pick us up yesterday morning, and we got back just before supper time. We went over to see his family, ate with mine, and then he went back to his grandmother’s to spend the night with her. I headed over to his grandmother’s today at lunch time and treated him to his favourite comfort food, original chicken sandwiches from Burger King. He’s a special boy. I ordered food for myself as well, but only ate half of the fries and three-quarters of the sandwich before sharing them with Joey and his brother. The visitations are this afternoon and evening, and so I came home after spending a bit of time with their family wanting a de-stressor. I found fresh-frozen tortellini [prosciutto & cheese] in the freezer, and decided to make a cream sauce with vegetables.

Because we left Antigonish so unexpectedly, I had a ton of food that would be going bad by the week’s end. I brought mushrooms, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and snow peas, among a few other things, and thought that those four would go wonderfully with the pasta. I was absolutely right.

I sauteed the vegetables in a pan before adding light cream, then a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese to thicken it up some, as well as garlic powder and red pepper flakes. The sauce took on a tomatoey taste and colour, which was divine.

I plated about nine tortellinis and put lots of saucy veggies on top.

I ended up going back for more veggies about halfway through. They were fantastic!

I’m currently watching Fool’s Gold in my sweatpants, and I have no idea what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day. I’ve got some reading for school that has to get done, and then I might be going to tonight’s visitation, if Joey wants me there. We’ll see.

Messed Up Schedule

I was up yesterday at 8:30, and spent the entire day writing. I didn’t even get to start studying for exams yet; this paper on Ancient Israel is killing me!

I got hungry for lunch around 11:30, and figured I may as well just go for it. There was leftover pizza in the fridge from my pizza date on Friday night with Joey, so I grabbed a slice and a half of that [one piece already had half of it bitten off!] and heated it up.

My afternoon snack ended up being canned pears [packed in water], again while working on papers.

Tiffany decided that we should watch movies while we did our schoolwork, and so we watched both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [the new one; not as good] and Ratatouille in the living room, each of us working away at our laptops. It was certainly a nice way to spend the afternoon/evening.

I didn’t get hungry at all for dinner until relatively late, so I decided to just grab a bowl of cereal instead of making anything too serious. Honey Nut Cheerios to the rescue! Love this stuff. I could definitely eat it every day, if cereal wasn’t so expensive.

I also sucked on a few squares of chocolate while I worked, you know, to reward myself for actually working.

This chocolate is so good, but I find it really sweet! My tastes have really moved from loving milk chocolate to only craving dark chocolate in the past year or so.

I ended up staying awake until 5am working on this darn paper, and I’m still not finished! I slept in this morning until shortly after 10, and I haven’t done much so far today other than shower and write. I haven’t even eaten anything yet! My schedule is definitely screwed up. I do have to work tonight, though, so we’ll see how that goes. I have a Greek vocabulary test tomorrow morning, so that’s what’s got to get done tonight!

Shuffle All The Way

I got up bright and early yesterday morning to get ready for the big day. Actually, it wasn’t all that bright — the sun still wasn’t up at 6am when I awoke. I had a quick shower, checked the weather forecast for the day in Halifax, and made sure I had everything together for a two hour drive, a 5k, and another two hour drive back home.

Joey arrived at my house shortly after 7, and we hit the road. I grabbed a blueberry muffin for breakfast [homemade by the mother of a girl who stayed at our house for the weekend, and so delicious!], which I ate while driving.

Since it is December and all, I figured I should probably dress warmly for the race, so I wore leggings under my yoga pants, and two long-sleeved shirts [one of which is thermal], I brought a headband to keep my ears warm as well as gloves. When we got there I was certainly not worried about the cold getting to me, but rather that I might be too warm! I kept all my clothing on, just in case, and actually wore the event shirt [also long-sleeved] over my other shirts! I didn’t wear the headband or gloves, though, thank goodness. I got there, registered, stood around with Joey, waiting for everything to begin.

Once we were told to head to the starting area, Joey went to the car, where he worked on a paper for the half hour, and I waited for a few minutes until the race actually started. I didn’t pass the start line for about a minute after the clock started, which was just perfect. I didn’t want to be at the front, in the way of all those who were actually trying to go fast! I just wanted to finish! I started out slowly, keeping behind a couple that seemed to be going about my pace. Soon after, however, I found it hard to stay behind them, naturally wanting to go a bit faster, so I let myself. I found a new pacer, going a little bit faster, and stuck behind her until just before the 2k mark, when she stopped to walk, and I kept going.

Just past the 2k mark, we entered Point Pleasant Park, and a slight uphill climb. I was surprised with how easy I found it; the hills that I run in Antigonish have really paid off, I guess! At this point, the runners at the front of the pack had turned around and were heading back past us, and I decided to keep a lookout for Angie to see if I could spot her and the other Halibloggers. I spotted them coming up the hill a few minutes after I had made it to the turning point and was running back down, and made a mental note to watch for them at the finish line once I made it.

I stopped to walk for a minute after I had passed the 3k marker, just to make sure that I didn’t burn myself out and have to walk through the finish line. I think I could have made it the whole way without the little break, but whatever. I figured I would be better safe than sorry.

I passed the finish line with the clock reading 34:55, which means that I ran the 5k in about 34 minutes [minus the one minute late start]! I definitely thought I had run slower than that, and so I was really pleased to see that time when I was running down the final 100 yards or so.

I kept walking once I passed the finish line for a few minutes to cool down, and that’s where I must have missed Angie, because when I got back to the finish line, she and the Halibloggers were nowhere in sight. Oh well, maybe I’ll get to say hello another time. I made my way back to the car, where Joey was waiting patiently [and getting a whole lot of work done in the process!]. I changed out of some of my layers right there in the car, and off we went to get something to eat.

We went to Jack Astor’s, where I got a fantastic garden salad and a nice big plate-bowl of pasta with chicken and sundried tomatoes in a tomatoey alfredo sauce. It was exactly what I was looking for after a run — and I ate it all! I didn’t snap a picture of my own meal, but I did take a photo of Joey’s freaking huge meal. It looked like it was made for a giant.

The photo doesn’t make it look as big as it actually was. I wish I had gotten the fork or something in with that potato — it was the biggest potato I’ve ever seen! Probably the size of two, maybe even two and a half normal potatoes!

Once we had eaten [I was stuffed, Joey was just comfortable], we went across the street to the Christian bookstore, where Joey bought a new Bible and a book. I looked at plenty of things, but really couldn’t justify spending any money on anything there. I did, however, pay $5 for an Awake tea latte at Starbucks [made with soy milk & sugar-free vanilla syrup]! It’s just too good to pass up.

We left the city early in the afternoon to drive the two hours back home, and talked weddings all the way. All I wanted to do was sleep, but my wonderful fiancé made me drive home. Oh well, it could have been worse. He could have fallen asleep!

An X-Ringed Night

Yesterday was the hectic day of all hectic days.

I was up between 6:30 and 7 to study for and write my Greek test at 9, although I may as well not have studied at all, I did so poorly. I actually only answered a few of the questions on the three-page quiz. Great. Oh well, it’s just one test. I got in the shower shortly after 7 and fainted, [I think possibly more than once?] which started my day off oh so well, and banged up my left hand and knee in the process, actually scratching one of the prongs on my diamond in the process. I’m going to have to send it away again, which I’m not all that excited about, but oh well.

I ate my very first GloBar on the way to class!

It was so delicious! I didn’t find the coffee flavour as strong as I might have liked,but maybe the peanut butter just overpowered it, and maybe it will be different in the next Empower bar I eat? We’ll see. It was still super, either way!

After my failure of a Greek test, I headed to Sarai’s apartment [in the basement of our house] for a little brunch she was hosting. I didn’t eat anything there, being pretty darn full from the bar I had just eaten, but she had quite the array of pastries and fruits there for consumption.

I ended up back down there to get my hair and makeup done by our beautiful friend Alyssa. She’s a genius when it comes to this beauty stuff.

Seriously, though, she did an awesome job.

We had to be on campus by 1pm to get in line/ready for the ceremony, which didn’t start until 2. Which meant that I stood still in four-inch heels for an hour. Not so nice on my feet!

It was all worth it in the end, though. [I know the pictures are super blurry -- they're just from my iPhone!]

We went to McDonald’s right after the ceremony, for a nice fancy meal. All of the restaurants in town were full of fourth year students and their parents, so we figured we would be super classy and eat burgers and fries instead.

The rest of the night was taken in pictures and eventually partaking in just a taste of the after party on campus. We didn’t stay long there before I came home and went to bed [around 11:30 -- I'm such a grandma!]

[Click the photos to see them bigger]

All Made Up & To Bed I Go

The past few days have been pretty darn good, with lots of eats like this:

[yogurt + Nature's Path Vanilla Flax granola]

and this:

[yummm]

Until last night, when I gave in to peer pressure and went to A&W with my roommates. I got a teen burger and fries … exactly what my taste buds were craving. Of course upon taking the last bite of burger, my stomach was screaming in protest, but by then it was far too late. There was really nothing I could do about it.

Today, while my meals weren’t exactly balanced [I didn't get much of anything other than starch & meat!], I at least ate a bit on the healthier side.

Breakfast [although unpictured] was a small handful of nearly-stale triscuits and a small hunk of fresh mozzarella that had to be eaten very soon. It was all about getting rid of almost-bad food, I guess.

I came home after class to a grumbling stomach, and decided that I really wanted rice. So I made a big bowl of brown rice and topped it with tandoori sauce. This stuff makes rice oh so nice [yeah, I went there].

With a cup of coffee [half gone by this point]

I got to work on school stuff, and before I knew it, I was hungry again! Before I had the chance to cook anything up to satisfy my stomach, Joey called wondering if I would like some of the extra roast beef and potatoes that he had cooked. Who was I to turn him down? He showed up with a nice little hunk of roast beef and two small baked potatoes, to which I promptly added laughing cow cheese and hot sauce, and gobbled down so quickly, that poor plate hardly had a chance!

[that looks like a huge brick of butter in those potatoes, but I promise you, it's just laughing cow cheese!]

I’m now contemplating whether to drink this energy drink [sugar free, all natural flavours & colours] and stay up studying for my Greek test in the morning, or going to bed, getting a few hours of sleep, and waking up early to study.

I have a feeling I’ll be going to bed right away and getting up a bit early for some last-minute studying. I’m not too worried about this test — it’s not worth too much, I’m sure, and I can certainly make it up on the exam and in next semester’s work. I love having full-year classes!

Tomorrow is X Ring day, the day when fourth year students at St. FX get the long-awaited school ring [which, according to an episode of Jeopardy, is the third most recognizable ring in the world after the Pope's ring and the Superbowl ring]. The ceremony is more important [to us, anyway!] than graduation, and everyone goes all out. I bought a new dress [which was actually more expensive than my wedding dress], got my sister to send a pair of shoes to me on the bus, did my nails, and am getting my hair and makeup done tomorrow before the ceremony.

My friend Alyssa actually came over tonight to do a trial-run of the makeup, and ended up playing around with my hair as well. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be absolutely beautiful! Although I feel as though I look nothing like myself right now. I never wear makeup at all!

I took this photo with my iPhone [and as my sister pointed out, with very poor lighting], so it’s not great quality, but it’s the makeup! You can’t see the eyes because I’m making a signature face, but I promise you that they are stunning. Alyssa really knows what she’s doing!

I’m sure plenty of pictures will be taken tomorrow, some hopefully by our wonderful photographer, and I’ll be sure to find and post some!

GLO BARS GALORE!

I FINALLY GOT MY GLO BARS!

I ordered them a week or so ago, and I’ve been patiently awaiting them, and when this big box appeared on the “mail table” in our living room, I knew exactly what was inside [before I looked at the label].

So frigging pumped!

I ordered three kinds: Refresh, Empower, and Present.

None of them have been unwrapped and devoured yet, because I’ve been too busy to sit down and actually take the time to savour one, and I don’t want to just eat them for the sake of eating them! I need to really taste them! I’ve been waiting for these for awhile now. [I sound like such a loser, but I totally can't help it.]

Thanks Angela for the treats!

True Super-Food …

This week’s edition of my school newspaper includes an article unveiling the true super-food: OATMEAL!

I was pretty pumped to see the article, and although I’m sure that everyone already knows the incredible powers of oatmeal, I figured I should share the wealth.

[Click the picture to go to the article.]

Mama’s Chilli

Today started out rough. I woke up to the pleasant surprise that my iPhone purchase was not a dream, but an exciting reality. I promptly spent about an hour watching Friends in bed and reading through a small percentage of my overwhelmingly huge Google Reader list. I got out of bed and started reading the pile of articles that my wonderful fiance sent me to help me with my paper for abnormal psychology. He is a research fiend I swear! He can find anything, and everything is solid and relevant. What a great resource I’ve got! At 11 I decided to hop in the shower before my 12:15 class, and when I got out of the shower 15 minutes later, I came back to my room to a text from Chelsea wondering if I was skipping class. I’m so stupid: my class on Wednesdays is at 11:15, not 12:15! So I didn’t make it to class, but whatever. I’m sure it wasn’t anything that I can’t catch up on! I did, however, make it to campus for 12:30 for a lunch date with Katie, Chelsea, and Joey. We found a table that was almost empty, sat and ate. Some good conversation was had, and it was nice to just take a break with friends.

 

I came home at 2pm to pretend to work on a paper, while I actually made ringtones on GarageBand. Thanks to Kath [on twitter], I found a ton of great mashups here, and it’s pretty much all I’ve been listening to for a week now!

 

I didn’t really get hungry for dinner until 6, and even then I didn’t know what I wanted to eat. I set out some chilli that my mom had frozen and sent me when Joey went home a few weeks ago, and added some brown rice to the pile of tomato-ey, vegetable-y, meaty goodness. It was yummo.

 

 

For dessert: chips ahoy! [I felt six years old eating these, but they were so good!]

 

 

Now to [hopefully] get some work done on this paper.

I’m fairly skeptical of it actually happening.

No Eats But A Grand Treat

Today was a non-eats kind of day.

I actually didn’t put any kind of nourishment into my body whatsoever until 4pm. Now obviously that’s not good for me. By 3:30, I was battling a headache and strangely enough a sore jaw because of it. But there was in fact a reason behind skipping lunch.

I got a call around 11:30 this morning saying that my iPhone had come in! So of course I rounded up my trusty roommate Jane and off we went to Telus to pick it up! It took about an hour what with talking to the friendly salesman and signing all those freaking papers, but in the end I got to bring home my beautiful, white, 16gb iPhone 3GS. Beauty, thy name is Apple.

Needless to say, I spent the next hour and a half playing with my new toy instead of getting lunch ready, and before I knew it, it was time for class.

Walking home from campus was brutal, I had the mother of all headaches, and I’m not kidding when I say that my jaw hurt from being so hungry. Maybe my body is just really strange, but I’m serious!

I pretty much ran to the kitchen and made myself an egg sandwich. Two eggs, mixed up in a microwave-safe dish, added some chopped grape tomatoes, and into the microwave for about a minute and a half, or until it’s not runny anymore. I put some light mayo on one side of a whole wheat sandwich thin, and some mustard + hot sauce on the other, topped my egg with a slice of fresh mozzarella, and went to town on that bad boy. best. sandwich. ever. I don’t know why I’ve never had a real egg sandwich before this year!

My roomies decided to go to the grocery store for a quickie trip, and so I tagged along, although I didn’t buy much. I did pick up some gift certificates to the liquor store for my not-so-secret gift exchange at work, some turkey sausages, some good french fries that were on crazy sale [$1.99!] and a bottle of tandoori sauce.

I threw together a quickie turkey sandwich for dinner, and packed it in my bag along with a little container of hummus and a baggie of crackers, which I ate in class [while again playing with my iPhone. obviously].

Once class was over at 9:30, I rushed home to make something else to eat, but couldn’t decide what I wanted, so Cheerios to the rescue. [No photos today, because my meals were super rushed and literally inhaled.]

My man called as I was finishing up my breakfast-dinner, and I talked to him for half an hour or so until he left sounding tired and very cranky to finish working on a paper. Which must be my cue to get to bed! I’m exhausted after a very exciting day!

Free Is My Favourite Price!

Dinner tonight was a late one. Luckily my little perogies held me over through a nearly 7k run, and even then I wasn’t feeling all that hungry, but I had been looking forward to dinner all day, so I couldn’t not make it!

I ended up whipping up a pot of comfort food — Annie’s Mac & Cheese — shortly after 8:30. Dumped my favourite condiment on top, and ate it before anyone could tell me to do otherwise.

I spent a good hour on the phone with my mother, talking about wedding stuff. It’s really hard living four hours away from your projected wedding site, and not being able to really check things out and solidify plans in person. My mom is checking a few things out for us this week, and we’re calling to make the final arrangements.

Joey did a fantastic job today getting ahold of the guy we wanted as our DJ, and asked how much he would charge for the evening. His response to Joey’s questions: of course, he would be honoured to DJ our wedding, and — were we kidding?! — it’s on the house! Wahoo! Free is my favourite price!

We’re thinking about honeymoon possibilities as well: we’re planning on going to Ireland in Spring 2011 with Joey’s grandmother and aunts [who are Irish through & through], so we were thinking of doing something really small for our actual honeymoon, and just relaxing. Let’s be honest here, there probably won’t be much sightseeing happening anyway! But I just got word of an interesting prospect thanks to a client of my father’s, so our honeymoon just might be getting upgraded to an overseas getaway instead of a cottage on the beach a few hours away [and again for free!].

Everything really seems to be falling into place for us, and if we can just get a few family members to bee a little less opinionated and more on board with what we want to do for our wedding, the next nine months of engagement will be super fantastic ones.

I love being engaged!