Summer Goals 6-21-10 June 22, 2010

-Be more positive

I’ve been in a crummy mood for the last couple of days, I’m not entirely sure why. But for the past couple of weeks I’ve been in a really good mood. I need to figure out what inspires my good moods and triggers my bad ones so that I can better enjoy life.

-Be less critical- of myself and others

I’m learning to give myself a break when I do stupid things or screw up. I have a really bad habit of dwelling on stupid things that I do or say in social situations and making myself feel like an idiot over minor things that other people probably didn’t give a second thought to, and if they did they certainly don’t remember it within an hour or so or care nearly as much as I do. So I’m learning to forgive myself, which is making me less tense in social situations, which is helping me to say and do fewer stupid things and to laugh them off when I do.

-Support local businesses

I’m not sure if I did this today actually. I need to start asking if the businesses are locally owned or not. Vicki and I went to a bar called Kristopher’s in Downtown Matthews. It’s not a chain that I’ve ever heard of, so it could be locally owned I suppose. Other than that I didn’t do very well… I went to Starbucks when I could have gone to Coffee Works and I went to Target, but I don’t think they sell the shampoo that I use at any locally owned stores (but I can look into that!).

-Practice moderation in all areas of life

I stopped myself from buying silly things that I don’t actually need at Target today, including a super cute picnic basket. But I never go on picnics and I reminded myself of this, even though my first thought after that was that I should plan a picnic sometime soon!

-Eat less

This goes hand in hand with the above goal. I didn’t do very well with this at all today. I seem to be in a weird mood and the beers that I drank with Vicki didn’t help me to be any more mindful of my eating today. I was mindlessly stuffing my face with chips and bean dip. I wasn’t even hungry when dinner time rolled around, but my parents had fixed a plate for me so I ate. I felt really gross afterwards even though I didn’t finish everything on my plate. Even a couple of hours later I felt pretty sick and I’m just now starting to feel better.

-Exercise at least 4 days a week

Doing okay with this so far. I got a pretty good workout in at the gym yesterday. Did a bit of weight training followed by a decent cardio session. I downloaded some new music onto my iPod for exercising because my previous selection largely included Regina Spektor, Ben Folds and a number of other artists whom I love but don’t exactly provide a great beat for motivation while exercising. Pump It, by The Black Eyed Peas, is an excellent workout song though!
I was planning on going to the gym tonight, but mom and I went for a walk instead. We walked a full mile and we walked fast, so I’m willing to let it pass, but I’d like to be doing speed intervals more regularly and doing full body weight training. But all in all today wasn’t bad, however it didn’t make up for my bad eating decisions.

-Be more social

I went out to the bar with Vicki for happy hour. We both invited other people but none of them could make it. It was just as well since I wasn’t in the best mood, but at least I was willing to put forth the effort in case they did decide to come along. I need to expand my circle of friends though, so I need to be more open to new social situations.

-Help a person or animal each day

Well, I got coffee for Ashley at work today, but that’s not exactly to the level that I want my helpful deeds to be. I didn’t really encounter many opportunities for helping strangers or animals that aren’t mine, but I did take Pee-Wee for a walk! He really seems to enjoy this, so at least I made him happy!

-Buy less

I did okay with this today. I made a shopping list and I stuck to it at Target.

-Save more- At least 10% of all of the money I earn goes into savings.

Check!

Goals for This Summer: June 21, 2010

-Be more positive

-Be less critical- of myself and others

-Support local businesses

-Practice moderation in all areas of life

-Eat less

-Exercise at least 4 days a week

-Be more social

-Help a person or animal each day

-Buy less

-Save more- At least 10% of all of the money I earn goes into savings.

TBC

Revisiting the Garden February 5, 2010

I’m reminiscing  about last Summer, missing the warmth and all of the greenery. I’m browsing  through all of the pictures I took when I was out in the garden last Summer, plotting the layout for this Summer and sprouting seeds so I’m ready to transplant when the weather warms up! Here are a few of my favorites.

Basil flowers

Strawberry flower

If anyone knows what kind of caterpillar this is, please tell me! I found it out in the yard and brought it inside to take pics before I let it go again.

I’m a 22 year-old OLD WOMAN! February 4, 2010

Gah! I’m realizing more and more that a lot of the hobbies that I enjoy most are the same ones that stereotypical old women enjoy as well! I love to garden, cook and play with my kitty cats! I feel like an old lady…

heh, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not super excited about getting back into my hobbies!
I’ve been trying to eat as close to the source as possible lately. Cooking as much food from scratch as I can, so I know what’s in it. If you look at my previous blog you’ll see that I’ve even been making my own bagels! (which are delicious, by the way!) One day I’d really love to grow most of the food that Christopher and I eat. I know that I won’t be able to grow our wheat and stuff for flour, but I’d like the majority of the things we eat to be from our back yard. I’m not sure how unrealistic this fantasy is, but I’m willing to give it a try! Ideally I want to preserve enough to use all year and eat fresh what’s available at the time and sell or donate the excess to local shelters. I’m a vegan, but I’d even like to get a pet chicken so that she can wander happily in my garden, fertilizing wherever she wanders, and I can give her eggs to neighbors to ensure that the eggs they use are coming from a happy chicken! (I’m gonna wait on this for a while, depends heavily on where we live and how far I can go without Christopher thinking I’m a nut!) I think raising bees could be fun, too! (or possibly just painful)

I’ve been planning the layout for the garden in my parents’ backyard for the last couple of weeks. I’m really excited about getting back to growing! I’ve bought a ton of seeds and two of those little mini seed-starting greenhouses. I’m gonna take them back to my parents’ house with me when I go back to Charlotte to celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks. Once there, I’ll transfer them into pots or sow them outside, depending on the weather.

I’m asking for a nice camera for my birthday so I can take nice, detailed photographs of the garden and the foods that I cook to post on my blog! I’ve been using my camera phone, so that’s why the pics in my previous blogs leave a bit to be desired…

Ah, and Christopher is the greatest! We’ve been planning out what to do after graduation. We already know that we’re going to move in together and he promises that he’ll propose to me as soon as he finds the right ring! He’s the best! I know I’m such a girl, but I love it when he talks about stuff like that!

Home Made Bagels! Fun and Easy! February 2, 2010

Lately I’ve been trying to make as much of my food as possible entirely from scratch. I’ve been experimenting more and more with new recipes and trying to eat as close to the source as possible. A bread machine has been a big help for this, but I wanted to try to make something other than an over-sized loaf of rosemary and olive oil bread. I looked around on the internet and found this excellent recipe for making your own bagels. I made basic sesame seed bagels the first time, but got more creative with the dough yesterday after my boyfriend and I finished off the first batch! I doubled the recipe to make 16 and topped half of them with poppy seeds and threw the other half back into the knead cycle of the bread machine with about a tablespoon of cinnamon,  maybe a teaspoon of vanilla (I wasn’t measuring, but that’s what it looked like) and a few spoonfuls of xylitol sweetener (an all-natural calorie-free sweetener) so they wouldn’t cause any guilt. After that I just baked them the same way I did all of the others!

Here’s the recipe, I really do recommend trying it out for yourself!
Recipe: Makes 8 bagels
Dough ingredients:
1 1/8 cup water – lukewarm
3 cups white bread flour
3 1/3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Other ingredients:
Poppy or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (if you want anything on top)
olive oil
flour for counter or cutting board to keep dough from sticking
cornmeal to sprinkle onto cookie sheet
1 tablespoon of sugar

Directions:
Insert ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
remove the dough from the machine after the first knead – approx. 20-30 minutes
Place dough on a floured surface.
Divide into 8 parts.
Form balls and gently press thumb though center of ball and slowly stretch into bagel shape.

While bagels rise, bring three quarts of water and one tablespoon of sugar to a rapid boil in a large saucepan.
Drop test dough (see hints below).
Using a slotted spoon, drop 2-3 bagels into rapidly boiling water.
Boil on each side for 30 seconds.

Remove and cool on rack 1 minute, brush/spray on olive oil and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.

Bake at 400 on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal until golden- approx. 15 minutes.

Some good advice January 30, 2010

Soyen Shaku, the first Zen teacher to come to America, said: “My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.” He made the following rules which he practiced every day of his life.

In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate.

Retire at a regular hour. Partake of food at regular intervals. Eat with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction.

Receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone. When alone, maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests.

Watch what you say, and whatever you say, practice it.

When an opportunity comes do not let it pass you by, yet always think twice before acting.

Do not regret the past. Look to the future.

Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.

Upon retiring, sleep as if you had entered your last sleep. Upon awakening, leave your bed behind you instantly as if you had cast away a pair of old shoes…

Buddha told a parable in a sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

Vote for B.B.! January 29, 2010

I entered my adorable cat B.B. in the Humane Society Spay Day photo contest! I'd appreciate your vote! Even if we don't win, all proceeds go to an excellent cause and we appreciate your support of that as well! Click the pic to go to the voting page! Thank you!

https://photocontest.humanesociety.org/contest.html?page=viewInd&id=53468&contestId=2

I’m not hating on Haiti January 26, 2010

I think it’s wonderful that people have opened up their hearts to help Haiti out during this crisis. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, but doesn’t everyone seem like they’re just trying to get brownie points in morality by throwing money at the latest tragedy to his the headlines? Just watch, within a few weeks, when Haiti is out of the headlines, people will go back to their daily lives and feel as if they’ve healed the world. Do you remember a few years ago when everyone was talking about the genocide happening in Darfur? Well guess what, it’s still happening. For the most part Americans have completely forgotten about the people suffering in Africa. Is it because Haiti is closer? I’m sure it is. We never thought about them before, but now that they made the headlines we’re throwing all of our spare resources their way. I’m not criticizing people for helping out the Haitians, it’s great, but can we continue this pattern of good will after we’ve finished with Haiti?

Here are some ideas for people we could help and truly begin to heal the world:

"Citarum River, Indonesia The Citarum has been called the world's most polluted river. Around five million people live in the river's basin, and most of them rely on its flow for their water supply."

"Yamuna River, India The Yamuna is the largest tributary of the Ganges River. Where it flows through Delhi, it's estimated that 58 percent of the city's waste gets dumped straight into the river. Millions of Indians still rely on these murky, sewage-filled waters for washing, waste disposal and drinking water."

"La Oroya, Peru La Oroya is a soot-covered mining town in the Peruvian Andes. Ninety-nine percent of the children who live here have blood levels that exceed acceptable limits for lead poisoning, which can be directly attributed to an American-owned smelter that has been polluting the city since 1922."

"Appalachia, West Virginia Mountaintop removal mining is one of the world's most environmentally destructive practices, and it is most associated with coal mining in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains. Whole mountaintops are removed to get to the coal, which increases erosion and runoff thick with pollutants, poisoning streams and rivers throughout the region"

"Dzerzhinsk, Russia The Guinness Book of World Records has named Dzerzhinsk the most chemically polluted city on Earth, and in 2003 its death rate exceeded its birth rate by 260 percent. More than 300,000 tons of chemical waste were improperly dumped here between 1930 and 1998."

And this is certainly not all. Please visit WWW.SaveDarfur.org and keep your eyes open for more ways to help your fellow man.

Risotto with Asparagus and Spring Leeks- Freaking amazing! January 26, 2010

Risotto with Asparagus and Spring Leeks -makes 4 servings
4 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cups asparagus cut into 2-inch segments
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups (one-half inch thick) sliced leek (white and green portions) washed well
½ cup chopped carrot
1 cup dry Arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup (2 oz.) grated Vegan Parmesan
1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil).
Keep warm over low heat.
Cook asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until crisp/tender..
Drain and rinse with cold water; pat dry.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; add leek and carrot.
Sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
Add rice; cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in 1 cup broth and cook 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring frequently.
Stir in ½ cup broth, wine, ¼ teaspoon salt and oregano.
Add remaining broth ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes).
Add asparagus; cook 4 minutes.
Stir in cheese, butter, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Fabulous Low-Cal White Bean Soup January 26, 2010

I found this recipe in Fitness Rx for women, excellent magazine. I made this soup last night and Christopher and I were both very happy with the resulting yumminess, so I thought I’d share it with anyone who might be interested. It’s cheap, easy, healthy, and, best of all, delicious!

Fabulous Low-Cal White Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 large carrots, sliced
1 medium onion
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed, and chopped
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can of white beans (navy beans) [I substituted Great Northern Beans]
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth [I used vegetarian vegetable bouillon cubes because they're easier to keep around than cans of stock]

Instructions:
Saute’ carrots, onion, and celery for 5 minutes in oil over medium heat in Dutch oven. Add oregano and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Add kale, canned tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add beans and simmer for 20 minutes. Serves eight.

I didn’t find that it needed any additional seasoning, the flavor of the vegetables and spices came through beautifully!