Five Things Friday: 04/12/13.

So, exciting news. As of 2:30 pm, I will officially be done with graduate level classes! Next year is Thesis work, so I’m not graduating until 2014, but the fact that I never have to take a class in school again if I don’t want to is a good one.

But on to…lists of things!

5 Things I’ve Eaten Recently:

1. Oatmeal with blueberries, Bee’s Knees peanut butter, and a fried egg. Yes, I love fried eggs on my oats (get on it Sara! )

2. Ribs.

They were on sale this week and Eric absolutely adores them, so I picked up a package. I’m actually really happy with how these turned out – I made up a dry rub of salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, Montreal steak spice, and a mango chili seasoning and baked at 325. And of course, BBQ sauce for dipping.

And I made broccoli on the side, so it’s healthy, right?

Such a good dinner.

3. Slightly charred tuna melts.

A lesson: keep an eye on the broiler. Still good though!

4. Eggs Benedict with hash browns.

My choice of breakfast when my prof treated us to breakfast yesterday.

I love eggs benedict, but never bother to make it at home. One, because poached eggs intimidate me. Two, because hollandaise does too. And yes, hollandaise was definitely dumped on those eggs before consuming.

5. Leftovers of the squash and perogie stew I made for dinner Tuesday.

I love eating stew and soup leftovers – the longer it sits in the fridge, the more flavour it gets.

5 Things I Learned This Week:

1. The boyfriend loves Turtles (the chocolates). So, bringing home a Turtles cupcake does not result in a 50/50 split.

So this cupcake was amazing. The cake part was moist (sorry if you hate that word!) the icing was fluffy, and it had a caramel injection in the middle. The shop (Decadently Yours in Brantford) just opened up a few weeks ago…about a 5 minute walk away from my apartment. Yup, I will definitely be back.

2. Crazy violin a la Lindsey Stirling is fabulous running music.

Running to this on a sunny, warm afternoon…I’m not going to lie, I kind of felt like I was in some sort of Disney movie music montage. If I could play any instrument, I’m pretty sure it would be the violin. I remember the first time I saw the Trans Siberian Orchestra a few years ago, I was absolutely blown away by the female violinist. Something about a female violinist in a ‘punk rocker’ or whathaveyou getup is so badass.

3. 30 minutes in recipe time = an hour in real life. I don’t know if I’m just slow, but every time I follow a recipe it takes me double the amount of time to make it, at least.

4. Long papers are no longer really intimidating to me. For one class, I had to write critical summaries each week. These papers normally took between 8-20 pages for me to write…EACH WEEK. So now when one of my undergrads complains about having to write a 5 page paper, I laugh a little on the inside.

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(P.S. Does anyone miss this show as much as I do?!)

5. 3 inch stilettos are not appropriate footwear when it’s raining outside.

Especially when you don’t have an umbrella…or a jacket. That was not pleasant, to say the least.

5 Things I’ve Pinned Recently:

(psst…follow me!)

1. Lime and Macadamia Pinata Cake from Claire K Creations.

Can you imagine slicing open a cake and having all that pour out?! That is freakin’ genius.

2. Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup by Baked by Rachel.

I’ve never made chicken tortilla soup before, but I’ve thought it sounded good. And we all know how in love with my slow cooker I am, so…yea. Need to make this.

3. Thin Mint Puppy Chow from Your Cup of Cake.

So I know there’s a million different version of puppy chow out there, but…I need this one. Thin Mints are amazing.

4. Other Ways to Say… From Jessie’s Resources.

So I’m pretty sure almost every blogger or writer out there would find this useful. Always good to find new words to spice up your writing! Just so you know, I’m going to start using ‘stupendous’, ‘congenial’ and ‘colossal’ more often. Ok? Ok.

5. And to end it off on a positive note:

A choice I try to make on a regular basis.

And that’s what I have for you today!

Remember this banquet I went to last December? Well, they have another one tonight, and this one is rumoured to be bigger and better. And…we get a limo again!

Have stupendous day!

<— What’s something you’ve learned this week?

<— If you were to break open a pinata, what candy would you be hoping was inside? The candy you’d be disappointed to see? I’d want kisses and mini Reese’s. I always thought it was rip-off when it was full of tootsie rolls and suckers.

Five Things Friday: 04/05/13.

Good morning! How’s everyone doing today?

I had a really short week…but I’m still really excited it’s Friday

Lists of things!

Tasty Things I’ve Eaten this Week:

1. Leftover turkey…lots of leftover turkey. Both my mom and Eric’s mom sent us home with leftovers, so we’ve been picking at those this week. And turkey sandwiches are my favourite way to do so – open faced turkey sandwich with olive oil mayo, spinach and tomato.

2. Homemade black bean burgers. The flavour was there, but they were crumbly so they still need some work.

3. Said black bean burger stuffed into a massive sweet potato with spinach, tomato, avocado and sour cream. Favourite lunch of the week, easily.

4. Cream cheese, ham and eggs on butter popcorn flavoured rice cakes with veggies and pretzels.

5. Chocolate. I knew I loved Easter for a reason.

Also included in the stash is the Mini Eggs and Reese’s Eggs I bought. And the Kisses and M&Ms I won. My sweet tooth is so happy right now.

5 Happenings this Week:

1. Even before I decided that I was going to be taking a break from planning my workouts this month, I had been feeling like I needed a break from the gym. I haven’t been all week and it has been lovely. Woot rest!

2. I’m sadly disappointed by Canadian Target.

The one in London is open, so I asked (demanded) that Eric and I check it out last weekend. It’s ok. I was hoping for some of the fun brands you can find in the States, but the vast majority of the foodie things were the same I can find at other grocery stores. The clothes were cute, but the prices weren’t that great. Target, I am let down.

3. While I was in Target, I got a craving for trail mix, but they were out of the only ones that were jumping out at me. So, I hit the bulk bins when I was at the grocery store a few days later.

Deluxe mixed nuts, banana chips, dried papaya, dried pineapple, raisins, and pretzels. Banana chips are always my favourite. And it looks that much prettier in a mason jar.

4. When I saw my mom last weekend, she excitedly told me how she’s been eating oatmeal for breakfast in the mornings and she loves it. Is it weird that I got really excited over that?

5. My face is so.freakin’.dry. I usually get dry skin in the winter, but it’s the transition from winter to spring when it really acts up. So in an attempt to soften it a little, I tried an avocado and honey mask the other day.

Sexy – as seen on my instagram!

It made my face softer, but it didn’t do too much for the dry-ness. So, back to the drawing board on that one.

 

5 Shows I’m watching right now:

1. Game of Thrones. Of course. The opening episode wasn’t too exciting, but I’m just happy it’s back on TV. I know they’re setting up for the exciting stuff later on

2. Bates Motel.

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Is anyone else watching this show? It’s the story of Norman Bates (The main character in Psycho) when he was a teenager and his mother first bought the motel. It’s really good! Although, I remember when Freddie Highmore was all cute in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And now he’s a creepy future serial killer. Huh.

3. Hell’s Kitchen. I love any sort of cooking competition show. Now, I just need to wait for Masterchef to start again. And it’s basically my life goal to eat in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant.

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I just love him.

4. How I Met Your Mother. Really, who doesn’t love this show?

5. This is an honourable mention because the season just ended but – The Walking Dead. I don’t even know what to make of that finale!

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Seems like the best plan in a zombie attack.

 

Hope your Friday is wonderful!

 

<— What TV shows are you watching right now?

<— Any miraculous dry-skin cures?

Five Things Friday: 03/22/2013.

Woot Friday!! 3 weeks until I’m done classes! (Why yes, I am counting down).

Thank you so much for your well wishes on my job interview yesterday! I think it went well (at least, I’m hoping I managed to impress them).

And..lists of things!

5 Delicious Meals that Escaped the Blog:

1. Roasted cauliflower, salmon, and brown basmati rice that I cook in chicken broth with a few strands of saffron. While I prefer steamed broccoli to roasted, I’ve decided that roasted cauliflower is amazing.

2. BBQ Chicken nachos. I tossed some shredded chicken with BBQ sauce, and served it on top of low-salt tortilla chips with salsa, red bell pepper, green onion, salsa, and mozzarella. Served with sour cream and guacamole – and yes, we finished it off between the two of us.

3. Buffalo tofu (with more buffalo sauce), kale chips (with buffalo sauce) and Irish soda bread. The obsessions continue. Notice how the chips are significantly less burnt this time.

4. A breakfast cookie. I used to make these once in a while, but I’d forgotten about them lately. Seeing Lisa’s delicious-looking breakfast cookie creations made me crave one again! I made this one with peanut butter, vanilla whey protein, applesauce, cinnamon and raisins. Going for an oatmeal raisin cookie kinda thing.

5. Grilled cheese (mozzarella, brie and a slice of ham) with some incredibly sad looking yellow beans. Dinner of champions – copious amounts of ketchup was added post picture.

5 Things I’m Loving Right now.

1. My candy jar.

It sits on my coffee table. I realize it can be added to the list of things that makes me 80 years old, but I just love it.

C’mon…wouldn’t that make you happy?

2. Coconut almond milk. A few weeks ago, the best friend told me that her mom had picked some up – my immediate reaction was “I want it!” So she very nicely gifted me a box while I was home(thanks love!). It is delicious – adds such a nice creaminess compared to regular almond milk!

3. Quick cooking oats. I usually pick up large flake oats, but I accidently grabbed quick-cooking last weekend. And they’re so much more voluminous than the large flake. Such a little thing, but happiness inducing.

3. The combination of a graham cracker, peanut butter, and coconut Oikos. It is pretty much perfect.

4. Coconut Oil. I’ve been using it as a moisturizer on my face at night, and ohmygoodness my face is smooth. And it ensures that I go to bed dreaming of tropical things…mainly pina coladas.

5. The Name of the Wind. I have about ten pages left right now, so I’ll be finishing it tonight (Thursday night). It came recommended by Amanda (and I know Lisa and Caitlin loved/are loving it as well) and it is amazing!

5 More Gym Music Gems

(I seriously love the music that gets played at my gym. Takes me right back to high school).

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5.

Hope your weekend ends on a fabulous note!

<— Would you like me to do a review of The Name of the Wind?

<— What’s your preferred kind of milk? I actually really hate cow’s milk, unless it’s for cooking or with cereal.

<— What are you loving right now?