Hello!
It's Monday... and a day after the Day Light Savings Time has hit us once again.
Did you know it will take about 3 days to get back into a sleep routine from the one hour difference? I know I am suffering the effects! I couldn't get to sleep last night and then my alarm went off WAY too early.
I'm just chugging through the day! I just wanted to "stop by" and say hello. No, I didn't forget about the blog yet! My next couple posts involve Mexican food. This post is a disclaimer for that.
I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD. A lot of my cooking posts will be reflective of such. I made a nice Fajita salad the other day that I wanted to post. Then last night Brad and I took our hand at making guac. Well, let's just say things involved a rubber mallet. I think THAT might be the next post. Ha.
I need to download the pictures and such, so stay tuned!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Let's get down to cooking!
Ok, enough about me. You want to learn how to cook. Or at least learn how I cook.
Well since I just started this blog, I'm going to tell you about some SUPER DELICIOUS recipes I've made the past few weeks.
1) Zucchini Ribbon Primavera
Here is the original recipe
But I did champagne, onions, and grated the zucchini. It was such a light and delicious pasta sauce. And check out the calories! SO LOW. Now, I had to fix it a little different for Bradley. He can't do pastas, rice, or breads. I did just oven baked chicken in Italian seasoning and put the sauce on top. He said it was wonderful.
*Note, he is generally my only taster so he might be a little bias, but for the most part my food is really really good. haha.
2) Parmesan - Garlic chicken wings
This glorious delight was inspired by the Pampered Chef Parmesan Garlic dipping seasoning.
It literally is just chicken wings (cleaned and rinsed) in a baking dish, set to 425 degrees, drowned in olive oil and seasoning.
SO GOOD AND FILLING. We had this and roasted potato fries and broccoli. I had two wings and I was stuffed.
Well since I just started this blog, I'm going to tell you about some SUPER DELICIOUS recipes I've made the past few weeks.
1) Zucchini Ribbon Primavera
Here is the original recipe
But I did champagne, onions, and grated the zucchini. It was such a light and delicious pasta sauce. And check out the calories! SO LOW. Now, I had to fix it a little different for Bradley. He can't do pastas, rice, or breads. I did just oven baked chicken in Italian seasoning and put the sauce on top. He said it was wonderful.
*Note, he is generally my only taster so he might be a little bias, but for the most part my food is really really good. haha.
2) Parmesan - Garlic chicken wings
This glorious delight was inspired by the Pampered Chef Parmesan Garlic dipping seasoning.
SO GOOD AND FILLING. We had this and roasted potato fries and broccoli. I had two wings and I was stuffed.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Why I'm trying to get healthy!
I've been overweight all my life. I have surprisingly high self esteem even though I've been FAT. Yes, I said the dreaded word, but it is the truth. Although my parents always gave me a hard time about my weight, I didn't see it stopping me for any reason.
Ok, maybe I didn't get as many dates as others in high school or college, but then again I don't think I was really looking for that in those years. I was definitely never one to think about settling down straight out of college, that's for sure! I wanted to start a career then figure out the rest. I think it's working out just well for me.
Not only am I going for a dual degree, I'm also a conference manager for an international conference and would like to expand my career to a bigger marketing position. I've been trolling the job sites daily for something new, so hopefully something soon will come along!
But back to me being fat... I was always confident in my own skin which I think helped through life. But now I want to be healthy and able to keep up with my future kids when I do become super mom.
Last year I got on the scale and I was at my heaviest. I was denying it by wearing clothes that didn't really fit right. I have always been a size 18 or 16, so hell if I was going up in sizes! When I started grad school I got a free gym membership and started to work out. I even did 5ks!
Ok, running not so much, but completing them is still a good goal! I lost about 15lbs and was feeling really good. Then summer came and my routine changed. I have since gained about 10 of those 15 lbs back, and I'm so mad at myself!
It's time to start making a difference (again). Before I only focused on calories. Now it's time to focus on the amount of food and what the food is (cookies versus veggies).
I also have another huge inspiration to look towards, it's Brad. He lost over 200 lbs in a year. That's almost the size of me! I know he wants to keep going, so I need to be there to support him as well.
Ok, maybe I didn't get as many dates as others in high school or college, but then again I don't think I was really looking for that in those years. I was definitely never one to think about settling down straight out of college, that's for sure! I wanted to start a career then figure out the rest. I think it's working out just well for me.
Not only am I going for a dual degree, I'm also a conference manager for an international conference and would like to expand my career to a bigger marketing position. I've been trolling the job sites daily for something new, so hopefully something soon will come along!
But back to me being fat... I was always confident in my own skin which I think helped through life. But now I want to be healthy and able to keep up with my future kids when I do become super mom.
Last year I got on the scale and I was at my heaviest. I was denying it by wearing clothes that didn't really fit right. I have always been a size 18 or 16, so hell if I was going up in sizes! When I started grad school I got a free gym membership and started to work out. I even did 5ks!
Ok, running not so much, but completing them is still a good goal! I lost about 15lbs and was feeling really good. Then summer came and my routine changed. I have since gained about 10 of those 15 lbs back, and I'm so mad at myself!
It's time to start making a difference (again). Before I only focused on calories. Now it's time to focus on the amount of food and what the food is (cookies versus veggies).
I also have another huge inspiration to look towards, it's Brad. He lost over 200 lbs in a year. That's almost the size of me! I know he wants to keep going, so I need to be there to support him as well.
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| July 2012 | Sept 2013 Brad down over 200lbs, and I was wearing a size 16 again. :) |
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Why I Cook and How I learned
Cooking has always been something that I enjoyed to do. And although my mother and I don't always get along, I'm so grateful for her to teach me how to cook. Even if I didn't want to learn at the time! My mom knows how to cook. I'm still impressed she was able to work a full time job and have dinner on the table by 5:30 every night and we would all sit around and eat AS A FAMILY.
I can't even do that and I'm living alone and am done with work by 4 most days. Do moms have serious super powers? How do I get them without being a mom?
Don't get me wrong, I want to be a mom ONE DAY. Just not today.. or tomorrow.. or maybe the next five years. I need to get through grad school and, you know, get married.
Oh, I didn't talk about grad school! Well because my life needs to be hectic all the time, I decided to go back to school for a concurrent masters degree. That's right, people TWO degrees. Masters of Arts in PR/Advertising and a Masters of Business Administration. I am hoping to be completed by Summer 2015, I started Spring 2013. So, just chuggin along, about half way to go!
Ok, back to cooking.
I love cooking. But cooking for one is stupid. Sure, I can whip up something delicious but then I have so much leftovers, and I hate leftovers. (I know, such a food waster, but it's true!)
My true rant here is how do people not know how to cook? I watched Worst Cooks in America and I about died. Seriously?! How can someone over the age of 10 not know how to cook. Don't get me wrong, when I was younger I couldn't figure out how to boil water without it being in the teapot. But I still could boil water! What's your excuse?
This all goes back to my mother. She really taught me her ways and I realize how much I cook like her. You read a recipe and then do a similar but probably nothing at all like the recipe. It actually works, really well!
- As I write this blog, I'm talking about how I can't sew at all, which is funny because my mother was also a seamstress for a while. I can sew without a machine, but not with one.
I can't even do that and I'm living alone and am done with work by 4 most days. Do moms have serious super powers? How do I get them without being a mom?
Don't get me wrong, I want to be a mom ONE DAY. Just not today.. or tomorrow.. or maybe the next five years. I need to get through grad school and, you know, get married.
Oh, I didn't talk about grad school! Well because my life needs to be hectic all the time, I decided to go back to school for a concurrent masters degree. That's right, people TWO degrees. Masters of Arts in PR/Advertising and a Masters of Business Administration. I am hoping to be completed by Summer 2015, I started Spring 2013. So, just chuggin along, about half way to go!
Ok, back to cooking.
I love cooking. But cooking for one is stupid. Sure, I can whip up something delicious but then I have so much leftovers, and I hate leftovers. (I know, such a food waster, but it's true!)
My true rant here is how do people not know how to cook? I watched Worst Cooks in America and I about died. Seriously?! How can someone over the age of 10 not know how to cook. Don't get me wrong, when I was younger I couldn't figure out how to boil water without it being in the teapot. But I still could boil water! What's your excuse?
This all goes back to my mother. She really taught me her ways and I realize how much I cook like her. You read a recipe and then do a similar but probably nothing at all like the recipe. It actually works, really well!
- As I write this blog, I'm talking about how I can't sew at all, which is funny because my mother was also a seamstress for a while. I can sew without a machine, but not with one.
Why Hello There!
I remember way back when blogging started and everyone had an online journal. I'm sure if I did a large Google search you could still find my journal or Myspace page. I started a blog a few months ago, but then only posted maybe two posts and stopped. I was super into it but then got busy, I realize it's more of a lifestyle to keep up and I also didn't have a theme I wanted to use.
I am trying to expand my career in many ways for digital marketing, and figured blogging would be a great way to familiarize myself with the tool. I also love to cook and am trying to get healthy. I know everyone has a cooking blog, but who doesn't want to share tasty recipes with the world? Yes, Pinterest has helped that a lot, but I want to share my own experiences too!
Well, let's start at the beginning:
A little bit about me:
Is it weird I'm having trouble starting this? Do I start with my career or with my life outside of my job? I feel like my job shouldn't define me, but it kinda does! Ugh. Let's try this...
I am from Pittsburgh, PA, born and raised. I love the city though can't stand the cold. It is my hometown, and I will always bleed black and gold even if I leave for whatever reason.
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| My family and I during POPS Christmas Concert 2013 |
My family mean the world to me, though there are times I wish I could disown them. I have a baby sister who just turned 24. (Ha, yes I said baby.. she's still my baby!) She is trying to find her way in this big bad world as a MPH (not miles per hour, but masters of public health). It's hard as the older sister to watch her struggle, but I know she will figure it out soon.
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| Vito |
Other than my crazy family, I'm madly, deeply, head over heels in love with this guy, Brad :). We are pretty much the same person and I couldn't be more excited to start a life and future with him. Oh, and I need to mention, I'll be adopting a puppy as my son. Brad has a [sometimes] sweet Boston Terrier named Vito. Although I literally die every time I walked in a room with a dog, we have gotten the allergies under control so I can live with the two of them! We move in together in June after my lease is up!
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| Our cute but somewhat corny picture. The photo session was a gift for my birthday. |
Lastly, but definitely not least, I couldn't imagine my world without my best friends to stand by me and pick me up when times are tough. Although my best friends are no longer living in Pittsburgh, I know I can always count on them to have my back in various situations. It's hard to grow and lose friends, but there are a few that have been with me through thick and thin. Heck, I've know Aleana for 24 years, I don't think she is going anywhere fast! I'm proud of my friends and all their accomplishments too. I'll gush more about that later!
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