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It’s A New Year, 2012 Resolutions

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Even though my 2011 resolutions didn’t all go as planned, I still love fresh starts.  This year, I tried to think about what I hope to achieve in 2012 as I wrote my resolutions.  Getting pregnant and moving closer toward my degree both came to mind, as did trying to be my best possible me.

I picked four main goals to work on this year.  The second two aren’t very specific (not recommended for goal setting) but I think all four are things worthy of my time and effort.

  1. Workout a minimum of three times per week.
  2. Continue to read at least one book a month, for a minimum total of 30 books this year.
  3. Put the time and effort into my school work that I can be proud of each week.
  4. Continue working on being a positive person.

Are you making any 2012 resolutions?  What are they?

2011 Resolutions, Looking Back

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Last year I made 5 resolutions for 2011.  Let’s see how I did –

1. Officially lose the 10 lbs I gained when we moved to Buffalo.

Fail.

I didn’t gain any weight (and I even lost a little) but 2011 was not the year of healthy habits!  Regular gym visits were sorely needed.

2. Create a written record of my experience as a teacher.

Tossed.

I started working on an outline, compiling memories chronologically, and thinking about my memoir early on in the year.  But those two years were a really hard time in my life and unfortunately I just can’t think about them in great detail without getting sad.  And really angry.  Which wasn’t good for goal #4.

3. Run another half marathon; one for which I’ve actually trained!

Fail.

Think this and #1 might be related?  I actually did make it through 8 miles on a training plan before I lost steam.  But by the time I gave up, running had become a chore and not a joy, so I doubt this resolution will be repeated for 2012.

4. Work on becoming a less negative person.

Work in progress.

There were some really terrible things happening in my department this last year (which I didn’t blog about for obvious reasons) and I think I did a fairly good job of staying positive.  But I could have done better.

5. Read at least one new book each month.

Smashed.

I read at least 1 book a month, and am ending the year with 26 books finished! I am going to try my hardest to beat this number next year.

Even though 2011 wasn’t my best year for resolutions, I know that it was a good year overall.  And I’m going to think about why these resolutions did or didn’t work when I think about my goals for 2012.

Were you successful in achieving the goals you set for 2011?

Wednesday – Thursday, Still On The Move

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Hello again from another location, this time Ohio.  Once we get home from here we have a day trip to Toronto and then I’m staying put until the end of break!

Wednesday

Yesterday was Adam’s and my 4-year wedding anniversary, aka our 9-year anniversary of being together!!!  It’s crazy to think that we’ve shared so much of our lives.  Sappy sidenote – I am grateful every day that I get to spend with my husband.  I am so thankful that the man I love is handsome and funny in addition to being intelligent and kind. </sap>

I had an early morning orthodontist appointment and we had to do a grocery restock and then we reunited with another man I love.

I sort of want to get those pictures framed.

Adam and I spent our anniversary doing our favorite things – namely tons of eating good food and cuddling on the couch watching good tv.  A big, made from scratch breakfast felt downright gourmet.

For the eggs, we went to the deli and requested two, 1/4 inch-thick slices of honey roasted turkey.

We chopped them up and sautéed them in a bit of butter, then scrambled in 4 large eggs.

Out of control delicious.  I quit eating most meat (mammals) before I had gotten to try everything and I suspect that I would really enjoy ham.

We also had hash browns made with white potatoes, onion, red bell pepper, 2 Tbsp of butter, and 2 tsp of chipotle oil.

Adam bought me some fourth year gifts for our anniversary.

A book with a sweet inscription, persimmons for fruit and rugelach for flour (substituted for flour because we were going out-of-town).

I’ve been picking up the persimmons and deciding that they were too expensive to splurge on for weeks at the grocery, so they were such a nice surprise.  We split part of one persimmon but decided that it wasn’t ripe enough yet.

Adam was careful to buy squishy ones because once in the city, before we knew better, we tried to eat an unripe persimmon and about died when all the moisture was sucked from our mouths!  This one had a good flavor but was still a little cotton-mouthy.  So we washed it away with rugelach.

The snack was perfect to bring us into lunch.

I had an Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna sandwich on half a cheddar jalapeno bialey with a little bit of Miracle Whip.

Plus a huge pile of roasted green beans.

Adam hates jalapeno but knew I’d like that bialey more than the others and I gave him the half with more cheese, so we both compromised in the name of love.

It would have been easy and fun to go out for a romantic dinner, so I’m extra proud of us that we stayed home and cooked together instead.

I started by steam-sauteing 3 chopped zucchini in a bit of chicken stock.  Then I finished them off with 1 Tbsp of evoo and this packet of Garlic Gold I got in my HLS swag.

I was expecting to adore the Garlic Gold after all the love it got in the healthy living blog community, but we found it to be pretty “meh.”

We set the cooked zucchini aside and while Adam boiled 3 servings of pasta I made a roux with 2 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp of flour, and 1 Tbsp of milk.  Into that, I whisked 1 cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  Once the sauce came together all we had to do was toss it with the cooked squash and pasta.

We topped our bowls with a bit of panko and more cheese.

Dinner was great, definitely as good as anything we would have gotten in a restaurant.  This was on the healthy side, but now I am absolutely going to make a similar sauce and use it in oozey, gooey mac and cheese.

We stayed up later than planned watching “That 70’s Show,” which was good for anniversary fun but bad for me working out this morning.  I can’t do anything active here in Ohio and I’m worried that all my vacation workout momentum will be for naught.

Thursday

Today was a day of many meals.  Due in parts to time of the month and restlessness from 7 hours in the car.  And we got junky food too; a healthy living blog no-no but an unavoidable part of existing in the real world.

Chicken biscuit from Chick-fill-a.

The leftover serving of dinner.

A juicy pear.

Animal crackers split with Adam (70/30 his favor).

Mid-way we got to stop for froyo.

I got eggnog and toffee mocha yogurts, topped with candy bar pieces and some marshmallow topping.

Alas both of my flavors were too spicy and I ended up throwing most of mine away.  It was a sad day indeed.

But hundreds of miles later we found a Sonic and I ordered a diet coke with strawberry that totally made up for it.

Adam and I also split fries and chicken tenders.

Good thing my grandma served a lateish dinner, huh?

Webster was a perfect angel for 95% of the drive.

We even got to take him in to meet my grandpa this afternoon.  I like it when all the men in my life are well-acquainted.

Per usual, my grandma made a great dinner.

Side salad,

cooked spinach with feta and cherry tomatoes,

truffle mac and cheese to make up for Adam not having any on Christmas,

and italian breaded chicken, 

which I only could eat a few bites of because I felt like food was coming out of my ears.

After dinner, Nana and Adam worked on a 750-piece puzzle while I wrote this monster post.  I hate all these super long posts I’ve been writing lately!  I know none of my readers are interesting in scrolling for hours, but since I use my blog as a journal I don’t want to skip days that are so great.  I promise to get back to a less annoying schedule once I’m home for good.

St. Thomas to Buffalo

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Monday

Yesterday was the perfect last day on island.

I got to see some of my favorite people and eat some of my favorite things.

I tried to eat this honey fig Oikos for breakfast.

The flavor seemed like something I would love but one bite in I was twisting up my face in disgust. Why so sour?!?

Instead I ate some leftover crack pie.

And an old-fashioned strawberry candy for good measure.

My unorthodox breakfast didn’t matter, because I had something good coming for lunch.

Chicken patty!

Pattys (pronounced like pate) are fried dough stuffed with spiced meat.

Amazing. The dough is chewy and the filling (usually beef or saltfish, but sometimes salmon or even veggies) is always tender and perfectly seasoned.

My parents and I spent the afternoon walking around downtown with my visiting aunt, uncle, and cousins. Important note – some of the best foods from my childhood are found in town and I spent the rest of the day eating myself silly.

The #1 best thing I had all vacation was this glass of soursop (guanabana) juice.

I never find soursop in the states but it will always be my favorite fruit. It’s sweet and almost creamy.

A while later I bought a fraco with milk (shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk).

I went with tamarind and passionfruit, more local flavors.

I only could handle half of it but that’s really all you need.

And for my final drink of the afternoon we cracked open a jellynut (aka a green coconut).

The water was more sour than I prefer, but I grabbed a long spoon and scraped out all of the sweet flesh.

That evening my parents and I headed back into town so we could eat dinner at Gladys’ Cafe.

I started with a slice of bread with butter.

And a bowl of callaloo (a thick soup made with spinach and okra).

My meal was the special plate, and it was exactly what I was craving.

Mac and cheese,

cole slaw,

rice and beans,

fried plantains,

and stewed chicken.

I could get past the bones to eat much chicken, but I stirred my rice and beans into the sauce and was in heaven.

We ended our evening with a glorious walk down the waterfront.

For nighttime entertainment I headed back to my high school friends’ apartment.

Vodka/something, x2.

Several old friends were there and I was so glad to get to see everyone. Adrien found his old year book which was perfect and hysterical. They were Adam’s grade, so no pictures of me, but I did see a few great ones of the husband!

Tuesday

Today I had to head back to Buffalo; which did at least mean a rendezvous with Adam.

The food situation today was pretty bad. That’s what 13+ hours in the airport will do!

In the St. Thomas airport I ate a johnny-cake with cheese.

On flight 1 I read this book.

In the Miami airport I wandered.

And got drawn in by this sign –

I actually ended up buying a very healthy sandwich.

As well as a very decadent sounding slice of cake.

The dulce de leche did not disappoint!

When I wasn’t eating on flight 2, I was reading.

After a quick scamper through Chicago I was on flight 3 starting my third book.

And before I knew it, I was home with the husband.

We stopped at Moe’s on the way home to pick up a quick and healthy dinner.

After my carb-filled day week I requested that they go light on the rice and cheese.  Topped with cilantro, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and corn salsa.

Off to unpack I go!  P.S. It’s our fourth wedding anniversary tomorrow!

Time To Get Merry

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So Wednesday and Thursday I had a slew of exams, and now I’m free until next semester!  They weren’t the best couple of days, but why focus on the bad when there is so much to be excited for this month?

  • December 17 – we’re hosting a holiday party
  • December 18th – I fly home (St. Thomas) to visit my family for 10 days
  • December 23rd – my family is hosting a Hanukkah party
  • December 25th – Christmas
  • December 28th – Adam and I celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary
  • December 31st – we finish 2011!

I have a bunch of to-do’s to tackle before the party this morning and my camera is currently plugged in.  But I’ll be back to blogging this evening with some merry eats I’ve got planned.

Ingrid and I

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It’s been a back-and-forth sort of day.  My travels included –

  • home to school
  • school to the WNY Food bank (in a friend’s car)
  • WNYFB to the Broadway Market (carpool)
  • Broadway Market back to school (carpool)
  • school to the post office
  • post office to Wegmans
  • Wegmans to Batavia!
  • Batavia back home
  • home back to school
  • and finally school back to home

Whew!  Way too many miles for my poor little gas tank.

For our last class of the semester, my coordinated program group took a field trip.  We donated the money we earned from the Chili Sale to the Food Bank of Western New York, so we went there today to take a tour and give them our check in person.  The tour was fascinating; a staggering amount of food (1.5 – 2 million pounds) is moved through the food bank each month.

I ate this Stonyfield yogurt drink on my first drive to school,

and these grapes during the drive to the food bank.

I also packed an Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookie for everyone in the car.

Good reviews all around!

Our next stop was the Broadway Market.

It was fun to see, but I doubt I’d go back.

One of my classmates bought a fig cookie from one of the stands a shared a bite with me.

Shockingly for me, I actually found this to be too sweet.  But the sprinkles were fun.

When we got back to school I had time to print of the last of my notes for final exams before I was off on errands.  I stopped at Wegman’s at 12:30 for a 15-minute lunch.

Food, that wasn’t very good.

I had two different types of brussels sprouts and both were basically raw.  Plus the German Potato Salad (on the right) ended up being more cheese than potatoes.  I’m not saying it wasn’t tasty, but I am saying it wasn’t healthy.

And a coffee with skim milk and two sugars that I dumped down the front of my shirt while driving on the highway.

I’ve had better lunches.

I was driving out to Batavia – 50 minutes each way – for a job interview.  They won’t know for a few weeks and a lot of other (more qualified) people have applied, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My long drive was made exponentially more pleasant thanks the new-to-me Ingrid Michaelson CD my friend Kim burned for me.

I loved it!  The sound reminded me a lot of Regina Spektor’s 2nd album, Far.  And there were several songs that I had previously enjoyed but not recognized as Michaelson’s.  Her song “Snowfall” has been my favorite Christmas (or anytime!) song since I heard it on Bones last year. 

How gorgeous is that?

I had enough time before my final event to run home to take a quick shower and make Adam and I the world’s fluffiest smoothie.

For two – combine 1 cup skim milk, 3/4 cup h2o, 3 Tbsp malted milk powder, and 1 scoop chocolate whey protein.  Blend for far too long and you get chocolate malted air.

That big glass literally felt like nothing was in it, but at least it tasted good!  And my 150 calorie serving was surprisingly filling.  Oh the power of protein.

I was back on campus because my friend Janessa and I volunteered to run a nutrition table at the relaxation fair our college was putting on.

We were there two hours and were very pleased to see many students take an interest in our table.

I snagged a popcorn bag from a neighboring snack table,

which sparked the craving for this snack when I got home.

I’ve actually been munching my way through the bag while I typed this post!  Plus two unphotographed cookies that snuck in after I hooked up the camera.

Are you an Ingrid Michaelson fan?  How about Regina Spektor?

Hello, Bob

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So, this morning I looked like this –

and now I look like this –

I like it, I think!

I always sort of hate my hair whenever I get it chopped, but I’ve gone short several times now so apparently that’s not holding me back!  I ended up having 14 inches to give to Locks of Love, which is great.

A friend and I went during a long break between classes and it was fun to see people’s reactions when we got back.  “Wait, didn’t you have a pony-tail this morning?!?”  I surprised Adam too.  He picked me up from school and his mouth fell open when I walked out to the car!

BC (before the cut) I ate half of this Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

And AC (after the cut) I bought a great green juice.

This was blend of spinach, kale, carrot, and cucumber; from a new spot just blocks from my apartment.

This was so good, and “only” $4.  I predict I’ll be there more often than I can afford!

Adam picked me up after school so we could make a quick grocery trip.  We each picked something from the cookie bar for funsies before we did boring stuff like toilet paper.

I chose cinnamon nut rugala and I’m now on the hunt for a rugala recipe to make at home.

While I was fixing Adam’s dinner I snacked on some canned pineapple over 1% cottage cheese.

My dinner was supposed to be some of Monday’s “leftovers,” leftover.

A heaping bowl of pasta, shredded chicken, and tons of peas, topped with parmesan, cranberry relish, and a drizzle of evoo.

I love this bowl so much more than I do anything I eat on Thanksgiving.  But I got up to do something halfway through and when I came back there was a dog face in my bowl!  Webster’s sort of an asshole.

Instead I ate this Smart Ones Brocoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.

Not as good as the dinner I shared with the dog, but not as bad as it looks either.

Have you ever given to Locks of Love?  If you have long hair – how many times have you gone short?

All The Small Things

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Happy Thanksgiving, guys!  My trip plan (fingers crossed!) is to blog from my hotel room each night, but at the moment I’m probably sitting on an airplane.

For funsies – and more for me than you – I wanted to make a quick list of the things I’m small things* thankful for.  In no particular order –

  1. diet pop
  2. the two years I spent in Brooklyn
  3. my reusable plastic straws
  4. Archie comics
  5. ruffles
  6. how wickedly funny my dad and grandfather both are
  7. long walks
  8. peeling baked cheese off of the top of a dish
  9. Reef flip-flops
  10. bubbles
  11. bubble tea
  12. how soft the side of Webster’s neck is to kiss
  13. stickers
  14. my ability to be a college student, again
  15. Biscoff spread
  16. the fact that even if I go awhile without plucking, I don’t naturally have a unibrow
  17. scented candles
  18. sharpies
  19. having an apartment, car, and big enough budget to feed and clothe myself
  20. popcorn with butter
  21. how unbelievably smart the husband is
  22. music
  23. … Come Around by Rhett Miller
  24. … Snowfall by Ingrid Michaelson
  25. … What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
  26. … Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez
  27. … Alive with the Glory of Love by Say Anything
  28. … A Light On a Hill by Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
  29. … Regina Spektor
  30. … Joshua Radin
  31. the fact that I get to sleep curled up with Adam and Webster
  32. roasted marshmallows
  33. the Nancy Drew series
  34. Serendipity 3 in NYC
  35. yoga pants
  36. the feeling you get when you remember you’re about to go on a vacation
  37. blogs, and the fact that they helped me have the courage to quit my job
  38. my experiences as a teacher and the better understanding of the world that they gave me
  39. the movie theatre in Brooklyn that probably saved our lives
  40. really good bread dipped in olive oil
  41. tv shows that, even when I hate everyone, make me feel like the world is going to be ok
  42. … Scrubs
  43. … Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  44. … Firefly
  45. … Bones
  46. … Modern Family
  47. the way Adam just gets my weird humor
  48. self-serve frozen yogurt
  49. my childhood on an island
  50. the fact that my mom read the entire set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books to me as a kid
  51. good books

*Note – small things.  I’m so thankful for my husband, family, friends, and health that I don’t even have the words to express it.