Tag Archives: rice

Seis de Mayo!

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Okay, okay, so I’m a day late on my May 5th post.  Normally I hate to do long-overdue recap posts, but since my new 30 day goal is to post everything, here it is.  Quick sidenote – mad props to everyone who engages in drogging (aka drunk blogging); I wanted to share this yesterday but it was just not an option 😉

My classmates I add were touched by serendipity yesterday, when Cinco de Mayo and our last day of classes fell on the same day.  After a very long last day of classes (9:25 in the morning to 7 at night) we were able to head out for some much-needed celebration.

First, the morning.  Our last day of lab included drawer check out and a final exam.  I had a little extra time in the morning to study since I had to skip my workout (boo!), and I think I did pretty well on the exam.  I didn’t have it together for breakfast, but I did grab a medium iced coffee with skim milk from Starbucks.

And it was so good I forgot to take a picture until I was down to my last sips; clearly I needed coffee!

Our last lab let out pretty early, and we were left with a six-hour break before our final evening class.  No problem, I took my friend Rachel on a mini tour of Elmwood!  We ambled down the street from school, stopping to visit a friend at work and hit up the Spot for a study session.  I grabbed some brown rice veggie sushi from the co-op for lunch.

And actually stopped at the co-op on the way back to school for dinner as well.

During my night class I noshed on Thai cucumber and peanut salad,

and some vegan pasta salad.

Suddenly we were taking our last quiz of the semester, packing up, and we were done with our first year of school!!!  I mean, there are finals next week, but still exciting.

Cinco de Mayo plans were supposed to include a holiday appropriate trip to Cozumel Bar, but a $10 cover later we ended up at JP Bullfeathers.

That was a Jack and ginger ale, but it tasted more like dirty water.  Weak drinks aside, JP Bullfeathers ended up being a perfect spot for our end of school celebration; not too packed for good conversation, but busy enough to still be fun.

We ended up sitting at a table and ordering some food as well.

My friend Janessa and I split the turkey and gorgonzola pannini,

which was delicious.  Turkey sandwiches seem to be my go-to restaurant order.

And how to do go out on Cinco de Mayo without margaritas?!

What’s the Spanish word for sloshed?  Let’s just say I’m glad I could walk less than a minute and be home!

I did stay up to share some dessert, of course.

That’s a caramelized macadamia nut and chocolate mousse tart that Adam brought home.

Now on to today.  In true college-girl fashion, I managed to stay in bed well past 1pm!!  It helps to have the bladder of a camel and a four-day break before finals begin.  🙂

Adam and made the executive decision that we needed a day together, so we took down a full season of Scrub’s recaps and an entire pizza.

That’s a bruschetta pizza topped with extra green olives, the best pizza topper ever.

The half a pizza pretty much covered all my food groups (what?! dairy, grains, veggies…) but I did sneak in one more veggie with a slice of carrot cake from the co-op.

A few facts – Carrot cake does to count as a veggie.  I think I need to be done with the co-op for a few days.  It was a glorious day with my husband.

Did you do anything to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  What are you looking forward to this weekend?

All Sorts of Win

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My day has been like Charlie Sheen, all sorts of winning!  Seriously though, it has been one of those days that are just randomly fantastic.  Good workout, mostly good food, good times with the husband…

Win #1 of the day was the realization that music makes my workouts fly by.  My i-pod broke months ago and my parents gave me an IOU for a replacement in my Christmas stocking but it’s taken me a while to finally cash it in.  I got a nano, in lime green, engraved with my phone # and part of my favorite quote from Robert Frost.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

Once I got of Biochem this afternoon I headed straight to the gym, my new i-pod stocked with a new 30minute playlist –

  1. Sweet Light, The Chapin Sisters
  2. The Cave, Mumford and Sons
  3. Coming Home, Diddy
  4. Signal Fire, Snow Patrol
  5. Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangster, Geto Boys
  6. Heartbeats, Jose Gonzalez
  7. My Dick, Dirt Nasty
  8. Somwhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

For 30minutes on the elliptical, random level 6.  “What a Wonderful World” is actually the song Adam and I walked down the aisle to once we were married, and when it came on I started to cry!!!  I had to elliptisize as fast as I could to make myself stop being embarrassing (double win!).

Once I was home and showered I headed out on errands with Adam.  Win #2 was the free coffee I picked up at Starbucks for Earth Day –

Seasoned with a big pour of skim milk and two sugars.

Our errands included a trip to the mall for Adam to get an eye check up, where I sat in the food court for an hour and wrote notecards like a weirdo.  I may have looked like a creeper, but I actually got a lot done.

Not a win, was the fact that we were busy straight through lunch and ended up not eating anything.  By 5:30 when we left the mall I was having a definite panic attack of hunger.  I ended up randomly grabbing this Liquid Taffy candy to split with Adam.

Such a win!  The texture of this was divine; a velvety, less chewy taffy.

We continued dessert before dinner by splitting froyo.

Fat free chocolate and vanilla twist, topped with strawberries, sprinkles, and granola.

Total win!

Dinner, not such a win.  It was poised to be good…

We headed to Taste of Thai on Hertel (an avenue with tons of good-looking restaurants and next to no parking), where we split our regular order – Pad See Eiw with tofu,

and Cashew Chicken.

The dishes had tons of veggies (our complaint with Buffalo Thai has been the lack of veggies), but that’s where the compliments end.  The renditions were painfully inauthentic, and way too salty to boot.  Fail!

But being with the husband is always a win.  Especially for the rest of the evening, for which our big plans include the latest Community and the splitting of two mini ice creams.

This day has been sweet, in every sense of the word!

What was your most recent #win?

She Ain’t Messing With No Court Jester

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No one could accuse me of being a gold-digger.  I started dating Adam when we were still in high school.  I will stay with him through countless years of undergrad, Teach for America, medical school, residency, and grunt work before he becomes a wealthy doctor (my Jewish grandma would be so proud!).  But sometimes, like when he calls me in a tizzy, shouting “the radio says there’s a BOGO special at Medieval Times!,” I close my eyes and think “he’s going to be rich someday.”

And then I open them, and get busy buying tickets to Medieval Times and mapping out the drive to Toronto.  And I feel so lucky to get to spend 4 hours in the car with my funny, handsome husband, who also happens to be a total dork.

Seriously though, Adam has wanted to go to Medieval Times since he watched “Cable Guy,” and I was thrilled to help his dream come true.

First though, we had to clean up from the poker party and get in a grocery trip.  While we were at Wegman’s we picked up hot bar for the road.

I grabbed a random spread, including several veggies plucked from their meat dish counterparts (think chicken and mushrooms, not beef and broccoli).

In total, I ended up with kale, carrots, mushrooms, celery, broccoli, butternut squash, and green beans.

I also munched on half a leftover turkey reuben.

And then, we were at Medieval Times!

I don’t have any pictures of the show (the mood lighting was a little rough on my food photos as well), but I did take a few shots around the castle.

We had a great time walking around, although the blatant commercialism was a little frustrating; it would have been nice to see an exhibit that wasn’t trying to sell us something.

The show was a lot of fun though, packing with jousting and ceremony.  The best part was definitely the horses though.  And dinner was surprisingly good.  No silverware, metal plates, and huge pieces of meat –

None for me though, I actually pre-ordered the vegetarian meal (which p.s., was even tastier!).  We started with tomato bisque,

and garlic bread,

both of which were only ok.

And then my meal blew me out of the water.

Hummus with pita chips, rice pilaf, and a grilled veggie skewer (I got a fork!), all of which were delicious.

Dessert was an apple tart.

It was good, but I only took a few bites because I knew Adam and I were going to share some Canada candy on the car ride home.

Smarties make the drive go so much faster!

We were served dinner at 5, so unsurprisingly I was ready for a snack when we got home.  I snacked on spinach and artichoke dip with a serving of chips while I blogged.

I don’t think we’d ever go back (holy price tag, Batman!!), but it was a pretty fabulous day!

Have you ever been to Medieval Times?

Bakers Eat Bread

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I’ve been a busy bee this afternoon; a busy baking bee!

Lunch was simple but good.

A Thai chicken Lean Cuisine,

with 1.5 slices of beer bread with Smart Balance Light.

I made the loaf I beer bread for the husband’s lunches next week.

I followed my usual beer bread recipe, though I did skip the butter drizzle this time.  Adam said not to skip it again, but I didn’t think it made too much of a difference.  Don’t skip it if you’re making the recipe for the first time though, you’ve got to fall in love with the original first.

I also made a batch of Cooking Light’s Pistachio Chai Muffins. 

Only mine were Pistachio Green Tea Muffins.

I addition to switching from Chai to green tea, I also used half the amount of nuts and skipped the drizzle. 

My substitutions worked out well; I split a muffin with Adam (topped with maple jelly) and it was delicious.

Bakers eat a lot of bread, but they also take a lot of nibbles.  I’ve done my fair share of “tastes” while getting the food ready for Adam and his friends tonight.  On the menu for the poker game:

Oh yeah, you read that dessert correctly.  Check back for my dinner post if you want to be in hog heaven!

And Fruit for Dessert

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Hello from Ohio! I’m glad to be here, but getting here was a freaking disaster. There was an issue with our alarms, and we got a late start and a parking ticket! Ugh.

We had to stop at Wegmans on our way out of town, and hot bar brunch was a bright spot.

Lots of veggies,

and sweet and sour chicken.

I also snagged .12 pounds of yogurt pretzels.

On our first stop I picked up a coffee.

Half regular coffee and half (sweetened) white chocolate cappuccino. I’ve decided I pretty much only enjoy flavored coffee.

We spent the (looooong) trip talking and listening to music. All of our road trip cds come from the music that used to be on Scrubs. I know nothing about music now that there’s not Zach Braff to tell me who to listen to!

We reached my grandparent’s house just in time for dinner.

But first, a cheese course.

I also admired my grandma’s amazing Easter decorations,

including a ceramic bunny I made in grade school,

and snagging a mini-spoonful of jelly beans!

My mom cooked a fun medley dish; rice, chicken, celery, tomato, green onion, almonds, rice noodles, pineapple, cheese, and gravy.

With asparagus cooked in truffle oil (Adam was swooning!),

and fruit salad.

And we’re about to take a middle of the night trip to the store (my mom’s not crazy cakes, she just doesn’t live stateside anymore!  Going to the store any hour of the day is more exciting to her and me than someone who grew up in America) so I’ve got to hurry off!

Eeeeee!

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If I thought yesterday was exciting then I don’t even know what to call today – I WAS ACCEPTED TO THE COORDINATED PROGRAM!!! 

That’s my I’m-excited-but-also-embarassed-to-take-a-mirror-self-portrait-like-a-teenager-on-Myspace face.

I wasn’t expecting to get in, and we weren’t supposed to hear the news until later, so the shock just adds to the thrill.  I’ve been crossing my fingers and hoping for months, I’m not even sure what my plan B was going to be if I didn’t get in.  Let me explain…

In order to be a Registered Dietician (a highly regulated job title in the US) you must –

  1. take a certain set of courses
  2. complete a certain set of clinical hours/experiences
  3. pass a comprehensive exam – which you can only sit for after #1 & 2 have been completed

The Didactic program (what I’ve been in since this summer) is the typical course for most students.  You complete the courses, then apply separately for the internship, then sit for the exam.  It’s a great program, but the competition for internship spots is fierce.  In the Didactic program, I would have had 2 more years of school, followed by a year of clinical work (if I got accepted to an internship right away).

The Coordinated program is not available at most schools.  It has you complete clinical work alongside the required coursework.  You complete requirements #1 & 2 as a set, and then are ready to sit for the exam.  It is a very challenging program, but is helpful for people who learn better when pairing clinical and classroom learning.  Doing the Clinical program means you don’t have to go through the carnival ride that is finding an internship.

Additionally (and for me most important of all), in the Clinical program I will have two more years of school until I’m ready to sit for the exam.  2 years, and not 3 years.  And since Adam is done with medical school (not done done, but ready for residency done) in two years – and probably moving in 2 years – this is a very big deal for us.  Yay!

I’m thrilled that now I won’t have to live in Buffalo for a year without Adam, I’m excited about starting clinical work, and I’m proud of myself for getting in to such a competitive program.  This year was especially tough, because there were more than 40 of us applying for the 16 spots.  I’m so glad I made the cut!

–  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – 

Before we even knew there was anything to celebrate, a group of friends and I had plans to meet for breakfast at Panos before our last class before Spring break.  I got a short, nonfat latte on my walk there.

Pano’s breakfast menu is amazing; I don’t know how I don’t end up there more often.  I convinced the waitress to let me order the 1-1-1 (a kid’s meal).

1 egg (sunny side up), with hash browns,

and 1 pancake.

I couldn’t quite finish it all (about 3/4), but it was nice to have any sort of breakfast appetite for a change.

I also ordered an extra-spicy Bloody Mary.

Yes, I’m the person who orders off the kid’s menu and the drink menu.

When we got to school and got our letters, after a lot of screaming and jumping around, I somehow decided more coffee was a good idea.

A grande nonfat latte with almond roca syrup (half amount of syrup).  Can I just say, I pretty much shook and twitched my way through Biochem?!

Since we are so busy over Spring break I’m actually trying to get a lot of work done this weekend, so my friend Rachel came home with me after class for some studying and TV watching.  I can’t even tell you how fun it was to watch “Grey’s Anatomy” with another girl for a change.

I had to show her how to get back out to the main road, so I took a random stroll down Elmwood to reflect.  I ended up stopping at the Co-op for celebratory sushi.

Now I’m about to dig into a late lunch of veggie sushi with brown rice.

I can’t wait!  I also feel that ice-cream should be on the agenda at some point today….

What was the last thing you applied for that required an interview?  Are you good at interviews or do you seize up with nervousness?  Apparently I rocked mine, because I don’t feel like I’m the best candidate on paper 🙂

Exotic Culinary Exploration

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After our race this morning – and a very long recovery in the shower – we spent the rest of the day doing exotic culinary exploration.  If you want to get technical, our culinary travels took us to Jamaica, England, Korea, and Canada.  If you want to get really technical though, just Canada.

On our way out of town we had an errand at a local bakery and ended up sharing this neat cookie.

Pink always tastes good!

Since parts of Canada are only a 30 minute drive away, we occasionally get Groupon offers for places ‘up north.’  When one came up for a Jamaican spot, my homesickness forced me to bite.  And thus we headed to Kool Katz.

It was a low-key spot and the wait staff was so friendly.  We ordered a random sampling of familiar dishes.  I went with a veggie pattie (fried dough stuffed with seasoned veggies),

And a jerk shrimp skewer appetizer (jerk = a fantastic spice rub).

I also shared bites of Adam’s curried chicken with beans and rice and tostones (fried plantains).

Everything was tasty, but honestly the best dish at the table was this side of cole slaw.

It was tart instead of creamy and full of juicy pieces of citrus fruit.  Best cole slaw I’ve ever had!  Overall the meal was good, but it didn’t fill the urge we were looking to satisfy.  Different places around the Caribbean often serve the same types of dish, but Jamaican style is just not the same as St. Thomian.

While we were in Canada we took advantage of some great views of Niagara Falls, as well as proximity to exotic candies.

While we hung out this afternoon I polished off the Cadbury Pep Bar (England).

The Pep Bars are basically York Patties, but better!

This evening we met up with a big group of friends at Koreana for some tradition Korean fare.

I ordered a spicy chicken dish that came with sticky rice.

It was ok, but the spice level wasn’t as intense as I was looking for and I ended up leaving half of it on the plate.  Thankfully the company was amazing as always.

When I got home I supplemented my dinner with some baked fries.

Now I’m done.  It was nice to be hungry after yesterday’s incurable bout of satiety 😉

Have you ever eaten Jamaican food?  Korean food?

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

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The healthiness level of my food consumption today mirrors the level of health I felt all day.  That is to say, not very healthy at all.  I feel rough.  It’s rough being sick for 16 days straight.  It’s rough finding out that I have a C average in two of my main classes because I’ve had so many tests fall in those 16 days.  It’s rough having a music exam that I literally only had 1 feasible hour to study for.  Long Wednesdays are always rough.  You get the picture.

Breakfast started out well with a big Granny Smith apple dipped in a serving of natural honey peanut butter.

But as I got closer to leaving my sore throat was begging for a cookie dough ice-cream sandwich.

I guess it’s a good thing the treat we’re obsessed with only has 160 calories?

I totally couldn’t get it together to pack lunch and ended up at Taco Bell on campus of all places.  Once there, I proceeded to drive the workers crazy by knowing only that I wanted a chicken burrito and asking the ingredients in all the varieties.  I believe what I ended up with was a chicken grilled stuft burrito.

Question – why the heck do we have to go with “stuft,” stuffed is literally one letter more?  Also, why was this so monsterous?  I nibbled away for a solid 45minutes (I knew dinner would be iffy so I wanted to make sure I was very fueled) and I still conceded defeat to the final quarter.

Dinner was in fact the definition of iffy. 

Buffalo wing and blue cheese chips.  They confirmed both that my cold has killed my taste buds and that I’m a terrible healthy living blogger when I’m sick.

Did I mention that I’m sick?

What do you like to eat when you’re sick?  Other than really disliking salads, I don’t have any “sick foods.”  It seems like I should be eating normally because my sickness is in my chest/head and not my stomach, but in fact I’ve coughed so hard that I’ve made myself throw up every day of the last 16 days.  It’s been fun around here.