Do you ever have one of those days? Where you just feel like you've been super productive (even if that is a gross exaggeration), and you just become filled with a sense of content?
I haven't had a lot of those days recently. If I'm not stressed about one thing, I'm stressed about another. What's for dinner? How am I gonna pay for this? When will I get enough hours at my job? When will I get a new job? Do I meet the requirements? What about the exam?
These are all thoughts that plague me on an almost daily basis. I know I'm not alone. I'm painfully aware that everyone struggles with questions like these all too often.
Unfortunately, having those questions usually keeps me in a slightly sour mood the majority of the time. I don't appreciate Lovie's jokes and sense of humor as much as I normally would, and even if I enjoy a moment of levity, it is easily ruined by something that I could usually brush off. I don't like this person. This isn't who I want to be. I want to find enjoyment in the little things, and be happy.
So while I haven't had a lot of content days recently, I had one today. I can't tell you exactly what about it made me happy. I still got cut off while driving, almost run over walking across the parking lot. Even had to pay $5 for a day-pass parking permit at the University that I ended up only using for about ten minutes because the person I was supposed to have an appointment with called in sick, and I didn't get a call to let me know.
But for some reason none of this fazed me today. I was pleasant to the person who should have called me to reschedule my appointment. To the semi-creepy guy at Bed Bath & Beyond who chatted me up a little too long over car fresheners. Every one just seemed friendly today (excepting the people who cut me off/tried to run me over), offering smiles. I was a little disconcerted. But then I realized I was smiling back at every single one of them. It was incredible. I even went to Panera by myself and just sat, drinking hot chocolate and reading the newspaper, for about 45 minutes. And I was happy. Perfectly content and happy.
I want to be that person more often. Offering a smile to strangers, being nice even when they walk where I was walking (seriously though, when did we develop a sense of entitlement over where we 'intended to walk, if only that other person hadn't gotten in our way,' to the point where people feel the need to apologize if they walk in your path?).
All too often, I get so angry about customers at my work who are rude to me, not understanding why they can't see that the things they are upset about are not my fault. But then I turn around and do it myself. Going off at a clerk who has no more power over whatever I'm upset about, than I do over what my customers get upset about.
It's not a New Year's Resolution (I don't do those), but it is something I want to commit myself to working on. To just be content, and be kind, even if your circumstances are not conducive to it.
It truly is about appreciating the little things; a new friend, some hot cocoa, hearing 'I Love You' from someone dear to your heart.
Until next time,
Enjoy the little things, and hot cocoa.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Baby Steps
Eating healthy can be a major challenge in this day and age. What to eat, what not to eat, this makes you fat, this is actually good for you... It can all be VERY overwhelming and confusing. There is so much different information out there, it is often hard to know which pieces to take into consideration and which to discard.
I'm not going to tell you I have answers. On the contrary, Lovie and I are making our own baby steps to finding a healthier kitchen, and each step is a process to finding what works for us. By no means do we cut anything out of our diet entirely. Maybe we should, but that's not a step we've reached yet. I personally do not drink soda on a regular basis, only as a treat every once in a while. I drink a LOT of water on a daily basis. It's not even something I think about anymore, except when I have not been drinking enough water and am feeling dehydrated.
Recently, we've been really good about not eating premade, frozen or boxed meals. The only frozen items we purchase for our pantry are meats, and ice cream (one of our truly guilty pleasures). We try to not even get frozen vegetables. It has gotten to the point where I even feel bad about occasionally using a rice side 'mix' (did you know that the 'rice' is more often small pieces of pasta???), and I want to start making my own pasta, or at least switching to whole wheat, because the amount we use is crazy. This is another thing we are trying to move away from.
When we first started trying to make all of our dinners (as opposed to frozen or boxed meals), pasta was an easy go-to dish. There are so many different ways to make it that we probably could have gone for years without getting bored. But we realized that we were eating waaay too many carbs, and not enough vegetables.
These are our baby steps.
We will fix one part of our diet, only to realize there is another part, or something we picked up in the process that needs changing. But as long as we do not become complacent, we will continue to re-learn how to eat, and how to be healthy. We also work out multiple times a week. Lovie is much better about consistency than I am, but I'm trying to keep up with him.
With all of that in mind, I am trying to progressively feel better and better about the things I am putting on the table for Lovie and I.
Last night, I made chicken and broccoli with rice. The rice was one of those 'mixes' I told you about, so I was not super thrilled with putting that on our plates. But while I'm all for changing the way we eat, there are things already in our pantry that need to be used. And my momma did not raise me to be wasteful.
The chicken I cut into strips and seasoned with kosher salt and lemon pepper. I tried to keep my hand light with the salt and let most of the flavor come from the ingredients in the lemon pepper, and then cooked it in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil (instead of butter).
For the broccoli, I brought about a 1/2-3/4 inch of lightly salted water to a boil in a pot, before putting the chopped broccoli florets directly into the water, covered it, and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Normally you would want to use a steamer, but I don't have one, and this works nearly as well. You want to be careful not to cook it too long, or you will end up with green mush. After I drained it, I stirred about 1 tbsp of butter in, and served it.
This was not the richest, or most delicious meal I've put together, but it was tasty, and Lovie and I felt good about eating it. With a glass of wine on the side.
The moral of the story is; find the baby steps that work for you. Sometimes baby steps are better, and easier, than an all-at-once-cold-turkey method of changing your diet. Because you don't want a fad, you want a lifestyle change, one that will last for years. And Lovie and I's goal is to establish a lifestyle now that will keep us healthy and happy for the next 40 years, so that when we reach retirement we are healthy enough to enjoy it.
Until next time,
Broccoli and (a little) less butter.
I'm not going to tell you I have answers. On the contrary, Lovie and I are making our own baby steps to finding a healthier kitchen, and each step is a process to finding what works for us. By no means do we cut anything out of our diet entirely. Maybe we should, but that's not a step we've reached yet. I personally do not drink soda on a regular basis, only as a treat every once in a while. I drink a LOT of water on a daily basis. It's not even something I think about anymore, except when I have not been drinking enough water and am feeling dehydrated.
Recently, we've been really good about not eating premade, frozen or boxed meals. The only frozen items we purchase for our pantry are meats, and ice cream (one of our truly guilty pleasures). We try to not even get frozen vegetables. It has gotten to the point where I even feel bad about occasionally using a rice side 'mix' (did you know that the 'rice' is more often small pieces of pasta???), and I want to start making my own pasta, or at least switching to whole wheat, because the amount we use is crazy. This is another thing we are trying to move away from.
When we first started trying to make all of our dinners (as opposed to frozen or boxed meals), pasta was an easy go-to dish. There are so many different ways to make it that we probably could have gone for years without getting bored. But we realized that we were eating waaay too many carbs, and not enough vegetables.
These are our baby steps.
We will fix one part of our diet, only to realize there is another part, or something we picked up in the process that needs changing. But as long as we do not become complacent, we will continue to re-learn how to eat, and how to be healthy. We also work out multiple times a week. Lovie is much better about consistency than I am, but I'm trying to keep up with him.
With all of that in mind, I am trying to progressively feel better and better about the things I am putting on the table for Lovie and I.
Last night, I made chicken and broccoli with rice. The rice was one of those 'mixes' I told you about, so I was not super thrilled with putting that on our plates. But while I'm all for changing the way we eat, there are things already in our pantry that need to be used. And my momma did not raise me to be wasteful.
The chicken I cut into strips and seasoned with kosher salt and lemon pepper. I tried to keep my hand light with the salt and let most of the flavor come from the ingredients in the lemon pepper, and then cooked it in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil (instead of butter).
For the broccoli, I brought about a 1/2-3/4 inch of lightly salted water to a boil in a pot, before putting the chopped broccoli florets directly into the water, covered it, and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Normally you would want to use a steamer, but I don't have one, and this works nearly as well. You want to be careful not to cook it too long, or you will end up with green mush. After I drained it, I stirred about 1 tbsp of butter in, and served it.
This was not the richest, or most delicious meal I've put together, but it was tasty, and Lovie and I felt good about eating it. With a glass of wine on the side.
The moral of the story is; find the baby steps that work for you. Sometimes baby steps are better, and easier, than an all-at-once-cold-turkey method of changing your diet. Because you don't want a fad, you want a lifestyle change, one that will last for years. And Lovie and I's goal is to establish a lifestyle now that will keep us healthy and happy for the next 40 years, so that when we reach retirement we are healthy enough to enjoy it.
Until next time,
Broccoli and (a little) less butter.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Fruity Pigs
I started this post a few days ago, but I haven't been feeling great (and was experiencing a little writer's block), so I saved it for later. But, we're back in business!
This past week I made my first foray into the world of Masterchef. Well, the Masterchef cookbook I got for Christmas.
There are sooo many recipes in my new cookbooks that I want to try, but many of them require tools I don't have, are more complex than I want to try for a work night dinner, or require a lot of ingredients I don't have and/or wouldn't even know where to buy. Since my budget is pretty limited (grocery shopping usually consists of a trip to the local super Wal-Mart), this is a problem.
Luckily, there is one fancy looking pork recipe that only required a handful of ingredients not already members of my pantry, and pork chops is just what Lovie wanted for dinner.
My poor baby.
I started this recipe around 8:30pm, thinking it would only take me an hour, tops. The reason I was starting so late was because he got off work at 5, and we went to the gym and then grocery shopping before we finally made it home for dinner. I offered to make one of our usual dinners that are faster, but he said he would be okay waiting.
Dinner wasn't ready to eat until around 10:30pm. I felt so bad. And even though I was checking the clock to time my cooking, it didn't occur to me how late it was getting until I sat down with my plate.
I suppose the food was worth the wait though. These chops were delicious.
The prep always takes me forever. I'm too meticulous, and too afraid of chopping my fingers off to speed it up. Plus, (as I warned Lovie before I started) the first time I use a new recipe always takes me longer than it usually would.
This past week I made my first foray into the world of Masterchef. Well, the Masterchef cookbook I got for Christmas.
There are sooo many recipes in my new cookbooks that I want to try, but many of them require tools I don't have, are more complex than I want to try for a work night dinner, or require a lot of ingredients I don't have and/or wouldn't even know where to buy. Since my budget is pretty limited (grocery shopping usually consists of a trip to the local super Wal-Mart), this is a problem.
Luckily, there is one fancy looking pork recipe that only required a handful of ingredients not already members of my pantry, and pork chops is just what Lovie wanted for dinner.
My poor baby.
I started this recipe around 8:30pm, thinking it would only take me an hour, tops. The reason I was starting so late was because he got off work at 5, and we went to the gym and then grocery shopping before we finally made it home for dinner. I offered to make one of our usual dinners that are faster, but he said he would be okay waiting.
Dinner wasn't ready to eat until around 10:30pm. I felt so bad. And even though I was checking the clock to time my cooking, it didn't occur to me how late it was getting until I sat down with my plate.
I suppose the food was worth the wait though. These chops were delicious.
The prep always takes me forever. I'm too meticulous, and too afraid of chopping my fingers off to speed it up. Plus, (as I warned Lovie before I started) the first time I use a new recipe always takes me longer than it usually would.
K does not like mushrooms. He loved the chops, but refused to eat any of the mushrooms. Something about the smell and texture just puts him off, and he says he would rather I experiment with making him eat fish/seafood (something else he's not exactly a fan of) than mushrooms. Good to know. I told him he needs to be more open-minded about what he is willing to eat, or I'm never going to get to try half the recipes in my cookbooks. Anyway, I suppose that's kind of beside the point.
The end result was pretty awesome, although I think I was supposed to let the pomegranate gastrique cool completely, as the color was better cool, and it tasted just as good.
Oh, and I got to use my fancy new thermometer too!
Yes, I know. Not exactly Masterchef quality plates, but I'm working with what I have. And it doesn't matter, because it tasted amazing! The recipe will be posted in the comments below. The only advice I have other than the bit about letting the gastrique cool completely is to give yourself plenty of time. At least the first time.
Until next time,
Pomegranates and pork.
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