Exciting stuff going on around here: namely, I’ve purchased my own domain! (For the non-geeks among us, I bought my own website address that doesn’t have “wordpress.com” in the name.)
From now on, I’ll be posting at videosofkittens.com
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Ahhhh…. Spring Break.
Not for me, of course. Staff continue to work while the students and faculty are off frolicking and surfing. (You know who you are. Yes, you.) I am not complaining—I still get more than 5 weeks paid time off every year. Ok, maybe I am complaining, a little bit… but I know I shouldn’t be?
ANYWAY. Breaks are my favorite time to work at a university. The campus is just so peaceful. And traffic is a dream. Oh, so help me, I just like it better when the students aren’t there!
Today I took advantage of the quiet time and thrifted on my lunch break. Goodwill in Kennesaw, I love you. You are a never-ending treasure trove.
First:
It’s a lamp. I mean, it’s supposed to be a lamp; it’s clearly with the other lamps. But it’s the most reeeeediculously inappropriate lamp I’ve ever seen. Something about the combination of “pink” and “phallic” and “18 inches tall” gives me the heebie-jeebies. So that was fun!
Then I found some Kathy Ireland pleather pants, which also gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Then I found a pair of pristine, $5 Banana Republic pants in my size (my new, smaller size), which fit me brilliantly. That made me squeal with delight.
A floral sundress for $3 and these Crazy Daisy Pyrex mugs for 77¢ a piece:
$10.02 spent, and happy about the whole adventure!
It also reminded me about something I wanted to share: a little Instagram tutorial.
As long as I have been Instagramming, I have always taken a photo inside the Instagram app, then furiously tried to choose my filter and finish up so I could move on to the next photograph. This is so annoying, and not very practical. For instance, while thrifting: shoot photo, test out 8 different filters, all while keeping an eagle eye on that item I just photographed—lest someone reach in and swoop it up.
Well, silly me.
I had no idea that you can snap all your photos with the much-faster built-in iPhone camera, and Instagram it later!
And if I had no idea, maybe you didn’t realize it either. So here’s the deal:
Step 1:
Take a bunch of photos with the iPhone camera, then move on with your life.
Step 2:
When you have a moment to play in Instagram, open up the app and click the camera icon, as though you wanted to take a picture.
Step 3:
See those little overlapping squares in the bottom left corner? Tap that. (ha)
Step 4:
Choose a photo from your iPhone’s photo library. (Not the funny-face photos you took of yourself, though. That’s just too goofy.)
Step 5:
Position and scale. This doesn’t always cooperate for me, but I can usually monkey around until it decides to do what I say.
Step 6:
Apply your filter, in peace, un-rushed. Ahhhh.
Step 7:
Profit. Oh look, a pretty picture!
So, what do you think? Am I the only person who didn’t know this?
I grew up with a mom and 2 grandmas who cook—and a dad who brews beer, too. Lucky, lucky me. I know my way around the kitchen, and I understand the value of cooking as… love.
So I spent my Sunday in the kitchen, making love to share!
A friend of mine just welcomed a baby boy into her family, so I wanted to take some food to them. Mostly, I wanted to hold an itty-bitty-brand-new baby, and I figured food was a reasonable price for admission.
I made turkey enchiladas based on this recipe (you put squash in the filling for built-in veggies!), including the homemade enchilada sauce. I kept the sauce separate, since I knew these enchiladas were being saved for later in the week.
I also made banana chocolate chip muffins based on this recipe, which was one of my go-to recipes back when we ate grains. I just used less cinnamon, threw in some semi-sweet chocolate chips, and baked the 18 muffins for about 25 minutes. I figured muffins would be a great one-handed midnight snack for a nursing mama.
Dang, those muffins look good. They smelled pretty killer, too.
I took all this yummy food across town to my friend. I spent some time holding a very tiny, very cute baby. And when I got home, my house still smelled like banana bread.
Honestly, I was a little jealous that someone other than me was going to eat those delicious-smelling muffins. And never mind my baby-envy… that’s a story for another day.
I thought the food I made to give away looked so yummy—I really wanted the same things. Grain-free and paleo-friendly, of course! So I got cooking again.
First, the enchiladas:
We needed a tortilla-free version, so I improvised and made a casserole based on the same recipe. We had chicken on hand, so I poached then shredded it. I threw the chicken in a baking dish with the veggies and the sauce, and put it all in the oven for half an hour. Then, of course, I topped it with cheese. Yum!
The muffins were a bit more intimidating, but I did a little online research before I got started. I’m happy to report that they are delicious, despite being less photogenic than the originals!
(Based on a half batch of this recipe)
1/2 cup chia flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs ground flax meal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used turbinado)
1 egg
1/4 cup yogurt
1 very ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 big handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Photo layouts and labels from Pugly Pixel, of course!
When I started this blog, I said, “I could never be a food blogger. I will never stop to take pictures of my food while it gets cold. That’s just ridiculous. I love reading food blogs, but I would never do that.”
I guess I lied.
My veggie scramble was just so colorful and pretty that I could not resist.
And man oh man, did I ever need some veggies after yesterday’s donut binge. Ugh. In fact, veggies were the only thing that sounded good to me this morning! I guess that’s my body telling me something like,
OK, I forgive you for that crap you fed me yesterday. But let’s be nice to me today, ok? Now give me some damn vegetables. And a berry smoothie, while you’re at it.
So, that’s what I did. Veggie scramble for breakfast, berry-banana-almond butter smoothie right now.
I also threw together a little puréed soup, inspired by this recipe (although I don’t have a cute little nugget to share it with). I heated and then blended some roasted kabocha squash, coconut milk, yellow curry paste, and broth. That way, I can quickly put more veggies in my belly after yoga class. I’m going out to dinner with my parents tonight; I know that if I don’t eat between hot yoga and dinner, I’ll end up mauling the bread basket. And I really, really don’t want to do that.
My relationship with food has been steadily morphing, especially over the past 2 months. Yoga—and the resulting mindfulness and calm—has been a huge part of that. Let me repeat: a huge part.
When I started yoga, I certainly thought it would help me get in shape. I didn’t understand, though, how it would work; I thought it would help me burn off calories and thus lose weight. Really, though, it has helped me listen to my body more and have a more loving relationship with my body. Thus, I eat better, and I feel better, so I’ve lost some weight. I think I’m on to something here, folks!
Getting off the blood-sugar roller coaster has been another huge part of my changing relationship with food. I was never diagnosed as having blood sugar issues, despite being tested. But whenever I got hungry, I became cranky (hangry!), light-headed, head-achey, and nauseous. I couldn’t think straight or really even function. I had to carry food with me at all times to stave off this constantly-impending blood sugar crash, and I was afraid of being hungry.
It was so stressful! I was constantly stuffing my face because of my ongoing battle against hunger. I always over-ate because of it, and I was usually still hungry. And then I was upset about my weight, to boot.
During calorie-counting diet phases, it was even more stressful. Trying to restrict calories without ever being hungry was impossible. I got into a cycle of “I’m hungry so I need to eat, but then I’ll be over my calories for the day, so then I need to work out extra, but then I’ll just be hungrier…” that often ended in tears. Real, little-girl tears.
Doesn’t that sound fun?
It was stressful and exhausting. And all I needed to do was stop eating grains and sugar, and eat more veggies, protein, and fat? No to donuts, yes to bacon. I think I can do that.
It felt like a really big deal to me that I just wanted veggies after the junk I ate yesterday. Historically, if I had binged on Friday, I would have felt defeated and guilty. Therefore I would have carried my binge through the whole weekend. Yuck. Today, I don’t really feel guilty about what I ate yesterday. I just don’t want to do it again.
Is this how normal people feel about food? I wonder. The idea that I might be developing a normal and healthy relationship with food is so exciting!
1. Here in GA, Spring has burst into bloom! We had rain this week, followed by a 70 degree sunny day yesterday.
See? Beautiful blue skies yesterday! I sat outside for an hour while I got my oil changed, and the sun felt glorious.
(It’s supposed to storm tonight, though, including possible tornadoes. So don’t get too jealous.)
2.The Bradford pears got the memo about Spring, and they all burst open at once.
3. I got a new computer at work yesterday. I needed it. I’m happy.
4. I don’t get to appreciate my new computer today, though, because I’m in charge of our First Friday walk-in session. That means I’m sitting in a classroom, ready and waiting for faculty & staff to stop by with technology training questions. But really… it means I’m trapped in a room with Dunkin’ Donuts.
This is no bueno for a paleo eater. I can only resist the allure of the donuts for so long. There was no way I’d make it from 9 to 4 donut-free. (dammit)
5. And now, a gratuitous self portrait:
I got a new scarf yesterday!
(and a bonus item…)
This made me giggle, and feel a little defensive at the same time. I try not to take myself too seriously… but I do love me some Instagram. It’s ok. I’ve embraced it, and I like to think I do my Instagramming with an ironic twinkle in my eye. And I filled this whole post with Instagram photos, just because I can. And because my iPhone is a better camera than my real camera. What do you say to that, Mr. Wonka?
Happy Friday!
em
Yellow gingham and velvet leaves from Pugly Pixel, of course! <3
After a year and a half of (mostly) just one income in our household, payday is kind of a big deal.
But yesterday was extra special: it was my monthly payday and Scott’s first paycheck at his new job. Oh my!
We decided over the weekend that we’d have a date on Wednesday night, to celebrate payday. The plan: dinner and… grocery shopping.
Grocery shopping with abandon is pretty exciting when you’ve been pinching pennies for a while. Plus, our neighborhood has a brand-new, giant Kroger. It’s still all clean and shiny! And fully stocked! And open 24 hours!
I planned our list for days—really, I started on Saturday. I also volunteered to bring food to a friend who just had a baby, and to an event at work, knowing that I could afford to do it. Isn’t it funny how things become exciting when your perspective has changed?
Buying food is something I had always taken for granted, until I couldn’t afford to do it.
We never went hungry or anything—we were lucky. We just had to shop sales and the international market, carefully compare prices, and rely on the pantry and freezer at the end of the month. I’m still not the best bargain shopper, but I have definitely learned where the good prices are in my neighborhood. It was a good lesson for me.
We bought a ton and a half of produce, 2 packs of bacon(!), chicken breasts to stock the freezer, ground beef & turkey, and same pantry staples like canned tomatoes. And 3 bottles of wine, because we were feeling splurge-y.
We wandered the aisles for at least an hour. This Kroger is hugenormous—apparently it’s the 2nd largest Kroger in Georgia. And did I mention, it’s nice and new and shiny and clean?
The damage: $156.93. (We had placed bets on the total, and I’m happy to report that I WON with my guess of $147.23. I’m also happy to report that the total was not as high as Megan’s bet: $203.47. Dang, girl. A grocery bill approaching or above $200 would make me cry!)
And tonight? I cooked!
PS, did you spot the purple cauliflower in my cart?
Photo layouts from Pugly Pixel
Good morning from Wash, my yelling cat! He plopped down on top of me in bed this morning, then proceeded to make biscuits on the covers and yell in my face: MOW MOW MOW MOW purr purr purr MEOW! That translates roughly to: mom mom mom mom, mom it’s time to get up and feed me! MOM! (I think.)
. . .
In other news, I recently put on my big-girl panties (as my mom would say) and sent a very personal submission to elephant journal. It’s about being thankful for my divorce, because of the personal growth that came from it. Sharing this is one of the scariest things I’ve ever done! It was posted last night.
Go check it out @ elephant journal: I Am Thankful For My Divorce. ~ Emily Hassman
