Crockpot!

I am still procrastinating on my studying. Instead, I made picadillo in the crock pot. I am so excited to try it out tonight and I hope the bf likes it too. It has olives in there, which he despises, but supposedly you can’t really taste them. We’ll see. I am also going to make some brown rice and a side salad to go with the meal. This is a healthier meal. Noms. I ate lunch but this is making me hungry again.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/01/crock-pot-picadillo.html

I am so relieved that my love does not mind doing the laundry. I absolutely DESPISE the chore. I much rather clean the bathroom. My brother called me the other day to give me some tips on living with a significant other for the first time and I am really going to take to heart the advice. I am going to do the grocery shopping, cooking, and bathroom cleaning while the bf does the dishes, takes out the garbage, and does the laundry. We are going to split up the dog walking duties. I walk my pup in the morning and afternoon and he walks the dog at night. I like the set up we have. Things might shift once I start studying frantically for the bar exam but for now, this works. We are still in the process of throwing out stuff and unpacking.

Classes done, finals…

Last week was my last week of attending classes FOREVER! Now it’s all about the finals prep period. I clearly am not excited about these next few weeks but I am drawing ever so close to actually being done with school. I then get to wear a cape like robe and a funny looking hat as I walk across the stage.

http://capsandgownsdirect.com/custom-presidentialpics/jd-with-gold-piping.jpg

What a nice looking model, hehe.

Also, I have moved in with my love and am beyond ecstatic to start our lives together. My rough and tumbly pup is pretty happy to see his main male human all the time as well. I am nervous about this summer though since I will studying for the bar and my poor man is going to see me at my worst. Oy. I hope he still likes me after those brutal few months.

I bought a cast iron skillet and made a spaghetti with spicy tuna marinara sauce for dinner. Thankfully, the bf loved it even though I could taste the cast iron. This is what the recipe was supposed to look like:

Spaghetti With Spicy Tuna Marinara Sauce Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spaghetti-with-spicy-tuna-marinara-sauce-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Mine looked more like mush. I added some lemon juice, tabasco, oregano, black pepper, and used minced garlic out of the jar (I didn’t realize I was out of actual garlic bulbs).

Anyways, goals. I have unpacked a lot of my stuff but still need to put away my clothing. I should actually start studying for my finals and begin my 10k training plan once again. It is a struggle to be productive in the right way. Instead, I am procrastinating by being a homebody. I cleaned some of the apartment, walked the dog a few times, looked up dinner ideas, went grocery shopping, and cooked dinner. Argh, I need to focus on the important things, studying and unpacking my clothing. But all I want to do is make crockpot tomato sauce, eat, and look up more things to buy.

3L at last

Today was the first day of my last year in law school. Thank goodness. Although I am scared out of my mind with the thought of going out into the real world without the buffer of “academia”, I am anxiously excited to do something that is not loaded with debt.

I am also quite anxious about my clerkship interviews. I have one this week, I have two more in two weeks, and I have another one I need to schedule into my calendar. I hope I just get the first one so I don’t have to go to anymore interviews. That’s highly unlikely but I need to stay positive. Man, I need to read for class but I am definitely not in school mode yet. I have so many applications to complete, writing samples to fix, etc. etc. etc. Instead, I am writing this blog entry and feeling a slight panic rise as I see the minutes ticking away. My lack of sleep might be adding to my nerves.

I should have slept more last night but I was up way too late cooking for this week. I have been running errands nonstop since I moved into my new place and I am sick of unpacking already. Cooking is a good de-stressor and it helps to get me on track financially and physically.

What I made in the crockpot (I LOVE my crockpot and I can’t wait to make healthy versions of pulled pork and jambalaya):

Family-Pleasing Turkey Chili Recipe Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/family-pleasing-turkey-chili

I also made: tuna salad for sandwiches (with greek yogurt, celery, dijon mustard, tabasco, pepper, salt, and garlic powder), grilled chicken breast with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, and vegetable stir fry (including broccoli, celery, garlic, scallions, onions, mushrooms, red bell peppers with tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, rice wine, and garlic salt). I have lunch and dinner for the rest of the week all ready to go! I am glad I didn’t set the fire alarm off with all the smoke that was coming off of the pan.

FYI, I am very proud of myself. As of yesterday, I have lost a total of 9lbs. I am mightily pleased and someone even commented on my weight loss today at school. Now I just have another 10-15lbs. more to go. If I actually dedicate myself to running, I might just be able to get to it without getting even more HANGRY (yes, I get angry/irritated when hungry). But even as I type this, my tummy is grumbling for more food. Must.Fight.Hunger. I am eating a healthy amount of calories but because my body is so used to eating to the point of pain for every meal (upwards of 2600-3000 calories per day) it has been a daily struggle to meet my goal each day. I am not going to lie, I do have my cheat day(s) on the weekend but during the week, I can only look forward to that buttery, cheesy, meaty, greasy goodness on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday.

This is what I want to eat ALL THE TIME:

Source: http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new-thumbnail/ehow/images/a08/4e/ul/stop-food-binge-800×800.jpg

But this is what I actually should eat:

Source: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDU_VhGDKXO79rZ-ARcRjqubglPOQklgC8BNzWqhNi4wrUSs34

This is truth:

Source: http://littlestepsbigchanges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/exercising-cartoon.jpg

Wedding and planes

I have not posted in quite a long time thanks to a very busy past few weeks. My brother got married last Friday to his partner and I could not have been happier for this momentous occasion. My brother is happy and is enjoying life with the love of his life and he deserves every minute of it. He’ll be visiting us in a few months and we will once again enjoy all the foods there is to offer. During our time in MN, my brother took us to so many restaurants and surprisingly, the food was crazy delicious. Everything we had was amazing and I basically gained all the weight I had lost in those few days from engorging constantly. It was well worth it. It’s nuts to think that life is moving so fast. I can’t believe he actually got married! Next he’ll be having kids. My mind is blown. It’s weird to think that we are actually growing up.

Seeing his marriage ceremony made me reflect on my life at its current state and how much of it is in shambles. I am certainly having growing pains and desperately in need for more independence. It’s a struggle. I always have these wide eyed notions of being on my own and being financially independent but in the end, I just go back crawling back to the parents. I can’t help but feel helpless and overwhelmingly spoiled. I certainly should not be whining since most people wish they were in my place but, my goodness, I do not like who I am at this point in my life. ARGH! MOVING ON…

Source: http://global3.memecdn.com/growing-up_c_510182.jpg

I’m getting back into running again. I have been so lazy and this mini-vacation was just the kick to my butt to get it going again.

Also, I am trying not to freak out about applying to jobs so here I am, procrastinating, and doing work “work” instead of applications. Shame, shame, shame. Ugh. Whatever, let’s watch the censored version of this song and dream about eating lots and lots of Ben and Jerry’s (since I can’t in real life thanks to “eating better”).

 

Detox?

I am actually thinking about trying some form of detox (even if it’s not a complete detox). I still plan on eating but my eating is out of control. There is no portion control right now and I am eating like a mad woman. I have not been healthy and need to make my stomach smaller since I have stretched it from putting so much food in it. I think I’m going to try this:

Cucumber, Mint, and Lemon Water – Source: http://lipstickheelsandababy.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-metabolism-boosting-detox-drink.html

I have to start drinking much more water and this metabolism boosting detox drink is great. It should help with my mindless munching and bloating. Also, I’ve been pretty bad with my running schedule (shame!) and I need to get back into it TODAY! I don’t know why I’ve been so lazy. Argh. I need to shimmy myself into gear.

EMMA WATSON SHIMMY – Source: http://www.reactiongifs.com/emma-watson-shimmy/

One thing that sucks is my love for well-done steak. I have gone to some hoity-toity restaurants where the waitstaff is horrified by my request for a steak to be cooked well-done instead of the recommended medium-rare. Do you think I have not tried to eat steak cooked less than well-done? I certainly have! I have tried to wean myself off well-done steak but I usually just end up eating the cooked meat surrounding the more raw part. Ugh, I’m paying for the steak so make it the way I can freaking eat it! Intense dislike.

Hank Hill broke my heart – http://resme.me/3uhru1.jpg

Cooking some tuna

Making the pasta dish and cauliflower roast below is super easy and perfect for a lazy night. I just made them for dinner. It’s completely doable for anyone, especially beginner cooks. See the following pics and their links and make them ASAP (unless you don’t like tuna or cauliflower).

Oven Roasted Cauliflower – Source: http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2011/11/oven-roasted-cauliflower.html#.UZqJiSskHUM

I also added garlic powder all over the cauliflowers.

Lemony Tuna and Olive Oil Pasta – Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/lemon-tuna-olive-oil-pasta-00100000066530/index.html

In addition to the mentioned ingredients for the pasta dish, I added onions, shallots, lemon juice, and white wine. Don’t forget to use common sense when cooking.

 

Hotlanta

So this is the last week before I have to get to workin’. I had a wonderful weekend hanging out. I am back to staying with the bf this week and then we’ll be flying to Atlanta on Friday. I am so psyched. I am really excited to try the ‘Bloody Best’ and any other southern fine dining dish. It will also be my first time in Georgia for more than just a flight layover. NOMS!

Source: http://www.obviouswinner.com/obvwin/2012/8/29/hangover-cured-a-bloody-mary-with-bacon-tater-tots-steak-and.html

Cooking and the eating that comes with it

I love eating and at times I really enjoy cooking. I use recipes I find on Pinterest and from random google searches. My usual go to if not Pinterest is Allrecipes.com, the FoodNetwork (which I can watch for hours on end), and any other random recipe websites. Maybe I’ll make the following tonight:

Italian Drunken Noodles by INGRID BEER

Everyone in my immediate family cooks really well so I typically don’t have to make food (ever). If I’m by myself I eat what my parents have made me (they make me days worth of food when I’m not staying with them), unhealthy pizza or chinese takeout, perhaps ramen noodles, or cereal. The only time I feel like cooking is when I am with the bf. Then I want to cook since there’s someone else to appreciate what I am making and there isn’t so much leftover.

Ugh, I want to eat all the time, ALL THE TIME. That’s why I have never been skinny and have always struggled with my weight. Add law school stress (I’m a stress eater) and the 10lbs that comes along with the stress. If I could eat how much I really want to, I would be OBESE! Non-stop eating.

Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/pigging%20out

Law school and drinking

I have never been much of a lush. Like everyone I had my time during college but I have never been too much of a wine or beer connoisseur. I want to be especially now that I have met more people that take drinking seriously. This might be a plus or minus but I think it’s useful no matter what to appreciate what I am drinking. It’s probably something I could talk about with my future coworkers, future bosses, etc. It also seems hella fun to go on wine tours and beer tastings. I should step outside my comfort zone, away from the Bloody Mary, Moscato, White Russian, Amaretto Sour, Woodchuck, etc. Now let’s get to drinking.

Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/lucille%20bluth%20gif