Quinoa & Camcorders

Now that I'm into the second week of school and have things a little bit more under control, I'd thought I'd write a quick update.

Here's what I'm eating.

Quinoa/curry concoction. (I use this as my base recipe and add whatever vegetables & meat I have handy.
Kale Chips. I could seriously eat an entire jelly roll sheet of these. The recipe calls for a ton of cheese, but I only use a 1/2 C. for a cookie sheet and add some garlic powder for flavor.
Then I add a fruit or vegetable I have handy and some water (this lemon cucumber stuff is delicious).


Here's what I'm doing.

This calendar saves my life during the school year. I hate planners because I can't look far enough ahead, but this helps me organize the next month. I love it. 

 A taste of one of my classes this semester. We destroyed a camcorder to see how it was made, and decide how it was processed.


Here's what I'm writing.
One of my goals this semester was to keep a better journal. I'm always overwhelmed by big huge journals, and this little notebook is both adorable and non-intimidating.

I structure my entry the same each day so its really easy to keep up. It goes like this:

Today I'm grateful for...
Today's scripture is.... because....
A run down of my day.
Three things I did well today...
Two things I want to do better tomorrow...

That way I catch the most important things, keep track of goals, and document a little bit of my life.

That's all for today.

Love,
A

p.s. Did I mention I'm still sugar-free? How fantastic!

A Sugar-Free Me!

As part of my resolution to eat healthier (and a challenge from a friend), I've decided to give up sugar for 30 days, starting January 10. I find myself snacking on sugary things all day long, so this is a way to help me break bad habits, clear junk out of my house, and learn to cook and eat without so much sugar in my diet.

THE RULES: I can eat any sort of natural sugar (aka fruit, honey, molasses, agave, etc).
I can't eat anything with sugar, corn syrup, etc listed in the ingredients.

That's it! Sometimes I try to do too much, too fast. I give up sugar, fat, white grains, and only buy salad. That never works, so I'm taking little steps to try to develop good habits. Cutting sugar is the a first little step.

First I got rid of all the Christmas junk I still had laying around.

Goodbye Christmas chocolate!

As it turns out, sugar is in EVERYTHING. Basically any condiment. Any store-bought bread. Giving up sugar means cooking and baking my own food a whole lot more, which is really better for me anyway right?

There are a million recipes out there for sugar-free foods. So far I've made homemade tortillas, fajita marinade, bbq pork marinade, pizza sauce, and my newest favorite, banana bread.

Banana bread sweetened with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a dab of molasses.

When I'm craving something sweet to drink, I add a slice of lemon or lime to glass of ice water. I love it, and it's just enough sweet to satisfy my cravings. 

It really hasn't been too difficult. I have caught myself, sugary treat in hand, halfway to my mouth. I don't even realize it! That's really what this is all about. Stop mindless eating, and hopefully kill a little bit of that sweet tooth. 

Here's to 6 days without sugar! 

A

Oh hello there

We're well into 2012 now, and I decided to make a blog!
Two reasons:
1. Everyone's doing it
But really more for 2. To keep myself accountable for this semester's goals.

Goals for a whole year seem so far away and intimidating, so I'm taking it a semester at a time. Here are my goals for Spring 2012.

1. Be more selfless, more kind, more loving.

2. Eat healthier

3. Enjoy the gym

4. Be content with what I have where I am

5. Do my homework

6. Keep a consistent journal

7. Go somewhere I've never been before

So, that gives me 7 goals in about 5 months. Should be easy enough, right? We shall see!