Stove Top Popcorn

I've been trying to make my snacks healthier lately and this was a total win!

I was nervous about burning the bottom of the pot or stinking up the apartment, but it turned out perfectly (and I am inhaling as I type now!).

Stove Top Popcorn!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup corn kernels

3 T coconut oil (or one that can handle high temperatures)

salt

Directions:

1. Heat the oil & salt in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat. 
2. Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan. 
3. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds.  This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
4. Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper).
5. Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

Makes 2 quarts and almost all the kernels popped.

Initial instructions are from here

I love knowing exactly what I am eating and it is super super cheap compared to microwave! :)

Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan in the Crock Pot

Crock pot eggplant "parmesan" with Feta

{My response to "we should try using the crock pot more"}

With discipline and intentionality, I was able to kick the plague that overcame me and continue pushing through this difficult time they call May-mester {which we have renamed "cray-mester" and its just the first week!}.  It has been intense!  Leaving us with little going on in the kitchen.  My sweet husband made dinner every night this week because, I am sad to admit, I once again fell prey to the freak-out-because-I-will-never-get-through-this attitude.  You would think that third semester around I would get with the program.  Anyways, I have, and I will get through it, and I will do it all while we eat tasty healthy food too!

It is for this reason, you understand that DJ saying "we should try using the crock pot more" was not nagging or dissatisfaction.  It was a response to the idea of eating salads for dinner for the next 5 weeks.  So, here comes my attempt at slow cooking!

Our fridge is getting bare, I was sick for the first half of the week and now he is coming down with it, not conducive to grocery shopping. We don't have much, but we do have 3/4 of an eggplant, and so in response to "Crock pot eggplant" {real creative}, Google brought me to A Year of Slow Cooking.

Hallelujah!

Not vegan, but gluten free!

Crock pot Eggplant Parmesan with Feta

Ingredients:

-3/4 of a large eggplant

-3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (gluten free is what I used)

-4 t Italian seasoning

-1 jar organic marinara

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Block of Feta cheese

-salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the eggplant and slice it into 1/2 inch slices
2. Cover the bottom of the crock pot with sauce
3. Dip each slice of eggplant into the olive oil, coat with breadcrumbs, and layer into the crock pot.
4. Once you have filled the crock pot with the eggplant, pour the remaining sauce in on top of the slices.
5. Crumble feta on top, cover, and cook!

I cooked it on low for 4-6 hours.  The recipe also said you could cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

I served mine over rice and DJ's over spaghetti.  He's not a big fan of eggplant, I'm thinking maybe I'll try the same recipe with zucchini.  It was all super good and very easy to make though, and made our apartment smell amazing! :)

Sick Day!

Sick day!

The only reason I give that statement an exclammation point is because it has been a day full of cuddling up and watching The Big Bang Theory and Sherlock episodes :)

{If you haven't seen either of those, I highly recommend them, a single Sherlock episode is like an hour and a half long though... so needless to say, I don't get to it often}

Unfortunately, this awful nagging sore throat, cloudy head, and stuffy nose have come at the end of break rather than the beginning.  I am super bummed to be starting May-mester on such an icky note, but am SO excited to share this giveaway!

 I just had to share because I love cute preppy things, but I love them even more when they are free! :)

Southern Tide Skipjack Polo Giveaway

at Fried Pink Tomato

Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas

at Tater Tots & Jello

Trying My Hand at Indian Cooking

My inspiration came from our upstairs neighbor, who told me about an Indian market not too far from us and thanks to that inspiration, decided to try some Indian cuisine out.  After all, I LOVE Indian restaurants, why not try making something for myself?

I say myself because it really is just myself, DJ is not a fan of international food.  I love eating for health, taste, and flavor {in that order}.  He is more of a quantity over quality kind of guy when it comes to food.  Which makes cooking for both of us somewhat difficult, but we have our "regulars" that we both like, so its all good :)

Anyways, I had this week off from classes and took some time to try some new recipes!

 

Wednesday I tried Eggplant and Mushroom piccata {making chicken for him}, yesterday experimented with cold Quinoa salad, and today jumped into Indian cooking with both feet trying a vegetable masala {I didn't know what it was either until I got started}

 

I have learned two big things from this experience:

First, NEVER BUY SPICES AT THE GROCERY STORE.  I'm sure you seasoned home-makers are well aware of this but for those of you that this is news to, let me explain.  A .9 oz jar of cloves at the grocery store is $12.05 an ounce, at the International Market, a 7 oz bag of cloves was only $3.50... I was blown away!

Second, dry beans take a REALLY long time to soak {Chickpeas took me ~12 hours}.  Just a heads up so you can prepare accordingly{or just go with canned beans} :)

The recipe I used, I found here, but by the time I made my changes, it was a whole new recipe :)

Vegetable Masala
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
3 red skinned potatoes cubed
1 cup chickpeas
4 cups of cold water
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas (thawed)
1 t salt
1/2 t turmeric
1 T coconut oil
1 t ground cumin
1 small sweet onion (finely diced)
2 cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 t garam masala
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t fennel seeds

1. Soak potatoes & chickpeas in the 4 cups of water while prepping other ingredients, drain before using.
2. Mix salt, turmeric, potatoes, chickpeas, and sweet peas in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 8 minutes
3. Heat oil in saucepan, mix in cumin.  Add onions and cook until traslucent.
4. Once onions are cooked, stir in tomatoes in juice, with garam masala, garlic powder, chili powder, ground ginger, and fennel seeds. 
5. Stir microwaved vegetables into the rest of the ingredients
6. Let simmer until potatoes & chick peas are fully cooked, adding water or broth as needed

I served it over brown rice and would be delicious with some yogurt if you'd like :)

Mmmmmm!  I am not sure how "true" to Indian cuisine this is, but I loved it :)

Some First Anniversary Hoop-lah!

So...

We did the whole wedding cake on our first anniversary thing...

 It looked so much prettier than it tasted(unfortunately)!  But I loved looking back through the pictures, reminiscing, and remembering how I/we felt at every moment of that wonderful day :)

Also, sticking with tradition, our gifts to each other were paper themed.  DJ gave me a bunch of vegan and health books I had been wanting and I made him this for his office:

The idea came from here

The first is a map of where we met, with a little basketball stitched around it.

Second, is where we were engaged with diamond stitching.

And the third is where we were married with a heart around the spot.

Super easy project, but meaningful and not too too cheesy :P

Believe it or not, the most difficult part for me was lining up the letters... I am so artistically challenged! 

I love DIYs but either 1) do not finish them or 2) have someone else help me finish them... working on that.

Anyways, we are planning to celebrate our anniversary in August with a night or two at a beach somewhere (hopefully), that seems so close yet there is so much going on between now and then!

{DJ is planning on going back to school, so any plan requiring $$ is tentatively on hold.}

Until later, hope you have a wonderful week! :)

Has it Been A Year Already????

 

This year has been a whirlwind to say the least!

Overall, we have both grown so much individually as well as with each other. We have built our first home in a new city and enjoyed getting to know each other more everyday!

While I know many would scoff at the idea of the things I have learned after only one year of marriage, I thought I would at least share some things I have learned this year about myself as a woman and a wife.

Here they are, the top 20 things I have learned over the past 365 days (in no particular order):

1.Anything followed with “or the highway” is not a good thing (in thought or word, probably subconsciously). The Lord convicted me of this in a big way, it took me a while to let go and realize almost every word out of my mouth should have been followed by that phrase, because, in truth, not many of my "suggestions" were optional.

2.Get in the word together! I wish I could brag that we do this all the time, but honestly, we don’t. I have plenty of excuses why not, but when it comes down to it, nothing is more important than this.

3. Asking him the same question 2543327894 times is not respecting or submitting. {See #1}

4. Make sure your desires for your spouse and future do not become expectations. (Andy Stanley’s iMarriage series is AWESOME!) In expecting things from DJ, there is no joy and/or appreciation when those things do happen. You look at things as "he was supposed to do that" rather than "I am so happy he did that."

5. Oftentimes pride is the driving factor behind an arguement. Stubborness comes under pride, both make apologies especially difficult, trust me.

6. When he asks what he can help me with “I don’t know” is not helpful to either of us when he truly is trying to make my day better.

7. Just because I am tired, doesn’t mean his day was any less tiring than mine

8. I can not tell him how awesome-ly he is my superman often enough! True story, he is wonderful :)

9. Laugh hard and often, its more fun than an ab workout :P

10. Just because you sin differently doesn’t mean one is worse than the other (SO difficult to embrace).

11. Get involved in a church. We love our church home! It is completely dedicated to growing Christian men and women, with an awesome focus on marriages!

12. Don’t let other people tell you what your relationship should look like. Who are they and what do they know?? You're the only two with the inside scoop :)

13. On that same note, do not hesitate to seek out loving and God centered counsel! Another reason I LOVE our church :)

14. Just because someone has been married longer than you, does not mean their advice is valid (“Just wait, you won’t be smiling in 5 years” is not applicable to you or your spouse AT ALL) {Refer them to #2}.

15. Hugs don’t solve problems, but they make almost everything easier to work through, together :)

16. Love is not based on performance, and if it is, its not really love. This is kind of tied to #8, no one likes to fail, but it is 10x harder for DJ when he doesn't succeed than it is for me.

17. We are nothing but blind navigators without the Lord’s guidance. What more is there to say about this? God is God, we are not and should not try to be.

18. Sitting next to each other on the couch doesn't automatically mean its quality time (Is technology present? Be with the person you are with! You love them more than anything else, remember?)

19. Surprises are always fun (We hide sweet notes for each other, and never fail, finding one always brightens my day)

20. Love never fails. As long as this is your common ground, everything will work itself out, no matter how frustrated you are (frustrated may be too sweet of a word to describe the ugliest of arguements, but you get the idea :/...)

 

 

In conclusion, I love him more than I know how to put into words, yet crazy as it seems, so much more than I could have even comprehended a year ago. The Lord has challenged us in so many different ways this year, and looking back I would not change any of it. We are truly blessed.

Embracing the Unconventional

Photo credit

Another book I had hoped to get through but ended up skimming is Kim Barnouin's new book Skinny B*tch: Home, Beauty, & Style. In this book she highlights the gross gunk we encounter everyday that goes without our noticing. She gave some super helpful {and applicable} advice on minimizing the effect of toxins in our environment, cosmetics, and even the clothes we wear!


I had heard most of it from my mom here and there already, and honestly don't have the time or dinero to follow much of the advice given where I am now, but something to keep in mind when we are future apartment shopping, eventually start looking for a house of our own, and/or start talking babies {someday}.

It was overwhelming to read about all of the chemicals we encounter in our everyday lives, and if I were to obsess about it, would be able to worry all of the fun out of anything and everything, but it is definitely something to keep in mind when considering home goods purchses {and will definitely be vacuuming more often!}

All of this brings me to the picture above, with the beautiful, natural, lived in kitchen... and then I have to wake myself up and get back to reality. Life is wonderful right now, and I don't want to let myself wish our penny pinching, lovey-dovey low key weekends, or my reckless late night cramming sessions away for an instant!

We are making memories right where the Lord has us, and I wouldn't trade that for any amount of organic cotton sheets or butcher block counter tops :)