Every Bite Counts

A few weeks ago, I turned 30. Ah, yes, the big 3-0. I am not, nor have I ever been the type to be sad on my birthday because I'm "old". I am actually very excited for my birthdays. I like the feeling that this day is somehow about me and only me (and dammit it should be about me), I like the cake and ice cream with the tiny colorful wax candles, and the hoopla of the chorus of waiters singing to me. I like that. But, most of all I like the feeling of newness. I like the thought that I'm about to embark on a new year, a new adventure, a new season of my life. So, here I am, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a 30 year old, venturing into this season of my life. My heart is full of desires and dreams that I hope to accomplish. I'm hoping I can leave behind the insecurities and regrets that my 20 year old self held on to so tightly.

My new mantra for my 30's is to Savor Each Bite, Make Every Bite Count. I don't know if it's because I'm a planner by nature or because I'm just crazy, but I am always looking for "what's next." Nevermind what I'm eating for breakfast, what's for dinner? Nevermind that I just graduated college, when am I getting married and having babies? I shovel these bites into my mouth without savoring it which leads me to being discontent and disappointed. This snowballs into feeling so disgusted with myself.  I just stuffed my face with all that I could and was still so unhappy with what I had in my tummy all because I want more on my next plate. So, I'm vowing to change that. I want to slow down and relish as many moments as I can. I want to appreciate that bite that is on my fork, now. I want to enjoy the season that I'm in, not anticipate the season that is yet to come.

As for my blog, I want to refocus my attention on food. Cooking, recipe testing, restaurant reviewing, and studying food photography. I love this blogworld and all the friendly people in it. Thank you to all of my loyal readers for sticking with me and reading what I have to say. I appreciate it.

Here's to 30. Here's to making every bite count.

Good Bye Vacation. You Were SO Good to Me.

Alas, my winter vacation is over. I enjoyed every little drop of it.
Some of my favorite moments:

Seeing my Grandma. She was very ill and came here from the Philippines for medical care. I'm so happy to report that she is strong and doing well. She was doing so well, she asked me A MILLION times if I'm pregnant and if not... why? Then she proceeded to COMMAND Hubby and I to start trying immediately. I love her.

Baby fever in full effect. For now, I will practice holding other people's cute babies.

Hiking with friends. I only went twice, but that is two times more than I have been in the past six months. Winning! I went to Claremont Wilderness Park with some of my yoga/teacher buddies and then I went for a REAL hike with Hubby and his co-workers. I say "REAL" because this one required climbing, getting duuurty, seeing a coyote, and almost dying of butt cramps. I believe that constitutes as a real hike, no? We also brought Sonic along and he actually made it out alive!

We quickly recovered from our long hike with a couple of good eats! Can't get any better than that!

And tired puppy Sonic recovered with a long nap on the car ride home...or was that me? I don't recall.

Experimenting with new recipes! I've been in the kitchen making my very own recipes. I feel like a mad scientist in my kitchen except I'm not mad, but extremely content. Isn't it weird how food can make you feel like that? I can't wait to share them with you. I have 2 that I will post asap! Get ready to cook some delicious meals!

Stay tuned, friends!

So We Meet Again, Mr. Celery.

Today my tastebuds went for a ride. Some parts of the ride were fun and exciting, orgasmic if you will. Others were throw-up all over your shirt fun but minus the fun. The new year makes me want to try new things and now I understand that some of those things are not nice.

I started my morning off with a bang bang and by that I mean I nearly shot and killed my tastebuds and colon. I tried The Glowing Green Smoothie from The Beauty Detox Solution book.

Now, I really like this book and I feel like it has some awesome pointers and factiods. Plus, Kimberly is gorgeous and certainly has that "glow" to her. She is purdy. I would like whatever she's having. Hence, me attempting her smoothie recipe. I'm already hooked on Green Monsters so I figured this shouldn't be that bad.

Got to use my new blender. YIPEE!

 Project Wifey Wife- The Savory?
The Glowing Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped
handful or two of organic spinach
2-4 stalks of celery
1 organic apple, chopped
1 organic pear, chopped
1 organic banana
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful of ice for easy drinking

1. Blend into a smooth consistency

The Verdict?

If you remember my post about my food foes then you know that celery is at the tip top of that list. I hate it. I hoped that by mixing it in with the other ingredients that racid taste would just be overpowered so I can drink it and be a happy healthy bear. I hate being wrong. All I could taste was the celery and I even cheated and put just 2...small stalks! **If you like celery then you will have no problem with this. I'm sure it's good to someone who is friends with Mr. Celery.

I wanted to like it, I really did. I even put it in a fancy glass to make me feel all important and crap. Nope, my taste buds were not havin' it. Regardless, I forced my body and my mind into submission and forced down one glass . It turns out that I'm not forceful enough because I only drank a little more than half. But, let me  tell you, ::whisper voice:: just that little bit helped my stomach clear some gunk if your know what I mean. poop.

And, the celery taste lasted well into the afternoon and lingered into my burps. GROSS!

But then...HEAVEN! I went to a French cafe (California Eats post coming soon!) and had this with french bread. It makes me want to cry it's so damn good.

This was made from the tears of angels. I know it! My friend Jen and I thought this was a nutbutter of some sort but later discovered that it's crushed cookies and honey butter. HOLY MOLY! Think Biscoff Cookie. I was in another world when this was in my mouth. I want to marry this and have all the Speculoos babies....Duggar style.

But, sad sad sad news. When I went to purchase this jar of magic, the evil lady at the counter told me that they are all SOLD OUT! I should've known.
"Kind Lady, when will your next shipment arrive?"
"We only order it at Christmas and when it's out, we don't order anymore."

Foodie...Heart....Crushed.

If you can find this for me I will give you $1,000,000 cash money...or $10.95, which ever my bank account allows. Please. I will be your best friend.

My New Year's Resolutions

Well hello there 2012! You look rather chipper and ready to go. Well, I'm ready to go, too so LET'S DOOOO THIS!

I would be lying if I said I am "looking forward to this year," because really, I don't have much planned for 2012, YET. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that it's a new year because to me and everyone else on the planet, it means new beginnings and new possibilities. Yeah, it's hard not to sound cliche when you're saying all that junk, but that's the way it goes in Blogtown, USA.

Also around Blogville are New Year's resolutions and anti-resolutions propaganda. Here on my bloggity blog, I am very much FOR resolutions and vote yes on Prop NYR. I have always been a strong advocate of making goals. Some say that resolutions should be made on any day, not just New Years, but I say to each his own. Some people, like myself, feel the newness of the year on January 1st. I also feel it in the beginning of the school year, every Monday, ever first of the month, and after every bowl movement. Fresh starts, right?

Here are my Resolutions from last year 11 in 2011. I think I did A-OK.

So, without further ado, here are my Resolutions for this brand spankin' new year.

Goals for 2012

Intellectual and Spiritual Me

1. Educate myself.

I am the type of person who rarely reads things thoroughly. Hell, I never EVER proofread any of my college papers before submitting them. It's a wonder how I even got by. I don't even proofread my blog most of the time, hence the spelling and grammar mistakes. I never read directions or instructions either, unless it's for IKEA furniture of some super cool Lego model. As a result, I don't feel like I am truly knowledgeable in anything other than the In-n-Out Menu. I feel like I need to slow down and read things more thoroughly and really become knowledgeable enough with various topics and things to be able to articulate myself.

 2. Read, Read, Read

This year I read more than I've ever read before. I read more books than magazines which makes me smarter than ever before, no? I'm not an avid reader but the feeling of getting lost in a book is very addicting and something that I really enjoyed this year.

My goal is to read at least one book for fun and one book for self-improvement a month. I also want to start reading some of the classics.

3. Pray and meditate daily

I've been really into yoga lately and our meditation portion of the class is crucial for my well-being. In other words, it helps me not to be Mrs. Angry Incredible Hulk when I'm at home or at work. My mind is constantly running a million miles a minute and when I meditate and pray, it is the only time I feel in control and calm. Why not set aside 10 or so minutes a day for that? Ok. Done and Done.

Strong and Healthy Me:

4. Strengthen my mind and body via yoga

You don't know how happy I am to be able to touch my toes. This is history in the making, folks. I love the challenge of yoga and the benefits are incredible. I feel like my muscles are getting stronger! I definitely want to keep this up. And by the end of the year, I want to be able to do these poses.


.via.



.via.

 And if I could do both of these on the beautiful sandy beaches of Hawaii, 2012 will be the best year ever!

5. Run a 10K

I am a little hesitant to put this on here because right now I don't know if I am capable of such a task, but I'm aiming high and hoping for the best. Last year my goal was to run two 5Ks without stopping and I did it. I'm hoping that by the end of this year, I can say that I did this one, too.... duh... that's what resolutions are for right?

6. Eat more Veggies

This one is going to be tough. I HATE vegetables. I want to have a good relationship with veggies because I know they are good for me. Veggies, let's make a deal, you taste good and I'll eat you, yes?

Hmmm, I Googled "I hate Veggies"  and only pictures of kids hating them came up. Interesting.

The Hopeful Chef Me:

7. Get back to Project Wifey Wife

Since my camera broke, I haven't been blogging much about my cooking. I miss posting my two new recipes a week. My goal is to really try to commit to this again. 

8. Create my own

Now that I have a few recipes under my ever expanding belt, I want to dive into creating my own. I am used to putting my spin on things but to create something that is truly my own would be the bomb dot com backslash bangarang.

9. Host more dinner gatherings

I want to invite more people over for dinner parties. I'm a grown-up now and I think that's what grown-ups do. I need to get over the stress of it all, hire a maid to clean my house, and I'm good to go. Who wants to come over for dinner?

10. Stop trying to be perfect

The last one is a little more personal and I will spare you the gritty little details. In a nutshell, I tend to internalize everything which turns into obsessing over everything, which turns into over thinking everything, which turns into being hard on myself, which turns into depression. See what I did there, I thought about this one simple thing way too much. I want to stop that. I want to learn to relax.

So there you have it, my New Year's Resolutions. Striving to be a better person is never a bad thing so I definitely encourage you to make a few. You can do it, friend!

• What are some of your resolutions?

My Blogiversary

One year ago I started this crazy little blog thing. I kept it private for about a month before I let the little beast run wild and free on the internets. At first, some of my family and friends questioned why I would even want to do such a thing. And in good mommy fashion, my mom was worried that someone would cook my recipes, stalk me, and find me to cut me up into pieces...or something like that. Regardless, I kept on going, starting Project Wifey Wife, continuing my Zelda quest for my "princess" named Healthy McHealthiness, and joining the fun of Bloggerworld.

Check it out!

I never revealed this, but I wanted to blog because my life was a little topsy turvy with being a newlywed, struggling with my job, and considering a career change. These changes were enough for me to throw up my arms and say "CURSES!" or something else that started with an F. This blog became my comfort. I've always been a journal person, heck, I even had a diary in 1st grade (which I forgot the combination to and haven't been able to open since 4th grade). I had a Xanga in college and continued to keep a handwritten one near my bed. Writing is a friend of mine, for sure.


My first header

This blog is my pride and joy. Even with the horrible spelling mistakes and grammar fumbles, (Did I mention I'm a teacher... I... is... so ...smarte!) and the time I let pass between each post (don't look down at the last time) I thank you, reader, for reading about my life and leaving sweet comments. To my friends and family, who now give me so much encouragement, Thank you. And of course, To The Man, The Mister, the Hubby Hub to my Wifey Wife, Thank you for always encouraging me to blog...AND you're welcome for all the food.

Here's to another year....


To celebrate I will cook my first Project Wifey Wife meal:
Boeuf Bourguignon

And just like the first time, I will forget to post the recipe.....maybe.

Motivation Monday

Sitting and browsing on Pinterest is ubermotivating! I mean, where else can you sit and scroll for three hours straight and find motivating pictures such as:

Source: awkwardfamilyphotos.com on Pinterest

This fully motivates me to call my mom and say "Thank you...for not being weird."

And this:

Source: img525.imageshack.us on Pinterest

This motivates me to start trying to make babies...like before Halloween. (Not really. Sorry, mom)

Seriously, I found some things that really put a fire under my underloos to getting choppin' this week.

Source: healthylivingforyou.tumblr.com on Pinterest

I will not reward myself with cakepops after going out for a run. I will not reward myself with french fries after yoga class. I will not reward myself with candy because it's a weekday.

Source: stephiehunter.tumblr.com on Pinterest

I will remember that  I DO deserve to be happy. I'm WORTH IT! Thanks Loreal.

Source: 9gag.com via Joanna on Pinterest

This motivates me to remember that no matter how dumb I look when I'm running, I'm still running. I'm still trying my best and being proactive with my health.

• Give me your best motivating quote.

Thursday Favorites! Look Ma, I Can Read!

Summer reading was never my thing. Heck, reading was never my thing, which is ironic since I am a teacher and all. I always envied those teachers who talk about how they just finished their 3rd book this week. It takes me SOOOO long to finish just one.

Let the record show that I am not a slow reader, I am quite fast actually. It's just I get so distracted. I watch a copious amount of stupid stuff on the boob tube, I love to do anything that doesn't require moving, and really...I've always been more of a magazine person...ooooh prudy pictures! I never wanted to admit any of this because now you probably think I'm an illiterate lazy bumhole. Illiterate...no. Lazy bumhole...mayhaps.

But this summer year has been quite different for me. I've been lucky in love at the bookstore. I'm reading actual books and not magazines!! And there are no prizes or ice cream parties at the end of this journey, I'm very much enjoying the feeling of getting lost in books. It feels good since it was in fact, part of my New Year's Resolution.

Here are some books I finished at truly enjoyed! (all images from Amazon.com)

       

1. This book was so intense. Very graphic in nature, suspenseful, and exciting. I really enjoyed it and was quite disturbed at the same time. You really have to get past the first half (which was full of lawyer jargon) to really get into the "good stuff" but I thought it was a great book.

2. If I had to describe this book it would be the same description I give to a Gummy Bear. This book is filled with a handful of sweet and delightfully funny stories. It's about the author's experience moving to Whitter, California as a young child in the 70's. It's very cute and it was a fast read.

3. This book is now my all time favorite book. First off, this book is NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIE! Sure, it has snippets of the cooking and Julie breaking down and how she was inspired by Julia Child, but the movie left out Julie's crude humor (she curses like a sailor and I LIKE IT!), 100 more recipes that she has funny little adventures trying, and a crap load of weird characters that are her friends. In a nutshell, this book is about a girl who uses blogging and cooking to relieve herself from her crazy job with the support of her patient hubby. THIS IS ME!!!

4. This is my second time reading this book. I read it when I graduated college (Almost 7 years ago! WOW) and for some reason I couldn't get into it. Reading it again has given me a different perspective and I think I'm reading it in a good time in my life. It's about chasing your dreams and finding your passions. I'm diggin' it!



5. One word: HILARIOUS! The first half is about her childhood, about her teenhood, and her personal life. The second half is mostly about SNL and 30 Rock. Both halves made me laugh out loud and read it to my hubby. I LOVED IT!

6. More on this later because I'm only a quarter through it. So far, it's eye-opening and life altering. I don't want to accept the fact that I've been abusing my insides with all the butter, cookies, and burgers I've been consuming, but this is really going to help me feel better about myself. I can feel it already.

7 & 8. I purchased these two and look forward to reading them! Can't wait! I'll let you know how that goes.

I understand that these books aren't going to make me any smarter (DARN!) or make me look any smarter (Double DARN!!) but they make me happy and that's all that matters to me.

• Have you read any of these books?
• What's on your summer reading list?

Resolutions 2011 Revisited

It's been four months since I made my New Year's Resolutions. I need to revisit them...because I forgot them. I've been busy. I've been doing other things. I have work to do. Umm... are those enough legit excuses to make you believe that I'm sorry? I can think of more, just give me about 2 hours.

My  2011 Resolutions:

Strong Me:
1. Sign up and RUN (Not run/walk) at least 2 5Ks. I signed up and completed 2 races. One: Angels Fun Run and Two: Donate Life 5K. I didn't completely RUN them, but I'm getting there. I'll mark this as~In Progress

2. Get active at least 3 times a week. Does napping count as being active? How about eating ridiculous amounts of butter? How about...wait why are you looking at me like that? I'll mark this as~GET ON IT JOANNA!

Foodie Me:
3. Add more fruits and Vegetables to every meal. I'm doing pretty well! When summer is here, it'll be on like Donkey Kong. I'll mark this as ~ CHA-CHING!

4. Continue cooking healthy and yummy dinners each day. If you've been following me I'm sure you'd agree that I'm doing pretty well on this one. I'll mark this as ~ BADA-BING!

Spiritual Me:
5. Make God my priority. I'm doing ok with this one. Not great. Not even good. Just ok. I am so happy that there are more friends that the Lord is placing it my path to guide me though. Here are some great blogs that I have been reading that speaks to my spiritual self.

• In the Name of Love
• Fit for the Soul
• Eat Pray and Run

6. Read my daily devotionals. I'm failing miserably on this one... I'll mark this one as~ DOH!

Intellectual Me:
7. Watch less TV and read books. I'm 50/50 on this one. I'm 50- HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER is the best show EVER and 50- I'm on my 3rd book this year and 50 blogging like a maniac. I know that's more than the 50/50 but it's mine and I can do what I want. I'll mark this one as~In Progress.

Currently reading and LOVING!

8. Be PRESENT. I am trying my best to stay present and involved in what I'm doing at the moment. This is good. I'll mark this one as~In Progress

The Wifey Me:
9. Be his friend.I've been making it a point to talk to him about HIS day. We watch HIMYM every night at 7pm and give each other high fives every day. We laugh together. We have heart to hearts. We enjoy each other's company. He's my bestest friend in the whole wide wo-yld. I'll mark this one as~ You're doin' it baby!

10.Be Patient-I'm trying REALLY hard. I hope it's working. Hubby might have to comment below about how I'm doing.I'll mark this one as ~Let's hope he comments!

The Friend Me:
11. Cultivate Strong Friendships: I've been making time and making more of an effort to visit my friends and invite them out instead of waiting for them to invite me. I'm having a lot of fun and trying new things. I am working on building my very own "Saved By The Bell" type friendships if you know what I'm sayin' I'll mark this one as ~ In Progress!

12. Make more of an effort: I've been trying really hard to keep in contact with the friends that matter to me the most. Whether it's through text message, email, or honestly asking and showing that I care about how their life is going when I'm with them, I'm trying my best. I could do better though. I'll mark this one as ~ In Progress!

• Did you make resolutions?
• Tell me one and how your doing!
• If you didn't make one, make ONE now and tell me what it is!