From the coffee shop: decaf latte with soy milk
Life Lately | February
Oh how the time flies. February went by so fast!
I am doing National Ocean Science Bowl so my month was full of preparation for that...the competition is on the 3rd-5th of March.
School is going well, we are so close yet so far from finishing it seems. I'm behind on science tests, math is still a struggle, enjoyed a few Creative Writing movie nights with my class...altogether pretty average.
I got a haircut! For several years I have only had the every so often trim so the ends were healthy, but on the 22nd I got an actual haircut. They took four inches off the bottom and then did face framing long layers. I really like the way it looks and it feels so much lighter.
I was sick, which was a huge downer. Lasted from Sunday night till Wednesday.
Beginning of February is when I realized my caffeine allergy (on the fifth, specifically) so this month has been much more saddening and mornings have lost their appeal. Kind of joking, kind of not. I need to buy decaf so I can still enjoy the taste even though it won't be waking me up. This also means no chocolate (also depressing) and my chocolate cashew milk ice cream I made-it had to go. Life is so cruel :)
As for goals, I have been slacking a bit. I missed one day in my journaling and it snowballed, along with the days lost from me being sick. I really need to get back into schedule with that. As for working out, I did really well (again, except for when I was sick). I started the Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble (highly recommend). It's a read through the Bible in a year, chronological plan with corresponding podcasts. It is so good. But, I started on Feb. 6 so I've been trying to catch up and have put my other devotions on the back burner. I'm going to start getting better and more disciplined with this! I've been working with the horses really consistently, so that's been good. Blogging has obviously been going well, as I'm here right now. I've posted almost every day in February which is a big accomplishment for me.
What have I been cooking? My favorite lunch ever, probably. A Siete brand burrito size tortilla (made mostly from coconut flour), some Ragu pizza sauce, Miyokos dairy free liquid cheese (this is cashew milk, tapioca starch and mushroom extract *chef's kiss*), make a pizza and add peppers, olives, sausage crumbles and onion to the top. I put it in the toaster oven to broil for ten minutes and it's delectable.
What have I been baking? I made cupcakes with pink frosting for my writing class' movie night...people say they were good but they were not allergy friendly.
What have I been drinking? Solely water, and not enough of it. After I was sick, it was really hard to get back into a healthy drinking habit. I did five yesterday, which is the bare minimum for me. Hopefully I will get into a better habit with that too!
What have I been watching? All Creatures Great and Small is our new family favorite and it is so good!
That is really all for now! I hope you guys enjoyed! And look at me not be late with this!
From the Coffee Shop: A Peach Italian Soda, no cream
these were the most beautiful northern lights I have seen in years...it was gorgeous.
*A NEW SERIES!*
“From the Coffee Shop” a working title, ordering and testing different drinks from the coffee shop over the course of this year and sharing them with you!
Let’s see how this goes! :)
I was craving something sweet. Something chocolatey...but since I am allergic to caffeine that's not an option.
So...I decided to do a super simple recipe just to see if I liked it. I made banana nice cream.
It was incredibly easy, only needed a few ingredients and a few minutes...but it was extremely banana-y. I added in some strawberries which balanced it out and it actually was really good!
Ingredients:
1-2 frozen banana
a splash of dairy free milk
a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract
several strawberries (optional)
Blend together, mixing as needed and eat immediately or leave in the freezer to harden a bit!
Let me know if you tried! Enjoy!
I hate making decisions.
Take my idea to redo my bedroom, for example.
I really want to do it. I have for years. But it would require spending money, something that doesn't come naturally to me, something I am not keen on doing.
I am a chronic self doubter and second guesser. To be fair, I have a myriad of opinions...but when it comes to making decisions I am hard pressed for an answer. Please. I say to whoever is around me. Decide for me. I hate making decisions.
If I redid my bedroom (a project that I have wanted to undertake since I was, probably, seven) I would want to completely redo it. That's a lot.
So I will waffle. I will eventually discard the idea and then return to it later with a renewed hope. It is a cycle which I have carried out over and over in my life. I will make lists of pros and cons and then decide there is too many cons. I will decide I don't want to spend the money. I will decide that this is something important to me. I will decide that I have saved enough, and I will do it. In the end, I will decide on being indecisive.
...
Oh, the joys of having a stomach bug.
Sorry that I haven’t been blogging much, the stomach bug has been passed around our family for the last week. It hasn’t been fun! (It included a trip to the ER for IV fluids for me, unfortunately) but I think we are getting back on our feet! So, I will get back into the routine!
Life Lately | January
Did I forget to do this on time? Yes, yes I did. But, I'm here now!
January...January...where to start?
Basically on January first, we went on vacation. We spent five days in Baltimore visiting family, going to the Bible Museum, going to IKEA (literally the best), got my nails done (first time ever), we even went bowling. It was so much fun. After that we flew to London where we spent five days and then drove to Oxford where we spent four days. I'm not huge into traveling/being away/breaking routine etc etc, but all in all it ended up being pretty good.
But, it was still absolutely wonderful when we got home. Jet lag hit hard and so the first few days were pretty slow. Had a lovely time where I got back into my schedule.
School is going pretty well. Usually second semester is really hard for me (it feels interminable), but I think because I'm actually excited for summer, it's way better. The goal is in mind.
As for my goals, I had plenty of time to work on them on the long flight and I have been doing really well with them! One of them is to journal every day and I have been! My water goal was 6 glasses a day and, at least on the weekdays, I've been doing 7-8...it's great!
January seemed like such a blur, and I cannot recollect anything blog-worthy, so I'm just going to end it here!
Thanks for reading!
I made this Valentine's Day themed cake for my adopted grandparent's birthdays/wedding anniversary/Valentine's Day (they all are in the span of two weeks!)
I used THIS recipe for the cake and the frosting. However, I just made two 9" layers and made the remaining batter into cupcakes :)
I kept the frosting white and used a little bit of fondant, dyed it pinkish red, and cut out heart shapes. This was my first time really working with fondant and it went well! I just added some red sugar sprinkles to spice things up, and voila!
I made some delicious sweet potato fries today. They were easy and quick to make. One thing I love about sweet potato fries is that you can season them however you'd like. Wanting a sweet option? Add cinnamon and sugar. Savory? Add garlic powder and cumin.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peel your sweet potatoes-however many you prefer-and cut them into wedges.
Toss them in olive oil and seasonings (I chose salt, cumin, and garlic powder)
Spread them onto a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 15 mins.
After ten minutes, flip the fries over in the pan.
And that's all! SO delicious and easy! Makes for a great side or snack!
Here are 5 study tips.
1. Work in a study-conducive environment...whether that be at the kitchen table, a desk in your bedroom, or whatever. I need to have a surface (e.g table) to work at.
2. Surround yourself with what you need. Probably one of the most annoying things is having to get up to grab this and that, and oh, I forgot a pencil...so on and so forth. Before I start math, I grab everything I need (textbook, notebook, CD binder, disk drive, computer, and answer key) along with my earbuds, pencil case, and a glass of water or cup of tea.
3. Cut out Distractions. I struggle with background noise, so I always have instrumental music in my earbuds when I'm doing school. It helps me focus. I put my phone on silent and put it on Focus. This helps so much. If getting on your phone is really tempting for you, maybe just put it away.
4. Take Breaks. I think breaks are completely underrated. Work for 45 mins, take a 15 min break (or whatever time block you want!) Devote your break time to something productive. Go for a quick walk, get a snack, or read a chapter of a book. Your brain needs a break, and it makes you work so much more efficiently.
5. Plan. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have my planner. It literally is so helpful and so handy. After every school day, I assess where I'm at. If I wasn't able to finish a chapter of Economics, I'll move it to the next day or the weekend. If there are things I did not do during the school week, the weekend is where I finish it all. Nothing should transfer to the next week.
That's all for now! I hope you found these helpful!
I made a book list for this year, one fiction and one nonfiction book a month (at least). I have only planned the first six months so far, but here it is!
FICTION:
Kilmeny of the Orchard-L.M Montgomery
Keeper of the Lost Cities #3-Shannon Messenger
Keeper of the Lost Cities #2 - Shannon Messenger
Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen
Fellowship of the Ring-J.R.R Tolkien
Diana of Briarcliffe-Florence Scott Bernard
NONFICTION
Finish-Jon Acuff
The Tipping Point-Malcom Gladwell
Start-Jon Acuff
Outliers-Malcom Gladwell
The Hiding Place-Corrie Ten Boom
Blink-Malcom Gladwell
"You don't have to move mountains.
Simply fall in love with life.
Be a tornado of happiness, gratitude and acceptance.
You will change the world just by being a warm, kind-hearted human being."
-Anita Krizzan
Soooo, yesterday I started the process for making clotted cream. It's super hands off, but takes 24+ hours (so prepare accordingly!)
All you have to do is pour heavy whipping cream into a oven safe dish (til it's about 1/2"-1" thick) and then put it in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, for 12 hours.
After the 12 hours are done, you want to transfer the baking dish to the refrigerator after it's cooled to room temp for another 12 hours. Scrape off the thick layer on top and pour the remaining liquid (whey) into a jar. Beat up the cream until smooth and spreadable and enjoy!
The process is long...but the results are worth it!
Here's the link to the recipe I (mostly) followed click here for link
Note: the recipe I linked says to 'discard' the remaining liquid, but you don't have to waste it. Use it for other baking projects!
It turned out really well even though I haven't tasted it!! :)
YES. I made ice cream that I can eat. There's just something about missing out on special foods or desserts or watching other people enjoy desserts chock full of dairy and gluten (or any other allergies).
So I decided I would take initiative, save eight bucks, and make my own cashew milk ice cream.
It was surprisingly easy. It sounds intimidating, but it's actually pretty hands off. I kind of combined a few different recipes and modified them a bit for my needs.
Ingredients
I cup of raw cashews
Boiling water
1 can (13-15 oz) of coconut milk/cream (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
1/4-1/2 cup of maple syrup, depending on your sweetness preference
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a dash of salt
cocoa powder if you'd like to make it chocolate ice cream, or any add-ins you would like!
Preparation
Pour your cashews in a mason jar or similar container and cover with boiling water for about 6 hrs.
After they are done soaking, drain the water and rinse the cashews.
Blend the cashews (I used a NutriBullet) until smooth and thick. Trust the process!
Add in the remaining ingredients together and blend until smooth. It will be fairly thin.
Pour into a loaf pan and stick in the freezer.
I added cocoa powder to my mixture (totally didn't measure it :) and after I put it in the loaf pan I swirled in some melted peanut butter, and topped with chocolate chips.
Pretty darn good!
I decided to experiment and try an allergy friendly mug cake...without a recipe or anything.
I used 2 Tbsps of almond flour, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp or so of cocoa powder, a dash of salt, a dash of vanilla extract, a sprinkle of chocolate chips, a bit of milk (until the batter was thin-ish) and microwaved it for about 1 min and 20 sec.
It actually didn't turn out horrible. I have never been a fan of almond flour, texture or taste wise, but this recipe actually tasted pretty good!
PRO TIP: IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH THE TEXTURE OF ALMOND FLOUR (OR COCONUT FLOUR)...BLEND IT AND THEN SIFT IT. It eliminates the gritty feel :)
All in all I would say this wasn't a fail, but it wasn't great either.
