Taking a Break...

For the next week or so, I will be absent from the blogging world. I'm taking a vacation -- not to Aruba or some fantastic Caribbean island, but I'm taking a vacation from technology. And from daily life.

I'm going home tonight to celebrate my brother's 23rd birthday, and I'll be coming back to my apartment sometime Friday. My last roommate will be leaving on Saturday, which means I'll have the apartment all to myself. And that will be my vacation.

No computers DEFINITELY, no TV (well, at least not a lot -- I never really watch it anyway), and no more running away from myself. And now that I'm not in school needing to check my e-mail all the time for various classes and reasons, I'll finally be able to completely shun my computer. I've mentioned this before, and it may seem cliche or corny, but I really just need this time to remember who I am and what I want out of life. I feel like my life is so stuffed full of projects, schoolwork, actual work, and keeping up my relationship that I've completely forgot who I am. I spend so much time trying to please other people that I forget that I have needs, too -- and when I do have time to fulfill these needs, I usually just distract myself by wasting time on the computer, only further putting off my own needs.

It's funny, because I'm usually the most anti-procrastination person in the world; I guess it's not true in regards to my own needs. I think I just forget what I want in the shuffle and I get distracted by instant gratification in my own life, because everything else I work for takes so long to see any kind of outcome. And this needs to stop.

So I'll be back in a while -- maybe a week, maybe a month -- I'm not too sure. But you can bet I'll be trying some delicious recipes and furthering my knowledge when it comes to vegan cooking. Hopefully I'll have a myriad of pictures to delight everyone.

Screw Finals -- I'm in the Kitchen!

So, I have a final today.

Which I have not studied for. At all.

I'm not too worried about it; I hardly studied for the midterm in that class and I aced it, as I have on almost every other assignment in that class. So even if I end up doing poorly, I'll still probably get an A.

So what have I been doing? Cooking! Doing yoga! Hanging out on the elliptical! Okay, so it hasn't been too much cooking... And I don't have a picture of some excellent curry I made last night. (I used curry powder and paste on a stir fry of spinach, okra, broccoli, corn, onion, green onion, and mushrooms -- and it was absolutely delicious -- finally, a stir-fry topping I love!) But I DO have a picture of...
Ceaser salad from Vcon! So how was it? Well, if you like ceaser salad, you should be all over this recipe -- it tastes just like it. Unfortunately, I don't -- and have never -- liked ceaser salad. So why did I make it? I don't really know. I guess out of all the Vcon recipes in the food section, it seemed the least daunting. There are so many recipes in that book that I don't know where to start, and most of the ingredients I've never even heard of.

I DID modify the recipes, though. I substituted mostly water and about a tablespoon of oil in the dressing, and same for the croutons. Because who needs all that oil on plateful of greens, anyway? The dressing tasted fine with the substitution, and so did the croutons -- but if you're going to make this substitution for the croutons, I would suggest spraying the cookie sheet with oil beforehand -- my smoke alarm went off about 5 times while they were in the oven because I didn't really think about it.


So what else did I make?
Oatmeal! This actually is an everyday thing -- I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning since my freshman year of high school, practically. Only now I've switched from the instant, sugary kind to regular oats with frozen fruit mixed in.

On this particular morning, I was out of ALL fruit, fresh or frozen, and any vegetables as well, which I wouldn't have put in my oatmeal anyway, but I figure it's worth noting. For the past few days, I had been eating it with cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts, which is good, yes, but I'm trying to avoid added sugar. And oatmeal plain is just nasty.

So what did I put in this oatmeal? Applesauce!!! It may not sound too revolutionary, since applesauce comes from apples and I put fruit in my oatmeal anyway, but it just seemed odd to me mixing two mushy things together. I added a little cinnamon, and it tasted like sour apple pie! (I used unsweetened applesauce.) Very delicious.

Anyway, with all my working out and healthy eating the past few days, I've lost two pounds (hooray!). And then... I bought that damn bread to make the croutons. I also discovered vegan margarine in Meijer, which of course I was really excited about, but at the same time... it's been horrible. Hahaha. If there is one thing I should NEVER keep in my house, it's bread. (Along with pretty much any granola bars, crackers, sugary cereal, and anything else that is delicious... But out of all of these items, the one that I really miss is bread.) So hopefully I'll be able to just leave it in the fridge and not think about it... for a while. We'll see how that goes.

Retail Therapy and Horrible Food

Yesterday I was really determined to work out, and really excited to do so. That is, until I got Borders' e-mail. Even then, I thought working out would alleviate some of my anger and sadness, but I wanted to wait until Dave got home to tell him what happened (he always makes me feel better). It was only after he got home that I actually was really effected -- I have a really hard time connecting with my emotions on my own, but when I start to explain them to someone, I start to understand how I really feel.

Anyway, after that I really just wanted to be in his company, so instead of working out, we went shopping. Granted, retail therapy is not something I suggest, especially if you're mourning the loss of a potential job. (Now I'm out a job AND about $100, with bills and Christmas right around the corner.) However, I thought shopping would be a much better choice rather than emotional eating, which I could feel coming on if I didn't actively get out of the house and go do something.

What did I get on this glorious shopping trip? A fabulous sweater (bought as a gift from David to me), some new "undergarments" from the Victoria Secret Pink collection, a wonderful white knit hat, and... best of all...The cutest pair of boots I have ever seen.

Normally, I'm not a boot girl -- I prefer real shoes. But, and I don't exaggerate here at all, in the one minute I was cleaning snow off of my car prior to our shopping excursion, I slipped and fell on my butt three times because of a lack of traction in my shoes. Now sure, that gave us a nice little laugh, but walking 15 minutes to class is always annoying in its own right, but adding ice and snow to my no-traction shoes will only spell out disaster in the future. Plus, these were ADORABLE, especially considering that I hate every pair of boots I ever see. (And don't worry -- it's all man-made, animal free materials.)

Anyway, so that shopping excursion combined with the face that I have no fruit or produce in my apartment, combined with the fact that I went home last night to judge speech this morning, means that I have been eating like shit. And I can definitely feel it. I always thought people who ate really healthy were always just being health-conscious when they opted out of higher-calorie junk food and that their defense that it made them feel sick was just an excuse to maintain their slimmer figure.

But now I know that they were definitely not lying. The only vegetables I've consumed in the past two days, minus the scant lettuce and tomato on a bean burrito while shopping, has been in soup form. And while I'm all for soup, I'm fairly sure they both had loads of sodium added, which only makes me thirsty and lose all of my wonderful calcium.

However, my mom cooked some soup for my brother and I before I came back to my apartment and when Scot got home from Chicago (he stayed the night there working at the studio). And it was pretty delicious.
Pretty tasty! I cannot wait until everyone leaves the apartment to really start cooking!

P.S. For those of you who live with omnivores... I have one section of the fridge in my four-person apartment that I claim as my own, where I keep soymilk, wraps, cooked rice, and leftovers. This morning when I came home, I found all of my stuff moved around and a big plate of nasty ELKburgers (yes elk -- someone actually went out and shot it for fun, and then tried to tell me how it was okay to eat it because it wasn't processed by some big company) smothered with cheese, sitting on top of my wraps! In my section! Would this bother anyone else, or am I just overreacting?

A Venting Post

So, Borders didn't hire me.

It's not so much that I care that I didn't get the job. I think I just hate large-chain type stores. Not only did I have a series of about three different interviews with them, but that last interview took about an hour of questioning and answering. If you ask a person different questions for an hour, of course they might say something that you don't like, especially since they know you're there to judge them.

And I think I know what didn't get me the job. One of the questions was, "When was the time you bent the rules at work?" Honestly, I really don't do this often. Back in high school, I had a boss who used to yell at me for everything, so I learned to never EVER do anything against what he might believe is right, because I would only get yelled at more. And so, I told her about how, at the job I work at now, I sometimes give people more cheese than what they pay for, because (and I explained this) the cheese is not always divided into the proper amounts when people have special orders, and if I give them the proper amount of cheese, the rest of the bag will sit around unused until it gets disgusting and we throw it away. And I'd rather see people have more cheese who enjoy it than see it in the garbage.

Then, the follow up question was, Have you ever told your supervisor? And no, I haven't, so I wasn't going to lie. I did mention that I didn't think he'd mind, though. (And I don't think he'd mind because he's done it before right in front of me, and he's a pretty laid-back sort of guy.)

Maybe that wasn't the reason they didn't hire me. Maybe it was because I said my favorite possession was my giant stuffed dog that I have.

And though I'll admit, I'm a little more upset about not getting the job than I thought, at least they didn't have to tell me through e-mail. A phone call would have been nice.



Sorry about the ranting. I'm just extremely frustrated with how they chose to tell me this news, and that they decided to judge my entire working existence on a series of one hour questions. I think anyone deserves more than that.

It's Thursday!

Lunch. Yum.

I tried to replicate the amazing spicy tofu sandwich I ate at the Coffeehouse, and this was nowhere near close. First off, I substituted a wrap instead of bread. Second of all, I have no idea what they used to flavor the tofu. I used lower-sodium soy sauce (which I'm not a big fan of) and curry paste. I also added mushrooms, because I had some and I think they're delicious.

Despite the fact that it was nothing at all like the sandwich I ate earlier, it was still pretty delicious. Dave even tried it (before me, actually -- I was a little scared it would be horrible) and enjoyed it! It was only after I told him it had mushrooms that he realized it that he no longer liked it. I call that pure discrimination.

Two more classes to finish up before I'm done! Hoorah! Borders has still not called me back (my interview was on Monday and they said by tomorrow or the day after), so now I'm kind of thinking maybe I didn't get the job. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I definitely feel like I could use the time to live here alone and get to know myself better. It sounds corny, but with all the rushing around like the insane student and employee I am, as well as having a live-in boyfriend who occupies every second not taken by school or work, I feel like I've lost my priorities and my sense of self. Either way, I'm looking forward to the break. :)

It's almost over!

School, that is! I am SO excited. The best part about it is I think (I hope) I'm getting seasonal work at the Borders down here at school. (I have a job during the normal school year, but it won't be able to give me nearly enough hours during the break.) Also on my exciting agenda: finding some spectacular vegan holiday recipes, perfecting them, and then bringing them to Christmas! (My aunt is an almost-vegan, too -- she avoids eggs, cheese, and meat, but I don't think she pays attention to the smaller details in most processed food.) I am just SO excited to have this semester over with. Any suggestions on which meal to choose? (I'm thinking about the Patty Pan squash stuffed with Cajun white beans on Fat Free Vegan.)

Speaking of stress and waiting things to finish... I have had MAJOR carbohydrate cravings today. This honestly has stopped happening to me since I've been eating a lot healthier, but I think it started during lunch today, when, after I ate a salad in a wrap and a banana, I decided I was still hungry so I ate a piece of bread (plain). Now, for the rest of the night, I have just been CRAVING bread, barley, oatmeal... anything with an amazingly high number of carbs. (It probably also didn't help that Dave ate toast with dinner tonight and it only made me crave it more.)

Besides that, I've been eating a lot healthier and feeling a lot better. I've been exercising as much as I can (almost every day) without placing too much stress on my knee (I have tendinitis). Other than that, nothing new and exciting.
This is a picture of some stir-fry I made alongside some brown rice. By the suggestion of Chocolate Covered Vegan, I tried some peanut sauce on it, but I have to say I don't think I was a fan of the flavor. I first think I put too much on it, and I secondly felt like I had smothered my vegetables in natural peanut butter, which gave it a kind of sweet taste I wasn't expecting. I'll have to try it again to get another opinion on it, but I definitely think I'll use less of the sauce.

Also, does anyone else listen to podcasts? My painting teacher introduced me into their world, and I was just wondering if anyone had listened to the "Poultry Slam" episode of This American Life. Some of it was pretty disturbing (i.e. the king of France's last meal).

A Pleasant Surprise

So, a couple of happy things! First of all, my quiche turned out soo much better this time -- I had to leave it in for about an hour and ten minutes, but it was delicious. I also altered the ingredients in this one... Instead of using bell peppers and mushrooms (which Dave hates), I used corn, asparagus, a LOT of spinach, and regular onions as well as green onions. Here it is with brown rice... Yumm.
This is my boyfriend, Dave, enjoying the quiche and brown rice. (I put some olive oil on his rice -- I don't think he would have eaten it otherwise.)For just kind of a funny comparison, here is Dave only about a month ago, enjoying a pasta dish I made for him. Look at the difference in his hair!!! He finally let me cut it. :) He didn't think I would do a good job, but was pleasantly surprised!As for the pleasant surprise... Dave and I found this wonderful little restaurant in our town that serves all vegetarian and vegan food! (Well, I guess we didn't really "find" it; I've been wanting to go there for a long time, but it's taken me forever to convince him to go with me.) Anyway, the food there isn't exactly what I would call healthy, but it's a nice place to go when I don't feel like cooking and Dave and I are hungry. Plus, it's pretty cheap. Anyway, we've eaten there for the past two days (we've done a lot of traveling the past few days for work-related reasons -- no time to cook), and each time I have had this FABULOUS spicy tofu sandwich. It's tofu marinated in some kind of wonderfully spicy something, grilled, then put on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and vegan mayonnaise. Yum! I have to say, I wasn't impressed with the freshness of the tomato and lettuce, but it's definitely a nice change from the food I cook.

Although Dave isn't vegan or even vegetarian, he still enjoys eating there -- they serve breakfast ALL THE TIME! And breakfast is his favorite meal.

I didn't have my camera when we were in the restaurant, but I got a piece of vegan chocolate cake to go, just to try it.The picture is not exactly high quality, but the cake was delicious! My first experience with vegan cake -- definitely a success. :)

Also, just for another small comparison... Here is a picture of me (on the right) at my high school graduation party, about 30 pounds lighter than I am now.
Here is a picture of me now, almost exactly two and a half years later, 30 pounds heavier and in the same hoodie.
Just a visual reminder to myself of how different I look, and how much I'm really looking forward to losing this extra weight I've accumulated. (If you're wondering how I've gained all this weight, it's mostly due to stress eating -- I don't really drink or go out, but I have quite the problem of eating hoards of food when under scholastic stress! And I get a lot of that.)

Also, I'm sort of wondering if I should tell other people I know about my plans to lose weight. It's a really uncomfortable topic for me -- I feel like I'd like to tell them because I'd be more motivated to lose weight if I knew other people around me knew I was trying, but at the same time I'm a very private sort of person and don't enjoy other people knowing my business. Just a thought.