What Makes a Friend?

okay- this picture is cool! the first was taken about 13 years ago, the second one taken this weekend. you can see we have traded in our pajamas for real clothes, put in the effort to actually style our hair, got a bit taller (okay- A BIT), and maybe the "blue house" was fixed up a bit. but, this picture means so much more. to me, this picture symbolizes true friendship. it can be hard getting older to stay close with friends. the inevitable gets in the way- lives get busier, careers are going full-force, families get started, etc. as i get older, i can fully understand what a friend is.

a friend is:
*someone who can make you laugh until you cry
*someone who understands your quirkiness
*someone you can text at 5am or 11pm
*someone who will listen when you're sad, say nothing, and still make you feels 100 times better
*someone you can eat a whole container of 5-layer Mexican dip, a large pizza, and fried mozzarella sticks with (and help you hide the evidence)
*someone who makes you feel your prettiest, even in sweats- and old navy pajamas
*someone who motivates you in life and your career, and most importantly...
*someone you are proud to stand next to

Iced Tea and a Memory Journal

monday means iced tea and crafting. i've finally mastered ice tea without it being too watery and decided i needed to stop slacking on my memory journal. a few years ago my apartment started getting cluttered with old cards, ticket stubs, maps, and papers that i wanted to keep forever, so i bought a huge blank sketch journal. i started gluing those precious memories in and recently, i haven't been so good about keeping up with the pages. today i have an unexpected day off. i grabbed that huge neglected stack, some glue, and poured myself a tall glass of iced tea. it's the little things!

 

Bulletin Board Storage

most, if not all, teachers like to stay as organized as possible. we have endless amounts of supplies, paper, books, games, THINGS all over the classroom. clutter drives me crazy. everyone is always asking me how i keep my room so nice and neat. the secret is to have a place for everything (and try to keep it there!) and to not let kids touch anything (ha! kidding!). i'd like to share a system that i've been using for 3+ years now. it saves money and makes it much easier to find what you're looking for.

Bulletin Board Storage

You will need:
-different kinds of bulletin board border papers (in the long plastic packages)
-small sized adhesive hooks (i used Command brand)
-scissors

1. Hang hooks behind a closet door (or classroom door!). Make sure you space them in a way that the borders won't hit the floor. It is okay if the borders overlap each other. Mine do, but it might be easier if they don't)
2. Hang up border packages when the hooks have sat for about 60 minutes (as directed by hook directions)
2. When you have a new package of borders, slice a slit on the back of the package (as seen below) so you can easily slide the borders in and out without removing the top paper tab that came on the border package. This way you can easily see what the borders are and that is how you hang the package each time

Closer look:

all done! happy organization :)

Cherry-banana Oatmeal Bowl

i've been on an oatmeal kick lately. since i've been running a lot more, i am trying to increase my carb intake. it's just too hard to run on a low-carb lifestyle. i like making my own oatmeal because i know exactly what's in it.

Cherry-banana Oatmeal Bowl
Recipe by: Miss Noggin Head

-1 cup prepared old fashioned oats
-handful dried cherries
-handful walnuts (i use organic nuts)
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 small banana sliced
-drop of vanilla extract or honey (optional)

1. Prepare your oats- if it is too dry, i like to add a splash of milk
2. Mix in cinnamon and stir (also your vanilla and honey if you want)
3. Lay sliced banana, cherries, and walnuts on top
4. Enjoy!

Meal Prep and a Recipe

i can't stress enough how important it is so plan our your meals for the days. especially if you are at work for long hours. luckily i cannot easily leave work to get fast food and the people i work with don't go out to lunch on lunch breaks. i usually like to make enough dinner to bring leftovers to lunch. lately, i've been bringing breakfast to work so that i stay more full until i get to eat a snack. anyways, here is just an example of my food from breakfast until after work (about 4PM).

 

• On the right you see my protein smoothie breakfast
• A taco salad made with leftover taco meat from the night before
• Bag of blueberries to add to my plain (ick) greek yogurt
• Bag of almonds
• A sliced apples and almond butter

i remember many years ago not packing enough food or grabbing disgusting prepackaged meals/snacks at the convenience story on the way to work. if you don't pack enough healthy food, you will eat the nutterbutters in the break room.

 

now for a recipe. i like to make up concoctions while i'm in the shower or while im thinking on the treadmill at the gym. i hate chicken but i think of creative ways to spice it up because i know how good it is for you.

 

Cashew-Chicken Stir-Fry (Recipe by Me)

 

 

 

Ingredients:

-pack of thin chicken strips

-garlic powder

-ginger powder

-low sodium, organic soy sauce

-whole cashews (unsalted)

-pack of frozen veggies (mine has broccoli, mushrooms, and onions)

 

1. Spray non-stick skillet so chicken doesn't stick. Sprinkle ginger and garlic powders on each side of the chicken. Brown chicken about 4-5 minutes on both sides, put on plate and cut up. Set aside

2. As chicken is cooking, heat up frozen veggies in another skillet sprayed with olive oil spray (i use it a lot so i get organic spray). This usually takes about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add some soy sauce half way through and stir. I try not to add a lot.

3. Chop up cashews either in a plastic bag and a mallet/hammer (lol) or chop up in food processor/magic bullet

4. When veggies are cooked, add chicken, cashews, and some more soy sauce to veggie skillet and stir

5. enjoy :)

Easy-Skinny Chicken Tostada

so it wasn't until after i declared this dish a "tostada" that i found out it is far from what a tostada really is. a tostada has a deep fried tortilla, and this does not. but it is a skinny version. it is really easy to make up your own mexican recipes. throw in some beans, salsa, cheese, whatever. and there you have it. you can't go wrong. i try to eat my healthiest during the week because i like to splurge on the weekends. i also like easy dinners. who wants to cook gourmet after a whole work day and an afternoon spent at the gym? not me. so here you have it...

Easy-Skinny Chicken Tostada

Ingredients:
-1 package all natural/non-gmo thin chicken strips
-6 flour tortillas (you can use low carb, wheat, etc.)
-salsa
-cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper (no real measurements)
-1- 1 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
-a few tablespoons light sour cream (i get the ones with the least ingredients)
-shredded lettuce or baby spinach
-half bag frozen corn

Steps:
-preheat oven to 350 degrees
-spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray
-place chicken tenders on the dish
-sprinkle chicken with as much as you would like of each of the spices (i like to put a lot! just don't use too much cayenne pepper because it's spicy)
-cook chicken for 16ish minutes or until fully cooked
-while you are cooking chicken, heat frozen corn on a skillet or microwave if you have one (i do not)
-take chicken out and cut into strips (i could cut 2-3 strips out of each tender), set aside
-sprinkle shredded cheese onto the tortillas
-rinse off grease from baking dish, place foil on dish, and place tortillas on it (i do 3 first, eat, then do the other 3)
-broil on high for 3 minutes with the oven door slightly cracked (watch it because you don't want it to turn burn or it will be too crunchy)
-place tortillas on your plate and top with chicken, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, corn
-enjoy :)

donuts and diner coffee

top of the morning to ya'll (i don't know why i said that?). and blogger, please stop capitalizing my i's! i plan on not using correct grammar and punctuation because a. my blog will look cooler and b. well, it will mask the fact that i don't know how to use correct punctuation and all teachers obviously know all things punctuation/grammar.

anyways, ever since my dexter obsession, I've (there it goes again) been craving donuts. real, donuts. not dunkin donut donuts. i had been finding it a little hard to track down great donut shops in boston (suggestions, please!). but a friend suggested twin donuts in allston. since i sleep no later than 8am on any given day, i decided it would be the perfect time to try it out. i got the "chocolate dip" and M got a "honey dip." i didn't try his but i can say mine was fabulous. first of all, it was huge. and only 75 cents (beat that, dunkin donuts! okay, actually i don't know the going rate of donuts anywhere, but it seemed reasonably priced). it was moist (ugh, that word), had just the right amount of glaze on it, and sort of had a hint of coconut. it was fresh and every other bite was delicately dipped in my coffee.

speaking of coffee. WHY does diner coffee taste so heavenly? it isn't too often anymore that i am drinking coffee out of a pot (hello, keurig). i usually find pot coffee from my parents and relatives to taste bitter, burnt, or just plain watery. but, diner coffee, man... is like prozac to my soul. there's also something about coffee that makes me want to slow down, take a look around, and appreciate the small details in my surroundings. it's like i'm sipping my coffee and i realize what a nice paint job my kitchen has, or how the lyrics to my current favorite song finally make sense. bottom line, if you need a quick pick me up, grab some diner coffee and a donut at twin donuts in allston. you, your taste buds, and your soul will thank me.