Quick update

I haven't been doing much cooking or anything other than keeping the house clean, getting it ready to put on the market, going to class, doing homework, and running when I have time. First week of school has gone very well. The class is getting to that stage of familiarity that there aren't a lot of awkward silences any more, and even though we come from very different backgrounds and range in age from 18-34, we all have a vested interest in the material, we all want to be there, and we all are in it to help people. It's very refreshing after coming from 7 years of college where many were there in classes for the wrong reason or just because it was a core requirement.

The terminology seems to be seeping into my brain at a fairly fast pace and I was able to determine that I've memorized about 85 to 90% of the material we've gone over in class. Our first test is on Monday. It's over about 300 pages of material, which sounds daunting, but it is all multiple choice and comprised of only 100 questions. I really have no doubt I'll do well. I'm excited to begin next week!

No move, but no broken heart either...

So, the move didn't go through. We drove up for the final interview and right off the bat, the whole situation just didn't feel right. They put us up in a scary motel, (not kidding... police/ambulance/firetruck showed up TWICE in a three hour period- first time was for a wreck in the parking lot and the second was for a strung out guy lying in the middle of the parking lot), then during the interview they weren't clear on what resources the department had to do the things that actually needed to be done, and although they had a decent offer, the benefits were so bad that we would actually be taking a pay cut. So I kind of had a feeling right away that it wasn't going to pan out. I think that softened the blow when we counter-offered and they didn't budge. We just knew it wasn't a right fit.

However, we have decided to put the house on the market since there has been a drastic upswing in the real estate market here. That way, when hubby starts looking for jobs again around the place we want to move to, we won't have to worry about trying to sell the house then! Also, I'm going back to school starting today to get a CNA certification so I can start gaining medical experience to pursue my Master's degree to become a PA. I'll finish that in a month's time, hopefully get a job (which is extremely likely given that 80% of the class has job offers before the cert is over), work for a few months, try to find a job for hubby, possible move, then start pre-reqs in the spring/summer. About 3 semesters of pre-reqs, then I take the GRE and apply for PA schools. And then up to 3.5 years of more school. Yes. I am aware that I'm crazy. No doubt about that, but I'm doing it.

Working in the medical field was my dream from a really early age. I wanted to be a doctor from about age 8 on, but was discouraged from doing so for all kinds of reasons by the people around me who had their own selfish agendas for me. I spent years trying to follow their limitations and expectations and was miserable for it. Living for years denying thoughts, feelings and dreams can seriously mess you up, and it did. For awhile I entirely forgot who I wanted to be. I lived for others who actually should have had no bearing on my future. Now I'm doing this for me and the family I've created with my husband and son. I feel free to pursue what I want to do without feeling a constant sense of guilt and misery. It's a little scary to step out of a pattern and make such a drastic change, but it's also invigorating! I'll keep my blog updated as I can, but it will probably continue to be less frequent now that other things are coming into my life.

Tri-color Quinoa Stir Fry

I've been on a health kick trying to lose my last 30 lbs (I've lost 50 so far in the past 2 years... most of it in the space of 10 months or so) and I'm gluten free, so quinoa is an increasing staple in my diet. I had a whole lb. of it in my cupboard, and then happened to see a twitter post by Jaime Alexander of "Thor" fame with a delicious looking dish of so many gorgeous colors and happened to have quinoa, as well as what looked to be an excellent combination of flavors. So I used her dish as an inspiration for this one.

Tri-Color Quinoa Stir Fry

2.5 c. uncooked tri-color quinoa

1 small red onion, diced

1 carrot, grated

1 bell pepper, diced

1 cup red cabbage, chopped

1/2 16 oz. can black beans, drained

2 T. olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. garlic powder or 2 cloves regular garlic, minced

sea salt to taste

Cook quinoa per directions. (You can cook quinoa in a rice cooker, I did! Google for cooking times and double your water at least). Next, warm oil in a large skillet or pan then throw in the red onion, carrot, bell pepper, red cabbage, throw in spices too and saute until cooked tenderly. When the quinoa is finished, add it to the skillet or pan along with the black beans and mix thoroughly being sure it's heated through. Taste and season until it's yummy and then serve! Yields about 8 servings.

Ratings from the Experts*: 10/10 for Vegetarian fare. My picky-eater hubby even said this was delicious, and it's great for making if you need something to eat throughout the week for lunches. It's very low calorie, running about 290 calories per serving.

I might be doing more decorating soon, in a new place.

Soooo. Yeah. This past month has been a little crazy. In the space of one month we've gone from being fairly certain and content to stay here where we've been, to having many doors opened in another state and multiple reasons to leave here. Talk about a switch!

My husband has his 3rd interview tomorrow and we're hoping for a face-to-face interview next week sometime. If all goes well, we might be moving at the end of September. The place we would be moving is much more urban...a bigger city than what we're used to, so we're thinking of actually living in the city just for the life experience. I've already found a dream apartment in a historic building just a few blocks from one of our favorite places to visit in the city. I'm just hoping it stays on the market until we are able to move! (If.) Trying not to get too excited, but it's also a step towards the future for me because the PA school I want to go to is there. If this all works out, it's going to be amazing. Praying that whatever happens, it's the right thing for us. Anyway, I probably won't be posting much for a few more weeks at least. A) Because I won't know anything for a couple weeks more probably, B) Because I might be mending a bit of a broken heart, or C) Because we're packing up to move!

Sweet Pepper Tuna Cucumbers

I do best with a protein-rich diet when I'm trying to lose weight and I wanted to incorporate a generous dose of veggies, so I threw this together for lunch. It's certainly nice to look at, and it shares some qualities with a really good canape recipe given to me by my friend Melissa.

Sweet Pepper Tuna Cucumbers
2 mini sweet peppers, sliced

1 very large cucumber, sliced
1 small can of Tuna, drained
1 1/2 T low fat cream cheese, softened
1 rounded t capers
1/2 t minced onion
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t pepper

In a bowl, mix together the drained tuna and softened cream cheese, add capers and onion, then add in all the spices and mix until thoroughly blended. Drop the blended mixture onto cucumber slices, place one slice of sweet pepper on top, then garnish with more chili powder for extra flavor and color if desired. Chill in the fridge until cold, then serve.

Ratings from the Experts*: My hubby's not a big tuna fan, so I took the burden upon myself to eat every last one of these as I sat here writing this post. What a burden it was... I kid, I kid! I give this a solid 9/10 for the fact that it's a tiny bit salty but I think that could be remedied by simply washing the capers and rubbing them off before adding to the mix. But the mix itself was a good blend. The chili powder really gave it a nice flavor and brought it all together.

Gluten Free Play Dough

My son is even more severely gluten intolerant than I am, so I've been leery of letting him play with regular Play Dough since it contains gluten. I looked all over Pinterest for recipes, tried one this morning, and it was an utter disaster. It more closely resembled pineapple chunky oatmeal than play dough. So I switched gears and found a recipe on About.com from the Celiac Sprue Association and gave it a try. It worked beautifully except for the fact that the actual cooking instructions were way off base, so I changed those to tell you a more accurate process.

Gluten Free Play Dough
1/2 c rice, potato, or sorghum flour
1/2 c corn starch
1/2 c salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 t cooking oil
food coloring of your choice

Mix the dry ingredients together well, then add in the wet ingredients, stirring until blended. The mixture will be very very watery and you'll wonder how in the world it's going to thicken up, but it will. Cook and stir constantly on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball. Once the dough isn't sticky to the touch, take it out of the pan and let cool a bit, then knead it more by hand. Let it cool completely before storing the dough a sealable plastic bag.

I love how simple this recipe is. This morning I just brought my son in to the kitchen, gave him a few pots and pans and a couple of spoons to play with while I worked on the play dough. In less than 15 minutes we had a wad of playdough even larger than a regular play dough can carries! I made 2 colors today, but I expect we might add some more colors to the collection next week since my son loves it so much. And that makes me a happy momma. :)

Cheese and Turkey Stuffed Mini Peppers

I have been recovering from abdominal surgery, so I haven't been able to cook much at all (Dr.'s orders... I promise!) Instead I've been stuffing my face with far too much food generosity from my in-laws, and eating out more than I should since I haven't felt much like cooking. I've gained about 5 lbs I think and I've about had it... so it's back on the healthy eating bandwagon today so I don't feel so much like an overstuffed Italian sausage. These little beauties are my new obsession (the peppers, that is). They are Mini sweet bell peppers and they are so great for me since I love bell pepper but can't ever seem to use a whole pepper in a dish. And they also make gorgeous little finger food like this!

I wanted a pop of protein, so I grabbed some cream cheese and roasted turkey lunchmeat from the fridge. The following is the result.

Cheese and Turkey Stuffed Mini Peppers
2 T. Cream cheese
3 mini peppers
2 slices, thinly sliced oven roasted turkey (Land o' Frost is what I used)
1/8 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. Italian seasoning

Slice the tops off the mini peppers and remove any seeds from the interior. Cut the slices of turkey into three portions and stuff one portion in each of the three peppers. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mash together cream cheese with the seasonings until well blended. Smear generous amounts of cream cheese mixture into the peppers on top of the turkey, be sure to fill them to the top! Now, enjoy.


Ratings from the Experts*: 10/10 from me, for snacking it's a filling, healthy snack that packs a healthy protein punch in addition to a nice serving of veggies.