Saturday, July 30, 2011

Dont Ask...but I'm here now

Where or where did May and June go?

Well it was push to get the homework done for the two worst classes of my entire Bachelor degree.
I struggled with the discussion for Stats and the rotten "isn't world civilization just the most important subject ever!?" Instructor. But come June 28th, I pulled out a B+ and B sooooo guess I can hold my head up for now.

I am officially done with the Bachelors degree and in August will head into the teacher credential program on my way to a Masters. In California, the extra credential can take up to 2 years to complete lets hope there is a job at the end of it.

Onto the other Challenges...
I did not make a soup for May and June... I know I know
July's ingredient was Quinoa
I tried out Peruvian Quinoa Stew:
½ cup quinoa
  1. Rinse quinoa well with cold water.

     
  2. Place rinsed quinoa and water in pot (covered) 
  3. and cook covered on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes until soft.
      
  4. While the quinoa is cooking place the onions,
  5. garlic and vegetable oil in covered soup pot and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes
     
  6. And celery and carrots to the soup pot and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring often
     
  7. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and one cup water or vegetable stock to soup pot.
  8. Stir in cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne and oregano to soup pot simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
     
  9. Stir in cooked quinoa and salt to taste.
     
  10. Top with grated cheese (and optionally chopped cilantro)
     
  11. Serve immediately.
1 cup water
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick slices
1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cubed zucchini
2 cups un drained chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 cup water or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)
2 teaspoon fresh oregano (OR) 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Grated Cheddar (OR) Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Kaye will ask, did the family eat it? Yes, Yes they did. My boys now order soup at restaurants instead of salad. They are becoming quite the soup connoisseurs.

Challenge number 3...
After many many excuses I made my way back to the gym, running, and eating properly.
Right now, I am averaging a 17.08 minute / mile and am holding steady at 2 miles. I am babying my knee as it is prone to twangs. I am strength training with cable machines at a level 4, 3 sets of 10. I  am thinking about entering the next "boot camp" class. I need to get over my social phobia first. This week alone I am down 4 lbs and 3/4 of an inch on my waist. We will call t his challenge as... In Progress :)
I started riding my bike. My sister's house is 1.3 miles from mine. Why am I driving this to take my niece home??? I have a bike trailer and a perfectly good bike! So I get at least 2.6 miles in at night

Challenge number 4...
The boys have all become money sieves! We "tried" gymnastics and they all loved it so we enrolled. 150.00 a month; Monday night for the big boys, Tuesday night for the Boo. Not to mention the back to school shopping, the amount of food they ALL eat, the gas to drive them around...on and on and on. BUT they are happy healthy boys, so I really cant complain.

That being said... I cant wait for school to start :)