Eat Teach Blog

The problem with going a few days without blogging is that when I finally sit down to blog, I have SO much to write about that it becomes overwhelming and then I walk away from the computer for a few more days. Anyone else have this problem?

Anyway, moving on.

San Antonio River Walk

San Antonio was GREAT. Not only did I get to see my family, but I also got to attend one of the largest professional development conventions for special educators. The CEC convention gave me the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, attend seminars and demonstrations, and overall grow as an educator. There were moments when I felt a bit discouraged because I wanted to be at everything, do everything, talk to everyone.

But now I know what a typical CEC convention looks like. So next year, when I attend the convention again (2014 will be in Philly!), I will know what to expect and be able to plan accordingly.

Did I mention that the program was 450 pages long?

I won’t go into detail about the seminars I attended – that would take ages. I will, most likely, blog about them throughout the year as I use the things I learned.

I am just happy to have had the experience and to return with a refreshed, more mentally-renewed mindset.

After a thorough clean-up and set-up of my classroom…..

…..and after writing a 21-paged lesson plan for the week…..

….I am ready to GO! I will be in Yosemite for the next 5 days. Hiking, cross-country skiing, and just spending some quality time with Mother Nature. Oh….and hundreds of 8th graders.

See ya next weekend!

I’m all packed and ready to go. In about half an hour, I’ll be heading back up north. And on Monday, when we all go back to work, I will make sure to keep my resolutions in mind. I don’t want any of those chest pains coming back.

Somebody sent this to me after reading my post from a few days ago – and I absolutely LOVED IT and wanted to share.

I’m going to go spend the little time left here that I have with the family. Just wanted to pop in and say hello!

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Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for some yummy chocolate supplements! You have until Monday at 12PM (PST)!

I like leaving work before the sun goes down. I especially like it when I go for a walk along the LG Creek Trail and then play on the swings after. 

There’s something very stress-relieving about playing on the playground.

I like mixing all my foods together. The uglier the food, the happier I am. I’m not one of those people who cares about the presentation of my food. Because, to be honest, the more time spent on presentation means that less time went into making it taste good. So pile on the ugly food. I’m all about it.

The most amazing Fiesta salad. Ugly, isn’t it? BUT IT’S DELICIOUS.

I have always been a Subway groupie. I love when my sammys are filled to the brim with veggies. But I’m even more of a Subway groupie now that I found out they chop their salads.

I am madly in love with this Greek restaurant called Yiassoo. They have a few places around the area – one by work and one by my apartment. I love Greek salad in general, but they take it to a whole new level.

I love receiving packages. Especially when they’re filled with yummy treats. Completely obsessed with the raspberry/dark chocolate flavor

I love my middle school kiddos. Especially the overly dramatic ones. Like, what is it about middle school girls that need to stand up in the middle of class and announce, “I need to take my BAG to the BATHROOM with me because I have some GIRL issues going on.” We get it – you’re basically a baller because you’ve got your period. But for all those ‘rolling-my-eyes-at-you’ incidents, there are a million more that make me want to squeeze ‘em, hold ‘em tight, and never send them off to 9th grade.

I love those few months from August-December where I was thrown into a whirlwind of IEPs and crazy events at work. Because they have made me that much stronger as an educator. I was frustrated at first. Confused that they would put the newbie up to bat over and over and over. But I got more practice. And I got stronger. And I no longer feel inexperienced.

I love moments that make me stop and reflect. Stop and observe. Stop and appreciate. 

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YOUR TURN!

What are you lovin’ lately? 

What’s the ugliest, most delicious combination of food you’ve eaten? (Because obviously I wanna try it)

Sometimes you find inspiration in the most random places. From the most unexpected people.

Yesterday Jen and I left the apartment to make our typical Saturday morning trip to Starbucks. This trip was particularly essential because we spent Friday night pretending like we were in college. Pizza at 2AM may or may not have been involved.

Needless to say, we were exhausted and in desperate need of caffeine. Maybe we were deep in conversation or maybe our brains hadn’t really activated – but we aimlessly started driving down Winchester. I’m well aware that there’s a Starbucks on the corner down the street from my apartment. I just started driving. Gimme a break – it’s hard to play the role of a college student. We turned down Hamilton Ave. and, lucky for us, saw those inviting green umbrellas two blocks down.

We ordered and sat down with our notes app out – ready to make a list of all the things we needed to do to get our life in order. 10 minutes into our conversation, we noticed an old man in a wheelchair head back toward the counter where customers pick up their drinks. The barista thought there was something wrong with his coffee, but he told her, “I just came back here so I can see through the window. It really is a beautiful day outside.” 

We stopped what we were doing. Just to watch this adorable man look out the window. He continued talking and said, “A lot of people pass judgment on the day without stopping to observe how beautiful it is.”  And then he started heading toward the door. Jen and I ran up to him, tears in our eyes, and just thanked him for his words. His perspective. His wisdom.

It was just what I needed. A reminder to be more mindful. More in-the-moment. More appreciative. More grateful.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Foodie Friday post. Probably because I have nothing new and creative going on over here. Whatever I find in my fridge gets thrown in a tupperware and I’m out the door by 6:30AM for work (Want some friendly advice? Don’t try to mix in salsa on top of something you’ve marinated in soy sauce. I’m speaking from laziness experience). 

Every Friday at brunch, the teachers congregate in the staff lounge for Friday treats. Back in August, staff members that wanted to participate in the weekly event signed up for a couple slots throughout the year. Today I, along with two others, are cooking brunch-themed foods. We do not buy pre-made brownies and Safeway cookies and call it a party. We develop themes. We take into account the weather, the holiday, the level of stress (soul food anyone?!). We’ve got the real meal deal going on each week.

More than half the time, Friday treats is comfort food. We are all ridiculously stressed. It’s the end of the week and most of us are exhausted. And nothing sounds better than some chocolate-peanut butter cheesecake or stuffed-crust pizza with a slab of lasagna to top it off. On occasion, we may walk in to find some homemade soup or a side of fruit. But for the most part, it’s not the healthiest.

This week, I wanted to switch things up. I wanted to make something that I wouldn’t feel guilty eating. But also something fun and different. I’ve been on an egg-kick lately but there are over 40 people participating in this and I wasn’t about to cook up omelettes for all of them. So I just threw all the omelette ingredients into a pan and called it a casserole. Thats what all the fancy people do, isn’t it? 

Bottom layer of potatoes. And stacked layers of: bellpeppers + onions + lean ground turkey + a handful of cheese. All covered with 3 eggs + 5 egg whites + 1 cup milk.

That’s what the casserole looks like before it goes into the oven. After that picture was snapped, I wrapped it up in aluminum foil overnight and stuck it in the fridge (along with 3 others. I’m a vegetable-chopping, casserole-making, Paula Dean machine). I’ll just bake it once I get to work in the morning!

We’ll see how the final product turns out in the afternoon!
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What are some healthified breakfast recipes you’ve created?! Please share the link or recipe below! I’ve gotta get cookin’ again! I MISS IT!

This past week back at work has been pretty rough. Prior to winter break, life was so hectic. Work was just go-go-go-go-go so I kept going. And then I got two weeks off. So let’s just say that coming back to work has been a pretty big adjustment. I think my body forgot how to go.

I know myself and I know that I work better and more productively when I have a lot of things going on.  I just have to relay the message to my body. I’ve been coming home every day this week exhausted and unwilling to do anything. I’m pretty sure that there were two days that I just passed out before dinner and slept through the night. (You know there’s something wrong with me when I skip a meal). I signed up for the fourth round of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp back in December to help motivate me to keep up with my resolutions. It started on Monday, but I didn’t print out the workouts until Friday. Fail on my part, but better late than never, right? I’ll just be a couple days behind.

I spent most of this weekend trying to get my life in order – my apartment, my lesson plans, IEPs, and I tackled some nagging tasks that I’ve been putting off. I feel a lot more prepared for this week – mentally and physically.

Aside from being a little tired and unprepared, the week hasn’t been too bad! On Wednesday, I drove out to the city to watch Lion King, the musical! It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen it and, to be honest, I think I may have enjoyed it more the first time around – probably because I got kind of sleepy toward the end. I blame the fact that it was a school night (but more likely it was because I had two glasses of wine with dinner). 

Trying to secretly take a picture of the stage – even though I wasn’t allowed (and got yelled at shortly after)

Speaking of dinner, it was delicious. We went to Brenda’s French Soul Food and, at first, I was a little apprehensive because I despise all things seafood (and they’re known for their crawfish beignet). It was probably the two glasses of wine that gave me the courage to try it, but I did. And it was wonderful.

Crawfish Beignet

I ordered the burger (assuming that I wouldn’t eat the beignet) but could only finish half of it since I finished a whole beignet to myself. I’m not typically a brancher-outter (<—- leave me alone, that’s a word) so when I do branch out, I like to show it off to the world.

A very fun night overall.

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Are you a brancher-outter? Or are you a creature of habit? 

I’m a resolution-happy, challenge-accepting, over-committer and an UNDER-DOER. (I probably made those words up. But that’s what I am. I’m a big fat talker and less of a do-er).

Next time I need to lose 5 pounds, tell me NOT to work out.

Next time I need to get work done, tell me to AVOID work.

I get a thrill out of signing up for a challenge. Or a commitment. But then I run away from it. Like….SPRINT. Maybe I should re-write my daily resolutions in a way that makes me actually do them. Like…..”DON’T plank a day” or “Avoid all phone calls from your family and friends.” Maybe that would get me to follow through and COMMIT….

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How do you stay committed? Is there some sort of a pill I can take to be a better committer? C’mon – tell me the tricks.

The days go by slowly, but the years go so fast. 

Can’t believe it’s been a year since our Minute-to-Win-It shenanigans last year.

Since then, I’ve:

• Graduated from LMU with my Masters in Education.

• Moved out of my apartment in Culver City

• Started this blog for accountability and personal reasons. One of my favorite decisions. I’ve met so many people through this network, encountered incredible professional development opportunities, and have gone on quite a social media adventure over the past 6 months!

• Interviewed for several teaching positions

• Made a trip to NY to celebrate my little brother graduating from GWU

• Volunteered for another week at UniCamp

• Decided to leave LA and take a job opportunity up north – something I’ve been wanting to do for so long

Moved into a beautiful apartment in August 2012 

• Saw Jason Mraz in concert

• Watched our President Obama get re-elected for four more years

• Became a wine club member at Picchetti Winery.

• Got my ass handed to me during the first few months of teaching. Worked harder than I’ve ever worked before. And fell in love with my students, despite the struggles each day. 

2012 was great.

2013 will be better. 

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Link up below! =)

I promised I’d “write it if I bite it” or “scribble if I nibbled,” so here goes the first day of food journaling:

Breakfast: Two pieces of toast w/ PB and a drizzle of Lite Maple Syrup

Snack: Handful of almonds and dried cranberries

Snack 2: Yogurtland – delicious. Love that they’re open on national holidays (they’re our go-to place on Christmas for SURE!)

After our un-needed, but very delicious Yogurtland treat, Sister and I decided to go for a 4-mile walk around Irvine Lake. I just can’t get over how pretty and peaceful it is.

People were already in full celebration mode – red cups and all.

After our walk, we popped in at the gym for some more cardio (bike and elliptical) before heading over to Subway for lunch!

Lunch: 6-inch oven roasted chicken breast on Honey Oat!

We stopped at Sprouts Farmers Market to pick up some veggies for the BBQ tonight. I didn’t realize that zucchini and “Italian squash” were the same thing. I mean, I knew that Italian squash looked an awful lot like zucchini. But, I just didn’t know they were the same thing. So Sister asked someone who worked there where the zucchini was (while we were standing right in front of the zucchini) and he just gave us a look like we were big dummies. How embarrassing.

Also, discovered that my favorite vineyards (Cupcake Vineyards!!) makes a new wine: moscato!!!!! I fell in love with Cupcake Wine after I tried their Red Velvet wine. It was unbelievable (and I think the main reason I started branching out to red wine. I was a white drinker for so long).

I did a little bit of a happy dance in the wine aisle…no big deal. And definitely made that purchase. Can’t wait to try it! (But no, my dinner tonight will not be wine and bread).

Snack 3: A few slices of watermelon

Dinner: Grilled veggies and chicken on the BBQ! They’re all chopped up and ready to go. Heading out to grill with Sister right now! =)

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Do you prefer reds or whites? What is your favorite kind of wine (I need something new to try!)?