How is tomorrow already April?? This year is going so so quickly… although it’s hard to believe that tomorrow is April when it’s snowing in Pittsburgh. It is SO cold today. I also forgot how stressful the last three weeks of the semester are- I’ve got 2 tests this week, a project next week, and then three essays the week after. PLUS finals after that. It’s definitely high stress but we’ll make it through.
All of the stress and worry definitely has me thankful for the little things that bring me joy or help me calm down. And my people, I love them all very much. What are you all thankful for this week? Lemme know below, and have a great Sunday 🙂
This week I’m thankful for:
My roommate. She puts up with a lot, especially when I’m hangry and anxious and stressed and she’s a gem.
Phone calls with my people and facetimes with Faith
Silly habitat for humanity meetings
Warm weather and not needing a jacket
Making cool solutions at work
Leftover pasta
Sitting in front of the fountain in the sun
Productive studying
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Life chats and sitting on Rachel’s porch
Sunsets
Listening to good music
Getting a ticket to see The Head and the Heart (!!!)
Pie Express pizza
This new show Northern Rescue
Getting everything done on my to-do list
Vacuuming (I really like vacuuming)
Chamomile tea (I’m pretty sure I’ve had about a gallon of it in the last 48 hours)
Buttered toast
Building a shack in front of the union for Act Speak Build Week for Habitat (A week of advocacy events for affordable housing)
I love oatmeal. I know a lot of people don’t, usually because it’s bland or a weird texture. But today I’m bringing you an oatmeal dish that anyone can enjoy! It’s warm, filling, and tastes like the best and softest oatmeal cookie. But healthy! AND it comes together in one bowl and bakes in 30-45 minutes.
I found this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it was just so good I had to share it. I doubled the recipe to fit in my 9×13 pan and it set me up for more than 2 weeks of breakfast! I just microwaved a square for about 45 seconds with a little bit of milk to make it creamy and it was amazing. Also great topped with some chopped nuts! And it freezes really well, so it makes a great breakfast meal prep! Ideal for when you don’t have much time in the morning.
Definitely check out Sally’s blog, she’s got some amazing baked goods and I can’t wait to try out some more of her recipes. But for now, definitely try her baked oatmeal!
Woo this week felt long. I feel like the week after spring break is always so tough, getting back into the swing of things, doing homework, studying. I was definitely relieved to make it to the weekend. Although a month ish to finals means all my professors are slamming us with projects and midterms, so today is going to be spent holed up in the library. Lemme know below if you’re doing anything fun today or if you’re stuck studying like me. And let me know what you’re grateful for this week! I’d love to chat 🙂
This week I’m grateful for:
Getting out of ochem lab early
Watching the new season of Queer Eye
Clean laundry
Catching up with my people after spring break
Pasta
New shoes
A taste of warm weather
Church
Lots of tea drinking
Date night
Peanut butter sandwiches
Pamper night with my girl Angela
Face masks
Habitat for Humanity work days
Learning how to use new power tools
Shelby’s Just Dance tournament (complete with bracket!)
Avocado toast for breakfast
A productive library day/catching up with my fave human Carissa
I made this pasta for dinner on Tuesday night and let me just tell you, it was delicious. Plenty of protein, a little spice, and so quick and easy (ready in 15 minutes!!). Which was especially good because I was a little hangry when I got home that night after my club meeting (big apologies to my roommate <3)
This pasta was another round of improvising with what I had: a can of tuna, a can of Cannelini beans, crushed tomatoes, and pasta. This would be just as delicious if you added more veggies to it too! Just cook with the tuna and beans before you add the tomatoes 🙂
A short post today, but leave any requests or suggestions below! I’m always looking for new recipes to try.
Tuna and White Bean Pasta
Serves: 2-3
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound of pasta (I made this with farfalle, but any short pasta will work great)
1 can of white albacore tuna
1 can of Cannelini beans
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
About half a cup of crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Bring a pot of water up to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a sauce or frying pan over medium heat. Add the tuna and break up into small chunks.
Add the can of beans as well as the garlic, and the salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.
Cook until warm, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, and about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and cook until bubbling, about 7-8 minutes.
Here I am, back with some more slow cooker meal prep. This was my meal prep a few weeks ago, and I slightly doctored up this recipe from Budget Bytes (you should totally check her out for some amazing, easy, cheap meals!).
Really the only difference is that I used a jar of crushed tomatoes instead of marinara sauce, so I added some extra spices (like red pepper flakes for some kick), as well as balsamic vinegar and a little bit of olive oil. And it was DELICIOUS.
Like Beth says in her recipe, this is delicious over pasta (which is how I ate it on Sunday), over rice, polenta, or even on bread for a killer sandwich. I’m definitely gonna have to toast some homemade bread and add this and some mozzarella cheese.
A note, this makes a ton and my roommate really doesn’t like peppers, so I stored a bunch in the freezer. Perfect for a night when you don’t feel like cooking 🙂
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Peppers
Cook time: 4 hours and 10 minutes
Serves: 6 (freezes well!)
Ingredients
3 bell peppers (any color)
1 medium onion
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon garlic
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
24 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Slice the bells peppers and onions into 1/4 inch strips. Lay half the peppers and onions in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Place the chicken breasts on top of the peppers and onions and season with all the spices.
Cover the chicken with the rest of the peppers and onions and cover with the crushed tomatoes.
Drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks.
Serve over pasta, rice, polenta, on toast, or eat on its own!
Well, long time no chat. This past week I was on a spring break trip with Habitat for Humanity, and so I had no computer access (which was honestly a blessing). I figured today I’d do a little recap of my trip before launching into my Weekly Gratitude for the week (be warned, it’ll probably be lengthy). And we’ll be back to your regularly scheduled food posts this week 🙂
First, some background on Habitat for Humanity: Habitat is a non-profit organization that advocates for affordable housing. With the help of volunteers, contractors, and sponsors, they build houses for low-income families. However, it’s not a handout. Families have to fill out a lengthy application and put in over 200 hours of sweat equity before they even pick a house. And then they put in even more sweat equity on their own house! At the end of the process, they get a home with a no interest mortgage. My favorite part about Habitat for Humanity is interacting with the future homeowners; we get to hear their stories and it puts the whole project into perspective. We aren’t just building a house, we’re building a home. A home where a family will spend Christmas morning, where kids will lose their first tooth, have birthday parties, and feel safe and comfortable in their own beds. It’s an amazing organization that I love so much.
So the trip: Our campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity participates in the Collegiate Challenge every year, where college kids spend their spring break volunteering with a Habitat affiliate far from home. It was 9 days, the first 2 and last 2 driving, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We had a free day in Miami on Monday, and then 4 days of working on the construction site to build houses.
I will admit, I was extremely anxious at the start of the trip. I had been on some workdays but I wasn’t super close with anyone going on the trip and I was really afraid of not having people to talk to, sit with, and hang out with. Plus I get motion sick in cars.
But, armed with Dramamine and the mantra that it would all be okay and I didn’t need to be nervous, I survived the first 2 days of driving. And I am so SO happy I decided to go on the trip. I haven’t laughed so hard and so much in SO long. I made new friends, became closer with people I already knew, ate so many ham sandwiches, had kitchen dance parties, played board games, swam, napped, shingled an entire roof, consumed so much ice cream, played medic by doling out ibuprofen to everyone with terrible sunburn, and met so many wonderful people.
I’m so glad I pushed through the anxiety and decided to sign up for this trip in November, and I already can’t wait for next years. Because there is nothing more empowering than a week of hammering on a roof with some of your new favorite people and making a difference in someone’s life.
And now that I’ve rambled about my trip, here’s my (long) list of things I’m grateful for this week. I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for this week and what you did/are doing for spring break!
This week I’m grateful for:
Not getting car sick
New friends
Hysterical laughter
The Cheese Boys Construction Co (who are from Wisconsin and taught us how to shingle)
Learning how to shingle a roof
Shingling said roof in Collegiate Challenge record time
Late night ice cream runs
Circle time to list off highs and lows of the day
Dinners as a group
Board games
Staying in cabins with beach access
Getting to swim in the ocean
Avoiding sunburn
Getting to wear shorts (it’s still pretty chilly in Pittsburgh)
Having time to read books
Salty hair
Not stressing about schoolwork
Being outside surrounded by nature
The soreness of having worked hard
Ham sandwiches
Naps
Especially car naps
Jamming to new playlists
Getting to watch the sunrise every morning over the work site
The cook out we had the second to last night with the future homeowners and all the people that work for Habitat
As you’re reading this, I’m in a van on the way to Florida for Spring Break! I’m part of the Habitat for Humanity club on campus and we take a trip every year to build houses in the south. I’m super excited! But it means no post this week, and it also means I’m writing this on Friday 😉
I hope everyone has the best week! Lemme know what your Spring Break plans are, and what you’re thankful for this week 🙂
PS I apparently didn’t take any pictures this week? Whoops
This week I’m thankful for:
Movie nights
Free pizza
Getting out of ochem lab early
Buttered toast
Sweet potatoes
Hugs
A super productive week
Girls night with ice cream and thin mints and Queer Eye
Dinner with my girl Shelby
Making tons of petrie dishes at work (it’s super fun)
I’m a big fan of breakfasts and snacks that are fast and easy. Especially during the week when it’s so hard to get out of bed. So today I’m sharing a recipe that doubles as a simple breakfast, and a delicious and filling snack!
Anyone who knows me knows I love peanut butter. A lot. And one of my favorite snacks is just some apple slices and peanut butter. But awhile ago I was on the hunt for a snack that would be a bit more filling, and after looking at some different protein bar and ball recipes I came up with this!
It’s so easy, and it’s only two ingredients! This spread is delicious on an apple, eaten with a banana, or even on its own. Sometimes I even mix some dark chocolate chips in for a tasty (but healthy) after dinner treat.
Feel free to use any nut butter you like, and you can even add other mix ins! Whole nuts for some crunch, dried fruit for some sweetness, or even some peanut M&Ms (my favorite :))
Let me know below what some of your favorite snacks are! I’m thinking of doing a post of my go-to’s.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Spread
Cook time: 2 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients
1/4 cup of rolled oats
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (or other nut butter of choice)
1-2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips or other mix-ins of choice (optional)
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together rolled oats and nut butter until oats moistened and a paste-like texture forms. Add more nut butter if necessary
Stir in desired mix-ins
Serve atop a halved apple, with a banana, or on its own!
I’ve definitely posted about sautéing veggies multiple times on the blog, so I figured today I’d finally share exactly how I sauté my veggies. This is how I cook veggies every time, and it has never steered me wrong. Plus it’s the best way to revitalize frozen vegetables (because let’s be real, steaming them isn’t always the tastiest).
Today I’m sharing my green bean recipe, mainly because that’s the only cooked vegetable my roommate will eat (plus I do love them). But this recipe will work for anything! I love sautéing asparagus, peppers with onions, broccoli, zucchini, and even black beans. It’s the easiest and the best, so I hope you’ll try it too 🙂
Sautéed Green Beans
Serves: 3-4
Cook time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 bag of frozen green beans (or any other fresh or frozen vegetable)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Well, long time no chat. This week was long and a bit rough. I had 3 midterm essays due on Wednesday and an ochem test on Friday as well as a band concert and lab reports and homework and quizzes for other classes. Very much stressful. But we made it through! And there’s only a week until Spring Break! Where I get to go build houses in Florida with Habitat for Humanity. Do you all have exciting Spring Break plans? And what are you thankful for this week?
This week I’m thankful for:
Getting dressed up with my band peeps
Study time with Carissa
Friends who make sure you eat
Finishing everything I had to this week
Study dates with dark chocolate
Randomly running into Shelby a bunch this week
Successful band winter concert
Movie nights
Roasted sweet potatoes
Hot tea
Waffle date with my girl Amy
Getting added to the group chat for the bass section next year
College Cooking with Celia 