First, this was pretty cool: After my tribute to all the places I’ve lived, I was contacted by DesignYourDorm.com to write an article on small spaces and here it is! Small Space: A Happy Place? It’s geared toward college students, especially freshmen, but it could be useful for anyone trying to share a small space with a roommate!

We’re dogsitting tonight, and so we didn’t have much in terms of dinner. I always feel a little strange cooking a big meal here, so we normally just go and buy food out. Tonight we drove around looking for a place to eat in Bethesda and ended up just deciding upon something quick and easy: our favorite, Panera Bread! I ordered my usual.

I love the Asian Chicken Salad.

And, of course, the french onion soup is a must for me.

Whole grain baguette.

Now we’re laying in bed and taking advantage of a nice cable package – Showtime, HBO, etc. Ah, the life. The dog is laying with us, and it’s a happy place!

Tomorrow I’m hanging around here and taking care of the pooch, and I also have a special appointment. See you in the morning!

Is it sad that I’ve been dreaming of lunch all morning? When you have exciting leftovers, lunch can be really exciting.

My mom asked me whether this upset my stomach because it seems to have red sauce. Surprisingly, it did not. There is actually a can of tomatoes in this sauce, but Bill removed all the large parts. I had a slight case of heartburn last night (which is usual) but no earth-shattering stomach pains. I developed that problem when I was a teen, and I sort of wonder if it’s possible that it went away? I do know that I still have trouble with any sort of spicy food.

I wasn’t sure if this would fill me up completely, so I brought some extra snacks for the afternoon.

Crackers:

Hummus:

And an apple:

All together now.

So, I have been totally nerding out on this book I borrowed from my professor. She’s actually my coworker as well, so I swiped this book from her book shelf (with her permission of course). I’ve just skimmed a few pages and can’t wait to dive in tonight:

I really need to use this for my book project! It involves a lot of folding!

Special thanks to everyone who commented on my video this morning. Per Leslie’s suggestion, I think I am going to remove the opening bit and save that for something else. More to come on that project next week!

Question: What do you “nerd out” on?

Question for MALE READERS: Who are you, and where are you from? I know I have at least two male readers out there – Bill and Jordan. I also think my ex-boyfriend reads from time to time. Anyway, if you’re a male and you’re reading, please delurk and tell me about yourself!

I wanted a really loaded bowl of oatmeal this morning. Something comforting that would get me going on the last day of the work week.

This is a strange combination of blueberries, almond and some cherry/orange granola we bought at the Co-op. Even though it was a lot of flavors, they worked well together.

Now this is a crowded party.

Some days I just need a bowl of oatmeal that will fuel my soul.

Last night, Bill and I worked on a component of my independent study book project. I’m collaborating with Bill’s band to make a “CD” book (quotes because this in no way will be traditional). The band consists of three guys, and each one of them in is in a different state (PA, NC, DC). Below is our take on how they collaborate through distance.

The CD-book project will consist of several types of media. This is one example.

If you wouldn’t mind watching and giving feedback, I would really appreciate it! What are your thoughts after viewing?

(Does that title even make sense? It makes sense in my head!)

Ok, believe me when I say this. You need to go out right now and buy everything you need to make Orangette’s Chana Masala. As a special treat, Bill made this for us tonight, and it was truly incredible.

I was craving Indian food in the worst way today, but I knew I didn’t want to spend money ordering take-out. Besides, Indian food can sometimes be really oily when you get it elsewhere, and I’m not a fan of that. Because I’m more curious now about what’s in my food, I was excited that Bill made Indian food for us from scratch.

Bill took some pictures while cooking:

This was perfect for not only a lobster placemat – but also my belly.

While Bill cooked, I decided to get up close and personal with my favorite feline. It’s so much fun trying to capture good pictures of Scone.

Ok, I must stop now. I could easily post all 20 of the pictures I took. He was just so cute and loveable today.

Packages

The UPS fairy was so good to me today. I got two very special packages. The first came from my good friend Ashley over at Fashionably Fit. Ashley and I went to college together and worked at the school newspaper. She sent me this package to say “Thanks,” for introducing her to the blogosphere!

It came in a beautifully bright pink box, and inside was this package:

You’ll never guess what was inside!!!

A lobster clip bowl and spreader set plus some sea-inspired salt and pepper shakers! I absolutely love this, Ashley! Honestly, I love anything lobster-themed.

This bowl is so cool. Check out how the claw detaches and becomes a spreader.

I seriously want to have a party right now. Ashley, there are no words for this. Thank you so much!

Second up in package land was my winnings from Leslie’s recent giveaway: SkinMD goods!

Lord knows I need this. I never wear sunscreen. Tsk. Tsk.

And some travel pouches!

Expect a product review soon! Thanks again for hosting this giveaway, Leslie!

I’m off to do some collaboration work with Bill on a musical project. No, it’s not my song from the other day. But instead work for my independent study. Expect a video soon!

The fact that I didn’t run out yesterday and shove my face full of granola bars and crackers tells me one thing: the Cleaner Life Month has affected me. It has affected the way I look at food, the way I eat and the way I plan. There have been ups and downs throughout the month (especially with all the trips and holidays) but at the end of the day – I can say that this challenge was worth it.

Looking back at “the rules,” there are a few things I noticed about myself over the past month:

The Good

Milk. Organic milk tastes better to me. It makes my oatmeal taste better. It’s been a good investment. I prefer it.

Artificial sweeteners. I can’t even believe how much I’ve cut back on this. I used to be a two Sweet N’ Low packets kind of gal. I haven’t had an artificial sweetener packet in almost two months. Don’t get me wrong – I still like diet coke/pepsi, and I drank a couple of them throughout the challenge. The good thing is I’ve never been a big soda drinker, so it’s not too hard to cut out.

Processed foods. Like artificial sweeteners, I am surprised at how much I cut back on this. It’s interesting how you go several weeks without eating packaged granola bars or crackers and you almost don’t crave them at all anymore. The only thing I did miss was the occasional cereal on top my oatmeal. But limiting processed foods caused me to become more resourceful and come up with better, homemade alternatives.

Caffeine. Most days, I did well with this. There was only a day or two that I can remember having a ton of caffeine, and that usually happened when I was out for the weekend. I also drank a couple 5-hour energy bottles at Bonnaroo, which was ridiculous.

Produce. This has improved in LEAPS AND BOUNDS. For starters, I finally had the motivation to join a Co-op, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I really got into locally-grown foods and seeing Food, Inc. during this time only inspired that further. I can tell that this part of the challenge has affected me most. I am very concerned with where my food is coming from – much more than ever before, especially with produce and meat.

The “Bad”

White sugar. This was one of the items on the list that I didn’t pay as close attention to and probably should have. I didn’t inquire with friends about their recipes and whether they contained white sugar. I did limit my processed food, for the most part, to only organic sugars or sugar in the raw. Again, I think I could have kept a better eye on this.

Researching products. I slacked on this. My research included looking at the ingredient list quickly. Most of the time, everything I chose were foods that fit the criteria of the challenge. I did have trouble with bread specifically. That was one product I didn’t care to research – so I didn’t, more than likely out of laziness.

Soy. I know I didn’t watch this as carefully because it depressed me to see that most everything had soy.

The Ugly

While I felt this challenge improved the way I eat, it had a few personal drawbacks for me.

Guilt. In the beginning, there was a lot of this. I was coming down really hard on myself about it. I continually emailed Heather for advice. I would have to say that she really helped me through it. Her constant reminders that I didn’t have to be perfect were what kept me going.

Stress. I started looking at certain foods (white sugar, soda, etc.) as “no-no foods.” And in my book, every food can be eaten in moderation. I don’t believe in diets that cut out anything. I believe in healthy lifestyles with balanced eating. Throughout the challenge, I saw myself becoming stressed because “I messed up.”

Soy. I understand watching hidden soy. But I don’t understand giving up tofu. That was the only food that I actually craved the entire time. And one time, I even ate it.

What I Learned:

On Day 1 of the Challenge, I wrote out a list of goals I wanted to achieve. I have bolded those that happened:

• I want to quit eating convenient foods that are not convenient for my body.
• I want to stop wasting produce and instead cook more regularly and eat meals that are mostly made from my two hands.
• I want to know where my food is coming from.
• I want to know what ingredients are going into my body.
• I want to feel better physically.

I did waste some food in this process, and I don’t think I was as good a label-checker as I could have been. But what I’ve taken away from this more than anything is awareness. I am so much more aware of where my food is coming from and what I’m putting in my body. I’ve also given up a lot of my convenience food for home-cooked meals. And I have a feeling these things are going to stick. Like I said in the beginning of this post, the fact that I didn’t want to run out and break every rule on the list says something to me. This has stuck with me.

Oh, and for kicks – I weighed myself this morning, and I lost 4 lbs this month.

Allison tried out the challenge, and she wrote a great recap about her experience here. I think Heather will be including her recap soon, so check it out. I want to thank Heather personally for her continuous support throughout the journey. She is strong, inspiring and passionate about health. Definitely a good friend to have.

LUNCH

Since that was so long-winded, here’s some pictures for the rest of it.

You may remember when I went to Great Sage the first time with my book club. Well tonight I made plans to meetup with a new foodie friend from my MFA program – Courtney. We both work nearby, were dying to talk about Food, Inc., and so I thought this would be the perfect place to talk food, writing and life.

Great Sage is located in Clarksville, Maryland, in this cute little center called the Conscious Corner. This area includes a Roots Market (organic fare), Nest (meat and seafood), Bark (organic pet foods), and the restaurant Great Sage.

I met Courtney around 5:30 p.m., and we sat outside on the patio. We were gabbing the entire time we looked at the menu.

I ordered and then nibbled on a piece of bread.

Tonight I really went outside my boundaries and ordered a RAW dish. It sounded so delicious – and it was. Also very beautiful. I ordered Japanese Noodles.

This meal was really tasty, though it was hard to eat. I felt pretty self-conscious the whole time. Hopefully Courtney didn’t notice! I will note that along this dish was filling initially, I found myself hungry again about two hours later.

Courtney’s dish was also beautiful and the plating was outstanding. She got the Santa Fe Burger.

We had an absolutely pleasant night. Courtney and I have a lot in common. And since I know she’s been reading the blog – I will note that I hope we hang out again sometime soon! Maybe even bring our boys – Bill and Phil!

Tonight I am enjoying a night at home alone. Bill is out with some guys from his program, so I’m watching home renovation shows and dreaming of a someday

Today was the last day of the Cleaner Life Month, and I have some thoughts on it – but I’m going to save it for tomorrow when I can think more clearly.

In the meantime, there are some cool things happening in blogland:

You must check out the site Healthy Yum! It’s similar to Tastespotting and sites like that, but is more geared toward health. Plus two of my fav bloggers created it, and somehow my lentil salad made it on there. Guess it’s not as ugly as I thought!

I also got a head’s up from Nicole over at MyRecipes.com, who told me about this challenge. Do you have the best summer dessert? Enter and get featured on the You’ve Got to Taste This blog!

Dessert

Before I talk about this morning’s breakfast, I MUST rave about Gena’s Banana Soft Serve. Oh. my. goodness. The idea of this just blows my mind. Take two frozen bananas, put them in the food processor and create this? Who knew?

One note: do not put your bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. Yeah, you would have thought I’d known to take it off and cut up my banana slices first.

So yes, this was a heavenly evening dessert! Try it!!!

Breakfast

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed one of two things about my oatmeal 1) I like to make flower creations 2) I like anything involving a summer theme.

This morning is no different, as a flower has been born. However, this flower has some unique powers that the others don’t quite have.

For starters, these petals have a life and mind of their own. They were sick of being thought of as “one flower,” so little by little they decided to break apart.

The center of the flower is a powerful place. It’s a source of energy, inspiration and strength for the petals. It keeps them rooted in the ground while also allowing them to fly.

Although the flower is united now, as time goes on the flower will separate and the petals will move on to different places… very much like a family.

How big is your family? Do you remain close?

In other very important news, Scone wore a cape last night.

Off to work!  

On my way home from work today, I wrote a song in my head! This is something I’ve never done before. I have been listening to some really good music in the car, and it’s inspired me to think outside the box in terms of my writing. The song is about our recent trip to the Bay, and it goes something like this to start:

Fourth of July, we drive down to the bay.

Looking for anything, to go waste a day.

Stopped at a music shop, called Old Rabbit Hill

Saw an on old lady, with some time to kill.

I realize it’s a bit elementary now (and may not even be good), but it’s my first attempt at this. Bill is going to work on the music part, and I may even sing it. I imagine it will be folk-inspired.

I was so excited to cook dinner tonight. I’ve been drooling over this recipe at 101 Cookbooks and decided to give it a try. Here’s my spin on Heidi Swanson’s Summer Squash Gratin.

Some lobster placemat action up in here.

This recipe includes some of my favorite ingredients. Fresh summer squash, locally grown.

And Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced.

Homemade bread crumbs.

A beautiful dish and simply delightful.

I did make a few changes to this recipe. For starters, I always use less oil on most of the recipes I find on 101 Cookbooks. This is just for my own personal preference. I also didn’t brown the breadcrumbs in butter – and just served them plain with spices. They were still really good.

This dish notes that it should be served as a side, and I agree. I didn’t realize that until halfway through I was cooking. This would be a perfect side to a lean protein.

While waiting for this to cook, I did a 20-minute Detox yoga, followed by a 1-mile jog. I’m getting ready to hit the streets again for a long walk with my love. I also have a lot of writing to catch up on tonight, so I’m getting my blog post in early

What’s your favorite summer vegetable?

Last night, after I got done making this salad, Bill told me it looked like dog food. And though I somewhat agreed, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it not only beautified a bit more overnight – it also tasted fantastic.

I found this salad on Cooking Light, and due to my love of beans – was excited to make it from the get-go. The only difference between theirs and mine is that I omitted tomatoes, which I do not like.

What makes this salad unique? In my opinion it’s the thyme and feta. Oh, and home-cooked lentils. That’s right – I FINALLY made dried beans, and you know what? It doesn’t take that long. About 25 minutes on the stove. No salt, no preservatives, no icky mess to rinse after emptying the can. I guess some of the Cleaner Life Month rules have stuck with me after all.

This salad was whopping, so filling and took a while to eat (which I loved). In total though, I probably only ate about 3/4 cup of lentils. Is that a lot? Hope my body doesn’t think so. 

Link Love

Today I found out from Fab and Delicious Food that today is National Strawberry Sundae Day. Too bad I just picked a TON of blackberries. Rats.

How to Become a Creative Writer

Last week I talked a little more in depth about my creative writing. Alison asked an interesting question that I thought I’d answer on the blog. She wrote:

“I’d love to get into writing more. I haven’t done it much in years but used to enjoy it. Do you have any suggestions to improve creative writing skills?”

I’ve been writing seriously for probably about 5-6 years, and I’ve gotten published a few times by small journals – so I am by no means an expert. But I thought I’d throw in my two cents and what works for me.

* Read and read and read. And don’t just read books from the bestseller list. Go to your local Barnes and Noble and look through the literary journal section of the magazine. Peruse publications such as Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner and Ninth Letter (some of my favorites). Look for online literary journals such as Hobart and Blackbird. See what’s being published today. Get familiar with the community.

* Write and write and write. I have found that routines work best for me. For example, I like to write for an hour or so a couple evenings a week. I have a friend who writes every day, probably for hours at a time (because he can). See what your schedule allows. Pencil in consistent time to write.

* Use prompts. When you first begin writing creatively it can be hard to come up with an idea. Your mind is working in a different way than usual. You can find books of writing prompts to lead you in the right direction. These prompts will help inspire stories. One of my favorite prompts was one I did in my creative writing class in graduate school. We had to list a person, a place, an object, a color and piece of dialogue. Then we had to write a short-short story using each of those words (couldn’t be more than 250 words). My piece involved a woman soaking in a bathtub full of green beans.

* Find your niche. Over time, you will notice themes emerging in your writing. For me, the idea of place and its influence became very important. I would have never thought that this would become so important to my characters and the storyline. I also found that over time, I was good at building tension. I decided to run with these ideas and pursue them further, aiming to describe better landscape and create tense situations.

* Experiment. You’d be surprised at the current form of a story or a poem. Don’t feel confined by the way stories or poetry used to be written. A list can be a story. A list can be a poem. A series of lists can be a chapbook. Think of different ways you can tell a story and go with it. Use visuals. Use a map or a blueprint. Use a complex series of numbers. The opportunities are endless.

Good luck with your writing!

In the town where I grew up, you had to make your own sort of fun. We weren’t super close to a city (two hours away from Pittsburgh), and most of the land was rural or suburban. As a result, I was often the youngster who said, “I’m bored” every two seconds.

But when I entered high school, I started hanging out with friends from the cross country team. These friends were different than the rest – they wanted to exercise to have fun: games of ultimate frisbee, tennis, walking – you name it. And at the end of the day, we’d gather at someone’s house and sit around the fire.

I can’t even tell you the number of fires I’ve sat around. If memory serves – my two friends, Casey and Joel, hosted fires most often. We’d all sit around in our camp chairs around a burning flame and ashes of past fires.

Some of us would even burn the soles of our shoes.

The best part about it all was that we were all together.  

Even though some of us went our separate ways, I still look at us like this:

Thankfully, I have kept in good touch with the majority of my childhood friends. And even though I don’t see them often, we always have a good time when we get together.

What was considered “fun” when you were in high school?