Winter Plans

So, I'm not a winter hater, but I also sometimes struggle in the winter. But this year I've decided that I am highly excited, and I am writing a list of the things I want to do this winter! It's going to be amazing!

• Sledding
• Ice skating
• Cook at least 3 soups out of my soup cookbook and share with friends
• Cook one or two other new dinner recipes
• Bake lots of deliciousness
• Snowshoeing
• Star Wars!!
• Word nerd night (or 2)
• Provo temple open house
• Drink hot chocolate and herbal tea
• Read at least one book a month
• Visit Christmas lights
• Have a photo scavenger hunt
• Go to a musical performance or several
• Go to a play

Honestly, I don't even know if I'll manage to do all of these things, but they are things I want to do, and I am excited to do at least some of them! 

Mexican Quinoa with Butternut Squash

Oh hey there.

Today I had some veggies that I needed to use, and I decided to invent a recipe. It turned out pretty delicious, so I wanted to remember it! I figured that I'd type out the recipe here so that it would be easy to refer back to when I want to make this again in the future. I'm not a pro cook or anything. I just enjoy cooking and eating good food.

Ingredients

Quinoa
Half of a medium butternut squash
Bell pepper (Any color should be fine; mine was both red and green, and I got it from the farmer's market)
Anaheim pepper
Half an onion
2-3 small roma tomatoes
Coconut oil
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Garlic Salt
Oregano
Water


Instructions

1. Cut up the butternut squash into approximately 1-inch cubes. I wasn't super precise with the size and shape, but I didn't want them too small or too big. Kind of bite size was what I was going for.
2. Dice the onion. I wanted the flavor of the onion more than the texture, so I diced.
3. Dice half of the anaheim pepper.
4. Cut the bell pepper into slightly larger pieces. I feel like these ended up being about the same length and width as the squash, just not the same depth since peppers are obviously not that big.
5. Put coconut oil into a large frying pan. I think I maybe put in about a tablespoon, but I'm really not sure.
6. Start cooking the quinoa in a separate saucepan according to the instructions. I used the suggestion on the bag of how much to make, which was 2 serving sizes, or 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup of water. 
7. Add the onion, peppers, and squash to the frying pan and start sauteeing over medium-high heat.
8. Add some salt, pepper, garlic salt, and cumin as desired. (I have no clue how much I used.)
9. While everything is cooking, take a minute to cut the tomatoes and mix and crush them with a little bit of water in a bowl. 
10. Add a little bit of oregano to the bowl with the tomatoes. (Is it weird to have oregano with cumin? The oregano flavor didn't stand out too much, but I liked having it in there. Other spices could easily be used instead though.)
11. Once the quinoa is almost done, turn off the heat. 
12. Add the tomato mixture to the frying pan and turn down the heat.
13. After a minute, stir in the quinoa. 
14. Add spices as desired.
15. Cook until you think things are good! And voila! Mexican quinoa! It reminded me of Mexican rice, but I'm not actually a big fan of Mexican rice, but I liked this a lot. I feel like you could easily substitute whatever you want into this--add more veggies, use different spices, etc. 

Like I said, I'm not a pro cook, and I'm just typing this out for my own benefit for future reference. But if anyone makes this, and it turns out terribly or wonderfully, let me know! 

Ramblings

So, I feel like my heart has been on the tender side lately. And by that I mean that I feel like I'm sensitive, but I also feel like beautiful things have been really touching my soul, and I've been marveling a lot. I kind of feel baffled and amazed when people are nice to me. I also have been needing a lot of sleep, but that may be entirely unrelated.

I recently reactivated my Provo library card. I was so excited! I didn't get there until an hour before they closed, but I renewed my card, then spent time wandering and picking up random books off the shelves and reading the backs (or the first paragraphs) to see if I wanted to check them out. I had forgotten how much I love libraries. I held off from checking out all the books, but it was definitely a temptation. Unfortunately, I haven't even had as much time to read as I'd hoped, but I'm going to finish at least a couple of the ones I checked out! 

School. This last week was probably on the same level of busyness between school, work, and other obligations as when I was doing my grad program full time. How on earth did I manage that schedule for four months? And the nearly-that-busy four months after that? I'm finding it really hard to make the time for school. I feel like I work, and then I'm so done with computers and sitting around. Oy. But I'm going to try to do better this week. 

I'm going to be an aunt!!!!!! Yep, that's right! My sister is pregnant! I am so excited! She is so excited! This is just going to be really great! April is going to be the best. And speaking of children, my cousin's new baby is adorable. She was born very early and is so tiny. I have been so happy to see my cousin and her family more over the last few weeks. 

I really like October, and I am so happy for it to be this month. I think I'm going to a corn maze with some friends in a week or two, and I went to a play of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow this week, and I went to an opera! And I'm just really excited for Halloween and all of the upcoming holidays. 

I feel like over the last year, I've become a little more selfish, and that is not something I want to be. So I'm really trying to love more. I feel like loving others has become harder for me than in the past. I used to give love so much more freely. But I think I was trying to protect my heart for a while there, so I wasn't giving much love. But I want to be a bit better and love a bit more. Isn't that the focus of life? At least, I think it is. 

I think life is pretty good these days. I'm trying to simplify so that I don't feel so stressed, and I'm trying to love and open my heart more. I also am remembering a lot of the things I truly love, and I'm trying to incorporate those things into my life more. Because I remembered a couple weeks ago that when I am feeling happy, I'm better able to look outward and love and serve others. I think it's a funny line to walk, the whole taking care of myself thing but also not being selfish. If anyone has any tips on that, I'm very open to them. 

Well, that's all I'll write for now. But, happy October, world!

Edit: Also, apparently this is my 100th published post! I've only had this blog for years and years, but 100 is still exciting, right!? 

One month at the new house

I wish I had pictures to share, and perhaps I'll add some later, but a month and a few days ago, I moved to a new home.

The reasons for my move were that my contract at my old place ended in August, and although my old place was large and lovely in many ways, it had been a rather hard year, and something new sounded kind of nice. My roommate and I had also learned that others living in our same type of place were paying much less than us. I also have been roommates with my friend Jordan for several years now, and I figured that it's nice having her around to hang out with, so I kind of wanted to be roommates with her. She's family.

So, when Jordan saw the ad for our new place across town, she wanted to check it out. It was the week of my birthday, and I was not thrilled to be house hunting. We came and checked it out, and it was this old house, but nothing was done on the inside. It had been all torn apart, and the owners would be renovating the house all summer. Somehow, Jordan decided she loved it. I wasn't so sure. I didn't know how it was going to turn out! And the room that I would be taking was much smaller than my last room, and it had a purposeful gap in the wall that connected to the next bedroom over. I was stressed about the decision, but I decided to proceed with signing the contract even though I had so many doubts and concerns. I prayed and felt neutral, and I figured that was better than feeling bad about it!

All summer as Jordan and I would drive by the house, it didn't look like a whole lot of progress was being made. This added to my stress about whether this was a good decision. Then our moving day was pushed back by four days, but moving day still came quickly, and off I went to my new, renovated home.

A couple things weren't 100% done, and as I started moving things into my new room, I had no clue where I'd fit my things, and I felt like I'd be so claustrophobic in the much smaller room. Panels had been put between my room and the next room over, so I didn't really have to worry about the wall gap. But I was still feeling like this place was too fancy for me, and maybe I wouldn't fit in with the roommates because it was so nice and fancy.

It took me a week or two, but I have come to really love this house. My new roommates are so lovely and cool and down to earth and talented. I like them a whole lot, and I'm so excited to get to know them better this year. We already talk more than I talked to most of my roommates who had been upstairs with me last year. I acclimated rather quickly to my room, and rather than feeling claustrophobic, I just feel so cozy and comfortable. I love the upstairs sitting area, with the comfortable chairs and the sun shining through the balcony door and the hummingbird picture. I love the sound of rain on our roof and all the character of the house with its squeaky floorboards and doors. I love our doors to get in the house. I love the old mixed with the new.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not completely settled in yet. I have a couple boxes in corners that I'm still trying to figure out where to put their contents. And I still worry a bit that things are too nice for me. But despite my wanting to be done with unpacking and my slight worries of fanciness, I am feeling so comfortable here. This house is beautiful, and I feel so fortunate and blessed to be here. Maybe some people will find this description weird, but this house has a better feel to it. It's more cheerful than my last place. I feel more content here. And I'm sure life will continue to bring its tests and hard times, but I feel so much more ready to face the challenges.

Favorite Food Sources

What? I'm writing two days in a row? This doesn't happen often, but you know how some activities don't necessarily always sound that cool, but then once you start doing them, you feel hooked? (But then sometimes other things get in the way and you stop doing them and forget again?) Well, that's how I get with reading and writing sometimes. And laser tag. Except laser tag always sounds cool.

So, I feel like for most of my life, I've been a pretty big fan of food. Food is so good! A few years ago, a dear friend and roommate of mine participated in a CSA program with me. CSA stands for community supported agriculture, and basically how it worked was I paid a whole bunch of money to this farm in Draper, and then every week for several weeks (I can't remember if it was 8 weeks or 12), I'd head over to the farm and pick up a bunch of vegetables and sometimes fruits that had been grown on this farm. This was a lot of fun and helped me be healthy and helped me learn about some new veggies! I love fruits and veggies! But getting food from a farm was a lot of fun. Everything tasted so good and fresh. I would love to do CSAs on a regular basis, but, they're kind of pricey, and as a single person, it's kind of hard for me to eat all the food in one week. I mean I am sure I could, and there is variety, but I like to eat some other things too. But I do try to get good produce when possible, which leads me to my list! I don't really have a significant reason for writing this list, but I just wanted to write about my favorite places to get food. Obviously, food from a garden is ideal. It's just so good! But these are other places that make me happy to buy food! I'm including several types of things because why not!?

1. The farmer's market!  I am a huge fan of farmer's markets! I love the atmosphere! I love the vendors! I love the food! I am so happy to be back in farmer's market season. November through May are tragic months. 
2. Sprout's  Sprout's is a grocery store that tries to sell healthier food. Some people I know don't like to shop there because they feel it's expensive, and some things really are, but they also have some of the best sales on delicious, high-quality produce out of any other grocery stores I've seen. I got a carton of blueberries the other day for something like 68 cents. And I believe I got a highly delicious mango for 50 cents. Sprout's is good.
3. Costco  I think Costco holds a nostalgia factor for me. I mean, I feel like I went there almost every week growing up. Some of their produce isn't always the best, but some of it is wonderful. I love brussels sprouts, and the kind that Costco has is usually the small kind, which is my preference, and the price is great! And sometimes raspberries get cheap, and it's awesome! Also, this isn't produce, but Costco sells brie cheese for the best price. Mmm, brie. 
4. Pizzeria Limone  This is my favorite restaurant. It is so good. I like pizza, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite food at all. However, this restaurant, man. It has pizza with blackberries on it! And a pizza with egg on it! It might all sounds weird, but it is tasty.
5. Yuki  I talked about Yuki in my last post. Go there! Just do it now! It's the best! 
6. The Orange Peel  Smoothies are like heaven. At least, to me. And Orange Peel has the best smoothies. 
7. Lots of other restaurants and places!  Ok, so, like I said, I really love food. There are probably about 15 more places I could put on here. Some I can thin of right now are Cupbop, Gourmandise, farm stands on the side of the road, and Cubby's. I also really highly enjoy cooking and baking. And to be honest, homemade food beats out restaurants in nearly all cases. 

FOOD!!