Being Me.

Everyone always says that you change in college, but I didn’t realize how much I have changed as a PERSON until the last couple of weeks. 

It has been a time of immense self-reflection. 

Where do I want to be in a year?

  

Who am I?  

What do I believe in?  

Where do I want to go?

Here are some things I have learned about myself-

-I have a passion for teaching students of all ages.  I never thought I would teach kindergarten and seniors in high school all in the same day, but I’m doing it and it is changing me for the better. 

-Teaching high school ESL has taught me about my open-ness to change and to discomfort.

-I love language.  

-I love culture.

-I have also learned of the fear of the unknown of the people around me.  One of my students gave me some pretty intense henna tattoos one day and I have never gotten so many looks or questions about what illness I had before in my life from my peers.  So much for a culture of acceptance right?   I was shocked.  Maybe it’s just because I am spoiled to be in classrooms on a daily basis filled with students of all shapes, sizes, and colors, but I am beyond grateful for the opportunity and for the viewpoint I have.

-My time spent in schools has opened my eyes to a new world of experiences and culture that I now carry with me to every situation I am placed in.

-It’s better to have a few close friends than a bunch of insignificant ones.

-I am the source of my own strength.

-Cooking needs to be a part of my everyday routine.  No matter how busy I am a calming country playlist and a solid 20 minutes in the kitchen can change my entire day.

-My day is not complete without a cup of tea and a few minutes of self-reflection. My fit journal and my food log have been my lifelines lately.  There is no better feeling than my favorite pen on a piece of paper.

-I need to make time to do things that make me truly happy. 

-I am done being judged by others.  I do not care what other people think of me anymore.

-I am my own person.

-I am confident.

-I’m me and I’m done apologizing for that.

Much love, 

Catherine

Recipes on Recipes

I hate being stuck in ruts with recipes, so as part of my first week of No Excuse November I am trying some more new recipes.

Here they are:

Penne with butternut squash and goat cheese

 This was a request from Annie, definitely not the healthiest, but super yummy with some rotisserie chicken.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese-recipe.html

Chicken Ranch Tacos

http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2014/03/crock-pot-ranch-chicken-tacos.html?m=1

Crockpot Broccoli Beef with a side of quinoa

http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2015/02/slow-cooker-broccoli-beef.html

Give them a try! 

More New Recipes

Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash (cut in half and seeded)

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender and set aside

½ medium onion

3 stalks celery

3 cloves of garlic

½# ground Italian sausage

Saute until sausage is cooked; set aside to cool

1 c breadcrumbs

1 egg

½ c parmesan cheese

1 small apple diced

1tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Mix together and combine with cooled sausage mixture. 

Stuff into both halves of squash and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Homemade Protein Bars

**I can’t keep these in the fridge.  Annie, Seth, and our guy friends can’t resist.  They even toss them in their hunting bags!**

2 c quick oats (food processed into oat flour)

1 c peanut butter

½ c honey

2 scoops of your favorite protein (I used Vanilla G6)

1/3 c carob chips or Enjoy Life Chips.

Mix ingredients together and press onto a cookie sheet.  I let mine harden for a couple of hours in the fridge before I cut them into bars (usually 12 per pan) and wrap in foil or press and seal.

Store in the fridge.

Live with no regrets

When I looked at the calendar and realized that I have 7 weeks of school left my heart sank.  

These last couple of weeks have legitimately made me the happiest I have been in a really long time.  My friends may not be normal, but neither am I and I love every minute that I get to spend with them.  Post marathon my goal has been to enjoy every second with friends and I have really been sticking to it. 

I honestly wouldn’t change anything about my life right now and I haven’t been able to say that in a long long time.  

There are no truer words...

Stay tuned for some big posts this week, 

Catherine

Sneak Peek-

New recipes including Stuffed Acorn Squash, Homemade Protein Bars, and Spinach Pie

Healthy eating and food prep event!

Homecoming

This weekend…where to begin.  It was definitely one to go down as a weekend full of memories and amazing friends.

Saturday morning started off with a chapel walk.  On a beautifully brisk day it was amazing!

Then it was time for football and mini doughnuts.

 

-Senior goal to bring back the duckface-

A quick run to the mall to kill time and find some new outfits for the hands down best night I’ve ever had on campus keep Annie, Kenz, and I busy between events. Not many people can say they sang a Christmas song on the top of their lungs in the middle of October to an incredibly crowded bar, or danced the Nae Nae with their best friend, or danced to Somo for song after song.

Oh and the 8,000 steps I already had by 2am Sunday morning wasn’t a bad thing either.

It was such an amazing weekend, but now it is back to reality!  Stay in touch for workouts, motivation, and new recipes.

C

Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

I made one of my favorite things, a protein shake, into any basic girl's dream.

Here’s the scoop:

1-2 scoops of your fave vanilla protein

1T sugar free syrup

1/3c pumpkin purée 

1c almond milk (unsweetened)

½ a frozen banana (cut into chunks)

Blend.

Top with Redi Whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon!

So easy and SO yummy. 

C

Twin Cities Marathon

To run a marathon is to do something inexpiable.  There are no words to describe the emotions you feel or the pain you endure, but you always push on.

This marathon was tough, but without my family and Annie I wouldn’t have been able to get through it.

My Grandma and Grandpa were there to cheer me on at mile 5 and 25 which had to have been a sight because at 5 I was on top of the world and at 25 I was a crying disaster.

A little side note: I never got to meet my biological Grandpa Ron, but I had a moment along the course where I knew that he was with me.  Mom always talks about how he would always smoke a pipe and how the smell of pipe tobacco always helped her know that he was around when she was growing up.  So yesterday I had just passed Grandma and Grandpa at about mile 5 and half a mile after I smelt pipe tobacco.  I know it is a little thing, but that definitely told me that he was on the course with me.

Last year I had a moment with a yellow butterfly and Papa Bud, so I am glad I got to have this moment with Grandpa Ron.

Now back to the run down-

My cousin Theresa and her husband Scott and their two girls were at mile 23 with signs and it seriously made my heart sing. And of course at the finish line Annie and Mom were waiting for me with smiling faces and an orange Gatorade. I was so happy and sad and overjoyed I could barely keep myself together. 

My feet hurt so bad that I was a limping disaster and when I took my shoes off…oofda…not pretty. I got some seriously gnarly blisters during this marathon and I am so grateful for the amazing medical staff and the nice security officer who helped me hobble to the doctor.  Blood blisters the sides of dollar bills on the bottom of your foot aren’t pretty.

I am seriously so thankful to have such an amazing family and Annie to come all the way to the race to support me and continue to inspire me to do what I love.

All I can say is I am incredibly grateful for my best friend and her support.

Words will never explain how much they mean to me.

Much love,

Catherine