tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40782641202580167652024-03-19T04:22:57.668-04:00Talking to MyselfJyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-3392801490053562562017-04-06T10:30:00.000-04:002017-04-06T10:30:12.706-04:00One Last Bite Before I DIe<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am stealing this intro and the idea for it directly from my cousin Carol's blog post, as I am in this story-writing club, and I think posting it to our blogs (the few of us who have them) is a great idea, and hey, a week off of writing a new post for me! Check out Carol's blog <a href="http://blog.carolscibelli.com/" target="_blank">here!</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrote this because there I was at my cousin Sara's baby shower last month and Cindy, another cousin, said, "My grandmother was allergic to caffeine so she couldn't eat much chocolate. She loved chocolate. When I was little she made me promise that if I could catch her as she was dying, I should put some put some chocolate to her lips. She said ‘I just want one last bite before I die.’"</span></span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-36cdcf24-43aa-07c6-41d1-094aa8ee75f2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carol cracked, "A Bite Before I Die? Great title!"</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 7 of us decided to write an essay with that title, no particular length or subject restrictions. Our stories were as diverse as we are, and we couldn't wait to see who wrote what. In the end, we had poetry, silly stories like mine, real life essays, and more. It was a really fun exercise! </span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We gave ourselves a two week deadline and this is what I came up with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*****************************</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A piece of my soul dies every time Barry brings up the future, because I know I have to end it. He has started talking about it more and more lately, as if he really thinks we’ll get married and have kids and a dog and that white picket fence. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-36cdcf24-4377-6746-8475-c51e80dd5203" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can really pick them. Let me tell you, I have quite the colorful dating history. I seem to attract the crazy ones, and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s my love of reading thrillers? The fact that I hate pickles? Maybe they can sense my love of reality TV and each guy takes it as a deeply personal challenge to make me aware that real life is way crazier than anything you see on TV?</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last guy I dated was Ozzie. He and I dated for a few months, it wasn’t super serious on my part, but I liked him. He was always dressed well, and he owns a nightclub. Ozzie really seemed to have it all together, and we got along well, but there wasn’t really a spark. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until he was arrested and indicted on organized crime charges! Turned out he was completely embroiled in the crime world, and I had no idea! I guess a tuxedo can hide a guy’s true nature for a little while. Yeah, that’s the kind of guy I attract. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One I dated had family issues. Oliver was great at first, attentive and interesting. He’s a rich kid, but I didn’t hold that against him. He has overcome some really tough obstacles, and is really smart, and seemed to really like to just hang around and talk. His ex was always around, though, and I don’t think of myself as jealous, but he said he had to save her a lot. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oliver’s dad died a few years ago, and he said that everything he did was to make him proud. He never talked about his mom, though, and he would literally be at his sister’s beck and call. I don’t know what he was helping her with, but he always came back from helping her sweaty and covered in bruises. It was just too much, he was definitely hiding something, so I left. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hal and I got along well, but it was just chemistry. There didn’t seem to be any depth there, and he had this way of speaking that just freaked me out sometimes. He said he was in the military, but I never saw anyone in the military with a hair like that, and he wasn’t deployed like normal, he’d be gone for a week or two and then come back wanting to see me. He also always had money but didn’t really explain where it came from other than a random family business. We just had nothing to talk about, but man I could tell you some stories about his idea of a party! </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ozzie and I have been over for about a year now. I had been single and having a great time, and I accidentally let down my guard. I met Barry at a bar. He was the most awkward person there, he barely looks old enough to drink, even though we’re the same age. But he’s funny and nerdy, and we’re both into some of the same stuff. He seemed like the whole package! </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I said yes when he asked me out. What could it hurt? Except in some ways, Barry is just like the others. He disappears sometimes with no explanation, he comes back bruised or cut. He has this awesome job working with the police, but he barely talks about work. He volunteers at a science center, which is really neat, but he said I’m not allowed to come. Even though I have a biology degree! He also seems oddly fixated on his adopted sister. I think she’s his sister? He doesn’t talk about his family that much.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barry is still talking about why he likes corgis, and I’m kind of just staring at my food. This place is amazing, Il Forno. It’s the best Italian food in town, and my penne alla vodka is perfect. Every bite feels like I’m inching my way to heart attack, that’s how good this place is. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hey babe, I’ll be right back.” </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There he goes again. Basically he’s gone for what only feels like a minute, but I swear he’s off running a race or something. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Jeez! Why are you so sweaty? And you have dirt on your head. Where were you just now?”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Dirt? Oh, ha, must be from wrestling that art thief! Ha, where do you even get this stuff? I was in the bathroom!”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See? Another lie. I know dirt when I see it, and he’s wearing a different shirt! As if I wouldn’t notice that he’d changed? I know it makes no sense, he was gone for maybe two minutes, but there we are.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now I have to break up with him. I hate this part. He’s so great in so many ways, but there’s always something. Maybe it’s just me, and I focus too much on the negatives? My sister says I self-sabotage my relationships by finding one thing and blowing it out of proportion. Could she be right? Sometimes I wish I was gay. I met a great new girl the other day, Natasha and I are already becoming fast friends, and she has a lethal wit.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, well. One last bite before I die a little, again. The penne is still perfect, and as I swallow, I start with, “Hey, Barry, we need to talk.”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hold that thought, babe, I’ll be back in a flash.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*************************</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. ...have you ever wondered what it's like for a normal girl to date superheroes?</span></span></div>
Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-27788130940030612672017-03-26T18:29:00.002-04:002017-03-26T18:29:53.574-04:00Working From Home: Me Myself, & I.I work from home full time, which is a pretty recent thing (3 weeks!). I am LOVING life and my job, and this is the first time in my adult life that I am excited to go to work every day and that I make my own schedule.<br />
<br />
The positives far outweigh the negatives in my new lifestyle. I can travel more (and have!), as I can work from anywhere with wifi (like a New Orleans cafe, or my sister's house). I can make my own hours (all of them), I can stay in my PJs and not shower that day (it happens). I can take on new clients, or not. I can choose the type of work that I'm doing. I am my own boss.<br />
<br />
But there are certainly a few small drawbacks. It's easy to oversleep. It's easy to slack off when no one is watching. It's easy to keep working well past business hours. It's easy to get distracted. It's easy to eat poorly.<br />
<br />
I thought I was going to finally have time to go to the gym again. When I was working full time and also building this business, I was working every evening until bedtime and all weekend long. It was a constant grind, and I loved it, but I was busy every waking moment. Previously, I'd gone to the gym 3-4 days per week!<br />
<br />
Now, I am finding it all too easy to snack all day, much more than ever before, and then get caught up and busy and suddenly, Husband is home from work, I wrap up my day, and then I want to hang out with him, not leave and go to the gym. When I have time between calls during the day, I'm not going to the gym, I'm writing, organizing, working, marketing, etc.<br />
<br />
So, I've gained about 10 pounds, which I'm feeling bad and insecure about. But again, I love what I'm doing and that is my own fault.<br />
<br />
I do spend more time with my cat, less time with people, and have found it all too easy to stay home for several days at a time. It's actually an issue, because I don't have a ton of friends in NY, and I am getting isolated.<br />
<br />
To address this, my plan is to try to get out of the house and:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Take walks</li>
<li>Go with my neighbor and her kids to the park once a week</li>
<li>Find somewhere to volunteer</li>
<li>Try to get back to the gym</li>
<li>Pop into the city now and then. </li>
</ul>
Last Friday, I took the afternoon off and went into the city to meet up with my old boss and some friends for lunch and then drinks, and it was great! I felt like my old self, but better.<br />
<br />
Being an entrepreneur is great. I am truly happier than ever, but it can be stressful, isolating, and lonely, and I need to make sure my physical and mental health are properly addressed, not just my business. I used to love going to the gym, because it was my "me time," and now I am having "me time" all the time! Maybe that has been a stumbling block as well.<br />
<br />
I am constantly trying to improve. I want to learn, grow, build, make money, write more, and do better every day. So when I am able to identify what I'm doing wrong, I can work on myself and do better!<br />
<br />
I guess the advice I am trying to give myself is this: it's a lot of change, you're still figuring it out, 10 pounds isn't that big of a deal, you're working on it. Relax! You're doing great!Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-17257466110380981332017-03-17T18:54:00.000-04:002017-03-17T18:54:09.047-04:00Poem about Working From Home<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:13 PM UTC-4" id=":d1.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;" title="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:13 PM UTC-4">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could dye my hair teal</span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could take a week off</span></span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could go somewhere new</span></span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could sleep until noon. </span></span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel so different</span></span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though I look just the same.</span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's no outward symbol</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of this liberation, this gorgeous transformation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Working for myself,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somehow staying sane,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isolated but fulfilled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Supported and happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband says to leave the hair alone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He told me to try</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dancing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wearing hats</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wearing a skirt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaving the house, and also</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Working at Starbucks and feeling quietly superior to everyone there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be fair, that</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last one sounds fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to put it out there</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That I am not much of a hat person. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entrepreneurship is </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not worn on your sleeve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And when people ask, and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I say "I'm a writer,"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am nervous that they think</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm an "aspiring" writer, or</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lying, or </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An unpaid blogger, or</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somehow completely ruining </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't usually care</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What people think of me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am confident in myself.</span></div>
<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except I've worked</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worked so hard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To build my career, and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Move up and make</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Decent money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last thing I want</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is for people to now</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assume I am sitting at</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home eating bonbons</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While my husband </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brings home the bacon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do the grocery shopping</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this house, and I too</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bring home bacon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though maybe a little less than him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am now confronted</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With my misconceptions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of how others view me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And any preconceived notions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They have of those who</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work From Home.</span></div>
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<div class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="March 17, 2017 at 3:49:31 PM UTC-4" id=":d2.ma" style="color: #263238; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 9px; margin-right: 9px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.218s ease; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-81719552664157598292017-03-06T11:13:00.000-05:002017-03-06T11:13:15.168-05:00End of an Era & New BeginningsI have been working 2 jobs for the last few months. I've been working in my corporate sales job in the staffing industry during the workday, and then building and running a writing business in the evenings and weekends.<br />
<br />
My husband has been having an unlimited amount of nag-free video game time, and I have been so busy I could barely catch my breath. We were both loving every minute.<br />
<br />
When I decided to really try to be a writer, I told Husband that I was going to be cautiously optimistic and say that I could quit my job in 12 months.<br />
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I started on 11/1/2016, and met my arbitrary number that we agreed to in January 2017, where I could have quit altogether. Instead, I went down to part time and figured that would help me with the transition to working from home. I was wrong, it actually was very difficult and a strange dynamic to be working part time in an office and part time at home, and still having to work nights and weekends to get everything done.<br />
<br />
So now, this week, 3/8 is my last corporate work day. My team and I will have lunch and it will be bittersweet for me. In the end, the team will move forward and succeed wildly without my help, and I will fade from their minds, to be thought of when one of my clients pop up or my name shows up in the database. I'll become "oh, she used to work here."<br />
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But instead, I'll be living my dream.<br />
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It's still bittersweet to leave. Corporate sales has been my home for about 10 years, and I have the most amazing boss, a guy who has become a close and trusted friend.<br />
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I've also recently discovered that I go stir-crazy when at home alone for too long. Time to start making work from home and neighborhood friends! I do have a friend in the neighborhood to talk to, and hang out with when she takes her adorable kids to the park, so I have a good start!<br />
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I also plan to find somewhere to volunteer for a couple hours per week. I need to find something local, and then I'll have somewhere to direct some passion and give back to my community.<br />
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I have a TON going on with my writing, including 3 new clients and tons of work. I am loving it, and I am so excited that it took me only 4 months to get to this point.<br />
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I am proud, I am scared, and I am excited.<br />
I'm exci-terrified.Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-13658895116805504142017-02-15T11:07:00.002-05:002017-03-17T15:59:47.842-04:00Easy & Amazing Shrimp & Grits!<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c66468f0-4277-4038-f2cb-e1c43db09a13" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh my god, I was in New Orleans 2 weeks ago with my best friend, and I ate shrimp and grits <u>every single day</u> we were there, and it was so, so good. My husband was jealous of all the delicious food I had while I was there, so for Valentine’s Day, we made shrimp and grits.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY6zaDDdxkFhRxpThTSm-p0HPW8XMi1aC3vAeopwo640OjBOWiJS2BXvIurNjWyG2mV0xC3GKmpGxpw2gXW0A82h_VkukniHsUORDHOeg0xgXSR5s4PtN-PtpA4oBpu-C-_7LwbA9dKjd/s1600/nola1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY6zaDDdxkFhRxpThTSm-p0HPW8XMi1aC3vAeopwo640OjBOWiJS2BXvIurNjWyG2mV0xC3GKmpGxpw2gXW0A82h_VkukniHsUORDHOeg0xgXSR5s4PtN-PtpA4oBpu-C-_7LwbA9dKjd/s320/nola1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first meal I had in NOLA: shrimp & grits! (At the Ruby Slipper). Top is my BFF's meal of egg's benedict.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We don’t make a big deal of Valentine’s Day, we generally cook together and spend the evening at home, which I love. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I love shrimp and grits, and it’s a pretty simple and filling meal. It’s also a bit rich, which I happen to love. Buttery, creamy grits with spiced shrimp and a sauce made mainly of bacon grease. What’s not to love?</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My husband's favorite thing is seafood, and he particularly loves shrimp. He even likes cooking it, since it's so fast! And he brought me flowers, so we were happy and cooking up a storm! </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy9S2_ZKIua42-bZLcQdTbpU3aL2tkpXvrP1sITOGnafARybtiGI6jNYQmFIq38WjaqQTTYaL22zkFuvIFHdQbS2cOIuFdQz-fZk7mXGUnje4XjSja1HalqQuUQCeYpv3yx0ehVfZxFqe/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuy9S2_ZKIua42-bZLcQdTbpU3aL2tkpXvrP1sITOGnafARybtiGI6jNYQmFIq38WjaqQTTYaL22zkFuvIFHdQbS2cOIuFdQz-fZk7mXGUnje4XjSja1HalqQuUQCeYpv3yx0ehVfZxFqe/s320/flowers.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gerber daisies are my favorite, and we had them at our wedding!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like to cook on instinct. I’ll read several recipes and then kind of make it my own by following none of them, I just need to compare recipes and see general similarities. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I used Quaker grits, but not the instant kind, but just the old fashioned grits. My grits came out very creamy and delicious, and I believe the secret to those were that I did not use water in my grits. Also, most grits use cheddar cheese, but I find that mozzarella adds to the creaminess and flavor without making them super cheesy. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVUR1TF4rpTnrSrLByF_LRShXFY7DczIAJPVuOfTX6bD_P45JwWzO7NcT6aFZkgmaq_VFOOfvJm1cxMBiDfryuCkxk_Ehrq2do2mcupGaiIyGhl-y5ZmureWu2kcH487FpBq_XbxfOPVp/s1600/shrimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVUR1TF4rpTnrSrLByF_LRShXFY7DczIAJPVuOfTX6bD_P45JwWzO7NcT6aFZkgmaq_VFOOfvJm1cxMBiDfryuCkxk_Ehrq2do2mcupGaiIyGhl-y5ZmureWu2kcH487FpBq_XbxfOPVp/s400/shrimp.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our final product!!<b> </b>So delicious!</span><b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Ingredients</b>:</span></span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 cup grits (also known as stone ground hominy)</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-3.5 cups chicken broth</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Half cup heavy cream OR half n half</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1-1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-2-3 tablespoons butter (to taste)</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-4-6 strips of bacon</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 pound of cleaned, peeled, and de-veined shrimp</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 clove garlic</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-0.5-1 teaspoon of lemon juice</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Seasonings to taste (Salt, pepper, garlic, cajun seasoning mix, adobo)</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Recipe:</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a medium saucepan, put the chicken broth and cream on high heat, waiting until it gets to a rolling boil. Add a dash of salt to the liquid. Once that is boiling, add the grits slowly, stirring as you add. Cover it, turn heat to low, and stir every 2 minutes until the grits have absorbed the liquid. Takes 10-15 minutes.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a skillet over medium-high heat, spray the bottom with cooking spray (I use Pam with olive oil), and cook the bacon. Once cooked, take bacon off and chop it up into bacon bits, to go on top with the shrimp. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leave the bacon grease in the pan, and add the garlic, then the raw shrimp. Season as you want. I used cajun seasoning (McCormick Perfect Pinch, Cajun is what I have), adobo seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While the shrimp is cooking, add the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to the pan. Mix it around so that the shrimp and the spices and the bacon grease and everything is mixed up together. Taste the sauce to adjust seasonings. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once the shrimp is cooked, remove from pan. Check grits, they should be about done. Into the grits, add the shredded mozzarella cheese to your preferred level of cheesiness, once that is fully mixed, add the butter a bit at a time to get the consistency you want. Add salt, pepper and garlic (if you want), tasting as you go. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Serve hot with grits on the bottom, shrimp and bacon on top, and add a couple spoonfuls of the sauce from the bottom of the pan! Enjoy!! </span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I know there are several places that say 2-3 or 1-1.5, and the reason for the variations are that grits tend to be a thing that people like a certain way. As your grits thicken up, you should taste after every step. Grits can be more coarse, more smooth, more spicy, more creamy, more salty, more buttery. You want it to be the texture and taste that YOU prefer, which is why I have written the amounts this way. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personally, I like my grits to be rich and creamy and buttery, but not particularly cheesy, and then I like you to be able to taste the garlic and salt and pepper, so I add more as I go.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Good luck! This whole thing only took about 15 minutes to make! My husband, who rarely cooks, made the shrimp and bacon, and we both really loved this meal. Rich and comfortably spicy, with that very comforting feel of hot southern food. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-74251595058796316932017-02-13T14:05:00.001-05:002017-02-13T14:05:16.254-05:00A Poem<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wrote a terrible poem, and since this is my blog and I can post what I want to, here we are.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pulsing</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gentle yet insane.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Urging</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Making yearning known</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hiding</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is timing?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Foolish</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Best laid plans;</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Holds no consciousness.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, there we are, then. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Life is so interesting. I find working from home to be both awesome and isolating, so far. I feel lonely, yet I speak with multiple clients per day. I was scared I'd be unproductive without the office environment, but I think I'm getting stuff done!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Either way, I was feeling a bit weird and I wrote a poem. What can I say? I'm a word person. </span></span></span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-17351011107755610972017-01-28T00:17:00.002-05:002017-01-28T00:17:31.815-05:003 months from Inception to Quitting<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got my first paying client on 10/31/2016. It was a Monday, and I had messaged a few people the week before, wondering if I could get paying clients for writing. I’ve long been a writer, but I hadn’t been getting paid regularly. I had had a couple of paying clients over the years, writing resumes and cover letters, editing academic papers, simpler things like that.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-7721738a-e376-cf20-3af2-340c7b32432a" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I started on this journey, I figured the only thing people would pay me for would be blogging, and to my surprise, my first few clients were for website copywriting and editing, and copy for ads. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I then moved to doing interviews and articles, before really settling into a sweet spot that is a combination of content marketing (blog posts and other content, including social media marketing) for clients, and ghostwriting and book editing. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The interesting thing is that I’ve always wanted to be a book editor. I genuinely hope I am able to continue doing this, and build a career in this editing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today is Friday, January 27th, 2017. It was my last full time day at my corporate job as a sales and business development professional at a staffing firm in NYC. It has been 3 months almost to the day since I started seriously pursuing writing as a career. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have decided to stay with my corporate job part time for a month or so, to both assist with their transition, and also to help me. I've never worked from home entirely before, and I need to learn to create a new routine and organization for myself. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've spent the last 3 months working every night and most of the weekends, and now I'm going to be able to work during the day time hours! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the stars have aligned and it is the perfect time in my life to able to take this kind of risk. I am happier, healthier, and making more money than ever before, I am in a steady, stable relationship with a guy who is 100% supportive of this new adventure, and has sacrificed time and activities together during these last months.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want it, and I am willing to work hard at it. I'm already working hard at it and am making money, bringing in clients, and being successful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here I am world, hear me roar. :)</span></span></div>
Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-77619686823847422792017-01-19T13:44:00.000-05:002017-01-19T13:44:00.500-05:00Are You Confident in Your Entrepreneurial Journey?<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-b80a-f14e-e3b4-d8224301c4bf" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the most important part of being an entrepreneur? Confidence. You have to believe with every fiber of your being that you‘re doing the right thing, on the right path, and that the hard work is totally worth it all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes I joke about how I’m working 14 hour days, so I must a hustler, but it’s true. I have a day job, a sales career I’ve had for almost 10 years, and have been successful in. I enjoy my career and the opportunities I’ve had within it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve met some of the most amazing people, learned from the best bosses, and gotten marketing, conference, travel, and training opportunities I never would have had otherwise. I appreciate what I have accomplished so far, and in some ways this transition has been bittersweet. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve been working nights and weekends for a few months now, building my own writing business. Every free moment is spent communicating with clients, research for articles, writing articles and copy for websites, editing, sending it to the client, posting it online, sharing, etc. And if I’m not doing that, my time needs to be spent marketing myself and my services and looking for additional clients, and then following up with potential clients, proposals that are out, checking on invoices, and applying to additional writing gigs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am so busy, and it can be exhausting, but it’s also pretty amazing to see what I’m capable of. I may be tired sometimes, but I am also invigorated and interested in my clients and what I’m doing. I am building something from nothing, which is extremely exciting, and also terrifying. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interestingly, many of my clients are entrepreneurs themselves, so I’m also surrounded by incredibly smart, funny, interesting people who completely understand my journey and are excited to be a part of it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve also had the very interesting discovery of learning to utilize Instagram as best as I can. I never really used it at all, but I decided to give it a shot, and hey free marketing. It’s been fantastic! I’ve gotten half of my client list from Instagram. I’ve been enjoying posting pictures, engaging with people, and really finding fascinating new people all over the world to follow. It’s a really cool visual platform.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m busy, but I am supported and growing and learning and excited and some days I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but I keep learning and researching and I will not stop. I will NOT STOP because I know I can do this. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s an important quality to being an entrepreneur? CONFIDENCE. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am good at what I do, I deserve to do it, and I am bringing great value to my clients. I am completely confident in these things.</span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-90493216025686280512017-01-08T16:28:00.000-05:002017-01-08T16:28:01.994-05:00Low Carb Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Ham! (keto)I have never made soups before last week. I have done chili in my crock pot, and I've eaten a lot of soup, but I've never made it.<br />
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Last week I received an immersion (stick) blender for Hanukkah! It's so cool, and I imagined myself making fancy soups!<br />
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Last week for meal prep, I did a very simple cauliflower soup, and then decided to add cooked ground pork, to make it a bit heartier, and it was my lunch all last week. It was really creamy and good and satisfying!<br />
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This week, I wanted a classic broccoli and cheese soup. I used to LOVE going to Panera Bread and getting broccoli and cheese soup and a half sandwich to dip in it.<br />
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It turns out that all the recipes online use flour as a thickener, which I can't do.<br />
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I decided to just try the exact same cauliflower soup, but adding a lot of sharp yellow cheddar and cooked broccoli. I also decided to go with fresh cauliflower and broccoli. The original soup said I could do frozen, and it tasted great but was a bit watery and took longer to cook.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtapUXpJq2BggHyz99ZxoPA5ykYdDYmwcxI2uOa3lou1At7O0NC5PK1CM0SL3llQ063dteXrLgSY9shZ-YkMfpkeBBBEcZc7_wNxkNQnybRGNWFG83cB4EdCm1mGbzadjR4vnaNIGYym2/s1600/IMG_20170108_145545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtapUXpJq2BggHyz99ZxoPA5ykYdDYmwcxI2uOa3lou1At7O0NC5PK1CM0SL3llQ063dteXrLgSY9shZ-YkMfpkeBBBEcZc7_wNxkNQnybRGNWFG83cB4EdCm1mGbzadjR4vnaNIGYym2/s320/IMG_20170108_145545.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celery, onion, cauliflower & chicken broth in one, broccoli in the other!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXEcBM_rgTJvSJsOxCItyFJDB_P1C1XVO_fYPuUz3OJmgObTThTNNeom-kw3PBn4DCi-v-73RXiY7UM9vE3Jqd-4QvDAfPq-FApO7uuyHPjvFl2oqCx0DA3l8CVy4bqIiwgjzyHYXXFoa/s1600/IMG_20170108_151653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXEcBM_rgTJvSJsOxCItyFJDB_P1C1XVO_fYPuUz3OJmgObTThTNNeom-kw3PBn4DCi-v-73RXiY7UM9vE3Jqd-4QvDAfPq-FApO7uuyHPjvFl2oqCx0DA3l8CVy4bqIiwgjzyHYXXFoa/s320/IMG_20170108_151653.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After blending, adding the cheddar a little at a time. STIR STIR STIR!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XvDuqxsrRgdltm1I4eY5W17L9Ky7GN8pbAebpXhr1f7GVq2bPz59ob77RX0G286j0hQiCjnwdM4mVeSCbs-xanvPrg4lfsE9J86rCgx9xP-B-CHxGbmqu9ipRxA2R-ru1NFiE1U0afYO/s1600/IMG_20170108_151812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XvDuqxsrRgdltm1I4eY5W17L9Ky7GN8pbAebpXhr1f7GVq2bPz59ob77RX0G286j0hQiCjnwdM4mVeSCbs-xanvPrg4lfsE9J86rCgx9xP-B-CHxGbmqu9ipRxA2R-ru1NFiE1U0afYO/s320/IMG_20170108_151812.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added the cooked broccoli!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6tI53_7Dq4EKJJmxI-JSlGRNhbHBqR1DBh8e3-C6lbiE0FTm4tUkKN3WRaoEOSwAyw8HKtfzDiBAmWEvtMfikpA_n2CQdM8mmbk37YhyuAYR8DUIPndjhhuXkS58XgV508yBM7RGkhNb/s1600/IMG_20170108_152316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6tI53_7Dq4EKJJmxI-JSlGRNhbHBqR1DBh8e3-C6lbiE0FTm4tUkKN3WRaoEOSwAyw8HKtfzDiBAmWEvtMfikpA_n2CQdM8mmbk37YhyuAYR8DUIPndjhhuXkS58XgV508yBM7RGkhNb/s320/IMG_20170108_152316.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
I also added ham as the meat, as I know that goes so well with cheddar cheese and again, I wanted a hearty meal. I actually bought cooked black forest ham from the deli counter and had them cut it very thick. I purchased about a pound and a half and ended up using right about half of it. Use as much or as little (or no) meat as you want!<br />
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------------------------------<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgFD3NHZ2yvCuTdcRD97xdJso4EzHbK0WXhdXNOxKirW62PpGFk_etmUCJAdMxMkBeS3lTcB0u6Bhm7FVd61FBxCekI8m9y1sihsGNygQkVAv9WGfCbpJ5-GLgykpZTeXTY0N_6Kes1Uo/s1600/IMG_20170108_152932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgFD3NHZ2yvCuTdcRD97xdJso4EzHbK0WXhdXNOxKirW62PpGFk_etmUCJAdMxMkBeS3lTcB0u6Bhm7FVd61FBxCekI8m9y1sihsGNygQkVAv9WGfCbpJ5-GLgykpZTeXTY0N_6Kes1Uo/s400/IMG_20170108_152932.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final product! It turned out really good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<u><b>Recipe</b></u>:<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
-4oz butter<br />
-1 medium onion (I used 2 small yellow onions this time, last time was 1 medium white, both work)<br />
-4 stalks of celery<br />
-1 head of cauliflower (if using frozen, 1 bag, 14 oz frozen)<br />
-4 cups chicken broth<br />
-1 head of broccoli<br />
-16 oz sharp cheddar cheese (grate it yourself for better melting)<br />
-3/4 cup heavy cream<br />
-Half to whole pound of ham (depends how much ham you like)<br />
<br />
<br />
Instructions:<br />
<br />
1. Dice the onion and celery (I used a food processor) and put it into a 3 quart (or more) saucepan with 4 oz butter over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
2. Add cauliflower florets and chicken broth. Can be done with fresh or frozen. Frozen will take a bit longer to cook but tastes good, though is a bit more watery/thinner, and I found that fresh cauliflower made it a bit thicker overall.<br />
<br />
3. Bring this to a boil and then turn down the heat slightly, allow to simmer and cook until the cauliflower is easily forked. If using frozen, this will take 15-20 minutes, with fresh florets, about 8-10 minutes.<br />
<br />
4. While thats cooking, cook your broccoli. I cut it up really tiny (not bite size, smaller, like the Panera soup) and saute it in a pan with salt, pepper, garlic, but it is just as easy and delicious to steam it in the microwave, especially since it's going into cheese.<br />
*I have not tried this recipe with frozen broccoli, but if you do use it, simply steam and drain the frozen broccoli and chop it into smaller bits.<br />
<br />
5. Once you can fork the cauliflower, grab a stick blender and blend the soup until smooth. Add 3/4 cup of heavy cream, and mix. At this time, add spices. I did italian seasoning, chili powder, adobo, salt, pepper, and garlic.<br />
<br />
6. Put back over the heat and slowly add all of the cheese, mixing it thoroughly.<br />
<br />
7. Remove from heat. Add the cooked broccoli and cut up ham (mine was pre-cooked ham).<br />
<br />
<br />
For me, this makes 4 lunches for the week and at least one dinner for 2 people, sometimes.<br />
<br />
It's really good and you don't need flour to thicken it!! The cauliflower and sheer amount of cheese thickens it very well!Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-57143406591221320492017-01-06T15:43:00.002-05:002017-01-06T15:43:39.118-05:002017This is definitely going to be a great year.<br />
<br />
I'm building my writing business. As of 1/4/17, I am up to the previously-agreed-upon number where I can quit my full time day job and build my writing business. I'm planning to spend time continuing to build and also on my own writing projects.<br />
<br />
I have a half-finished musical, an outline for an entire dystopian novel, and so many poems and songs I can't keep track of them.<br />
<br />
I'm learning new skills! I recently took several online webinars in grantwriting, in case the copywriting and marketing writing didn't work out. I am in the process of taking additional courses on SEO, content marketing, Google adwords, and more. I am just continuously building and growing my skills.<br />
<br />
I'm getting more involved with social media, which I am finding to be more fun than I thought it would be!<br />
<br />
I have met some really rad people through writing and finding clients. I have been exposed to new ideas and it is very cool to learn new things and expand my horizons.<br />
<br />
I am more and more comfortable calling myself a writer. It's amazing how supportive my family and friends are, too. They are incredibly encouraging and supportive, and it feels amazing to finally feel like I'm living up to my potential.<br />
<br />
My husband's career is going extremely well. He is happy, fulfilled, and works with great people. He is constantly working on huge projects and learning new things, and feeling supported by his company. <br />
<br />
Once I'm working from home full time, my husband and I are going to think this year about a possible puppy and maybe a kid. We are going to think about where we want to live, and our goals.<br />
<br />
This year, I will see my best friend and my family more when I don't have to worry about PTO days. I will go to Italy with the love of my life and eat so many carbs that I might explode. I will turn 31, I will be an entrepreneur, and I will have more time to volunteer! <br />
<br />
And in 17 days, we have our first wedding anniversary.<br />
<br />
It's going to be a really great year. Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-9346491441754058702016-12-28T10:18:00.002-05:002016-12-28T10:18:15.942-05:00The End of 2016In a world and US news and politics capacity, 2016 has been an absolute travesty. We are watching as an inexperienced, incompetent, narcissistic low level tyrant put in place misogynist, climate-change-deniers and frauds on his cabinet, in an effort to for some reason actively work against any change or progress we've made. He openly admits his lies from the campaign trail and people still seem to believe him. We've watched as his foundation and university are proven to be fraudulent, as he refuses to show tax returns, as he has contradicted himself under oath, as his family refuses to live in the White House, causing tax dollars to be used on rent and security. <br />
<br />
There have been additional uprisings, terrorist attacks, and gun violence this year. We've lost Princess Leia and Prince, and a host of others.<br />
<br />
This has been, without a doubt, the <span style="color: red;">worst year I have lived.</span><br />
<br />
However, this has also been unequivocally the <span style="color: blue;">best year I have lived. </span><br />
<br />
In 2016, I opened the year by getting married to my favorite person, got into the Huffington Post in the summer, and turned 30. In September I quit smoking cigarettes after spending half my life as a smoker, in October I went low carb and have lost almost 20 pounds since, and on 10/31/2016, I decided to truly pursue freelance writing and open a business. In November I officially filed as an LLC, and in December I went to my annual physical where my doctor told me I am the healthiest I've ever been.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">I have literally never been happier in my personal or professional life, and I have never been healthier or had as much good energy.</span> I love my life and my cat more every day.<br />
<br />
Turning 30 has been wonderful. I had a great run in my 20s, making mistakes and falling down, but always getting back up and pushing forward. I grew as a person more in my mid-20s than I ever could have imagined, and I started taking my health more seriously. I built my career, I grew as a professional in so many ways. And turning 30 helped me clarify what is important to me.<br />
<br />
It took turning 30 before I took the risk of starting a business, of putting myself out there and risking failure. It took turning 30 to take a serious look at my health and my goals and stop smoking for real, and think about kids and the future.<br />
<br />
Like I said, worst year ever and am genuinely scared about the claims of a Muslim Registry (sound familiar? Possibly like the Jewish registry in 1930s Germany?), about Trump, Pence, and his cabinet's history of anti-LGBTQ stances, about his abject disrespect and dismissal of women. I am honestly afraid of Trump and what he will do over the next four years and how long it will take to undo.<br />
<br />
But I am also happier, healthier, wealthier, energetic, and have never looked this good.<br />
<br />
It's been a weird year.Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-48925417292972824992016-12-19T10:23:00.000-05:002016-12-19T21:52:24.830-05:00All I Want For Xmas Is Food (Another amazing parody)<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-1793-e062-7221-477a56447ef0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Weird Al, I am waiting on my phone call to get the rights to this and of course the majestic <a href="http://jyssica.blogspot.com/2016/06/parody-of-backstreet-boys-song.html" target="_blank">"You Need to Shower"</a> based from the Backstreet Boys song. Here we go, a song about the financial security of being a millennial.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-1793-e062-7221-477a56447ef0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-1793-e062-7221-477a56447ef0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS FOOD </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-1793-e062-7221-477a56447ef0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1c73550-1793-e062-7221-477a56447ef0" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t want a lot for Christmas</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here’s a list of what I need</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t want any gift cards</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just fill my fridge please</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want it for my own</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brisket, pasta, a pot roast</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Make my wish come true</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Baby all I want for Christmas is food.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oooh feed me! *jazz hands*</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't want a lot of Christmas</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just a few things that I need, and I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Could use some new tube socks</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a package of three.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I love getting a stocking</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Full of practicality</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You could really make me happy</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With work pants or new undies. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want it for my own</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Financial security</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm a millennial</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'll take an IRA for Christmas.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't ask for much for Christmas</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I never have once wished for snow.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want to buy a house</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While working just one job.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I will make a list and give it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To you with my biggest wish</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'll even find out what's on sale</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Couponing is my life.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want more of that meal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leftovers or raw is good</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Make my wish come trueeee</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Baby, all I want for Christmas is food</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oooooh feed me!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oooooh thanks, Mom!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't want a lot for Christmas</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Socks and pens and cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want to have snacks</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And money in my bank account.</span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want it for my own</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brisket, pasta, a pot roast</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Make my wish come true</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Baby all I want for Christmas is food.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oooooh feed me!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All I want for Christmas is fooooooooood. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oooooh feed me!</span> </span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-55811545687253650212016-12-13T10:24:00.001-05:002016-12-13T10:27:27.904-05:00Netflix Original Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Can we all just pause and take a moment to appreciate the nostalgia, and the time, money and effort that have come together to bring a bunch of older shows into the new millenium?<br />
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Netflix is KILLING IT with original series. Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life and Fuller House are my two best examples right now, but seriously their original series in general are why I don't miss cable.<br />
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Fuller House and Gilmore Girls made me feel like a kid again, and reminded me about watching TGIF with my mom and brother on Friday nights when I was in elementary school, and of watching GG every Tuesday night with my mom in high school, wishing we had that Lorelai-Rory relationship. Like every girl I knew back then! <br />
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Netflix's most well-known hits right now are House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and most recently, Stranger Things. These shows are amazingly well told stories with characters you feel invested in and beautiful cinematic worlds. House of Cards is like watching a movie, and Kevin Spacey is amazing. OITNB is an ensemble cast, where over the seasons I have cared less and less about the main character and more about the rest of them. The way they focus on other character's backstories and motivation, and humanize them, is gorgeous. It's not really Piper's story anymore, it's about all of them. And last season broke my heart! The emotional investment is real.<br />
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Stranger Things genuinely creeped me out, and I can't even watch Sense8! Netflix is doing such a great job on original content, and I can only hope they continue to not only do what they are already doing, but hopefully will also continue this interesting and nostalgic walk down memory lane.<br />
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And it's not just original or renewing ideas from 90s and early 2000s programming. Netflix is doing a series of shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the upcoming Iron Fist, which have been amazing! I hope they end up reviving Agent Carter, which was canceled after two seasons by ABC, though they of course still have the successful Agents of Shield.<br />
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It would be pretty cool if Netflix revived Global GUTS or Double Dare or (please please please) Firefly, but I certainly can't find fault with the lineup they have. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is hilarious, Aziz Ansari's Master of None is great, and they've done a lot of kids and animated stuff, too.<br />
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I was really nervous about canceling cable in April 2015. What if I can't pick anything to watch? I like flipping through channels! But the cost was so jacked up, so crazy, that I figured I would just read more.<br />
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Surprisingly, between Hulu, Netflix, and the occasional temporary HBONow subscription, there is always something to watch.<br />
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I know I sound like a TV-crazy person, and maybe I am. But I love a great story on TV the same way I love a good book. It is about the story, the people, and I enjoy it.<br />
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But seriously, Fuller House season 2 was so cute! She-wolfpack! Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-34150677024910519042016-11-28T13:53:00.003-05:002016-11-28T13:53:41.013-05:00Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life Review! <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Basically, I forgot it was Black Friday and just aggressively watched Gilmore Girls all the way through. I did order a pair of workout pants online when I remembered, near midnight, so there’s that!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We had friends over Friday evening, and I watched the first 2 episodes before they got there and then stayed up until 3 am to watch the last 2 episodes after they all left. </span></div>
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<b><u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Those final four words:</b></span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></i></u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So, Amy Sherman-Palladino has always known what the last four words of the series was supposed to be, and because she wasn’t involved in the oft-lamented 7th season of GG, she didn’t get to use them. Thanks to Netflix and fans around the world, GG has been brought back with the original cast, and we got to see how everything turned out years later. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Personally, I think those last four words were inevitable. It brings the show full circle, and continues the parallel of Lorelei’s life, though Rory is older and has more support than Lorelei had. She will of course, have a little girl who is surrounded by the best women in the world, will be disastrous at relationships, and have a mom-best friend. </span></div>
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<u><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rory Gilmore:</b></span></b></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the end of the original GG, Rory was a Yale graduate ready to take on the world, and heading off to cover the Obama campaign as a journalist. In the revival, we see Rory at 32, working as a freelance journalist and trying to find steady work. She is unsure of her career path, she is unhappy trying to write a book with a crazy person, and she is mostly unemployed and bouncing from couch to couch while she travels and writes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This feels so quintessentially real. So many of my peers, so many millennials share her crisis of career faith, feel rootless (though maybe not so literally), and struggle with freelancing and working for themselves. Rory feels a bit more relatable in this new iteration, but she also feels somewhat wrong. I was aghast at her on-and-off Huntzberger affair. Rory wouldn’t do that! Not with an engaged man! She is clearly somewhat conflicted about it, and she does eventually end it after a grand adventure with the Life and Death Brigade, which was a very fun tribute, but it felt so wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But what of Rory’s big dreams and go-getter attitude? Why isn't she a successful New York Times writer? I don't know. But we have seen her insecurity before, with quitting Yale and questioning herself, and we’ve seen her make bad choices, like her night with Dean. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So maybe it isn’t that it’s out of character, and more that it’s simply not up to MY expectations of Rory’s behavior, the Rory I believe she is in my head. Either way, it’s impeccably done, very nostalgic, and seems to make sense with Rory’s story and her place in life. </span></div>
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<u><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Lorelei Gilmore:</b></span></b></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To me, Lorelei is exactly where she should be. Still with Luke, still having a great relationship with her kid, and running the Dragonfly Inn. She questions, she has her own crisis of conscious, and she is attempting to deal with the loss of her father. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In terms of her character, Lorelei seems to be the most true to the original story, with her quick wit, pop culture references, self-deprecating love of coffee and junk food, and her love of life. Her relationship with Luke is strong, and her <i>Wild</i> (the book) adventure somehow still seems in keeping with her character.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And we finally got our Luke & Lorelei happy ending. Which I cannot express enough how much I loved. I think Luke is the early version of Ron Swanson, and I loved his portrayal in this revival. Very true to who he has always been, and watching the way he interacted with Emily made me laugh and felt real.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lorelei is still snarky, still attempting to navigate a better relationship with her mom, and still worries more about the people around her than herself. She seems to feel things deeply and love her small town, and I can't imagine a Stars Hollow without Lorelei Gilmore. </span></div>
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<u><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Emily Gilmore:</b></span></b></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of all of the characters and stories told in this revival, I loved Emily the most. In the original series, she came off as harsh, cold, overly caring of other people’s opinions and expectations (sometimes to her detriment), with only flashes of warmth and emotion for her daughter and granddaughter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kelly Bishop’s Emily Gilmore in the revival was at once nostalgic and heartbreaking. Her husband dying has changed the way she looks at the world, and it so clearly changed her relationship with Lorelei and Rory, and even her maid. She is vulnerable, caring, scared, and still somewhat snooty. Her reaction to realizing she is wearing jeans made me laugh, immediately after how she tries to get rid of everything in her house in a wave of change made me tear up. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Emily’s story and her changes are so real and believable. She manipulates Lorelei into going to therapy with her, then refuses to utter a word in front of the therapist - what might she think of them? Then she sits in a DAR meeting, bored out of her mind, suddenly over it all, and jumps in with a rambling rant against the DAR and their ridiculous expectations and protocols, and against the poor hapless trophy wife trying to get into the group. It feels very </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mean Girls</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-esque and you want to cringe and laugh at the same time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The most entertaining arc in this revival is Emily’s maid Berta and her entire family moving into Emily’s house and taking over her life, while not being able to communicate with each other. Berta clearly cares about Emily, and Emily grows to care for Berta and her family as well. Much better than the revolving door of those poor maids in the original! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While some might say Emily changed too much from her original character, I think the way it was done was a beautiful progression from being “Richard’s wife” to her own person.</span></div>
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<u><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Conclusion:</b></span></b></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For me, I loved this revival. I don’t need to agree with every decision they make, and I can't rail too much against what may or may not be out of character. I enjoyed watching it, I laughed, cried, cringed, and cheered. I felt incredibly nostalgic and smiled, remembering how my mom and I watched it together every week, loving the Rory-Lorelei relationship. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is it perfect? <b>No.</b> As much as I love Sutton Foster, that super long scene with the whole darn musical was beating a dead horse, so cringey, and way too long. Paris Gellar seems even more stiff and unyielding than ever, and I would have thought marriage and motherhood would have relaxed her some, and I hate that she and Doyle aren’t together. The Dean run-in felt forced and unnecessary. The Chilton story was weird. Why was she suddenly doing a career day there? Why bother setting up and offering her a position that Rory didn’t even consider? It seemed off base for the story. Laine Kim didn't get to realize her rockstar dreams, and after all her thoughts of adventure and getting away from her mom, she is working in her mom's store for some reason? That didn't make sense to me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And why isn’t it Jess and Rory? I was never on Team Jess back in the day, but I did love his support and how he is in the new iteration. And I can’t get enough of him on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This Is Us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, which I’m also currently watching, so that might be shading my view. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was a fun look into the possible future of Lorelei and Rory, and I think it stayed pretty true to these characters, in a way that moved the story forward and updated it. I would watch more in a heartbeat. I also love that the entire case felt so good about what they did in the original and their characters and castmates, that they came back to do this. It just wouldn’t have been the same without Michel and Gypsy and Doose!</span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-70519340832538678832016-11-06T23:03:00.000-05:002016-11-06T23:08:50.982-05:00Oodles of zoodles this week! (keto)I know, I've been posting a lot of food. I can't help it! I don't typically like to preach about diets or lifestyle changes, or whatever. In fact, I've always been a staunch proponent of not dieting, just enjoying things in moderation. I have generally maintained my weight, so I was fine with that.<br />
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I'm also a gymgoer. I enjoy going to the gym and typically go about 4 times per week. Usually a bit of weights or resistance and about 2.5 miles on the elliptical. I'm dedicated about going, too! Once, after happy hour with friends, I had my backpack with me and went to the gym on my way home almost without even realizing it, and suddenly found myself drunkenly jogging on an elliptical machine. Hey, at least I go!<br />
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But I had some life changes lately. The biggest thing is that I quit smoking cigarettes. After being a smoker almost exactly half my life, I finally quit. And while it felt really good, I immediately and without noticing it, started eating everything in my reach. I munched on snacks at home, I grazed and snacked all day long at work, and I barely noticed myself doing it!<br />
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I immediately put on about 10 pounds. I was not happy with this situation. And I definitely could stand to lose more than 10, but I hadn't been focusing on that. With the weight gain and the quitting smoking, something needed to change. I did research, and I found keto. Keto is a low carb-high fat diet, with also a decently high goal of daily protein. It cuts out all pasta and bread, as well as grains and starches. Your diet consists mostly of meat, vegetables, dairy, and eggs. It sounds restrictive, but honestly, it doesn't feel that way most of the time.<br />
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Fairly quickly after starting, I had more energy and felt really good. I started losing weight immediately. It's been about a month now and I'm down 13 pounds! I feel great on it, and the weight loss just keeps me motivated to stay on it. And I don't crave the bread and pasta like I thought I would!<br />
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On to the food! That's why you're here, I know it.<br />
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I did a shrimp scampi recently with Brussels sprouts, and it was really great. The discovery that I like sprouts has opened up my culinary world. Every since I went on the keto diet, I've been trying all sorts of vegetables that I didn't like as kid. I was a pretty picky eater, and with a diet that has cut out carbs - including starches and grains - I really needed to make sure I have options!<br />
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Zucchini was one of those vegetables. I have always hated zucchini and yellow squash. I only realized I liked butternut squash a year or so ago, and I tried it after I found out I like sweet potatoes, since the color and texture seemed similar.<br />
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About 2 weeks ago, I went ahead and sliced a zucchini thin and sauteed it, and then I ate it. It was ok. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. My husband was excited, as I am the one whoo cooks and since I hated it, we just didn't eat that particular veggie.<br />
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But guess what, guys?? I BOUGHT A SPIRALIZER!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3gtvIahrcuyxm85cHBH7p8zSXrtZ2jF4hdO-MU8tmk3AdbzPsMsrEd7YaDOX_x-jp2O1TT0zfRl6UxBHlea3dEUzyLpYuhzBZ-TzLBqzZOPtiZhbkz1rY9GvEFvLx5R9ui2N5WAKHNGk/s1600/zoodles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3gtvIahrcuyxm85cHBH7p8zSXrtZ2jF4hdO-MU8tmk3AdbzPsMsrEd7YaDOX_x-jp2O1TT0zfRl6UxBHlea3dEUzyLpYuhzBZ-TzLBqzZOPtiZhbkz1rY9GvEFvLx5R9ui2N5WAKHNGk/s320/zoodles2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
And then I immediately bought a carrot and three zucchinis. I figured the carrot would work well with zucchini, get a little sweetness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkNqs2iIudf0z4UJ71bRrs_u3ODKL6ixOv5Gn9qcU6_CMvuxelJA1EMBASUhutRMyt5PbZ96W8RSagVM5We0C5LUniTmBmbmvcPvXLX-sIefLSvEGXlZZLIiU4arhv3V9e8JRyvwWAiN3/s1600/zoodles4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkNqs2iIudf0z4UJ71bRrs_u3ODKL6ixOv5Gn9qcU6_CMvuxelJA1EMBASUhutRMyt5PbZ96W8RSagVM5We0C5LUniTmBmbmvcPvXLX-sIefLSvEGXlZZLIiU4arhv3V9e8JRyvwWAiN3/s320/zoodles4.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I spiralized them ALL! Just standing in my kitchen spiralizing the heck out of everything! Also my thumb. I got a little too close and nicked myself, of course.<br />
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It turned out a lot more noodles than I expected! But hey, it looked like noodles and was the right size. I made some shrimp in just butter, with salt and pepper, some garlic. Super simple.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkBhvocBBaFPik-T1Hq3iz0XoJAxoUNl7QiHJtG82kbH_1z76bfukOaM9tY3ha3YTzS7If4gbTN4gESoVJb3gvY0UMnaeG22p1B_jP_-c5tNW5L2dj0GIh34zj19Oe9dI_9pT7ZG0BWnt/s1600/zoodles1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkBhvocBBaFPik-T1Hq3iz0XoJAxoUNl7QiHJtG82kbH_1z76bfukOaM9tY3ha3YTzS7If4gbTN4gESoVJb3gvY0UMnaeG22p1B_jP_-c5tNW5L2dj0GIh34zj19Oe9dI_9pT7ZG0BWnt/s320/zoodles1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummmm!</td></tr>
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After I took the cooked shrimp out, it was in with the zoodles! They got tossed with the butter and garlic leftovers, and then onto a plate. I'd heard prosciutto or bacon would be great with these flavors, so I did throw some on, but the dish was so simple and delicious, it really didn't need the prosciutto at all! I do love prosciutto though, so it's not like it was wasted.<br />
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End result was great! The texture of the zoodle was smooth and really good, and it soaked up a lot of the butter and the shrimpy flavors. The carrot was a nice addition, and I'm really excited to have yet another new veggie I enjoy. Still a hard no on mushrooms, though. Hard nope.<br />
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Since I discovered my love of zoodles, I decided to change up my meal prep.<br />
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On Sunday afternoons, I cook for a couple hours and make breakfasts and lunches for the whole week. The breakfasts are for both my husband and I, and the lunches just for me, as he doesn't like taking lunch to work. For the last 3 weeks or so, I have made the same <a href="http://www.tasteaholics.com/recipes/dinner/cheddar-chicken-and-broccoli-casserole/" target="_blank">chicken and broccoli casserole</a> for lunch, and taken that with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. The casserole is great, and I've made some adaptations, like adding kale and ricotta cheese and using thighs, but I was getting a bit bored of it.<br />
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This week, I went with zoodles!! I made two different zoodle recipes, a Lo Mein version which is really only sesame oil, soy sauce, and some spices, and a zoodles in peanut sauce from<a href="http://www.mysequinedlife.com/2016/01/16/sesame-almond-butter-zucchini-noodles/" target="_blank"> this recipe!</a><br />
I followed the recipe and only substituted peanut butter for the almond butter. My husband and I love peanut sauce from Chinese food places, and this was really, really good. He even asked for leftovers to be packed up for a lunch!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtVcccgwQNFp3KHCtJeZY4-VTLf14ClEGor71oe8b66x6Os5pvGib7arX3_BnIUpHWPLS-CtffHiBV2Ej0Uv7IzM9zENbXXZFaDwag3zXndiwUycVu1GCJxjVHIutZRclwkXoq47P-GhY/s1600/zoodles+lo+mein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtVcccgwQNFp3KHCtJeZY4-VTLf14ClEGor71oe8b66x6Os5pvGib7arX3_BnIUpHWPLS-CtffHiBV2Ej0Uv7IzM9zENbXXZFaDwag3zXndiwUycVu1GCJxjVHIutZRclwkXoq47P-GhY/s320/zoodles+lo+mein.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lo mein style zoodles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peanut sauce smothered zoodles</td></tr>
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Lo mein and peanut sauce zoodles with chicken for lunch! How awesome is that! And of course I had enough for us to eat them for dinner tonight, too! The lo mein is ok. It's good but it feels like it's missing something, but I'm not sure what. However, the peanut sauce is fantastic! Just 4 thumbs up from the Schwartzes over here. The sauce is mostly peanut butter, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce, which is a bit carby, but the one serving of it was enough in the one batch of sauce to cover 4 meals' worth of the peanut sauce zoodles, with some left over for munching as I was making and tasting.<br />
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The sauce is super thick and then you pour it on the hot zoodles and it's just perfect. The only thing I changed about the recipe was to cook the zoodles in a bit of coconut oil instead of olive oil. It's not a nutty flavor, really, but one that goes well with Asian style peanut sauce.<br />
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Go forth and zoodle! I told 2 of my girl friends about how I was getting a spiralizer and BOTH of them have bought one, too. I cannot tell you how many random texts I have gotten with pictures of spiral vegetables.<br />
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Besides feeling good and having more energy, the biggest and best thing that being on keto has done for me is re-inspired my love of cooking. I have always enjoyed cooking, but I had to be in the mood for it, and we ordered takeout most nights. About once a week, I would make a healthy dinner, and husband and I would eat it and have usually one more night for leftovers. They were always good, I'm a decent cook with a great imagination and a penchant for experimentation!<br />
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Since being on keto, we have ordered takeout MAYBE once a week. I have rediscovered my love of cooking and experimenting, and it has continued my journey of trying new foods. Husband has been loving the homecooked meals and has also lost some weight, as he is low carb by association when we're at home.<br />
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ZOODLE ALL THE THINGS!<br />
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Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-57938021129250356102016-11-03T13:52:00.002-04:002016-11-03T13:52:56.344-04:00Writer for HireI have been a writer since before I knew what that meant.<br />
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I made up my own lyrics and songs as a child, I wrote stories about my imaginary friends, I kept a journal starting when I was about 4. I actually still have all those journals. There is a shelf in my house dedicated to the 12 or so journals I've kept since childhood. While I don't update daily like a diary, I always jot down lyrics, poems, a good turn of phrase, and I update the journal on major changes or achievements in my life.<br />
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Writing is both a creative outlet and a necessity to me.<br />
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I have lists of tasks, things to do, groceries to buy, reminders, etc. I understand things best and will remember it if I wrote it down. When I was in high school and college, I had very poor study habits because I would take very diligent handwritten notes in class. Once I write it down, I pretty much just remember it, so I didn't need to learn the best ways to study. When I did eventually learn good study habits, I was able to learn even more effectively!<br />
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I write down dates, and I remember people's birthdays, doctor appointments, and the number of every credit card I've ever owned. I know everyone's phone numbers and never use my contact list to call immediate family members and close friends.<br />
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I write for fun, making up silly stories and songs for my nieces and nephews, or writing out a silly comic to make my husband laugh.<br />
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I write for myself, like with this blog. This ridiculous, random, variety-filled blog that makes me happy. Everything from rants, fun facts, political essays, comics, to recipes, how to articles, advice, and more.<br />
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I write for real. I contribute articles to Huffington Post, Lifehack, Artnoize, and more. I write professional articles and put them on LinkedIn, to grow my network and build a community. I write for exposure, and because I want to entertain, educate, and make people read.<br />
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I write.<br />
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That's it. I am a writer. I am a weirdo, a cat lover, an optimist, a sister, daughter, wife, and a writer.<br />
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I have finally taken the leap of seeing if people want to pay for my words. Awesomely enough, it turns out some do. I am now a paid writer of all different kinds of things. Website content, ad copy, blog posts, press releases, email templates, sales scripts, essays, and more.<br />
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It is probably the most exciting and terrifying thing I have ever done in my whole life. I am learning on the fly about invoicing and pricing (lots of research on this one!), 1099s, what to do about taxes, how to incorporate, and more. It is extremely stressful and scary, but at the same time is also satisfying in a way I was genuinely hoping it would be. Pieces of me shall adorn all sorts of businesses!<br />
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Day job is awesome, side job is awesome, and I am busy all the time!Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-44315474575174212022016-10-25T00:18:00.001-04:002016-10-25T12:23:46.099-04:00Ricotta Pancakes with Sausage & Kale (keto, low carb)<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc22-6bd6-768d-b912b3e433cd" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Completely by accident today, I stumbled upon a simple and delicious looking recipe for</span><a href="http://www.theironyou.com/2015/02/simple-ricotta-fritters-with-marinara.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Ricotta Fritters,</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> over on The Iron You. I had all the ingredients, and it seemed simple enough.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first thing I want to say is that right off the bat, I planned to add some shredded mozzarella cheese to the fritters, not use nutmeg, and planned to use Rao's marinara sauce instead of making my own. In addition, as my husband and I like meat with dinner, I wanted to do sausage and a veggie, and I had half a head of kale in my fridge.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese have always gone well together. That combination is in the greatest of all pastas: stuffed shells, and also in manicotti, and most Italian foods like baked ziti, too. So the taste combination is there. Also, I added seasoning to my ricotta mixture with oregano, garlic salt, pepper, and coriander and cumin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then I was continuing to make the fritters according to instructions, and they just were not working. So, I decided to bake them in the oven and see if it worked out, and I ended up with perfectly cooked ricotta pancakes!</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc23-08c0-26b7-fb682614dbed" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I did try to make the fritters in a skillet, and each pan-full (3 fritters) was taking 20 minutes or more! They were very difficult to flip, and were coming apart. I was not able to tell when they were really ready to be flipped, resulting in a mess. But, when they did eventually finish, they were yummy but messy. The oven-baked version were more evenly cooked, easier to make, and more uniform at the end.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4lksgzqQuQhgLKD9l-GpH4NfHbER4Ha7duRGqUkwqTDrQsPPBW2UPYacs4jqSKJ0yUWLacHB2tqg3ulQzrF2Kknw2OElQ3s91iWsPbESnhbBR-iN4E3TrknWUtlwDr9q07kil8zzgPCd/s1600/full+meal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4lksgzqQuQhgLKD9l-GpH4NfHbER4Ha7duRGqUkwqTDrQsPPBW2UPYacs4jqSKJ0yUWLacHB2tqg3ulQzrF2Kknw2OElQ3s91iWsPbESnhbBR-iN4E3TrknWUtlwDr9q07kil8zzgPCd/s400/full+meal.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">End result</span>! Sauteed sausage and kale with oven-baked ricotta pancakes!</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc23-90c6-af4b-b9374d52f850" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My thin ricotta pancakes made a great little taco wrap for the rest of my meal, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtyMPCHn3BpJonUupxkFUbpdlMOmViKkfjonGUKUrV3Ui5UG8krX6kv4ThfttP-5qmi9EfMiG5l-JZ1cyiegaLZSgLfGoWN7LABpXPQw2bLtwIcvTDuOBoE8yQF1fPKnWWvOil7I3ML-q/s1600/full+meal+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtyMPCHn3BpJonUupxkFUbpdlMOmViKkfjonGUKUrV3Ui5UG8krX6kv4ThfttP-5qmi9EfMiG5l-JZ1cyiegaLZSgLfGoWN7LABpXPQw2bLtwIcvTDuOBoE8yQF1fPKnWWvOil7I3ML-q/s400/full+meal+2.jpg" width="298" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc23-dcc3-c90a-c0173aff75f7" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I use Rao's homemade marinara sauce, and I put it in individual ramekins instead of smothering the meal, so that I could portion is as I wanted, and mostly because I love dipping. OK, for the food:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGPUHH23PenAcKhyphenhyphenLpUyNvrNB0knRM6EDg135UeewF3n5gjvBXg__3Y_ithyphenhyphen5g-i2zEALAZRdBFW_99pzUsTv9UdTnkIloWPUAXdN766hST4cPkjQOUtaFyMWkyNqUMKkcezowyBpl2uj/s1600/meat+kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGPUHH23PenAcKhyphenhyphenLpUyNvrNB0knRM6EDg135UeewF3n5gjvBXg__3Y_ithyphenhyphen5g-i2zEALAZRdBFW_99pzUsTv9UdTnkIloWPUAXdN766hST4cPkjQOUtaFyMWkyNqUMKkcezowyBpl2uj/s400/meat+kale.jpg" width="298" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc24-804f-b0a8-aa6cab75a969" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I sautéed my kale on medium heat with a bit of olive oil, adobo seasoning, garlic, and onion powders. Once it was wilted down about halfway, I added sliced up sausage (I used Aidells Roasted Garlic & Gruyere Cheese Smoked Chicken sausage, which is 0g net carbs) to the pan. The sausages were precooked, so I just wanted to heat them up and sear them a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wMPY9-iGfIRq_ASOYPqe5dBUxrGd1z6taoff06_YICp2o4Gey-BQgiLxebeQXcBen4K_adQ0usuQ-3CJMQD_fLQWUcd05VLkoyjPKRR9yTl-shybQkNGF0KWooAcsMyg-JJfp98NrkFc/s1600/ricotta1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wMPY9-iGfIRq_ASOYPqe5dBUxrGd1z6taoff06_YICp2o4Gey-BQgiLxebeQXcBen4K_adQ0usuQ-3CJMQD_fLQWUcd05VLkoyjPKRR9yTl-shybQkNGF0KWooAcsMyg-JJfp98NrkFc/s320/ricotta1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc24-d5e6-254e-27ea9f5f95a9" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mixing together all of the pancake ingredients.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjbKnyBgPw-uG3xa8s1xwPq8JnMVDgC2ibXhP-3tbhCOFdPDhso3nfyE15GrLMX6LRfihubk1E_KaMfLFGMIWJlYRWmFHvx0XCRfK9NfKiF89UWQ8Lbqw4QgkYpYpsgySPoOR7bp07CsM/s1600/ricotta3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjbKnyBgPw-uG3xa8s1xwPq8JnMVDgC2ibXhP-3tbhCOFdPDhso3nfyE15GrLMX6LRfihubk1E_KaMfLFGMIWJlYRWmFHvx0XCRfK9NfKiF89UWQ8Lbqw4QgkYpYpsgySPoOR7bp07CsM/s400/ricotta3.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc25-0fb1-bb86-b48bd22af004" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Following instructions, I dolloped the mixture down into a greased pan on medium heat. I covered and waited 3 minutes-ish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA48XbuHCu-FRJnFP8YXLlrEl8Kc60sbitsm-0quq5d-ssKBAZLYf-UZLVZAKYbywzP7-vkcNLRmLWj6pjhFw5ezYkW_svDp9RbAKb2OunR8Pk803vGpUkscnS1mH_s340ij-oeluYpj0A/s1600/ricotta4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA48XbuHCu-FRJnFP8YXLlrEl8Kc60sbitsm-0quq5d-ssKBAZLYf-UZLVZAKYbywzP7-vkcNLRmLWj6pjhFw5ezYkW_svDp9RbAKb2OunR8Pk803vGpUkscnS1mH_s340ij-oeluYpj0A/s400/ricotta4.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc25-49b4-90c9-1b9bb38e2ff8" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I checked, they were definitely not ready for flipping and were still VERY wet and runny.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYq0QxsaUdb9-_D0vAG-7XTQxc6mh-QeorqcC0w5lCoP2YVVwb-nrCiC4J8NP55rv66kOxHsRhaNaixH9owOdeE0uy44ZWQMT-wwLyVoxM_BQvcfhHZmgZmBq3uIPdHs_ii7auqW0s44-J/s1600/ricotta8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYq0QxsaUdb9-_D0vAG-7XTQxc6mh-QeorqcC0w5lCoP2YVVwb-nrCiC4J8NP55rv66kOxHsRhaNaixH9owOdeE0uy44ZWQMT-wwLyVoxM_BQvcfhHZmgZmBq3uIPdHs_ii7auqW0s44-J/s400/ricotta8.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left is the pan cooked way in the original recipe, right is my oven-baked version.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After about a solid 11 minutes on one side, the pancakes started to look less wet, had thinned out, and when I checked the bottom, had started to brown. With difficulty and several falling apart, I flipped them. They ended up needing to be on the other side for several more minutes. All together, the above pancakes (on the left in the above pic) were in the pan for almost 20 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The second pan batch, I added more oil. I was thinking maybe I misunderstood the recipe and that it was more of a pan-frying, like with potato pancakes. I was definitely wrong and they were more wet and sizzling and took just as long but were greasier. I needed a better way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-BAAL8pxS-ogiiUBJfxq4ogfeedf6PGiD-uK9DaLfhBy0nK9O8pU-_4TArsho_KP4jnJSSD5D0iwABl_qiDkDvu0vCDP8sk2lvOQ8hf2iZU19lMJewxXA_9iZfuEN-T5Sbkt3BXPOdkP/s1600/ricotta5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-BAAL8pxS-ogiiUBJfxq4ogfeedf6PGiD-uK9DaLfhBy0nK9O8pU-_4TArsho_KP4jnJSSD5D0iwABl_qiDkDvu0vCDP8sk2lvOQ8hf2iZU19lMJewxXA_9iZfuEN-T5Sbkt3BXPOdkP/s400/ricotta5.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc26-2ca8-a01c-96985258e20a" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So, I had the idea of baking the pancakes. I preheated the oven to 425, and added smaller dollops of the ricotta mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmXe8lMWL-l0Gbg4GwZkENLYd_bpyEhTTL8FsYMJ_4yNlnTt-WRKJRxmWbCHA512AVOv_31hriuuyRGnrq6DZIHs5jDIaOidOIE6z2lEClApMVJi0eFtVZey3V8uGlpgGNtqg9J7cR19N/s1600/ricotta6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmXe8lMWL-l0Gbg4GwZkENLYd_bpyEhTTL8FsYMJ_4yNlnTt-WRKJRxmWbCHA512AVOv_31hriuuyRGnrq6DZIHs5jDIaOidOIE6z2lEClApMVJi0eFtVZey3V8uGlpgGNtqg9J7cR19N/s400/ricotta6.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc26-6d1b-2ecc-13ab15529a8f" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After about 8-9 minutes at 425, they had spread out a bit, and had started going nice and brown around the edges. The above picture is after I used a spatula and carefully flipped each of them over, and out of their original positions.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO0Obj7H2gr5vwPaXchvHW8jJeSEbsSfsOrqp17X9XEyZOdkXWbJ0GqQrf9wCFnWiEdfbFMwb4H6RLmkCI3TXEAAc8O_4ssrvOtj9G_BQ0EHilzaDNa9yxvHwawUsVtmlzeI_XII4ln4A/s1600/ricotta7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKO0Obj7H2gr5vwPaXchvHW8jJeSEbsSfsOrqp17X9XEyZOdkXWbJ0GqQrf9wCFnWiEdfbFMwb4H6RLmkCI3TXEAAc8O_4ssrvOtj9G_BQ0EHilzaDNa9yxvHwawUsVtmlzeI_XII4ln4A/s400/ricotta7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love parchment paper!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Final result! After I flipped them, I let them bake for another 5-6 or so minutes, checking on them every 2-3 minutes. Once they were baked-looking, I pulled them out. They looked like small naan breads at that point.</span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This meal ended up being delicious. What I ended up with is definitely not fritters, but are certainly based off of the recipe from The Iron You, which I believe he adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. So, we each have taken this recipe and put our own spin on it!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you make them, let me know. My conclusion is that trying to pan cook them took me forever and was not nearly as successful as baking them.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the now-baked pancakes, I can put the ricotta pancakes in the oven first, and be able to cook all of the kale and meat while they bake. This first try may have taken a while, but the next time will be about 20 minutes from start to finish!</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Recipe</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Makes about 8-12 pancakes depending on size!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ricotta Pancake Ingredients:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 large egg</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-2 cups ricotta cheese </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Some lemon zest (to taste) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1 tablespoon almond flour</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1/4 teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin, dash of oregano </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Non-Pancake Ingredients:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Your preferred sausage (I used </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Aidells Roasted Garlic & Gruyere Cheese Smoked Chicken sausage)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Abut half a head of kale (or any leafy green! This would be awesome with collards or spinach too)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Marinara sauce of your choosing (I used Rao's)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Instructions:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Preheat oven to 425. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Mix all pancake ingredients together in one bowl. Mix well and taste it, and add any spicing you like. It will be we, not as smooth as a batter, not thick like a dough. Mostly the texture of stirred ricotta cheese.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, use a spoon to dollop the mixture onto the sheet. I had mine several inches apart because of how much they spread in the pan when cooking, but on the cookie sheet, they spread less. Still some, but not as much. Set your timer for about 7 minutes, and then check on them every minute from there until you see the edges get brown and crispy looking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Add kale to a pan with a bit of olive oil in it, over medium heat. Remember to remove kale leaf from kale stalk. Season however you like your kale (I like mine garlic-y). While the kale starts to cook, slice up your sausage into thin slices. Leaving casing on. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. When the kale is half wilted, add the sausage to the same pan. Stir occasionally. When done, remove from heat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Once the edges of the ricotta pancakes look crispy, use a spatula to gently turn them over. They will still be a bit floppy, but are definitely flippable.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, checking on them after 5 for doneness. They are done with they start to brown and look a little like tiny naan breads. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Plate up and eat! I heated up my marinara in the microwave, and everything was really good! I used the small flat pancakes as tiny tacos! I spread some marinara on them, then added the kale and sausage, and dipped into the remaining sauce.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPvvuZBVIWUieOXJU3KWjADbXbPHDRL3xkk0tFZ1akY0o3a88vMEwheJSbmcmifXp6E8sHr7MUgVF1Wf2OPxiLcJpxzlCT3XPiUMBTVb1NakpgZVMXBrMITFhPrfuztPxSgC8e-i5MeoO/s1600/full+meal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPvvuZBVIWUieOXJU3KWjADbXbPHDRL3xkk0tFZ1akY0o3a88vMEwheJSbmcmifXp6E8sHr7MUgVF1Wf2OPxiLcJpxzlCT3XPiUMBTVb1NakpgZVMXBrMITFhPrfuztPxSgC8e-i5MeoO/s400/full+meal.jpg" width="298" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3c44c590-fc27-37a4-4ca7-115cae68222f" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was yummy, and earned praise from my non-keto husband, so that is always great. They did not in any way feel like fritters, but I do like what I ended up with. I can see using these as taco shells, as personal pizzas, as pancakes, and changing the seasonings. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I know I kind of made it sound complicated, but in the end it really wasn't. My first attempt was time consuming, but the experiment worked better the next time around and was much more successful, easier, and took a lot less time!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nutritional Info:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For Ricotta Pancakes only, per pancake if you make 10.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">151 calories</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2g net carbs (The bulk of carbs come from the ricotta cheese itself)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">11.5g protein</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For the rest:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Aidells Sausage is 0g net carbs, and all 4 links were about 4 servings as part of this meal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Rao's homemade marinara is 1.5g net carbs (I used it for dipping and used approximately half a serving per person)</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -Leafy greens will change depending on what you use: Kale = Approx. 3g net carbs per cup. </span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-58039925810730434542016-10-14T15:19:00.003-04:002016-10-14T15:19:58.912-04:00Is the US the Best at Anything?I didn't care about politics much when I was in college, or in my early 20s. That carryover "I know everything, I'm all set" feeling from teenager-hood came with me for a bit. Doing well in college, having fun, no rules, and parties, made it all the easier to stay wrapped up in my middle-class college student bubble. <br />
<br />
I graduated from UF in 2007 and started working at a publishing company in town. I ended up staying there for 3 years. Every year, my group of friend would shrink or change altogether as the transient nature of the town shined through.<br />
<br />
In 2010, I was able to find a (terrible) job in New York City and lived every suburban middle-class Jewish girls dream of leaving Florida and moving to the big city. In New York, I could be whoever I wanted. I was no longer the only Jewish kid in my grade, and I was ready to start the rest of my life. At 23, I felt like I was on top of the world.<br />
<br />
NYC is many things. It's beautiful, interesting, a melting pot, diverse, boasts amazing food, millions upon millions of people, things for any interest, 24/7 delis, and more.<br />
<br />
In 2010, in NYC, I was lonely, broke, and bored.<br />
<br />
I didn't know anyone and definitely did not realize how difficult it would be to make new friends in a new city, I didn't realize the job I'd gotten from back home was a scam, would only last 7 weeks, and I would end up unemployed while frantically searching for a new position before completely running out of money.<br />
<br />
I was on a precipice, a life-changing experience was happening to me, and I grew up.<br />
<br />
I spent all day long in a public library searching for jobs. Not because of the free wifi, but because I had a horrific roommate who refused to give me a key and I had to leave when she left and come home after she got there in order to get in and out. She would arbitrarily "decorate" my room for me, by going in without my permission and putting ugly stuff on top of my TV. She ended up stealing my security deposit and refusing to give it back with no reason. Honestly, she was a huge jerk and I hated her a lot. The one time she saw my boyfriend when he was picking me up and I was running late, she made sure to stomp around for a week yelling about how I wasn't allowed to have guests over. This lasted 6 months before I moved out and never looked back (BTW, Amanda, if you are ever reading this: still hate you, what you did was theft, and I think you are a terrible person.).<br />
<br />
All day long I was scouring job boards, trying to tweak my cover letter and resume, and applying for anything and everything. In the end, I was unemployed for almost 6 weeks. Which may not sound like long, but I had only been in NYC less than 4 months, and was only 3 weeks out from not being able to pay rent and having to move back home to Florida.<br />
<br />
During those less than 4 months, I had wracked up almost $5000 in credit card debt, and my savings account was completely wiped out. I finally had stable work and a paycheck and was able to breathe.<br />
<br />
At this point, I met the man who would later become my husband. But this is not that story, this is different.<br />
<br />
Being unemployed is always difficult. Being unemployed in an expensive city where I don't have any friends and no one to talk to about my problems, well it forced me to finally and truly grow up.<br />
<br />
I learned to cook more and better and why fresh ingredients matter. I was manic about saving money so that situation couldn't happen to me again. I started taking a far more serious interest in the world around me, the news, and politics. Politics opened up a whole new side of life for me. I became even more passionate about certain issues, I learned where different candidates stood on issues. I got involved in debates, I actually watch the televised debates. I get angry, frustrated, sometimes all I can do is laugh. But I learned.<br />
<br />
I started caring more about the world as a whole and less about the area that immediately surrounded me. I became appalled at the state of our two-party system and how it specifically cultivates a divided mentality. I started learning about what other countries do and how they work, and why. I started questioning why the US can't implement certain things. I started to get frustrated and disillusioned by our system. We talk about being the greatest country on Earth, the last remaining superpower. But are we?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWeQ-Geu78FlEFQeXv9Y2FWXNi2O7BVrQKr9XotJq0N55499_DWgqDPARdlQ_zBSC0gZtIGSSdABo3nQXPC5mcqkpa10H5cnj7ryeMI6RNCwQRMsz4HNDXSk7IUUAnnpro7p2enXkeZY/s1600/infog.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWeQ-Geu78FlEFQeXv9Y2FWXNi2O7BVrQKr9XotJq0N55499_DWgqDPARdlQ_zBSC0gZtIGSSdABo3nQXPC5mcqkpa10H5cnj7ryeMI6RNCwQRMsz4HNDXSk7IUUAnnpro7p2enXkeZY/s640/infog.gif" width="444" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.themarysue.com/us-compared-to-other-countries/" target="_blank">Robert Quigley</a>
discusses this infographic: "The USA may still lead the world in GDP
and rank highly in such stats as population and human development index,
but its lag in other key categories is alarming. You’ve heard about the
education gap, but did you know that U.S. students’ math scores are
among the lowest in the developed world? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/opinion/19blow.html?_r=2" target="_blank"><strong>Charles M. Blow</strong></a> and the <em>New York Times</em>
put together this infographic comparing the U.S. to other countries by 9
key metrics: The U.S. comes in at “worst of the worst” in four
categories and “worst” in two more, with zero “best” rankings." <br />
<br />
Looking at this, can you truly claim we are the best of the best? People shout "USA! USA!" But what ideals, what freedoms are we shouting for? A black man quietly protesting has been condemned in the news and by the people, despite the fact that his right to protest is what our soldiers fight for. We glorify our soldiers, instead of condemning why we even need them.<br />
<br />
I still believe that you cannot complain about the state of our country
if you won't go out and vote and be informed and at least try to make a
difference, but I also sometimes wonder if I'm making any difference at
all. <br />
<br />
It is frustrating to be a voter in this country, at least right now. Feeling like none of the nominees represent me. Something I'm hearing more and more often is "I can't vote for either of them!" or "Well, she is the lesser of two evils."<br />
<br />
And in the end, that is what the choice this year has come down to. Someone who isn't as bad as the other, terrible candidate, but still isn't that great and doesn't truly represent me.<br />
<br />
How incredibly sad. Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-69330127129905612912016-10-11T10:47:00.002-04:002016-10-11T10:49:23.782-04:00Keto Shrimp Scampi with Brussels SproutsA friend of mine at work, Susan, told me that she sometimes does sprouts in her scampi. This sounded amazing, and I immediately bought some shrimp so I could make this at home. This was completely surprising, I had never thought to add sprouts to scampi! It's keto friendly and low carb, though Brussels sprouts do have some carbs.<br />
<br />
<b>Fun fact:</b> They are actually called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout" target="_blank">Brussels sprouts</a>, not "brussel sprouts" as they are incredibly popular in in Brussels, Belgium, and may have originated and gained its name there. The predecessor to modern Brussels sprouts were likely cultivated in Ancient Rome, and the first written reference dates back to 1587!<br />
<br />
<b>Another fun fact: </b>As a child, I was a very picky eater, and I carried that into adulthood. Once I was in my mid-20s, I started trying a bunch of foods that I either had never eaten, or hadn't had since I decided I hated them as a kid. I have expanded my horizons A TON and in fact, only tried Brussel sprouts for the first time 2 weeks ago and am now obsessed. Also, almonds. I only discovered I like almonds after I started the keto/low carb lifestyle, when I was in search for new snacks.<br />
<br />
This recipe turned out to be incredibly delicious and filling, without feeling heavy at all. For those who don't know, the keto diet is a low carb/high fat diet (LCHF) in which you attempt to stay under 20 grams of net carbs per day. So you basically are cutting out not only breads, but starches like potatoes, and grains like rice. Some people have a hard time with what to eat, at first.<br />
<br />
But basically, you eat meats, most veggies, cheese, and eggs. I love eggs, so I am 100% fine with this. Also cheese is basically my main food group. Bacon is highly encouraged (fat AND protein!) and full-fat butter is the way to go on this food journey! For me, it's not as much about weight loss (which is heavily documented and proven on a low carb diet), but is more about being healthy. Both of my bio parents have diabetes, and my dad was originally diagnosed when he wasn't much older than I am now. I want to be healthy and diabetes-free for as long as possible. In fact, my diabetic parents are both on a similar diet to this, as well! Though theirs is more regulated, as they are testing their sugars and I am not.<br />
<br />
On to the recipe! I love cooking, so I kind of just threw together stuff that I knew make up a scampi-like sauce, and tasted as we went along. The amounts are approximate, so taste as you go!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnhgRJ-SU0OzZEJY_AMqTTIn2zMdAc40F3oyLpdbLG-D1cVevxeyWiit7vmy0hBsRehY55iEzE9e37JaXbS-8GnHSnbiw7tl1sPiea9eo6zFYWpErOKMMSLLs-5SCE_e2jj6wWLqODx2X/s1600/scampi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnhgRJ-SU0OzZEJY_AMqTTIn2zMdAc40F3oyLpdbLG-D1cVevxeyWiit7vmy0hBsRehY55iEzE9e37JaXbS-8GnHSnbiw7tl1sPiea9eo6zFYWpErOKMMSLLs-5SCE_e2jj6wWLqODx2X/s640/scampi.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That thing at the top is not a cookie, it is low carb tahini bread from: http://www.forestandfauna.com/paleo-hamburger-bun-keto-low-carb-nut-free/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recipe: Shrimp Scampi with Brussels Sprouts<br />
Author: Jyssica Schwartz<br />
Makes about 3-4 servings, depending on how much you eat! <br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
-1 pound cleaned, peeled, and de-veined shrimp.<br />
-2 cups raw Brussels sprouts<br />
-2-4 tbsp butter<br />
-1-2 tbsp heavy cream<br />
-2-3 tbsp white wine (cooking wine has very few carbs!)<br />
-1 tsp lemon juice (to taste) <br />
-salt, pepper, garlic<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
1. Over medium heat, put 2 tablespoons of butter into a pan, allow it to melt down and start to bubble, then add your clean shrimp. They cook super super fast, so go ahead and immediately season them.<br />
<br />
2. While your shrimp are cooking, add the white wine and lemon juice, add butter as needed/wanted (I added about another tablespoon of butter at this point, to add to the sauce and melt in). I find lemon juice to sometimes be overwhelming, so I used probably right at or less than a teaspoon.<br />
<br />
3. Add in the cream last, start with 1 tablespoon, and mix, as the cream will thicken the scampi sauce a bit and will also add to the richness of the dish. You can add additional cream to your taste. I ended up adding a bit more after the shrimp was out and the Brussels sprouts were in.<br />
<br />
4. Once shrimp is pink all the way through, usually 2-3 minutes, they are done. Remove from the heat and leave the sauce in the pan. Taste a shrimp (important! Chef's prerogative).<br />
<br />
5. Add chopped raw Brussels sprouts to the pan and sauce. For the sprouts, I chopped off the ends and removed yellow leaves (as always), then cute them in half and chopped each half the small chunks. It is a bit time intensive and it has been suggested by a commenter who made the dish that a food processor would be a lot easier and faster!<br />
<br />
6. Salt, pepper, garlic to taste. The Brussels sprouts will soak up most of the sauce, so if they are dry, add more butter/wine/cream. Taste the sprouts and remove from heat when done. They took about 4 minutes for me, over medium heat, and I cut mine in fairly small chunks, though not shredded.<br />
<br />
Serve and eat happily! I sprinkled some parmigiano on top. :)<br />
<br />
<b>Nutritional Info</b> (based on 4 servings):<br />
223 calories<br />
3.28 g net carbs (mostly from the Brussels sprouts!)<br />
28.21 g protein<br />
<br />
A Reddit commenter, r/Sloth_speed made this recipe after I posted it, and his came out awesome!<br />
<a href="https://imgur.com/a/WDUd8" target="_blank">Here</a> is a pic! They also sautéed some baby bella mushrooms and half an onion in butter and topped it with that and the Parmesan cheese. I love it when people make a recipe their own!<br />
<br />
Sorry I don't have more pics, I wasn't documenting it for a recipe post, it was just something thrown together. But it turned out so delicious, and then the reddit commenters liked it so much, that I had to post!Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-92156366389777931532016-10-09T19:16:00.000-04:002016-10-09T19:16:01.153-04:00Keto Cinnamon-Sugar CookiesBeing on keto has been a really cool journey so far. I eased into it, doing low carb (50-70g per day) for a couple of weeks, while I was trying to get my snacking under control. I'd just quit smoking and even when it's low carb, it's still terrible to be snacking on stuff all day!<br />
<br />
9 days ago, I went from low carb to keto, staying at (ok, around) 20g carbs per day, and I have never felt better. I honestly have more energy, and I am loving all the cool recipes I have both found and created.<br />
<br />
This morning I made a very cool <a href="http://www.ruled.me/keto-chocolate-cake-mug/" target="_blank">chocolate mug cake</a> from Ruled.me, and it was delicious. I have only been doing low carb/keto for a couple of weeks, but I have always loved cooking. This was a nice sweeter treat, and was easy to make.<br />
<br />
But I was looking into keto cookies. I like sweets, though not very often, and I wanted to see how I could make a keto friendly cookie with what I had at home. A lot of the recipes I found online had coconut four, psyllium husk, whey protein powder, and more stuff I don't own.<br />
<br />
This recipe is something I invented this afternoon in my kitchen and has zero protein powder (because I don't own any), no psyllium husk (same reason, though I hear it's neat), and no egg. No egg because I wanted to see what I could do without the added calories, and also because basically everything I've eaten lately has eggs in it! I love eggs, but still.<br />
<br />
So, this recipe comes out to 6 thin and decent-sized cookies! Each cookie individually has 1g net carbs, 3g protein, and about 68 calories. If you go nuts and binge on the whole batch, you still only get 6 grams of net carbs, which is not terrible! All the cookies I found were higher in carbs, calories, and had more stuff in them.<br />
<br />
These cookies are not terribly sweet, but I like them, and you could easily make them sweeter, or heartier. I feel this is a good base recipe for other flavors. I did cinnamon sugar (truvia) on top, which added some sweetness, but if you want to add some fruit extract or other flavorings, this is a nice start, and you probably already own all the ingredients!<br />
<br />
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Start by throwing the cream cheese and mozzarella into a microwave safe bowl, and nuke it for about 12 seconds, just enough to soften the cream cheese and start melting the mozzarella. Mix that together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSIZoTcMdVG7JpO3KkPdEJSfmCe1QvJcPJ-lGgNZZgZoPnI-_qbxmvIakfoOqqHX7bmU8he7tKn-osKUHnozEn-WndgWT0-m23WO7OZyL4AUZwlqyUMQ6VYUCRhoGfYDxvYCLxixqReUH/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSIZoTcMdVG7JpO3KkPdEJSfmCe1QvJcPJ-lGgNZZgZoPnI-_qbxmvIakfoOqqHX7bmU8he7tKn-osKUHnozEn-WndgWT0-m23WO7OZyL4AUZwlqyUMQ6VYUCRhoGfYDxvYCLxixqReUH/s400/3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Add all other ingredients to the batter, continuing to mix as you go. This is what my batter looked like. It was very moist, a bit grainy. You can add additional almond flour or sweetener at this point, to make the batter more stiff. If adding chopped nuts, dried fruit, chocolate powder, or other flavors, now is the time!<br />
<br />
Save half the cinnamon and some of the sweetener off to the side.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4KiWYozqMtMEqBaVdoIosnhD2Xr5YaxmV0DQqYPHrjaaK4KPwRYvlkS9jUVXycaNcL1NL5H9XwNguLA6Zr_w6CEuSD-We38-7xgpXBAYDbTNk0jGevMRQ1CktzmvxSh7J_314jop2DxB/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4KiWYozqMtMEqBaVdoIosnhD2Xr5YaxmV0DQqYPHrjaaK4KPwRYvlkS9jUVXycaNcL1NL5H9XwNguLA6Zr_w6CEuSD-We38-7xgpXBAYDbTNk0jGevMRQ1CktzmvxSh7J_314jop2DxB/s400/4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I used parchment paper on a cookie sheet and made my fist-sized ball of batter into 6 small rounds on the cookie sheet. They were pretty wet.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6TbBNzQvaYMXfAMhYNqQvHsWHMO0Wj2hT3wk8brKybCXpVTmYI1JzLfwQKfu_NCLwMwLLEVXipGHodIqTK46YmPRHobvlUsioxQrqq1HBnkpPgxyJJHbDDkQJO-F3_VmO0SxUCLgcxdG/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6TbBNzQvaYMXfAMhYNqQvHsWHMO0Wj2hT3wk8brKybCXpVTmYI1JzLfwQKfu_NCLwMwLLEVXipGHodIqTK46YmPRHobvlUsioxQrqq1HBnkpPgxyJJHbDDkQJO-F3_VmO0SxUCLgcxdG/s400/5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I used the remaining cinnamon and granulated sweetener on top of the batter.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG89uvjetb8bjfZleOkq2sU2kK371T3LfIpn3zdJs3KNPrdLPZd6l7YiVX8J2ShzZlQdUpZ8XMoRo-lMDGYqFWkUwQXs5V3vnK3DIHJuQUknSjZaQY2g1sUZp1GvAAkIMVEB_HZpqlSpJ0/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG89uvjetb8bjfZleOkq2sU2kK371T3LfIpn3zdJs3KNPrdLPZd6l7YiVX8J2ShzZlQdUpZ8XMoRo-lMDGYqFWkUwQXs5V3vnK3DIHJuQUknSjZaQY2g1sUZp1GvAAkIMVEB_HZpqlSpJ0/s400/6.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
They spread out A LOT. Next time I make them, I may experiment with adding more almond flour and less tahini. They don't have an especially tahini-like flavor, and it is very wet. I wanted to use it for adding substance. Also, I recently made the tahini bread from this website, <a href="http://www.forestandfauna.com/paleo-hamburger-bun-keto-low-carb-nut-free/" target="_blank">Forest and Fauna</a>, and I really liked the texture and flavor. I think the almond and the tahini paste matches well, but again, is not super sweet.<br />
<br />
Makes 6 servings. 1 serving is one cookie.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYjakx2cyyL5dFRu4OQ38q4orZZM9dL8E0A0bdj9tTyTJkZP8TyzjNuB4rT3RI72vldd3iyF03Jhbc0Bl9T9LONoWo__inOr5EFU_BBi6NYaZcX-qt0RhWDTKvW9hM4EiIIa83pA2hVxS/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYjakx2cyyL5dFRu4OQ38q4orZZM9dL8E0A0bdj9tTyTJkZP8TyzjNuB4rT3RI72vldd3iyF03Jhbc0Bl9T9LONoWo__inOr5EFU_BBi6NYaZcX-qt0RhWDTKvW9hM4EiIIa83pA2hVxS/s400/7.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
They are thin and yummy! I like the texture and the taste. They could be sweeter. I may try a chocolate version next, and halve the tahini. Or I might try adding an egg! You never know. I feel like this recipe is a base, a solid cookie base.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
-2 tbsp cream cheese. I used whipped just to see if it made them more airy, and also tried it with block Philadelphia cream cheese. They came out the same.<br />
-1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
-1 oz brie cheese<br />
-1 tbsp almond flour<br />
-1 tbsp tahini<br />
-1/2 tbsp heavy cream<br />
-1/2 tsp Truvia (or any granulated sugar substitute) Do this to your taste, 1/2 tsp may not be sweet enough for you! (Save some for the end)<br />
-1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
-1/4 tsp vanilla<br />
-1/2 cinnamon (save half for end)<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
1. Put the cream cheese and shredded mozzarella in a bowl and microwave it for 10-12 seconds, just enough to soften the cream cheese and start melting the mozzarella. Mix that together.<br />
2. Add all other ingredients. Remove the skin from the brie so it can be mixed. Add each ingredient and mix as you go. If it feels too wet or greasy to the touch, add additional flour. Be light on the sweetener and taste the batter so you sweeten as much as you want. I know some sugar substitutes are sweeter than others.<br />
3. On a lightly greased cookie sheet or parchment paper, make the batter into 6 or so balls.<br />
4. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes for thin, softer cookies, and 10 minutes for crispy cookies. Check at 1 minute intervals after 8 minutes, they cook super fast because of how thin they are!<br />
5. Remove and let cool.<br />
<br />
They are about 1.2g net carbs per cookie, when made into 6.<br />
<br />
Nutritional Info:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV0PVwW4zWNTAzUEa9EXNi9pOyEm5A6h4A3T10YzoqejYgQig1xB-LNv-37MrmY6OZCkcPclZZwG7zLGViCczyrEprQEaIidn2kdVRws0mE6zLZgMlEQnwvHSzvfF9k3aXAYONYCND3t2/s1600/nutrition.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV0PVwW4zWNTAzUEa9EXNi9pOyEm5A6h4A3T10YzoqejYgQig1xB-LNv-37MrmY6OZCkcPclZZwG7zLGViCczyrEprQEaIidn2kdVRws0mE6zLZgMlEQnwvHSzvfF9k3aXAYONYCND3t2/s320/nutrition.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutritional breakdown via MyFitnessPal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Let me know what you think!Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-32076030297224034782016-09-30T13:19:00.002-04:002016-09-30T13:24:23.468-04:00Everything is Terrible and Life is the Worst.Do you ever have one of those days? Weeks? Months?<br />
<br />
I am having one right now.<br />
<br />
I have always been an optimist, a look-on-the-bright-side, silver linings, glass-half-full, look-how-great-life-is kind of gal. I think for the most part that is still in me.<br />
<br />
But honestly, right now everything is terrible and life is the worst.<br />
<br />
4 weeks ago tomorrow I quit smoking. This is an awesome, long time coming decision, and I actually feel really good about it. I am not really craving the cigarettes, and they smell bad to me outside now. This is a huge deal, for me. Everyone who knows me knows I have been a smoker for a long time (almost half my life) and I always enjoy those few minutes alone that smoking provided. The social crutch, the stress-reliever, and the habit of it.<br />
<br />
So, I quit smoking.<br />
<br />
And immediately started eating everything in sight.<br />
<br />
So, I decided to go on a low carb diet. I'm still eating everything, but now I am eating only low carb snacks. There have never been more eggs in my life than there are right now, which is awesome, because I love eggs. <br />
<br />
I have still managed to gain a couple pounds (damn snacking!), but I'm eating healthier and I'm making myself go to the gym more, so I'm hoping that will even out soon. My insomnia has been acting up and I've had issues sleeping.<br />
<br />
I am genuinely upset over the presidential election and the state of the world. I have never been more concerned for myself, my fellow man, or my country. I am having a difficult time reading the news, just to see another innocent person shot and killed, another person in authority who has done something wrong and faces little to no consequences. To see another ridiculous thing Trump has said. To see people parrot Trump, or refuse to listen to any facts, or clutch on to the email server of Clinton and never let go, unlike Jack in Titanic, who did eventually let go (spoiler) as opposed to the literally almost unending parade of terrible things the orange toddler has said (yelled) and done.<br />
<br />
This is a guy who openly cheated on his first wife and is now trying to say that Clinton has un-presidential, bad judgment for staying with her husband after his scandal. And something like 40% of people polled is ok with that?<br />
<br />
It's like arguing with an anti-vaxxer. I did an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/57b4bd33e4b0cea476e5adf2?timestamp=1475255103435" target="_blank">article</a> on it before, about how people form and cling to false beliefs despite overwhelming evidence, the phenomenon is labeled as “<a data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":3,"plid":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_reasoning"}}" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_reasoning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">motivated reasoning.</a>”<br />
<br />
As explained in an excellent <a data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":4,"plid":"http://www.newsweek.com/why-we-believe-lies-even-when-we-learn-truth-78775"}}" href="http://www.newsweek.com/why-we-believe-lies-even-when-we-learn-truth-78775" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Newsweek article,</a>
“rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or
dis-confirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information
that confirms what they already believe.”<br />
<br />
The thing is, terrible things happen all over the world all of the time, every single day. But for some reason, right now, I am feeling just completely overwhelmed by it all.<br />
<br />
Everything that is happening, the nonsmoking, the whole diet change, the world, and more, it is all coming together to make me feel bad. I am moody, frustrated, lacking in willpower to stop snacking, which makes me more upset with myself, I find myself get annoyed over things people do and say that last month (and the 30 years prior) would have just made me laugh and roll off my back.<br />
<br />
I feel more disillusioned and reactionary than ever in my life. I feel controlled by food, by my thoughts about everything, but how judgemental I feel over other people right now. I feel unmotivated, writing less in the last few weeks than in the months prior. I feel useless at work and like a moody wife.<br />
<br />
I feel like my cat prefers my husband.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it all goes away. When I'm joking around with my guy, hanging with a friend, being silly, reading a good book. But then something (or nothing) happens and it comes back and I feel yuck again. It's hard to explain, honestly. <br />
<br />
I'm sure I'll get over it at some point, and stop feeling like there is no way you could ever bring a child into the world the way it is right now. I hope it happens soon and I go back to normal. It's very emotionally and physically draining to feel like this every day, all the time.<br />
<br />
I know it's a combination of everything happening in my life right now, and I am just dealing with it the best I can. I have an excellent support network and people I love, which definitely helps.<br />
<br />
And I am definitely not going back to smoking! I can't imagine having to go through all of this again!<br />
<br />
It's hard to explain.<br />
<br />
<br />
But for now, everything is terrible and life is the worst. And so are people. And my cat. And this article. And my pants, which have an itchy tag. And my coffee, which I drank and now it is gone forever.<br />
<br />
At least I get to sleep in because it's about to be the weekend! I swear, my husband is so nice and supportive and sweet and so very long suffering, for dealing with me like this. I don't know where this all came from, but I hope it leaves soon.Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-38337367715964717952016-09-14T10:45:00.002-04:002016-09-14T10:50:02.250-04:00Egg Salad & Turkey Bacon Lettuce Tacos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkg6fRJwf7zF2ndZg8pTrZ25c0uTJXjeakh5Am51U1qlgJIwfHTfpFs9L1MAkPE0VM-dv2pQ5HJxfMkXs6i7ZzejFPXYZMKjw8iTutho0gZbFolf51g3KWANBpHegRpKYx9fw0v3Wl3Kci/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkg6fRJwf7zF2ndZg8pTrZ25c0uTJXjeakh5Am51U1qlgJIwfHTfpFs9L1MAkPE0VM-dv2pQ5HJxfMkXs6i7ZzejFPXYZMKjw8iTutho0gZbFolf51g3KWANBpHegRpKYx9fw0v3Wl3Kci/s320/6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I just like thinking of them as tacos. I know some people call them lettuce WRAPS, but honestly, thinking of them as tacos is 1) more fun and 2) gives me a lot more ideas of things to put in them!<br />
<br />
I used a baby romaine, a pretty crunchy but tasteless lettuce. If you like something crisper, go with a kale, or if you like something more bitter, grab some escarole. Basically any lettuce will do!<br />
<br />
You don't see it underneath, but I tossed a couple of leaves of fresh, raw spinach under the egg salad for some added crunch and greens. Spinach has basically no calories and a bit of fiber.<br />
<br />
My husband has a healthy appetite and we each had 2 lettuce tacos and he was comfortably full and happy. Neither of us felt stuffed, but we did feel satisfied!<br />
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<br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><u>Egg Salad & Turkey Bacon Lettuce Tacos</u></span></b><br />
**This whole thing took me about 15 minutes, start to finish!<br />
1 dozen eggs makes approximately 6 servings, (12 tacos).<br />
<b><u>Ingredients:</u></b><br />
-12 eggs<br />
-5-6 slices of turkey bacon (use any kind of bacon you want, but it will change nutritional info. I used Oscar Meyer)<br />
-4 tbsp mayo (I used Hellman's Light)<br />
-2 tsp dijon mustard (I used grey poupon)<br />
-1 tsp lemon juice (Add more to taste)<br />
-Salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder<br />
<div>
-Lettuce of choice (I used a baby romaine)</div>
<br />
<u><b>Instructions:</b></u><br />
<div>
-Hardboil all 12 eggs. I did approximately 10 minutes from cold water to removal. They were not super hard boiled, which I like.</div>
<div>
-While
eggs are on the stove, put 5-6 slices of turkey bacon in between 2
paper towels and microwave them for 2-3 minutes. (I did 2 minutes on
high, and I got crispy edges and rubbery middles, which I love.) Longer
times for crispier bacon. You can also cook it on the stove, this is
just the least-dishes option. </div>
<div>
-Cut up bacon into smaller bits.</div>
<div>
-Peel all 12 eggs and put into a medium sized bowl.</div>
<div>
-Add
4 tbsp mayo, 2 tsp mustard, 1tsp lemon juice. I used a potato masher
for the initial mash, then left it chunky and used a fork for mixing
everything in.</div>
<div>
-Spices to taste. I liked a good amount of pepper and garlic powder in this. It's creamy but not TOO creamy.</div>
<div>
-Use fork to scoop egg salad on top the lettuce leaves, top with turkey bacon, and enjoy!<br />
</div>
<div>
<u><b>Variation options:</b> </u></div>
<div>
-For those who like crunch, relish or celery would be
great, or raw bell peppers and a small amount of raw onion.</div>
<div>
-Or make it brighter and use a little lemon, lime or orange zest in the egg salad. </div>
<div>
-I also added a couple leaves of fresh raw spinach to my lettuce tacos before adding the egg salad. I just like spinach, and it really doesnt change the nutritional info. More greenery!</div>
<br />
<u><b>Nutritional Information for 1 serving is: </b></u><br />
Serving size
is about 1/2 a cup of egg salad, which is 2 good sized lettuce tacos: <br />
<br />
210 calories (for BOTH!)<br />
1.2g sugar<br />
1.67g carbs<br />
3 g protein<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVxsZfFacjV6eKAQwrypX_rM_Q3oHoqLwu1MM2kNsFcjD2zwc-yQgSnSGrL6qjx7M07gjCcXbNUqg_nQzSMzrcGmsVFnrneAs_dTnoZJdQJO2owlVBTTQog9gJ6FIjElKcvugm_6tSXT5/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVxsZfFacjV6eKAQwrypX_rM_Q3oHoqLwu1MM2kNsFcjD2zwc-yQgSnSGrL6qjx7M07gjCcXbNUqg_nQzSMzrcGmsVFnrneAs_dTnoZJdQJO2owlVBTTQog9gJ6FIjElKcvugm_6tSXT5/s320/5.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make 2 of these.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsx4nA7w4hQ8BF5zLpDFJMPv6fq3noLYYH7VrYkfs4G6wCXKM0-DnbuYkVEj6d6E1CvGLjcDFIigmGuxMeUxIA5AgVWAcHV92afVqEZ8krNRRzDXCNcphdbyuvlL8jUHfr4v0MnR0xQ5b/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsx4nA7w4hQ8BF5zLpDFJMPv6fq3noLYYH7VrYkfs4G6wCXKM0-DnbuYkVEj6d6E1CvGLjcDFIigmGuxMeUxIA5AgVWAcHV92afVqEZ8krNRRzDXCNcphdbyuvlL8jUHfr4v0MnR0xQ5b/s320/6.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOM NOM NOM</td></tr>
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<br />Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-8999834451380990372016-09-12T11:08:00.000-04:002016-10-17T09:25:00.870-04:00Very Low Carb Muffin-Sized Egg Cups! (keto)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQog9lgeCAUZB05-yTGLFn3QZ7zQhnaeFTn9jHHvg_pOp53QQplz8wV_SCct8bkHgyY6c8XYMHomOrGGyLPV8S7UXPXLgBeCwUe26Bkr1YCaU5kF0j33xNaU4PhAljCfjLFOlr-sSfp_Fi/s1600/egg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQog9lgeCAUZB05-yTGLFn3QZ7zQhnaeFTn9jHHvg_pOp53QQplz8wV_SCct8bkHgyY6c8XYMHomOrGGyLPV8S7UXPXLgBeCwUe26Bkr1YCaU5kF0j33xNaU4PhAljCfjLFOlr-sSfp_Fi/s400/egg1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My masterpiece!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I like to bake/cook on Sundays, and make breakfast for my husband and I to take to work for that week, as well as lunches for myself (mealprersunday, woo!). Cooking at home is generally healthier than picking up breakfast on the way to work, and it's definitely cheaper!<br />
<br />
For awhile, I was making banana-blueberry muffins with whole wheat flour. I did a lot of fiddling with the recipe, and while it tasted good, they were pretty dry.<br />
<br />
For several weeks, I was making oatmeal-banana-peanut butter bars. Those were yummy and VERY filling and high protein, but also very high carb. These had no sugar added, they were sweetened with honey, and were delicious, but the base of it was rolled oats and peanut butter.<br />
<br />
I have decided to cut down on carbs and am on the keto lifestyle, and wanted a healthy and filling breakfast for us, and decided on an egg cup! Basically an egg muffin cup, and could also be considered a small frittata.<br />
<br />
But not a quiche! A <u>quiche</u> has a crust (like a tiny pie!) and typically has cream in the egg, to make more of a custard. A <u>frittata</u> is a thick omelette that is cooked on the stovetop and then often finished in the oven to get it nice and browned on top.<br />
<br />
But an Egg Cup is neither of these! It's more like a frittata than a quiche, but the eggs are cooked in the oven. Though I did cook the other stuff on the stovetop, as they would not have been completely cooked through in the oven.<br />
<br />
I only used 6 ingredients, plus spices I already had. At the bottom of the recipe there are exact nutritional info (math'ed all by myself), but each cup only has 89 calories, 1.5g net carbs, and 9g of protein!<br />
<br />
I used half a cup of milk in the eggs to cream it up a bit, and the 1% milk I chose actually had 55 calories and 6g of sugar in just half a serving! You can save yourself the sugar and some calories using unsweetened almond milk, if you like, though it won't change the nutritional counts much overall.<br />
EDIT: In the multiple times making these since this post, I have used unsweetened almond milk in these egg cups, and have changed the below nutritional totals to reflect that. <br />
<br />
In some similar recipes, the cheese is halved, and with a meltier cheese like cheddar, you may prefer less.<br />
<br />
<b>TIP: </b>When using ground turkey, the taste of the meat alone is fairly bland, and you can really make it pop with spicing. Hot sauce would be great in this recipe, chilli powder, some adobo, I used some coriander in mine. Have fun with spicing, just taste as you go to make sure the turkey has enough spicing. It may feel like a lot, but ground turkey typically needs more flavor added than other meats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PN85HbnjDHK2QrV-ugTUrfUQMWuFou9gCrs7OctUvcfsyFI4kcbMlkCb0JZz_tkp3Xp0UyFei91k12QREq1-pYzOt4WkoUJSKG3oJhetgpjzAob7kK0VL-hk1Kya4mWEfYbeS0s30VNP/s1600/egg3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PN85HbnjDHK2QrV-ugTUrfUQMWuFou9gCrs7OctUvcfsyFI4kcbMlkCb0JZz_tkp3Xp0UyFei91k12QREq1-pYzOt4WkoUJSKG3oJhetgpjzAob7kK0VL-hk1Kya4mWEfYbeS0s30VNP/s320/egg3.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0jORzbNuT3NTPfsBXXf-K3kLW8tuWNXNpB9nuJbsS6e8AALvBcHYhSnyluce48mUALXtTXxmTyXQru4yAo2oTEAbg3JmKpfPzA07bzWDqwBH4d3zu2Sk4ObhmNv9gL7pbCcAzD-j-T5F/s1600/egg4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0jORzbNuT3NTPfsBXXf-K3kLW8tuWNXNpB9nuJbsS6e8AALvBcHYhSnyluce48mUALXtTXxmTyXQru4yAo2oTEAbg3JmKpfPzA07bzWDqwBH4d3zu2Sk4ObhmNv9gL7pbCcAzD-j-T5F/s320/egg4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
This recipe makes 24 egg cups! The nutritional info below is per 1 egg cup, but I actually do 2 per breakfast.<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: red;"></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><u><b>Low Carb/Keto Muffin-Sized Egg Cups with Spinach, Broccoli & Turkey</b></u></span><br />
<br />
<u><b>Ingredients:</b></u><br />
-1 cup shredded cheese (I used 1 package of Borden low-moisture, part skim Mozzarella)<br />
-12 extra large eggs<br />
-1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk <br />
-Approximately 1 cup of broccoli (I used about half a head, chopped into very small pieces)<br />
-2 cups of spinach (I used fresh, but frozen could also be used. 2 cups = about 2 big handfuls)<br />
-1 package of lean ground turkey (I used Sandy Brook Farms, 93% lean, total weight was 20.8 oz)<br />
<br />
<u><b>Instructions:</b></u><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. <br />
1. In a large skillet on the stovetop, start browning the ground turkey over medium heat. Make sure to break up the meat into small pieces, and spice to your taste. I added a lot of salt, pepper, garlic, coriander, and both onion powder and minced dried onion, as well as chili powder.<br />
<br />
2. While turkey is cooking, chop broccoli into small bits and add to the same skillet. Add the spinach to the same pan as well. Spice as wanted. Let it all cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring around the meat and greens occasionally. The meat should be cooked through and the spinach should be wilted.<br />
<br />
3. In a medium sized bowl, crack 12 eggs and add the 1/2 cup milk. Add salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix and break all the yolks. <br />
EDIT: I have found I use less cheese AND save on the macros by adding the cheese separately. This step used to involve adding the cheese to the egg mixture before adding to muffin pans. <br />
<br />
4. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray (I use Pam with Olive Oil). Using a slotted spoon, add meat and greens from your pan to the bottom of each muffin cup, it will fill each cup about halfway. <br />
<br />
5. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup, about 3/4 of the way. If you used less meat than I did, you may find that there isn't enough egg for all the muffins! If this is the case (it happens to the best of us), simply crack another egg or 2 into your bowl, add milk, and finish off the rest of your egg cups.<br />
Another option is to make fewer egg cups. I only need 20, but make the full 24 to have extras to take to work. If you make fewer, remove the meat and greens from unused cups and save for salads or munching later.<br />
<br />
6. Once the egg mixture is poured into all the cups, the last step is to take mozzarella cheese and just by hand add some onto the top of each egg cup, and then use a fork to smoosh it down slightly into the egg. <br />
<br />
7. Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. A toothpick should come out clean (not runny with egg). Let cool before storing.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKUwPAVqLpB32AlVddN_alwbYBsJii06EtpIVBV_e4bPjQ6uW13QYHg_bIEtrrrc_2c9RWNg2tCXFQ-dtEwYMY7xoICEGTrIQDnjTxJvQQjfNDJwCGn9MxWbiDogCBCp-6xi1XpsU0Wz4/s1600/egg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKUwPAVqLpB32AlVddN_alwbYBsJii06EtpIVBV_e4bPjQ6uW13QYHg_bIEtrrrc_2c9RWNg2tCXFQ-dtEwYMY7xoICEGTrIQDnjTxJvQQjfNDJwCGn9MxWbiDogCBCp-6xi1XpsU0Wz4/s320/egg2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I put 2 egg cups per small baggie and loaded them into the fridge after
cooling. We have 20 for our breakfasts all week (2 per person per day), and I take the extras
to work to share with colleagues. Husband and I actually just ate them
cold at our desks, and they are just as yummy heated up. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Nutritional Info:</b><br />
PER EGG CUP:<br />
89 calories per cup! 1.5g carb (this rounded it down, and below rounded it up, ha)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB30witZm9SwOvWaVMUKYRIE0z9ncpIxzfjvNIZ5bmFRHsm7xJw1Q7daBWulJdlVgcAJNZ4N4yfrFjbrKeeLYwKNo0QY4MWtsltCXoSmM1AxIzCB_N7UvGmbYm65-uGOWD9lD0fpa_pu_/s1600/Egg+Cups+Nutrition1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB30witZm9SwOvWaVMUKYRIE0z9ncpIxzfjvNIZ5bmFRHsm7xJw1Q7daBWulJdlVgcAJNZ4N4yfrFjbrKeeLYwKNo0QY4MWtsltCXoSmM1AxIzCB_N7UvGmbYm65-uGOWD9lD0fpa_pu_/s400/Egg+Cups+Nutrition1.PNG" width="141" /></a></div>
<b> Nutritional info per ingredient:</b> (Used MyFitnessPal recipe builder)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgg21jgxbMHtReJIyv7xjPyssn73oujPhlil7Q3Cj9UmnRgnWyQR4OFrQf-FXZfKExVeE4tXin09oVep5lnJg9BjLvoGvUlWApD0UaPmKySJVZn-CrbEL7e5wHKP4bXl0amEEeyyHD-_v/s1600/Egg+Cups+Nutrition.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgg21jgxbMHtReJIyv7xjPyssn73oujPhlil7Q3Cj9UmnRgnWyQR4OFrQf-FXZfKExVeE4tXin09oVep5lnJg9BjLvoGvUlWApD0UaPmKySJVZn-CrbEL7e5wHKP4bXl0amEEeyyHD-_v/s400/Egg+Cups+Nutrition.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<u>Update from author</u>: This recipe originally had asparagus instead of broccoli, but I was not super excited about the asparagus by the end of the first week (it is not my favorite veggie) and in the weeks since, I've used broccoli instead. I went in and updated this recipe to reflect that.<br />
<br />Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-30923728600632486032016-09-09T11:03:00.002-04:002016-09-09T11:05:50.944-04:00Random Thoughts<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;">Marriage is basically asking "Where are you going?" every time someone
gets up, and if it's to get something and come right back, then marriage is
also "Can you get me some water/chips/pants too?"</span><br />
<br />
*******************<br />
<br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">I think my computer has slid past "annoying" and is now openly at war with me. </span></span><br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">Guess what? It's winning.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0jDs5gaHvXacjgzZf2Q1S9W4cFEesIgBi6bMKurkvwrxxqJzC3Gw_XqkbeYyQgLFUC59IURCdBmv01xuwGrmKjW0hXe9Z_IOb_4uhmGQnWr0YgsXeffYn0bABJFkVG1tZgWX6UeYdFHP/s1600/train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0jDs5gaHvXacjgzZf2Q1S9W4cFEesIgBi6bMKurkvwrxxqJzC3Gw_XqkbeYyQgLFUC59IURCdBmv01xuwGrmKjW0hXe9Z_IOb_4uhmGQnWr0YgsXeffYn0bABJFkVG1tZgWX6UeYdFHP/s400/train.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">You know it's summer in New York when your bare arms are touching other people's bare arms on the train. </span></span><br />
<br />
*******************<br />
<br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">My cat always watches me shower. Not only is it mildly creepy, but what
could he possibly be thinking? He hates getting baths, but loves to sit
in the bathtub. Is he wondering at my stupidity for purposely standing
under falling water? Is he plotting my murder (this could be a
constant)? Is he daydreaming about napping in the tub later? I DONT
KNOW. </span></span><br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">I am leaning towards stalker-peeping tom kitty.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZARm9bnChVe_bq0eT9GC60Tk8msuKpPNoeA9TSuQ8a55DpRpvqMfVFrHH8QrSxdpvzpJF2WKsdIc1iL2wAPvHIy0fHMV1UELClkwJMD7Gyzag_DVveFh98qt4MZZ_GHxQg5ir_pb85ikH/s1600/followers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZARm9bnChVe_bq0eT9GC60Tk8msuKpPNoeA9TSuQ8a55DpRpvqMfVFrHH8QrSxdpvzpJF2WKsdIc1iL2wAPvHIy0fHMV1UELClkwJMD7Gyzag_DVveFh98qt4MZZ_GHxQg5ir_pb85ikH/s400/followers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">I never post anything fun or funny on Twitter. It is literally hooked up to my LinkedIn work account. Yet somehow I acquire followers. </span></span><br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;">But try to be a hilarious writer on a blog and attract followers? Good luck! </span></span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="_5yl5">My dad got into town last night. It was his first time in our new place, and only maybe the second time meeting our cat. Dad sat on the couch, and my cat came up and investigated. After receiving exactly 1.7 pets, the kitty climbed to the back of the couch and decided it was the right time to cross some personal boundaries and sniff dad's bald head, sweep his tail across the aforementioned bald head, and just kind of tap his paw on it. Was he seeing if it was ripe? I don't know. Cat then wandered off. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKstU_K9Qk_mejfD_nZyat0Xb9xmbHsB3VWBbhJbdKYJHvM63xwXGEevUzvrZ0jhJuhJVwvlSaM836qbLlHMOJ9k2jJtp9sQV-WWIyuaeaSFDbnGKK7TwO66xJ11Q1-QXD__ITB6AuMXW7/s1600/cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKstU_K9Qk_mejfD_nZyat0Xb9xmbHsB3VWBbhJbdKYJHvM63xwXGEevUzvrZ0jhJuhJVwvlSaM836qbLlHMOJ9k2jJtp9sQV-WWIyuaeaSFDbnGKK7TwO66xJ11Q1-QXD__ITB6AuMXW7/s400/cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":5z.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":60.co" style="text-align: left;"><span class="_5yl5"> </span></span> </span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4078264120258016765.post-52243361089887248122016-09-02T09:02:00.002-04:002016-09-02T09:02:35.950-04:00My Husband Inspires Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pmTHrJLRmyHDbb5E194PGW6vJEf1lNGYGhR99ZqCGi0hO7sWajcls505jcGnPuNbKY8z6BRZG8btO7hnbZW5fAVryYLv6s1P9APSXhTd1A2BmyIvRtByq27U5EnH_uMJunJ3C0xNztnn/s1600/kisses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pmTHrJLRmyHDbb5E194PGW6vJEf1lNGYGhR99ZqCGi0hO7sWajcls505jcGnPuNbKY8z6BRZG8btO7hnbZW5fAVryYLv6s1P9APSXhTd1A2BmyIvRtByq27U5EnH_uMJunJ3C0xNztnn/s400/kisses.png" width="381" /></a></div>
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;"> My
husband is an IT geek. He loves computers, math, algorithms, coding,
programming, card and board games, and me. He has been computer science
focused since before high school, and in high school was even able to
take computer-science-specific classes along with his regular classes. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">He
went to college, achieved a Computer Science Bachelor’s degree, and
then moved home to Brooklyn and immediately got a job in programming,
and has transitioned into bigger and better jobs since then. He has
built websites, programmed and fixed giant deployment tools, coded
stuff, taught himself mobile phone programming, and reads articles about
techie stuff in his free time. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">My
husband loves what he does. He is passionate about his chosen career
field, and is 100% certain that he is doing the right thing for him. He
is creative in a techie/mathy way that actually creates something out of
nothing, using his lines of code, which is really cool. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">I
am 10 years deep in a career I sort of fell into after college. I am
good at sales, I am decently successful in my field, and I have been
lucky enough and have worked hard enough to move into good positions
with great companies, and work with amazing bosses. I like my job.</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">But
I am not passionate about my job the way Hubs is. I don’t take the same
depth of satisfaction from mine as he does when he’s solving a code
crisis. I didn’t know at 14 that this is what I would be doing. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">When
I was a kid, I wanted to be a singer, songwriter, illustrator, writer,
or lawyer. I was always told I was good at arguing and should be a
lawyer, so I’m not sure if I wanted to be that, or if it just seemed
like a good back-up plan. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">As
an adult, my hobbies include singing, songwriting, and writing. None of
those are my career and none of them are paid. I still am passionate
about them, I love doing them, and I let my creative flag fly free. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">Listening
to Hubs talk about work and the projects he is working on (I have
learned SO MUCH about computer-y things in the last 6 years!) and the
problems he faces, the solutions he finds, acting as a sounding board
and suggesting things from a different point of view, seeing the
gratification he gets from a job well done, a project completed, and a
good review from his boss, has inspired the hell out of me. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">I
recently turned 30, and also marked 5 years of having my personal blog.
It is a creative outlet full of rants, ramblings, coherent articles,
doodles, lyrics, and lists. For some reason, I assumed if my blog was
entertaining enough, it would magically attract readers and I could
maybe get some ad revenue out of it, or somehow parlay that into a
writing career. Well, that hasn’t happened, but I have gotten a lot of
happiness and satisfaction from maintaining my blog, so that’s awesome. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">When
I turned 30, I started examining my writing goals. I have journals full
of poetry and lyrics, and 2 half-started books on my computer (one is a
young adult novel, one a self-help book on confidence), I have a small
demo with a couple of songs I wrote and recorded, and I already had a
few articles posted as a guest contributor on one website that was not
my blog. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">I
wasn’t actively taking steps forward to write elsewhere or try to get
paid. But the truth is, I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and getting
published isn’t just going to fall out a window and hit me. If I’m going
to be a writer, I needed to start making a real concerted effort to
write.</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">And
I have. Since my birthday in June, I’ve added several more websites to
the list of places that publish my articles, including my most recent
achievement of Huffington Post blogger platform. I’ve applied to several
part time writer/editor positions, and have started working on a couple
of pieces to submit to writing contests. I am continuing to apply to
websites to be a guest contributor.</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve
blogged and posted articles on sites significantly more often than
before, I’ve taken more time to work on my book, and I’ve carved out
time weekly to just sit at a computer and WRITE. Even when I’m not sure
what to say. </span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">It’s
tough sometimes, and I get frustrated or I have nothing to say. I try
to pay more attention to the news, so I can write more relevant articles
instead of rants or funny posts that were more for my personal blog and
less for a wider audience. I have started thinking a lot more about
keywords and SEO and what appeals to people who are not me.</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">It’s
also exciting and interesting and new and shiny. I have always wanted
to be a writer and every single time I see my byline and thumbnail photo
on a new website, I get giddy and happy.</span><br />
<br /><span data-mce-style="font-weight: 400;" style="font-weight: 400;">My
husband loves what he does, even when it annoys or frustrates him.
Seeing him happy and successful and fulfilled inspires me to find that
as well. His passion and drive inspire me to do better and improve. And
that is pretty awesome.</span>Jyssicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13825772770539669740noreply@blogger.com0