Exploring the Forgotten

I thought John had made the heart in the sand. Turns out he didn't know what I was talking about! I guess there is love everywhere.

Shiny, happy cats

Another new discovery of mine is good for human bodies AND pets! I learned about flaxseed oil from a health cook book, and have been using it for about 2 weeks now. It's great to use in almost ANYTHING! Salads, cooking, baking etc... It has a great semi nutty taste. So far I have put it in brownies, wraps and even in my cat's food bowl. They love it! I love what it does to their fur... I have really been noticing a difference in their coat. It's great! You can also buy flaxseeds and put them on anything. Make sure you buy it milled or crushed, otherwise your body won't digest the benefits from them.

Friday Night

This is what my Friday night felt like, and what my camera decided to select a moment to keep forever.


ps.
Weighed myself today, and the new diet is definitely paying off! I feel like my ENTIRE body is changing.

More food experiments...

I tried yet another recipe from Alicia Silverstone's Kind Life book. Today it was Toasted Nori Burritos. The only thing that I needed to buy that wasn't already in my fridge was the toasted nori. You can find it in any grocery store, or for an adventure, find your local oriental store. I even bought toasted nori packets and love to eat them as a snack!

Toasted Nori Burritos
Serves 2

1 umeboshi plum (I did NOT add this)
1 cup cooked borwn rice
2 sheets toasted nori (seaweed)
2 romaine lettuce leaves (any salad greens are great!)
1 avacado, sliced
1 apple, sliced (did not add this)
4 fresh basil leaves
Leaves from 6 cilantro springs (really makes it delish!)
Leftover cooked kale of salad greens

Tear the umeboshi plum into little pieces and discard the pit. Place half the rice on each sheet of nori and top with the remaining ingredients. Roll the nori into a cone shape around the filling; if it's rolled tightly, you can seal the edges by wetting your finger to dampen the edges of the nori.

I found this recipe to be a great, fresh lunch. I will definitely be making this again!

Natural Air Freshener

I have cats. That means, sometimes my house stinks. For years I have been spending obscene amounts of money on chemical deodorizers. Today, I changed the air in my house. I ran out of a febreeze wall plug in, and decided to try something different. I googled 'natural air fresheners' and I found some amazing news. Apparently, I have been spending zillions of dollars on chemicals that have been harming my body, when a much cheaper, more natural and safe way to get rid of my cat's smell was hiding in my cupboards! I tried two things today, and I have an entire list of things that I can try after I go to the grocery store!


The cinnamon is currently boiling in my kitchen, and the house smells fantastic!

I found a few exciting tips on the interweb!

"Indoor air quality is becoming more of an issue as people are spending more and more time indoors. Most of us have seen reports on common dangerous household pollutants such as deadly molds, lead from paints, asbestos, and many others. What many people are not aware of are the dangerous chemicals we are willingly bringing into our homes and using in the form of air fresheners! Many commercial air fresheners use chemicals that have detrimental side effects such as agents that deaden your sense of smell, oils that coat your nasal passages, chemicals that can be damaging to skin and eyes, and ingredients that can be very poisonous if accidentally ingested. In addition to being potentially dangerous, many commercial air fresheners don't actually freshen the air, they just mask one odor with another! So, what are we to do if we want a pleasant smelling indoor environment? Try a more natural approach!


Vanilla extract on cotton balls in a recycled jam jar.

A wide assortment of air fresheners can be found hiding in your kitchen cabinets. Many of the herbs and spices we cook with also make wonderful air fresheners (such as cinnamon, clove, ginger, rosemary, basil, etc.). Try boiling your favorites alone or combined. Scented extracts (such as vanilla, almond, etc.) can also be used. Try dabbing some onto cotton balls and then placing the cotton balls throughout your home. Another kitchen staple renowned for removing odors is baking soda. An open box of baking soda placed in a room will help eliminate odors, especially musty mildew odors. A cup of vinegar can also be used in the same fashion to help remove smells. Simply fill several small bowls with vinegar and place in the area of the offensive smell."

There are so many amazing natural options out there, it's amazing that I never discovered these great options before. Although- they aren't advertised nearly as often on TV as the chemical ones, and I always get sucked in by commercials.

New Light

I fall victim to scams. All. The. Time. The other day, a glowing orange orb caught my attention at the health food store. Not only was it the perfect lamp for my recently rearranged room, but apparently, it's also good for you. I bought a salt lamp. Apparently, salt lamps release negative ionic energy which promotes energy and increases blood flow to the brain. The salt lamps also counter fluorescent lighting and can fight pollutants in the air and help ease headaches. If it's just a gimic.. that's okay. At least it's pretty!

Cabbage Soup

I recently sent out an all call to friends and family members asking for healthy recipes. My Grandma Sektnan sent me a recipe she has been using for YEARS to help her loose weight. She also sent me an old 1980's pamphlet about the diet that my grandpa even laminated--- I love it.

Apparently this was a fad diet at some point, and it's still floating around the market a little. Instead of following the 'diet' regimen, I have decided to incorporate the soup into my weekly menu. I have been making it once a week for the past three weeks. The soup lasts the entire week, and it's a great thing to eat with dinner along with veggies for a low calorie meal.


Cabbage Soup

6 large green onions (1 bunch)
2 green bell peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (14.5 ounce size, diced or whole)
1 bunch celery, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 package (Lipton) onion soup mix
1 or 2 cubes bouillon (optional)
1 48 oz can V8 juice, or 6 cups water or light chicken or vegetable broth (I use the spicy hot V8 for a little excitement!)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.*

Simmer or slow cook all until soup is done. *If slow cooking, add seasonings about an hour before done. Eat all the soup you want, whenever you want.


The 'diet'

First Day - All fruit is fine, except bananas; soup
Day 2 - Any and all vegetables, baked potato with butter for dinner; soup
Day 3 - Combine Day 1 and 2, without potato; soup
Day 4 - Up to six bananas, all the skim milk you want; soup
Day 5 - 10 to 20 ounces of beef, a can of tomatoes, 6 to 8 glasses of water; soup
Day 6 - All the beef and vegetables you want; soup
Day 7 - Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables; soup

Note: No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages - not even diet soda.

Blogger question of the day- What are your favorite recipes?

Going Green

After researching the option for a loooooong time, I have finally decided to give it a try. I'm going to go vegetarian. It's not an animal deal or an issue with meat- I just want better poops and less upset stomachs. Plus, veggies are SUPER nummy when you take the time to cook. So.... here goes!

Ginger

Okay bloggers- we need to have a serious conversation- about GINGER, one of my new favorites. I started enjoying ginger two summers ago when I got a deep cough from sleeping in my Oma and Opa's basement in Germany. My Oma had me bike to the market and buy a few knuckles of ginger. She cut up, soaked it in hot water, added honey and made me drink it. At first I wasn't to keen on the mixture, but after about two days, my cough was completely gone. (Thanks Oma!) After that, I sort of forgot about ginger. The root resurfaced in my life about a month ago when I started making sassy water. Since then, I have been grating ginger and adding it to my bottle of water every single night.

Not only does it add zest to the water, but it also has TONS of health benefits. It cleans out your body, cures tons of common ailments including the common cold and even the flu! Almost every single country has a medical use for ginger.

So next time you're at the grocery store and see a basket of funny shaped roots- break off a piece, stick it in your cart and experiment with it at home! You'll be surprised the kind of flavor it adds to anything and the health benefits that are included!




I want to print this out and hang it in my kitchen!

Looks like yuck- Tastes like NUM!

This has been a truly amazing journey. After beginning my diet, my body feels so much better, and I'm starting to have a lot of fun with food. My favorite part of this new lifestyle are the adventures I have been having in my kitchen. After John replaced the lightbulb, I have been able to see my kitchen for the place it really is. Not just a microwave. Every week I have been trying a few new recipes, and I haven't made one I don't like yet.

Today was a little sketchy. I decided to try the Gingered Green Beans with Hijiki. I sat down for the afternoon and went through The Kind Diet book to find a few good recipes. I found one that only needed a few extra ingredients, since I already had a GIANT bag of green beans. The only problem- I had NO idea with hijiki or shoyu was! I googled them- and still didn't know. Neither did ANYBODY in Hy-Vee. I had a brilliant idea, and decided to try the Oriental Market next to the Journalism School. They had hijiki, and... well... shoyu--- which can apparently also be pickled plums. I got a little nervous and bought the plums, black hijiki and a 'small' bag of sea salt (the bag was about the size of my cat).

If you decide to make this recipe- I warn you- the hijiki smells like horrible smelly sea. Open your windows, cover your nose, and push on! It's worth it. When they are cooked and 'married' to the onions- it tastes sweet and delish!
In the end, the recipe makes a fantastic, healthy version of steamed green beans.

What I like about this new diet is that it makes me more hands on with food. Instead of going for the "Ready in 5 minutes" brand of food, I'm touching, smelling and exploring the food. Today, I even got out of my usual grocery store and explored the Oriental place. They had many different veggies I didn't even recognize, I will definitely be going back! It's more exciting to know where my food has come from, and what it does to my body! My skin is clearer, I feel lighter, and best of all... I'm super regular. (Didn't want to know that.. didja?)





Gingered Green Beans with Hijiki

Serves 2 to 4

1/2 cup dried hijiki
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon shoyu
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups green beans
1/2 cup onion, halved and sliced
Juice from 2 tablespoons grated ginger

*substitutions*
Instead of shoyu, I used Bragg Liquid Aminos.
Mix olive oil and flaxseed oil to create a tastier, healthier oil base.
Instead of just the ginger juice- throw in all the pieces.

Place the hijiki in a small bowl, and cover with hot water. Soak for about 20 minutes, then drain and rinse in a colander to rid the hijiki of any remaining grit.

Combine the hijiki with the shoyu and water to almost cover in a saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the water has nearly evaporated, about 30 to 40 minutes.

While the hijiki cooks, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garli and salt and saute for about 4 minutes, or until translucent. Cut the tips from the green beans, and add to the onions. Cover and cook until the green beans are tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the hijiki and ginger juice. Mix well, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer to marry the flavors. Serve immediately.

POYi

,

Incase you haven't heard the buzz from the photojournalism work, POYi is currently in session. It's honestly the three most exciting weeks on campus. I love just sitting in the dark room staring at beautiful images on the screen. I got roped into volunteering by my boyfriend John, and have been having a great time doing it! I've been moderating the chat room, and aside from a few commenters, it's been a great experience to hear what everybody has to say about the photographs and the judges discussion. This week, my friend Pablo Corral Vega is one of the judges. I met him two thanksgiving's ago in his home town of Quito, Ecuador. He was a fantastic host, and a really fantastic guy. His words about the photographs and about photojournalism in general have been so inspiring! There really isn't much to do in the moderator's chair, so I spent my free time jotting down a few of my favorite quotes.

"Photographs are like windows, you can see that person’s life. You can feel what that person feels. Photography is never objective, the photographer can make us feel the way they want. He/she could make anything feel like there is life. The photographer is making a choice- to show us that this place is bleak and hopeless."

"You cannot have enough beauty in the world. You have to FIGHT for it sometimes."

"There are so many issues in our own neighborhood that we are afraid to address. We need to realized that we do not need to travel around the world to find beautiful stories. We need love and death."

"It’s essential that that’s the photographer’s job- to put them out there to haunt and stay in people’s memories and motivate their lives and actions. "

Surprises

Sometimes I surprise myself- last night's dinner was one of those times. I'm not really one for taking photographs of my food, but recently with my culinary prowess, I have been creating some mighty colorful concoctions. Last night's was both healthy, and delicious!

Tomato Mozzarella Salad
One tomato
Ball of mozzarella
Fresh Basil
Balsamic vinaigrette

Cut it up and make it look like my picture.

Nuuuuummmmm!

As Seen on TV

If you know me, you know one of my addictions. As seen on TV things. I could probably be a paid As Seen on TV tester with all of the things I have bought and tested. The Smooth Away, (Which actually does work, but I never saw anything like it in Europe like the box says), PedEgg (I'd rather buy a cheese grater and use it on my foot), Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs (I really was obsessed with it for weeks, didn't notice any difference, and drove the people living beneath me insane with all my hip hop stomping), and NOW, the Bender Ball. I've been doing regular sit ups for weeks now, and have only lost 1 inch off my waist, so a 408% improvement (from University Testing... ha) sounds pretty fantastic! I know, I know. Gimick.... but I still use Bare Escentuals every single day, watch Mike Rowe's QVC clips (totally legit), and I'm starting to get sick of sit ups. Maybe in a few weeks I'll post pictures of my uhhh *cough* ripped abs.



*update*
I attempted the bender ball this evening... all the while hoping my boyfriend wouldn't bust into my house and find me pantsless with a little green ball between my legs. NOT ONLY is the how to video made in somebody's basement with 3 older ladies and a stained off white carpet, but the main instructor keeps making really bad jokes. "Okay now... 200 more... just kidding, I can't even count that high," "Okay now hold that for 40 minutes... just kidding." She seems to say just kidding every three minutes while telling me to do something kind of impossible. Which only makes me want to hold it for 40 minutes. So, to make my review simple. The Bender Ball workout component rocks.

Please note, I will NOT be posting action pictures of this workout.

In my next life, I'm going to be a cat.

I'm surrounded by happy, sleeping kitties. Definitely the life.






I wish I could sleep like that.

Also, I think that everybody should watch this amazing video about deep tissue kitty massages. Remember- your fingers can be light as a fairy!

ps.
I'm looking for somebody to take care of these guys for a couple of months starting in June. If you want the company of two of the best kitties in the world, please email me!

My Favorite Things

After an intense week of working POYi, this weekend was a welcome break from the drone of 'out, out, out, out, out.' After a crazy night with the judges at McNally's, Saturday was a bust, but luckily Sunday has been pretty productive. I got some bills paid, wrote a few letters, made some brussel sprouts with flaxseed oil, and got distracted by the rain on my bike. It's been a fantastic, lady Sunday afternoon. One of the best!

A Cinderella Story

Laura Hinkle, 19, tightens her pink strappy sandal at the Hickman Courtwarming Dance on February 11, 2009. The dance was casual, but many girls wore dresses and fancy shoes while others wore clothes that suggested it was summer outside instead of the actual cool 22 degrees Fahrenheit it actually was. Hinkle wore her pink shoes to prom last year and thought this was the perfect opportunity to wear them again.


Andrew Martin, 17, tries to woo Crystal Whitby onto the dance floor at the Hickman Courtwarming Dance on February 11, 2009. Martin and Whitby are good friends, and Whitby never thought Martin would, “actually want to dance.”


Annie Orear, 18, gets spun by Travis Cram, 18, at the high school dance on Thursday. Orear came to the dance alone, and never expected to have so much fun dancing with Cram or anybody else. The couple danced exclusively together throughout entire evening.


A group of high school students dance with each other on the dimly light dance floor at Hickman High School. This year, the dance was held on a Thursday because of the school’s schedule, and many people expected the amount of attendees to be lower than usual. Instead, the dance floor was packed and it lasted until 10 PM, the time of most students’ school night curfew.


Justin Martens, 16, dances with his friend Heather Galbreath, 15, at the dance on Thursday. Galbreath never thought Martens would dance with her, but they ended up kissing because it “felt so right.” They had to part at the end of the night because Galbreath’s mother arranged to pick her up at the front entrance.


An unknown couple runs through the dance floor to the coatroom to get their jackets at the Hickman dance on Thursday. Most students stayed until the dance was over at 10 PM, but some snuck out early. School policy requires students to show an ID to get into the dance, and also states that once you leave, you cannot re enter, under any circumstances.

Presley Wants Your Help

............................................................................... and so do I!


"The Outsiders"

"The Mating Dance"

"Cinderella Story"

"Cinderella Story" ..... Alternate



which one?

Listening

If you haven't listened to last week's, This American Life, do it, now. It's especially interesting to me because of our recent readings for my capstone course. Not only is it interesting because of the subject of abandoned houses, (If you haven't noticed my latest obession...) it's also interesting for it's truly remarkable use of audio.

Quick question for all blog readers- If you could have dinner with one person in the world, who would it be?

I would love to have dinner with Ira Glass. Hands down.

or Jim Henson Lets just be honest.. that would be awesome.



One thing that has really improved my audio skills in the past year, is actually buying my own audio recorder and learning how to use it, well. The marantz recorders in the newsroom were always screwed up, and I was always coming back from assignments with horrible quality audio. If you're in the market for an audio recorder, I highly suggest going with the Olympus LS-11 or LS-10.

Coupon Code for Olympus
Code- 7A388F506EA8EAF
Employee ID Number- OIMAPR

Enter...

Nuff' Weenies?

Peeling Wallpaper

Lately I've been really enjoying the little details of life.

fyi this is an abandoned house, NOT my apartment.

Addictions

sparkly water is my major vice

MacBook Book Book

Greetings Fellow Women Photographers,

I have found the answer to your prayers... and something cool as well.
My friend Alex recently emailed me a few links, to a few things that made me want to whip out my credit card and spend all my savings. Finally, a stylish purse that can actually FIT my camera (I might go for the brown...), and a carrier case for my laptop that looks like an old school book. Awesome. Thanks Alex!

Just thought I would share the finds, incase there is somebody out there that can actually afford cool things!

Maybe I'll go to a bookstore and try to actually make my own macbook cover!





...awesome