Smoothie Addiction

Jamba Juice.

I felt like that needed it's own line. A friend of mine, Allyce, told me about Jamba Juice a couple of months ago. I tried some fruity smoothie and I didn't think it was that great, so the next few times she asked if I wanted anything, I passed. Three days ago, I was driving around the shopping center I work at and decided to pull into Jamba Juice.

**You see, I have recently found my blender and decided I am most likely going to start making my own smoothies and juices (I am also getting a juicer). Not only do I want to make them because I want to be "healthier" but, it's cheaper to do it yourself than to spend money elsewhere. **


I went inside and decided I was going to try something I normally wouldn't. I tried the Apple N' Greens smoothie. Mind=blown. That smoothie was so incredibly delicious. I also got a free energy boost that has no caffeine. OH. EM. GEE. It was green. Usually, if something is a weird color, I'm not going to drink it. I took a baby sip because I was kind of afraid of what it would taste like. I found my soul mate :) (that sounds incredibly dramatic, but it was just that delicious).

I went back to Jamba Juice again that evening before work and then yesterday before bible study. I'm addicted. Therefore, I did some research and recipe searching and when I was at the grocery store today, I bought stuff to make my own smoothies because $5.72 a smoothie is TOO MUCH for this poor girl. I'm going to make a homemade smoothie in just a bit. Hopefully it's delicious. Even if it isn't, I'm going to post the recipe and pictures to prove I tried it. Without pictures, life is not validated.

Wish me luck! I'm being resourceful!
January is turning out to be pretty great so far.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg Facial Mask

I made a friend of mine laugh the other day, showing her my previous post where I did that dumbest gelatin/milk facial ever created. My facial expressions were extremely entertaining apparently. So, I realized I needed to do a facial for the month of September and I decided to use the second simplest recipe--cinnamon and nutmeg. It has three ingredients and won't rip every layer of skin off of my face. Good deal. 

Cinnamon and Nutmeg Facial Mask

1. 2 Tablespoons of Honey
2. 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon 
3. 1 teaspoon of Nutmeg

• Mix ingredients 
• Apply to face
• Let sit for 30 minutes
• Wash with warm water while lightly scrubbing in circular motions
• ****This will make a milk chocolate colored mask, so beware for the dark brown on your face!

It doesn't take long to make and it is super easy to apply. This facial mask is for oily skin and is an exfoliating genius--you can feel that grainy texture as you're applying. A big plus is that it smells delicious! You do have to let it sit for 30 minutes, but that's alright. 

I'm doing this facial at 12:15 AM because I don't want to scare my mother with this brown mask on my face...but I'm sharing it with the internet so I guess the time doesn't really matter! This is clearly not a way to score a date. 

I'm trying to make you laugh in these next photos, so let loose, laugh. 

About halfway through it "sitting," part of it started dripping so I really felt like Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, haha. But the good thing is, although I wouldn't want this as a dessert or anything, it is edible. It doesn't harden on your face, so it's easy to wash off. I vote yes for doing this one again! 

Okay, so it's been thirty minutes and I washed off my mask successfully! It did "burn" a little bit because I was exfoliating my skin, but it came off very easily and then I put some moisturizer on and BAM! This facial was much more successful than the skin ripper last month. This is a face of a happy girl!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

So earlier in the month, I set out to make four new recipes. One of them, which I was extremely excited about, was Garlic Parmesan oven baked chicken. Well, yesterday, when I had time to make it, I went to the kitchen, got everything out, read the directions and discovered that I could prepare it, but it has to marinate ALL day. Big lesson when cooking/baking...read the recipe beforehand. I was kind of upset because I had to make something else. I went to the recipes board on my Pinterest and found the recipe for Crispy Cheddar Chicken. I read the recipe twice to make sure I had everything and it didn't have to sit all day. Done!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

This is the picture from my Pinterest board that made me want to make it. Looks so delicious! I'm glad I have leftovers. Well, I took some pictures along the way and, it's a super easy recipe--shall we?

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 45 minutes
Makes about 7 servings

What you'll need:

Chicken
4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of milk
3 cups of cheddar cheese, grated (I used a mix of cheddar and Colby jack...I really like cheese)
1 teaspoon of dried parsley

Sauce
1 10 ounce can of Cream of Chicken soup
2 Tablespoons of sour cream
2 Tablespoons of butter

***I used frozen chicken breasts, so I had to defrost them before starting. And, when you use frozen chicken breasts, there is added water, so it will need to be coated in more of the Ritz cracker mix to be super crispy.

Chicken:

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks
2. In a small food processor, grind up the Ritz crackers (If you don't have a food processor or don't like your cracker mix so fine, put the Ritz crackers in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, seal it really tight, lay it on the counter top and roll it with a rolling pin)
3. Pour the milk, cheese and Ritz crackers into 3 separate small pans.
4. Add the salt and pepper to the cracker mix and and mix it up
5. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
6. Dip each piece of chicken in the milk, then the cheese and finally the cracker mix (some cheese will come off in the cracker mix, that's to be expected)
7. Lay chicken in the pan
8. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken
9. Cover pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes
10. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes, or until it's golden brown and crispy

Sauce:

In a medium size sauce pan, whisk together the soup, sour cream and butter until hot. 

***I also made HEB's jasmine rice to go along with this. That only takes 15 minutes to cook and it is delicious! I added green onions to the rice to give it more flavor. 

Overall this recipe was DELICIOUS! But, there is a lot of cheese and cracker mix left over at the end. So, if you plan on making this for a big family event, only double the milk, chicken and sauce mixture. The cheese and cracker mix have plenty to do double. I would make extra gravy anyway because I love gravy and put it on my rice and my chicken. Yum-o. 

I'm really glad my first Pinterest recipe was successful. It was super easy and super delicious. Try it!
Also, I'm really excited to put my very first recipe in my brand new recipe binder! Wahoo!

Boxes and Boxes of Memories

I'm a big fan of to-do lists--they help me visualize what needs to get done and then I feel so accomplished once I complete the tasks. This morning, I got up and made to-do list for the week:

1. Unpack all the boxes I brought home from the apartment
2. Send a card to a friend
3. Consolidate files into file cabinet/fewer containers
4. Finish Defensive Driving (yes, still on that)
5. Alphabetize and File all sheet music
6. Make Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken Breasts

I didn't want to overload my week with too many things, so I stuck to those six.  Well, I unpacked all of the boxes today (it was my day off) and threw out a whole bunch of stuff. I like to hold on to things that have sentimental value. When I was going through things today, there were things I had no idea what the sentimental value must have been, so I tossed it. I got rid of a whole bunch of letters from those I don't talk to anymore and really got my things organized. I did find a lot of yearbooks, pictures and little things that made my day so much better. You realize how far you've come once you've been removed from certain situations. Good day. My mom gave me her filing cabinet to store all of my stuff. I didn't realize how many things I've collected over the years at UTSA but I have so many teacher resources that I just feel like I need to keep--they could be really helpful when I get a job teaching (fingers crossed). So, I put each binder full of stuff for each class into manila folders (I used to think they were called vanilla folders) and stored them in the cabinet. Then, I organized the school books I want to save and stored them in a container next to the cabinet. That may sound really fun and fast, but it took a good 3 or 4 hours. Everything is labeled and can be accessed easily. Go me. 

I also sent out a card to an old friend today. She and I haven't spoken in two years, so I sent her a "thinking of you" card. I have about 6 boxes of cards that I need to use, so, done. I did actually do some defensive driving today. I only have one module left and I will do that tomorrow after I get home from watching Kylie Poo. 

For the past 4 or 5 hours, I've been sorting all of my music into letter piles (A-Z) then alphabetizing each letter pile so that all my sheet music is in alphabetical order. I started inputting all the information for each piece into an excel file. I'm only on F. I have way too much music. I guess that's a good thing for my future teaching career but, for real, too much music. I don't remember how I got so much of it, but hey, music is music. So, I have a feeling it will take me a good 2 days to get the rest of it all done and then I can rest :)

I will probably try to make the new recipe on Saturday evening since I don't have to work. I don't work Thursday evening, but I have my three hour class (more on that BS later), so I wouldn't be able to start cooking until 9...too late for me. 

I feel pretty good about what I've set out to do this week, it's possible. To be honest, I haven't looked at War and Peace again since Friday. I'm kind of dreading it, but I'm going to get myself through this huge book. I feel like my IQ will go up an immense amount if I finish that book. I have to mentally prepare, make time to read. 

I've been thinking of other things to post about that are semi-interesting and for now, I'm not sure of what I'll be posting about. My friend Brooke is going to do something about politics and I'm just so irritated with all that stuff right now, that I won't be stealing her idea :) I'll figure something out! 

September Menu and Facial Stuff

Okay, so I was looking through some recipes to add to my September list of to-dos. My goal is to make four new recipes a month, so I chose a good four and may add to that list later. Don't want to overwhelm myself at the start. This month, I have decided to make the following:

1. Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole 
2. Avocado Basil Pasta 
3. Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken Breasts
4. Egg Drop Soup

 I know, Egg Drop Soup is kind of out there, but I really love it. I will go eat Chinese just because I will get the Egg Drop Soup (and add rice and green onions to it). With that being said, I'm really excited to try out these four recipes. I plan on making one a week--so wish me luck. 

While watching Friends tonight, I was looking for some good facial recipes and I have come across three that I would like to try because they seem simple and effective. All of these recommend that you use the mask once a week--they're super easy, so take 30 minutes for yourself once a week!

Easy Facial Mask

1. One Egg Yolk
2. 1 Tablespoon of Honey
3. 1 Tablespoon of Plain Yogurt 
4. 1/2 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Mix ingredients together
• Apply to face
• Let sit for 10 minutes
• Rinse with warm water

Cinnamon and Nutmeg Facial Mask

1. 2 Tablespoons of Honey
2. 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon 
3. 1 teaspoon of Nutmeg

• Mix ingredients 
• Apply to face
• Let sit for 30 minutes
• Wash with warm water while lightly scrubbing in circular motions

Gelatin and Milk Facial Mask

I have this on my face right at this very moment. It stanks. I am sure the mask is doing its job...it just smells nasty. This is what your face may look like after applying:

1. 1 Tablespoon of Unflavored Gelatin 
2. 2 Tablespoons of Milk (any kind)

• Mix ingredients together 
• Microwave for 10 seconds
• Stir
• Apply Immediately (clumps quickly)
• Let dry for 15 (or longer) minutes--You'll know when it's ready because you can't move anything on your face!
• Start peeling it off--very gross

Okay...so, I just ripped all of my skin off taking this mask off. Yes, my face feels as smooth as a baby's bottom, blah blah. But, if you have any type of hair caught in the mix...goodbye hair (especially if you get it on your eyebrow. Thank God warm water helps get it all off.  It's like getting a face wax--I should have just ripped it off quickly, but I did not. I put moisturizer on my face and it is all tingly. Yes, my face feels nice, but, I don't know if I'll be doing this again. This is the after photo:

This is a very sad and pathetic ouch face after I ripped off my entire top layer of skin. So the benefit is that you will have smooth skin. The con is that your face will hurt like hell afterwards.