They’ve bloomed!
And we went! On an absolutely beautiful Friday evening.
By we, I mean Ashley, Jaclyn, me, Erica, Alex, and Gina!
Pretty tree!
And I just love this bike…
Ash and Alex just love dancing behind these religious people… they want to try to be on The Ellen Degeneres Show!
SO many people taking pictures of people taking pictures of people… (cue Jack Johnson)
But it was still fun!
Cherry Blossom Festival… CHECK!
Happy Friday! 
Merry FroYo Friday!
TGIF!
no… FGIFYF!
It’s a beautiful day… celebrate with some Fro!
“Get Fro-ed!”
“It’s Fro-time”
“Fro It Up”
Whatever you’re going to do today, do it with FroYo!
My previous boss turned fellow fro yo fanatic, Andrew (as seen below), gave me a handful of restaurant suggestions. I am going to explore a wide variety of them and document here for future reference!
So restaurant #1 is Rockland’s Barbeque and Grill in Grover Park, Washington, DC.
This little place has tons of flavor - I mean that in regards to the food and the atmosphere.
Hey, Becks.
So I am Catholic. And it’s Lent. And we decided to go on a Friday. Which can only mean one thing — no meat for Stephanie! So I helped myself to a grilled vegetable sandwich.
Oh. Baby. I can’t even tell you what kinds of wonderful veggies were smashed between these buns.
Literally, smashed. I was a mess eating the mix of carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, and onions, but it was SO GOOD. And did I mention coated in barbeque sauce? Oh yea, that’s a good Lenten Friday. Better than any fish fry I’ve ever been to…
And just when I thought I was finished, I got back in line to order some fried okra. Not as good as my grandparents’ fresh grown stuff, but still pretty tasty!
And no barbeque review would be complete without a rack of ribs, a chicken leg, mashed potatoes, and corn pudding.
If anything, go for the shelled peanuts! Whatever it is, I hope I have given you reason enough that has convinced you to A) visit me in DC, and B) go to Rockland’s!
Believe it or not, it IS possible to make nutritious foods when living in the dorms. This past week was spring break and I was faced with the challenge of not having a dining hall (or any on-campus food option, for that matter) nor a fully functioning/stocked kitchen.
On the bright side, these adorable girl were selling $0.50 lemonade. It was better than any lemonade I ever sold… their secret? A splash of limmeeade! Who woulda thought?!
So it all started with some cucumber and tomato with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Perfect spring/summer lunch!
And then we had toast with sautéed spinach and one egg - over easy? I never know what it’s called unless it is scrambled…
I also made (but didn’t photograph) an omelet with one egg and one diced tomato served over two slices of 9-grain toast!
I also ventured into the world of roasted beans and made a can of roasted/baked chick peas! 1 can, drianed and patted dry, tossed with ~2T olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and they were a decent and crunchy snack! I would suggest sprinkling some more flavor (cumin, pepper, dried pepper flakes, etc).
My teammate, Becks, who was also here with me was very fond of the chocolate marathon we ran. Brownies one night, and this decadent chocolate cheesecake another. Luckily we made enough to share… or enough to eat one each night for a week… either works.
All in all, spring break was so relaxing and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL weather. EVER. Seriously. Cherry blossoms are bloomin’!
TODAY you should inspire someone.
Do the one thing you can to make an impact on this world.
Right.
Now.
Or… read this motivating article first and then GO, GO, GO!!!!
I really love this place.
And I really really love breakfast food.
And I love-hate that OHOP now has the calorie count next to each item on the menu. Love it so I don’t indulge in 1,200 calories worth of pancakes and sugar, but hate that I can’t just order what sounds great and be happy.
So I compromised… I ordered what sounded great, loved every bite, and was happy.
One whole wheat waffle with homemade apple syrup coming right up! (I think this was a little less than 500 calories…)
Apples in brown sugar and cinnamon? Yes, please.
And then we have little Kitty Kat (aka Kati) who was an OHOP virgin until this week. She did OHOP right…. 6 pancakes with fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, and whipped cream!
If only my metabolism worked that fast..
Theres something in the air. This wind, maybe? Im not sure what it is but it nights like these that make me longing or old friends and grateful to know theyre still in my life.
This is my life right now:
YOU NEED:
1. An oven/broiler (put the oven rack close to the top and set it to the broiler setting. i think it’s that simple. Or I’m doing something wrong.)
2. Half of a grapefruit.
3. Raw cane sugar.
This may be on the same level as making a bowl of cereal so please don’t even act intimidated by the luscious flesh of the grapefruit, golden tint of the sugar, or idea of “broiling” something.
Sprinkle sugar on grapefruit.
Put grapefruit in oven-safe dish.
Broil for 5-7 minutes or until it starts to brown.
The grapefruit will pucker up with all the sweet sweet juices.
And once you feel like you can’t salivate any more, EAT UP!
hint: it helps if you cut the fruit before you broil… duh.
None to share! Sorry bout it…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Last year, I got Gnomeo and Juliet valentines for all of my teammates. This year, I decided they would be more pleased with a sweet treat after practice on this American-consumer based holiday. So, I caved into the Valentine’s Day traditions and made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and pink sprinkles for my team! (I think they liked it.)
BUT not only did I make cupcakes, but I succeeded in my first attempt at cake pops! Or, rather, cake balls (I didn’t have lollipop sticks)
These are SO SIMPLE!
Step 1: Bake a cake.
Step 2: Break the cake into crumbs.
Step 3. Add frosting to “cake.”
Step 4: When cake has reached desired moist-ness and density (thick enough to hold its shape), roll into balls!
***I used about 1/2 a can of frosting for 1 9” cake
Step 5: Meanwhile, begin melting chocolate of choice.
Step 6: Dip balls into melted chocolate and cover completely. I used white chocolate.
Step 7: Decorate!
Step 8: Allow cake pops/balls to set in the freezer.
Step 9: Share the love and ENJOY!
Needless to say, I didn’t have any leftovers! I hope people were feeling my love in these chocolate treats today!
I love the market. This is why:
Who wouldn’t love this little pupper?!
Yes, carbs are probably my favorite food group.
And last but certainly not least….
I NEED TO FIND THE RECIPE FOR THIS BELGIAN WAFFLE!
Here’s a quick pool workout that we did a couple weeks ago. I’ll say just this: sweating while swimming is an extremely strange sensation…
*All in deep pool with or without aqua jogger
Warm-Up:
1. Jog down and back (D&B) x3
2. Back pedal D&B
3. high knees D&B
4. Leg Swing stretches (hold the wall and keep one foot planted while swinging the other):
—- front and back x1 min. each leg
—- side/side x1 min. each leg
Workout:
1. Kickboard down (spring); tread water holding kickboard above head 30 seconds x12
2. Forward jog: 10 second spring, 20 second jog x12
3. 5 min. jog cool down
GOOD LUCK!
You know what? I deserve a pat on the back. I don’t say that very often, but in this case, I am proud.
I said I was going to do something and I did it! Just for my own benefit - no one else’s. Wahoo!
What did I do, you wonder? Well, I am volunteering this semester. I found this AMAZING organization called Brainfood. Basically, Brainfood sets up an after school program for high schoolers so they can come for a couple hours a few days a week and learn to cook! Once they graduate from this program, they join the “Community MVPs.” This is who I am helping.
These juniors and seniors in high school continue developing their cooking skills and also learn about public speaking, grant writing, and teaching. And eventually they will begin to teach others how to cook and the benefits of whole foods!
Last week, we made homemade poptarts. Don’t be alarmed when I say it used 10 sticks of butter… we were making near 100 poptarts here, so the butter is well dispersed! The kiddos are hosting an event for their family and friends next Tuesday, so they haven’t been baked yet, but how cute are these little guys?!
I love it, I really do. Working with the teenagers and cooking and using what I am learning in class to help them learn - so fun!
Oh.. and I’m getting 1 credit added to a class for volunteering! It’s basically a $1,000 scholarship!!
Homemade Pop Tarts recipe found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/homemade-pop-tarts/
Oh healthy girl! Again… Recipe and other photos eventually!
My dinner is green.
Details soon… If i survive.
Im posting this now as a way to procrastinate from trying it.
