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Friday, June 13, 2014

Veggie Burrito Bowl Recipe (kinda)


Yay! Recipe time! But not. I pretty much used one measuring cup the whole time. I was inspired by this post by The Pioneer Woman, and by inspired I mean that I made a half of her rice recipe then used whatever veggies I had in the fridge/pantry and ended up with this. I'm not the biggest recipe person... so here's my sorta kinda recipe/instructions for making an oh-so-yummy burrito bowl full of veggie goodness and flavor!

Rice: click on the recipe above. I didn't have any cilantro... so basically I cooked rice in chicken stock and lime juice + zest and it was delicious... and it's under all the other stuff, by the way.

Zucchini: I cut this in strips, brushed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper and sauteed it. If you have pro knife skills, stick with strips and cut it up later. If not, cut off the ends of those babies then cube 'em up before cooking.

Peppers + Onions: no rocket science here, these were frozen red and green peppers with onions already cut in strips. I sauteed them.

Corn: sauteed with garlic, olive oil, s+p. I used canned but fresh would have been so much better.

Black beans: from a can, to the microwave, to the bowl.

Toppings: plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream, trust me it's wonderful), guacamole, extra lime juice, and salsa.

Variations-- you could put some avocadoes in there instead of guac, or add cheese. You could add meat, or turn this into a proper burrito, mix the bowl and eat with chips, or top some nachos with the veggies and have the rice on the side instead. Again, it's not rocket science. Just easy, delicious food.

YUM.

Friday, April 18, 2014

a post about everything

*insert apology because I haven't blogged since February*

If we were out on a catch up date right now, I would order an iced dirty chai with soy milk and tell you that life is wicked busy, but there are lots of wonderful things happening!

new things:
  1. I'm going to be an RA (Resident Assistant) next year! I am doing lots of training and just met with my most wonderful new small group. I am excited to grow and learn while serving through the ministry and work ResLife does for this campus. Also, my new floor's mascot is the gnome, so that's a plus.
  2.  Chicago is still wonderful as ever, but the weather lately has been... confused. 80 degree days and snow in the same week? We're getting there.
  3. This semester's classes are wonderful and the good kind of challenge, but I will definitely be ready to say goodbye to them at the end of this semester! 
  4. Speaking of, I have registered for my classes for the fall including my first two official counseling classes!! I know this sounds weird, since I will be a junior, but that's just the way my schedule works out. It's all integrated, but the first two years are lots of Bible and some gen. eds, the second two are even more Bible plus jumping head first into counseling! Yay. 
  5. A month from yesterday, I will be getting on a plane back to NH! Just in time for miss Kylie's graduation! Woah. I can't believe how fast this semester has flown by. It has been such a blessing but also a weird in-between season. I rest in the fact that God guides me in my steps. 
  6. Summer is coming! In case you were wondering, I will be in NH from May 16 to the second week of August. I'll be working at the Children's Place as much as possible and hanging out! I'm also going camping and one of my dearest friends from school Ellen is coming to visit. There will be time to read for fun, lay around for hours in my hammock, and enjoy my favorite state and favorite people.

things I'm thankful for:
  • my roommate. Bekah. I will make her read this so she can see me brag about her. She is the most encouraging, and I love talking to her and getting her perspective on life, watching wholesome movies with her, and just being able to tell her all the ridiculous thoughts that I come up with. She knows my weirdness and loves me all the more for it. Whaaaat a blessing. 
  • my friends. I can't list them all by name or I'd forget someone, there's just so many people to thank God for! I'm a sap. 
  • sunshine 
  • open windows
  • flannel sheets even in April because that's all I have here
  • new music. see below.
  • technology so I can text my parents complaining about a class, deposit checks when I don't have a bank, snapchat ridiculous faces to K and K, and talk to Zach whenever I want! I'm also thankful for all of those wonderful gems of people. 
  • donuts. and doughnuts. 
  • the fact that God speaks to us. that is ACTUALLY so unthinkable awesome. 
  • professors letting you out early because it's so beautiful out. 
  • my hammock
  • the roof
  • putting my hammock up on the roof
  • the first shorts day of the year 
  • my little sib
  • the way God has absolutely captured her heart
  • opportunities 
  • hard classes 
  • easy classes 
  • gospel choir 
  • new friends
  • old friends 
  • my u-pass 
  • my job. it is seriously the best. 
  • sweet parents of kids I nanny for who pay me way more than they're required to because they know I'm a poor college student 
  • my spring playlist:

 thanks for sticking around! no promises to blog more, but I'll see what I can do.

love and sunshine, have the happiest Easter! HE IS RISEN.
Emily


Friday, February 7, 2014

Friday Favorites!

Hello friends! Greetings from freezing and beautiful Chicago, and happy Friday to you! Long time, no see... again. More about my semester is coming soon, but for now here are some of my favorites for the week!

1. Founders Week! This week was the Founder's Week Conference here at Moody. Four and a half days of no classes, worship, speakers, and a bit of a break from everything. The speakers have been very challenging and encouraging, I am scribbling down pages of notes in every session, learning what it means to be holy as God is holy and commands us to be.

2. This video about marriage, relationships, and the gospel shown through Christ's love for the church.

3. This list of "21 Times Kelly Kapowski Taught Us How to Live" from Buzzfeed. My friend Ellen posted this on my Facebook and I was laughing so hard. Saved By the Bell is one of my favorite old shows to watch, and I'm just a tad obsessed with Kelly K... hence my halloween costume last year.

4. Gospel Choir. Two weeks ago I got to go to my first rehearsal since May! I was so blessed just by the practice, and yesterday afternoon we sang at a Founder's Week session. Lots of my friends came and my parents got to watch online, which was such a bonus to get to share it with them!

5. Kiddos God has put in my life. I went to my first night of my new PCM (Practical Christian Ministries, essentially our field study) on Monday, which is working with kids, and have gotten to hang out with my little sib (through Moody's Big Bro Big Sis) twice since being back on campus, and I am SO blessed by them.  God is teaching me so much. I may even write a whole post on this soon.


Thanks for reading! 
-Em


Friday, January 10, 2014

update!

Surprise! I haven't in fact abandoned this blog as you may think. I guess I just took an accidental break, since I've only posted maybe 3 times since returning from Greece. Here is what you need to know:

I have been home in NH November, December, and this beginning of January. Tomorrow I fly back to Chicago and move back in to Moody with my lovely roommate Bekah and get to see all of my friends again!! Classes start on Monday and while I will miss everyone in NH, I am beyond excited to be back. Both of these places are home to me.

I have been working anywhere between 40-60 hours every week at two jobs. One as a receptionist and the other at The Children's Place outlet (kid's clothing store). I also had 2 papers to write from classes I took in Greece and took a 3 credit online Research Writing class. So I have been wicked busy. Going back to school will be a break.

I am off of Facebook for at least a month, but I will probably pop in and post the link to this update on my blog page, but not on my personal one. Make sure to subscribe via email if you want to get the posts there instead! 

I have lots of posts I want to catch up on before moving into the type of posts I am planning for 2014. Here is what will be coming soon:

  • 2013 in review (better late than never!)
  • hello to 2014 
  • what God has been teaching me (well, insert a more creative title here) 
  • final pictures from Turkey and Northern Greece (any photos I have yet to share will come in this post) 
 
For now, I will leave you with the typical silly selfie before I head out on this snowy morning for breakfast with my Grandma, next time I blog may very well be from the airport or airplane tomorrow!! Eep.


Thanks for not abandoning me! See ya soon! 

Emily




Saturday, November 23, 2013

Friday Favorites

this post from my friend Jenna, reflecting on how we have been home for a month now. she writes beautifully, head over and check out her blog!

speaking of blogs, on my blog...if you were reading my posts while I was in Greece, you heard me talk about my friend Ellen, or saw me link some of her and Emily's blog posts. I am so proud to link her very own blog as one of my favorites! So so proud. It's called "The Other Side of E"

Christine Caine on Twitter. She spoke at Moody's Missions Conference while I was in Greece, and while I haven't been able to watch the sessions yet, I came across her twitter and it's been killing me! So much truth in such a small amount of words.

this quote from my new devo book: "We thrive on creativity. Sameness bores us, but we still need the dependable security God offers" -Beth Moore

The Ultimate Guide to Saved by the Bell Fashion. Zach knows me too well and posted this on my facebook page.

and since all the posts I read about successful blogging say I need to entertain you with photos like kids and picture books... these three photos from Pinterest of some of my favorite classy movie couples.


And that's it!! Here's to the weekend, blog friends. 

xoxo Em (&K. we're on a homework date.)




Saturday, November 16, 2013

seven on saturday

This was supposed to be a Friday Favorites post, but it's Saturday now so I present to you: Seven on Saturday. Here are seven things that have made me smile, laugh, or think this week- on the internet and in life. Hope you enjoy!

1. Miley Cyrus and Mumford and Sons- Little Wrecking Ball 
Don'y be quick to judge! You'll be surprised, I promise! All the nudity is gone from the video, I promise that too... watch! listen!


2. Sexy Christianity
If you haven't clicked through to this article after seeing it on Facebook, do it! It is truly worth the hype, and a bit of a punch in the face. This article is convicting, challenging, and helps put to words a lot of what it going on in Christian culture right now. It really made me think about my motives and desires for my relationship with God and how others perceive it. Let me know what you think of the article in the comments!

3. Twitter
After a long time off it, I am back on Twitter! It is really fun so far, tweeting everything from awkward moments during my day to retweets of life-changing quotes by C.S. Lewis, David Platt, or Christine Caine. However, my very favorite Twitter account at the moment gets it's own moment in the spotlight..

4. The Evangelical Hipster
All in good fun, this is hilarious. When I found it, I went through months of tweets laughing hysterically. Many of us have been guilty of things that they poke fun at, and going to a Bible college... yeah let's just say I see the reality of those tweets a lot.

5. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
I pack a lunch about every weekday for church, and sometimes I have to pack a dinner some nights too if I work both of my jobs that day. Leftovers and PBB sammies have been my go-tos this week.

6. These Pro-tips About Napping




Not that I've had any time to nap lately... a girl can dream.

7. Last Minute Halloween Costumes
My church's fall fest was last weekend, and since Zach was home for the weekend, we had planned to coordinate our costumes. This past summer we saw Despicable Me 2 in theaters and decided that would definitely be our costume this year. Until we saw Facebook and Instagram, noting that everybody and their cousin was a minion for Halloween. DANG people! just kidding. So we were left on Saturday afternoon before the party to come up with a new idea. I tried to think of famous TV couples. It was Kylie who came up with the brilliant idea of my second favorite TV couple ever (probably. don't hold me to it. Cory and Topanga definitely win first place, but a close second and way more fun costume was...)-- Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell.


The easiest part of this costume? I had every item for my outfit in my own wardrobe- high waisted shorts, keds, scrunchie and all. The hardest part? Zach/Zack's hair!!! How did they get it like that?

Brownie points if you made it to the end of this post.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Recipe: Apple Cheddar Butternut Squash Soup

At the end of a long but great first day of work at The Children's Place, I was starving and couldn't wait to try out this recipe. After posting a picture of my delicious dinner tonight, I got a few demands (ahem, requests ;)) for the recipe... so here it is!! I got it from The Food Network website and adapted it a bit. I'll list the ingredients I used, but the directions are exactly the same. 


Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (the recipe lists 5 if you're using prosciutto instead of bacon)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced (I used gala)
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen (fresh is good, people.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (didn't have any of that, but rosemary works wonderfully)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup apple cider
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk (I put a couple spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt in a measuring cup, then filled it to the 1 cup measure with almond milk)
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces (I used BACON)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (go for the seriously sharp, you won't regret it! It uses almost the whole block)

Directions:

(these are directly quoted from the food network site)










"Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes."


"Stir in the sage (rosemary) and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes."


"Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the prosciutto" (BACON) and serve immediately! In a large mug, preferably.


There ya go! It was pretty simple. I'll be reheating it for dinner all week long, happily.

Let me know if you try the recipe out! How did I do for my first ever recipe post? Maybe there will be more in the future... 

xoxo
Emily