Dietetic Internship: 56% finished

What week is it again?

It feels like the longer the internship lasts that more each week rolls into the next and I can't keep track of what week number I am on. I just completed my 14th week, and I know this because I have a massive to-do checklist that tells me what to do each week of the internship. It has been what keeps me on track and knowing that I don't have to stress about what I need to do in the future because it is already planned out.

Last week was my final week where I shadow RDs. For the next two weeks I will be in charge of my own floor in the hospital. I will have to decide which patients need to be seen and when to see them. I will get to choose how to educate the patient and learn to trust my instincts. I will have the help of any RD if a question should arise, but for the most part I will be working on my own.

I am equally excited and terrified. I will be working in two different areas that I haven't been in for quite a few weeks - Pediatrics and Cardiac.

After these next two weeks fly by I will be actually flying to India for my four week adventure to learn about malnutrition. I am so excited, nervous, anxious, ready, not ready, happy, looking forward to heat - pretty much I am full of all of the emotions you can feel before a big trip. The reasons I am anxious and not ready are because I am still waiting for the return of my passport with the visas inside (which should be back later the week), and I am still waiting to hear the plan from my travel agent about what the schedule is for seeing the Taj Mahal and Nepal. Who knew things could be so complicated to schedule travel? You would think I would since I have been all over the place, but the majority of the time either my mom planned everything or I was in a safe enough place (like Europe) and could plan as each day came. But, in India we need private drivers and all kinds of fun things to schedule. I am sure it will be fantastic though. And, honestly I look forward to going and just pray I am ready by then :)

Pray for me as I finish these last two weeks that I can accomplish the rest of my to-do list which includes a few quizzes, assignments, presentation, evaluations, and RD practice exams.

I appreciate everyone's love and support and am excited to be 56% finished :)

Dietetic Internship 40% finished

I cannot believe how fast the internship is going. I just finished my 10th week and am starting the 11th week tomorrow.

Since my last post I have worked in WIC, had a crash course in Renal (Kidney and dialysis) friendly nutrition, educated heart patients, watched a feeding tube be placed, watched three colonoscopies, and work with in-store grocery store dietitians at HyVee.

While at HyVee I was able to teach preschoolers on a field trip about how to make healthy meals including colorful fruits and vegetables. 

The number one question I feel like I am asked is what do you want to do when you finish?
And, to be honest that is so hard to answer. Every week I experience nutrition and dietetics in a new way that is exciting and would be fun to work in. Overall though, I would love to work with kids or even a grocery store if that became a job in North Carolina. I have a passion for children facing food allergies and intolerances. Currently there is not a specialty for that area of nutrition, but I might be able to start it or be in the beginning side of it. I am very interested in how it happens and would even one day join a research team. Who Knows?

The other passion I have is for developing a program to educate malnourished people around the world. I would love to teach them about nutrition and help them make healthy food choices that are still culturally acceptable. I am thankful for my previous experience, but look forward to learning more in the months to come and years to come.

Well, that is all for now. Stay tuned for more updates from my Dietetic Internship.

Dietetic Internship: 20% finished

7 weeks ago I left Charlotte, North Carolina, for the cold winter of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I confess that I amaze myself with my ability to handle the cold weather. I am sure that any native Iowan would laugh and say that I do not handle the cold very well, but I do not think they realize I poorly I handled our 'warm' winters in Charlotte.

The transition to Iowa has been easier than I expected. God has really blessed me with an excellent program, family to live with, and a church community.

The internship program I am in is actually more of an accreditation program - it is what teaches me how to think and work like a dietitian so I can get my license. So, far I have finished 20% of the program. The first two weeks were orientation, the second two weeks focused on diabetes, and the fifth week was in a pediatric clinic for children with disabilities and developmental delay. And, honestly I think I found my place in the dietetic world last week working with children.

We had diagnoses from Spina bifida to Cerebral Palsy to over-eating and obesity. Every child was unique and required unique nutritional care. I loved figuring out the child's needs and talking to the families. I feel like this is the area where I could make the most impact. Not only are you teaching parents how to help their child, but you can also inspire them to practice healthy eating habits.

Pediatrics also plays into what I would love to do internationally which is fight malnutrition. I believe that if we help children thrive nutritionally and not just survive that they will be given the best opportunity in life. Nutrition plays into cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. And, to give children who are currently starving the chance to thrive is my dream. In a few months I will get the opportunity to go to India and study malnutrition for a month. I am beyond excited. I know that God is providing this experience so that He can use me in big ways in the future. Pray for me that God can use me in this way.

Next week is my 6th week in the program and I will be in cardiology. I am excited to learn more this week! And, I will be 1 more week closer to 25 which is my last week!

This was my first Dietetic Internship post. Stay tuned for more about my journey!

International Dinner Parties: China

China Night

Lydia brought out some of her decorative Chinese hats and paintings for the night. We ate fried rice, chicken potstickers, sweet and sour chicken, and bok choy - all with chopsticks!

Welcome! Ai-ya! There is a ton of delicious food!

Potstickers are very labor intensive and I was very thankful for some extra awesome helpers. You take wonton wrappers and place the chicken mixture in the middle then fold in half and pinch the sides together. The mixture is a combo of napa cabbage, shredded boiled chicken, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, white vinegar, ginger, green onions, and chicken broth. Then you fry them - and as seen below frying can be dangerous so you might need extra protections.

The meal was a success!

A small meal since I was snacking while cooking. 

We even tried Dragon Fruit! Which tasted like a kiwi and potato - not the best flavor.

For dessert we had coconut pudding with mashed mango on top!

Overall fantastic night with great friends! We loved our visit with China. Please join us again for our next International Dinner Party!
#TraveltheWorld

International Dinner Party: Southern Cooking

We celebrated the fourth of July Southern style!

Or at least that was the plan.

Menu

Buttered Biscuits

BBQ pulled chicken

Pigs in a corn cake

Mac & Cheese

Corn on the Cob

Sauteed greens

Sweet Potato Pie

 I will confess that I have never met a food I could not make, but then I met Southern cooking. I decided to follow recipes since I was less familiar with making southern food. Not only was I out of my comfort zone, but I was also crunched for time as I had to work 11-6 that day. I tried to make the macaroni and cheese ahead of time... which means around 8 in the morning before work... and baked it when I came home. Unfortunately, it quite possibly was the worst macaroni and cheese I have ever made. And, I've made some killer Mac & Cheese before. But, that's what I get for following a recipe right? Haha. Actually I guess I just picked poor recipes to follow. I'm not quite sure how my friends felt about the meal, but they probably would agree that my weakness is cooking southern food. 

Aside from the Macaroni and Cheese everything else tasted pretty darn tasty :)

I hope you enjoyed our Southern Night, join us again soon for our next International Dinner party!

#TraveltheWorld

International Dinner Party: UK Part 2

International Dinner Party

United Kingdom

Fish 'n chips, lemon wedges, vinegar, coleslaw, and banofree pie.

The fish was made using a beer batter recipe. They were pan fried it first then baked it in the oven. 

A special British imported beer from Yorkshire.

Chips are what Americans consider potato wedges or fries. They were lightly oiled and baked in the oven.

Banofree pie is like the American version of banana cream pie, except much sweeter and richer. It definitely was better the second day than the first. I would recommend making it the day before if you choose to make it. I did make homemade whole wheat cookies rather than using digestive cookies since at the time they were not carrying them at the grocery store. 

Overall fantastic night! We topped it off with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Travel the World with us! Keep up to date on our International dinner parties!

International Dinner Parties: United Kingdom Part 1

For the second International Dinner party we visited the lovely country of the United Kingdom. We actually did a double visit with two dinner parties in a row, Friday and Saturday! We paired the dinners with the Sherlock Holmes movie series! It was a great time.

On Friday the menu was simple, but richly delicious. I made homemade pasties. The first batch was chicken potato and the second batch was beef potato.

Pasties are absolutely fun to make once you figure out the hang of it. But, let me tell you it is an all day affair. First you must start by cooking the meat and potatoes. I cooked the beef in a crock pot and the chicken on the stove in a wok. The potatoes I cooked in the wok after the chicken with carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and leeks. I added cheese to the mix and the meat in two separate groups.

The chicken filling.

For the dough I made a thicker pie dough with bread flour and without sugar.

First place stuffing inside the middle of rolled out dough.

Fold dough over.

Twist sides in to seal off the pasty.

Place on buttered baking sheet and lightly spread milk over top.

Flaky crust, delicious filling... it doesn't get much better!

This was International Dinner Parties: UK Part 1. Stay tuned for more stories of our International Dinner Parties!

International Dinner Party: Italy

This summer I am hosting International Dinner parties for my friends and I to enjoy. I am excited to not only share my cooking skills with my friends, but also knowledge about food and nutrition with them. While I will not be lecturing about health or how to make good food choices, I will be preparing food that is made from scratch and is nutrient dense. My goal for this summer is to expose people to foods they have never tried before or even heard of while also exposing them to the richness of homemade food.

I am excited for this opportunity to cook, serve, learn, and share. This summer will be full of delicious meals and wonderful company!

We had our first dinner party last night and the inspiration was Italy. Being raised on Italian food, I was glad to create a dish that most of my friends had never even heard of.

I started the evening with a simple salad and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Following we had a choice of spinach stuffed shells and sausage stuffed shells.

Spinach on the left and sausage on the right - before the sauce was added.

The sausage stuffed shells with the sauce and cheese.

Two spinach stuffed shells.

For dessert I served Pizzelles and homemade cannoli cream.

Pizzelle without cannoli cream. (I unfortunately forgot to photograph the cream)

My friends absolutely loved the meal. It was so great to see everyone enjoy something they've never had before. It was actually really neat to serve Italian food that people were unfamiliar with, since Italian food is one of the most recognized cuisines.

Everything was homemade. While I cannot give exact amounts because recipes were not used for everything I can list ingredients.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:   brown sugar, evoo, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, basil, garlic

Sauce: ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil, fresh parsley, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic, a dash of sugar, water

Spinach stuffing: ricotta cheese, frozen spinach - thawed, egg, nutmeg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, mozzarella, Parmesan

Sausage stuffing: ground pork - cooked with sage, ricotta cheese, egg, nutmeg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, mozzarella, Parmesan

Cannoli Cream: ricotta cheese - drained overnight, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, mini chocolate chips, whipping cream

Pizzelles:   I used this recipe and added cinnamon

I hope you enjoyed our travels through Italy. Stay tuned for more International Dinner Parties!

Andie's Kitchen: Purple Potato Shepard's Pie

Purple Potatoes

Have you ever had a purple potato? 

They are very similar to the typical brown russet potato, but they are purple inside and out. The color is produced by anthocyanin which is powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants can aid in cancer prevention, anti-inflammation, and anthocyanin in particular is thought to increase blood sugar metabolism.

Purple potatoes are slightly more expensive that most potatoes at the grocery store. I believe they were $3.99/lb. I tell you, though, they are worth it.

I decided to make a traditional potato recipe with the purple potatoes... Shepard's Pie!

Shepard's pie is simple, comprised of 4 basic layers. The first layer is browned ground beef, followed by peas, then mashed potatoes, topped with a melted cheese layer.

To make mashed potatoes I boiled the purple potatoes until they were soft. Then I drained them and returned them to the pot. Afterward add butter, cream cheese, and a bit of milk. Then I added a pinch of garlic, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

I know that this photo does not demonstrate the full beauty of the purple potato Shepard's pie, but in my defense it is difficult to photograph a layered structure like that. But, know that it was very delicious indeed.

This was Andie's Kitchen: Purple Potato Shepard's Pie, stay tuned for more from Andie's Kitchen.

In the Name of Jesus

There is grace in the name of Jesus.

There is mercy in the name of Jesus.

There is faith in the name of Jesus.

There is salvation in the name of Jesus.

There is freedom in the name of Jesus.

There is healing in the name of Jesus.

There is comfort in the name of Jesus.

There is friendship in the name of Jesus.

There is rest in the name of Jesus.

There is abundance in the name of Jesus.

There is courage in the name of Jesus.

There is hope in the name of Jesus.

There is power in the name of Jesus.

There is love in the name of Jesus

There is joy in the name of Jesus.

There is strength in the name of Jesus.

There is glory in the name of Jesus.

There is righteousness in the name of Jesus.

There is peace in the name of Jesus.

There is truth in the name of Jesus.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, 

whoever believes in me will also do

the works that I do;

and greater works than these

will he do,

because I am going to the Father.

Whatever you ask in my name,

this I will do,

that the Father may be glorified

in the Son.

If you ask me anything

in my name I will do it."

John 14:12-14

There is deliverance and assurance in the name of Jesus.

Ask, pray and petition in the name of Jesus.

There is an answer in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

 

Inspirations:My New Year's Resolution

Hey everyone! This year I have decided to raise $300,000 for the building of the Jessica House, even if it requires me to ask 300,000 people to donate $1 each!

You can check out more on why this is so important to me and how you can get involved at

My Go Fund Me Page (<--- Click here)

But, truly I feel like God has put it on my heart to be an advocate for those who don't have voices that can be heard. There are women and children suffering from this horrendous industry and we need to do every little thing we can do to help them. By building this house we are spreading God's kingdom, taking the Gospel into the dark places, sharing Jesus with the forgotten. Your contribution no matter how small can contribute to God's kingdom.

Pray about it, if God is pressing on your heart to support  freeing women and children who have been in sexual bondage, giving them a chance at eternal life with a Savior and redemption on Earth, then please donate more than $1. But, God sees all generosity do not feel like your $1 cannot do anything because God can multiply it. Let's be a force to be reckoned with, give the Devil a fright. If we come together like an army of ants, we're unstoppable - all working together. Your one dollar can be a part of that!

I'm excited to see the fruition of God's plan and how He involves you! Please share in the comments below about how God has moved you to care about people you've never met :)

I pray that God will take over this Resolution and Campaign, that every bit be for His glory. In Jesus' precious, holy, unstoppable name. AMEN John 14:14 - claiming the promises.

This was Inspirations: My New Year's Resolution. Stay tuned for more Inspirations.

Voice

When I was a child I used to dream of growing up and being the richest of all my siblings. I'm sure I talked about it a great deal. I was going to be a Doctor, because I was going to prove I was the smartest. I was going to have several kids, a giant house, several cars, and lots of land with a barn and horses. Pretty much I wanted to have everything I grew up with, but even bigger. I remember when I thought my hardest decision would be whether or not I should buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Obviously I was just a child. But, greed and selfishness was a big struggle for me yet I was so blind to it. I had a hard time giving away my toys and clothes to kids that needed them because they were mine - it didn't matter that I never planned to play with them or wear them again, they were mine. My parents even took my siblings and I on trips to 3rd world countries to visit missionaries. I saw first hand the poverty, I knew that they deserved to have people donate their toys and clothes - I just didn't want them to be my things. While I truly cared about the people, especially Peruvians since I went their twice, I justified my selfishness by rationalizing that they were happy people, they always had a smile - they didn't need my things. But, the truth of the matter is I didn't need my things. As I have grown up I have grown more aware of my selfish ambitions and am grateful that God has truly changed my heart. I no longer want a big house, cars, and an over abundance of things. I want God to use me to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the abused, abandoned, and trafficked. This calling came to me even stronger last night as I began to read a new book.

Undaunted by Christine Caine, I only read through half of the first chapter but the power in her writing was immense. Actually it isn't even her writing, but the stories of girls that she shared. She shared some heartbreaking stories of women who were tricked into paying their own fare into sex slavery. While many people choose to ignore the topic because it is just too difficult to swallow or they do not want their children to learn about such evils, it is time that we face the truth - This is real, sex slavery is really happening, it's not a bad movie - in fact those movies do not even show how terrible it really is.

Her first chapter she calls the 'Schindler's List Moment' when Schindler, played by Liam Neeson realizes that if he had just sold his car he could have saved 10 more people, or his gold pen 2 more people. The Holocaust was a terrible time in human history - some people think it was the worst, but they have no idea what is happening right now. What Hitler organized was so terrible, but sadly the war wasn't started to save the victims - No, war was started to keep the Germans from taking over Europe. How sad is it to think that if Hitler only stayed in Germany that the Holocaust may never have ended? How many of you think that you would want to take a stance against such horrifying acts? That you would have been willing to fight or financially support efforts against the Holocaust to save those victims? You have a chance to do that today in 2014. You can make a difference.

How? You can financially support groups who are working to end sex slavery, whether on the large scale or small scale. You can be a voice - share what is going on, encourage those around you to pay attention, to care about people. Pray for those who have an abundance of money that they might be moved to spend it on helping save women and children from their abusers rather than on something affluent they don't really want or need. Like pages on Facebook that are fighting trafficking.



Here are some places that you can consider getting involved with:
Large scale:
 http://www.thea21campaign.org/
http://enditmovement.com/
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org

Smaller scale:
www.abundantlifeforperu.com
https://www.facebook.com/capturedbyadream


Be encouraged to stand up, your small effort combined with everyone's small effort will create a large effort! Christ came to seek and save the lost, go and live your life in the same manner!

This was Captured by a Dream: Voice. Stay tuned for more from Captured by a Dream.

Psalm 151

Yes, I know that Psalm ends with 150, and that there is technically not a chapter 151. Not, that I would equate my psalm with that of David or the other psalmists of the Bible, but here is a prayer of mine that I thought I might share because it might be a prayer of yours too.

Psalm 151

I ache and I grumble on the inside, but on the outside I just go on.

Days begin and end and all I do is press on. 

I feel as though I am just surviving, no where near thriving, I just keep moving on. 

Satan keeps making me distracted, trying to tear me down, but by God's strength I carry on. 

I am lonely, but not alone, for You, O LORD, are never gone. 

But, please I beg, You, I need more of Your strength to continue on. 

I am starting to doubt hope and replacing it with fear of new beginnings and so on. 

If I stay here what happens, if I go there what happens, what if I don't go anywhere - what shall I rely on?

If's are just worries, they have no ground for trust, it is just You, O LORD, that makes me strong. 

Fill my heart with laughter, teach me Your everlasting joy, for it is You I want to base my life upon. 

Comfort my heart all day long through the night and to the dawn. 

Pour Your grace upon me, give me purpose in Your Heavenly Kingdom. 

My Jesus, let me let go of worries and live in each moment so that Your glory can shine on, 

on me and Your people that we may bring Your name fame to those in the dark that need Your light to be turned on, 

on in their hearts, so that they will sing You an everlasting praise song. 

Bring power to Your servant so that my life will point to You and Your Kingdom. 

Jesus, I love you forever and forever and so on.

This was Inspirations: Psalm 151. Please stay tuned for more from Inspirations.

Fitness Challenges: 10,000 sit ups in 25 days

If you're in need of a good challenge join me! Let's do 10,000 sit ups in 25 days! That is 400 a day! I know that sounds like a lot, but you can do it... and you won't regret doing it when you see how nice your core looks and feels!

So, come on what are you waiting for? Let's get started! Start today finish October 31. See you at the finish line :)



Let me know if you plan to join me! We can keep each other accountable!

This was Fitness Challenges: 10,000 sit ups in 25 days. Join in and find out what the next challenge might be!

All About Baking: Mini Maddies

A few weeks ago I bought a mini Madeleine sheet, and I am very excited to tell you that I used it today!

I made chocolate Madeleines rather than your basic lemon, but I am sure it won't be long before I try the traditional type too!

Today I want to first go over how to adjust when you realize that they recipe you chose was not the best recipe.

I made the first round of my mini Maddies thinking that the batter was too think, but because I followed a recipe I stuck with it. Sadly, the first set (while still tasting great) did not form those cute little shells on the front like they should. I attributed this to it's thickness and inability to really cover the sheet properly. What did I do you ask? Well, I added a little bit of milk at a time until I came up with a thin enough consistency to fill the sheet without having to spread the batter myself.

The original recipe is as follows:

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 t. baking powder

2 oz butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

375 degrees

cream sugar, vanilla and butter

add eggs one at a time

mix dry ingredients together

add dry ingredients to batter

So I ended up adding probably about 2 Tablespoons of milk, maybe 3 to a half batter. Which would me to adjust this recipe it would be best to add 1/4 c. milk. OR it would be good to test it and melt the butter originally to see how that affects the consistency.

But, since I didn't foresee the problem I had to adjust accordingly during the recipe. Here's a picture between the two.

To the left are the thicker battered maddies and to the right are the adjusted ones. Excuse the bright flash

But, end result: tasty tasty tasty and fun! So, never be afraid of adjusting while baking. If you ever have a baking question, please ask away and I would be happy to answer you as best I can!

Decorate with powdered sugar!

pretty little shell shape!

This was All About Baking: Mini Maddies. Please stay tuned for more baking tips!

In the Pantry: Tomatillos

I bet you're wondering what is a tomatillo? A tomatillo is a Mexican fruit that I like to think of as a Mexican tomato, but in reality it is a cousin to the gooseberry. I saw these lovely fruits at the farmers market and decided I had to try them out. They come in a green husk that covers their smooth green skin.

Now you might be wondering, okay so I now know what a tomatillo is, but what they heck do you do with one? I'll tell you: make Salsa Verde

Step one:

Boil the tomatillo until soft.

Step two:

Blend the tomatillos in a food processor, add fresh garlic cloves, green chiles, half onion, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Step three: Enjoy 

But, since I do not really like eating chips I added my salsa verde to soups.

The first week I made Caldo con Queso - a cheesey tomato potato Mexican soup. The salsa verde is used to add some extra spice.

Recipe: 

cubed potatoes (about 5 - leave the skins on if red potatoes)

olive oil 

[in large pot heat oil and add potatoes, cook until tender]

1 14 oz can of tomato sauce

[add to potatoes, then add same amount of water]

[simmer]

4 oz salsa verde

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cup Mexican blended cheese

[stir into the soup, serve with sour cream and avocado]

The second week I made up a spicy, yummy soup. Here's what I did:

almost 1/4 cup dried black beans

almost 1/4 cup dried pinto beans

almost 1/4 cup brown rice

~5 cups water

[heat until boiled, then place lid on and simmer]

[once the beans and rice were cooked]

[add] 2 cups salsa verde

4 chicken tenderloins

sea salt

pepper

cayenne 

[all spices to taste]

[once chicken is cooked through, cut into pieces]

serve hot with cheese and sour cream

I tell you what I love creating recipes. If you've never done it you should try it. And, if you have done it you should share what creations you've made! Maybe we can recreate them too! If you ever try making one of my recipes let me know! I would love to hear about how it worked out for you!

This was In the Pantry: Tomatillos. Please stay tuned for more fun with items in your pantry :)

     

Fall 2013: When You Don't Know What To Say

Okay I just finished the potentially the craziest week of the semester so far. I have an objective in this blog. I want to write it to you to prove a point, however, the point might not make sense until the end so bare with me, because it might sound a little complainy - I'm hoping for it to raise your stress level a little bit...

My last week in a nutshell:

Friday: all day work on take home test (literally all day), missed a meeting, helped at karate, my car will NOT move out of park, cooked dinner for my brother, went to go to bed (at my parent's house) realized I didn't have contact stuff so had to drive home (to my condo) at midnight.

Saturday: help at karate (borrow a belt), study for Sports Nutrition, study... study... study, go to a friend's house, late

Sunday: Study ALL day - watched a sermon online from Mars Hill, study some more, tutor for 2 hours, back to my place and study some more

Monday: wake up to study and finish the take home exam, meeting at 11:30, meeting at 1, test at 2 - in between chaos broke lose and a lot of phone tag and trying to figure out what I can do, class, 15 minutes to buy shoes, pick up a girl from swim, babysit, home at 9, make a powerpoint presentation

Tuesday: day shadowing at the hospital 8-1, drive to school (in my dad's truck) realized I couldn't park on campus without the pass - trying to find a parking lot, get to class, present the presentation, get home finish homework that I forgot online in a panic, run to tutor, run to karate... a little late, borrow a belt, stay at my parent's house

Wednesday: study all morning for accounting, class, run to health center - super sore throat - not enough time, test, class again, tutor calculus, home, watch Nashville - stay up way too late

Thursday: Advanced auto parts for car part, my dad fixes my car, run to karate, online lecture, class 4-8



Did that sound ridiculously stressful? I hope that you see that it was completely packed, I may have even forgotten things... Okay now watch this video (it's 15 minutes, but really worth it)

http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html

Okay now that you have listened to the Ted Talk.

Change perspective:

All of the pressure and determination of studying allowed me to pull all A's on all of my tests (98, 96 and still waiting on the last grade, but I'm sure it's an A)

I made it through the entire week and I am so relieved. Without all of the stress and reactions that my body produced in response I may not have been able to power through it. I am exhausted, but I am feeling great and glad to have stress responses the way that I do. I feel empowered to use pressure for my benefit now rather than let myself feel overpowered by anxiety and stress.

Guess what else! Fixing my car (which I had a melt down about not being able to afford to fix) only cost $9! And it took my dad less than 10 minutes to fix!

So now go out and be empowered to overcome your stressful situations! Believe in what your body is telling you! Talk to people, be social :)

When you don't know what to say, just say Jesus. There is power in His name, trust in Jesus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWbYo6H0WiI

***Please note that not all stress is equal... if they types of stress you face is too little sleep that will negatively affect your body no matter what you think of stress, to fix it sleep the proper amount! If your body is stressed from lack of nutrition, eat a proper balance. If you are stressed because you're bored, exercise - create energy and excitement ***

This was Fall 2013: When You Don't Know What To Say. Stay tuned for more of my fall semester!

Andie's Kitchen: Homemade Greek Yogurt Experiment

I had a ton of milk that I needed to use up by tomorrow so I figured why not try making my own greek yogurt???

So, here's what I did. I found a recipe and this is what happened.

Step 1: Scald 4 cups milk on high heat for 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Let cool for 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons live culture greek yogurt

Notice Live Culture

Step 5: Heat oven to warm for 4-10 minutes. Turn off oven and turn on oven LIGHT. Place mixture in oven for up to 12 hours.

Step 6: When the yogurt is settled like below. Strain for 2-4 hours. (I accidentally strained too long and had to add back some whey)

Notice how it falls off the sides easily.

Strain with a thin cloth.

Mix with honey and store!

Thank you for joining me today for Andie's Kitchen: Homemade Greek Yogurt Experiment. Stay tuned for more kitchen experiments!