First Post from the new LAPTOP!!!

OMGOMGOMG its here!! My shiney new referbished ASUS, thats not shiney or new, but im smitten. Im at Panera instead of local coffee shop because it was closer to corporate computer store, you know, incase this puppy didnt fire up or they had snuck in Windows 8.... but all seems well!! :D so this computer is sooooo light! I cant believe it! Like 1/2 the weight!! Sorry, so excited...

Im attempting to download iTunes but untill then no picts as my phone gets all angry. But this week has been amazing!! Gentleman Friend took me on a grand adventure, which i will elaborate on next episode, as it requires pictures!!! Schools busy but good, and the kittens are behaving so far. Cooper is still Cooptacular, goofy as ever. I need to post Gerbil pictures.. its been way to long.

So I had said a few weeks ago that i wanted to loose weight and I havnt been very dedicated to it. Ive still been eating junk and not exercising, so today I took my first step towards ACTUALLY getting healthy. I downloaded from Sparkpeople how to go from couch potato to a half marathon in 8 weeks. Im gunna repost it here in hopes it inspired someone else :3

http://sparkpeople.com/assets/diet4/5k_rookie.pdf

So ya... uuugghhhhh i hate jogging!! but I want to be healthy and happy, and with a sketchy family history this is for the best.

BTW wanna see two adorable mini comics i did for Mini Comic day? sure you do!!

http://donteatcharcoal.blogspot.com/search/label/comic

http://robopandacomics.blogspot.com/

Gentleman friend did some awesome ones aswell!!!!

Finals and the Challenge

So its finals week. Finishing up my mandala and essays. Monday it should all be over :) But there will be more about that over on my other blog.

I have let myself get out of shape. I'm not bashing myself or pity partying or anything, but I have had the amazing opportunity to not have to live in poverty and have been indulging. So now I get the opportunity to work it off and get myself back to what I have worked so hard to maintain.

For those who dont know, I have used the FREE page SparkPeople to get myself healthy a few times. Its realistic, safe and tasty recipes! Plus tons of support and ideas, Sometimes to many ideas. If you wanna be my friend my username is magickzzl. This time Im trying the app, which is really easy to use. just type in what you ate and how you exercised and it does the math. My big problem is I love carbs, bread and crackers and Dr. Pepper. I end up eating to many carbs and almost no protein or fats. This means Im extra hungry but maxed out or over on calories. Protein and fat keeps you full ;)

I also am trying to get more exercise. I walk a TON in the city and at work, but not much cardio. I gatta work through my asthma but toally doable. So this is my challenge :)

On Nerdist News, I got a Koi on Neos!! :D I have been wanting one for a while now but their limited edition. but I found a rad website that shows pets in the pound and got my lovely ChattyKelly! the Speckled Koi!!!

So cute!!! :D Also picked up an old Batman game for the PS2, and a random monkey game that was super cheap. I gatta go back to living like a nun, but its been fun not being crazy poor for a little bit.

Never to Early for the Holiday Season...

Ugh... Its a few short weeks until everyone I know and love will turn into lunatics, and I will be broke, ha, broker. So I decided to be proactive. Since no one I know or love reads this, I can share it with my followers...err... myself. lol. So since I have many many MANY peppers from my lovely sister and her garden I am going to be making pickled peppercini's, with apples from my Aunts tree that is over flowing, I am attepting apple butter (with the help of my beloved crockpot, oh crockpot, love of my life) and back by popular demand, pickled carrots! So why all this pickling? isnt pickling hard? What about botulism? Let me answer all of this loves.

These are refridgerator pickles, so I dont have to worry so much about scary things growing in them. also, applebutter? Freezer fodder till holidays hit :) And for all my pickled things, Im using the same basic brine:

2C Vinager (they suggest apple cider but I used white last year and it was great)
2C water
1/4C White Sugar
1.5 tsp salt

bring it to a boil, and place the vegi's into the jars, along with herbs and spices. This is great so I can flavor each jar seperatly! Pour boiling brine over vegi's, let cool and store in the fridge until yummy.

Its really easy. I bought like 20 mason jars last year for like $10, the little ones (which are cuter for gifts!) and will again this year. Also, I have been saving cute salsa and fruit jars, and picked some masons up from my neighbor. Nice ;)

So school started on Thursday. Its going to be sooooo good for me. Im ready to get my ass kicked!

And yes, pictures are coming, its just hard when Im updating from Corporate coffee shop.

Ohh! I have started a little challenge! Im going to attept to DRAW every day for one year. In my little sketch book... So this isnt going to include the massive amounts of drawing I will be doing at school. I have tried to do this before and always fail.. I may fail now... But maybe I wont ;)

One chicken, one goal

So I bought a 5 dollar chicken from Trader Joes. My goal for this chicken? See how much I can get out of it :) Today I took it apart, removed the thighs, legs, and wings. I took off one breast for Black Bean and Chicken Salsa Soup. Again stolen from A Year of Slow cooking

--1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins) 
--1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth 
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup frozen corn 
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin 
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end) 
--shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional) 

updated 12/15: Pace salsa is pictured in the ingredients. Pace, and many Campbells products are now no longer being classified as "gluten free"---please read all labels and use your best judgment when making choices to feed your family. You can read a discussion about the labeling, here.
The Directions. 

You will need a 4 quart or larger.

If you know you are going to make this the night before (yay for meal planning!) soak the blackbeans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two. I did an hour, but 2 would really be better if you have the time. 

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did. 

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time. 

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersible blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditonal blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices. 


I dont think I used a full pound. But One breast down, lets see how many meals come from this :)