Random

Isn't it funny how one day someone can be such an important part of your life and then they have nothing to do with you at all? Just so strange to think about.

Shit Happens

So, I failed my Health Insurance exam for the state today. I don't know what happened. I studied hard for it and I even took the practice exam twice yesterday and once this morning before I took the real deal exam. Oh, and now I'm eating mini Twix and drinking a Coke, which I NEVER do. Yay for emotional indulgence. I'd rather have a Pumpkin Spice Latte, but the Starbucks near me won't have them for a couple more days. Sigh. I called my boss to tell him what happened, how I failed my exam by three little points, but wasn't able to reach him so I'm awaiting his return phone call. I guess I'll just study even harder this time around and take it again. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the practice one this morning before I went to take the real test. Probably over clouded my brain. Then of course, I didn't have coffee or eat anything before the test. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just experiencing hindsight right now. What I did, versus what I should've done. Sigh. Til next time...

Home Made Tortilla Chips

So I decided to make home made tortilla chips with left over tortillas! They are super yummy and way cheaper than buying a bag of tortilla chips because chances are you have everything on hand except the tortillas. I got the tortillas at Aldi, but they weren't over $2.

What you will need:

Tortillas

Kitchen shears
Kosher salt

Pam spray
Baking sheet

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the baking sheet with Pam. Cut up the tortillas to make them like chips (this is easy to do, but I can't figure out how to explain it on here, haha). You'll see what I mean in the pictures. Arrange the cut up tortillas on the baking sheet and lightly grease them. Sprinke salt and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. They are delicious!

Quesadillas

So I love me some Mexican food. Quesadillas, in particular with some yellow rice. I'm not making yellow rice tonight because I'm not that hungry but I did want quesadillas. I bought everything but the meat from Aldi. I love shopping there and saving money. The same people that own Aldi also own Trader Joe's, which is based out of the West coast. None of the ingredients were over $2, except for the cheese. However, they give you FOUR cups of cheese in a bag, as opposed to the traditional two cups you'd get in a Sargento or other brand name. 

What you need (basics):

Flour tortillas

Cheese

Refried beans

Ground beef

Taco Seasoning

Sour cream for dipping

(You can put ANYTHING on your quesadilla, this is just the basic list that I like on mine. If you have fresh cilantro, I recommend adding a little sprinkle to it.)

Saute the meat until brown (with the taco seasoning). Set aside. Turn burner to low and spray with cooking oil (Pam). 

 Put first tortilla down, then assemble as so: refried beans, meat, cheese. Then put the other tortilla on top. Grill til the first side is slightly golden brown, then flip it until the other side is done. Cut into slices and enjoy! 

PS: Got leftovers? Scramble some eggs in the morning and make egg quesadilla borritos!!! They're really good. :)

True

Out Of Sorts

So this post is going to be really unorganized, but I don't care.

I passed my Life Insurance exam this week and I'm taking my health exam Saturday, so hopefully I'll pass that, too. What annoys me is that we don't issue or associate anything with Medicaid or Medicare, so why should I have to learn about it? Its just boring to me and I don't agree with the Medicaid system at all, whatsoever. I was raised to work for what you have and if you don't have the money for it, you don't get it. I've been without health insurance of ANY kind for over four years, but you don't see me cheating the system. With that said, I don't have a problem helping people in need and I actually do have a big heart and love to bless others, but when you're just lazy, I have a big problem with that. Its not right and its just one of the many reasons why this country has been run into the ground.

On another note, don't you hate it when you just aren't motivated to cook? I do. And it gets old. Sometimes I think living on my own is overrated. Its really hard to cook for just one person and its still somewhat costly. But I also don't like getting fast food that often, either. Plus, that adds up, too. Even just getting a drink to take to a work meeting adds up. I hate how everything costs so much money.

By the way, I had my first day out in the field yesterday. My co-worker is awesome! I foresee us becoming friends. He and his fiance are to wed in October and I may get to do her bridal makeup, which is right up my alley. Anyway, yesterday I got to see how things go and what I'll be doing exactly. I'm excited to get out there and start making money. It feels really good to be working again, I just don't have the motivation to study today, but I must. I also have to go in today for a conference call via Skype with our Vancouver office at 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. I think I'll tease my hair today and wear red lipstick. Simply because I can and I haven't done that in forever.

I really want to post recipes here, but my camera phone sucks. And I don't know where my real camera is. I think I do, I'll have to check. But tonight I am either going to make steak salad or steak with twice baked potatoes and roasted olives and artichoke hearts. We shall see. I probably shouldn't spend too much time cooking because, again, I have to study tonight. Why did I book that test for 8 a.m. tomorrow? Stupid me.

And you know what? I think the Kardashians are all pretty, in their own way. If I look half as good as Kris Jenner when I'm older, I'll be happy. I really just want their skin texture, its perfect. I wouldn't mind having Kim's body, though, either. Haha. We can all dream, right? I wouldn't mind having one of their houses, either.

Well, I need to get ready here. I have some dishes to do. I'm going to blog again tonight, though. I really need to get some other things in my head onto black and white. So until then....

Picture It...

Sorry, when I couldn't think of a title, I thought about Sophia on The Golden Girls, every time she's about to tell one of her infamous Sicily stories, haha!

Not much has been going on. I'm taking my Life Insurance exam in the morning so I can start officially going out in the field with my boss. Its been an adventure, but I'm excited to get it done. I've come down sick, which I'm not happy about.

I have a lot of things that I want to do and blog about in the upcoming weeks/months, whatever may occur first. I've found a ton of pumpkin recipes for baking and such on pinterest, so there WILL be blogs about those. Also, I'm going to try making my own laundry detergent. All thanks to pinterest. Its so addicting.

I've tried dating via the internet. Definitely doesn't work. I don't know, it seems like a lot of people just have things handed to them, like good jobs, relationships, etc. But, I guess life isn't fair. It sucks and then you die, apparently.

By the way, I love fall scents so much, I'm going to do a whole blog post on it. Right now I'm burning a little candle from Glade. Its pumpkin smelling. So yummy. Anyway, I need to go rest and study for my exam in the morning. Toodaloo!

Cooking Tip #1

Let me briefly explain, before I go into this. I love to cook and my blog is going to be used for a variety of topics. One of the things I'm going to post is "Cooking Tips". Today is the first one.

To get the most juice out of a lemon or lime before you squeeze it, submerge it in hot water for fifteen minutes, and then roll it on a counter top. Voila, almost twice the amount of juice!

Staples In The Pantry

So, I've basically gotten to the point where I only eat one meal a day. I know, not good for you, but whatever. I'm just not hungry that often. Plus, its really hard to cook for just one. Not to mention the clean up process. I don't know anyone besides a Stepford Wife that enjoys doing the dishes.

Anyway, when I do cook, like tonight, I like to see what I have in the pantry and throw something together. I wanted to talk about staple items that I keep in my pantry. You may or may not keep the same things around, but if you don't, maybe you can pick up a thing or two from my list:

Long Grain White Rice

Cream Of Mushroom/Celery/Chicken Soup

Light & Dark Red Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Stove Top Stuffing

Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup

Breadcrumbs

Canned Milk

Instant Gravy Mixes

Hamburger Helper

Canned Green Beans/Carrots/Mixed Vegetable Medley

Canned Peaches/Pears/Fruit Medley

Peanut Butter

Those are just some of the things I tend to keep around, in case I'm in a pinch. I also keep some refrigerated items around like:

Onions

Bagged Salad

Milk

Eggs

Butter

Grapes

Cheese

Sprite/Gingerale (for being nauseated during flu season)

Hummus

Carrots

You'll always find that stuff in my fridge. Anyway, I hope this was helpful to some of you. Not like I get many readers, but hey! Haha.

Healthy Snack Ideas

So, I'm a bigger girl, but I don't really eat "junk" food. Thought I'd throw some snacking ideas out there for you. These are some of my favorites.

1. Pimento Stuffed Olives (I get a huge jar of them at Big Lots for around $2!)
2. Plain Almonds (I get the really big bag at Wal-Mart for about $10, but they last me forever.)
3. Fat-Free Cheese Sticks
4. Frozen Greek Yogurt (I personally like the Yoplait and Chobani brand, but whatever brand you like, is fine. Put it in the freezer for a couple of hours and you have frozen yogurt, which is way healthier than ice cream.)
5. Pickles (Especially in the summertime, when its hot.)
6. Fruit (I can't stress this enough. Its good for you and I'd rather have a good piece of fruit over a candy bar any day.)
7. Frozen Grapes (Again, fruit.)
8. Raw Snap Peas
9. Hummus (My favorite is the roasted pine nut kind and you can dip veggies or light crackers in it. sometimes I replace mayonnaise on a sandwich with hummus, instead.)
10. Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter (Or pretzels with peanut butter.)