Stand

Lately, I have been a hot mess.  I have been absolutely terrified of this upcoming semester.  I have now officially (well, technically I still haven't done so on my records) decided to become a Computer Science major, and I feel soooo out of my element.  I don't know what's going to happen.  I don't know if I'm going to be good at programming, or even like it.  Seriously, I during Christmas break I woke up almost every night from nightmares about not getting a program to work or that my hands are shaking so badly I can't type (both of which have happened...).  In the last couple days, I have had nervous breakdowns where my heart starts racing and I can't breathe.  Last night it all culminated in a frantic, sobbing call to my dad to "talk me off the ledge".

I had to step back and realize that I have enough time to get everything done.  And I don't have to know everything right now--that's the point of going to school!  I'm smart and I work hard.  It's going to be o.k.

Today I went for a run.  About a mile in, I got crazy cramps and I thought I was going to have to turn around.  I was debating what I was going to do, and I decided that I was tired of being a baby.  It was time to push myself instead of not trusting that I can do hard things.  So I did. I pushed through the pain and rain out a decently fast 4.5 miles.

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog where the blogger was talking about why she runs.  Some days, I run to get/stay in shape.  Some days, I run because I have to or because I want to.  Some days, I run because it feels good.  Today, I ran to remind myself that I can overcome any challenge put in my way.

I'm still a hot mess.  But I'm going to be o.k.  I have a wonderful family and great friends who support me, I have faith that the Lord will support and sustain me, and I have confidence that I can do hard things.

I'm Back!

I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed this. But a break from the blog was definitely needed. Between New York and Florida, I have been totally crammed for time to get everything done. In the process, blogging fell by the wayside. But I'm back, and I'm here to stay! I'm going to make a few changes over the next couple weeks to make it easier for me to keep up with everything.  This means only one recipe a week, and only 1-2 posts per week.  Originally, I wanted to do more. I wanted to post like a professional blogger--multiple times a week. But guess what?? I'm not a professional blogger (shocker.).  Those people are awesome and I admire them, but blogging is also their job. School is my job right now, and I need to focus...especially if I want to get a decent grade in Linear Algebra (don't ask).

So get excited, because awesomeness is going to be coming your way! In the meantime, I think a sneak peek is in order...

And just because he is so gosh darn cute...

Workin' for the Weekend

When you are going to school full time, working, and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, weekends are the best thing that has ever happened to you. Seriously. So I thought you might enjoy some scenes from this weekend--which, I should mention, I found particularly successful :)!

 Started the weekend off early on Thursday by heading over the the soccer game with Erin. Erin and I are are both so busy, I hardly ever see her. It was wonderful to spend some "Sammi-Erin" time--even if we were freezing our butts off! 

You know, I wish I played soccer when I was younger--those girls are in the most amazing shape and are incredible runners. I might have been a little jealous...

 Got a little tired of eating oatmeal and pancakes Friday morning (I know, shocking!) so I whipped up a small batch of Julie's fantastic pumpkin muffins. Used up the last of the pumpkin though...we'll see how long I can make it before cracking open another can.

Have you ever seen this movie? Soo funny! Its supposed to be a "scary movie", but the special effects are not very believable. And the character development is just wonderful. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a Halloween movie to watch without peeing your pants every five minutes.

Went for a run Saturday afternoon (6 miles + stairs) and I am really feeling fantastic about the race. I have less than three weeks to go, and I'm starting to think that I am definitely ready!

Made this gorgeous pizza--Thai Chicken! I'm not going to put up this recipe because its definitely not that good for you, but expect a salad variation coming soon!

Football game Saturday night...we are winning finally! Also, this picture isn't from this weekend--way too cold to be wearing a t-shirt!

Hope y'all had a good weekend, and are feeling ready to start a new week. I know I am!

Study all Night Long

Ok, so maybe not that long. But still. Four midterms in a week! I have been living in the library the last few days, and I am soo sick of it. But at least I have happy snacks to make me feel better...

Overnight Oats = best. idea. ever. No mess, no fuss. I made a huge batch and took it with me. In this batch there's oats, blueberries, honey, greek yogurt, 1% milk, and almonds. I had it packed on the counter and my roommate was shocked that I could eat oatmeal cold. I replied that I could eat oatmeal all day, everyday, warm or cold. Yeah, it's that good.

Had to use up the broccoli. Since I don't like it raw, I steamed the "trees" then seasoned with lemon pepper.

It's sweet potato season! I'm a little picky about sweet potatoes...first of all, I don't like "yams". I don't buy the orange sweet potatoes. I like the more mellow sweetness of other varieties. I also like a sweet/spicy combo, so toss the potato chunks with olive oil and Tony's and roast. It's like french fries!

Last of the summer berries. :( 

Quinoa. Once again, Gift from the Gods. Cooked it in chicken broth. Super easy.

Haha. So I wasn't planning on taking asparagus with me to the library, but it was about to go bad...this morning I quickly tossed them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray (0 calories. Check it out.), salt, pepper, and garlic powder. No the easiest to-go food, but still my favorite veggie!

Not all of these snacks are really great "to-go" foods. But bear in mind that I have been leaving the house at 9:00am and getting home around 8:00pm every day this week. So yes, I have probably been getting some weird looks from my desk neighbors. But hey, they are probably just jealous that their food isn't as delicious as mine, right?...right??

I'm so fried right now. But whenever I am fed up with studying, I take an hour break to head to the gym. Seriously. The other day I was in a PowerPump class (taking a break from studying) and at the end of it I realized that I hadn't thought about the homework I still needed to do a single time. It felt great.

Game Day

What would college be without football?? The first home game of the season was yesterday, and it just happened to be against our biggest rivals.  

Elaine, Kayla, and myself...super excited for kickoff! If you want to ready all about Kayla and how awesome she is, you should check out her blog. :)

Super stoked for the game, I packed all of the essentials: nuts and cranberries, a whole wheat PB sandwich, and my last nectarine--no stadium food for me!

Actually, my food almost didn't make it in.  I totally forgot that outside food wasn't allowed in the stadium, so when I saw the bag checker, I panicked a little.  You know, shoving things into the bottom of the bag, trying to cover my snacks up with non-contraband items.

When we got to the bag checker, he started searching.  And he found a tupper.  Of leftover eggplant!  I had forgotten (that seems to be a common theme right now, right? chalk it up to the fact that I have four--yes, four!--midterms this week) that I had left it in my bag when I didn't eat it at work.

The beautiful thing about eggplant is...well, its pretty darn ugly.  The guy totally made a face and was like, "What is that?!"  Hahaha!  I just told him that it was eggplant that I had forgotten about and that I would throw it out.  And it worked.  So everyone: if you are ever trying to sneak in delicious food, use an ugly food, like roasted eggplant slices, as a diversion.  Works like a charm.

Contrary to my food success, our team sucked. Hard core. It was super tragic and altogether quite painful.  Hopefully they will step it up for the next one... I can't sit through an entire season of insanely sloppy play. :(

Recipe Update

You would think I was trying to trick you. You show up to this site expecting recipes because I have the nerve to call myself the "Cookin' College Girl"...and I haven't posted any in a while!

Truth is, I'm super lazy. Also, I'm in college. I'm busy. So deal.

Ok, ok, enough with the excuses. I'm going to get a few posts up in the next couple days with recipes I have made over the last couple weeks. :)

In the meantime, stayed tuned for my favorite YouTube video of all time (because that's what we college kids do when we are avoiding homework...watch Kittens Inspired by Kittens).

My favorite part: "I'm her mom!"
                                         "No...she's not!"

Moving In

Whew! Moving into a new place is tough stuff, especially when you have loads of food to find a place for! I am so excited to get this school year started.  It's a little terrifying to realize that its time for me to put the skills and habits I developed during the summer to the test. Its definitely going to be an adjustment, but one I am looking forward to. 

I wanted to make sure that I was prepared to eat well because I probably won't be able to make it to the grocery store very often. Here's what I got:

Whole wheat flour 

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Whole wheat pasta 

Splenda

Oats

Protein powder

Nuts and dried fruits

I love produce, especially vegetables. They give you the opportunity to eat tons of food for almost no calories! Here is a list of all of the fridge items I have for the week:

Spinach  Bananas

Applesauce  Avocados

Onions  Zucchini

Green Beans  Greek Yogurt

Eggs  Milk

Apples  Pesto

Have you ever seen so much food?! I am always amazed that I am able to fit so much food into such a tiny dorm room. Seriously though, I am so stoked about all of the great food I have. I really think that as long as you keep tempting foods out of your home, it really makes life way easier.

I can't wait to start cooking in my new apartment!