snack it to me- PB&J granola bites

I love to cook and I am also a big time stress cooker. Finding a new recipe and completing it helps me calm down and feel somewhat accomplished before big tests or events. Usually I pick things I can take places so not to tempt myself or be stuck with a ton of food around the house. This batch of last finals I picked out 3 new recipes to try out and this one is so scrumptious I had to share! I was looking for something to use as some brain fuel before finals and snacks to bring camping.

PB&J granola bites are super easy to make and are excellent little snacks for on the go. I found the recipe at onesweetappetite blog , but as always I fiddle with the original recipe a bit. The first batch was a bit too sweet for my taste and the second didn't stick together as much..third time's the charm I guess!

PB & J Granola Bites
  Prep: 15-20 min   Chill: 4 hours   Yields: approx 30 bites

  Ingredients                     

·      2 ½ cup oats

·      1/3 cup honey

·      1/4 cup peanut butter

·      2 TBS brown sugar

·      1/2 tsp vanilla

·      1/4 cup jelly (or preserves)

·      1/4 tsp salt

·      1/2 cup chopped craisins

 Instructions

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread your oats onto a cookie sheet in an even layer. Toast in the oven for six minutes.

2.  While oats are cooking chop craisins into small pieces and set aside

3.   In a medium sauce pan, combine honey, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Heat until melted, stirring until mixed.

4.   Add the oats to your peanut butter mixture and stir to evenly coat.

5.  Microwave the jelly for 15 seconds. Pour it over the oats, add salt and craisins. Mix until combined.

6.   Press mixture into an 8x 8 inch pan with the back of a spatula.

7.   Refrigerate approx 4 hours (or less… can’t ruin them).

8.  Cut into 1x2 inch squares and enjoy!

One batch I used a toaster oven just because I didn't want to heat up whole house. Seemed to work fine in 2 groups

Stir well be sure to use low heat so it doesn't burn

Chop up craisins into small bits

Adding oats, salt and craisins

add jelly (this was sugar free strawberry preserves) and mix! 

push into 8x8 pan making sure its fairly even and allow to set in fridge

Cut into bite sized pieces and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Hubble!

I just wanted to give a birthday shout out to the Hubble Space Telescope. Today marks it's 25th anniversary! Thanks to this telescope that was launched on April 24, 1990 we've been able to capture amazing images from our solar system and learn a lot more about the universe.  These photos are a few of my favorites.

Hubble's Greatest Hits- in my opinion

Some fun facts about Hubble:

• It transmits 120 gigabytes of data weekly- WOW!!!
• There has been  4 service missions since it's launch 
• It is  travelling about 17,500 mph
• It takes only about 97 min to orbit Earth 
• Hubble is about the size of a school bus
• It's solar powered
• It's named after astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble whos was nicked named the "pioneer of distant stars"  

You can find out more about of Hubble's amazing achievements at these links:

Hubble Space Telescope from NASA

Hubble's Discoveries from hubblesite.org

50 Best Hubble Images from Time Magazine

If you are looking to do something locally the Great Lakes Science Center is showing the Hubble movie in Imax daily at 2pm through the Sunday. I really like the movie still and that says a lot after I've seen probably over 20 times while working there. It follows the astronauts on one of the repair mission of Hubble. Trailer is below

Dark Skies

It seems like lately every day/week/month has some obscure celebration connected to it. It makes it very hard to keep up and I almost slipped noticing that this weekend wraps up the end of International Dark Skies Week!

Never heard of it? Well it celebrates one of my favorite things: star viewing and also fights to limit light pollution.  It's amazing how much light we emit into the night sky. It's not just places like Times Square or Vegas that blocks star viewing it's also coming from your own yard and street.  Some might say so what if you can't see big burning balls of gas trillions of miles away but light pollution also is threatening the future of some nocturnal species. Some easy things you can do to help is installing lighting fixtures that reduce skyward light emissions. 

such a difference lights make

 I'll never forget camping with my 6th graders in a ridge of the Appalachian mountains and being able to actually see the Milky Way! Most of the students living in the city had never really seen any stars. We were all in awe of how gorgeous the night sky was. It was amazing to be able to actually see the stars and planets in nature rather than having use my planetarium to show the constellations. 

Doesn't everyone have an inflatable planetarium?

Now in case you missed you missed celebrating International Dark Skies Week, fear not Clevelanders you are in luck. Did you know that just a short drive away is 1 of only 22 certified dark sky parks in the world?

Observatory Park is just about an hour east and is part of the Geauga county park system in Montville.  It's open daily 6AM-11PM with some programming throughout the week and extended hours during astronomical events. Its a green space with cute little walking trail of the solar system, telescope pads/electrical hook ups and special hooded red lights to help with night time viewing.

view of the buildings

 As you would expect since it is a sanctioned dark zone there is not much around the area. It's also a fairly small park, it's main purpose is for night viewing so there are limited picnic tables and trails.  Don't expect to find much in way of restaurants and night life in a 15 mile radius. Observatory park is conveniently located within a 20 minutes or so drive from a lot of  the wineries.

 W and I finally made the trek to the park after taking a wine trail tour. A win- win combination of daytime events.  We made it to park just near dusk with plans to stay for nighttime viewing but a massive thunderstorm cut our trip short. I will say the bathroom building was a great little place to wait out tornadic weather!

check out those angry clouds

 Every time I've attempted to make the journey to Observatory Park at night it's been cloudy or stormy weather. Kind of like this week the Lyrid meteor shower is peaking and it's expected to rain Ugh oh well I'm looking forward to the next time I can visit the park and until then I'll just have to enjoy the shows at local planetariums.

Beauty DIY: Dry Scalp Oil treatment

This is the winter that just won't quit...it actually snowed today! I have pretty sensitive skin but the winter wrecks complete havoc on it. Usually I have combination skin and don't have issues with a dry scalp.  With the heat going our house gets so dry and it just zaps moisture out of everything. We have humidifiers running constantly but still is not enough! Once the temperature starts to fluctuate I sometimes get a flaky scalp yuck not attractive especially when 90% of my wardrobe is dark colors. I saw this DIY hot oil treatment on pinterest and figured why not try it. What is the worst that could happen I smell like an antipasto tray?

• Heat up about 1/4 c of oil, be sure not to get it too hot, I used the double boil style method. 
•    Original post said any kind works (grape seed, veggie, olive, etc) I picked olive oil because it was handy, I don't mind the smell and working in a pizza place during high school I know my skin won't have a reaction to it. 
• Part hair starting on top in the middle and gently rub in to scalp using fingers or sponge. Continue every 1/2 inch or so making parts. Be sure to get all the way in the back and around nape as this is where my hair seems to dry out the most.  
• This step was a bit tricky and I only used one had to apply and one to part so I didn't turn into a giant oily mess.

now the waiting

• Wrap hair in shower cap or saran wrap and wait a minimum of 30 min. to let oil soak into scalp
• I got caught up in a task so I waited 2 hours but you you can go for even longer than that
• Wash hair and style as usual
• I had to wash it twice to get all the oil out, but my hair smelled fine
• Recommended to repeat once to every other week if needed

Overall my hair did not smell like olive oil and my scalp was not as dry but wasn't an oil slick either. So maybe this does work after all I'll see how the week goes!

this Crane cool mist is my go to humidifier
we have them all over the house!

DIY Rose Sugar Scrub

Happy Valentine's Day! Being in the middle of yet another snow storm and having my fill of cheesy love movies for the day I was looking for something to help me procrastinate from studying. A craft project seemed just the thing!

I've been eyeing DIY scrub pinterest projects for a long time and today seemed like the perfect day to try it out. As I didn't dare to venture out to get odd ingredients that most scrubs seem to require I was looking for one that items I had on hand. I found one that only had 3 easy ingredients: sugar, baby oil, and rose petals.

W and I celebrated Valentine's a week early so the roses he got me were starting to get a bit ragged. Making a scrub out of some of the petals seemed the perfect way to continue to enjoy them and get some silky smooth skin!

DIY Rose Sugar Scrub
     yields approx 1 cup of scrub

1/8 cup baby oil
3/4 cup sugar
6-12 rose petals

Add ingredients to food processor and blend until well mixed. Scrub is more on the dry side. Apply about 1 teaspoon of scrub to wet hands and rub it all over hands. Rinse off and you should be left with silky smooth skin. Store it in airtight container.


Step by step photos

I used the magic bullet instead of a food processor and it worked wonderfully.  I layered sugar, then oil, then petals ripped in half. You may need to stop halfway through to mix it up a bit as some of the rose petals were still in larger chunks after a minute or so. 

When it is all mixed up it  the red petals made this gorgeous shade of lavender pink! Depending on the number of petals you add you may get variable color results. It's more of a dry scrub, I know others are more gelatinous. Add some water to your hands before spreading it out.

In total it takes about 5 minutes to make and yields about 1 cup of scrub.  This would be an excellent gift and you could find super cute mason jars to store it in! I think this might have just been my gateway scrub in to making all sorts of others...who knew it was this easy!

Just as a FYI the baby oil smell for sure takes over at first and then you are left with faint rose. It's not horrible and I happen to like the smell of baby oil, but I think for next time I might search for a different oil to use or add an essential oil for a different fragrance profile. My skin was so soft after using this and I will for sure be keeping some in a jar next to the sink for use after washing dishes. Plus it's such a cute shade it'll help brighten up the dreary weather.

ugh I know it's nothing like Boston but I needed
 something to brighten up this overcast day

Fun science fact: Did you know sugar is a natural exfoliate? It contains glycolic acid a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which helps breaks down the glue like substance that keeps dead skin cells attached to the epidermis (top layer of your skin). The sugar grains are abrasive so that helps too. Your skin cells naturally shed but as you age you might need to help it along a bit. Exfoliating a few times a week especially in winter helps  moisturizers penetrate deeper and keep your skin hydrated longer.

#3.11 Salsa baked fish

Baked Tilapia with Peach Mango Salsa

Are you ready for the easiest recipe ever? When I am a busy bee and this is my go to recipe that is quick and easy...not to mention tasty and healthy. I usually make this in the toaster over so I don't even have to wait for the oven to preheat!

All you need is mild fish I like to use either Mahi Mahi or tilapia, old bay seasoning and fruit salsa (pineapple, peach or mango and the chunkier styles work really well).

1) Place fish on cookie sheet or foil lined pan. Spray with cooking spray
2) Sprinkle old bay seasoning on top (or for a bit of kick cajun spices)
3) Spoon salsa over fish about 2-3 Tbsp each filet. Make sure most of fish is well covered.
4) Bake at 350 for 20 min or so depending on fish thickness.

While that's cooking I usually steam some fresh veggies and serve with cous cous (it takes only 5 minutes to make). Ta Da dinner made in 25 min or less!

#27 paint night

With our new found freedom for next two weeks a couple if girls in my program and I were able to schedule an evening of fun at Wine & Canvas in Strongsville. I've never painted a picture before and I had a blast. Definitely one of my favorite completed list items.

adding the cardinals

I'm not sure how it is at other places but this was all you no penciled in shapes but some guidance through out the composition! I was surprised at how large the crowd was and quite the mix of ages. The wine was flowing and people seemed to be having a blast no matter what the end product looked like. I will for sure be doing this again soon!

end product

Turtle Bites: 10 min or less dessert

Oh no you totally forgot about the office potluck or your neighbors brought over a gift and you have run out of holiday yummies what do you do? This recipe is quick, easy, and super addictive.

They have lots of names but I call them turtle bites as the are a mouthful of salted caramel chocolate nut goodness all in one bite. 

Ingredients: 1 bag rolos, pretzels, pecan halves 

Time: 5 min plus cooling

-Preheat oven to 375. Place pretzels evenly spaced on foil lined cookie sheet. -Add rolo to each pretzel in center of pretzel 

-Bake for 3 min or until rolo starts to get pretty shinny not all the way melted

- remove from oven and place pecan on top, smush pecan down 

- Allow turtle bites to cool to set (place sheet in fridge can speed it along) 

-Serve at room temperature... Bet you can't eat just one 

   *these keep very well so feel free to make few days ahead of time or even freeze. 

I  recommend buying the rolos near counter in tube otherwise they are individually wrapped and boy that is a pain and a major time suck. Window pain pretzeles (or chess board I don't know what real name is but that's what they look like) are great as the hold in chocolate. To save time by avoiding preheating oven I used a toaster oven, plus 2 small batches allowed me to get pecan on before rolo cooled.

 One blogger recommend to put on pecan prior to baking to save time and give roasted nut taste. Caution pecan gets really hot and didn't notice any flavor difference so I'd just skip it. Another word of warning caramel is really really hot and like sticky lava so as tempting as these look let them fully cool before sampling so you don't burn your mouth. 

Christmas Light Date

Looking for a quick, inexpensive, and easy date? All you need is gas in the tank, hot chocolate, good holiday movie, and Christmas bingo/I spy cards.

After spending the better half of the day on the phone and driving all over northeastern Ohio to take care of replacing a stolen wallet our date night got cut short. I thought this was a perfect date to help bring back some of the Christmas cheer as I was leaning toward the Grinch side.

 W and I jumped in the car and circled through the neighborhoods in search of the "griswold house". You know every city has to have at least one or two of those overly gaudy decorations with maybe four or five blow ups. For me though my favorite houses are the simplest ones. I love a few white lights and windows adorned with wreaths and red ribbons and maybe candles in the windows. 

just simple and elegant

W and I had a night filled with singing Christmas carols while driving intermixed with oohs and awwws of the gorgeously decorated houses. It even started to snow on our drive! I will say we were a bit to engrossed in the views to play a competative game of bingo so we just tried to complete as many if the I spy tasks before heading home.

When returned we snuggled next to our tree, warmed up with some hot chocolate,  and watched the classic Home Alone movie. What a perfect simple date. 

This is something that is easily adapted to work with the whole family (dress up the kids in pjs have the hot chocolate in to go cups) or as a couples contest road rally game. When you return you can warm up with tasty holiday beverages. Check out a few from an older post!

Thank you to Another Crafty Day for these adorable bingo cards. Feel free to make your own I spy lists there are a ton of ideas on Pinterest. If you want to turn this into a contest Dating Divas has a free printable set for a couples party/date right here. 

one day I hope to do something
like this on my front door
Merry Christmas Everyone!

#3.18 Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

So it's finals week and that means I de-stress by cooking! I was pursuing my favorite food blog site and this was the post of the day. It fits as a list item for another vegetarian meal and surprise this doesn't have spinach in it like 90% of all the other ones I've made lately. I even branched out and tried cooking eggplant for the first time!!

 I highly recommend checking out Budget Bytes site or her cook book.  All the recipes are made with easy to find ingredients and is budget conscious in time and money. Plus everything usually is great to freeze for a later date. Bonus for those busy students! The website is super organized and I love the flavors and ethnic food recipes. There isn't a recipe yet I haven't enjoyed. Check out some of my older posts for some favorites: summer vegetable tian, naan, fall harvest roasted veggies and sausage

easy peasy steps...mmmm

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
     Total time: about 1 1/2 hrs   Cook time 1 hr          servings: 12
Ingredients

• 1 c  broccoli 
• 1 small eggplant 
• ½ lb. (4 medium) carrots 
• 1 medium squash (yellow or zucchini) 
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 small red pepper
•  1 tsp garlic powder 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• salt and pepper 
• 1 tsp dried oregano or italian seasonings blend 

• ¾ lb. (12 oz. box) uncooked ziti 
• 1 cup (8 oz) low fat ricotta cheese 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella, divided 
• salt and pepper 
• 1 (24 oz.) jar tomato basil marinara sauce, divided
• the more flavorful your sauce the better!

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the eggplant, squash, mushrooms into small cubes (1/2-3/4 inch), cut the carrots and pepper into matchsticks, slice the onion, and cut the broccoli into small florets. Place chopped veggies into large bowl.
2.  Drizzle veggies with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Toss the vegetables well, until evenly coated with oil and spices
3.  Cover two baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Divide vegetables and place in an even layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining oregano and garlic powder. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly charred on the edges. Stir once, half way through roasting. Remove and reduce oven to 375 when complete.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente [boil for 7-10]. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the burner turned off. Add the 2/3 jar of sauce and toss to coat.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, the egg, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, ¼ tsp salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Stir until even.
6. Coat a large casserole dish with non-stick spray (9 x13 rectangle might work but you want high sides to fit all the layers). Spread ⅓ of the pasta and marinara sauce mixture over the bottom. Layer ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, then ½ of the roasted vegetables. Repeat these three layers, then end with one final layer of pasta and add reaming 1/3 jar of sauce and the final cup of shredded mozzarella.
7.  Cover loosely with foil and bake the casserole for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Remove cover, turn off oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes until cheese on top is melted and slightly browned on the edges.

recipe adapted from budget bytes

Thanks & List Check in

I am half way into my 31st year and have been a bit silent in to blogging word. Sorry to leave you hanging, no I didn't complete my list  in time, but I got really close and I enjoyed exploring each option and connecting with others through the blogging. And hey it gives me something to work on for this decade.

In my 30th year my life took a turn that I didn't really plan for when I started this blog. For example I spent my 31st birthday in the cadaver lab...never thought I would ever say that! I went from being in the front of a classroom to being a student.

Here is a recap of last 16 months in  60 seconds or less depending on how fast you read.  I had been dabbling in the idea of changing careers for a number of years. So June 2013 I went all in and took classes full time through the summer in classes that would be applicable to the medical field. I passed on a teaching job that next school year, moved in with my parents and continued trudging through over 30 hrs of prereqs needed to get into Physician Assistant graduate school. I was told multiple times there was no way I would get in this cycle with my odd education background and having 12 outstanding classes to still complete. My hard work paid off and woo hoo I had a pick of schools to go to. So May 2014 I began an all consuming 24 month PA program at BW and since then I have had no time to blog...showering some days feels like a treat.

All in all I wouldn't change this time for anything in the world. It is some of the most challenging things I've done but I am loving every minute of it (ok maybe like 80% of the time).  I couldn't have done it with out the continued support of so many people in my life.

I want to give a big giant moment of gratitude for my support system of family and friends. I could not be keeping it all together as much (or as little) as I am with out you and I appreciate you putting up with my flaky and moodiness. I know I don't say thanks enough as I'm always on the go or multitasking. But I cherish spending time watching OSU games with you even though I''m tucked away in the corner studying. The simple things like getting a card in the mail, a good luck on your test voice mail or even "dinner is ready" means the world to me and your words of encouragement do more for me than I can ever express.

Thank you to my fellow crazy classmates. I am so glad to be working with each an everyone one of you and I'm so glad we are class that supports each other rather than competes.  Its great knowing I'm not the only one struggling at times or get really really excited over simple things like a pot luck trail mix bar, correct answers on snapchat studying, or walking club. I know I'm making life long friends and look forward to the next chapter of clinicals coming up in just a few short months eek!


So please bear with me as I am a little disjointed from the world for  the next 16 or so months.  I'll try to keep up to date here and there with my new adventures and plan to still finish my list [someday]!

#4 watch a sunrise

My favorite spots to view the city from my hometown: Huntington Beach

I had a plan to watch the sunrise [list item #4] at the beach huddled in a blanket (maybe viewing a comet) with a thermos of something warm. But instead by accident I guess I caught my sunrise driving in to a super early weekend shift downtown. I'm glad I got a chance to be alone in a quiet car watching the Cleveland sunrise early one morning while I was driving in to work.

 I was filled with a sense of awe at the sheer beauty between the mixture of nature and man's  ingenuity. I watched the shimmer of pinks and orange reflect of the windows of the sky scrapers and shadows dance on the bridges. I was amazed at how beautiful the lake was and on a bitterly cold morning humans have found a way to create a home and enjoy this space. One could say that I was in awe:an experience of such perceptual vastness you literally have to reconfigure your mental models of the world to assimilate it.

almost magical

Anytime I watch the sunrise or sunset I start to contemplate and reflect on life. How many other days have I seen the legs of sunlight streak across the sky but don't notice it as I am too engrossed in my current task? This wasn't a life changing event or anything but more like a life appreciating event. It gave me a boost on the early morning to enjoy what I have and look forward to what is yet to come. It let me freeze time for a moment and see things through a different light.

Later that day I stumbled upon a youtube channel called Shots of Awe. Jason Silva a "Performance Philosopher"  uploads short (he calls them philosophical espresso), inspirational videos in which he explores topics such as the miracle of life, the evolution of intelligence, and the advancement of technology. He is totally my new nerd crush. I wish I could speak as eloquently and passionately as he does. 

 I think he sums up life beautifully: "we fit the universe through our brains and it comes out in a form of nothing less than poetry we have a responsibility to awe" 

I never want to lose that childlike curiosity and wonderment. I always want my breath taken away by the sheer beauty, complexity or magnitude of life. I live for the AWE and I hope that you can too, shake up your routine, break some of those mental habits and appreciate those simple things in life. Get inspired.

Awe Video link

check out my other favorite video: Existential Bummer

Exploding Box Gift

W and I decided to be a bit more low key and not buy gifts for each other but make something instead for our 3 year anniversary. I was searching for something different than just a card and I knew I didn't have time for a T-shirt quilt (someday sigh). I stumbled upon this idea that is a kind of interactive mini scrapbook contained in a box.

take off the lid and BAM!

So I decided to go all middle school style and make him this exploding love box and a mix tape to help pass the drive time as we travel back and forth to see each other.

my color pallet  

Materials you need for the project are super easy: 4-5 sheets of 12x12 card stock, ruler, scissors and double stick tape and tacky glue. 

 There are tons of tutorial on pinterest, youtube or online. I based mine off of A Cherry on Top's tutorial. It is pretty easy to follow and has great step by step photos. Check it out! I switched mine up a bit to make it 4 layers instead of 3.

  I wrote little notes as well as some ticket stubs from events we've gone to over the years. It was a lot of fun to look back through photos and see what all we've done and all the different hair styles!

It's easily adaptable to make as a mother's day gift or if sewed it a baby book even. Oh the possibilities. This is a project that you could spends weeks on or just a day depending on how wrapped up you get. Good luck!