Shrimp Tacos

This week’s meal was a steal from The Pioneer Woman’s blog. I really enjoy her recipes because she keeps it really simple or at least to me it is simple. A lot of time I’ll want to make something that I cannot find all the ingredients for.  

So this week’s new dish was Shrimp Tacos. They were overall simple fast, healthy and really tasty.

Here is a link to her recipe.  
The only I left out was the pico de gallo because I wasn't in the mood to make fresh and didn't like the looks of it at our local grocery store. I used frozen shrimp too but it seemed to turn out okay although I would have liked to use fresh shrimp. I also substituted the corn tortillas for whole wheat tortillas with a "fiesta" flavoring and I really enjoyed those. Everything else was what she used, I even found the same brand of tomato sauce which is rare in the these parts.

I would definitely recommend this recipe if you are looking to spice up taco night. Below is my version of the shrimp taco.

Easy Healthy Eating

So one of my goals on my 27 before 28 list was to cook new meals once a week. I have been doing it but have not been posting them so I decided that I will start posting the new meals. This week was a simple meal that I made up last minute. I read a lot of recipes about making your own chicken nuggets or tenders so I decided to have a go at it.

I went to Save-a-lot and bought four boneless skinless chicken strips. These were $2.11 which is a deal. When you are single and only cooking for yourself you definitely want to shop where you don’t have to get everything in bulk or large amounts.

I made a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and just a little bit of grated parmesan cheese. I dredged the chicken in one beaten egg and then through the mixture.  Put on a baking sheet and baked with a side of sweet potatoes drizzled in honey.  I paired the two with a side salad which took up most of the plate.  The dinner was pretty good and way healthier than those fast food chicken fingers that are deep fried.  

I would like to start a group that meets like once a week and shares a healthy recipe or maybe once every two weeks.  My friend Clarissa and I talk about doing this all the time but never ever do it. So if you read my blog and you want to have a healthy dinner with me send me a message and we can have a date.  It could just be a one-time thing or something we do regularly but I thought it is definitely a way to find new ideas for healthy food.

28 Before 29

I love lists. I make lists when I have housework to do, when I have something to plan, when I go to the grocery store and hell even when I am bored I make lists. I enjoy having a list because it is something tangible to make sure I am getting stuff done.

A popular list I see on the Internet is do “Current age things to do before next age”. Since I turned 27 last week I thought there is no better time for me to start a goal list before I turn 28. That is what this blog is about but I haven't really decided what I am gonna go. So this year I will achieve 27 things before March 5, 2013, as long as the world doesn't end, ;).

So here it is:

1. Visit Carlos Bakery from Cake Boss
2. Go to Batting Cages
3. Sew a Wearable Outfit (whether for me or someone else)
4. Take Cake Decorating Classes
5. Reconnect with at least 10 Old Friends
6. Go on a Tour of the Yuengling Brewery
7. Learn to Shoot Guns
8. Go out in State College
9. Take Hiking More Seriously
10. Cook One New Meal a Week
11. Read at Least 9 Books
12. Dedicate More Time to Blog
13. Go To a Concert
14. Make My Own Cupcake Flavor
15. Go to Broadway Show
16. Style My Hair More Often
17. Get a New Tattoo
18. Bake a Pie (really have never done it)
19. Go Camping
20. Start Biking Regularly
21. See a Movie Alone
22. Go on an Impromptu Road-trip around Pa
23. Rebuild My Savings
24. Print Every Roll of Film in the Box I found from High School
25. Join a Club or Try a New Activity I Never Done Before
26. Go to a Drag Show
27. Be Happy With Me and all my Awesomeness

I was gonna add meet Ryan Gosling to my list but that is more of a dream list so I'll settle for some

Hey, Girl throughout this year.

So most of my list are attainable things, physically where as the last goal is something I really need to work on. I am talking to a therapist right now and she tells me I need to do more positive self talk and push those mean thoughts about myself out of my head.

So here is to another year older and hopefully a little more wiser and happier.

Sometimes it Lasts in Love and Sometimes it Hurts Instead

I started blogging for two main reasons to get over a bad break-up and to discover the self I had inside that I let go. The past few months I have been covering up the hurt I feel with adventures and new challenges. People tend to forget how much heartache hurts unless they are feeling it. I had a lot of friends say to me, “I feel like you two broke up a long time ago.” When in my head I could probably count day the day, hour and minutes if I had to. It has only been a few months since DB and I went our separate ways. A lot of people would be on to the next significant other right now, hell DB probably has a new girlfriend but that is just his style. My heart moves in slow motion when it comes to love. It took me two weeks to say “I Love You” back to DB after the first time he said it.

The pain of losing someone you truly love intensifies when you are let down in other ways. I recently received some disappointing news that left me feeling rejected. During the hurt of this ordeal I could only think about how I longed to call DB. I wanted to ask him how he could stop loving someone so quickly, how he could let me be in so much pain and let him know  I feel like I have to completely start over.

At this point in my life I feel like I never want to love again. The pain and agony that is there after someone leaves you, makes the beauty of love feel like an ugly scar.  I have always had a cage around my heart, letting people see the possibility of letting them in but always keeping it locked. DB somehow managed a way to get that key and I trusted with him with everything that I had.

The last couple weeks have seemed hard, maybe because my stress level is up or maybe because I no longer have that male companion to talk to at night. I feel like my sadness is a burden on my friends. I also know that they really can tell when the smile is fake and I am breaking down inside. I was worried about writing so honestly about how I was feeling. I am scared people would look at me as weak or crazy. It is hard to realize others have probably felt the way you do, at some point in their life. I am not sad everyday but when it comes I just feel like I am stuck in this black hole. I wish so hard to be happy like everyone I see. I do know that my happiness is not with DB, he didn’t take it when he left. It is just in the shadows and I need to find a way to let that sunshine clear away those shadows.

I am ending the blog a different way this time. I am going to leave everyone with a song. When the Adele album first came out I listened to this song on repeat and sang it so loudly in the car. It reminded me of an old friend whom I wished all the best in the world for even though there were some feelings there with both of us. Now when I hear the song, it is a whole new wave of emotion. I can feel the pain in Adele’s voice and it matches the pain my heart. The other day while driving the song brought me to tears and let myself cry as I drove home. I hope this song awakens emotions in some of you as it does for me.