4th of July Weekend, and Writing Progress

This year was Michael and I's first time spending 4th of July together and I can't believe I didn't get any photos! And Michael only had this one from the weekend:

Top of Poo Poo Point

For 4th of July we went to a friend's barbeque in the afternoon then had a couple over for dinner before going to Volunteer Park to see the fireworks. Michael never know this about me, but I love fireworks. There's just something magical about them and looking at them that night, they reminded me of something from my book that I created.

The next day I met with my critique partner. We're halfway done critiquing each other's drafts! My 4th revision is definitely getting stronger with all of her help. Once home, Michael and I decided to go hiking at Poo Poo Point (Yes, that's actually the name!). We did it last year and decided to do it again this year. Maybe it'll turn out to be a yearly thing for us. I, however, am not athletic as Michael. It was such a breeze for him. I was huffing and puffing the whole way up, but he was sweet enough to encourage me the whole way through.

That evening Michael's parents took us out to Tulio's in downtown Seattle. They spoil us, seriously they do, it was such a treat eating there and it was such a pleasure being in their company as always.

On Sunday Michael and I went out to brunch and then I spent the whole day writing/revising from 10:30 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. That's like a 7-hour shift! If only that could be my full-time job! Perhaps one day.

Though good news is I finished my ending. I've wrote it differently all four drafts, and I finally landed on one that I love. It took me awhile, but I finally got there.Whooo! I still have a lot of editing and revising, but I'll definitely be ready for Pitch Wars and #PitMad in August and September.

I've also been working on my query letter. Man, is that a toughy. I think I've gone through 10 drafts of my query letter now. It's still not quite where I want it though, which is a good thing I'm working on it early. I've also started researching agents to query so that I'll be ready to go when my MS2 is complete.

With all this progress being made, my head is spinning, which means I am in need of a good read. So I'm currently rereading one of my faves, Stolen by Lucy Christoper.

Memorial Day Weekend

Photo Cred: Cristine

Last year during Memorial Day Weekend, Michael and I were in California for my sister's wedding. This year, we stayed in Seattle. Michael's parents invited us over for a barbeque Saturday, which is always a pleasure for us. Luckily, it didn't rain and the weather ended up turning out pretty nice.

Sunday, however, was a rainy day for us! Nonetheless Michael and I went to brunch, this week at Cafe Flora! Michael loved his traveler's chai and green tea and ginger waffle. I enjoyed coffee and a scramble!

 

After brunch we did our weekly grocery shopping and cleaned up the entire apartment. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some lunch and wine at Bottlehouse.

 

The rest of the weekend we took it easy. I finished proofing the second part of M2 so that It's ready to send to my beta readers and so that I can finally start writing the ending! My YA workshop will be done in two weeks, so I definitely won't have that to use as an excuse for not finishing. Also, almost done with the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. Review to come!

Dare to "Green"

Green isn't my favorite color, but that doesn't mean I'm not attracted to it. It's just so vibrant and... lively! So I decided to make buckwheat soba noodles with zucchini for dinner. It was so quick and easy to whip up, I'm sure I'll be having these often on my busy nights.

Ingredients:
-buckwheat soba noodles (I used the pre-made ones that's a single serving. I cut a slit in the package and microwaved it for one minute)
-medium zucchini, sliced
-Season to your taste (I used soy sauce, lemon pepper seasoning, chopped onion seasoning, and green onions for garnish)

Cook your zuchinni on medium high heat. Toss in the noodles when the zucchini is slightly soft. Mix in the seasonings. And voila. That easy! Less than ten minutes on the stove. Add chickpeas or tofu for a protein source. I roasted some chickpeas in the oven, gave it a dash of seasoning, and had it for my appetizer.

"Cheesy" Popcorn

No cheese whatsoever! Instead, sprinkle your air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

My method:

Put two tablespoons of popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the opening twice (about 1/2 inch increments). Place in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30-40 seconds. Ta-da! Air-popped popcorn! 

Rice paper to the rescue!

The miracle of rice paper? They can make leftovers appetizing. Thank goodness for that, because I had spaghetti squash, baby carrots, and celery leftover from the week and I needed to get rid of it. However, eating them all week didn't make them anymore appetizing.

Nonetheless, I cut up the celery and carrots threw into a pan to cook, then added the cooked spaghetti squash.

To season, I added 1/2 a tablespoon of Hoisin Sauce and chili paste. Then I used rice paper (Three Ladies Brand is the best, in my opinion) and rolled them up. Although, I do need to work on my rolling/folding skills.

Nevertheless, the rice paper saved me from my leftover slump! Yumm! If you're ever in a rut, I suggest you try it!

Peach-nana and Straw-nana Green Smoothies

Green smoothies! Here's a simple and quick recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach
1/2 a banana
1/2 cup of frozen sliced peaches OR strawberries
3Tbsp of water (or more to reach the consistency desired)

Blend! Ta-da!

*The first photo is made with strawberries and the second is made from peaches. Excuse my pj's ;]

February Vegan Challenge

February first. A new month. A clean slate. Just what I needed! And I think a new challenge and self-experiment is needed!

As a child, I always associated February with Red. Red for Valentine's Day and red for the Vietnamese New Year. I'm not ashamed to say it, but Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I can see you rolling your eyes as you read this, but hear me out. We all live busy, face-paced lives. How often do you tell your loved ones, that you love them? Yes, it's a commercial holiday, but it also reminds you to appreciate those around you. And sometimes, we need a reminder (even if it's one where the greeting card industry profits).

I grew up in a household where we didn't say we loved each other, and it wasn't because we didn't love each other, we just weren't accustomed to saying it out loud. So when I got home from school on V-day's with a brown paper bag filled with cards that said nice (albeit standard) things, I couldn't help but feel good about myself.

Now flash forward. I'm no longer a child, but a young adult. No more brown paper bags filled with cards. Single or not, I still celebrate Valentine's Day. I send my single mother flowers, my sisters chocolates, and go out to dinner or watch a movie with my friends.

This year, I want to do something different. With the Vietnamese New Year to boost my New Year's Resolutions, I've decided to go Vegan for 28 days. I tried going Vegan two years ago, but it didn't last too long. This time, however, I'm determined to do the 28 days. The way I think of it, I'm resetting my body so that I can learn and go on living a happy and healthy lifestyle with a plant-based diet.
Along the way, I hope to find a balance between my mind and body. And once Valentine's day comes around, I hope to inflict myself with copious amounts of self-love (something we all need, once in awhile) and delicious food!

I'll be using Kriss Carr's Crazy, Sexy, Kitchen and Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet to help me accomplish this. Look forward to my recipe reviews.

Spaghetti Squash with Pad Thai Sauce

I've found another sauce that goes well with spaghetti squash! Pad Thai Sauce! I didn't have the regular ingredients at hand for pad thai, but I did have broccoli and tofu.

It turned out pretty well, that I made it again for my friend Lyly for dinner. Rest assured, it's been Lyly-approved!

Makes 2 servings (but you can easily make it for one due to the simple ratios)

Ingredients:
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
2 servings of tofu
3 Tbsp Pad Thai Sauce

Steam broccoli in one pan. Cut tofu into cubes and cook on medium-high until they have browned on all sides. When the broccoli is a vibrant green, set aside.

Once tofu is cooked, add the broccoli, spaghetti squash, and sauce together. Mix well over medium heat. Once the spaghetti squash is warmed up, you're good to go!

Loaded Veggie Soup

I'm not too good about eating my vegetables. Fruits, I love. Veggies, not so much. I try to incorporate salads or soups into my day as much as possible to compensate. So for this week I made a batch of soup to eat for the week instead of to-go salads. I'm a total newbie to the soup scene, so I just threw whatever sounded good in (the same approach I have to salads ;]).

Ingredients:

1 box of broth of your choice (low sodium)

1 medium zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 cup of cut green beans

1 can of kidney beans (rinsed)

1 cup of cut baby carrots

2 large celery stalks

Seasoning of your choice (I used black pepper, Mrs. Dash-Fiesta Lime, Chili paste) (weird combo! But that's all I had at the moment).

Directions:

Wash, peel, and cut veggies while bringing broth to a medium boil. Add carrots to the boiling broth first to give them a head start. Then add everything else. Stir occasionally.

Add seasoning. It's done, when the veggies are tender. Don't overcook it or you'll end up with mushy veggies (unless you like it that way).

~makes about 8 cups at 75 cals per cup

 

Reese's Hot Chocolate

I'm calling this "Reese's Hot Chocolate" because after seeing my baby cousin eat this:

I knew I had to find a replacement for that. So PB2 and Cocoa Powder to the rescue!

In one mug heat up a cup of unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice) for 1-2 minutes until hot. While the milk is warming up, mix one tablespoon of PB2, one tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 or 2 packets of stevia (depending on how sweet you want it, you can always add it after if you aren't sure) in another mug. Once the milk is warm, pour it into the mug with the dry ingredients. Stir well to make sure everything dissolves or stir as you drink (since the powder has a tendency to sink and sit on the bottom).

It definitely took away my craving, lasted longer than the few fleeting bites my cousin had, and was a healthier option compared to the process stuff.

*Note: This drink is very rich and may not suit everyone (because of the peanut buttery taste). To make hot chocolate, just omit the PB2 and use 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder instead.

Update on yesterday's banana ice cream!

So this morning for breakfast (yes, ice cream for breakfast!), I made the chocolate ice cream that I wrote on my previous post. It was delicious!!! Although, it came out more like a soft serve texture. I think next time I'll try mixing greek yogurt with sweetener and cocoa powder, then freeze it for a few hours to see if that texture is creamier and ice cream like. Once I do, I'll make sure to update you all!

Spaghetti Squash with Hoisin Sauce

This week I had spaghetti squash with vegan meatballs for my meal prep. Today I didn't have any red sauce or vegan meatballs left, but I still had half a cup of spaghetti squash. Today must be my "winging" day because I winged this one too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of spaghetti squash (cooked) (since it was all I had left)
1/2 tablespoon of hoison sauce
1 tsp of chili paste (if you like it spicy)
cilantro (optional, I used it to garnish)

Mix together and cook on the stove (med-low heat) until warm!

Tasted great! Since I know it worked out well, next time I'm gonna double the recipe, add veggies, and a source of protein to make it a real meal.

Remember, I'm a basic experimental cook. So get creative with this and add whatever you like! I for one cannot wait to eat this with red bell peppers, onions, and grilled shrimp!

Have a happy healthy day!

Chocolate Pudding/Dip/Ice Cream

Remember those chocolate pudding snacks in elementary school? I had a craving for that today, but I wanted a healthier version. Thanks to the versatility of bananas, I can!

This chocolate pudding can also be a dip or ice cream too. So simple! Just blend a refrigerated banana with 1/2 a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. For ice cream, simply use a frozen banana! Ta-da!

Spaghetti Squash with Vegan Meatballs

My healthy take on spaghetti, it's as simple as one, two, three! Seriously.

1) Spaghetti squash
2) Red sauce of your choice
3) Vegan meatballs (or you can go for whichever meatball that suits you).

Yum! Michelle Approved! 

Yellow-Green Salad (to-go)

I didn't plan on the colors, they just came out that way. Prepping salads are a life-saver! Or should I say, time-saver!

This recipe yields four, because I basically put 1/4 of everything in a bag (with the exception of the lime--those are halves).

Ingredients:
1 big box of fresh spinach
1 can of rinsed garbonzo beans
1 can of corn (no salt added) and rinsed
1 granny smith apple
1 cucumber
1 mango
2 limes (cut in halves)

Put the heavier items on the bottom and the spinach at the top. I don't really use dressing, instead I use half a lime and I mix it with any type of Mrs. Dash's salt-free seasonings.

The simpler, the better! Like the bag says, YUM!

Week 2

Today marks the end of week two, and now I know what the phrase "mindless eating" means. One week of school and by the end of it, I realized that I hardly thought about what I put in my mouth. I grabbed whatever was available when I was hungry. On the plus side, I did keep up with my workouts, so hopefully that balanced everything.

I do have a solution though. Meal prepping! I spent Sunday bagging up my snacks, making my chia drinks, prepping salads, and etc!

Now, a yummy dinner after body-pump (I'm starting to like lifting. It's wayyyyy different from endurance running. It was challenging at first, but now I'm getting use to it).

Only a month and a half until San Diego!

Happy and healthy days to you all!

-Miss M

End of Week 1!

One week into the New Year!!! Whoo! I'm hoping it'll be a good year as long as it doesn't resemble this week I've had. Nonetheless, I'm keeping up with my health and fitness goals. I'm not sure if any of these warrant a recipe, (since they're so simple) so I'm just going to put everything in this post.

I will mention that as a college student, whole foods being a few blocks away from campus is a lifesaver, because I love their salads.

My go to breakfast this week has been oatmeal. The flavor of the week is cinnamon banana. Just make your rolled oats as you normally would, add sliced bananas, cinnamon, and sweetner if you need it. Great way to start your day.

Also, I've found that I LOVE sweet potatoes!

Homemade sweet potato fries are way better than the prepackaged ones I use to buy.

Even when they're baked their yummy. I had to have one on the side to go with my shrimp, cucumber, corn salad for dinner the other night.

But my love for sweet potatoes doesn't end there.

I'll even have it with breakfast alongside turkey bacon and a honey crisp apple (not pictured). As for the drink, I've found that I like putting chia seeds in vitamin water. I had this before my bodypump workout over the weekend and by the end of the class, I wasn't as tired as I thought I'd be. I think it was the sweet potato that did it ;]

Today, after I had a very horrible day (although I did have a very good cardio session), I needed a pick me up. This time I didn't reach for one of my typical comfort foods. Instead I made this:

Cod fish cooked with some lemon and pepper, corn, and an iceberg salad with avocado and tangerines. Now some pomegranate raspberry green tea to soothe my soul.

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy day.

-Miss M

The Start of My Life

The first of the year is filled with resolutions. I woke up and completely dreaded the New Year because of the task I had set before myself seemed too daunting. Too grand for me to complete within a year. That's not the way I should have woken up though. I should have been excited! So I edited my list. In my last post I wrote about wanting to finish a manuscript. After receiving e-mails from my professors and already having to do homework before the quarter even started, I realized this may not be feasible. So I cut the word count by more than half. 40,000 words by my Birthday, and then complete if after. That is attainable. I feel better already.

Although writing is my priority, I have other things in mind this year. This year, is where I begin. It's the year where I get to be who I've always wanted to be. Two years ago, I succumbed to obligations and duties that others set before me. I was unhappy, confused, and felt like the life I was living wasn't mine, because I was living for everyone else. Doing things that pleased them instead of doing the things that I loved. So 2012 marked the end of that. I edited my life. Cut out everything that held me down, cut ties with those who were negative influences, and then I started doing things I've always wanted to do. I stopped caring about what others thought about me and started valuing the opinion I had of myself. No longer would I be defined by the standards that others set before me.

This year, school will be over. I will no longer have that crutch or safety net. I will finally step out into the "real world". No more moving back and forth. No more driving back and forth. And no more looking back or ahead. Just living in the moment. I know that's easier said then done, but I'm up for the challenge.

Another thing I like about the first of the year is all the health and fitness craze. The other day I was watching a documentary about obesity in America, and I was inspired to get on the band wagon. Although I spent the last year running, I realized that I had fallen victim to the freshmen fifteen! Now that college is about to be over, its about time that I took responsibility for it (because that's not the type of souvenir I want to keep!). So for the next three months, I'll make sure to share easy and simple recipes for those on the bandwagon too! Starting with:

Banana-egg Pancakes!

Mash one large banana and mix it with one whole egg. You'll get a pancake type batter. Cook in a nonstick pan over medium heat, until both sides are golden. I like mine a little bit more well done when it comes to these pancakes so I made mine a darker brown. Feel free to mix in carob or cacao chips, raisins, blueberries, or anything you want! Be creative! For today, I went with the plain pancake and topped it off with some syrup. The recipe was inspired by a photo I saw on Instagram.

Approx: 190 cals for three pancakes

Here's how mine turned out this morning. I had it with some turkey bacon (it looks weird in the photo, but tasted yummy). And of course, some black coffee! I was so hungry I took a bite before taking the photo :P

Now, a walk with my dogs, a two-mile run, a trip to whole foods, and a day filled with job applications and writing assignments!

Wishing you all a great first of the year!

-Miss M