Breakfast Salad

So on my days off, I like to make delicious breakfasts. Maybe because when I work, breakfast is some crappy hospital coffee and a few saltine crackers. This breakfast is awesome and helps you get some good veggies and protein in right out of the gate. I'm not sure when I started my love affair with spinach, but it is amazing. Pretty sure five year old me would not approve.

Breakfast Salad

Half a bag of baby spinach

2 slices bacon, chopped

A couple slices of onion, chopped finely

Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Tear up the spinach leaves and get them ready on a plate. Fry up the bacon and onion together. Throw them on spinach. In the leftover bacon grease (there won't be much, it was only two slices!), fry up your egg. I like mine over medium. Sprinkle some parm on top of your salad. Place the egg on top. I don't use any salad dressing, because the hot bacon and onion kind of wilt the spinach and the runny egg gives it a little moisture. But I bet a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil would be good. This is super yummy!

Happy Wednesday friends!

(And happy seven year dating anniversary to my love, can you believe we still celebrate the anniversary of that late night phone call? We've come a long way baby!)

Why marriage is awesome, according to me

I love being married. Not that I'm trying to rub it in the face of all my single friends. Quite the opposite actually. I feel like marriage has been getting a bad rap these days. The other day on KLG and Hoda, I saw a stat that 2/3 of single people never want to get married. Mostly because they see how a lot of marriages are and don't want that. Every day we see a new celeb divorce. (Heidi and Seal?!? I did not see that one coming!) Obviously after being married for a whole two years, I'm an expert. Ok, I'm still a novice. But honestly, marriage can be awesome. So in honor of Valentine's Day, marriage, love, and my sweet gun-loving, long-haired, hilarious man who is turning 24 on Monday, here is my list of why marriage rocks. In no specific order. (Disclaimer: my husband may not completely agree with this list. But he's not the one making it, is he?)

1. You have someone to put your cold feet up against in bed at night. Now your feet are warm.

2. Instead of doing all the hated household chores yourself, you can delegate them. He takes out the trash, I do the laundry. Win win win.

3. When you make bad jokes or quote lines from movies, someone always laughs.

4. You have someone to take you to the ER after burning yourself while cooking. But not before rolling his eyes that you would do something like that.

5. You get someone to celebrate things with. Like birthdays, paying off student loans, getting through a bad day.

6. You have someone to tell you how awesome you are and how you have the best ideas and that you should be getting paid at least twice as much.

7. Also, you have someone to tell you that your idea was dumb and you need to make a different decision because that one was just really bad. Ouch. Reality check. Have you ever watched an after school special. Come on, you know that's not going to work. (Real words, from my man.)

8. You have someone will to try all your new kitchen adventures. Someone with blatant honesty.

9. You have someone to pray for you and with you. Like when I was in the ER screaming about my pain being 10/10. Or before I'm about to serve something with a vegetable hidden in it.

10. Freedom. I fee like there is a freedom in marriage that wasn't in dating. Like I don't have to spend every waking moment with this man, we get to hang out with other people sometimes and that's ok. We get to have our own jobs and do our own thing sometimes. Because at the end of the day, we are going to be in the same house, in the same bed, in the same life. If we get in a fight, we won't break up. We'll work it out. Because we are married.

11. Office/30 Rock/Parks and Rec/Big Bang Theory+bagel bites+glass of wine. Perfect evening.

12. The same last name. It makes me feel like I'm on a team. And that I'm super awesome at baking stuff.

13. Someone to vent about work to. I like that he knows nothing about what I do. So he can just passively nod and say that I was probably right.

14. You always get the window seat on the plane.  Unless, of course, you are the one always giving up the window seat.

15. Black Friday strategy shopping. As in, you go get this, while I get this. Meet me at 0500 in aisle 15. Go time!


16. Traditions. Like pizza on a Friday night and hating Mizzou. It's the little things.

I feel like this list could go on for a long time. But marriage rocks. So far! Enjoy the throwback pics from my dorm room. I love you, my sweet nerd.

Oh, life. Some lessons are learned the hard way.

The past couple weeks have been full of ups and downs. I want to be all cool and bloggy and show you all the nifty DIYs and recipes that I do all the time. (Oh wait, DIY...that must be someone else.) But this is just life. Baker style.

Our up and down list. Accompanied with photos where appropriate. (I love Instagram, don't you?)

1. Down: my sweet Grandma Frank spent a week in the hospital. She's home now, my mom is there taking care of her. And she is recovering, but there are still some worries about her health. Send up a prayer for her if you think about it!

2. Up: We paid off ALL of our student loans! This felt so amazing. Champagne necessary.

3. Down: The Civic died and we had to tow it. It wouldn't start, even with a jump.

4. Up: The Civic lives on! It just had a super dead battery. 

5. Up: Awesome Friday flowers. Maybe the best ones yet.

6. Up: The discovery of the Green Monster Smoothie. I've seen this on Pinterest and everywhere on the intraweb and decided to make my own version. So so so good! I love getting a serving of fruit and veggies first thing in the morning. 

Green Monster Smoothie

1/2 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana, chopped

1 spoonful of creamy peanut butter

Half a bag of spinach (or as much as you want)

1/2-1 cup skim milk (depends how thick you want your smoothie)

A couple ice cubes

Blend on puree setting and then on liquefy to get a nice smooth texture. Serves one.

7. Up: Getting cool points with all my coworkers for wearing blue Chucks with my scrubs. 

8. Down: Chemistry lesson learned the hard way.

So on Wednesday night, I planned to make chicken and dumplings, a Southern delicacy. I made a batch over the weekend but it didn't turn out well. So I went at it again, hoping for some better and blog-worthy results. 

I had a big stockpot full of the boiling chicken broth that needed straining. I decided that a great idea would be to pour it into a glass pitcher and then easily strain it from that. I picked a nice big thick pitcher. I poured my just boiled chicken broth in it. I was almost finished when I heard a loud cracking noise as a the pitcher broke and a gallon of almost boiling water spilled onto me. I said a few choice words, ripped off my pants, and got some cool clothes to put over the burns, which were already blistering. 

Caleb insisted I go to the ER. Note: a pain rating of 10/10 and some juicy red skin gets you in super fast. I got hooked up with some pain pills, silvadene cream, and ice packs. In and out in 45 minutes, impressive. 

Taco Bell and a Smirnoff later, I was feeling much better.

Basically, where the ice packs cover in the pic is where the burns are. Yes, I did take pictures of the burns. No, I will not show them on here. Because that's gross and no one wants to see them.

Bottom line: Do not put boiling water into room temperature glass. I feel like I should have already known this. But I didn't. And now I do.

9. Up: My sweet husband took the day off yesterday to take care of me. He brought me things, dressed my wounds, and did the laundry and dishes. And we spent most of the day watching movies and playing video games. Time well spent.

10: Down: It was my Grandma Voth's vintage glass pitcher. And I loved it.

So today I'm taking my first sick day of my life because I can't really put pants on. Which is kinda lame, but true. Don't worry, I plan on being a real woman tomorrow and going in. 

Oh pants-less life. I bet I'll never forget this one! Happy Friday!

(PS follow me on Instagram, @lorrib)

Christmas in February

Friday, February 3rd was a joyous day. It was the day Caleb finally received his much anticipated Christmas gift. A gun. More specifically, an AR15. It was magical. Tennessee, we embrace your lifestyle completely.

Please note the other gun and knife on his belt. Necessary to protect the homestead.

We went out on Sunday afternoon to shoot her (as in, the gun... guns are girls, were you aware?). Again, magical.

Why yes, that is an old freezer we are shooting at.

He looks so happy.

Ah, Christmas. Extending into February. What could be better?

Now taking ideas for a name for the gun. The other gun's name is Lucille. Again, guns are women. Your suggestions are appreciated.

Recipe post coming tomorrow. In case you aren't really into guns or something.

The French Market: A Creperie

So over the weekend we took a little tiny trip to Knoxville which is about 2 hours away. Sometimes you just have to not be at home, ya know? My friend Paige and I went down Saturday morning and then our men met us after they got off work. We ate some tasty Mexican food, saw a movie (Underworld=boring and dumb), and stayed overnight. But the best part was this amazing crepe place we ate brunch at on Sunday morning.

Totally adorable with a zillion different crepes and the sweetest people.

We got three crepes. The hub got a crepe with potatoes, bacon, peppers, and onions. I got one with eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and spinach. And then we got a nutella and strawberry crepe to share. Ah-mazing.

Super excited for his crepe. And looking super French right? Ha. I think he called this his rock star outfit. Since he uses the word "outfit" and stuff. Oh wait...

The best crepe ever.

Friends, if you are ever in Knoxville, get yourself to the French Market. Thank me later.

Oh, here is my outfit for Saturday. It was raining and I thought I was being super cute and clever. Then it stopped raining and I looking a little silly. Oh well.

Yay for weekends and crepes and rain boots!

DIY Sugar Scrub

I have something magical to share on this rainy Saturday morning. It's called sugar scrub. Between nasty hospital dry air, cold winter, and drying heaters, my skin gets kinda gross in the winter. So I googled "sugar scrub" and came across this link for homemade sugar scrub.

Here's what I did: took 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of olive oil, put them in a mason jar, and shook it up really well. That's it. I keep it in the shower and exfoliate a few times a week. The original recipe calls for massage oil to scent it, but I don't have any and I don't care about scent anyway. The olive oil moisturizes your skin and the sugar makes it nice and smooth. I wash off after with my normal body wash so I don't smell like the kitchen.

It hangs out next to my hub's Axe body wash and the clearance shampoo. Keep it classy.

I give it a good shake every time I use it.

I don't use it on my face/neck/chest since I'm a little sensitive. But its amazing for arms, legs, and feet!

Get your sugar scrub on, people!


PS. Happy birthday to my sweet momma! I love you!

Well hey 2012! How bout some taco soup?

Happy New Year! Yep, I realize this blog was a little MIA over the last couple weeks. But no fears, the Tennessee documentation has not ceased! We had a fun New Year's celebration with some friends, some sushi, and some fireworks. It was a good time. The best  part though, was that we both had the whole weekend off and got to spend some good time together. (FYI: don't got see Mission Impossible 4 in the IMAX if you are afraid of heights and you want to keep your Twizzlers down.)

But now its January. I literally just got done taking down Christmas decorations. I like to hold onto the holidays as long as possible. The best part of January is the fact that you can make some resolutions/goals/lists. And I do love a good list. I think resolutions are a tiny bit silly but making a list and a plan is super appealing to me. So I do it. 

So here are my 2012 resolutions, in list form. There is a theme. See if you can guess it.

1. Lose 5 lbs in the month of January. And every month after that until I reach my goal weight. Which shall not be disclosed at this time.

2. Give up all soda during the week. 

3. Go to the gym on all my days off. 

4. Eat at least 2 fruits and 2 vegetables every day.

5. Food journal it up!

6. Scrapbook and organize all my wedding and honeymoon things. Since I've been married for two years now and I'm not moving a bin full of that stuff anywhere else.

Yeah, these are super simple. But they need to be. Or else I won't do them at all. I was further motivated in my health driven resolution theme after I had the following exchange with the housekeeper at the hospital the other day:

Me: "Good morning!"

Housekeeper: "Hey, how are you?"

Me: "Good!"

Housekeeper: "Girl, you are really putting on some weight, aren't you?"

Me: "Umm...yeah...I guess so??" (walking away quickly)

HA. Don't worry, my feelings are unscathed. But honestly, who points that out? Thanks, housekeeper!

I have still been going to the personal trainer (who swears he can tell I'm losing weight...) and he has been attempting to help me with my basic food choices. Which include eating breakfast, not drinking soda, and not eating carbs and dairy at night. Which is super hard for me. Because when I get home from work around 8pm, all I want to eat is a bowl of cereal. Or three. But this taco soup recipe fits the bill, is delicious, and so easy! It's a Weight Watcher recipe that I got from my sweet coworker, Lynn. And it is only 2 points per cup. Amazing! And I maybe lie to my husband and say it's chili. And forget to tell him that it's kinda healthy. Oops. Get your taco soup on, New Year's resolutioners.

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 cans beans (any beans you want...drain kidney beans but leave all other undrained)

1 can corn, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can chopped mild green chilies, undrained

1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce

1 pkg taco seasoning mix, dry

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk dressing mix, dry

Brown beef and onion, drain. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low all day. (I start that crock pot at 6am and don't even worry about it till 8pm, works great!)

This time I used 2 cans chili beans and 1 can black beans. I mixed in a cornbread muffin and put a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top. Yum.

Oh, and I'm getting my scrapbook on. Starting right now. As soon as I fold the laundry.

Happy New Year!