Today I took on buttermilk bran muffins. I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some ingredients I had never cooked with before including buttermilk and all-bran. It was actually quite simple to mix it all together. I tweaked the the recipe from muffins to loafs. (I decided not to register for cupcake pans for the wedding because I never make cupcakes. Fail.) After baking 25 minutes in our new stoneware loaf pan, they turned out perfect. The cinnamon and raisins made what could be boring bran muffins very tasty. They are rich in protein and fiber which makes for a good mid-morning Hope they are a hit at our work luncheon tomorrow!
I see your mouth started to water already. My sandwich on a whole wheat skinny bun/bread thing was very yummy and pretty healthy. We all know how terrible white bread is for you (we'll all probably die from eating it) so I picked these little guys for a healthier alternative. They are actually a really good idea. I personally am not a fan of eating a sub with a little bit of meat and toppings and then a massive chunk of bread. These skinnies do their job by holding your sandwich together but don't take over.
Holy. Moly. I knew I was out of shape, but this is bad. Lucas' gym put together a bike ride from Ankeny to the High Trestle Trail Bridge in Woodward/Madrid (where we got engaged). I knew that would be a hike but was wiling to give it a try. Not long into the ride (like 2 miles) I realized this wouldn't be any fun. These in-shape people were holding at least a 16 mph pace. My pace, on the other hand, fell to just 9 mph has we faced a head wind and a chunk of path with no protection from the wind. Needless to say, I did not make it the the bridge. Instead, we turned around after stopping for a bite and a beer at a little bar directly off the path in Slater. Our roundtrip was 25 miles, which is the farthest I've ever biked in a day. My previous record was just more than 15 miles, which was the distant of the triathlon I competed in last year. I do enjoy biking so I'm motivated to get better and stronger. I plan on riding to and from work next week. Wish me luck!
A newer restaurant in town, HoQ, offers a small menu with local, fresh ingredients in a modern yet comfortable space. HoQ has filled the vacant space left by Baby Boomers in the East Village. My friend ordered the burrito while I got the three sliders including one beef, one pork, and one fish. Our entrees came with root fries, which were awesome. The food presentation was beautiful. I was feeling pretty hungry and was concerned when I saw how little the portions were. I walked away stuffed. My beef and pork sliders weren't the juiciest I've ever had, and I wasn't a huge fan of the sauce. My sliders cost $12 which, of course, was the most expensive lunch item.
You're looking at the very intimidating, experienced, and competitive Two Rivers Tigers. Tonight was our first volleyball game at The Sands in Des Moines. We were warming up, some of us were quite rusty, in a circle just bumping and setting back and forth. Meanwhile, the other team is bump, set, spike every time. They continued that strategy throughout the three game match-up, yet the Tigers prevailed with our wild bumps, lucky drops, and mad hustling skills. This is one of the reasons I really wanted to get a job with normal hours. I wanted to take advantage of super fun activities like sand volleyball. I hope we continue to do well throughout the season. Winning a few games here and there would be pretty cool. For our first game, we all wore our alma mater T-shirts proudly. I'm happy to say not one, but two Mizzou Tigers, representin out of 10.
I love me a loaded baked potato so when I saw a recipe for loaded tomatoes, I had to try it. These are prep-intensive. You have to core the tomatoes, cook up the rice, bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and then add parmesan cheese and broil them for 30 seconds. It took nearly an hour in total. I knew I had the time tonight so figured it was as good a night as any. Lucas came home after working out with dinner hot out of the oven. He gave the meal an A+. While that's super great, I'm now worried I'm setting very high expectations for myself in the coming years together.
Lucas and I are on the hunt for a new place to rent. My (our) current apartment is just too small. It's only a one bedroom and the kitchen's max capacity is one. Today I checked out The Cortez on my lunch break. It's just two buildings away on Grand Avenue. I (not Lucas) really like my current location so The Cortez would be great. The listing on Craigslist looked amazing. However, there was no picture of the kitchen which is always a reason for concern. It was a long process with the manager, Taylor, to get a time set up to meet. When we did meet today, she rushed me through the tour in 5 minutes. She didn't show me the laundry facilities or tell me what a great place this is to live. My guess is she had a lunch date with friends and I was getting in her way. That's NOT someone who I want to be my landlord. The apartment was less than perfect, but even if it was perfect, Taylor ruined it for me. My current manager, Michele with Elevate Properties, is extremely professional, timely, and accommodating.
I have so much to be thankful for this year (and every year). I have family who loves me, a man who adores me, the cutest niece ever, friends I couldn't live without, a job (two jobs actually), a roof over my head, and food to eat. Sure, I complain about things, but it's about the small stuff. My needs are met by the grace of God, and I am grateful every day for that.
Today was the first Thanksgiving Lucas and I spent together. We spent the morning cooking, dancing in the kitchen, eating, watching football and napping, all before I had to go to work at 1:30pm. For the 5.5 hours we had together, it was perfect.
Lucas and I had a ball (OK, just me) window shopping for our wedding registry. We stopped by Dillard's, Younker's, and Bed Bath and Beyond. We don't live together so we could use some basic housewares type things. Before picking a store, I wanted to scope out his taste and style preferences. If we can't agree on china, I just don't know how this marriage will work out.
After shopping, we rewarded ourselves with egg nog and cookies. This was my first time having Cloverleaf egg nog. They are an Iowa dairy that I first found out about in May during my two-week local/organic food challenge. The egg nog is very good. It isn't as rich as A&E's so some people (like Lucas) didn't have to pour milk in it to dilute it. I personally like A&E's richness, so I'll probably stick with that going forward.
I try to do a good job eating a well-balanced diet. Well, Lucas mentioned having Brussels sprouts. I realized I'd never eaten them before, and now was the perfect opportunity. I put one on my plate to start, just in case it was terrible. Instead of being terrible though, it tasted pretty identical to broccoli. If I would have added some cheese, it would have actually been tasty. I'm so excited; I can now say I've conquered Brussels sprouts.
This blog starts off a little sad. My grandma fell on Saturday and broke her arm. She lives in northeast Iowa and went to the closest hospital first in Elkader. They then moved her to Dubuque and finally to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. Being as worried as I am and as close as Iowa City, I came over today to spend some time with her.
I've never been to this hospital. I'll be honest, I haven't wondered around much so I can't break down the facility for you. However, I can tell you 5 things.
One, it's right across the street from Kinnick Stadium, which is really weird to me. At Mizzou, Faurot Field is in between woods, parking lots, and other sporting facilities. Maybe some study out there shows football is good for recovery... if your team wins. My grandma's room doesn't face Kinnick, but that's OK. Hopefully she's outta here before the next home game.
Two, the food is fine. My uncle was digging the sushi, but my instincts told me to steer clear. Lucas and I are becoming quite the sushi snobs. I just don't see how the hospital cafeteria can compare to Watefront, Cool Basil, and Miyabi 9 in Des Moines.
Three, the nurses have been wonderful to my grandma. They are pretty diligent and extremely personable and comforting.
Four, parking costs a lot. After being here 25 hours, my ticket is going to cost about $30. Lame! Aren't my grandma's medical bills expensive enough? UPDATE: There is a daily max charge of $17. That doesn't sound so bad compared to $30.
Five, they don't include on the chart every time a physical therapist or doctor visits a patient. You think that would be important to notate. For example, this morning they didn't have any record of you came in to see my grandma is 4pm yesterday. Seems like that could easily lead to lack of communication and confusion. How are patients supposed to remember every person who comes in? I would recommend the hospital change that protocol.