2011: The Year of Love

Happy New Year to everyone!  I had an amazing New Year’s celebration.  A group of us rocked out @ First Ave. in Minneapolis & celebrated  2011 as a bunch of balloons fell on us at midnight! What did everyone else do?

My New Year’s Eve had a teeny bit of this….

I do NOT recommend buying/drinking 5 dollar banana rum O.O it sounded good….my body just does not handle a lot of alcohol well. I’m glad that was a one time occasion!

Being on break makes my eating routine well, not really a routine!  I do love having access to my family’s fridge, but around the holidays it’s usually stuffed with Christmas leftovers and the traditional heavy fare which gets old after a week straight O.O

I managed to find some rando turkey meatballs & ate some scrambled eggs alongside for breakfast. Weird breakfast, I admit. But why not get some protein in the morning!

 

En route to work I also had a Sonya apple!

 

My older sis & nephew from Cali have been in town for the last few days!  It’s been so nice….but holy crap what a wake up call for what parenting would be like lol  He’s only ONE kid and I can barely keep track of him!

Lukie & I

We went out to Buffalo Wild Wings for my seventh like 2nd time in the past month.

I had some nakkie* wings w/ spicy garlic sauce!  I split my fries with Ben.

Here’s me with my sisters!  Leah, Jamie, & I–do we look alike?

In the morning, while listening to Jack Johnson, I improvised with “Banana Pancakes” and made banana french toast!

I soaked the bread in skim milk, brown sugar, eggs, nutmeg, & cinnamon. Topped with sliced bananas & a little honey! nomnomnom

On a deeper level….

My boyfriend joked a few weeks back that the theme of 2011 should be the year of love.  Now that it’s the new year, I’m realizing that I want my New Year’s resolution to be to love and appreciate people in my life every single day.   A person in my group of friends unexpectedly passed away this week–it’s still a shock and we’re all left asking why and wishing we could have more time to tell him what he meant to us.  It made me put everything in perspective and be so appreciate of the days I have and the people I have in my life.  It’s so easy to get frustrated by the stressors of daily life that we can forget what’s really important, and what’s not.  I am making 2011 the year of love, appreciation, and gratitude.  Who’s with me?

 

 

Merry Chreestmas!!!

After I watch the Grinch (Jim Carey version) that’s the only way I can say Merry Christmas! So far it’s been an amazing* Christmas with my family.  And it’s only part I until my little sis and nephew from Cali come home to visit next week!!! Can.not.wait.  It’s all about the fam right now:)

 

…and the food right?

While this doesn’t look glamorous, it was delicious!  I made some homemade chicken salad with a little Greek yogurt in place of mayo (it worked!) to up the protein/make it a little healthier and added a huge vat can of Costco’s diced chicken. I knew I’d be running around doing last minute Xmas shopping running errands so I pretty much lived off this yesterday.

We made a huge feast for the traditional Christmas dinner!

the spread.

My plate: beef tenderloin, baked cheddar crumb potatoes, carrots w/ EVOO & sage (I had 2 helpings-for those veggies obviously!), and a roll.

haha take note of the *fresh rolls in the background…the night seemed to get more fun as the wine came out O.O I had to get a photo because I used my new wine charms from my godmother!  This was a cabernet Ben brought back from Argentina

I had a lot a few of the wheat “entertainment crackers”..???with some spinach artichoke dip that I didn’t photograph?!fail.

I also snatched up one of the chocolate macaroons –the others are coconut and cocnut with choc. drizzle!  I didn’t go to heavy on the sweets this year?  I’m guessing those 80′s nylons were just too tight lol

 

Of course then it was time for the annual “we’re not doing pjs this year” gift that turns out to be …PJS!

Lee & me;)

On the subject of food and gifts, we got Luke (Leah’s bf) Candyland because we joked that he only plays nerdy games LOL  We thought we’d dumb it down for him a little bit and go with something basic…he seems amused!

 

Lee & Luke–I think they look like siblings :p

I just had Christmas brunch with my family and did gifts!!! SO excited–I’ll share more later…it has to do with the blog too!  I’m off to Ben’s house to celebrate Christmas with his fam and then tomorrow it’s Christmas with my grandparents and then (WO.) NEXT week I do another Christmas with my sis!  Woof.  Gotta love the ongoing Christmas spirit! I hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful holiday….what was your favorite gift!!?

Mine is my new mini Kodak vid!

 

 

 

Quick FYI!

Just so you aren’t super confused…yes I finally went to the dark side after much debate.  So just so you know it’s still the same Kate takin’ awkward photobooth pics at the coffee shop, only with brown hair!

 

 

BrrrrRRRRRR!!!

So in case you didn’t know….Minnesota is cold.  We had the blizzard of the century about 2 weeks ago that haphazardly also made our Metrodome collapse but hey who watches the Vikes anyway right?

Oh HEY I’m back! WHAT. I know..it’s shocking right?  I was MIA for a while—and by a while I mean months.  I don’t usually go into personal stuff–but since that comes up in the daily life of KWP I’ll just say I had a few very challenging months in my life and I feel stronger, wiser, and better than ever!  All will probably come into light over time.

Let’s get to the food. Since it’s so damn cold here I thought hey what a great time to try out Minnesota’s very own fro yo chain! Freeziac time.

Egg nog & pom fro-yos,  graham cracker, marshmallows, and coconut flakes! nomnomnom it was really good!

 

Ben’s was, while pretty, absolutely disgusting.   This is a clear example of where while fun, putting random stuff in does not always bode well for tastebuds!

Cake batter, chocolate & vanilla fro yos….nerds, jelly beans, cherries, graham cracker, strawberries…it was basically sweet, sour, savory….just all too much. “I got excited and went overboard.”-Ben

 

Success!

I’m off for a little gym time (it’s been a while O.O) w/ Ben and then cookie baking!  Seems appropriate right?  Only 5 days til Christmas….what.  What’s the one thing you want for christmas this year?  I know all I want is to see my little Nephew from California annnd I get to!!!

 

Well, hello world

And KWP is coming back!  Stay tuned later next week for the return:) xo

 

Wedding Mania

SO much wedding talk lately!  Not from me…suddenly though it seems like we hit 22 and all my friends are getting engaged it’s crazy!

My bff Jess & I definitely never thought our pre-college jobs as baristas at a coffee shop would lead to well, our incredible friendship together, and now being a part of our amazing friend Melissa’s wedding!  Melissa was our shift supervisor-she is seriously the most responsible 22 year old I know.  She just does her own thing, but for someone who is so laissez-faire when it comes to stressful situations for other people, she is pulling together SUCH a beautiful wedding!

Jess is a bridesmaid and I’m the bride’s personal assistant for the wedding.  I have already said I plan on putting together a full ‘wedding day kit’ as seen on J.Lo in The Wedding Planner for the day of the wedding…they thought I was joking hahahaha ohhh but I’m not.

SO, as part of the bridal team Jess and I helped Melissa make pinwheels that will be used as name cards on the reception tables.

Slightly confused…these were not easy!
Only 110 more to go…

There’s still a ton more to do before the wedding in July..now I see why people get stressed out about weddings haha We’ll get it done though, it will be beautiful…and I’ll have plenty of photos for the blog.

Jess & I also had another very exciting outing…our first double date together w/ her and Andy!

I give Jessica so much crap for being Asian and hating sushi HA But I was so glad Andy convinced her to choose a sushi place b/c he’s a huge fan!  He impressed me already w/ that

We tried Oragami Sushi in downtown.  It was sooooo gooooood–way too long since I’d had sushi.

Started w/ a few appetizers…

Oshinko Sampler (assorted pickled vegetables)

Soft shell crab

Then sushi!  I had 2 rolls–Futo Maki (squash, egg, cucumber, shitaki mushroom, spinach…and lots of Japanese cooking ingredients I can’t spell), & Tekka Maki (tuna roll)

I always love the basic tuna roll…both were awesome but Andy’s was my favorite! He convinced me to give eel one more try (I had a bad taste experience with it in the past)and from now on I am a lover of all eel sushi rolls.

Couples photos:)

I had such a great time hanging out w/ them and getting to know Andy.  I want only the best for my best friend sister-he gets my stamp of approval! Apparently Jess told Andy–let’s be real, this night isn’t really about you…it’s about Kate and her giving us her blessing LOL Love it.

On the agenda for this week: oh ya more weddings!  I’ll be singing in a wedding w/ my a cappella group on Friday…since I’ll also be singing for Melissa’s wedding in July here’s a question–what are your favorite wedding songs?

xo

 

MA! MEATLOAF!

Good morning! Actually, it’s noon but hey, it’s OK that I just woke up and rolled out on a bed to get my fav Sunday treat–caffeine [iced nonfat caramel macchiato w/ less syrup, the creepy hand has an iced nonfat white mocha]

Like I said, literally rolled out of bed and left haha  Today I got mine for free b/c Adam decided to finally join me for my Sunday Starbucks Study day…yep, it’s a thing:p

As much as I love supporting the local coffee shops–starbucks tend to be easier to just get to quickly near campus since parking is ridiculous usually at other places without lots.  Hopefully I can concentrate to facebook read a ton of stuff for school this week.

Still no word on the internship–I’ll let you know when I do!

This week Adam & I finally tried out the meatloaf recipe I’ve had forever, which of course I can’t find now UGH!  But I just googled for one that used lots of veggies & sausage in it! Obviously, anything you can eat with ketchup I’m up for:p

I know we used sauteed onions, turkey sausage, spinach, garlic, carrots, and oats for the carb substance! Before baking…

For the sauce we topped the meatloaf w/ a Whole Foods brand of mushroom pasta sauce.

Yum.

It was so freaking good!!! The only problem for us was even though it was super quick to prepare, the cook time for meatloaf is always long so we probably won’t make it again until school’s out haha

Spinach salad on the side! (and yes that is a birthday funfetti cake in the background haha! I didn’t have a slice…ok maybe I just took the slice and ate the frosting off as per usual)

I’ll leave you w/ the gift I made Adam for our 1 year…OK to tell you the truth I thought he’s think it was super cheesy, but I wanted it to be something you couldn’t just buy at a store.
“365 Reasons I Love You”

I typed and cut up 365 (ok only 270 fit!) things I love a/b my sweetie or favorite memories of our first year together.  He liked loved it.  I guess guys can appreciate a good kindergarten sentimental art project sometimes.  I was so happy to see him get excited to read each one of the little notes:)

I gotta actually do homework now…hope your Sunday is as productive or lazy as you want it to be!

 

Work it!

Hey guys! I don’t have a ton of time to talk–posting from my desk @ work today while it’s slow…

It’s here. The month I love and hate most of all–April!  I LOVE the weather here in MN right now…but it makes it absolutely unbearable to be in let alone care about classes!  Soooo much work to do but I’m in the home stretch.

Today’s brekkie:

Maple overnight oats w/ Trader J’s honey greek yogurt mixed in w/ cinnamon–this was pretty basic but holy YUM. Annnnnd my already drank no-sugar added cranberry juice haha

Whenever I work @ the front desk on Tues/Thurs I tend to just eat lots of snacks rather than one sit down lunch mid-day.  Here’s today’s spread for munchies:

Kashi pb bar (currently munching on…), Trader J apple-cranberry muffin (LOVE these), a few almonds, carrots, and a fruit leather.

Also made a chocolate shake by adding 1/4 cup of soymilk & a tsp of raw sugar to this:

I’d never tried these before–but I’ll buy it again!  I was all a/b the high protein drinks when I worked at lifetime, but usually they’re so overpriced & I try to stick to more natural drinks…but this is powering me through work!

Going on our FIRST walk of the spring season today after I get out! Cannot wait to enjoy catching up w/ my girlies & take in the Minneapolis skyline. xo

 

Post-Break Check Out

Is anyone else already mentally checked out for the school year?  I was talking to my friends in class & they agreed it always seems difficult to resume classes right after spring break…I feel like writing a 6 page paper on *Frankenstein* (yeaaaa….) is way less important than getting out and enjoying the fresh air!

Brekkie was boring this morning—I was @ Adam’s house & just threw some instant oats into the microwave w/ sliced apple & cinnamon. (sorry, no pic!)

I had a *first* fitness experience today–I ran to the gym before working out there! I’ve always heard of people doing it and there was no way I could justify not being outside as much as possible anyway!

I snacked on a Kashi bar before my run:

When I got back I took advantage of the empty household and threw together some rando tuna salad (tuna isn’t the most nose-friendly to all the roomies..).

Tuna, cottage cheese, shredded cabbage, dijon mustard, & pickle relish w/ saltine crackers (I gotta get rid of all my sicky food still haha).  Banana on the side!

I’m about to make some iced coffee–I’ve been craving Starbucks iced white mochas HARD CORE…but I have got to start cutting some serious corners if I want to afford rent this summer!

Oh ya! Current project: Adam has become completely obsessed with any effort to support local and organic farming (I wonder if anyone had anything to do with it;) So, currently, here is our first [very small] go @ growing our own food:

Tomatoes! (and yes, they have names)  This is when we first planted them…I’ll keep you updated on their progress.  Adam’s already mapping out a garden in his backyard to grow tons of vegetables this summer.  I can’t wait!

Have a wonderful day kids!

 

Nugget.

Here’s a tribute to my bff’s [least] favorite word!  We learned about news nuggets in my reporting class, & she is convinced it’s not an actual term haha

A new Trader J find too–soy nugguts!  I actually haven’t had chicken nuggets in…years? (whoppers are my fast-food of choice..) so maybe I’m not the best judge but they didn’t taste any different than regular nuggets from what I remember.  They were really good!  I put some hot sauce on them to spice them up.

Acorn & Butternut squash & an apple on the side…with a rando piece of string cheddar cheese.

I’ve noticed that practicing what I preach tends to slide when I get away from blogging:/ I’ve had my least favorite semester here @ the U, & I’m sure the lack of exercise and comfort eating wasn’t the best solution.  In light of the beautiful weather MN is having saying summer is near!!!…I think it’s time to [re]prioritize getting back in the kitchen.  It seems I need to use you guys for inspiration to get my own butt back into gear!

I’m still waiting to hear on internships for this summer & don’t really know where I’m living yet…but I’ll keep you posted!