Cooking with Coriander

One of the best pieces of advice I was given in my Master's program is to make time every day to do something creative that I love.  You might be echoing similar thoughts to my own when I first heard the advice, easier said than done!, but since balance is a coveted life skill, I thought I would try to put that wisdom into action.   I have lots of "creative" hobbies but many of them require large amounts of time and supplies, making them challenging to do when time is limited.   So, when I don't have time to scrapbook or lay on my couch with a knitting project, I cook.  It serves a need and gives me an outlet to explore new things.

Recently I was reading a food blog (nerdy, I know) and stumbled upon a recipe that contained some of my favorite ingredients in a way that I hadn't tried yet.  I knew right away that if I had seen this recipe on a menu at a restaurant, I would have ordered it so I decided to add it to the top of my "must cook" list.

After a particularly long Monday, I actually ended up making this recipe at 9pm.   Although 9pm is not  a standard dinner hour, this recipe was worth bending the rules for.

Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

For the rice:

• 1/3 cup brown rice, uncooked
• Vegetable broth or water (to boil rice) 

For the Mashed Potatoes: 

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1inch pieces 
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• salt and pepper to taste 

For the Black Beans: 

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce can) 
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 3 dashes cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 whole medium yellow onion, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 whole green chili, de-seeded and minced

For Assembly: 

• 4 whole large burrito size flour tortillas 
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• chopped cilantro (optional) 
• sour cream (optional) 

Preparation:
Rice: Cook the rice according to package directions until tender.  Drain, then fluff with a fork and let it rest with the lid closed while you make the rest of the fillings.
Mashed Potatoes: Boil the sweet potatoes until very tender, then mash or whip with the butter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
Black Beans: In a bowl, mix the beans with the lemon juice and seasonings.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook the onions, garlic and green chili pepper about 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the bean mixture and warm through. 
Burrito assembly: Layer the warm ingredients down the center of each tortilla in this order: cheese, rice, beans, sweet potatoes.  Fold the tortilla at the top and bottom of the filling in, rotate and roll the burrito up so that all the ends are closed.  Place it on the baking tray seam side down.  Brush with vegetable oik and place under the broiler until crispy and golden brown on top.  Serve with sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon of ground coriander or chopped fresh cilantro.   

finishing never felt so good!

Sunday morning, I woke up a few minutes before my 5:30am alarm full of nerves and jittery with disbelief and excitement.   5 months of training accompanied by plenty of blisters, lots of sweat and even more early mornings had lead me to that very moment.   Even though my 10K race was full of unwanted lessons, I had learned enough to know that setting all of my gear out the night before would make a huge difference.   Sleepy-eyed and still a little overwhelmed, I snuggled into my running pants, pulled my hair back and laced up my shoes.   I left my apartment with the realization that my training was over and the event I had been anticipating for so long was about to be in motion.   Yikes! 

I gave my camera to my roommate, who won the award for "best roommate of the year" simply by being willing to support me during my race and take lots of pictures with my camera along the way.   Because I gave Jessica my camera the night before, I don't have any pre-race photos.   She did get some pretty good shots though! 

This was at about mile 3.  I am running next to my friend/running partner Amanda.  We were reading a sign someone was holding up and giggling about an encounter we had just had with a police officer.   You see, it was a VERY hot day and right from the starting line I could tell that 13 miles weren't going to come easily.  After noticing the not-so-happy looking police blocking all of the intersections we ran through, I made it my goal to get as many officers as possible to talk to me along the way.   One officer in particular greeted me with the most seductive "heeeeyyyyy" I have ever heard after I smiled and waved at him.   Amanda and I laughed so hard we almost fell over. 

Mile 9. I started noticing people I knew along the way!  I had just seen my friend Kelli's family and here I am saying hi to my friend Jason who I co-lead a Bible study with at church.   I was really encouraged by the people who showed up to cheer me on!  

Getting closer to the end!  I think this was in between mile 10 and 11.  Amanda decided to race to the end, while I made the decision to finish strong at the pace I had been maintaining.  With less than a 5K to go, I was feeling really great about running further than I had ever run before! 

So tired but completely determined to finish what I set out to do!  

I had 2 goals for this race: 1. run the whole time 2. finish in under 3 hours.  I accomplished both.  I haven't gone online to look at my official time but I finished around 2:50 because it took a couple of minutes for me to cross the start line when the race began due to the hundreds of people in line ahead of me.  

My friend Naomi finished a few minutes after I did.  It was really fun to know that I was running among friends. 

When I started this journey I never expected to come away with a new friend.  I met Amanda on my 7 mile long run and we did every long run together after that.   We ran almost 10 miles of this race side-by-side, talking about life and reminding each other about how far we have come to get to this point.   At one point in the race Amanda said to me, "we are about an hour away from being half-marathoners".   I didn't think it was possible, but I am proud to say that I am a half-marathoner!  

Here I am with my good friend Kelli.   Kelli, can you even believe how much life we have lived together?  5 years of friendship include finishing our undergraduate degrees together, finishing graduate school together AND running a half-marathon together.  I am so thankful that Jesus has allowed us to tackle such large things side-by-side.  You are a huge gift to me!  

The best part of my day was post-race, when I logged onto my University of Minnesota account and saw that I had passed my final graduate class with a solid A (only 1 point off in the entire class!).  I cried I was so relieved to know that I was done and that the Lord had allowed me to exit well.  It was a good day for powerful finishes.  

As more pictures of the day surface, I will be sure to fill you in on some of the profound things I learned about myself and the Lord through this process (both finishing grad school and running a half-marathon).   I am still in the process of obtaining my teaching license and I realized during my race that I will probably feel the same sort of overwhelming gratitude on my first day as a teacher that I did running this race and seeing my final grade.  

It wasn't easy to run this race but I was so thrilled to be doing it because of how hard I had trained.   It won't be easy teaching but I know that I will be thrilled to be doing it because of how hard I have trained. 

the anticipation is building!

My runner ID has been fastened to my shirt, my time chip has been secured to my shoes, my water bottle has been filled and my muscles have been stretched.  The only thing left to do is keep hydrating, sleep well and RUN tomorrow!  13.1 miles, here I come! 

Tuesday, you are so good to me!

I've been trying to sort out what has been going on lately that has left me drained & spent yet able to take long strides towards the new road ahead of me.   I don't have the words or the insight to capture the essence of what events and emotions have surrounded the last week of my life, but one thing is for sure: I am thankful for today. 

I went to bed Sunday night overwhelmed with the awareness that this is my last week as a graduate student.  More often than not, I doubted that I would ever be able to say that.   Certainly I have had many significant "endings" within this two year stretch of my life, but nothing this final.   I woke up this morning realizing that I will never pay tuition to the University of Minnesota again.  I no longer have to strategically plan when to purchase my text books so that I can buy them all at the same time but still be early enough to get the best used books on the shelf.  I don't have to drop $50.00 at Target every few weeks in order to keep my printer inked up and ready to print the large variety of articles, notes and of course, assignments I need for class.  Most importantly, I am finally moving to a stage of my life where my income can cover the cost of living.  To say this week is significant, would be a huge understatement.  The implications of this ending are as far reaching as they are permanent.  With one final left to write and one more class to attend, I am starting to let Jesus establish the hope of a new beginning in my life.  

Amidst the incredible amount of things I have been working on in order to finish this chapter and start the next one, Jesus has been really faithful.   After paying the final dollars on my summer tuition bill I was left a lot poorer than I had originally planned.  Just in case you have never been in a place where you have had to count your dollars and shamefully turn down invitations because you are trying to pay your rent next month, I am here to tell you that it is a deeply humbling and taxing situation to be in.   The reality is that countless Americans face the same situation I am currently in, but on a much more permanent and severe level.  I have a job AND two college degrees.  I made it all the way to my final week of graduate school before being in a financial position that was worth actual concern.   That in and of itself speaks to the kind of privilege and provision that has supported my journey thus far.  I may not be able to pay for a Wicked ticket or buy new running shoes for my race on Saturday, but I'm not hungry and I'm not homeless and I have my very own car.  Just this morning I got a text message from one of the families I nanny for asking if I can babysit for over 7 hours on Thursday.  Why yes, yes I can!  I am also babysitting Friday night & another day next week.  When Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, He meant it.   My faith has been stretched and God has reminded me that not only am I not in control, I have no need to be. 

I am looking forward to what is ahead while appreciating where I am at today because in both situations, I know that I am not standing alone.  How about you?     

productivity never felt so good

Have you ever found yourself needing to just accomplish things?  For the last month I have found myself in this constant state of forward motion.  My summer to-do list seemed simple enough to begin with: 

• write master's portfolio
• train for half marathon
• take final class in masters program
• sleep 8+ hours a night 
• move
• read books for pleasure
• apply for a professional teaching license 
• become a Minnesota resident 
• start career as a special education teacher 

What I didn't realize is that my list wasn't so simple after all.  Summer will soon come to an accelerated close and there are still numerous items on that list yet to be fulfilled.  My top 3 summer priorities have taken up the vast majority of my time and, at times, have competed for my attention.  I think I can successfully handle two of the three at one time, but trying to balance all three simultaneously is a little too much for my multitasking skills.   As of late, my half-marathon training has been suffering since I made the decision to pour my time and energy into finishing up school.  I am one week away from being done with my final class in graduate school and as such, I have been working extra hard on my masters portfolio in hopes to finish the two around the same time.   I started this program in September of 2008 and I have been fighting my way to the finish line every semester since (Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer).  I didn't realize that getting a masters degree was a test of financial stability, mental strength, emotional health, academic skill and faith.  This process has been a marathon in and of itself which leaves me in a state of awe as I think about how much I have learned and how much life I have lived over 2 academically intense years. 

Looking forward, I can honestly say that I am ready to leave this part of my life behind me.   I started realizing early this week that if I didn't start investing a little more time into my masters portfolio then I wasn't going to be in a position to emotionally move past graduate school.  I want to carry the benefits of grad school with me as I pursue my career but it's important for me to leave the obligation of my masters program behind.  I have been a little bit tearful lately for many reasons, but one of them is the pure shock of actually approaching the end to such a significant part of my life thus far.  I will never be able to fully articulate the endurance it has taken to get here, or the provision of the Lord for timing all things according to His will.   Even as I type this I am overwhelmed with the knowledge  that I am 2 assignments away from being done with all of the coursework in my program.  I would have loved to be done with everything in May, but I can't change the way my courses fell into place and I have to believe that God's timing is better than mine. 

As for the other things on my to-do list. . . well, let's just say that other than moving, I haven't done a super awesome job of sticking to the list.  I read a couple of books for pleasure at the beginning of summer but I've been carrying around textbooks ever since.  I started out sleeping great but lately (probably because of all of the loud & long storms) I haven't been sleeping well at all.  The rest, I'll have to save for another post!

And the rain came down

Yesterday morning (Wed) I woke up determined to go for a run since I hadn't exercised at all Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.   After jogging to the end of my parking lot, I was stopped in my tracks by this:

These pictures were taken about 20 minutes after I first stumbled upon my flooded street.   With the response team hard at work sucking the water up, these pictures don't even come close to showing the actual depth and span of the water that flooded the street.   There was caution tape everywhere. . . so I didn't actually go running (I am starting to doubt my ability to complete the race.  3 weeks of little to no training other than long runs is NOT a good thing).  I monitored the caution tape and water levels closely but around lunch time I may or may not have illegally driven out of my driveway to go to class.  I mean, by that time, the water was gone but the none of the tape or barricades were.  I am sure St.Paul would have understood that I am in the process of finishing up my masters degree and HAD to leave my apartment to attend class.  A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do. 

Today I am deeply thankful that I moved to a second floor apartment.   Jesus had the timing just right on this one! 

Summer tastes so good!

One of my favorite parts of summer is grocery shopping at the Minneapolis Farmers Market.  The market is huge, the vendors diverse and the produce in lined up in abundance.   As I collect various recipes throughout the year, I set aside recipes specifically to make after a leisurely trip to the Farmers Market.   One such recipe came from one of my mom's 'Cooking Light' magazines from 1998!  The magazine may be dated, but good food never goes out of style.   

Roasted-Corn Salad

3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided

Cooking spray 

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 

1/2 cup chopped green onions  

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine corn and 1 teaspoon oil in a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally.  
3. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl, add corn mixture, stirring well.  Stir in tomato, bell pepper, and onions.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Yield: 4 servings (serving 3/4 cup).  154 calories. 

A friend of mine sent me this quote the other day.  I just re-read it and was humbled by how actively I pursue control, order and new knowledge in my life.  Jesus is bigger than ALL of my planning! 

"Our understanding isn't key to the operation of His creation. We can participate in it without being in control or knowing everything there is to know. In fact, we must. Control & omniscience are not options for us. Why does God so frequently put us in our place? Because He has to. We repeatedly grow out of our dependence on Him and try to manage things on our own." -Chris Tiegreen

Strong. Confident. Determined.

This morning I woke up from a blaring alarm clock, at an hour too early to be acquainted with Saturdays, regretting my decision to run a half marathon.   I mean, one of my favorite things has been and always will be sleep, so can you blame me?

Only 2 weeks stand between me and the finish line, which means that I am in my 5th month of training!  One might think that with so much time invested, I would be jazzed and ready to tackle this race.  The reality is that I am itching to transition into the next stage of my life and not devote hours and hours to stretching, hydrating, running, showering, stretching again, re-hydrating and washing load after load of sweaty running gear.  I know this to be true because other than my long run this morning, I logged ZERO training days this week.   I was supposed to run 5 miles Monday, 3 miles Tuesday, cross-train Wednesday, run 5 miles Thursday and then take a much needed rest day on Friday in preparation for my 9 mile run this morning.   I actually had an amazingly productive week, filled with countless tasks and accomplishments.. . but I didn't run. At all.  

I went to bed last night with the sinking knowledge that my lack of training would most likely adversely affect my ability to run 9 miles but there is something to be said about having an iron will!  On my 30 minute drive to pick up my friend Kelli, I prayed, listened to my favorite cd and reviewed 5 months of running accomplishments.   When I started this process, I hadn't exercised for essentially 2 entire years.   Despite my "get skinny 2008" crusade, I hadn't worked out consistently since doing Pilates with my sister Anna our junior year of high school.   I wasn't a runner, but I started running anyways.   In early June, the farthest I could run without stopping was 33 minutes.   Sometime between June and today, I have gained enough endurance to run for 2 entire hours!  On my drive, I reminded myself that I had the endurance to run 8 miles and therefore could not let myself walk any part of this mornings mileage sooner than the 8 mile mark.   I was bound and determined to run the whole time but I had no idea how long it would take me to finish.  

Unlike most runners, I didn't do this in high school, I don't love the sport and I have never run fast.   It is my experience that most people who call themselves runners, run at least a 10 minute mile.   Not so much for this kid.   I average about a 12-13 minute mile, which I have no intention of changing because I learned early on in this process that if I pace myself, I can run a lot further than if I don't.   I am proud to say that a 12-13 minute mile is a comfortable run for me, and when distances like 9 miles are being tackled, being comfortable is an essential component to success. 

So, after mentally re-living my journey, I was feeling strong, confident and determined to run 9 miles no matter what happened.   The morning started out cool, then turned humid, then started to rain with the humidity thickening simultaneously.  I have learned that when I let the weather stand in my way, it does.  So today, I decided that I didn't care how hot or uncomfortable I was.  I just kept running.   I finished 9 miles in almost exactly 2 hours.   I know a lot of people can run a lot further given that same time frame, but for me, it was a personal best.  

I am already trying to talk myself into waking up early enough this week to train like I am supposed to be but with life tasks such as finding car insurance, finishing up graduate school, maintaining my friendships, and getting things in order for my job, the challenge is greater than it seems.   I guess I'll just have to take it one day at a time. 

warm, comfortable and oh so inviting!

At last I have taken pictures of my new bedroom!  Instead of giving you a tour of my apartment all at once you are going to have to stay tuned for pictures one room at a time.   Since I am most excited about my bedroom, it's up first. 

My Aunty Joy gave me this queen size bed since she wanted to upgrade her guest bedroom.  It's the first bed I've ever had bigger than a twin, which makes me feel pretty grown up! 

I am very much looking forward to sleeping on my new comforter set tonight!  Since purple is my all time favorite color it was the obvious choice when sorting through so many comforter options. 

The purple chest has been with me ever since I moved into my very first apartment and I love it dearly.  The couch is a result of the generosity of my Aunt Joy (thanks Aunty!) Having TWO diploma frames is the result of 4 years of undergrad + 2 long years of graduate school.   It's hard to believe that I am weeks away from being able to fill that second frame! Who would have ever thought I would have two diplomas hanging above such a comfortable couch in a St.Paul apartment?! Not me!

You can't have a couch without having a tv!   I have to say that I am pretty thrilled with the idea of coming home from work, popping in a Netflix and knitting on my super comfortable love seat.   I have GREAT living room furniture also but it's always nice to have space to call my very own. 

The only pictures from my bedroom you are missing is the wall of closets I have opposite my bed and my bathroom.   Since closets are uneventful and I still haven't unpacked my bathroom all of the way, you're just going to have to imagine what those things look like :)

To do's!

It's Tuesday evening and I just compiled the list of things I want to accomplish in addition to the things already on my schedule for the week.  I am hopeful that I can tackle most, if not all of these things by the end of the weekend.

• Get library card

• send in stuff to get my cell phone rebate

• organize and label document files and folders

• go to the bank

• organize front hall closets

• set clock in room

• organize bathroom stuff 

• grocery shop

• return phone calls

• Administer and write up transition assessment 

• Figure out new TV 

 Let the productivity begin! 

A new kind of shopping

Among many new goals for the year, one of my goals is to always grocery shop with coupons.   It sounds simple, but the task is large considering how much time and energy it takes to sort through ads, pursue online sale items and create a menu which reflects the sale items.  Manufactures and stores put out coupons all of the time, but up until now I have chosen not to capitalize on the savings because my time has been more valuable to me than my money.  

My ambition to start shopping smart and using my grocery money wisely was affirmed when I found out that the grocery store across from my new apartment has what the call 'double day'.   Every Wednesday and Saturday if you present a manufacturer coupon, they double the value!  I went shopping last Wednesday and saved $15.90!  My bank account is dwindling by the day, so you can imagine how pumped I was to be taking home groceries worth almost $16.00 more than I paid for them! I didn't have a coupon for everything but I in addition to shopping with coupons, I am going to check online each week for the stores sale items in order to start re-building my pantry.   It feels good to have the time to be smart with my money.

If you ever have a manufacturer coupon you're not going to use, you should send it my way :) 

not so competitive after all

Are you ever surprised by the things you discover about yourself?   I am.  Throughout college people have frequently interpreted my commitment to thorough excellence as a competitive nature.   Although I wasn't sure whether or not there was truth to that particular assumption, I never tried to confirm or deny it.    This morning I ran my very first race.  It was a 10K (6.2 miles) which served as a "test" for my race day pace for the half-marathon I am running.   The race went well, but here's what I learned: I'm not competitive enough to care about racing!  I ran with my good friend Pushpa and my new friend Amanda, both of whom were really jazzed about pushing themselves to run faster than normal and pass as many people as possible along the way.  I run because I care about my health, because I love exploring new things, because I like having an active and uninterrupted platform to connect with the Lord and because running has allowed me to move closer to other people.   I don't run to race.  Even though the goal of completing a half-marathon kick-started my journey to become a runner, I never signed up for the race with the intention of racing.  

People have asked me if I will continue running after the half-marathon is over.   After today, I am 100% sure that I run for reasons other than competition and therefore will continue to use this sport as a way to better my health, connect with the Lord and move towards others.

Here are some pictures from this morning!

Me and my friend Pushpa on our way to the race! 

Hot, sweaty, tired & DONE with 6.2 miles! It was really humid!