Comfort Foods You Need In Your Life
If you are like me, the next 2-3 weeks of school will be the most stressful time of the semester. Professors like to cram every important thing that is due for the week before finals, which means the word relaxation is no longer in your vocabulary until winter break. On top of that, finals are coming up soon AND the weather is becoming chillier by the day. So what’s the solution to all of this stress? Delicious food. Here are some easy comfort foods and drinks you can whip up to warm your belly and your heart (and maybe take the stress away for a moment).
Pumpkin Chili (or any chili): This recipe is easy because all you really need to do is throw all the ingredients into one pot. Using ground turkey in the chili is a healthier option to ground beef (so you can eat more of it.) The pumpkin adds extra flavor, smoothness, vitamins, and is perfect for the season.
Recipe: http://www.unconventionalkitchen.com/pumpkin-chili/
Hot Chocolate: This one is pretty obvious, but there are ways you can spice it up to make it even more comforting. I like to add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg for a cozier flavor. Also, my roommate and I discovered that putting in a little bit of flavored coffee creamer (pumpkin spice, French vanilla, peppermint, etc.) is the easiest way to make delicious flavored hot chocolate.
Minestrone Soup: In my opinion, this is the soup of all soups. Its filled with tons of healthy vegetables and beans so your body will thank you for eating it. Not only is it healthy, but it’s delicious and filling in all of its Italian glory.
Recipe: http://www.jillhough.com/recipes/simple-satisfying-minestrone-soup-recipe/
Lasagna: You can’t go wrong with a good lasagna. its filled with melty, delicious cheese and hearty meat sauce. All you need is ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, ground beef, and shredded mozerella. Cook frozen spinach and add it to the ricotta mixture so you can get your vegetables in.
Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/extra-easy-lasagna
Grilled Cheese & Tomato soup: This is the definition of comfort food. It’s like a hug in food form. And there’s tons of ways you can spice it up. Add some ham or turkey to your grilled cheese for extra protein. For an Italian grilled cheese, use provolone or mozarella cheese and add spinach.
Apple Crisp: Definitely one of easiest, coziest desserts out there. Not to mention it will leave your kitchen smelling like heaven. And its healthy if it has apples in it right? 😉
Recipe: http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2014/10/apple-crisp.html
Remember that your mental health is always more important than your school work. Hopefully these foods can help you to relax and put things back into perspective.
Tis’ the season for getting plump!
Top Five Disney Movies of 2014
Many of us grew up with Disney; Disney movies, Disney radio, Disney channel, Disney Land, Disney World. Some form of Disney entered our lives at some point and to some degree. We may be college students now and mature adults (possibly) but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a good Disney movie; feel our hearts stop as the main character faces some unforeseen danger, laugh at the comical villan as they monologe about their evil plan, or even *gasp* sing along to the songs.
So let’s take a moment to look at what Disney has come out with lately:
The 2014 Top Five according to http://www.disneymovieslist.com
1. Maleficent– we all know the story of Sleeping Beauty. How the beautiful Aurora was cursed by the evil Maleficent, to prick her finger and fall into a sleeping death. How her true love Prince Philip had to fight and kill the wicked Maleficent and defeat evil in order to save Aurora with true love’s first kiss. This new take on the time old classic however gives a new look on Maleficent; raising a few new questions. Who is Maleficent? Was she always evil? Why does she look the way she does? and the most important question…What really happened?
2. Muppets Most Wanted– have you ever mistaken someone for one of your friends and there’s that awkward “oh…um…you’re not so and so…oops” or maybe you’re the one who is mistaken for that other person. Either way it’s an awkward moment that you slightly cringe at as you walk away before forgetting about it five minutes later. Now imagine if that person you were mistaken for was a criminal wanted by the whole world. That’s the problem the lovable Kermit faces in this comedic caper.
3. Cloud 9-Cloud 9, is about a young female snowboarder, Kayla. Kicked off her team she is assigned to work at a dog shelter where she meets Will Cloud a famous snowboarder who left the sport after an embarrassing failure. Kayla wants to compete in the Fire and Ice competition and prove she is a great snowboarder but with everyone telling her she can’t make it she knows its going to be hard. With her mantra, “Nothing is impossible she enlists the help of Will, who she finally convinces to train her. Can she show she really has what it takes? Is nothing impossible?
4. Million Dollar Arm-Based on a true story sports agent, JB Bernstein, needs to find new clients to keep his business afloat. While watching cricket games on his t.v. an idea sparks. Creating a contest called “Million Dollar Arm” he finds two cricket playing youths, Rink Singh and Dinesh Patel, from India and begins to train them as Baseball Pitchers. But nothing is ever easy. Having to adjust to a whole new culture, not to mention the difficulties of learning how to play America’s favorite game is a daunting task and these three will have to lean on one other and learn more about themselves and each other in order to make it.
5. Zapped- Boys can be annoying when they don’t do what you want them to. But as 16-year-old Zoey finds out there’s even an app for that. After what could only be described as a bad day,especially when her phone is dropped in the bathtub, thrown out a window, sides on a solar panel and ends up in her dogs food bowl, Zoey feels like it can’t get much worse. But the next day brings an interesting discovery; her dog training app doesn’t control dogs but boys. Everything is starting to look up until of course everything falls apart. This is a funny story about love, family, and accepting people for who they are not who we want them to be.
If you haven’t seen these movies try them out 🙂
Crunch Time
Brrrr, it’s getting cold out there, light snow is falling from the sky, and Thanksgiving is almost here, I guess the end of the semester is getting closer and closer. Where did the time go because it feels like it was just yesterday that everyone was enjoying welcome weekend and now we are picking classes for next semester. Many students, especially upper classmen have said that this semester was very difficult and has been stressing them out. However students should know that their professors care about them and want them to do well, but they must challenge us in their classes to make sure that we are prepared for after college. With only little over a few weeks left, I guess you can call this crunch time, where we really have to get more serious because of final exams, projects, and papers will be due, and we can’t procrastinate or leave studying off for the last minute anymore or it will greatly affect our grades. Students just have to study hard, do their work, and if you need help, take advantage of the free tutoring in the lower level of Krasa or contact your professor. I hope everyone is having a great semester, lets finish it off strong!
How to Tackle Black Friday
Thanksgiving is coming up fast~! While it entails a feast of scrumptious food, it also indicates that amazing sales are on their way for Black Friday. You can get caught up in the excitement of the holiday week and rush of competition for grabbing the best-priced items; but, don’t be careless. A lot of stores will have price-cuts on their products. This is true. Yet, an item at one store may be seem to have a good price, but it can be even cheaper at a different store. There are a lot of considerations needed to be made before you head out into the cold to battle over shoppers for products.
Here’s a few tips on how to tackle Black Friday:
- Do Your Research. Decide on what items you really want whether it’s something that you’ve been wanting for a long time or a gift for someone else. From there, look at the websites of the stores that have those items and compare prices. Also, check for what kind of sale each store has for Black Friday. Once you know where you’re going and what you’re getting, make a plan for where you’ll go first once you arrive at the mall.
- Bundle Up. It tends to get colder around the end of November. Try to wear as many layers of clothing as necessary. You wouldn’t to catch cold after shopping.
- Go With Others. As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one”. It’s less lonely and more fun to go shopping with others, especially in the hullabaloo of Black Friday. You have a friend to help lookout for items you want and any dangers other shoppers may be throwing your way. Also, when you plan for your attack, your friend may have think of a better route than you. He or she could even spot a better sales deal that you accidentally looked over.
- Get There Early. In order to ensure that you get the items you want for the prices that Black Friday offers, you should arrive at your designated store or mall very, very, very early. A lot of people tend to go right after Thanksgiving dinner or two hours before midnight on Thanksgiving. It’s up to you to decide how much you want something.
- Go to the Stores You Really Want to Shop at First. As a mentioned in the first point, it’s best to make a plan for your Black Friday shopping. Sometimes, you can’t make to all the stores you want to or its too late by the time you get. Thus, decide on which items you’re willing to miss out on and the items that you really want.
- Always Ask If You Really Want It. Sometimes, we all get caught up in the thrill of shopping on Black Friday. It clouds our judgements and we may over-shop. So, you should always ask yourself whether or not you truly want/need whatever you’re buying on Black Friday.
- Be Safe. Plenty of accidents occur on Thanksgiving in the rush from attaining the best sales. Please, please, please be careful if you decide to shop on Black Friday. Never take a risk that could endanger you or anyone with you. A life is worth more than any item you can buy.
If Black Friday isn’t your forte, the sales offered on that day usually extends to the Monday after Thanksgiving which is called Cyber Monday because deals are offered on the websites of many stores. So, you can still buy items you want if you don’t go shopping on Black Friday. You can apply some of the points I made above to Cyber Monday if you decide to wait to that day to shop.
Happy Shopping~! 🙂
Benefits of Being a Commuter
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Whenever anyone mentions or thinks of college, images of living on campus flash through our minds like a panorama. Throughout out our entire lives, the idea of dormitories, campus parties, meal plans, etc. is thrown in our faces. People always say, “You have to give dorm life a chance! You’re in college!” Unfortunately, with the state of the economy and rising tuition prices, it’s becoming harder to live on your own–let alone in a dorm. Commuting to college has become a more financially-stable option.
When I tell people I’m a commuter, the minute expressions and silent comments indicate their surprise and pity. However, I love being a commuter. It could be because it perfectly fits my personality. Yet, I would never, even if I had the money, decide to dorm rather than commute. Some people have the illusion that commuters don’t do anything but study or don’t have any friends. That’s not true at all. I have plenty of friends and I’m on campus frequently (even past classes). I participate in a lot of clubs and stay to hang out with friends who are a mixture of commuters and residents. Loneliness is a misconception of commuting. There are many reasons why I decided to commute. I consider them benefits and here they are:
- Save Money. I don’t have to shell out any money for living at home. Dorms can cost a lot when you calculate all four years at college (add it to tuition, meal plans, textbooks, etc.). It can rack up. I work two jobs so I love saving where I can.
- Can Go Anywhere I Want. Even if you have your driver’s license, you probably don’t have a car on campus or one at all. You’re pretty limited in where you can go. I drive out for lunch, shop at the closest mall, check out movies at the nearby theater, and more. No bus or taxi needed.
- Don’t Have to Cook. I don’t have to a meal plan! More money in my bank and I can have home-cooked meals every day. Plus, it’s easier for me to watch my diet when I’m at home too.
- Don’t Have to Fight for the Laundry Machine. Never will I have to worry about walking down or up several floors with a laundry basket to find out that I cannot do my laundry because all the machines are taken.
- Don’t Have Rules. There are certain times you can have friends over or stay out in a dorm. There’s no such thing at home. I come and go as I please.
- Calm Drives. College can be very stressful. Having time to myself in the morning and afternoon when I commute from home to school or vice versa is nice because I can collect my thoughts or simply relax whilst listening to music.
These are only a few out of many reasons why being a commuter isn’t all that bad. You may or may not agree. However, there’s always pros and cons to everything. Commuting, in my opinion, has enough pros to convince me to remain as one.
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