the just right girl

urgh. today as of 11:30 i finished four out of my five final exams. needless to say, they didn't all go as planned. luckily, my next one isn't until friday, plus its the easiest one i have, so i'm taking the day off to do nothing and relax!  pajamas: ✓   greasy food: ✓    nap: ✓    hot chocolate: ✓   blog post: here we go! as many of you know, i turned 20 a few weeks ago - halfway to 40! i guess if anything it was the perfect year to learn to cook for myself, now that i am so old. i mean, i can't be old and not know how to cook or bake really yummy desserts. i would be the worst old person ever!

i've come to terms with the fact that this will be me soon

i thought it would be a nice time to do a little reflecting on my cooking experience this semester. i've cooked meat. i've touched raw meat. i've become addicted to spicy foods. i haven't made anything that was super gross. while i'm not the best and still don't know a lot, my cooking has come a long way. i think the coolest thing about cooking for yourself is that you can cook what you want, when you want, and you don't have to offend anybody while doing it. i've realized i like my food ridiculously spicy, something i couldn't really try much at home.

so, to celebrate me officially becoming an old person (with new cooking skillz), my dad got me this really nice vegetarian cookbook for my birthday. not only is it full of really creative recipes, it's also got super detailed nutrition info, as well as little bits of info about healthy eating. defs my kind of book, thanks dad! ♥  : )

no doubt i will try these recipes out next semester

so, i tried out one of the recipes from the book last week - i tweaked it a bit because i have a limited fridge and pantry atm as i am trying to clear things out before christmas break. i was staying up late studying for my exercise physiology final and decided a late night snack was in order. here comes my version of the spicy kidney bean tostada:

what you need:
1/2 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 jalapeno pepper (to taste: i used jarred - they're way easier)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 an avocado
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 tbsp water
2 small tortillas

step 1:
set oven to 375 degrees. in a pan set to medium heat, add 1 tsp olive oil. once hot, add in garlic and let saute for a few minutes. then add in your kidney beans, spices and jalapeno pepper. mix, and add in water. let cook for a few minutes.
step 2:
when oven is warm, add in tortillas for ~5 minutes or until nice and golden brown. cube your avocado.
step 3: 
when water is gone, you're ready to eat! take tortillas out of the oven. scoop the mix onto the tortilla, and place avocado pieces on top. take cheese and scatter around. you can either put it back in the oven to melt the cheese, or put in the microwave for 30 seconds.

the perfect gooey late night study snack!

ingredient of the week: salmon

 ok everyone, sorry for the super delay in posting. final exam time is upon us and i haven't had time to cook anything interesting or blog about the things that were. anyways, i just left victoria on my way back to vancouver for my last 3 finals (physics, sport psych and bio psych). unfortunately, as i woke up at 9:30 to catch the 11 am ferry, i noticed there was an odd amount of water on the floor. my first thought: did christina turn off the shower last night? yah she did - the rain decided to come in through the foundation. that is defs not good. so i am a little bit flustered from the craziness of home, and thought a blog post would be the perfect way to calm down before starting some readings. so, here we go.

here's the second installment of the ingredient of the week! this time, it's salmon. i lovee salmon, and at home we used to eat it at least once a week (dad does it really nicely on the bbq). since i began cooking for myself, i hadn't really had any salmon until this week. when i went to costco with my dad, i bought a big bag of frozen salmon fillets. i know it seems weird to buy it frozen, but it's really just as good. the texture is the same, and it's super handy because they are individually wrapped (perfect portion sizes!) and only take ~6 hours to defrost. plus, you don't need to worry about it going bad!

bearie bears also love to eat salmon

salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3's (specifically EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA: dohosahexaenoic acid). what are they? essential fatty acids, meaning, you need them for healthy living. unfortunately, our body cannot create these molecules so you need to have them in your diet regularly. our brains contain over 60% structural fat (think: brain cells, or neurons). as most of you learned in high school biology, cell membranes are composed of a lipid layer. here's where the omega-3 fatty acids come in - they are especially fluid and flexible, making it easier to allow nutrients to come in, and waste to move out. EPA, found in salmon, is one of the best types of omega-3's for this job.

so other than keeping your brain working, omega-3's also improve your cardiovascular health: preventing damage of cholesterol in your arteries (once damaged, it begins to clog), improves healthy cholesterol levels and prevent erratic heart rhythms.
omega-3's also have huge anti-inflammatory effects. this is because they effect the production or prostaglandins - hormone-like molecules. EPA is the immediate precursor for series 3 prostaglandins, an anti-inflammatory type that prevents platelets from sticking together and improves blood flow.
salmon is also a good source of protein, niacin and vitamin B12, which all help to lower total blood cholesterol. niacin in particular has been proven to help prevent Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

my birthday dinner - salmon and veggies

so, for my first salmon dinner away from home i made teryiaki salmon with garlic roast veg. nom nom nom!

what you need:
1 fillet of salmon
1 tbsp teryiaki sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 zucchini
2 tsp olive oil

step 1:
pre-heat oven to 400. put salmon into a small dish and pour teryiaki sauce over top. mix around so fillet is covered and place plastic wrap on top. marinade for ~20 minutes.
step 2:
in the mean time, roughly chop up your veggies and place in a large dish. finely slice the garlic and scatter throughout dish. pour 1 tsp olive oil on top and mix. place in oven for ~25 minutes (if you don't use broccoli the time will come down a lot).
step 3:
take a pan and set to medium-high heat and pour in 1 tsp olive oil. let the pan get nice and hot, then carefully place your salmon in. it should sizzle and splatter for a few minutes. leave for ~5 minutes, depending on how thick the salmon is. flip over to the other side.
step 4:
by the time the salmon is finished, the veggies should be done as well. plate up!