Juice Day 5

Recipe:

     3 large carrots

     2 stalks of celery

     2 apples [1 Granny Smith, 1 Gala]

Review:

     I love this juice!  Light, refreshing, not too sweet, not too veg and such a pretty orange!

Juice day 4

Recipe:

     1 handful of spinach

     2 stalks of celery

     3 smallish carrots

     1 Granny Smith apple

Review:

     Remarkably light and very tasty.  I'm still blown away by how powerful the celery smells and how light it actually tastes.  There's a recipe that's just celery juice and honey that I am now curious about trying out.

Tomato Jam and Juice Day 3

Went to the farmer's market this morning on a mission.  The mission was to find something to make jam out of.  The strawberries were a bit expensive, so a friend and I turned these bad boys into a very tasty tomato jam, which is absolutely dynamite on grilled cheese.  We went into a bit of a canning frenzy as she also decided to make chicken stock, so I got to learn pressure canning and hot water bath canning all at once.  It was rather comical trying to juggle an enormous stock pot, a pressure canner, a dutch oven and a 2-quart sauce pan on her stove, but we made it happen.

Recipe:
     2 small beets
     2 carrots
     1 Granny Smith apple

Review:
     Very tasty!  I peeled the beets as I read that not peeling them results in a very "earthy" flavor that not everyone finds appealing.  It does have a bit of an earthy taste, but it's not unpleasant.

I am finding that the variety of apple I use in my juices makes a big difference.  The first juices I made were with Pink Lady apples and that resulted in a very sweet, easily drinkable juice.  I think the bolder flavor of the Ladies could make a veggie-heavy juice more accessible to a new or reluctant juicer.  Gala apples are much milder and are more neutral in flavor.  It's almost like they just add juice volume without shifting the flavor meter much.  The Granny Smiths have a tartness that plays well with the vegetables and adds dimension to a vegetable juice that doesn't feel like a masking agent for the veggies.

Juice Day 2

Green Ginger Ale from juicerecipes.com

Recipe:
     3 apples
     2 stalks of celery
     1 cucumber, peeled
     1 lime, peeled
     1 small piece fresh ginger

Review:
     My juice turned out a lovely shade of pink, while the featured recipe on the Juice Recipes website is very green...may have to do with the Gala apples I used.

Not my favorite juice.  It has an overwhelming smell of celery and the juice is tart and tangy.  Not horribly so, but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to make this one again.  [Now watch, it'll end up being my favorite juice.]

Juice day 1

Since my most awesome sister bought me a juicer for Christmas and I'd like to keep track of the recipes I try, I'm tossing them here, at least for now.

Recipe:
     4 apples [reserve 1 for after the spinach]
     1 mango
     2 oranges
     handful of spinach

Review:
     Very tasty!  Would definitely make it again.  I made enough of the fruit part of the juice to split with my hubby [I left out the spinach for his glass], ran the spinach through and ran the last apple through to clear out the spinach.

Fast forward

So, to catch you up, in the past 2+ years I have completed the following off my list [that was supposed to be completed over a year ago.  Ha!]:

8. Collect license plates every summer [Memorial Day through Labor Day]
     Actually, Idaho eludes me.  The Dakotas are difficult to get too.

32. Sew a tote bag
     Voilà!

34. Run a 5k
     Actually, I have run several 5Ks, a 10K and a half marathon...oh, and I'm training for another half.  Running keeps me sane.

36. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail
     Did this when we lived on the trail.  I scrambled up the trail for a few very rocky miles, and I do mean scrambled.

37. Get properly fitted for running shoes
     And once I found a pair I liked, they stopped making them!  Typical!

65. Get married
     August 13, 2011!

84. Crochet my sisters surprise floor coverings
     Finished one for my little sis that I need to get a final picture on.  It was a giant Yoshi made from granny squares.  She loved it!

98. Get a full body massage
     Did this and it was TOTALLY worth it.

Oh, and I relocated to Florida.  Short version: hubby got a job down here.  I love living here!

I have also reconsidered many of the goals I initially listed on my 101 in 1001.  Some no longer resonate, some have been eliminated for reasons I'd rather not get into and some were added to take up space on the list.  Creating the list was an interesting exercise in self-exploration, but ultimately reminded me more of what I wasn't doing than inspiring me to go out and do things.

A day made of win!

Break out the bubbly and grab your pencils! I am crossing number 4 off my big to-do list. I was offered a job this morning after completing a successful second interview. Actually, I was kind of offered 2 jobs, but let me back up.

I had originally applied for an entry-level position (Job A) and was in the middle of interviewing for it when the interviewer noted that, with my skill set, I was probably a better fit for another job (Job B). So, she set up an interview with the supervisor of Job B and it went swimmingly. At the end of the interview I asked about the timetable for filling the position and Mr. Supervisor said he was going on vacation and would not be back till the end of the month, so the earliest anyone could start Job B would be July 1st. Okay, fine.

This morning, I got a call from Mr. Supervisor offering me the position! Yay! Much dancing ensued. He went on to mention that due to the recent hospitalization of a co-worker, they were in desperate need of help in the claims department and would I be interested in starting in claims (Job C) and giving them a hand while Mr. Supervisor is on vacation? It would give me an opportunity to learn the company, while helping out the claims department. Being the helpful person I am, I agreed. Mr. Supervisor also mentioned that if, in the few weeks I was helping out claims, I decided I loved it there, I was more than welcome to take that position instead. So, I start Job C on Monday with the option of staying in claims or choosing to switch to Job B after the return of Mr. Supervisor. Huzzah!!!