I'm leavin on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again...

{Just the site of these is enough to make my heart flutter}

Actually I'll be back next weekend, but for one glorious week I will home in Louisiana!! I can't wait to see my family and indulge in some fabulous Cajun cooking. I plan on doing lots of relaxing, reading, cooking, and maybe a little sewing. And the highlight of the week will be a crawfish boil on Friday night...I'm so excited!

I will be back next Sunday with lots of photos and recipes to share. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Finals week....a necessary torture

Sorry for my absence / lack of commenting this week.

It's finals week in doctor school, so I have been buried in textbooks the past few days. On a happy note, I take my last one today and will officially be done with my second year of doctor school (yippeee!!)!

Hope you are all having a very happy week!

xoxo

I've never met a shrimp I didn't like...

I must confess that I am a huge shrimp lover. I will eat them prepared in almost any way. In fact, I've only had one horrific shrimp experience. Hubby (who was Boyfriend at the time) was visiting me in Louisiana and we decided to go have sushi. Since we were still early in our relationship, I decided it would be fun to let him do the ordering so I could try some new things. So he ordered a ton of stuff and out come these delicious looking little shrimp nestled on top of balls of rice, as if they were just relaxing until we decided to eat them. We Cajuns love our shrimp, so naturally I immediately grabbed one with my chopsticks and devoured it. Hubby ate one at about the same time. As we started to chew, we both realized in horror that the shrimp was RAW. Now I love raw fish, but raw SHRIMP? I have tasted few things fouler in my lifetime. We grabbed the menu and realized that hubby had ordered the wrong shrimp. We still laugh about that experience.

This weekend, hubby and I had a much more pleasant dining experience involving shrimp. Hubby skewered some shrimp and experimented with different seasonings and Cajun marinades, then threw them on the grill. We had them with sauteed veggies and enjoyed a nice little dinner on our patio.

{I just love summer meals outside, don't you?}

I must admit I was excited when we had some shrimp left over because I could eat shrimp everyday. So today I threw together a healthy little pasta dish:

I sauteed baby bella mushrooms and garlic in some olive oil, then threw in the left over shrimp. Next I added whole wheat fettuccine and crushed red pepper flakes. Finally, I topped the dish off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese....so easy and so good! You must try it if you're a shrimp addict like me :)

I swear I only meant to buy shampoo...

I have decided that malls are like black holes that just suck you right in. I should have known better than to try to make "just a quick stop".

Driving home from training at the hospital today, I needed to stop by Aveda to get some shampoo and tea (by the way, if you haven't tried Aveda's tea, you are seriously missing out...it's AMAZING). It was only supposed to take me 15 minutes.

Two hours later, I left with hair and bath products, a skirt, 3 cardigans, shorts, and 2 tops. Sigh.

Does this ever happen to anyone else??

I guess I can always say I was treating myself because I will spend the whole weekend and all of next week studying for finals and finishing projects. Yes, that will be my excuse...I was just motivating myself for a weekend of hard work.

Life's little blessings...

...such as my statistics class getting canceled tonight because the building is flooded in poop.

I just love life's little blessings...don't you?

He is risen!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

"On the very first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!'" --Luke 24:1-6

I hope you are all feeling joyful on this most glorious day! Hubby and I got up early and attended the 8:00 Easter service. I told hubby the only way I could possibly get up that early was if he brought me coffee in bed, and bless his heart, he did. Last night we had lots of fun coloring Easter eggs...

{Aren't they pretty?}

{Heading out the door for church}

After church, we headed over to hubby's parents' house for an Easter breakfast. Hubby made us a yummy meal of eggs and sausage.


We were bad parents and didn't get Heaven an Easter dress or an Easter basket this year (blame it on the recession), so we're going to take her for an extra long special walk this afternoon and let her chase squirrels. We didn't buy Easter candy this year since we're trying to be healthy, but I think I might sneak off to Walgreens tomorrow and buy some Cadbury eggs on sale :)

{P.S. Yes, I did get my hair highlighted on Friday and I realize that in these pictures it looks exactly the same! For some reason my highlights are not showing up in photographs...guess they aren't dramatic enough. In real life, it's quite a noticeable difference. I ended up going with auburn highlights, so my hair is still pretty dark. I think I will go lighter next time but for now I'm loving the red!}

Cha-cha-cha-changes...

So tomorrow at 10:00 AM, I have a hair appointment. When I was in undergrad, I saw my stylist at least once every four weeks because I was a color junkie. I've been platinum blond, had highlights and low lights of every color under the sun (including fire engine red, blue, purple, and pink), and pretty much everything in between. When I started my master's program, I realized that the luxury of skipping class to get my hair colored was no longer an option. So since the Fall of 2005, I've had my lovely natural hair color. Now that summer semester is almost here, I've decided I'm going to highlight again since my schedule will be a bit less crazy (at least I'm hoping anyway!). But I'm wondering just how dramatic I should go...

My hair color now...
I don't really think I want blond highlights because it would just look too shocking against a black backdrop. I'm not really a fan of the skunk look! So I'm thinking maybe some warm tones, like caramel and dark honey.

Maybe something like this...I don't know...


Any suggestions??????

Almost as good as shrimp and grits...almost...

Hubby and I have seriously been craving shrimp and grits lately. We've tried to console ourselves by promising that we'll make some in a few weeks when we are a bit further along in our quest for healthy eating (I think we both fear that if we eat it now our organic veggies will end up battered and fried and that will be the end of our current fitness craze). So this weekend I decided to try a healthier option and made Lemon-Mint Bulgur Risotto with Garlic Shrimp. It was surprisingly amazing and I can't wait to have it again. It was not our beloved shrimp and grits, but it was a delicious alternative.


Lemon-Mint Bulgur Risotto with Garlic Shrimp {from Cooking Light}

3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 cup uncooked bulgur
4 cups torn spinach
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Combine water and 3/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. {I actually did this in the microwave and it worked great.}

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add green onions; cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bulgur; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add warm salted water, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of warm salted water is absorbed before adding the next ( about 20 minutes total). Remove from heat. Add spinach, mint, rind, and juice; stir until spinach wilts. Keep warm.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, and shrimp; saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Divide risotto evenly among 4 small plates or bowls, and arrange shrimp evenly over risotto. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.

There you have it! Quick and easy....and only 321 calories per serving.

It's almost time to wear white again...

I love Easter week...the time for reflection, the remembrance of the Passion, the time for celebration, and the festivities. As I sat in church yesterday, I remembered a remarkable Palm Sunday service I attended several years ago on the Mexican border. I was actually on spring break but was determined to make it to mass. So I ventured out while my friends were sleeping and visited this stunning cathedral:


The music had a Hispanic flavor and was provided by several singers with acoustic guitars. It was a really cool experience that I will remember for many years.

This week will be filled with baking and dying Easter eggs. I usually put off shopping for an Easter outfit until Good Friday, but I was actually proactive this year and bought my dress a few weeks ago. And I can't wait to be able to wear white again! (Yes, you may think it's "old fashioned" that I don't wear white between Labor Day and Easter, but this Southern belle will never be caught wearing white shoes in November.)

Hope you all have a happy Easter week!!

{Just a note: Throughout my blog, I may make references to both the Catholic and Protestant faiths. I've attended both Catholic and Baptist churches most of my life, so my beliefs are a fusion of the two denominations. However, I was raised Baptist and currently attend Baptist church.}

The new housewife...

Watching "The Real Housewives" series is one of my guilty pleasures. I was intrigued by the new housewife on "The Real Housewives of New York" until this week...is it just me or is she just incredibly rude?? I was so turned off by the way she handled her disagreement with Bethany. Now Bethany is certainly not my favorite housewife (actually, I'm not even sure why she's on the show because she's not married or even in a relationship), but I felt like she was calm and very mature while Kelly was attacking her. I think Kelly showed her true colors, and I am not impressed.

Did anyone else feel this way or are some of you on Team Kelly?

Is that a bear in my laundry basket?

(Just a bit of cuteness for your Wednesday)