I have wanted a way to eat on the cheap. For years.....
Call it dollar store cheap. And plenty available.
So lets GO!!!
Chocolate Hummus
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp water
I know, I know, not really cheap. You can find all the ingredients at a local super market or small retail store ( think Family Dollar stores). If you have ever had Hummus, you know how awesome it is. Another Variation involves just using cinnamon powder ( 1/2 teaspoon) and afew tablespoons of milk. No hunting down bakers chocolate or vanilla extract. You can mash the chickpeas in a bowl with a fork or potato mashers. Still the same creamy consistency.
Use your judgment and enjoy!
Eat Well Folks,
Meranda F
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Monday, June 27, 2011
Inaugural post for "Healthy Agian" Series
Back at you with an inaugural post!
Stress- such as what happens when you lose a job, drop out of college or BOTH- can have a toll on your waist line. I have managed to gain another person with my eating over the years!
Well, no more.
I decided to start up an exercise program and a series of posts about it.
No one wants to admit they have a weight problem. But, with graduation and the hunt for stable employment, I gotta lose it. I will need EVERY ounce of confidence that comes from at least FITTING into my old interview suits. I'm too broke to buy new ones!
When I was in High School, the competition from good looking, academically accomplished, well rounded class mates was enough to have me wondering "why not me"? In about two years I made dean's list and I lost 50 lbs. Then I got accepted into my dream college. Life was SWEET!!
About to leave with a Bachelor's Degree, I've started a weight loss program and am putting together a list of places I would be willing to work. The next year is going to see ALOT of work and patience I don't have..I'm back to lifting weights, and the concept of "Muscle Memory" is doing its stuff!
What about you, how has health impacted your life? What are you doing to battle the bulge?
Thanks for being patient,
Meranda
Stress- such as what happens when you lose a job, drop out of college or BOTH- can have a toll on your waist line. I have managed to gain another person with my eating over the years!
Well, no more.
I decided to start up an exercise program and a series of posts about it.
No one wants to admit they have a weight problem. But, with graduation and the hunt for stable employment, I gotta lose it. I will need EVERY ounce of confidence that comes from at least FITTING into my old interview suits. I'm too broke to buy new ones!
When I was in High School, the competition from good looking, academically accomplished, well rounded class mates was enough to have me wondering "why not me"? In about two years I made dean's list and I lost 50 lbs. Then I got accepted into my dream college. Life was SWEET!!
About to leave with a Bachelor's Degree, I've started a weight loss program and am putting together a list of places I would be willing to work. The next year is going to see ALOT of work and patience I don't have..I'm back to lifting weights, and the concept of "Muscle Memory" is doing its stuff!
What about you, how has health impacted your life? What are you doing to battle the bulge?
Thanks for being patient,
Meranda
Thursday, May 19, 2011
It's more than a job....on being a professional
Hello All!
A post by UCLA associate professor Philip E. Agre on how to be a professional. I was drawn to this after thinking about careers I might pursue after getting my bachelors degree. He was into " the 'net" before it became "the internet". There are other things to look at too (scroll half way down).
How to Be a Leader in Your Field: A Guide for Students in Professional Schools
Here is a wonderful e-book by Dr. Dario Toncich.
"Studying and Learning in the Australian University System"
You can read his bio Here .
I highly recommend chapter 11 on professional life, come to think of it, chapter 8 is golden for those of us who found college NOT to be what we wished. Seems college is more or less the same no matter were you go.
My Part Time Obsession:
Daria Episodes on MTV
College Bored
Daria - I should explain this. Social Satire, series ended some time in the early 2000's. So maybe you don't remember it. Watch Anyway. It was ahead of its time and STILL relevant today. You will like it, covers all the fantasies we had before we realized what college was!
Feels...Lalalalala,
Meranda F
A post by UCLA associate professor Philip E. Agre on how to be a professional. I was drawn to this after thinking about careers I might pursue after getting my bachelors degree. He was into " the 'net" before it became "the internet". There are other things to look at too (scroll half way down).
How to Be a Leader in Your Field: A Guide for Students in Professional Schools
Here is a wonderful e-book by Dr. Dario Toncich.
"Studying and Learning in the Australian University System"
You can read his bio Here .
I highly recommend chapter 11 on professional life, come to think of it, chapter 8 is golden for those of us who found college NOT to be what we wished. Seems college is more or less the same no matter were you go.
My Part Time Obsession:
Daria Episodes on MTV
College Bored
Daria - I should explain this. Social Satire, series ended some time in the early 2000's. So maybe you don't remember it. Watch Anyway. It was ahead of its time and STILL relevant today. You will like it, covers all the fantasies we had before we realized what college was!
Feels...Lalalalala,
Meranda F
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
When an accent is a disease.....
Am I the only one who sees a bad pattern here?
and....
Am I the only one who notices, an accent happens to be a disease? A disease from some far away land. What the heck, I can bet it ain't a disease where the people sound this way.
Remember, your accent is a form of brain damage.
BRAIN DAMAGED,
Meranda F
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
and....
Am I the only one who notices, an accent happens to be a disease? A disease from some far away land. What the heck, I can bet it ain't a disease where the people sound this way.
Remember, your accent is a form of brain damage.
BRAIN DAMAGED,
Meranda F
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Quarter Life Crisis- Letting Go of Childhood
I've wasted my time, wishing I could go back. BACK to the days when I was younger and life was simpler. I realize now, life is simple if you want it to be. I live with my parents, who just moved from a bad apartment to a delapitated house. The rent was high, but a crappy house must have been better I guess. I now live out of a few suit cases, most of my stuff is packed away in boxes and in storage. It made me ask myself:
"what do I really need to live"?
Case in point:
This is the first time I have ever lived without a washing machine. Afew days ago, I had to wash shirts, underwear and socks by hand or go to school another day feeling "ikky" and risk offending my classmates.
My mind raced to this right here
I thought about the books I read on living "off the grid". But more than anything, I realized I COULD live on my own if I REALLY wanted to. Here I am, existing with 1/6the stuff I used to have ( and it wasn't alot either). I'm doing okay. I am more angry over having little control of my life than what my life has become. BUT I'M DOING OKAY! I have no washing machine, little privacy, little space but I AM DOING OKAY! I feel, if I had to do it on my own, I could. NOW I KNOW. If I needed to live in a room with afew suitcases of things and some amenities, I COULD DO IT AND BE OKAY!!!
Have you made the leap from mooching off parents to paying your own bills? If so, how did you do it?
Fun Stuff:
Head on over to Quarter LIFE Crisis,let the kids over there know how you're doing.
QLC
"what do I really need to live"?
Case in point:
This is the first time I have ever lived without a washing machine. Afew days ago, I had to wash shirts, underwear and socks by hand or go to school another day feeling "ikky" and risk offending my classmates.
My mind raced to this right here
I thought about the books I read on living "off the grid". But more than anything, I realized I COULD live on my own if I REALLY wanted to. Here I am, existing with 1/6the stuff I used to have ( and it wasn't alot either). I'm doing okay. I am more angry over having little control of my life than what my life has become. BUT I'M DOING OKAY! I have no washing machine, little privacy, little space but I AM DOING OKAY! I feel, if I had to do it on my own, I could. NOW I KNOW. If I needed to live in a room with afew suitcases of things and some amenities, I COULD DO IT AND BE OKAY!!!
Have you made the leap from mooching off parents to paying your own bills? If so, how did you do it?
Fun Stuff:
Head on over to Quarter LIFE Crisis,let the kids over there know how you're doing.
QLC
Friday, February 11, 2011
Coming to Terms With Adulthood....
I am coming to terms with adulthood. I spent last week organizing my piles of old kodak photos and saw the past decade of my life- the highlights of my childhood- in thirteen hours. What a ride.
I got a quote from a book:
"My mother often explained to me that the skill set for childhood is not anything like the skill set for adulthood. She told me that i just didn't have the traits that would make me excel at being a kid, especially in social life, but that I did have a lot of traits that would be great in an adult.She pointed out that many of the kids who were popular and seemed to have it all were going to undermine their hopes for adulthood by the end of high school ( or college at the latest) with binge drinking, experimenting with drugs, maltreating their bodies to achieve fashionable thinness, causing themselves permanent physical damage in pursuits of sports glory and so forth. Many others would simply find that all the skills they had so carefully honed throughout high school simply didn't work in adult life. She told me that when those people were sitting around at age forty, drinking and remembering those few years of perfection, I would have a life.
(pg 139 )
Can you identify yourself in this quote? I was the kid who worked hard only to find my skills in High school meant NOTHING in adulthood ( or college for that matter). Its probably the worst way to self destruct. Can you imagine, It feels like saying I failed because I did TOO well in high school.
Ugh,
Meranda F.
Work Cited:
Grandin, Temple Dr., and Sean Barron. The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationship: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism. 1st. Arlington: Future Horizons, Inc, 2005. 139. Print.
I got a quote from a book:
"My mother often explained to me that the skill set for childhood is not anything like the skill set for adulthood. She told me that i just didn't have the traits that would make me excel at being a kid, especially in social life, but that I did have a lot of traits that would be great in an adult.She pointed out that many of the kids who were popular and seemed to have it all were going to undermine their hopes for adulthood by the end of high school ( or college at the latest) with binge drinking, experimenting with drugs, maltreating their bodies to achieve fashionable thinness, causing themselves permanent physical damage in pursuits of sports glory and so forth. Many others would simply find that all the skills they had so carefully honed throughout high school simply didn't work in adult life. She told me that when those people were sitting around at age forty, drinking and remembering those few years of perfection, I would have a life.
(pg 139 )
Can you identify yourself in this quote? I was the kid who worked hard only to find my skills in High school meant NOTHING in adulthood ( or college for that matter). Its probably the worst way to self destruct. Can you imagine, It feels like saying I failed because I did TOO well in high school.
Ugh,
Meranda F.
Work Cited:
Grandin, Temple Dr., and Sean Barron. The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationship: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism. 1st. Arlington: Future Horizons, Inc, 2005. 139. Print.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What I wish I had been Told
High Schoolers ask what advice I had for college student survival.
Here is some advice.......
Major Themes:
1. Realize that , while grades are important, you want to look for internships the way you looked for scholarships in High School.
2. See college as pre-professional training, a means to an end.
while you can have fun, you are suppose to be preparing yourself to enter the work force . Keep that in mind all four years and it will be easier to motivate yourself for 8am classes.
3. Start working on your interview and people skills. Think about how the activities you partake in college will affect your Resume.
4. TO be honest, alot of college classes are fluff ( esp. gen-ed requirements). Focus on skills learned in those classes that will help in a job ( English 101/editing skills, Calculus 1/ mental-arithmetic, General Biology/knowledge of how systems work, etc). I would politely ask professors what parts of a class would excite employers if students could do them very well. Then go practice! Practice the parts of your class you found personally interesting too!
5. College is perhaps the last time people are totally willing to give you what you want just because you asked nicely.
Since I was determined to become fluent in Spanish by graduation, I just asked the Spanish teachers to help me during their office hours. Free of Charge! And they admired my determination.
6. Don't leave your old High School teachers/ community behind!!
They have ALOT of information to help you even in college, so stay in polite contact with them and ask what THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IN SCHOOL. When it comes time for recommendations, you will have wonderful sources outside of college professors. People who can say they have known you for YEARS and think you are a thoughtful and talented person. If you do not understand civics, get a book or talk to someone. This is not about being political, but understanding the forces that shape your area.
Minor Themes:
The lower your GPA is from a 3.0, the more time you must spend working on soft skills, getting work experience and networking.
Master as many skills as you can! Editing Papers, Computer programming in a language, Public Speaking practice, photography, playing piano. Heck , even how to drive the buses on campus ( if your school has its own transit system)! These can make great part time jobs.
Learn about personal finance, plan for an independent life ( whether or not you want to live alone). Understand the more $$ spent for schooling, the more you will pay off later and the less flexibility you will have. Micro-business anyone.....
Many use the computer but have no idea how it works. For shame! Understand computer programming logic.I have heard of children learning computer programming as early as 10 in schools around the world. For that matter,
Perhaps the best way you can keep up with globalization and stay competitive is to know others around the world are expected to learn in school. Especially in Grade schools and innovative programs. The 8-10 year old will shortly be 18-20, entering their pre-professional years and later competing for jobs with VERY current knowledge. You don't have to invent the wheel like these kids do, just add to your knowledge bank.
Talk to professors who like to tell stories and give advice! This is why I love adjuncts. Many of them hold down jobs in the real world and will tell you like it is.
Keep copies of your old recommendations, essays to admissions committees, flyers for special events you went to, scholarships, etc. Update your resume consistently. Basically, keep a file.
LASTLY
Buy a good camera and take pictures! College doesn't last and you will want to cherish those memories long after its over. =D You can even take pictures of the events you do on campus and post them to face book.
It's been awhile lovers,
Meranda Fuentes
Here is some advice.......
Major Themes:
1. Realize that , while grades are important, you want to look for internships the way you looked for scholarships in High School.
2. See college as pre-professional training, a means to an end.
while you can have fun, you are suppose to be preparing yourself to enter the work force . Keep that in mind all four years and it will be easier to motivate yourself for 8am classes.
3. Start working on your interview and people skills. Think about how the activities you partake in college will affect your Resume.
4. TO be honest, alot of college classes are fluff ( esp. gen-ed requirements). Focus on skills learned in those classes that will help in a job ( English 101/editing skills, Calculus 1/ mental-arithmetic, General Biology/knowledge of how systems work, etc). I would politely ask professors what parts of a class would excite employers if students could do them very well. Then go practice! Practice the parts of your class you found personally interesting too!
5. College is perhaps the last time people are totally willing to give you what you want just because you asked nicely.
Since I was determined to become fluent in Spanish by graduation, I just asked the Spanish teachers to help me during their office hours. Free of Charge! And they admired my determination.
6. Don't leave your old High School teachers/ community behind!!
They have ALOT of information to help you even in college, so stay in polite contact with them and ask what THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IN SCHOOL. When it comes time for recommendations, you will have wonderful sources outside of college professors. People who can say they have known you for YEARS and think you are a thoughtful and talented person. If you do not understand civics, get a book or talk to someone. This is not about being political, but understanding the forces that shape your area.
Minor Themes:
The lower your GPA is from a 3.0, the more time you must spend working on soft skills, getting work experience and networking.
Master as many skills as you can! Editing Papers, Computer programming in a language, Public Speaking practice, photography, playing piano. Heck , even how to drive the buses on campus ( if your school has its own transit system)! These can make great part time jobs.
Learn about personal finance, plan for an independent life ( whether or not you want to live alone). Understand the more $$ spent for schooling, the more you will pay off later and the less flexibility you will have. Micro-business anyone.....
Many use the computer but have no idea how it works. For shame! Understand computer programming logic.I have heard of children learning computer programming as early as 10 in schools around the world. For that matter,
Perhaps the best way you can keep up with globalization and stay competitive is to know others around the world are expected to learn in school. Especially in Grade schools and innovative programs. The 8-10 year old will shortly be 18-20, entering their pre-professional years and later competing for jobs with VERY current knowledge. You don't have to invent the wheel like these kids do, just add to your knowledge bank.
Talk to professors who like to tell stories and give advice! This is why I love adjuncts. Many of them hold down jobs in the real world and will tell you like it is.
Keep copies of your old recommendations, essays to admissions committees, flyers for special events you went to, scholarships, etc. Update your resume consistently. Basically, keep a file.
LASTLY
Buy a good camera and take pictures! College doesn't last and you will want to cherish those memories long after its over. =D You can even take pictures of the events you do on campus and post them to face book.
It's been awhile lovers,
Meranda Fuentes
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