Black-Eyed Peas and Liquid Smoke

I have decided that one of the best food combinations ever is black-eyes peas and liquid smoke. Here's my latest soup with these scrumptious ingredients.

Mix together in soup pot:

• 4 cups water
• Not-chicken broth cubes (appropriate amt for 4 cups water)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (mine happened to be italian style, and I did not drain them)
• 24 ounces mixed frozen veggies (I used green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
• 1 can black-eyed peas
• Onion powder (1-2 tsps?)
• Basil, oregano, and parsley (1/2 - 1 tbsp each?)
• Lots of minced garlic (4-6 cloves)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• About 3/4 cup quinoa

Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover loosely and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Nothing's in the Pantry Vegan Baked Pasta

I haven't gone to the store in awhile and didn't feel like going tonight, so I had to figure out how to make dinner with limited ingredient choices. This is what came of it. It's a good basic mix - nothing I would make for company, but great for family dinner. The kids even had seconds.

I used:

• 16 ounces curly noodles
• 1/2 jar leftover spaghetti sauce (about 12 oz)
• 1 - 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 - 6oz can tomato paste
• About 1/2 cup (homemade) leftover creamy tomato soup*
• 1 - 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• Couple shakes of onion powder
• Couple shakes of garlic powder
• About 1/2 tub of vegan cream cheese (4 oz?)
• About 1/2 tub of vegan sour cream (6 oz?)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta
2. While pasta is cooking, mix everything else in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer till pasta is done.
3. Coat bottom of 9x13" dish with sauce.
4. Pour drained pasta in dish.
5. Cover pasta with rest of sauce. Mix up a little bit if needed.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

* Two 8 oz cans tomato sauce, 2-1/2 cups rice milk, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard. 

Donating Blood Woes

The past several times I've given blood, I've done a double donation where they hook you up to a machine that separates your red blood cells from the plasma and then puts the plasma back into you. I'd been told that double donations are "easier" on you afterward than are whole blood donations, but I figured that assertion was just justification from those people who were either too chicken to do a double, who were trying to take us arrogant doublers down a notch, or who didn't have high enough iron levels. I mean, sure, you're getting plasma back, but you're losing the same amount of red blood cells, so your oxygen levels are affected the same as someone who has not gotten their plasma back.

Well yesterday, I donated blood, and they didn't have their plasma-phoresis machine (I think that's what it's called) set up so I had to give whole blood instead. It wiped me out! I felt fine when I left, but then I almost hit a car pulling out of my parking space [Sorry other driver! I probably scared the pants off you!], and then I almost fell asleep reading to Zing. I did fall asleep in her bed when I finished reading to her. I went to bed at 8:00 and slept straight through to 6:30. I could have slept longer, and I still feel apathetic.

Maybe this whole blood vs double donation has something to it after all. Or maybe the stress of taking my patho test right before I gave blood made me more susceptible to exhaustion. Whatever happened, it's a good thing I haven't had this reaction before or I might not have given blood again. Good thing I know it's not always this bad.

Really Easy One-Pot Vegan Tomato Veggie Quinoa Soup

It's not quite cold enough for soup yet, but I couldn't wait any longer. Made this soup last night. It's thicker than most soups, so use more water if you prefer a soupy soup.

Throw the following into a soup pot and bring to a boil:

• About 3 cups water
• 1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 - 14oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• About 24 oz frozen mixed veggies (I used a mix of broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, and something yellow)
• Basil, oregano, and parsley - I think I used about 1 tbsp each
• Onion powder - I think I used 1-2 tsps
• Many cloves of minced garlic - I probably used 6-8 cloves
• 1 cup quinoa (rinsed unless you buy Bob's Red Mill)

Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until quinoa is done -- the middle of each grain will become translucent and a little hook, or tail, will pop out of one side. They'll be firm but not crunchy. I think it takes about 15 minutes, just enough time to heat up a multigrain baguette!

Surprise! I'm a class rep!

I've been elected class representative for my nursing school class!

I threw my name in because I thought it would be fun, that I'd be good at it, and so I could get to know the faculty better so I'll have good references for graduate school. All we had to do was write a paragraph about ourselves and why we wanted to be class rep. There are four reps - one for each group (we're divided into three groups) and one at-large rep.

I really didn't think many students would vote for me. After all, I'm about 15 years older than most of them (19 years older than some -- I could be their mom!) and in a totally different place in my life with kids, a house, husband, bills, etc. As we don't break into our groups until next semester, I don't know many people in my group either, so it really was a surprise.

This also means that I (probably) won't apply for the honors program. I couldn't decide if I wanted to or not, and so I thought I'd let this election decide for me: if I was elected, I would not do the honors program, and if I wasn't elected, I would do the honors program. To me, both are a means of having a higher chance of getting into the graduate program I want, so one should do the job.

Of course, being me, I'm now thinking, "Hey! I can do both!" And then my realistic (boring) side reminds me that I do like having time with my family, especially since it has been suggested (passive voice intentional) that our chances of getting a job right after passing the licensing exam will be much higher if we're already working as a nurse associate somewhere.

Anyway, I got elected! Even better, our group is quite diverse. We have one man, one older student (me), an african-american woman (I think she's mid to late 20s), and one or two younger white women (they tied twice -- once in the general election and once in the run-off, so we have to decide on Monday if they both join or if we take only one of them). Our class, though, is about 10% men, 15% people of color, and 10% over age 30 (these are all my estimates, not official numbers). Cool, huh? No tyranny of the majority here!

Here's the paragraph I wrote:

Hi there! My name is Yara, and I am a returning student -- in other words, older. :-)   I’ve been married for 15 years and have two kids: an 11 year old boy named Liam and an 8 year old girl named Aisling. My two favorite things to do are reading and dancing. In fact, I almost dropped out of college the first time ‘round to audition to be a Las Vegas showgirl. (THAT would have been a different life!) I have two degrees, one in English and one in Education, and I think these would help make me an effective representative for our class. I have spent most of my working life in teaching, instructional design for adults, and management. In particular, I spent a year teaching at a university, so I know the system from both sides. I also know how curriculum and teaching should be designed to be as effective as possible, and my eight years as a manager have given me negotiation and leadership skills. But most importantly, I’ve been told over the years that I’m a good listener, and I promise to do that for you all, too!