Welcome back, real life ahead!

Hey there. It's been almost a year since I last posted. What a different stage of life I am in now compared to May 2012. Thursday was my last. day. of. college. EVER! I finished my last rotation, presentation, evaluation, and end-of-block exam. Friday was supposed to be my last day {in clinic}, but unfortunately some sort of flu/virus decided to invade my immune system on Thursday.  So I stayed home to keep my snot & germs to myself- aren't you thankful? I have my month off in April {hurray!}, moving & graduation in May, and start my job in June! That's right, I am officially gainfully employed full-time, although as a resident my salary is about 1/3-1/4 of a typical pharmacist salary. I know the experience & "street-cred" will more than make up for the difference.

I'm so excited for this break. For my entire college career I worked during the school year and spent all breaks working as much as possible, trying to keep my student loans to a minimum. This was effective, but the prospect of 3 months off is unbelievable.  I still have a lot to do- finish up my PharmD project, study for my boards & law exam, get certified as an immunizer {roll up your sleeve!}, and MOVE! This is the cute lil place we will be calling home indefinitely:

Isn't it cute? We are so excited to have spare bedrooms for friends to sleep somewhere besides the floor & plenty of living space to be more intentional with hospitality.

We've been in our current place for two years, which means there is major dejunking & cleaning that needs to happen before we houseswap. One of my goals for this weekend was to inventory our pantry & deep freeze and make a plan to use up as much as possible before we move. I basically have enough meals to keep us fed right up until moving day, with the exception of produce, etc. Some of it is a little weird to be eating as the weather warms up, but who cares?  Here's our complete list:
-Orzo with roasted veggies & feta
-Kim's fettuccine alfredo
-Ham & beans
-Chicken taco soup
-Spanish rice
-Cheesy hashbrowns
-Hotdogs
-Chicken & noodles
-Spicy pulled pork
-Pot roast (with & without gravy)
-Kielbasa mashed potatoes
-Poppyseed chicken casserole
-Chicken scampi with pasta
-Red pepper shrimp & pasta
-Easy chicken enchilada
-Panko & cheese breaded chicken
-Panko & cheese breaded tilapia
-Beef barbeque
-Skillet lasagna {if you haven't tried this, you must! it makes lasagna a million times quicker!}
-Spaghetti
-Pulled pork sandwiches
-I also have a list of sides, salad toppings, and things to bake to use up the last of my mixes.

Here's to a moving forward & starting fresh!

Limbo

No, I'm not referring to the party game that tests your flexibility. I'm talking about the place if you can call it that.  "An intermediate state or place" as Webster defines it.  My life has pretty much been turned upside down over the past four weeks. And I'm not sure which way is up right now. What's changed you ask?

I spent the last 18 years of my life as a student, learning in a classroom. It defined who I was. On May 1st, that came to an end. My patients don't exist on paper any more. The decisions I make every day could be the difference between life and death (well sort of, I'm still supervised at this point). And in a few short months I will join the real world of work. I'm not really sure what that's going to look like.

A few days later, some of my closest friends of the last five years moved away. For good. And I stayed behind. The girls I met during freshman orientation, that lived two doors down, that survived the roller coaster called pharmacy school with me moved on with their lives. I'm happy for them, ecstatic to see how God continues to bless them. But I'm terribly sad they're gone.  I feel pretty lost without them. And lonely, at least for now.

In a few short days, I will turn 24. Somehow that feels much older than 23, don't ask me why. And I've realized that I don't quite know how to be a grown-up.  Navigating that funny spot between college and adulthood is difficult.  I'm not sure what adult Amy is supposed to look like or how she should act.  Other folks seem to have a hard time with it too.

With all that being said, I'm excited for all this newness, the anticipation of good things to come. But I'm a little lost too. And for now, I think that's okay.

Menu Plan Monday (4/8 - 4/14)

As my last semester of class wraps up, I'm trying to slow down and enjoy the next few weeks before a very big change. Many of my good friends are moving away for rotations at the end of the semester... I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it yet.  That being said, it's going to be a very busy week for us, so we are taking advantage of meals from the freezer for dinner this week. I'm also hoping to make 8-10 more recipes to freeze later this week.

Breakfasts:
Egg McMuffin sandwiches
Breastfast casserole
Carrot cake muffins
Smoothies
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Lunches:
Grilled chicken wraps
Leftovers
Sandwiches- Kyle
Fruit salad leftovers- I will share this recipe soon; it was delicious!

Dinners:
S: Italian chicken with pasta & peas
M: Mojo pork roast with roasted parmesan asparagus
T: Crockpot taco chicken chili
W: Loaded potato soup & mini turkey meatloaves
R: Thai basil turkey meatballs, quinoa & balsamic roasted carrots
F: Crockpot hamburger casserole & carrot fries
Sa: Chicken on the grill with hashbrown packets & grilled asparagus


I hope you have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday (3/5 - 3/11)

After my freezer cooking day, we will be eating quite a few of these meals this week. It was exhausting but totally worth it!  Here's what's on our menu this week:

Breakfasts:
Homemade Egg McMuffins
Healthy Breakfast Hash*
Pink Grapefruit Smoothies*

Lunches:
Sandwiches (using Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day)
Spinach Salad
Chicken Bruschetta Quesadillas*
Tuna Wraps*

Dinners:
M: Chicken Scampi, baked potato, steamed broccoli
T: Turkey meatloaf*, mashed potatoes, honey balsamic roasted carrots
W: Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili* served with tortillas and sour cream
R: leftovers
F: leftovers/fend for yourself
Sa: Creamy Italian Beef Casserole*
Su: Loaded Baked Potato Soup*, crusty bread (from Artisan bread)

*Recipe is from Once a Month Mom's February Diet Menu

Menu Plan Monday (2/13 - 2/19)

This will be a crazy, crazy week for me as I prepare for a HUGE exam and we both are very busy with church events, so we're keeping meals pretty simple this week. Today I made a batch of Homemade Egg McMuffins that we can freeze and eat for breakfast all week to make mornings go a little smoother. I'll make a batch of Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal later in the week as well.  I'm also experimenting with a new sandwich bread recipe- I'll let you know how it goes. Here's what's up for us this week:

Monday: Grilled Caribbean porkchops with mango salsa, quinoa, and roasted asparagus
Tuesday: Quesadilla casserole
Wednesday: Refrigerator roundup
Thursday: Honey ginger tilapia with brown rice and steamed broccoli
Friday: Fend for yourself- working late
Saturday: Date night?
Sunday: Purdue basketball game

Menu Plan Monday 2/5 - 2/11

I'm trying very hard to be more intentional about planning our meals. I'm excited that with our new chest freezer I'm going to have my first BIG freezer cooking day later this month!

Here's what's on the menu plan for us this week:
Sunday: Superbowl party- Spicy Roasted Chickpeas, Cheesy Crab Dip, Sweet & Salty Kettlecorn
Monday: Moroccan chicken breast with roasted honey balsamic carrots
Tuesday: Chipotle lime pork tacos & Spanish Rice
Wednesday: Leftovers for Kyle {I'm going to a Thai cooking class @ the International Center!}
Thursday: Rachael Ray Crockpot beef barbeque sandwiches
Friday: Work late- Refrigerator Roundup
Saturday: Out with friends {Sarah's in town!!!}

What's your favorite food to eat from the freezer? I'm trying to collect my recipes & get organized this week.

Happy New Year!

It's a new year and that means it's time for change and goals. Here's what I worked on today!



January is my month of pantry/freezer cleanout. I'm trying to minimize our grocery budget this month and make the best use of our current stock of food. Here's what's on the menu the month or two:

• Chicken enchiladas x 2
• Cranberry chicken with sweet potatoes
• Sweet pea manicotti
• Turkey pot pie
• Beef bourguinon
• Turkey and stuffing casserole
• Turkey tacos
• Rotisserie chicken
• French dip sandwiches
• Beef barbeque
• Chipotle lime pork tacos
• Breakfast taquitos
• Fruit smoothies
• Creamy turkey taquitos
• Spinach salad with chicken
• Hummus
• Creamy tomato soup
• Ham and beans
• Turkey tetrazinni
• Lasagna
• Pizza casserole
• Smoky corn chowder
• Bacon-wrapped pork filets
• Banana bread

My goal is to purchase only the few items I need to make these recipes plus the basics like milk, eggs, bread, and lunch meat.  I'm hoping to lighten our pantry and freezer for a new round of freezer cooking!