Soup Du Jour: Chicken Orzo Soup

I made a goal this week to find time in my homework-filled schedule to do something that "charges my batteries". I really wanted to cook something out of Pinterest, and after some deliberation I decided on a simple Chicken Orzo Soup. It was great! A deliciously thick, chunky, tasty, hearty meal to enjoy as I watched whatever was on TV that night. 

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 cups cooked orzo
• 2 diced carrots
• 3 diced green onions
• 2.5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions: 

1. melt butter in medium to large pan. add carrots, onions, and garlic. saute until carrots are soft. (notice the orzo cooking in the back. don't forget to stir!.)
   
2. add chicken broth and bring to simmer. add whipping cream. simmer uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes. 
   
3. add shredded chicken. salt & pepper to taste. cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. 
   
4. mix in bowl with cooked orzo. add parsley if desired. Enjoy!
   

This was a pretty tasty meal overall. It was quick (15-20 min prep time), simple to make, and inexpensive. Cant wait to go home for leftovers! 

I just wanted to say...

I have always sucked at all flavors of math, ever since middle school when they decided to add the alphabet into the numbers. Ugh.

But I have to say... Trigonometry might be my niche. 

Things might have gone easier had I just GONE TO CLASS and paid attention like everyone else, but considering I figured this out by myself... it didn't go so bad.

3.5 hours, 1 blog post, 1 bowl of cereal, and 3 Pandora stations later... I finished my homework! Yay me! 

Charges My Batteries

A couple of months ago I met a person at Schlit [water park job] who is literally the opposite of me personality-wise. He is super outgoing, full of confidence when meeting new people, and an extreme (to everyone's slight annoyance) morning person. We got along pretty well, and in our free time as we walked the park he told me that he hated being in the office doing "officey things" (which is my favorite part of the job) because it drained him. He loved being outside and talking to literally every single person he saw, and told me that doing that "charged his batteries" and gave him energy and enthusiasm. I was awed, because talking to people is mentally the most exhausting thing I can think of... customer service jobs aren't really for me.

This got me thinking though... what "charges MY batteries"? What are the things that give me energy and enthusiasm? I made a list, of course, and here it is:

• researching & planning for vacations (I can literally do this for HOURS and not notice)
• going to the zoo or aquarium
• creating anything artistic digitally (photo books, blogs, GIS maps, etc.) 
• making lists (duh) .... and checking things off to-do lists
• listening to super cool instrumental music (Lindsey Sterling... look her up, ya'll)
• organizing files on my computer (gosh I'm so boring. but yeah, so true)
• reading cute blogs by people so much more creative than myself
• reading a good book. alone. in quiet. 
• going to the movies with P
• going to the beach
• cleaning or reorganizing my house
• trying out new recipes (but only when the food is for someone else) 
• looking at "dream houses" online 
• searching for cute baby names. or cool pet names. 
• making next month's calendar of when bills are due
• reading and replying to an email from Chris
• driving while listening to a really good song
• days when it's both sunny and raining
• talking about a subject I know a lot about
• making a .pdf of my next semester's schedule
• spending time on goodreads.com adding books to my to-read list
• taking personality tests
• listening to people talk in southern accents (I love it, idk why)
• the first cool, crisp day of autumn 
• wearing a favorite outfit I feel confident in

Well... this list goes to show how much of an introvert I am. Hanging out with friends is fun and all... but man it's tiring, haha. My goal for this week is to do something that energizes me: 

try out a new recipe and blog about it

Angry Birds Live

ANGRY BIRDS LIVE!

I volunteered for last nights YSA FHE lesson and activity, and decided to take an idea out of my Pinterest boards and make my very own Angry Birds Live game. It was a lot more successful than I thought it would be, thanks to the help and good attitudes of everyone who participated.

Here's what I used:

• 6 small, 6 medium, and 6 large moving boxes (Lowe's)
• I went overboard here, we really didn't need that many, but they survived the night in almost perfect condition and since apartment living isn't gonna be my thing forever... I know I'll use them within a year. 
• several green balloons
• 8 small plastic balls (Walmart... although if I had done Dollar Tree they would have been cheaper)
• 6 boxes of cereal
• These weren't really necessary, but I had so much cereal from couponing that I thought they would make a nice addition
• wrapping paper 
• 2 "soldier helmets" I found at Dollar Tree
• exercise Stretch Bands
• I was aiming for a big water balloon launcher, but no store I went to had them. I had almost given up on my Angry Birds idea when I passed by these at Walmart and inspiration hit. 

all ready to go!

I wrapped up the cereal to use as "bricks"

one of our set-ups

Some piggies had helmets

Pretty unflattering... not the best photographers lol

This was a pretty fun activity overall. I did go overboard with all the materials I purchased, so if you want to give it a try, I suggest using about half of what I did and you should be ok.