Mac & Cheese -- Veggie Style

I've recently made the decision that I want to go back to my vegetarian ways. I was a vegetarian for a few years in high school & college, but missed chicken & turkey too much so went back. I never started eating red meat again [ick], but do love me some chicken from time to time.


However, with starting the fertility process, I wanted to really start eating WELL. I have [more than] a few pounds to lose, which I know will aid in the whole thing, but also just want to be healthier as a whole, regardless of what the baby situation decides to be.

So, I'm going to attempt the vegetarian route again for a while. I'm going to give myself 30 days to try it out, and see where I am after that. I've reached out to a couple of friends who are vegetarians, and was offered some really great sites with some fabulous recipes.

The first one I can't wait to try this weekend? Mac & Cheese .... without any cheese :) I'll let you know how it turns out, but from what I've heard [& read in the comments!] it's FABULOUS.

What You Need:

• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 8 ounces macaroni
• 4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
• 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

What You Do:

• In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
• In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
• In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.
  

New Design

I have enlisted the help of Shay Bocks, over at Dumplin Design Studio to help me redesign this here blog. I have some experience with HTML, and could more than likely figure out to do everything that I want to do on my own. But the fact of the matter is, is that I don't have the time.

Or the patience.

Plus, her designs are so simple & preeeetttty!

I cannot wait to see what she comes up with, and I am confident that she can help me get my message across the way I want to! I really am trying to take this little blog to the next level, and am hoping that a pretty design will help draw some people in.

Can't wait for it to be finished, and I will let y'all know when it debuts!

Life

My head has been spinning lately in trying to figure out what exactly I want to do with my life. Things have gotten so bad at work, that going in every day has been completely unbearable. My photography business is doing so well, considering I've never done an ad or anything. Everything so far has been word of mouth. I'm curious as to how I would do if I actually started fishing for business.

There is a very large part of me that wants to take the plunge and just do it. However, right before Christmas, and a month before a big trip back to Seattle isn't really the time. I'm trying to last until March -- which is when I get my big fat bonus from work. I very well may just say adios after that, and pimp out my photo skills in the mean time until then.

In other news, I start my fertility stuff next week [hopefully]. Assuming that I am not pregnant [and I'm pretty damn sure I'm not] I go in for my first HSG test. I'm slightly nervous, just because I'm heard it's not exactly comfortable. I was supposed to have this test done prior to this last cycle, but thank to an eff up by my doctor, it didn't happen. Assuming that everything comes back nice & clear, my doctor has informed me that I should be able to start my first round of chlomid pretty much immediately. Hip hip hooray! God I hope I'm not the next Kate + 8.

I am, however, so happy to be starting this process. My husband & I have been trying for damn near three years to get pregnant. Having hope again feels good. I just hope it lasts.

Mid-Life Crisis?

I want to quit my job so bad. SO. BAD.

It's become dreadful. I never thought that I would reach this point. But after two and a half years, and a new boss, point has been reached.

I think my new boss is the majority of the problem, and I can't wait until the day I can really give my notice, and tell them exactly why I am quitting.

Is it possible to go through a mid-life crises at 30? Because I truly believe that's what my problem is. I want to do something so different than what I am doing now. I don't want to be a part of the corporate world anymore. I want to be creative. I want to take photos, and make things. Paint. Sell the things I do create. I desperately want to be a struggling artist.

I'm trying to hold out until March, when I get my annual bonus. It will be a rather large bonus (hooray corporate world), and between that and some other things we have coming in, there will be a nice nest egg in our savings account. I'm pimping out my photography skills as much as I possibly can these days in an effort to try and save any extra cash.

I want to quit. So bad.

I do think it's possible to have a mid-life crisis at 30. Because I truly think I am there. I need to take this little time that I have and focus primarily on the creative. The things that make me happy. Prove to myself that I can do this. I KNOW I can do this. I want to do this.

I can do this.

Fingers crossed.

Love Is Real.

Via Pinterest.