Bye!

New blog is complete!  Visit my food blog at foodlovekitchen.blogspot.com.  Better layout, easier to find recipes, and solely food!  I'll be adding lots more recipes in the near future and I'm super excited to have a food-only blog.

If you want updates on my personal life, please visit our blog at adamandsarahellsworth.blogspot.com.

It's been great! You all are awesome!

Say Goodbye.

This blog is about to meet its untimely death.  I have switched to two blogs - one for Adam and me, and one for food only.  That means those of you interested in only one or the other don't have to suffer through all the posts :)  The other blog is still in the works but I think you'll enjoy it, if you're into food and food porn.  Some of us might be a little addicted ;)  This blog was to document my adventures during law school (which is almost over) and the life as a single lady, which is also almost over.  I have to admit, it's fun and refreshing to move to a couples blog and food-only blog.  It's something I've aspired to for a long time. :)

Thanks, dear readers.  I came pretty close to 10,000 views... maybe I'll make it yet!

Shrimp Lo Mein

From now on, all "us" posts will be over at our new blog.  Woohooooo!!!!

That means that this blog is back to cooking.  I'll start by sharing an insanely easy, insanely delicious, and insanely healthy shrimp dish.  We loved it because it is so reasonably priced (check Walmart's frozen section for raw shrimp that is already deveined and butterflied - around $6 a pound, which is a killer deal!) and chock full of vegetables, which I love.  Also, if you use Dreamfields pasta (super low carb pasta that doesn't taste low carb at all - available at Smith's or Kroger), it becomes even healthier.  You don't need lots of sticky, sugar-laden sauces to make it tasty.  The garlic, ginger and scallions give it tons of flavor in a healthy way, and the little bit of soy sauce and oyster sauce give it tons of flavor without sacrificing the healthy aspect.  Another thing we loved is that it is easy to scale this recipe down to a 2-person meal (harder to do for other recipes).  Because the bag of shrimp is resealable, you can pull out half the shrimp, seal it up, and shove it back in the freezer to use another time.  (We stretched our bag of shrimp for a second meal - Lemony Shrimp Scampi, which I will post later because it is also very delicious and healthy!)  This recipe comes from my Women's Health "Eat This, Not That Special" book - as I said in my last post, I highly recommend it!   Finally, be sure you use a large skillet and be sure you add the pasta back into the skillet after it's cooked - it helps to flavor the pasta and it absorbs the sauce well under the heat.

Shrimp Lo Mein


12 oz. lo mein noodles

1 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

2 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped

3-4 medium carrots, cut into thin slices

1 red bell pepper, sliced

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms

3/4 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Prepare noodles according to package instructions.  In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  When oil is lightly smoking, add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites, and stir fry for 30 seconds, until lightly golden.  Add carrots, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, using a metal spatula to keep the vegetables in near-constant motion.  Toss in shrimp and cook until just pink and slightly firm.  Add cooked noodles, oyster sauce, and soy sauce to the pan.  Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the sauce is thickened and covers the noodles in a light sheen.  Divide the mixture among 4 plates and garnish with scallion greens.  

more registry stuff

Okay, we registered at BBB!!! So great!!! It was way less painful than Adam thought it was going to be... in fact, we decided it was fun.  :)  We'll have to go update our registry soon, though.  We were really surprised at how little we need, which makes it kind of complicated.  I'm pretty sure registering for a $400 vacuum and a $600 calphalon set isn't enough, since not everyone will want to buy us really expensive gifts.  So, it's off to other stores.  Also, we stopped by REI last night... and HATED it.  Their stuff is WAY overpriced and we decided we can get all the stuff we want from there, from Wal Mart or Target for way cheaper, so we're just going to do that with wedding cash gifts instead of registering at REI.  Which means now we have to come up with a new second place!  We're thinking Amazon and either Macy's or Crate and Barrel.  We have all but decided that the best way to go... is to register at a bunch of different places (including registering for gift cards at Target and Wal Mart), and only listing BBB, Amazon, and Macy's on our invites.  That way, if some random person wants to buy us a gift and is in Target or Walmart or whatever, they'll find a registry for us.  Is that a bad idea?

Also, does anyone have suggestions on WHAT to register for??? I have so much kitchen stuff (I have a KitchenAid, a food processor, toaster, blender, immersion blender, hand mixer, tons of pyrex, mini food processor, dishes/plates - though Adam wants new ones -, kitchen towels, utensils.... etc....) that we really had a difficult time registering for stuff.  So does anyone have anything they registered for and can't live without?  Anything they DIDN'T register for and wished they had?

Thanks for all your input... seriously, it is helping SO much.  You guys are the best!

It just hit me how much I'm going to miss law school. I hate the studying, the late nights, the early mornings, the stress, the Socratic method, the wretched nightmares, the horrifying exams, and dealing with (@#$*ING) parking. But I'm going to miss the parties, the friendships, and just the general love floating around the carrels. Law school has been a lot of fun.

But at the same rate, I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. Life holds more for me than just academia, and that's all I've known for the past (...count it up...) 21 years. I'm ready for a permanent academic break. The only school I ever want to deal with is my (future) husband's, my kids', and my siblings' schooling.

I will miss it, though.

Healthy Choices.

With an impending wedding, I've been thinking lots more about how I eat. It's pretty easy to eat healthy when you never eat out, but let's be honest - I'm still a student (and I live really far from the school and Adam's house so it's not exactly easy to just pop home for a quick meal). Right before we got engaged, I bought this book called "Women's Health - Eat This, Not That! Special." (Please note: I'm not trying to lose weight - just be healthy and tone up before the wedding.) It is chock full of crazy tips and eye-opening thoughts on certain foods. I didn't realize this but most yogurts on the shelves have as much sugar as a scoop of ice cream. Are you KIDDING me?! I thought I was being so healthy eating that stuff!! Come to find out, might as well skip it and go for a scoop of Breyer's. (One "organic" yogurt has 35 GRAMS OF SUGAR. Breyer's Fruit on the Bottom has the same amount of sugar as its weight equivalent in Cold Stone Cotton Candy Ice cream!!) And some of the restaurant options?? Oh my gosh - don't even get me started. (Macaroni Grill's Spaghetti and Meatballs... prepare yourself... has 4,900 mg of sodium, 1810 calories, 118g fat (54 g saturated). AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!)

So, I've decided I'm really REALLY going to get healthy. I really recommend this book (or any in the Eat This, Not That! series). It's amazing just how much sugar and fat was going into my body without me ever catching it - and it's especially heinous when I thought I was being so healthy.

This week, we're having:

- Warm Goat Cheese Salad

- Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Soy butter

- Loaded Alfredo with Vegetables and Chicken

- Shrimp Lo Mein

- Tomato Soup with Orange and Cumin

All but the last recipe come out of this book, and they're really quick, easy, healthy, AND cheap. I'm excited to see how it goes.

PS, the book also has exercise tips. Adam and I are REALLY trying to get fit so we're happy to get all the help we can. Wish us luck!!!!

Registries.

Best places to register. Ready, GO.

(Please note: I am absolutely registering at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It's my happy place. I also plan on letting my sweetheart register for all sorts of fun stuff at REI. [Did you know REI has registries?!] But we're trying to decide on a third place and having trouble. Also please note that we are currently located in Utah and have no clue where we're going to end up or how much space we might have, so the idea of asking for furniture is currently ludicrous, though soon may be well-advised. Sweetie wants Crate & Barrel. I want Amazon.com.)

Love ALL of you! Thank you so much for your great advice!

Decisions MADE!!!

This morning, I signed a contract with PointeDigital!!!! We have a photographer!!! Soooo exciting!!!!

AND, I went and tried on DRESSES!!!! (First time in my life I have ever tried on wedding dresses!!!!) I am 99% sure I have found THE ONE, but I am going to keep looking for a few weeks before I go order it.

My mom is hard at work on the Tennessee wedding party plans. I am having bridesmaids and Adam is having groomsmen. I'm 99% sure I'm going with fuschia and tangerine as my wedding colors. Things are coming together swimmingly. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for my sweet adorable fiance.

I'm not even going to bother with a January update of my New Year's Resolutions. It was dismal, my friends . Between getting engaged (which makes you mildly retarded for a week or so) and getting the WORST sinus infection I've ever gotten in my life, and starting back school, January was a complete bust of a month for NYR. However, today starts a new month, so I can get started on those resolutions. I am off to a good start - no fast food this week, ran a mile or so with Adam (we both slacked off so we were too tired for much more)... anyway, we're doing good. We're in love and so happy and just can't wait for August 20th . We're almost under 200 days!!!