Thursday, May 3, 2012

New Website!

Hey Everyone!




Again, it has been forever. This is just a quick update, but don't worry - school is ending soon so I will be posting like a maniac! 




Anyway, the update is..... I MADE MY OWN WEBSITE! WOOHOO! I had to do it for a class, and I actually love the result! Please take a gander, and let me know if you like it! Also, please share it with your friends!














Thanks everyone! More soon!

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Weekend Lowdown

This weekend held a surprise for the ladies at 9 Salem Place; the visit, or kidnapping depending on how you look at it, of a neighborhood cat.

My roommate, Katelynn, had seen the cat on Thursday, so it was not altogether too surprising that we saw the little cutie again on Friday. We decided to let her in, and at first she was meowing like crazy, but after some careful petting and a can of tuna, she was in for the long haul. The kitty stayed in our apartment for the better part of the afternoon, and spent several hours curled up behind our tv. So precious. Of course, we eventually released her back into the wild of Amherst, but it was a great having a cat for a day.

Other than that, the only other news for the weekend was a visit to the movies with my boyfriend, Caleb, to see The Grey with Liam Neeson. It was incredible. The entire movie flowed extremely well, and the intense parts were the perfect intensity, not to mention the brilliant ending. But, that's only my opinion - go see it for yourselves!

Afterwards, we decided to check out a new bar in town, the High Horse. It is more of a hipster bar, with beers from their personal brewery, as well as craft beers from other breweries. The bar is a U-shape with one end extending the length of the room, made of a simple yet elegant wood. The taps are all in one section of the wall behind the bar, and are barely noticeable due to their golden hue protruding from the simple stone background. The bartender was extremely knowledgable, and very quick to make a suggestion based on your taste. It had a great, relaxing atmosphere, and the brews were excellent. They are open for lunch and dinner, and have bar tables as well as your average dinner table. If you're ever in Amherst, definitely check it out.

Anywho, I hope all of your weekend were wonderful. Live through the lens, and stay tuned for some hiking photos!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Smoothie Madness

First of all, I would like to start off by saying that I have been thinking a lot about the content on here, and, although college students tend to have scatterbrains anyway, mine has been especially all over the place. I started off focused on photos and travel writing, and I seemed to have somehow warped my way into writing about the journey of becoming a gluten-free eater. So, this is my decision. I am going to put a disclaimer at the top: This IS the blog of a college student. I AM slightly scatterbrained, and I DO intend to keep everyone entertained all the same. Some days, I am going to be posting photos that I am proud of, and others I will be posting recipes that I thought were extremely delicious. But, for the most part, I am going write about - and post photos of - whatever comes to mind, and whatever seems important that day. Hopefully you'll still enjoy it all! 


Lately, I have fallen off of the gluten-free train a little bit, which is actually pretty embarrassing to admit. It is so difficult being back at school, and being stuck on campus all day with nothing to eat, so I have occasionally cheated. Kill me. 


Anyway, I am working on getting back on track - everything that I buy for myself (aside from the waffles which I thought were gluten-free but I grabbed the wrong box) is gluten-free. It takes a lot of discipline to do it completely, but there are definitely ways to spice up your meals. 


Which brings me to my next point... smoothies. Smoothies are the perfect gluten-free snack, so long as you make sure the frozen yogurt you use doesn't not have gluten in it. When I go to the store, I make sure to get frozen strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and mango chunks. It is also a great idea to add some spinach in there for some extra fiber, and to make it a little more healthy. Just blend in your favorite ingredients, add some juice, and you're good to go! Happy blending! 






Thursday, February 2, 2012

Back to school, back to cooking!

Hello all, I am finally back in the swing of things at UMass, and it feels fantastic. Being back in the apartment is so much fun, and cooking for myself again is interesting... But exciting as well!

Grocery shopping has proven difficult, and expensive as far as gluten-free items go. But, I am continually learning, and things are getting somewhat easier each time I go.

Tonight, I made something that I have never attempted before - peanut noodles! And guess what? They turned out great! The recipe is so simple, anyone could make it.

All it takes are some noodles - soba, rice, linguine, whatever you choose. Cook the noodles until they are al dente, then strain, rinse with cool water, and strain again. For the sauce, put 1 clove of garlic and about an inch of fresh ginger (peeled) into a food processor until finely chopped. Then, add half a cup of peanut butter, half a cup of water, one and a half tablespoons soy sauce, one tablespoon sesame oil, one tablespoon cider vinegar, and a teaspoon of sugar. Blend until smooth, and add to the noodles once strained and rinsed. Chop 3 scallions finely, and garnish the noodles. Voila!

Here is a photo of the outcome, and a photo of the sunset here that reminded me a little bit of home. Live through the lens, and happy cooking!


Thursday, January 19, 2012

Spa life

For those of you that have never been to a spa before, I have just one question: what have you been doing that you have no time for a spa visit... Ever? Get to the nearest one right now, and get a massage. You will not regret it.

Spas are probably top ten greatest ideas, so whoever came up with the first one, props to you for creating the ultimate relaxation environment.

My random photo for today is the spa sign at the Biltmore hotel in Providence. My mom treated us to mani/pedis today, and a body treatment in the morning. Pure heaven. And guys - don't be afraid to let your sensitive side show and treat yourselves to a little R&R at the spa. Everyone deserves to pamper themselves once in a while.

Departure and arrival

So this is actually going to be considered yesterday's post... And I'll post another random photo later tonight.

Yesterday, my mom and I came to providence to do a little shopping and relaxing before I go back to school. And to our surprise, we are literally staying in the Tower of Terror Hotel. Incredibly creepy, but also really cool at the same time.

Anyway, we also saw The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo - absolutely incredible. Go see it. Now.

So here's the random photos of the day! The flight over from Nantucket, and the lobby of the terror hotel. Remember, these photos were taken on my phone, so the quality isn't the greatest.


Live through the lens!


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Explosion of flavor? No... That is just an explosion.

So, to continue with the theme of "daily randomness" here is my photo for today.

I get home from the gym today, and my mother finishes a frantic phone call, and then informs me that "our stove just exploded". Um, what? Yes. I had heard correctly. Our stove literally imploded and burst. The knobs all came off, the center was just completely out of sorts, and the damn thing was clicking for about an hour.

Well, the guy from the gas company came to make sure everything was okay, and although there was no gas leaking, he had no clue what happened. Apparently, it is time for a new stove.


Keep up with the randomness, live through the lens, and pray your stove doesn't explode!

Daily Randomness

Hey there followers! I have decided to force myself to keep up with this, I am going to start blogging "daily randomness". Every day I am going to post a random photo from that day.

I am hoping that this will not only make my blogs more interesting, but make me think more creatively throughout my daily actions. Hopefully you'll all enjoy these little clips from my life, and perhaps inspire you to look at your day to day lives more creatively!

As for today, I have a funny photo that I found on the newly discovered "pinterest" website. Pinterest allows you to follow people, and post photos on your personal bulletin boards of things that interest you! Really awesome! Anywho, here's the photo. And if you don't think it's funny then I just really don't even know what to say...



Enjoy, and keep on living through the lens!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

I can't eat what now?

It seems like every post of mine starts out with an apology for taking forever.... which is also how this one is going to begin - sorry about that. Things have been crazy with the end of the semester, and traveling over break. But fear not, because I am back with a vengeance, and determined to do better at keeping my posts up to date. Whether I have something interesting to say or not, I will be posting!!


My newest adventure is actually not one that has taken me anywhere, except maybe to the grocery store, and many many MANY websites. I have heard that going on a gluten-free diet has helped a lot of people control their allergies, and mine are absolutely terrible. My mission is to go gluten-free (as much as possible anyway) and get these ridiculous allergies under control. 


When I first started researching, the first thing I saw was "wheat products, including bread and pasta" and I froze. "I can't eat WHAT?" Pasta is a major part of my diet, so as you can imagine I was devastated. However, with further research I came to realize that there are many alternatives pastas (like those made by Pasta Goddess on Nantucket), breads (try Udi's), and everything else that contains wheat. I have only been on the diet for a few days now (started on Tuesday) but it is going really well! I have actually been eating much healthier already, and with that and hitting the gym everyday I feel way more energized and happy! 


 Pasta Goddess Pasta!



Believe it or not, I used to despise vegetables. The farthest I would go was a caesar salad, and even that was pretty daring. When I found out that vegetables were one of the best things to eat on a gluten-free diet, I decided I would have to figure out what I liked, and something amazing happened.... I actually LOVE veggies! Who would have ever known?! I make stir-fry now, which is absolutely delicious, and contains pretty much any veggies I have lying around. It is so easy, fun, and tasty! 



Stir Fry with Chicken and Veggies!


So far, I am doing my best to stay on the gluten-free diet, although I have slipped several times - completely on accident! Stay tuned as I stumble around the grocery store searching for more ways to actually enjoy my gluten-free diet, and for photos of the masterpiece dinners I am sure to create! Have any of you gone gluten-free? Upload your photos and videos, or share your experience with it in the comment section below! 


Special thanks to Gluten Free Goddess for giving me a lot of the info that I needed, and some great recipes to start off!


Also, check out my newest online portfolio and let me know what you think!