Strawberry Chia Smoothie

I’m currently basking in post-exam bliss. 2L is almost over (still wrapping up clinic things), and I am ridiculously excited to enjoy the warmer weather before starting work for the summer (for which I’m also excited. Yes, I am a dork). Now if only it would stop raining.

Berries made their market debut a bit earlier this year, and they are actually quite sweet! I bought some strawberries at Trader Joe’s the other day for some strawberry shortcakes (recipe coming shortly. Oh. Ha. Pun.) and decided to use the leftovers for a smoothie–my new go-to study snack when working at home. I  recently picked up a bag of chia seeds at TJ’s and threw some of them in as well. I became fascinated by chia seeds after learning they are rich in Omega-3s and fiber. Plus they are supposed to help with weight loss (always a good thing in my book) and, unlike flax seeds, you don’t have to worry about grinding them up or having them go rancid. They’ve got a pretty long shelf life and can be eaten straight out of the package. I wonder what other 90’s fads will turn out to have crazy good health benefits…

Happy eating!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

2L classes have finally come to an end. It’s amazing how quickly this semester has flown by. In honor of the last day of class, I made some cookies for my clinic seminar on Monday. I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (I swear by the Williams-Sonoma recipe) and, one of my personal favorites, Mexican Wedding Cookies (also known as polvorones).

I’ve been making variations of these cookies since I was in high school. Personally, I like the traditional version, but know that you can easily switch things up and satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. By making some substitutions, these can be transformed into a nut-free and/or dairy-free treat. I’ve tried many a recipe, but these have definitely become my favorite. They are soft and easy to make, plus no fancy equipment required (alway a win in my book).

Also, Happy Birthday to my dear friend Jocelyn who puts up with my crazy shenanigans, accompanies me on random restaurant outings, humors (and tastes) my cooking experiments, listens to my life rants, helped me fight mice in my last apartment, willingly subjects herself to appearances on this blog, and is just a lovely person all around. Happy Birthday, Joss!! <3s you!

Happy eating!

Post-Travel Breakfast: Baked Eggs

Why, hello there! Sorry for going MIA again. It’s beginning to turn into a talent, if I do say so myself.

So what have I been up to for the past few weeks? Well, let’s see:

1. I finished my scholarly note. For those of you with a law student in your lives, you are probably well-aware that this behemoth of a legal paper is the bane of our existence. That being said, it felt incredibly rewarding when I turned in that thing. After massive amounts of editing, restructuring, then restructuring my restructuring, I was actually somewhat proud of the finished product–in that it contained at least one intelligible sentence. I consider that a success, don’t you?
2. I caught the plague! There was no Easter celebration at our house this year. Yours truly came down with the stomach bug from hell within 24-hours of reaching my mom’s house. I couldn’t keep anything down for two-and-a-half days. I’ll spare you the details, but  know that I ruined everyone’s holiday. May it never be said that I lack impeccable timing. I didn’t know it was possible to subsist on a diet of soup and Gatorade for as long as I did, but I managed. On the plus side, I am now back to eating normal food.
3. I took the MPRE. That is all I will ever say on that matter.
4. I’ve been out of town. After weeks of prep, I spent the larger part of the past week traveling with my clinic to Jamaica. While we didn’t have much downtime, I did take pictures of food and will post them as soon as they are developed (i.e. once I use up the rest of the pics on the disposable camera). Jamaican cuisine is delicious, and this trip reignited my love of scotch bonnet peppers.

So that’s what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks. I’m a bit tired, but feeling accomplished–especially given how well the trip went.

Whenever I get back from a trip, I like to make myself a decent breakfast the next day. Sunday was no different. Eggs have been on my mind lately.  They’ve always been one of my favorite foods, but I tend to forget how wonderful they are. After a full day of traveling, nothing quite screams satisfaction like some runny eggs. This breakfast actually comes together quickly and is easily modified to serve a crowd or to incorporate whatever is lying around the fridge. Happy eating!