Black bean & mango quinoa salad

NOM!

I made an amazing quinoa salad this weekend thanks to Eclectic Recipes!

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups water
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped fine
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Cook quinoa according to package directions with water. Add all other ingredients to a large bowl. When quinoa is cooked, add to large bowl and stir to combine. Let set for about 15 minutes before serving so that the flavors can combine.

I did make a couple changes to the recipe as written. I cooked the quinoa with chicken stock,used some roasted red peppers instead of fresh pepper, and mixed some red and white quinoa together.  I also added a couple cloves of garlic to the chicken stock because I am obsessed with garlic.

All in all, the end result was BANGIN’. Even my mom liked it and she hates quinoa.  I’ve had leftovers for lunch for the past two days and I’m still not tired of it.

Long time no talk!

1. First of all, apologies for my extended hiatus! I have been super busy these past couple of weeks. Last week I had a work trip to 6 Flags which took up my whole Friday (the one day a week I try to reserve for blogging). The meeting was a mandatory all-staff meeting, where we did some team-building and leadership development. After the meeting, we got to play around in the park! I’m blessed with some seriously awesome coworkers, so I had more fun than I had anticipated. I only went on two rides (Goliath + Bizarro) because for some reason I just wasn’t in the mood for rides and stuff. It took a long time to get back home thanks to a car accident in Middletown. 
2. It has been HOT AS HELL. I made the mistake of wearing black pants to work on Wednesday when the heat wave started (95 degrees, and not the boy band). Unfortunately all my work-appropriate dresses and skirts were dirty.  Just my luck. I’ve been craving ice cream like no other. 
3. I got my hair cut last week! My Zooey bangs are back with a vengeance. I’ll post a picture when my hair is actually styled and looking fly.
4. RA Dickey.The man is amazing. He threw two back-to-back one hitters, which is really remarkable.  I’m putting some money aside to get his book, which I heard was awesome.  He also has one of the best Twitters on the team. What else is there to say?  I haven’t been so excited about the Mets in a really long time. 
5. Possible trip to Worcester to see my good friend Tina in a few weeks! I always love coming back to Worcester. It’s like a second home to me. At this point in my life I’m more familiar with Worcester than with New Haven or Hartford, the cities I grew up around.  I also haven’t seen Tina since graduation (!), so I’m double excited. 

Counting down

1. I am beyond excited to start my VISTA Leader position in a couple of weeks! Basically, a VISTA Leader serves as a mentor and coordinator to multiple VISTAs working on a multi-site project.  I’ll be facilitating meetings, helping out with some statewide VISTA training,  recruiting the 2013-2014 VISTA team, and reporting. I also get to do some internet stuff to market the project, which I’m really pumped about.  All in all, I think this will be a great change of pace from my current assignment and will definitely keep me busy. I met up with the project’s current VISTAs and VISTA Leader last night for a happy hour, and I’m beyond ready to begin.  I’ve also connected with next year’s VISTA team on Facebook. I know the job is going to be tough, but after this year, I’m totally up for the challenge. 
2. The Cape Cod Bear made it all the way up to Provincetown! He also has his own Twitter account. Part of me kind of wishes that I had glimpsed him while I was on the Cape last weekend. Then again I was sleeping in a tent last weekend so a visit from the bear probably wouldn’t have been welcomed. 
3. I have a mandatory all-staff meeting at Six Flags New England next week. I’m a little excited but I’m also not looking forward to driving up there although my fellow VISTA Jacqui graciously offered to meet me in Hartford and carpool the rest of the way up).
4. I am craving falafel right now like no other. I tried out Mamoun’s in New Haven for the first time last week and fell immediately in love. The falafel place I go to in West Hartford doesn’t even compare anymore, tastewise or price wise.   I should have picked some up while I was in New Haven last night but I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to get me some Mamoun’s when I start working there next month.
5. R. Kelly’s autobiography Soulacoaster is officially coming out soon. I really want to read it, but no way am I paying $20 for it. Even the ebook version is $20! No way am I shelling out $20 bucks for an ebook copy. Kells, I know you need money, but cut a sista some slack. I’m a national service member living off poverty level wages. I can’t spare 20 bucks for your book! Soulacoaster is also the kind of book I’d be embarrassed to borrow from the library. Oh well, at least I can enjoy his new single, Feelin’ Single. (Disclosure: I haven’t actually listened to it yet. I hope it’s as good as the song he yodels in). 

One year out!

I meant to write a post on this last week, but I am still in shock that it has been a year since I graduated from Holy Cross.  Sometimes I feel like I should be moving into Carlin for Kimball week or waking up at godawful times to go on a band trip.

A couple weeks ago my 17 year old brother went on a tour of  Holy Cross himself. Way to make ME feel old.

This past year has flown by.  I’ve struggled with moving back home and starting a new job;  more recently I started transitioning out of my AmeriCorps service and into a new service position.  I miss working ridiculous numbers of shifts at Kimball, watching TLC and doing nails with my roomies on Fridays, and acting like a lunatic with the band at basketball games.

Still, moving forward has been amazing. It’s so nice not to go crazy over exams or papers  or wake up early on Saturday to haul marching band equipment down to Fitton. I still miss my friends, but freshman year of real life hasn’t been that bad so far. Here’s to sophomore year being even better.

back to the real world

So vacation is over and I’m back to the office!

All in all, last week was a much needed break. I got to spend some time with my friends from home, which was awesome because I’m usually too tired/cranky to hang out after work.

On the Saturday before Memorial Day my friend Alysha had a meat party at her house. We cooked all types of meat over an open flame and enjoyed some brews.  Nothing beats good friends and a warm fire.

This past weekend I went camping FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME on Cape Cod with some of my friends from Holy Cross/the HCGTMB.  I’ve decided that I’m not much of a wilderness/camping kind of girl, but I had a great time hanging out with some wonderful people that I hadn’t seen in awhile.  I met up with my friends Lindsey and Meghan in Harvard, Mass, and then we drove up to BC to pick up our friend Brian.

Johan Santana got the first no hitter in Mets history, after 50 years and over 8,000 games! Unfortunately for me, I was camping with no TV access, and surrounded by Red Sox fans who didn’t understand how exciting this was for a poor old Mets fan like me. I’m so happy that Johan was the one who finally got it! He’s a true class act and an awesome Met.

Unfortunately, we got hit by a huge rain storm on Saturday. We made the best of it by going candle pin bowling.  I was a little disappointed that we didn’t encounter the Cape Cod Bear (the black bear that swam across the Cape Cod canal and has been wandering around the Cape ever since), but all in all, I had fun.

I also got a bit of reading and pool time in last week

Now, back to reality…