Food!

Since we've moved back to Portland, one of our big goals is to eat more healthy and work out.
Neither of these things has happened, of course. We've spent too much time exploring delicious restaurants full of burgers, pasta and desserts. We've tried hard to maintain perspective, but when presented with bread pudding and cream sauce, I can't say no! The best solution, of course, is to stay home and eat. This requires foresight. Happily, I have the time to put a little thought into my recipes, grocery lists, etc... so I do! Here are some things we've eaten in the last couple weeks:

1. Lime, Garlic and Honey Chicken- so easy and good! Grated lime peels and diced garlic sauteed with chicken tenders. Honey drizzled on at the end. Yum.
2. Chicken Tacos! Delicious and nutritious with lots of veggies inside. Lawry's Taco Seasoning, I love you and you remind me of home.
3. Stuffed Salmon- This one was a trick because we got fresh salmon and crab from the waterfront when visiting Pete's parents' condo. I used brie and fish rub with lump crab and sliced the salmon apart, stuffing it with the goodies! Then baked it.
4. Black and Blue Salad- The steak wasn't as black as it could have been, I didn't blacken it, but I just pan-fried it and put it in spinach, apples, tomatoes and bleu cheese dressing.
5. Pilaf- Thank you, Mary Roellke, for this deliciousness. Brown vermicelli (about a handful) in half a cup of butter, add a cup of rice and two and a half cups of chicken broth. Boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. SO GOOD. Since we're trying to be healthy, we've been using margarine. Not recommended. Butter is best :)
6. Feta Chicken! Who knew I could make stuff up? I cooked chicken bites in olive oil until they were about halfway done, then added fresh tomatoes and basil. Once the chicken was cooked all the way, I sprinkled a handful of feta cheese on top, then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. SO DELICIOUS. Flavorful and awesome. I think the trick was to use herb-inclusive feta.
7. Breakfast Bagels- I found this awesome spread at Elephant's Deli- roasted onion and gorgonzola cream cheese spread. Not the healthiest, but I think I redeemed this toasted bagel with (more) fresh tomatoes and basil. These bagels were so delish!


So basically, I feel happy to be creating something healthy and inexpensive for Eric and me to eat. It also gives me something to do when my mediocre serving job leaves me at home once again. (Boo!)

If anyone has awesome and healthy recipes, post them for me!

Consistency

I am going to try to write more frequently, and read more frequently. I'm a few chapters into Chuck Palahniuk's "Rant," which so far has proved just as maniacal, morbid and wonderful as his other books.

Another thing that has definitely sparked my inner drive to write and read was the recent rain. It so reminded me of my years here in the PNW before- my days of living with my uncle, reading so many books I can't even remember half of them, writing the novel... the rain was perfect for that lifestyle. When we drove out to see St. John's Bridge yesterday, we took a bunch of pictures in the clean sunlight, then went to grab a burger. As we looked out the window, rain fell like crazy! Huge droplets, splatting onto the window and pushing up clumps of dirt in the flowerbeds. It was awesome. I felt like writing.

So I now pledge to write at least three times a week. Come back and check me more often- I promise, there will be more.

Distractible

Here we are, finally settled into our town of Portland. We've done a very good job of exploring- the local bars, some cool hole-in-the-wall restaurants, best dessert places, fancy drinks and microbrews, walking and training, talking and singing, hanging out and letting it all hang out. We've done a good job, and now it's time for us to settle down and start our daily routines.

In Fresno, it seemed that our daily routine was overbearing, rude, almost caging- but necessary and soothing at the same time. I used to find great joy in looking at my schedule book (a routine sadly deserted since there is -literally- nothing in it anymore) and keeping all of our events and responsibilities in order. It was as though my identity was the controlling and managing of this schedule. Now, with the absence of school and two jobs... it seems that I am highly distractible.

Just the other day, within one day, I got a parking ticket, burned my arm on the iron, cut myself badly with my razor, and accidentally backed into someone else's car (didn't make a mark, luckily). It's almost as if I don't have enough on my brain! I need some stimulus. More than an awesome city and an apartment to decorate... I need some stability in my day. I need a routine! Who is this strange person talking? Rachel Roellke needs a - gasp- ROUTINE? She is the queen of flexibility, the princess of spontaneity- right? As it turns out, wrong!

I have come to a smooth conclusion this afternoon, while walking hand in hand with Eric to a local deli for lunch. We just moved here. A routine takes time to develop and tweak. Jobs take a while to find. In the meantime, I am going to focus on enjoying this freedom as much as I can.

Urban Dictionary Entries

Eric and I looked up our names on Urban Dictionary. Here's what we got:

We each got two noteworthy entries.

Rachel: The most edible female name.
Rachel: A smart, sassy and sexy young woman who knows things from fashion to film to literature, from Manolo Blahniks to Mahatma Gandhi.
"She impressed everybody in the meeting. She's such a Rachel."

Eric:The most amazing person in the entire universe. Everything about him is perfect! He's charming, handsome, intelligent, strong, romantic, funny...everything you want in a guy. It's impossible not to fall in love with him! Once you lay eyes on him, you will know from that very moment that you will never stop loving him.

Eric: A term used to describe a mentally retarded cat that has the ability to fly by moving its tail in a circular motion. Once in the air, erics are known to land ontop of statues to catch and eat birds. Once they get the taste of blood, they turn into a form of vampire and attack fat people.