The Final Countdown

Hello fellow bloggers.  I'd like to apologize for my long absence from the blogosphere.  Believe it or not I did have a couple posts drafted up but I ran out of time to finish them before they became irrelevant.  However, I believe that with each new year, even a new school year, is a chance to start over.  So here we go!

This term is especially excitingly nerve-racking for me as my official graduation date is November 23, 2013.  That's this year!! In like 3 months!  The past year has gone by so fast and I can't believe that I'm about to earn a degree.  This wasn't always the plan though.  Originally, when I graduated high school in 2012, last year I guess......, I intended on completing the Bachelors program in Baking and Pastry.  As I moved rather quickly through the Associates program, which is required before the Bachelors program, I realized that college is very expensive and so is opening a bakery.  With that in mind, I started researching other colleges to find a managerial program at a cheaper price.  Don't get me wrong, I have loved every second at Johnson and Wales, minus the obvious distance from my loved ones.  I have gotten to know one of my best friends and learned valuable skills for the food industry.  I hope that my decision to continue my education closer to home will benefit me in the long run.

This term I've had the unique opportunity to become involved in a new cooperative housing option with Johnson and Wales.  It's called the Centennial House, which is fitting considering this year JWU is celebrating 100 years and this Fall is the first time the house is open and available to students.  I'm really excited to spend a couple months in this house.  Also, that means that I get to post more while I'm at school because we have this beautiful kitchen!

The first recipe I have for this school year is very simple and relatively cheap.  You only need three ingredients!  It's the perfect late night snack, or post workout meal.

Protein Sandwich
Yield: 1 sandwich

You will need:

2 slices of whole grain bread
Peanut butter
1 banana
Nutella

Directions:

Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread.  Slice the banana on top, covering as much as possible.  Spread Nutella on the other slice of bread.  Squish the two pieces of bread together and enjoy!!

The State House at Night

This is the Rhode Island State house,

at night.

Isn't it so pretty???

Here, here's a closer look.

Trust me, it's heavier than it looks.

Last weekend, my roommates and I were bored so we decided to go exploring.  One of my roomies is from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which is about 15 minutes away from campus.  She goes to Providence all the time so she showed us around.  

We went to Thayer Street first which is the place to be on the weekends.  There are so many people everywhere on that 5 block street.  Theres everything you can think of; fro yo, chinese food, indie thrift stores, food trucks, and hookah bars.  (I've never heard of hookah bars before but a lot of college kids go to them all the time.  It's pretty much like smoking tobacco i guess...maybe...here's a reliable definition.)

My roommate that's from Pawtucket works in a food truck during the summer called Mijos.  We went there to get some yummy yummy tacos!! At first I was a little apprehensive because, well, it's food out of a truck!  But she ordered for me and I got two tacos pollo, which is tacos with chicken.  Let me tell you, these tacos were amazing!! They came on tortilla rounds that were probably 2 inches in radius and they were topped with fresh pico de gallo and fresh cilantro.  I was in heaven!! And then we got fro yo from FroWorld, and you can make your own dish which of course was delicious!! 

I can't wait to explore the cuisine here a little more.  You can't find food like this in St. Joe.  I wish I would've taken a picture of the truck, but I'll probably go back soon.  Maybe even this weekend!

The Leaves are Turning

Classes are well underway for everyone here at JWU In Providence.  I haven't had that much homework so far but I'm certain that will pick up pace in the near future.
The one class that I do have numerous projects in already is Intro to Nutrition.  The course seems pretty rigoruos but I really enjoy listening to lectures that Chef Seyfarth gives.  They may be lengthy but the detail that he went into about the pros and cons of teens using whey protein to get big muscles was incredible.  
Did you know that the body can only process about 35 grams of protein a day?  And most of those drinks have you ingesting double and sometimes triple that amount!  That means that the $70 you spent on that powder to get you ripped, most of it is literally going down the toilet.
I think I'm going to like this class.

Anticipation

Sometimes life just keeps going and going and you don't get a chance to stop and smell the roses, or update your blog postings.  Not that I'm making excuses.... And don't worry, I'm fine, I just had to work a lot this summer because college just keeps getting more and more expensive, but thats another story.

Today I am in Greensburg, PA visiting my grandparents.  My parents and I departed from St. Joseph, MI yesterday around 4:30 pm and drove the seven hours to Pennsylvania.  I feel like I'm in the transition period between high school and college, being shuffled around until I'm finally dumped at my dorm room with a couple hundred dollars to my name, expected to make something of myself.  But at least I have some Chips Ahoy cookies to keep me sane.

I really don't normally indulge in pre-made baked goods, being the aspiring chef that I am, however there are certain things that just aren't the same homemade.  Crazy, I know, but the Chips Ahoy mini cookies are incredible, especially on long car rides.  And they are a little piece of home.

All of my belongings are currently sitting in the back half of our families Nissan Quest, weighing down the tires a little bit.  I thought that maybe I might have brought too much stuff, but the way I see it is that it's way better to have too much stuff than not enough.  Plus, I bought a lot of storage containers so I can organize and put away everything.  I just hope our room is as big and I'm anticipating.