SAT Archives - Strength and Sunshine

My Favorite: Chana Masala

November 6, 2013 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 46 Comments

In celebration of “successfully” completing last week, which included: tests, tests, exams, and culminated with the SAT, I decided to go all out on my stomach and make my most favorite dish of all time. I though it would be nice too for my GF Anniversary that was coming up and a nice addition to the tests I have been putting my stomach through. Even though this is my favorite dish, it is just so dangerous to eat with my stomach. Tomatoes, spices, and beans. But when in ~~Rome~~ India, just go for it. And having a dish like this once in awhile, especially since my stomach has seemed to have gotten stronger, was totally worth it. And finally, Indian food is the best celebration food in my opinion. The smells, colors, flavors…o everything about it; my favorite cuisine!

Chana Masala is so easy to make on your own. The spices are the only thing you get fancy with, otherwise I just use three ingredients. Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Spinach! If you have never had Chana Masala…I don’t know if we can still be friends. Well I take that back. After you see the recipe, I know you will make it ASAP if you have never had Chana Masala, so we are all good here. Now without further adieu, my #1 favorite dish of all time. If you ever want to make my day and have me love you forever, just make me some Chana Masala 😉

Chana Masala

(My food photos are getting more creative, right? Haha!)

Ingredients: (serves 4)

+ 1 Cup of Dried Chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked, I put them through one cycle of my rice cooker with a bay leaf.) This makes about 2 1/2 heaping cups of cooked chickpeas.

+ 1 and 1/2 15oz Cans of No-Salt Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes

+ 4 to 5 Cups of Baby Spinach

+ 1/4 Cup Water

+ 1 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Ginger

+ 1/2 Tsp Coriander

+ 1 Tsp Cumin

+ 1 1/2 Tsp Turmeric

+ 1 TB of Garam Masala

+ 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1 Tsp Paprika

+ 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley

Directions:

+ Gather all you ingredients and put everything into a very large saute pan and stir. On the stove, heat the pan (covered) on high for 5 minutes, then reduce to a medium heat and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

+ Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference, stir everything around and done! See I told you it was easy.

+ I served mine with a nice warmed brown rice tortilla, but some GF Naan or rice would be lovely as well!

Did I mention that this is a perfect cozy Fall/Winter dish as well? No, well it is! It will warm you from the inside out and make your day that much better 😉 Happy WIAW, Allergy-Free Wednesday and Ricki’s Wellness Weekend! Do me a favor and go out and make yourself some Chana Masala tonight! 🙂

So tell me:

Favorite Indian dish? If its not Chana Masala, that’s okay. Pretty much all Indian food is awesome.

Do you like to make your dishes super spicy or more on the mellow side? If you want this to be really spicy, feel free to add in some Cayenne!

What is you go-to celebration meal?

***Today is the last day to enter my ENERGYbits Giveaway! Go enter, it’s really easy!***

Friday Finisher 11/1/13

November 1, 2013 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 21 Comments

Hey, happy November 1st! October flew by, didn’t it. These next two months are going to go by quick, I can tell. With the breaks and holidays, before we know it, it will be 2014! I am siked for 2014. I will be graduating and turning 18 in June and then it’s off to college from there, ah! But back to reality for a few more months right?

So if you are reading this in the morning, I will be taking my AP Psych, AP Government, Ancient History, and health 9-week exams today. I feel pretty confident with them all, but a little less so for Gov. That class is intense and the tests are always tricky, but fingers crossed I prepared enough. Then all I have are those damn SATs tomorrow. They start at 8 (could start earlier if everyone in your room arrived on time) and go all the way to about 12:30/1:00ish. It all depends on how good your proctor is. But I am dreading those hours, I just can’t focus that long. I survived them that last time I took them in May, but I was absolutely drained by the end. When I come home Saturday it will be food then nap time.

I made the best “random bowl” dinner last night and want to make it again tonight! Let me share an unflattering photo and quick “recipe” with y’all. believe me when I say don’t judge a book (food) by its cover 😉

“Cheezy” Sardine Kasha Bowl

Ingredients: (serves 1)

+ 1 Can of Salt-Free Sardines, in Water

+ 1/3 Cup of Dry Kasha

+ 4 Kale Leaves (torn into bite-sized pieces)

+ 6 White Baby Button Mushrooms (roughly chopped)

+ 3 TB of Nutritional Yeast

+ 1 TB of Salt-Free Stoneground Mustard

+ 1/2 to 1 Tsp of Turmeric

+ 1 1/2 Tsp of Chopped Chives

+ A Dash of Black Pepper

(Also awesome with Quinoa, if you can’t find Kasha! I bet Millet would be divine as well 😉

Directions:

+ Cook your Kasha according to the package. Then in the same pot add in all the other ingredients and mix and mash it all around.

+ Pile it into a big bowl and dig in! So good, I am telling you!

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Power Monday #17 Group Power October Release

Tuesday: I Wish I Had Some Money

Wednesday: Coffee Quinoa Flakes {Two Ways}

Thursday: A Trip Down Memory Lane {Halloween Edition}

Blog Posts I loved this week:

+ Count Your Blessings Challenge

I am so going to participate in Cori’s 28 day blessings “challenge!” It starts tomorrow so get on over to her blog and print out your calendar!

+ A Lesson in Dreaming Big

Be real, be vulnerable, and live your dreams out loud!

+ 10 Ways to Sneak more Green Veggies into Your Diet

Eat your greens! It’s easy and delicious 🙂

+ A Guide to Fall Produce

Whats in season, buying, storing, prep, and cooking tips, plus some delicious recipes to try!

+ Entertainment on a Shoestring

Janae lists over 50 great books, movies, shows, etc. for some cheap (but good for the brain) entertainment!

+ Miami 70.3 2013 Race Recap

I am so proud of Caitlin for completing her first 1/2 Ironman! I followed along from her first announcement post through all of her training. She is such a wonderful inspiration and a beautiful and strong women! She was the first blogger I ever started reading so I hold her and her blog very close to my heart.

+ 4 Ways to End Your Struggle with Savasana

I still never fully commit to the final resting pose :/

+ Getting Real About Body Image

Another great post from Janae. She discusses her evolving view on body image and how having daughters really changed her view.

+ Vegan Delish App

Carrie launched her new Vegan Delish App (for i-phones/i-pads only). She is the blogger behind the vegan food blog Carrie on Vegan. I so wish I could get her app but I am an Android girl through and through! She is offering to do a giveaway on my blog, but I wouldn’t be able to review it myself since I don’t have an apple product. Would you guys still be interested?

Favorite Pins:

(Follow me on Pinterest – RebeccaGF666)

Pumpkin Granola. One of the best pumpkin granola recipes I have seen thus far 🙂

Hazelnut Maple and Poppy Seed Spiced Corn Cakes. Hello breakfast!

Pumpkin Spiced Almond Milk. Fall comfort right there!

Eggplant Noodles with Chickpeas, Raisins, and Sundried Tomatoes. I want a Spiralizer so bad now!

Lentil Soup with Cardamom & Cinnamon. Lentil and cinnamon love in a bowl of awesome!

DIY Boot Cuffs. So cute! Now I just need to buy some boots 😉

A few things I loved about my week or am grateful for:

+ 145 days (and going strong) of being (eyebrow and eyelash) trich free!

+ I made it through this rough week…almost! Wish me luck on the SAT tomorrow!

+ It’s teacher’s convention next week so I get a 4 day weekend starting Thursday! Woohoo!

+ I am so excited…guess what… Monday is my 4 year GF Anniversary! Be prepared for a crazy Power Monday post + a giveaway!

+ I won a Thorlo Sock and a Pro Compression Sock giveaway a few weeks a go. I am in love with both! Thorlo are so comfy, they have padded heals and toes. The PC’s are awesome as well, tight and perfect (except they are hard to get on and off! Haha!).

So tell me:

Any new “random bowl” creations? They really do make the best dinners!

What will you be doing this first weekend of November?

Do you like to DIY Christmas presents? I love it even though it takes a long time, it is always rewarding and makes me feel good to know I didn’t just buy something at the store, but made a labor of love 🙂

Happy Friday Friends! Have a great weekend!

Friday Finisher 10/25/13

October 25, 2013 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 12 Comments

Wow! This week flew by just like last week. I hope this welcome trend continues into next week. And let me tell you why (ie: I am about to whine and complain a bit 😉 So at least this weekend I don’t have any obligations outside the house, just work inside the house. But that also includes preparing for next week. So Monday I have a huge AP Government and Politics project/presentation. My partner and I will be giving underclassmen history classes a 40 minute presentation on current events and the NJ special senate election and gubernatorial election. We are doing this for 4 classes, so that is 160 minutes of presenting in front of 4 different classes. Ugh! I am excused from all my classes that day, but on my off periods I am opting to actually attend the classes I can. But sadly I will be missing my Psychology class which we have a test in so I am hoping to take that during a different period. I also have a math test that day, but I am off that period so it works out. On Tuesday I have 2 other tests, and then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we have our quarterly assessments in each of my 9 classes. Instead of midterms and finals, we have quarterly assessments at the end of each marking period and then a final at the end of the year (4th parking period). So I am going to be bugged down with work and studying all week. Ugh, can I handle it? And the kicker is next Saturday I have the SAT. This final one I am going to take. O man, My life depend on it (haha…kinda). So I also need to be practicing for that…particularly math. But once November 3rd comes, I will be a happy girl. I just have to get through this next week and I really hope I don’t have a breakdown in the process.

But I don’t want to start off your Friday with anymore complaints. I do have some fun posts planned for next, like the new Group Power release review, some awesome breakfast recipes, and a fun Halloween post! Can you believe it is Halloween already? October flew by! I don’t celebrate Halloween anymore, we don;t even have any decoration up in the house. Kinda sad, i guess. (But I really couldn’t care less, haha!) Alright, let’s have a look at the Friday Finisher. There were some really good posts this week that I absolutely loved! Enjoy! 🙂

SS Posts from the week:

Monday: Power Monday #16 Favorite Plank Variations

Tuesday: Keeping A Safe Gluten-Free Kitchen

Wednesday: My Take On “Spaghetti and Meatballs”

Thursday: Sesame Asian Veggie Steam

Blog Posts I loved this week:

+ Nutrition in Balance

I totally agree with all of Michelle’s “rules” and the ones she doesn’t follow.

+ Replace Skinny with Healthy

This is so important!

+ Body Type

Who ever defined these body types/ shapes in the first place? Come on, apple shape? What does that even mean?

+ 5 Negative Behaviors that Waste Time

Do you waste your time on any of these?

+ 10 Tips for Selling & Making Money on eBay

I have some stuff I would like to sell and have been thinking of just putting it up on eBay, these tips will help 🙂

+ 30 Variations of Lunges

Yes! Taylor posted a new Variations post! Love these!

+ Tips for Taking Better Instagram Photos

O Instagram. You are just so much easier to take food photos with then my DSLR!

+ On Smallness

Let’s support everyone, no matter what their physical appearance.

+ How I {Foam} Roll + A Video

Gina does a great job on explaining how to foam roll!

+ What Should I do when I’m out of Breath During Yoga?

As long as you connect with your breath and breath, it is okay! You don’t need to be exactly with in the inhales and exhales of the instructor.

+ How to Feel Better About the Reflection in the Mirror

You should try giving Taylor’s Morning Reflection Challenge a shot.

+ Asinine Ads

You must read this right now! Kaila just wrote out my exact feeling on this topic! I hate those commercials and ads. I also want to add that big name companies are disgusting when they try to pass off their extremely processed “non-real food” as healthy and a better option. No, just no.

Favorite Pins:

(Follow me on Pinterest – RebeccaGF666)

Vegan Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Muffins. All the pumpkin!

Quinoa with Mustard Greens. So simple, so good!

Roasted Mushroom and Cauliflower Soup. I just received two huge bags of dried mushrooms from iHerb and had no idea what to do with them…now I know!

Cute Fall Outfit. Love the big sweater and scarf!

Yoga Fit Arm Scorcher. This looks like so much fun! Yoga and wights? I’m in!

Salmon Seaweed Wraps. These look awesome! And guess what I received Nori Wraps from iHerb too that I need to use!

A few things I loved about my week or am grateful for:

+ A pretty good week at school, not much work…but that is all about to change (see above)!

+ 138 days (and going strong) of being (eyebrow and eyelash) trich free!

+ I have some sprouted lentils calling my name tonight for dinner! Pizza anyone?

+ I am grateful for life! And even though next week will be rough I am grateful that I am able to get a great education and have the opportunities to excel when so many do not! Keep it positive!

So tell me:

Do you foam roll? I do but not as much as I should. I have a black roller I got over the summer, but the only muscles I ever feel tightness on are my IT bands. Otherwise the rolling really does nothing for me. Well at least I don’t feel anything :/

How do you feel about these Asinine Ads?

What are you weekend plans?

Any upcoming stresses or craziness you need to get through next week? I am going to need all the support I can get!