paella for days

Prior to going to Spain, I watched a few Rick Steves travel videos. What I came to learn is that ham is super popular in Spain. Check out this spot, just off the city center in Madrid --

Ham Museum? No gracias. I'm not a huge fan of ham. I'll have a bit on Easter and that's enough for me.

Another popular cuisine in Spain is Paella. Paella is this grain - sometimes like rice, sometimes more like a noodle, cooked in a huge... frying pan, maybe like a cast iron one? and then you add different things to it - seafood, chicken... dare I say it... ham?

I ate Paella for the first four days in Spain...

Paella in Valencia was a bit different, the grains were more noodley...

And I tried crawfish...sweeter than I thought it would be!

By the end of all of this, I was ready for tapas. And also missing pancakes and a burger back home, both of which I have had since my return!

I can't wait to read your posts for BigTime Blogging Challenge 2017! Leave your permalink in the comments and feel free to share on SM with #btbc17!

sol17 #20: ode to the Shamrock Shake

Oh Shamrock Shake how I

love thee, minty green goodness

topped with fluffy whipped cream and

sprinkled with sparkly sweet crystals

so cool and refreshing

available for a limited time only.

Lucky for you, Shamrock Shake, I

gave up drinking for Lent and so I

indulged in you - the toxic cocktail - 

on just one occasion this season: St. Patrick's day

I celebrated

with an American tradition

also know as

the tasty green goodness that is

deliciously minty,

festively green,

dazzlingly delightful;

the one and only

Shamrock Shake

Kiddos! Do you look forward to holidays for any special food-related reasons? Share about those today!

And you can check out more ideas on the padlet or leave comments for other bloggers at Two Writing Teachers.

sol17 #3: i donut know how I live so far from my mom

WRITE your story.

SHARE your link.

GIVE some love via comments.

I was cruising around the Two Writing Teachers blog a few days ago and somewhere I saw a blog post saying that someone made their One Word donut. Sitting at my computer there, in that moment all by myself, I smiled a big smile, because... donuts.

I haven't always loved donuts so much. I mean, growing up, sometimes my mom would bring me a Dunkin Donut - the kind with the chocolate mouse (mouse! ha! I mean mousse) in it, and it was delicious and I loved it. But as I grew up, Dunkin lost their appeal, so I kinda stopped enjoying donuts altogether.

But then I found Stan's.

Stan's Donuts is my favorite place to get a donut in Chicago. And I always just want the most basic - chocolate cake donut with sprinkles, like the one pictured above I had last Sunday. Now, the only thing sweet about Dunkin is the memory of my mom, and how I miss her so. Perhaps I'll see if Stans's has a chocolate mouse mousse donut and erase Dunkin from my memories for good... except I'd just have to have my mom make a visit to complete the ritual. So, momma, what do you say?

Some info for my student slicers:

Here is the padlet where you can take or leave an idea if you're stuck. You can also go to the Two Writing Teachers blog to find other classrooms of students to leave comments for!

And one more thing, and idea for your next post! Share about a food you love! Something you will always crave, a restaurant you'll always return to, a sweet you cannot forget!

slice of life

WRITE your story.

SHARE your link.

GIVE some love via comments.

My best friends are in from Phoenix and San Diego!

Last night we had dinner at RPM Italian downtown and it was so so good, made even better, in fact, by their company.

We split two bottles of wine and Katie and I shared gnocchi and Chicken Parm. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but all I have is a selfie of the four of us (Anita, our close friend who lives in town joined us!)

The dinner was awesome, but even better was being with these girls. Sharing food and talking about our dating lives and marriages, our plans for the upcoming school year and for the rest of the days here together in Chicago, so awesome. We're only ever together like once a year, but we do keep in really good touch all throughout the year, so these once-a-year gatherings feel more abundant.

Super thankful for these friends and that they are with me in Chicago!

Hey all y'all! It's the BigTime Blogging Challenge. I'm writing every day in July to celebrate my blog's three year anniversary! Join me - write your post, link it up with mine, leave some love for blogging friends in the form of comments!

An InLinkz Link-up

the paczki did me in

WRITE your story.

SHARE your link.

GIVE some love via comments.

I'm off balance.

Ever since I went to a birthday party last Saturday, my food consumption has been waaaaay off balance.

It started Sunday morning with McDonald's for breakfast - I hadn't gone grocery shopping and needed something before I went to church. Then, Sunday night I had some pretzel bread and a cookie with the Turkey tacos I made. (Whyyyyy??)

Since I didn't go grocery shopping until Sunday night, I didn't have time to meal prep like I usually do on the weekend - making a week's worth of chicken salads. So to make my life "easier," I bought a bunch of soup from the grocery store and just divvied it up for the week.

So then yesterday at lunch I had some soup and more pretzel bread. Then, I met my stepmom for dinner at our favorite pizza place in the suburbs (Aurelio's). At least I ordered a salad to start with, but then had pizza.

And finally, as if all that weren't enough, my stepmom's sister (step-Aunt?) gave me a paczki. I should have taken a picture of it - but I was already deep with the guilt. It was so so good - filled with strawberries and fresh whip cream. Perfectly sweet and amazing.

And now I sit here weighed down (ha, literally) with food guilt. I usually stop before I get this guilty, but I didn't. Today though, today I'm going to clean my act up! Back to the egg whites and apple for breakfast, salad for lunch, and dinner...well, need to figure out something healthy!

Does this ever happen to you?

You know you shouldn't indulge, but you do anyways and then you feel so so bad about it? Leave me a comment so I feel better! :-)

An InLinkz Link-up

teacher in the kitchen: skewered caprese salad

Hi everyone! So I made the best Caprese Salad (after my cousin Maria told me the secrets!) yesterday. When I asked the boyfriend if he wanted more, he looked up and smiled..."Yes Please!!" It's super easy to make, so I'm delighted to link up with Deb for Teacher in the Kitchen!

Let's start with Ingredients:

You'll need:

• Fresh Basil
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Sea Salt
• Pepper, and
• Balsamic Glaze by Gia Russa:

I skewered everything together on little toothpicks, so some of those too!

It's really pretty simple:

1. Make little kabobs with tomato, basil, cheese
2. Spice it up with some Sea Salt and Pepper
3. Drizzle the glaze over

That's it! It's this Balsamic Glaze that makes the recipe, so don't try and find a substitute. I got mine at Mariano's (I'm in Chicago) but I also found it on Amazon!

The result? A beautiful looking appetizer! I think it's healthy, but then again the cheese, and well, I didn't check the stats on the glaze, but I say it's better than pizza, right?

Let me know if you try it out and what you think! What are you cooking lately? Write up a post and share it with Deb!

maintaing teacher balance

Get the details for this challenge here!

Today we're getting together to share ideas for maintaining balance during the school year. I know right now we're all loving life - being on break and all, but pretty soon, we'll be at 150mph and we're all going to be exhausted. So, what do you do to stay sane? Here's how I take care of myself during the busy busy times.

Sleep
I don't ever give up sleep. Hektor makes so much fun of me for going to bed at 9pm, but I do, almost religiously. I get up around 5:30 every day, so 10pm is my latest for work. I've always loved sleeping, and I don't give it up no matter how busy I am!

Food Prep
I feel best when I'm eating well, so the weeks that I make time to prep a week's worth of lunches, I do so much better. I could eat various versions of Chicken Salads for weeks - months even, and I did during the spring semester. It just takes so much work and time - the grocery shopping and then prepping everything. But, it makes my life so much easier all week long!

Exercise
First yoga: I love yoga, but I haven't gone for the longest time until just yesterday. I tried out a new studio - Zen Yoga Garage - and it was amazeballs. I love hot yoga, and especially when meditative in practice. Some of the classes are like crazy intense with weights and stuff, but I'd rather get on my mat, let the rest of the world go, and not think for 60 minutes. I love the classes (like Saturday's) when there was incense going and we focused on our breathing and our intent (mine: let go of judgment) and just were present with no technology, no dramas, nothing. I find this to be extremely helpful for the rest of my world!

Running: I've been doing such a great job with my Couch to 5K app - I am making progress if I run every day consistently. I like the feeling I have after it's over, but I actually am not a huge fan of running (actually, of exercise in general, if I'm being honest.) But, as my bff says, "You don't have to want to do it, you just have to do it." So for now at least, I'm going. I just need to keep it up when school starts. Any tips for this? Exercise is always the first thing I let go!

I say yes selectively
There's lots to do when you're a teacher. You all know, lots. Actually, too much. So all the things I say yes to, I think long and hard about whether or not I'll do it. Life is too short to be doing things that make you stressed or angry. My rule of thumb is always asking for a night to think about things before I commit. I tell myself it's okay to take 12-24 hours to get back to people. Stress comes when you're trying to do things too fast. When I step away, I almost always get clarity, and I can make the best decisions for me. Bottom line: I'm choosy about what I say yes to. You should be too!

Social Calendar
I love having things to look forward to! I always like to plan things, whether that's a date night, trying out a new restaurant, a long weekend, or a vacation, keeping my calendar full is super important to me. And, I mean events for me personally, but also happy hours with teachers from school. It helps so much to get out of the building and have some chips and salsa (and margaritas) and just catch up with one another. This is especially helpful during the worst time of year - for me, it's the cold, dreary days of January - March. Whether it's for personal or work-related events, I love to keep things on the calendar to get me through the busy weeks we experience!

What about you? Please share how you keep your teacher balance! Looking forward to your ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up

what I'm loving Wednesday

Get the details for this challenge here!

Hi all! Today we're back for day 8 of the challenge and What I'm Loving Wednesday! For this post, please just share anything that you're currently loving!

❤ Southwest Airlines
If it were up to me, I'd never fly any other airlines. Ticket prices are reasonable and you get to check two bags with the purchase of a ticket. They have super great customer service - last week when I left Chicago to go to Calfornia, I was through baggage check in 10 minutes. Also, in Chicago, they fly out of Midway, which is smaller and I know it like the back of my hand. Highly recommend this fabulous airlines!

❤ wineries with friends
My California girlfriends live super close to a strip of like 40 wineries. We went to this one - Wilson, I think? Delicious sparkling wines! The grounds outside were beautiful and the company was the best!

❤ this
Found on Twitter or Instagram. Does your school have a twitter hashtag? Imagine the possibilities!

❤ Bernie Sanders
He's running against Hillary in the primaries. You need more info! I had never heard of him until just a few weeks ago, but he is not owned by big corporation money. The people who back his campaign are middle class folks, like us, and he wants to restore democracy. He's going to win by a grassroots effort, so get on facebook and twitter and start sharing! Here's one more blog post on him, too!

❤ Wahoos Tacos
If you're ever in Calfornia or Vegas, find one and stop. The. Best. Fish Tacos. Ever. and I had a shrimp one last night too - delish!

An InLinkz Link-up

day 11: better together

WRITE your story.

SHARE your link.

GIVE some love via comments.

One night a week, the boyfriend comes over and we have dinner together. I try and mix things up so we try new recipes and this week, I had bought stuff for a salmon recipe and rice. (He was instructed to bring the rice cooker and a bottle of wine...he did a good job!)

When he got here, he went right to the couch - after a long day he's tired, but so am I! I told him he has to help me cook or we're ordering food, to which his reply was, "What's close by?" He told me he didn't know how to cook, and I answered, "Well, can you read?" The recipe I had was new - I never made it, but following directions isn't hard.

So we made dinner together - I was on the rice, he was on the salmon. We played my music while we cooked, laughing, talking, he made fun of my bro country and doing a little country line dancing, we talked about news, and made a lovely dinner:

The sauce was a combo of soy sauce, honey, green onions, and a lot of spices (it was a McCormick recipe!) and super easy to make! I got the little candles to go with our wine and it was a great night!

Nothing seems like a big deal when you do it together. I mean, maybe washing dishes...which is why those are in the sink for  tomorrow. Hey, you can't win them all!

day 4: rice cooker awesomeness #sol15

WRITE your story.

SHARE your link.

GIVE some love via comments.

My boyfriend has a rice cooker that he got from his cousin when he moved into his loft a few years ago. I had never seen one before, but it's ah-maze-balls. If you haven't experienced the awesomeness that is a rice cooker, you are missing out!

In all my years growing up with my white family, we always just ate minute rice. Which was great and fine until I had Hektor's mom's rice. Hektor's mom is from Mexico, his dad from Peru, so I learn tons of new things from them, including tons of great recipes!

His mom does the recipe in a pot on the stove, but a rice cooker will do it all for you - just put the ingredients in and let it go and it's done and done! Just make sure you don't fill it too full, or it'll sputter and spit all over the place. Luckily, I got it just right on Sunday night!

To make this recipe, you need rice and water (double the amount of water as you use rice), some tomato sauce, onion, and salt.

Top with fresh tomatoes and olives. So good!

Do you have any special kitchen contraptions? Please share with me!

sunday letters

WRITE your letters on Sunday.

SHARE them with me here on BigTime Literacy.

GIVE some comments to other bloggers!

Glad you could stop by for Sunday Letters! Let's get this party started!

Dear Tiger Blogging Parents,
Thank you for engaging with your children and leaving them comments on their blogs! As any good blogger knows, the feedback we receive via comments really encourages us to to keep going, keep writing, and keep sharing. We're getting ready for the Slice of Life Story Challenge in March where students will write every day for the entire month! We will definitely need your support during that lengthy month!
Sincerely, a proud blogging coach

Dear Mariano's,
Thank you for stocking two of my new favorite snacks:

These Kind bars are a new flavor: Pomegranate Pistachio and they are delicious! The Pomegranate and blueberry makes it sweet and all the nuts make it a filling snack! Also, they are non-GMO and gluten free which is great by me!

Then, the Honeycomb Chuao Dark Chocolate - I originally had this as a gift from a student for Christmas (thank you, it was so thoughtful of you and it's delicious!) Now I keep just a little chocolate in the house each week and this is my fave! I just have to keep some self control because that first one I got as a gift - I ate the whole thing in one evening!
Much Love, girl with a sweet tooth

Dear Kinder Teachers,
I am constantly learning so much from you! This week I loved how you showed me your anecdotal notes you took on student writing. Kids were writing Informational Pieces about animals. They began with a web, drawing what they knew about a particular animal. Then, teachers had them write what they drew. Rather than the teachers writing the correct spelling on the webs, they took these notes on a roster so when students went to write their first drafts, they would have to work through the spelling of their words again (rather than copying what the teacher had written). I know it's this little thing and perhaps basic knowledge, but I thought it was a great way for kinder students to continue to grow as writers!
Sincerely, a Literacy Coach who is always learning

Dear Pinterest,
Thank you for the fun, entertainment, and usefulness of your site! Today's top picks are as follows:

Usefulness...made this dressing for a week of Greek Salads but haven't tried it yet! (Click the pic for the recipe!)

Fun, well, funny...yes this is my corny humor:

and more funny - providing afternoon entertainment:

I appreciate all you bring to my life, Pinterest!
xo, happy Pinner

Dear Self,
You always do this - get a manicure and then have other errands planned right after. And you always screw up your new paint job right away. Today it was 5/10 nails that took a hit. Next time - get a mani and then go home and do nothing!
Sincerely, Too busy to take a break

That's all for me today! Who are you writing letters to? Be sure to share them here!

An InLinkz Link-up

what I'm loving Wednesday

WRITE a list of things you're currently loving.

LINK your post to mine.

COMMENT on the other bloggers' posts!

Hello! Hope you're having a fab week! Join me for What I'm loving Wednesday!

This tote

Yes, you're reading correctly - it says Totes ma Goats. I saw it at a Home Goods out in the suburbs and I love it. Totes wanted to buy it but it was $8 and I couldn't justify buying it for my grocery shopping. Next best thing? Save it on the blog!

Biggest Loser Challenge

We are having this challenge at work right now - for 12 weeks so it's going to end by spring break, but it's so awesome doing this with friends from work. Everyone is eating healthy and encouraging one another and I just love it! Plus, I'm trying out new recipes:

Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes with Pure Maple Syrup

These were so good! I just used a mix I found at the grocery story. See, my whole strategy is eat as close to a whole foods diet as I can. It's not 100% of the time, but the more food I eat that is only one ingredient, the better. I'm trying to avoid processed food - just because it's so hard for our body to break it down. Whole foods are the way to go!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Yes, that's right. A crust made from cauliflower and cheese. This wasn't as good as the pancakes, but it was healthy! The cool thing is that the crust stayed in tact. The bad thing was that I think I made it too thick. Taste wise, it wasn't a Chicago Style Deep Dish by any means. It was just okay for me. Not sure I'd make this again - just eat salads all week and save up for a real pizza!

Also: We weighed in today and I was down 1.5 pounds! And: I totally had a few cheats last week!

Meeting with the Literacy Coaches

Today we had a great PD in our district so all the Literacy Coaches got together with a professor from National Louis University. It was great to learn new things about coaching and be with the group of coaches from the district. One thing that is standing out to me was a comment that Felicia, one of the coaches made, "Teaching is artistry in the classroom." She's so right. I believe there is a science to teaching, but it's also an art. Not just anyone can get up in front of a class of students and make learning happen. There is so much that goes into teaching and learning. I love that I get to see amazing things happening in classrooms at our school all the time!

source

Skyping with one of my blogging friends

Blogging is so amazing. I have friends all around the country because of it and on Monday night I got to skype with Alyce from Mrs. Bartel's School Family about reading instruction. How amazing is it that we live in two states (Illinois and Kansas) and we're collaborating?! The power of technology, blogging, and social media is truly amazing!

source

Well, that's all for me today! Please follow me on facebook (or IG or Twitter) so you'll be in the know for my linkys! I'd love to have you share what you're loving with me!

An InLinkz Link-up