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20 April 2010

Thoughts about 16 and Pregnant

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random, television

A few months ago, I started watching 16 and Pregnant on MTV because Supernanny wasn’t cutting it as a prescription for birth control.

When I started watching 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, I was fascinated by the stories and watching these teens go from pregnant and adamant that life wouldn’t change to watching how they handle a full-time teenage life with a baby.

Sure, I laughed and shook my head at things these baby moms and dads said. From wondering what pregnancy will do to the girl’s teen boobs long-term to saying they had no idea how they got pregnant when having unprotected sex. Oh kids!

Then I watched the “super size” episode with the couple having twins. It was a standard story, girl meets guy, they do it, she gets pregnant and soon they’re stuck together while deciding if they are meant to be or were just rebound. But this girl got pregnant by her guy after one month of dating. And no, he wasn’t K-Fed.

Even though these episodes make me cringe, they also hit hard in the heart. I don’t envy these girls, I feel sorry for them because they are only 16 or 17 and forced to grow up overnight.

Sure, they may have “asked for it’ by having unprotected sex, but after watching this girl  have twins and play with fire (aka her pre-baby daddy boyfriend), only to have it backfire in her face, it was tough to watch. She ended the episode with a teary talking head saying that she wished she would have done things differently and for the first time, I believed her.

That was one that stayed with me after I deleted it from the DVR.

I tried to imagine what I would do differently in their case and despite our vast age difference, I don’t know if I would be any different than them, so who am I to judge and laugh? I would want to hold on to my boyfriend and pretend like nothing will change and view being a mom as a cool thing but something that won’t keep me from doing what I want. And I would (even now) feel completely overwhelmed by the needs of caring for a baby, especially if my parents aren’t able to help out. It shows that despite these girls being 16, I might not be that different at 30.

What about you? Have you watched the show? Do you think you would do anything different as a 16 year old pregnant teen? Note: This isn’t to get into a debate about pro-life or choice.

Review blog note: Don’t forget to weigh in on what your least favorite movies are! So far Donnie Darko is a love/hate one!

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19 April 2010

Kitchen adventures: Chicken with spinach and mushrooms

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Food

I cannot remember which of my MANY magazines I was reading, but it said that veggies need to take up half of your dinner plate.

And when I looked at my salad plates tonight (which I use to maintain portion control), I realized….that is definitely not happening.

I like veggies but I’m very particular about how I eat them. I like them raw or steamed but not too cooked. To quote my dad, “I don’t need to eat soft foods now, I’ll be eating them that way when I’m old.” Good point.

Basically, unless veggies are caked in chocolate or slathered in a sauce, I’m hesitant to add them as a dinner side.

So for this week’s adventure, I decided to beef up the veggies on my plate with a Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms recipe from Real Simple.

And here’s how it turned out!

So pretty and colorful!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 bunches spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)

Directions:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
  2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook the mushrooms and pepper, tossing, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and wine and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the wine is nearly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the spinach and 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken.

Verdict: Chicken good but veggies = AMAZING

First note, I skipped the white wine after my last cooking FAIL with it and the veggies were still great. I mean seriously, they were soft without being mushy and had a great flavor from the EVOO and natural juices. Especially the mushrooms. Th spinach tasted good too without being too soft so it blended well together. The chicken was nice too (note, you only need to cook it for 5 min on each side) but wasn’t bursting with flavor. I would definitely save the sauce from the veggie mixture next time for added flavor. Seriously, I want more veggies, they were the best part. And added good color to my plate, which I guess is important :)

What about you? What are your favorite veggies to snack on or cook with?

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18 April 2010

Weekend recap: Affordable fun, sequins and baking!

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Chicago, Fashion, Food, Friends, shopping

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend.

I cannot believe my NOLA trip is about two weeks away and Vegas/Conan is less than a month from now. Holy cow.

And with that realization comes another one: holy sh*tballs I have to pay for that stuff. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s so fun to plan and prepare and get excited to go on vacation and then the crushing reality of paying for it rolls in. And because it’s just me going, that means it’s just me fronting those bills.

So to help cushion the upcoming credit card statements, I’ve taken to being fiscally responsible and trimmed back on spending. That means evaluating purchases from dinners out to my love of shopping. I’ve made a list of items I definitely NEED to purchase (i.e. workout clothes, gym shoes, etc.) and am critically re-evalutaing any non-essential purchases.

And let me tell you, it SUCKS.

I hate it.

But I just have to keep in mind that it will be worth it.

So to keep me from sitting in my apartment, staring at the walls, I made a little list of things I’ve done lately that don’t require a ton of cash:

  • Use gift cards (I hoard these too so this is the perfect time to cash them in!)
  • Cook at home (more affordable and doesn’t require delivery or waiting to be seated)
  • Go for walks/bike rides (Playing explorer + exercise, win!)
  • Help friends shop (curbs the shopping urge w/o costing a lot of money)

I know, they’re not the best, but I’m working on it :) So far, so good.

In fact, while shopping vicariously through TC this weekend, she stumbled upon a crazy strapless, sequin dress, miraculously in my size. So I played a little dress up and here was the result:

No joke, TC’s first words when she saw me in this: “dude your boobs!” They were literally spilling out.

I also participated in the National Food Blogger Bake Sale Saturday as part of Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale. The Chicago effort was organized by Maris and I went into the kitchen for a little baking adventure, including red velvet cookies and some awesome brownies.

Yes, I was able to be strong when faced with these babies in my house alone with me.

How was everyone else’s weekend? If you have tips on affordable fun, please let me know, many of mine are good-weather dependent. So Chicago better be good to me!

Review blog update: No new movie review, instead I’m taking a look at some of the worst movies I’ve EVER seen

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15 April 2010

Tattoo

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random

I mentioned last week that I’m thinking about getting a tattoo. Fact. The other fact is that I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo for a LONG time. Cue indecisiveness.

My brother and I used to talk about what tattoos we would get, mine was a barbed wire one, inspired by Pam Anderson (idol!), or a butterfly on my shoulder, inspired by a woman I worked with, who I thought was super awesome.

Sadly, the Chinese or tribal symbol was never a consideration.

None of my family members are tattooed, that I know of. My grandpa was tattooed as a young man in the Army (which didn’t age well) and I remember looking at it on his forearm, intrigued by it before he said, “I did this when I was in my 20s and stupid. Don’t be stupid.”

Great advice.

Friends in college that got tattoos were tattooed with things they loved, like my sorority sisters. One who was obsessed with pandas, another that was obsessed with lions, and one that had her deceased mother’s name tattooed on her chest. Each had a special connection to their tattoo.

And I think that’s why I don’t have one (yet). I don’t love one thing enough to permanently mark it on me.

There isn’t one thing or symbol or phrase that I can really connect to.

Sure, I could get my initials or astrological sign or a heart or butterfly but none really push me to say, “yes, I must have it marked on me.”

And when I heard two Vegas bloggers talking about it last week, I had a thought. Something simple and inspiring. And I settled on, ”Imagine…”

I think that fits me.

So I won’t be running out to be inked anytime soon but it’s stewing in my brain. I think I need to get a few more henna tattoos to wrap my head around the permanence before taking the leap.

What about you? Do you have a tattoo or what would you get inked on you?

Review blog update: I love mascara and now I’m checking out Benefit’s BADgal lash, which has a great name.

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13 April 2010

I don’t need a guy to be happy

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Relationships

Lately I’ve been thinking about relationships and being part of a couple (one day) after a lengthy visit to singledom.

When I was growing up it was never “if” I go to college but “when.” And it was never “when” I get married, it was “if.”

I won’t lie, being raised in a divorced household has affected my view on relationships, marriage and commitment. But, as much as part of me hopes for that, I don’t expect it to happen to me.

My career is important to me, so are my friends and family. I find joy and validation of success in them. I know that one day, I want to be a VP, sit in an office and work on things that interest me. That is what I want. And of course, have minions :)

And it’s funny when I bring up these professional successes to some people because they nod and automatically ask, “are you seeing anyone?”

Sure that question is well intentioned but when I say, “no one,” it generates are response like, “oh well one day you’ll have a guy and you’ll be happy.”

That is not entirely correct. I don’t need a guy to be happy.

Before I can really be with a guy, I want to know I can be happy and content on my own. I want to be my own person, be successful on my own and know that I can take care of myself.

Right now, I’m three of those four things. And I’m working on the last piece that needs to be stronger.

In trying to help my writer’s block for this post, I talked to friends about how they felt about women being happy outside of their romantic relationships and I got some interesting responses.

Some shared stories about single friends who don’t celebrate their birthdays and view it as another reminder that they’re alone and a relationship failure.

It makes me sad to see people I know feel like they can’t celebrate themselves or their lives because a guy isn’t involved. Birthdays are a time to celebrate yourself and the good things in your life. It’s NOT to make you feel like you’re still alone and will be spending another year as such. NO! You should never stop celebrating you and who you are because you’re single. Ever.

And many of the committed friends I talked to about this said it best, “my relationships is a PART of my life but it is not my ENTIRE life.”

I also bring this up because this topic came up while planning my solo vacations. Someone who wasn’t so supportive said I should just wait to have someone go with me, guy or girlfriend. And I realized that my single status shouldn’t hold me back from doing what I want. And I’ll be in a better place to really be with someone if I can face my fears and be comfortable fully on my own.

What about you? Have you had this happen to any of your friends? What are your thoughts on the subject?

Movie review: Review of Date Night is still up on the review blog! I do love Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

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