Recipe: Homemade French Fries

So I've been trying to eat pretty healthy but I still have cravings for things ... like French fries!  But, I have been experimenting with some homemade French fry recipes and it definitely satisfies my craving!

What You Need:
1-2 potatoes per person
spices (my personal favourites: lemon pepper, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper ... but experiment and choose what you'd like!)
oil

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into very fine lines, like small French fries.  Set them in water for 30 minutes to one hour to soak.  Add a bit of pepper or other spices and mix it around with the potatoes.

Once the potatoes have been soaked, put them into a pan.  Add a little bit of oil.  1/2 tsp per person or potato is the ideal amount!  Add some spices and mix it up.  Keep the fries moving so that they don't stay still and burn!

They are done when the sides are crunchy and almost burned.  If they burn, it's okay, it still tastes fine that way, and then you know for next time!

Bad Dreams

I don't really dream much (or at least, remember my dreams).  But they come in spurts.  For the past two weeks, I've been having terrible dreams each night!

Last night, I dreamed that the ants in the kitchen multiplied and multiplied and ended up attacking me in my bed.  The night before, I dreamed that my boyfriend just dumped me out of no where and then went to get revenge.  The night before that (it was the worst one), I dreamed that my hamster died and that someone gave me an ugly black hamster but it was not my hamster!  I had a couple other dreams about my hamster, also some about work, and my family.

I don't really understand why these dreams have been haunting me for the past couple of weeks.  It is almost scary to go to sleep anymore, I never know what I'm going to dream about anymore.

Sometimes dreams are cool.  Like when they are fun, cool, interesting dreams.  But scary dreams are never fun ... At least not for me ... I hate them!

I don't really understand the human brain.  Why do I get spurts ... Like one or two weeks at a time ... Where I get bad dreams nonstop?  I'm not sure.  I'm just hoping that it stops sometime soon.  I'd like to go back to not dreaming at all.  A peaceful sleep.  Yes please!

Healthy Eating - Pizza Days

I remember having Pizza Day and Hot Dog Day once a month in elementary school.  My parents would always give me money so I could get a slice of pizza one day and a hot dog one day each month.

It has been a few years since I've been in elementary school.  I'm not even sure if they do this anymore.

But with everything saying how kids should be healthy these days, shouldn't that be eliminated?  How about rice day?  Maybe that doesn't sound appealing, but it could be done!  Or 'fruit and veggies day'.  Well, it sounds good to me.

Things like pizza day and hot dog day, they don't promote healthy eating.  With the education in health class, with the activity in gym class, pizza day is just counter productive!

I'm not sure how many schools have things like Pizza Day but I would definitely suggest that the idea be reconsidered.

What's your But?

I was watching How I Met Your Mother and it was talking about how everyone has a 'but'.  Like when you're talking about someone.  They specifically used it when setting up someone with a blind date.

Some examples are:
'He's hot, successful, but he lives with his parents.'
'She's smart, friendly, outgoing, but she had a kid.'
The 'buts' can be anything that you simply don't find attractive.

So I'm thinking about my 'but' and it might be 'obsessive' or 'anxious'.  What would your 'but' be?

Telling People I Don't Eat Meat

When I tell people I don't eat meat, it is always an interesting conversation.  Most people ask me why.  I tell them my reasons:
- healthier in general
- so much more food can grow if we didn't waste resources by raising animals just for meat
- it is a live animal, I don't want to eat a live animal

When I reach that last point, people become very empathetic.  Many people say 'awwww I feel so bad eating this [insert meat here]'.

I don't say it to make them feel bad.  I'm not even saying it to try and convince them to become a vegetarian.  I'm saying it because that is my reasoning.  Of course, I'd like everyone to stop eating meat, but I'm not actively trying.

I think it is in the back of their minds, when they say 'awww, I feel so bad eating turkey now'.  I think they know that it is kind of wrong, to allow the animals to be tortured and killed.  People don't often put two and two together.  They don't really think about it.  And when they are forced to think about it (when I explain why I don't eat meat), they really think about it.

Then of course you get the mean ones.  The people who scoff and say 'I don't care if it was once alive, I'm eating it anyway!'.  Often times, it just seems like those people are so selfish and rude.  They seem to be saying 'I don't care that I have to take another life, I just get to have something tasty to eat!'.  The way they say it makes me so sad.  Like they have no feelings or empathy at all.

I wish that it would be taught to children, at a young age, what meat really is.  We should tell them all the terrible things that happen just so they can have some chicken, or a burger, or a steak, or some fish.  That things die.  Children are often empathetic and care more in that way.  I think that's what could really make a difference.  It is hard to change your habits once you're in the habit of eating meat.  I mean, I still look at meat and think it looks delicious.  But I won't eat it!

But yeah, some of the holiday dinners were interesting.  Many people kinda thought about the whole vegetarian thing just because I was there and said no to the meat.  And then you get the heartless people who don't care at all (unfortunately my sister is one of these).  I'm really happy that I'm kind of spreading awareness.  My family is at least thinking about it.  I'm proud of that!

Zinn's Fashion Don'ts!

1. Body suits.  I don't understand them at all.  Do people really wear them daily?  I can't help imagining how uncomfortable it would be.  And, of course, it would be awkward to go to the washroom.  Then, to top it all off, it is just plain ugly.

2. Fair isle pattern shirts.  I can understand if my parents or event grandparents are wearing it.  It is kind of an older fashion. But I think anyone under 30 should not be wearing one of those hideous patterned shirts.

3. Socks in heels or sandals.  No matter what colour, style, etc. the answer is no!  Tights, pantyhose, those can go in heels.  Heels are for dressing up.  No socks in heels!