Literacy Strategies for Math Class

It has been a while! I have been wanting to revamp my blog and my chance has arrived.  I am a math teacher who also loves to bake.  This is a place for me to share some teaching strategies as well as amazing recipes.  I have been in grad school for a year and a half now and I have been learning a lot about becoming an educational leader.  One of the areas that I have excelled in is looking at school data and thinking of solutions for problems or areas where I can help student achievement.  Here is one of the projects I have worked on. 

A word problem...

A researcher conducted a medical study to investigate whether taking a low-dose aspirin reduces the chance of developing colon cancer. As part of the study, 1,000 adult volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Half of the volunteers were assigned to the experimental group that took a low-dose aspirin each day, and the other half were assigned to the control group that took a placebo each day. At the end of six years, 15 of the people who took the low-dose aspirin had developed colon cancer and 26 of the people who took the placebo had developed colon cancer. At the significance level a 0.05, do the data provide convincing statistical evidence that taking a low-dose aspirin each day would reduce the chance of developing colon cancer among all people similar to the volunteers?

YIKES!

So, I gave this problem to my students and, as many teachers find, students were overwhelmed and unsure of how to tackle this situation.  Some students were simply thrown off by how many words were in front of them.  Teachers: do you see similar struggles at your school?  How have you dealt with this?

My school has been finding that students struggle with long word problems.  Our SAT data also reflects this issue.  Plus, our school has an improvement plan in place to make gains in this area.  To confront this issue and support students, I did some research and found a literacy strategy to incorporate in math class!

CUBES


Benefits:

Translating:

• Helpful to ESL students
• Helpful to all students who feel overwhelmed

• Make sense of long or tough word problems
• Organization
• Higher students slow down and read more carefully

How to implement:

• Have students work in groups as a relay where one person does one part at a time.
• Model annotating a problem using the CUBES strategy.
• Have students write problems for peers who then have to translate.

If you have other suggestions, feel free to comment below! I am excited to revamp this space and share more educational ideas as well as recipes in the future.

Other resources for literacy strategies:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105137/chapters/Reading-in-the-Mathematics-Classroom.aspx - why literacy is important in the math classroom

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/2017/cubes-strategy-to-tackle-tough-word-problems-/ - why CUBES works

http://ebi.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EBI-Brief-Template-Word-Problem-Mnemonics.pdf - other strategies

http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/10-ways-literacy-can-promote-a-deeper-understanding-of-math/ - ideas for incorporating writing into the math classroom

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Is it summer yet?  I feel like I am just trudging my way towards summer. I swear each school day is a little longer than the previous one.  Any other teachers out there feel me?  I know you do because this facebook link keeps getting shared:


Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job and I love my students and I love my fellow teachers.  I just am also super freaking excited for this summer.  I have a pretty big summer ahead of me and with my first wedding shower (there are 3) this weekend, I just can't focus on anything else.

The weather is also (finally) getting nicer and that makes it extra hard to focus.  The longer days and warmer weather are making me so much happier.  I have also been cooking more because when it is lighter out I just feel less tired.  This lasagna happened because of one of those nights.

You are going to love this.  You roast a TON of vegetables and then you layer them with some pasta and a TON of cheese.  Then you bake it and someone it magically becomes a crazy good lasagna.  Even the vegetable haters out there are going to love this!  I was inspired by How Sweet It Is and then I just used my own vegetables and cheese and had way too much fun with it.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

8 oz sliced portobello mushrooms
10 oz broccoli florets
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, quartered
1 pint red grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pint yellow grape or cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups light ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1 burrata ball
1 8 oz container of pearl mozzarella balls
1 8 oz container shaved parmesan cheese
8 oz smoked provolone cheese, shredded
1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce (your favorite)
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions:
1. Line 3 pans with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425.
2. Place mushrooms, broccoli, onion, pepper, and zucchini into a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Spread out the veggies onto two pans.
3. Place all the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Spread these guys out on the third pan.
4. Place the pans in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes.  Take out from oven.
5. While the veggies are roasting, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta with half the parmesan, half the provolone, and the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
6. In a 13 by 9 inch pan, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce.  Place three long lasagna noodles on this.  Spread some ricotta mixture on top and then sprinkle a few mozzarella pearls.  Then, take about 1/3 of the veggies and sprinkle on top.  Drizzle with marinara sauce, and in a few roasted tomatoes, and then shred about 1/3 of the burrata ball and sprinkle over the top.  Place more lasagna noodles over this and repeat with two more layers.  For the final layer, drizzle some marinara sauce on top and then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and provolone.  Also add the remaining tomatoes on top.
7. Reduce the heat of the oven to 400 and bake the lasagna for 45 minutes.  Let sit for about 30-60 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Math Teacher Monday: Computer Programming

So this is my "binomial" post.  Sorry if you were looking for more of the "baker" side.

I am having a lot of fun in math class right now.  I know, I know...it is May.  Teaching in May is usually just the worst.  Kids are checked out, teachers are exhausted, the curriculum is winding down and you have to stay motivated so that kids might stay motivated in time for finals.  I have 19 days (17 until finals) and I couldn't be more excited for summer.

However, we are doing a computer programming unit right now with bootstrapworld.org.  This site is FREE! It connects programming to mathematical concepts and students work through the units to create their own computer game.  It is really freaking cool.

My students are totally being rockstars with this.  They are working in groups, writing their own code, and being super creative with their games.  It is awesome.

I created my own game as an example, but I think it is actually pretty great.  Seriously, anyone interested in publishing this?  I call it OctoPI because, you know, math.  The Pi moves up and down with arrow keys and if you press the spacebar, you shoot out an OctoPi!  You want to catch the green star and avoid the red circle.  CHECK IT OUT HERE!  It is not perfect and I am going to work on making the movement more complex, but it's pretty adorable.

Triple Mustard Chicken and Brussel Sprouts

Today is Good Friday and I am pretty sure I am the only teacher in Chicago working today.

With that being said, I also only have about 1/2 my students in class today.  So, today is a pretty silly day.  The students are catching up on any work that they have going on and I have been able to catch up on all of my grading.  It is a nice and relaxing day, but I am really excited for it to be over.

Tonight, Wisconsin is playing in the sweet 16 basketball tournament.  I am not a huge sports fan, but since I went to Wisconsin for college and my cat is named after one of the players I am pretty excited.  We have big plans to order in some delicious pizza and then just sit around and watch the game.  I can't wait!

Last night, I made this delish chicken dinner.  I am trying to use up all of the food in our place because we are moving in two weeks!  I was inspired by THIS recipe and then I just adapted it to work for what I had lying around and what I wanted to get rid of.  The result was super yummy.  I just love brussel sprouts and they tasted so good alongside the chicken.  I just had some of the leftovers for lunch and it was just as amazing a day later!

Triple Mustard Chicken and Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 cup red wine

1 cup chicken stock (I actually used veggie stock)

2 tbsp honey mustard

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp honey

1 lb brussel sprouts, stems cut off and halved

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 and heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

2. Wash chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.  Mix the spices in a small bowl and then sprinkle generous amounts of the spices over both sides of each piece of chicken.  Use your hands to rub in the spices.  

3. Place the chicken in your skillet and let cook for a few minutes on each side.  

4. Add in the red wine and let cook for another few minutes.  

5. In a small bowl, stir the stock, mustards, and honey.  Pour this over the chicken.  Then place the whole skillet (covered) in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. 

6. Place the cooked chicken on a plate to rest.  Place the skillet (with the juices) back on the stove over medium heat.  Add in the brussel sprouts and allow to cook for about 8-10 minutes.  Serve with the chicken.

Enjoy :)

Happy Pi Day!

I am such a nerd and this day is the best!

I made mys "famous" inception cookies for all of my students today.  I know this isn't pie, but hear me out.  Pi is the distance around 1/2 of the unit circle:

So, I made the inception cookies because you end up cutting them in half and therefore you have a Pi's worth of the circle. Isn't that cool??? I know, I'm a dork.

My students are raving about the cookies and it makes me so happy to share them with them.  I love to bake and it's so great when I get to share that part of me with my kiddos.

In class today, we watched Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi and then the students ate their cookies while working on Circle Challenges.  It is a nice change of pace and it is a great way to celebrate pi!

Tonight, Bri and I are planning on cooking dinner and, of course, making some sort of pie for dessert!

Vegetarian Paella

I decided to take a blog-cation.  I'm not sure that is a real thing, but I am officially making it a thing.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed with how much I have going on in my life and I just couldn't keep up.  It happens.  All the stuff is really good and I totally kept cooking up a storm, but I just didn't feel like writing.  However, I am pretty pumped to tell you about this Vegetarian Paella:

Here is a quick re-cap on all the good stuff that is keeping me occupied.  First, school is busy.  I am teaching the AP Calc and Precalc groups right now, so I have a lot to plan for.  I have never taught these classes before this year and so I need more time to plan and prepare myself.  Plus, this math stuff can be really difficult!  I give these kids a lot of credit because they are learning some tough stuff and doing a really nice job! Then, I also have cheer practice or basketball games after school.  On Saturday, we attended a college basketball game and talked to the cheer team there.  It was really fun and the girls had a great time meeting the college cheerleaders.  We are also getting ready for a winter pep rally and that means lots of practice.  On top of all that, I also had a meeting on Monday with the park district to start preparing for my summer job.  Summer seems really far away, but now is the time that we start planning/hiring for summer camp.  Finally, Bri and I have been doing a lot of house shopping.  We think we found our condo and are getting ready to make an offer!  And, all of this is in addition to wedding planning and marathon training.  Jeez!  

So, needless to say, I just have a lot on my plate.  

I also found out that next year I will be teaching 12th grade.  For any of you who keep up with my life, I am currently teaching 11th grade and this means I will be teaching the same kiddos next year! I am turning into Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World!  This is just awesome since Mr. Feeny is the best! 

How can you not love that guy???  

Well, now that you are all mostly updated on my whirlwind life, here is a fabulous recipe for Vegetarian Paella.  I made this on a weeknight, which means that it takes like no time, and it was crazy yummy.  Please make this and enjoy!

Vegetarian Paella

(adapted from The Kitchn)

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp paprika

5-6 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 red peppers, sliced

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tbsp hot paprika

1 cup green beans, trimmed and halved

1 can artichoke heart quarters, drained and roughly chopped

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the brown rice, and boil for 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2. In another pot, bring the broth to a simmer.

3. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet and saute the onions until translucent.  Add in the peppers and garlic and cook until the peppers soften.  Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tumeric, paprika, hot paprika, and season with salt and pepper (to taste). Let this simmer for 5 minutes

4.  Fold in the green beans, artichoke hearts, chickpeas and cooked rice.  Ladel the warm broth into the mixture until the rice is almost covered.  Let simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in the frozen peas and let simmer for 5 more minutes.  Then, serve! 

Enjoy :)

Avocado Egg Salad

How are your new year's resolutions going?

I am not a huge fan of resolutions.  I like to think of them more like lifestyle choices.  I decided that since my wedding is in less than 200 days, I am going to work on being healthy, eating well, and getting in great shape.  So far, I have lost some weight and I've been doing more strength training.  I feel great!  I am also watching my students take their last final right now and so I am getting focused on starting fresh with them next semester!  I can't believe I am already entering second semester...before you know it, it will be the end of the school year and time for summer!

Today I am sharing a recipe that has helped me stay focused on my goal of eating well.  I saw a recipe for egg salad that used avocado instead of the typical mayo/egg combo.  I love avocado and I figured this would be amazing!

I also saw an idea for a smoked salmon sandwich that had avocado on it.  So, I got to thinking:  What if I used my avocado egg salad to build a yummy salmon sandwich.  This way, I would get some great nutrients, lots of good protein, and it would be delish.

Avocado Egg Salad

Ingredients:
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 whole avocado
1 tbsp non-fat, plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp chopped chives
fresh ground pepper
dash of lime juice

Directions:1. Place chopped eggs in a container.  Then, add in the avocado and mash with a fork until well combined.  Then, mix in the rest of the ingredients.

My smoked salmon sandwich! Avocado Egg Salad,
Smoked Salmon, and Cucumbers :)

Enjoy :)

For more avocado ideas, check out this page: 13 Health Benefits of Avocado

Marathon Training Monday

It is week 2 of winter marathon training!  This week the mileage is 3/3/3/7 and I am excited because on Saturday, for the 7 mile run, I will be back running with my CARA (Chicago Area Running Association) group.  I am super excited to see some of my running buddies from summer marathon training and catch up with them!

Today is also the first day back to school after the two week winter break.  I am excited to see my students, but I am also a little bummed that break is over.  I was getting so much stuff done for the wedding and I was cooking and working out more than usual and it was really nice.  However, school is also pretty great and I'm sure that once I get back into the swing of things I'll be fine.

Combining marathon training with school/coaching is going to be tough.  I am working on a schedule where I don't feel too overwhelmed.  So far, I wake up early (4:45), have a protein shake and drink some coffee, then, around 5:15 I start my run.  Right now I am running on a treadmill indoors because it is too dark to run outside.  Hopefully, as it gets lighter in the morning I will be able to run outdoors.  Then, after my run, I shower, and get ready to go to school.  My goal is always to be ready to go around 6:45/7 in the morning.  We'll see how it goes!  Oh, and get ready to hear all about my protein shakes! I found a ton of good recipes HERE and I'm working my way through them to find a few that I really love!

Mommy's Granola Bars

It's a quiz day in math class!  I'm feeling a little down since I just graded a bunch of the quizzes and students who have been working on graphing quadratics for THREE weeks are still struggling with it.  I'm gonna have to look for some new strategies.  Any suggestions?  

Last night was also the first cheer performance for a basketball game!  It was really exciting and the girl's did a nice job.  They are a brand new cheer squad and they have already learned a bunch of cheers as well as a few dances.  The captains did a good job calling the cheers, but as a group we are going to have to work on staying sharp and smiling.  We are also continuing to work on our stunts and learning new routines.  I'm exciting for next month when we have a cheer clinic scheduled with a college cheerleader who has volunteered to come help us out!  How cool is that?  

Coaching and math teaching has been going really well at my new school and overall I just love it!  

I made my mommy's granola bar recipe recently when I knew that I was going to be at school for a long time and needed some sort of snack.  My average day starts at 5:45 when I go to the gym to work out.  Then, I get to school between 7:15 and 7:45 and hold office hours or work on lesson plans.  School goes from 8:30 to 4:00 and then I usually have cheer practice or office hours or some sort of school activity until at least 5:30.  Some nights I am here until 7!  On those crazy long days, I need some sort of pick-me-up and these granola bars totally do the trick.  I can't wait to make these again and maybe try mixing up the ingredients.  For this recipe I used dried fruit, but you could totally mix it up by putting in some chocolate chips, almonds, peanut butter chips, caramel...whatever!  This recipe can also easily be gluten free! 

Mommy's Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup rice puff cereal (I used the Kashi 7 Grain one)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tbsp flaxseed

2 tbsp wheat germ

1/4 cup dried cherries

2 tbsp dried blueberries

2 tbsp raisins

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla 

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 8 by 8 pan.

2. In a bowl, mix the oats, puff cereal, flax. wheat germ, and dried fruit.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the almond butter, brown sugar, honey, and salt.  Stir until the mixture starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and pour over the dry ingredients.

4. Stir the mixture to coat all the dry ingredients.  Then pour the mixture into your prepared pan and press evenly into the pan.  Place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to chill.  Once chilled, cut into bars.

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Veggie Burgers with BBQ Caramelized Onions

I have a pretty sweet week at school right now.  I survived Monday.  We reviewed graphing quadratics and I had cheer practice after school.  And now I have Tuesday, which I am already all planned for!  Wednesday is Veterans Day and so we do not have school and then Friday is a Teacher Institute Day.  So, I only have two more days of teaching this week!  Crazy!

Today I went to my boot camp class in the morning.  It was super tough since I was still sore from my work out on Saturday.  This past weekend I was hanging out in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin with my bestie, Tamara.  She took me with her to her work out on Saturday morning.  Slow motion push-ups are officially my least favorite exercise.  They are weirdly easy at first, but then you feel like your arms might just fall off for the next three days...Then today we did SLOW MOTION PUSH UPS!  I couldn't believe it.  I'm half way through my boot camp class when the instructor told us that we were going to do them.  We have never done slow motion push ups before, but of course we did today.  Now, I can barely lift my arms above my head.  Ouch.  I guess the good news is that if I keep doing them I'll have awesome looking arms for my wedding dress :)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
3 scallions
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp of cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 red pepper, chopped
3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 egg
8 whole wheat buns
cheese if you want (we used colby jack)
BBQ Caramelized Onions:
1 red onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
BBQ sauce, to taste

Directions:
1. Peel the sweet potato and use your food processor with a grate attachment to grate the sweet potato.  If you don't have this, you can use a cheese grater with the largest holes.  Place sweet potato pieces in a large bowl.
2. Put the black beans in the food processor and pulse a few times to mash the beans.  Add these to the bowl with the sweet potato.
3. Mix in the scallions, cilantro, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, red pepper pieces, and oats.  Stir well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Mix the egg in with the other ingredients and place the mixture in the fridge to chill until the oven is ready.
6. Once ready, form 8 balls with the mixture and press into burger shaped rounds.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes and then flip and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. For the caramelized onions, add onion slices, olive oil and bbq sauce to a pan.  Heat over medium until onion becomes translucent and soft.  Serve on top of burgers and feel free to add any other toppings!

Enjoy :)

Thai Quinoa Veggie Salad

I just spent a really great weekend up in Minnesota!  Bri, Lauren and I all went there to visit our friends Patrick, Tommy, and Braden.  It was the second time I had ever been there and the first in four years!  Last time I was there it was for the State Fair (which is a crazy awesome State Fair) and so this time I was excited to just sort of hang out and explore Minneapolis.  

We drove there (6.5 hours each way) which means that my weekend felt really short!  We had a great time, but now I feel a little crazed.  I'm up at 5:15 (instead of 4:45) and instead of going to my workout class, I decided to sleep a little longer and get to school a little earlier to catch up on some work and get ready for the week.  

Today is going to be exhausting.  I have school and then after school cheer practice and then after practice we are cheering at a soccer game.  It's an away game so that means I have to go on the bus with the team and then come back.  Last time we did this, I did not get to leave school until after 7:30.  I guess it could be crazier.  Like if this was a night football game it would be much later.  But, after my whirlwind weekend, I know I am going to be beat later.  

Anyways, it has been a little over two weeks since I decided to be healthier, lose a few pounds, and focus on strength training as well as running.  That means that I am running less (way less compared to marathon training) and I am focusing on what I eat more and more.  This recipe is the perfect thing to share.  Plus, Bri has the day off and promised to go grocery shopping and I want to make sure he has a good list of things to buy...(so if you're reading this, Bri, make sure to get these ingredients!).   I made this Thai Quinoa Veggie Salad a while ago, but I never got around to sharing it.  Today it is the perfect thing to share!  This recipe is super simple, the ingredients are awesome for you and on top of it, it is Vegetarian, Gluten Free, and Vegan! 

Thai Quinoa Veggie Salad

(adapted from Avocado Pesto)

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to directions

1 red onion, diced

1/2 cup grated carrots

2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped, to taste

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

4 tbsp peanuts, chopped

Dressing:

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp tamari (make sure you use gluten free if that is what you are going for!)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to directions and then when it is done, place in a large bowl to cool and combine with the broccoli, red onion, grated carrots, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts.

2. Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients together.  Then, add half the dressing to the bowl and toss everything with the dressing.  Give it a taste and add more dressing as needed.  

Enjoy :)

Veggie Sandwiches on Homemade Pretzel Rolls

Remember that time I made Homemade Pretzel Rolls?  Well, then I made some seriously awesome sandwiches with said rolls.  This is their story:

Bri and I love food.  Bri is a vegetarian.  I am trying to eat a little healthier and I've been trying out all sorts of fun veggie-filled recipes.  Then, I came across this recipe and I was like "OMG I HAVE TO MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

So that's how these Veggie Sandwiches came to be.  I had one for lunch at school and made everyone a little jealous.  Now I am just drooling thinking about them.  

School has been pretty great lately.  My students did a fantastic job on their last quiz and I am excited by how well they are doing overall!  We are in the middle of a unit on solving systems of equations, inequalities, and matrices.  It's pretty fun.  My cheer-girls are also awesome.  They had their first pep rally on Friday and it was a total success.  They did this amazing cheer, dance, and stunt and it was so cool to see them looking so happy and doing such a great job.  I am coming up with a new dance for them and I am also working on incorporating some fun math activities for my students.  I'll keep you all posted! 

Veggie Sandwiches on Homemade Pretzel Rolls

Ingredients:

2 portabella mushrooms, sliced

2 red pepper, sliced

1 orange pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1 garlic clove, minced

1 avocado, sliced

Goat Cheese Spread:

8 oz goat cheese

1 bulb of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper

Red Pepper Sauce:

1/2 cup roasted red peppers

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:
1. You need to roast the whole bulb of garlic for the goat cheese spread.  Cut off the base of the bulb so that the cloves are visible.  Place this on a piece of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap in the tinfoil and place in the oven for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.  Once done, you should be able to squeeze the roasted garlic cloves right out of the bulb.
2. Make the roasted red pepper sauce: In a food processor, place all the ingredients except for the olive oil and salt/pepper.  Process until you have a smooth sauce then continue to process as you add in the olive oil.  Stir in the salt and pepper to your taste.  Set aside.
3. Wrap the sliced portabellas in tinfoil with the 1 minced garlic clove for the sandwiches and 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Place foil packet in a small pan over the stove and heat over warm until the mushrooms are cooked, about 5-10 minutes.  
4. Wrap the sliced peppers and onion in a packet of tinfoil: Place all the veggies on the tinfoil and then sprinkle with 2 tbsp of olive oil, the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, some salt and pepper and paprika.  Wrap the veggies up and place in a pan over the stove.  Heat on warm until veggies become translucent, about 10-15 minutes.  

5.  Once veggies are done, remove from heat.
6. Make the goat cheese spread, once your garlic bulb is roasted, squeeze the cloves out into a food processor with the goat cheese, basil, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Process with adding in the 2 tbsp of olive oil until you have a nice spread.  Use a spatula to get the goat cheese into a bowl.  (I ended up with a lot of extra of this stuff so place it in a container so you can put it in the fridge when you are done.)
7.  Assemble the sandwiches!  Spread some goat cheese on one piece of bun and some red pepper sauce on the other piece.  Place some peppers and mushrooms over the goat cheese and then top with a slice of avocado.

Enjoy :)

3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

I love meals that are super easy and super delicious.  This is definitely one of those.  All you do is throw a bunch of stuff into a pot, let it get warm, and then enjoy!  Now that the weather is getting colder, this is the perfect type of meal to come home to.  

In other news, I'm a cheer coach at my school and this is the first year we have a cheer team.  Almost none of the girls had any prior experience and we just had our first game!  It was so exciting to see them out there cheering and they did a really great job.  I love that I became involved in this and I can't wait for more games.  This Friday we have a pep rally and the girl's are performing a cheer and a dance.  They're pretty nervous, but they are looking so great!  They have worked really hard and it is exciting to see them become so invested in something.  Today we have a practice and then a dinner where we are going to hang out about make some cheer bows!  It's gonna be awesome.  

So, although tonight I am having pizza with my cheerleaders, I still wanted to share this great chili recipe that I made recently.  Then, I can't wait to share how the bow-making goes and how the pep rally goes tomorrow!  The chili recipe is totally relevant because now that cheer is taking over my afternoons, I ahve less time to cook when I get home!  This chili recipe is going to be making quite a few appearances in our apartment in the near future...

3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

(adapted from Cait's Plate)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 red peppers, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp southwest chipotle powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

Toppings: Crumbled Goat Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, over medium heat, heat olive oil.  Add in the peppers and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add in the rest of the ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  

2. Serve with whatever toppings you want.

Enjoy :)

Homemade Pretzel Rolls

After you run a marathon, you get this special "eat whatever you want" pass.  This can be dangerous with me since I'll crave something weird and then I'll go an make it.  However, this year I didn't really crave anything that strange.  I have been super into pretzel things lately though.  I decided that I needed to make my own pretzel rolls and then I used them to make sandwiches for lunch or dinner.  They were pretty simple to make.  You just need a lot of time since you have to let the dough rise.  As a post-marathon snack.  These guys are great since they are filling and a little salty.  For a school lunch, they are also amazing since they are a little bigger than slider sized.  They made for the perfect sized sandwich when I don't have a ton of time to eat!  

Today I have to go back to school after a long weekend.  That is always a little tough.  However, I am excited to see my students and get back into a routine.  I am also trying to get myself moving again so that I can work through some of my soreness.  So, I am up early and I am going to walk on the treadmill in my building.  I'm hoping that once I start I'll feel better.  

I am also planning on heading over the LA Fitness sometime this week for a morning class.  I haven't been there in a really long time and I feel guilty about having this gym membership that I haven't been using.  So, I am going to pack a shower bag and try out a morning workout at the gym.  

Then, since I'm getting my workouts done in the morning, I will have more time to make these awesome rolls again in the afternoon! 

Homemade Pretzel Rolls

(adapted from Mel's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active yeast

2 tbsp canola oil

2 cups skim milk

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp kosher salt

6 1/2-8 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

3 quarts water

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup baking soda

salt for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Heat the milk and water in the microwave for about a minute.  They should be warm.  Then, in a large bowl, combine the yeast, canola oil, milk, water, and salt.

2. Using a mixer, a spoon, or your hands.  Start to add in 6 cups of flour.  Mix until you have a dough-like consistency.  Add flour as needed so that it is not too sticky.  Once your dough comes together, knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should form a ball and be slightly springy.

3. Grease a separate, large bowl and place the dough in.  Cover with a towel and pace in a draft-free area for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. 

4. Punch down the risen dough and start to peel off pieces to make small balls.  You should end up with 16 balls of dough.  Gently roll each ball and let sit on a baking tray or the counter for about 20 minutes.  

5. While the dough balls are resting, pour the 3 quarts of water, sugar and baking soda into a large pot.  Bring to a boil on the stove.  

6. Take 4 balls of dough at a time, pinch one side of the dough to gather it into a ball-like shape and place in the boiling water.  Let them boil on each side for 30 seconds - 1minute each.  Place each finished piece of dough on a lightly greased or parchment covered baking pan.  Repeat this process with all the dough pieces.

7. Preheat the oven to 425.

8.  Using  a very sharp knife, slice a few slits into each ball of dough.  Sprinkle some coarse salt over each one.

9.  Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy! 

Spring Veggie Pasta

I only have 6 miles left to do on my marathon training plan.  The race is super close and I figured I would share a yummy pasta dish in honor of all the carb loading I've been doing.  I ate this for dinner the night before my big 20 mile run and I felt great.  It was a pasta dish filled with great flavors and I loved the way the roasted broccolini and tomatoes came out.  I used whole wheat pasta and the whole thing ended up being a really healthy way to get some good carbs in your diet.  

Tomorrow I have a 4 mile run and then Thursday is a 2 mile run and then that is it! I am ready to run Chicago's fantastic 26.2 mile route!

School this week is also somehow flying by.  I'm not sure if it is excitement or nerves, but the time is just slipping right by me.  Plus, Wednesday is a testing day where I am proctoring the ACT and Friday is an Institute Day with no students.  Then, we also have Monday off for Columbus Day.  All this is making this, plus the marathon is making this week feel extra special and super strange.  Today my students are starting some graphing work for precalculus and my AP guys are getting ready for a test on Thursday.  I am trying real hard to stay focused, but I honestly feel a bit all over the place! Then, I also have cheer practice, but that is mostly just a lot of fun and the team is getting really good!

So to wrap up, this week is crazy, this pasta is crazy good, and I am a bit of a scattered-brained, mess.  So head over to Food & Wine for this pasta recipe, it is really yummy.  I followed everything pretty exactly except for the fact that I used whole wheat linguini and instead of shaved ricotta salata cheese (my grocery store did not have any), I used a hard goat cheddar cheese (which was super delish).  Have fun and enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls

School has been going really well.  Cheer practice has started, we are already starting Unit 3 for math, and it has been so much fun getting to know my students.  I even got the chance to chaperone a field trip to a college fair with the juniors.  They were super into it and it was really great to see.  I love that I get to help them out and be part of the whole picking out colleges experience.  

I have also been busy with wedding planning, as the days count down, we are starting to get more and more into the smaller details.  This means lots of decision making, which is not always my strong suit.  However, it also means lots of fun and excitement which is what I am focusing on. 

And on top of all that, the marathon is right around the corner! I have 4 training runs left and 11 days until the big race!  I am super pumped, but also starting to get nervous! 

Now, for this recipe.  It was one of the easiest meals I had ever made and it made for some really great school lunches.  All you have to do is dump all the stuff into your crock pot, wait, and then enjoy! Can it get any easier?  Plus, it was really tasty.  I would put some of the chicken mixture into my school pyrex container, sprinkle a little cheese on top, and then add some avocado slices if I was feeling really fancy.  Yum! 

Crock Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls

(adapted from The Kitchn)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock (I used vegetable stock because it was what I already had in the fridge)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

1 cup brown rice

1 15 oz can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

Optional: Salsa, Guacamole, Avocado, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Green Onion...etc.

Directions:

1. Wash chicken and pat dry.  Place in the crock pot.  Put tomatoes, 1/2 cup stock, chili powder, salt, and cumin in as well.  Cook on low for 4 hours.

2. After about 4 hours, add in the black beans, brown rice, and corn.  Cook on low for another 3-4 hours.

3. Serve with a little melted cheese, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream or greek yogurt! It's really up to you!

Enjoy :)

Marathon Training Monday

Taper week! I love taper weeks because A. you get to run less and B. you feel like superwoman.  I ran 12 miles Saturday and compared to the 15 or 16 miles from the previous two Saturdays, it felt like a breeze.  Also, I was told I earned hard-core runner points because we ran the 12 miles in the rain.  It wasn't cold, but it was pretty rainy for most of the run and that was a little annoying.  However, it could have been worse.  I'll take rain over heat any day.

After my 12 mile run, I also had cheer tryouts at school.  I am one of the cheer coaches for the brand new squad at my school and I am pumped.  Tryouts went really well and we had a great turn out! I can't wait to get started with practices!

This week the mileage is 4, 9, 5, and 18.  18 is a really long run.  I'm a little nervous.  But, I also know that once that 18-miler is over, I will feel super confident about being able to finish the marathon.

This week is also my first official week of school with my students! I can't wait to meet them all.  We have some fun getting to know you games/activities and we are also diving into Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus.  AH! I'm extremely nervous, but I am also so excited!

Happy Monday! Hope everyone has a nice week!

Vegetarian Black Bean and Avocado Burritos

Today I am sharing some really big news! I got a new job!  I am still teaching high school math, but now I am at a school much closer to my home!  I used to commute for about 1 hour and 15 minutes each way to and from school.  Now, my commute is about 25 minutes.  It's amazing!  Plus, I am working at this amazing new school in Chicago and I am learning so much.  I have been there for a few weeks getting ready and now the first day for my students is right around the corner!  I can't wait! 

I have been really busy with all the changes so I have been a little bit behind on cooking and sharing what I'm cooking.  However, I am starting to adjust to this new life and a 25 minute commute means I get home much earlier than usual and therefore have more time to actually make dinner!  Here is one of my new dinners that I am really into.  It was really easy, vegetarian (so Bri's a big fan), and quick.  It is a great weeknight meal and you end up with leftovers for lunches! 

Vegetarian Black Bean and Avocado Burritos

(Adapted from The Kitchn)

Oven ready burritos!

Ingredients:

12 whole wheat tortillas

2 chiles in adobo sauce, minced

1 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt

2 15 oz cans of low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2 avocados, peeled and diced

2 cups of your favorite salsa

1 cup shredded light Mexican cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch pan.

2. In a food processor, combine the chiles, a few tsp of adobo sauce, and greek yogurt.  Add in 1 can of the black beans and pulse to combine.  You should get a nice paste mixture.  

3. In a bowl, combine the black bean paste, the other can of black beans, and the chopped avocado.  

4. Spoon a few tbsp of the mixture into the center of a tortilla.  Roll to create your burrito and place seam down in the pan.  Repeat with the rest.  

5. Pour the salsa over the tops of the burritos and then top with the shredded cheese.  Wrap tinfoil over the top and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Wedding Planning Wednesday Part 5 and Inception Cookies

I do have some exciting developments to share in our wedding planning extravaganza.  But first:

Happy National Running Day!  I have some new shoes arriving today to help kick off my marathon training for the Chicago Marathon.  Plus, I decided to sign up for ANOTHER marathon.  Jana and I have been looking for a spring marathon so that we can have a "runcation."  We decided to sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Nashville!  I am pretty excited about this.  This marathon is not until April 30 so I will have a ton of time after the Chicago one to rest up and train.  Yay running! I know many of you think I am insane, but I just love it :)

Also, it's finals week and you know what that means: COOKIES!!! I made a ton of Inception Cookies for all my kiddos to celebrate finishing the year on a good note.  Currently, I am sitting in my Algebra Advanced final and I am watching them work really hard.  I am pretty proud of these guys and they totally deserve some cookies.  Plus, I found Cookie Dough Oreos! I know, what? Yes, cookie dough! So really these Inception Cookies are like TRIPLE inception: A cookie, within a cookie, within a cookie!

Inception Cookies

And now, the wedding plans.  We (almost) have a DJ!!! I set up two meetings with Style Matters and Toast and Jam to talk about music.  So we have a place, a rabbi, a photographer, and a DJ!!! I am still working on my "ask the bridesmaids" project and I am going to get started on figuring out food and a wedding website as soon as school is out!  Things are getting pretty exciting!  If anyone has advice on DJ's or good recommendations, I would love to hear them!  We are pretty much decided on using a DJ over a band because of finances, but if you know of a great band that is reasonable, I would love to hear that as well!! Thanks for all the advice I have already been getting from you guys! 

New Running Shoes

Welcome back to another Marathon Monday!  This Monday is extra special because it is my last day teaching before finals!! I can't believe I am finishing up my second year and embarking on my third!  My second period class decided that since they all like each other a lot, we should have a little party.  I agreed with liking them all a lot and thought it was pretty cute that they decided to plan this.  Besides our little party, we are also spending the day going over reviews and making sure that everyone is ready for finals.  I am genuinely going to miss so many of my students from this year, but I am also so excited for summer and to see what next year brings.

This Marathon Monday, I am excited to talk about my brand new running shoes! When training for a marathon, the advice is to buy two pairs of shoes because you train in one pair until the 20 mile run, and then you switch to a fresh pair to get ready for race day.  I have been running in Aisecs for forever now, but since my GT 2002 2's are no longer produced, I switched to GT 2000 3.  They are supposed to be even better and I can't wait to see how they feel.  Plus they are adorable:

The first official day of training is June 7th!  I can't wait to bust these guys out and get my marathon training started! If you want to see more about my training you can check that out here: Jodie B - Team Have Dreams.