I loves me some grad school

First week, check! Since it was a short week and all with Monday off for Labor Day, I won’t have my nutrition class until next week. But besides that I had the rest of my classes and I think they’ll be great! My first impressions were that two of my classes and professors were exceptionally interesting, and the third class will be very intriguing content-wise, but the professor didn’t seem that enthusiastic. It was only the first day though, so hopefully that will improve as time goes on!

Speaking of first impressions, I’m pretty sure I made a great one on all my new classmates. This is me heading out for my very first grad class!  See how excited I was!?

And this is me once I got back the first night…and probably what I looked like as I introduced myself to countless people at school. Yep, it was pouring outside. Yep, it was like 90 degrees and humid outside. So by the time I made it to campus I was wet, sweaty, and looking pretty darn good.

I think it’s safe to say that I would be awarded the First Impression rose on The Bachelor, if you know what I mean. Seriously, rain boots, shorts, curly and frizzy hair plastered to my face? Irresistible.

But anyway, the rest of my week went really well and I was able to meet a number of girls in my nutrition program. Awesome! Starting next week I will not only be posting recipes but also fun facts I have learned in my classes. I can’t wait to share with you all what I’m learning!

In the meantime, here’s one more recipe. And this one is for the record book. I am going to introduce you to one of the best meals I have had in a long time. My brother and I made this together and were like, really? We just made something this amazing!? Insert fist bump.

So please, go into your kitchen and make these Roasted Portabella and Goat Cheese Burgers with Mom’s Sweet and Spicy BBQ Beans. This meal is like navy and coral with gold accessories. It’s like reading a novel in a park on a crisp fall day while sipping a pumpkin spice latte. It’s like surrounding yourself with people you love and who love you back. In other words, it’s simply perfection.

The smooth and creamy goat cheese paired with the spicy dijon mustard makes this sandwich worthy of all our praise. Check out the layers.

And the beans. Oh my god the beans. These beans are incredible! I would pay money for these beans. They’re money beans. Sweet, spicy, tangy loveliness with kale and onions. Yum.

Essentially, the epicness of this meal can be described with two simple pictures.

Mind.

Blowing.

Roasted Portabella and Goat Cheese Burgers

Serves 2

Adapted from Eat Live Run

2 large portabella mushrooms

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp agave

4 tbsp goat cheese, softened

2 whole wheat bakery buns

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 handfuls of spinach

Are you ready for the easiest meal ever? In order to make the burgers all you need is an oven! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Wash mushrooms thoroughly and scrape out the inside of the mushroom caps. Scrape out all the little flappy-things. Then place the mushroom caps, scraped-out side up, on the baking sheet and spread olive oil and agave equally over both caps. Then sprinkle with a little salt. Place mushrooms in oven and bake for 7 minutes, flip mushrooms over, and bake an additional 7 minutes. You may need to bake them a little longer depending on how big the mushrooms are. When they are done they will be tender.

After the mushrooms are baked, assemble your burgers by placing the rest of the ingredients equally on both buns. Feast!

Mom’s Sweet and Spicy BBQ Beans

Serves 5-6

Adapted from Eat Live Run

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

~6 cups of chopped kale, I just used a bunch until it looked like it would fill the skillet once it had wilted a bit

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup bbq sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp olive oil

To make these glorious baked beans, start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is pre-heating, heat the olive oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Once the skillet is ready, cook the onions in the skillet for about six minutes, until softened. Then add the garlic to the onions and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the chopped kale to the skillet and cook for about 5 more minutes, until kale is wilted. Stirring frequently all along.Then add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet and mix thoroughly, cook another minute or so. Then remove skillet from heat and place all contents of the skillet into an 8×8 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake the beans for about 15 minutes in the oven to ensure they are thoroughly cooked/warmed through. Eat piping hot out of the oven. Enjoy!

Pumpkin spicin’ up my life,

Sydney