what i've bean up to

So I haven't blogged since last weekend, because I've been up to a lot this week. It seems I had tests in most of my classes, I had tutoring, work, Hebrew School, club meetings - the usual, but all in one week.

I also went to a Young Women's Leadership Conference through school; a handful of girls from 21 schools from my county gathered and took seminars to empower ourselves, and during lunch there were tables set up with women from different agencies and organizations that would possibly interest us. And as interesting as Planned Parenthood and Girls Scouts are, they don't really appeal to me. But I was drawn to a table that had a big sign that said "Obesity" because I knew they would have lots of information about healthy living. Well, they did, and I pretty much took every pamphlet they had to offer. (I went up twice though at different times because I was slightly embarrassed to take everything at once). I have yet to go through all the pamphlets, but I'm excited to share with you any knowledge or recipes I find.

Also, in one of the seminars I attended there, I heard some good advice. The seminar was called "Act Like a Lady", and it was about how women are portrayed in the media and how we should not feel pressured to act or look like we're "supposed to". My favorite thing that the speaker said - and this goes for everyone, not just women - is that instead of feeling conscious about your weight or the looks of your body, you'll feel better if you work out and acquire the strength and endurance to feel good. That in itself will boost your confidence and make you feel better about your body, because you'll know that it's able to accomplish so much. It'll help you gain respect for your body. I really liked that idea.

Anyway, I took the SAT for the first time this morning. I'm not sure what I think about it, but I'm just happy it's over. It felt like it went on forever today, and by the middle of the test I felt my stomach grumble (despite the delicious and filling egg that my mom made me this morning - thanks Mom!) It was a good thing I packed myself a snack... Even though my friend Sarah laughed at me as I stood in front of the classroom chomping on green beans, they extenuated (SAT word!) my hunger until I got home for lunch.

Green beans are high in fiber, calcium, and protein, and they help boost your immune system because of their antioxidant content (which is important during these winter months - happy December by the way!).

I personally love green beans, and one serving of them during the test wasn't enough for me. I found a recipe on dashingdish.com (click here for original) and I really was just in the mood to make it. So I did. These are baked Parmesan green beans, and this is one of the simplest recipes out there. This recipe of mine is enough for 1-2 servings, depending on how much you want to eat of them yourself or how much you want to share!

Here's what you'll need:
1 serving of green beans
1 tsp Parmasen cheese
1/3 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt (remember to used iodized salt!)
spray olive oil 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut off ends of green beans.

2. Mix together Parm cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.

 3. In a bowl, spray green beans with oil and sprinkle topping on. Then mix around and repeat until desired amount of topping.

4. Spread green beans out on a cooking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

*Tip: When I made these, I was experimenting with how much of everything I'd need for one serving, and I over-estimated. So I had a lot of the topping left over. I put it to use though just now when I ate pizza for dinner. Instead of just putting Parm cheese like I usually do, I put the excess seasoning blend on my pizza!

Reference: http://www.livestrong.com/article/257290-what-are-the-benefits-of-string-beans/