Mini Pot Pies! Whaaattt!

I recently finished Graceling and I have to say it was an easy read that I should have finished within a week but it was not gripping enough to me to keep my attention most days. I do think it was a great book just not amazing. I enjoyed the plot and the bad ass heroine type that I enjoyed in Divergent and Hunger Games. It did take me a while to get all the characters, family ties, and kingdoms down since it seemed they were all introduced and explained in the first few chapters. It was a lot to handle. It is a good read but I would not put it on the top of the list if there are others out there that you have more of a desire to read. This is one for a boring, rainy, have nothing else to do, type of day.

I am currently reading Crossover by Joel Shephard which reminds me of a Jason Borne type of plot line. And again, I cannot help myself but to pick the books with the bad ass heroine. I did not read much about this book before picking it up all I remember is seeing it in a magazines recommended reading list. It was slow starting off and trying to understand who the main character is and why she acts the way she does. Now into the third chapter or so it has picked up and I am starting to understand more about the girl who has several different aliases and I am now learning that she is a super soldier robot built by the government. She is a prototype given cognitive thought and therefore has decided that she no longer wants to be a killing machine. This is a sci-fi book and I thought nothing of it until I ran into a lot of scientific terms and ideas I had to read over a few times to understand what the author is saying. I am not far enough into it to say that it is worth the time and effort but I don’t like not finishing the book without knowing how it will end.

I do have Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on hold at the library. Every copy was checked out and I thought the hype from the movie would cause a longer wait list and I did not expect it so quickly. I am tempted to try and read both novels at the same time but that might be confusing.

I am now officially an airman (that’s so sexist, I wish I could say airwoman…) in the Air National Guard and I just had my first drill weekend. My excuse for not blogging sooner since I have been working the past two weeks straight. On Saturday I reported to the gym at 0745 and started with the “modified” pt test. After a warm up and stretches we started with one minute push-ups. I did 20 J, 18 is the requirement to pass the BMT pt test. Then one minute sit ups. I did 37, one from the 38 requirement to pass BMT pt test. Technically I passed the AF pt test because the standards are different from the BMT test. The test was modified because they only had us run one mile instead of the 1.5 miles required for the AF pt test. I did well and at my pace I would have passed the 1.5 mile to AF standards but not BMT standards. I know I need work but I am proud of my endurance. The last time I could run a mile without walking was ninth grade so yay me! After our test we did a team building exercise where we were split into teams and our task was to build a launcher and a catcher out of the given supplies to launch and catch erasers effectively. My team did fairly well and worked together to almost win the challenge. After this we did a 30 minute workout consisting of running laps, squats, sit ups, push ups, and jumping jacks. I liked this type of workout because it was challenging to keep going and pushing myself but I was able to go at my own pace and not at some incredibly fit officer pace. We ended at 1045 and were told to shower and change and be ready by 1100! I had to choose drying my hair over doing my make-up, I guess I will have to get used to quick, cold showers… We then drove to the chow hall for lunch until 1145 because we had to be across base for briefings at 1200. I then sat in a newcomers briefing until 1600. What a long day.. So this is how my Saturdays will be like on drill weekends. On Sunday I was to be at my unit but I was unsure of what time to be there. I know they open at 0800 so I figured the earlier I am, the better. I showed up at 0715 which was smart because I got to meet everyone and attend the morning briefing by the first sergeant and the unit commander. I was awestruck when the officers intermingled with the enlisted. I was expecting a type of segregation. I also noticed how kind everyone is and how they are all like one big family and was very quick to include me as one of their own. The new airmen fresh out of tech school were eager to share their basic stories and tips and tricks for basic and tech school.  They also included me in everything and offered me to sit in on their daily duties. When it was lunch time, and before I even knew it was time to go to lunch, they asked if I wanted to tag along to the chow hall. I learned a lot and this was the first time I was absolutely sure of my choice and I am so excited for every drill weekend. The normal drill day at the Med Group starts at 0730 with a briefing then we all get ready to open at 0800. Then we can have several duties ranging from taking vitals, taking blood, conducting eye tests, giving shots, etc. We do this until 1200 and then break for lunch until 1300. Then for the rest of the day we train. When I was there they played a jeopardy game consisting of study material from their CDCs. I love that they are given an opportunity to study at work. I think it is smart and since we are only there once a month it is important to train, learn, and prepare to grow and excel.  

Here is a few awesome recipes I have tried over the weekend.

Breakfast Pumpkin Muffins

This is a weightwatchers’ diet I found on Pinterest. Only two ingredients and twenty minutes in the oven! Whhaaattt!

All you need is a box of yellow cake mix and a can of pumpkin. I accidently bought the pumpkin pie can but it worked out great anyway. Mix the two together and fill up muffin cups ½ to ¾ full and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Zeke ate these babies up! They taste just like pumpkin pie J

I also found an amazing mini chicken pot pie recipe on Pinterest. Its quick and you can change it up and create all kinds of fillings to work with this idea.

Bottom step 1, middle step 2, top step 3

First I boiled some chicken breasts and when they were finished I cut them up and put it into a bowl with mixed frozen veggies. What I should have done then was create a gravy to mix in with the chicken and veggies but it didn’t mention anything like that online and I didn’t think about how dry they would be until after they were cooked. Anyway I then mixed the bisquick or pancake mix and put about a tablespoon in each muffin tin. Then I topped it with the mixture until the tin is just about full. Try not to over fill it, I did and it got messy when I went to add the rest of the pancake mix. I top the mixture with another tablespoon of pancake mix then put it in the oven at 350for 25 minutes. Once they were finished I noticed they were dry and so I heated up some chicken broth and added some pancake mix to create gravy and topped the mini pie with that gravy. Yummmm! And I have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Bonus!

Done! Just have to add gravy