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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Elf4Health Week 1 Recap

Hey hey everyone. This week was the first week of the Elf4Health Challenges. I'm happy to report that I survived the first week.

Nutritionella


This weeks challenges were:

  1. Monday: Go Meatless
  2. Tuesday: Unsubscribe
  3. Wednesday: New Workout
  4. Thursday: Make a phone call
  5. Friday: Track water intake
  6. Saturday: Treat Yourself
  7. Sunday: 100 burpees
I'm doing this recap a little early so that I can keep up with my other posts. Sundays are Weekly Goals. Mondays are Tip of the Week, and Friday is Fitness Friday. 

Anyway, back to the Elf4Health. 
  • Monday was pretty easy for me. I'm a pescetarian/vegetarian. 
  • Tuesday, I realized how many websites I have subscribed too. Some, I forgot about. I decided to unsubscribe to some of them since it was clogging up my inbox. 
  • Wednesday was pretty cool. I did a new pilates workout on youtube. It's been a while since I've done pilates. 
  • Thursday, I called my cousin! haha. 
  • Friday, I drank at least 80 oz of water. I get pretty thirsty. 
  • Saturday, which is today, I am going to treat myself to Starbucks. I'm probably going to buy a Gingerbread Latte and a pumpkin loaf. I haven't tried any of the Starbucks foods yet and I really want to know how they taste. 
  • Sunday, it's pretty easy for me to do 100 burpees. I'm just debating whether or not to do it all at the same time or to spread it out throughout the day. If I do it all at the same time, then I don't have to worry too much about it after. If I do it throughout the day, it'll help boost my metabolism and get my blood going! However, I may have a hard time fitting it in since I'll be studying. It'll be mys study break exercise if I do it throughout the day. 
Well, that's it for now. I did try a new Insanity workout today and it was pretty intense. I thought it would be a little easier because of my fitness level but I guess not! And, don't worry. I'll post my review for Catching Fire on Tuesday. Be on the lookout! 

How was your Thanksgiving?
What challenges did you take on this week?

Friday, November 29, 2013

Fitness Friday




Happy Friday everyone! How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty nice and relaxing, except for the Black Friday shopping yesterday (or should I say Black Thursday?). My Thanksgiving started off with my own workout routine and eating breakfast. Then, I went on a walk with my extended family around the downtown area. It was pretty nice and the weather was perfect!

After, I went to Walmart to get some Black Thursday deals. Yes, I am calling it Black Thursday because it was Thursday, not Friday, that we shopped! We got some really good deals there! Ha. Serves us right for getting there early. We were lucky that the lines weren't that long at the check-out for us .We rushed through the store and everything. We made it in time for our family potluck dinner, which was pretty nice. I usually bake some sweets but I didn't get to this year because of the shopping. My dad dragged me along so that he wouldn't have to wait too long to get all the special deals Walmart was offering. Oh well. No one missed the sweets (except for my twin cousins, who could eat 10 cookies at once). I am thinking people in my family are trying to eat healthier now, which is a great thing!

Anyway, today's post is suppose to be about my workouts and such. As you have noticed, I've been running less and adding different things into my routine. I want to see if doing less running but doing other things will help improve my physique. We will see though.

How as your Thanksgiving?
How were your workouts this week?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Whole Wheat Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar

Hola todos! Como están ustedes? Estoy muy bien. Gracias!

Yo horneé galletas el lunes pasado. Tenía una ganas para comerlas! Me gusta comer postres. Es muy mal para la salud pero los postres son muy delicioso.

Translation: Hi everyone. How are you guys. I'm very good. Thanks!

I baked cookies the past Monday. I felt like eating them. I love eating desserts. It is bad for the health but desserts are so delicious!
I wanted to bake something that was more on the healthier side so that I wouldn't feel bad eating them. I came across a recipe from eatgood4life.com and it looked very simple to make. I just had to make them. Well, I didn't have to but I wanted a healthier dessert. It ended up being really good. My mom likes it too.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups oats
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dark chocolate chips (as much as you want) 
Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil or parchment paper. 
  3. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract 
  4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. 
  5. Place the dough in the pan and push the dough into the pan, so that it covers most of the pan. 
  6. You can add extra chocolate chips on top if you want. 
  7. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.
  8. Take the bars out and let them cool completely. 
  9. Cut them into bars and enjoy! 
Warning: These bars do crumble a little. However, they are delicious! I just had to make these just so that I wouldn't feel too guilty about eating sweets. 

Do you like cookie bars?
What baked goods do you "healthify"? 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Elf 4 Health

I'm so excited to be part of Elle and Lindsay's Elf4Health Challenges! I participated in this last year and I'm so happy to be part of it again. Elle and Lindsay do a great job coordinating, planning and organizing everything.

Well, what exactly is this Elf4Health, you might be asking?

It's four weeks of health challenges that Elle and Lindsay posts! Every two weeks, you are assigned an "elf", who you will talk to and help each other out with the challenges.
The Lean Green Bean

Isn't it a cute button? I think it is! It really speaks to the theme of the challenge. Elf, holidays, get it?

Today's challenge is to Go Meatless. No meat eating for today. It's fairly easy for me because I don't eat meat! 

Oh, I forgot to introduce you guys to my elf. Her name is Danica  and she blogs at It's Progression. From talking to her, she sounds like an awesome person! She's studying to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach, which is great! I actually found her blog when she guest posted at Lindsay's blog. I've been hooked to her blog since (although I don't comment). She talks about life, exercise, eating and health. It's a great blog. Go hop over and see! 

How was your weekend?
What challenges are you going to try this week? 
Do you go meatless at least once a week? 

P.S. That is today's tip of the week. Go meatless! =) Also, my professor postponed the chemistry exam! 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Weekly Goals + my weekend

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys doing today? 

Well, I'm doing fine, thank you very much. I'm just here to pop in and talk about my weekly goals! 

Last week, I set three goals:
  1. Don't drink coffee 
  2. Ace my exams
  3. Make hummus
  4. Unplug from technology
I feel like even though I call these weekly goals, some of these goals I still want to work on in the long term. I don't want to depend on coffee and caffeine for energy all the time. I did drink less coffee the past week but I still ended up drinking coffee. I prepared well for my exams, and I've yet to get the results. 

I did make hummus this week in class and it was decent. We had a faulty blender when we made hummus. There was a hole in it and when we poured all the ingredients in, some of the olive oil came out! We had to  switch blenders, which meant we added a little too much olive oil since we didn't know how much escaped. 

As for unplugging from technology, it is really hard now-a-days to unplug from technology. People are always checking their phones for emails, texts, facebook, instagram or whatnot. It's better to just enjoy life and take things as you go. Emails, texts and those stuff can wait. 

Now, here are this weeks goals. 



Now for happy news, I watched The Hunger Games: Catching Fire yesterday. I watched it with mis amigas. It was such a great movie. 

Image from http://geeknewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/hunger-games-catching-fire.jpg

I will review the movie later. Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress. However, Josh Hutcherson is mine. ;) 

Adios! I'm off to study for chemistry now. 



How was your weekend? 
What are your goals for the week? 

Friday, November 22, 2013

Fitness Friday



Running hasn't always been a passion of mine. From reading my weight loss post, you guys know I hated just getting up in the morning. I wasn't a physically active person. However, that slowly changed and I ran my first half marathon last month! Oh, the joys of running the Urban Cow Half Marathon. The metal was a cowbell! Along with that, you guys read in my earlier posts that I normally wake up at 5 am!

I've been having a hard time cutting down on my running after the half. I've finally cut it down from 30-35 miles a week to around 20 miles a week. There are still days when I want to run longer but I know that my body needs rest. It's been hard trying to revert back to my old workout routine before the half. It's getting close, however.

As for my fitness goals, I'm happy to report that I increased the weights from 15 pound dumbbells to 17.5 pound dumbbells. That's a great improvement! I feel stronger and more empowered now that I have increased the weights.

This is off topic but I cannot believe that Catching Fire is out in theaters today! I've been waiting for it to come out for such a long time. The Hunger Games was an amazing movie and I loved reading the books. I hope this movie doesn't disappoint. I plan on watching it tomorrow with mis amigas. Hopefully, it won't be raining and windy, like it has been here all week. Maybe a cup of hot coffee will change the atmosphere just a little bit.

How were your workouts today?
Are you going to watch Catching Fire? - Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Tip of the Week

This week's Tip of the Week is something I need to work on as well. It is a very important tip.

Hit the sack. Get enough sleep!


Here are some reasons why you should get more (or enough) sleep. 

  • It will reduce the amount of time you are awake, so you won't be tempted to go for those late night snacks. 
  • If you don't get enough sleep, you won't be wide awake to do some necessary tasks. Sometimes accidents happen when you don't get enough sleep. 
  • Our body needs to rest. Sleep is when our body gets to rest and repair itself (especially after a hard workout that day!).
  • It can help boost memory. During sleep, our brain consolidates and organizes everything that has happened that day. It shapes memory and makes connections. It is suggested that babies sleep a lot more because they are learning so much during the first couple years of life. They are constantly learning new things, being exposed to many things and are growing! 
  • It may help with weight lost. Sleep deprivation is shown to have affects on the levels of leptin and ghrelin. Leptin suppresses appetite while ghrelin initiates it. 
As you see, sleep is important. Try to sneak it an extra hour of sleep. Yes, that may mean having to go to bed earlier. 

Do you notice how sleep affects your body? 
If so, how? 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Weekly Goals

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys doing today?

I'm doing fine, thank you very  much. I've just been studying for exams this week. I'm typing up this quick blog post before going back to studying.

The past weeks goals have been successful, in a way. I did try a new workout this week, which was great. It's nice to change things up sometimes. I tried a new HIIT workout. As for eating, I ate healthy except for dessert. Dessert is my weakness! As for the goal, "focus on the positive things in life", things haven't been so positive but I turned those negatives to a positive. It's good to look at the bright side of things sometimes.

Anyway, here are this weeks goals.


So, how is your weekend going?
What are your goals for the week?

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Going out for Coffee- Coffee Talk




If we were going out for coffee-




We would be at Starbucks, enjoying a skinny vanilla latte. (Okay, since it's the holiday season, the Gingerbread latte!).

If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you how stressed out I am with school. There are many projects, presentations and exams that are coming up and I just need a breather.



If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you how much I miss playing in an orchestra. I recently went to a jazz band concert and my old high school classmate was in it. I've always been in orchestra since elementary school and it feels so weird that I'm not in orchestra anymore. I haven't even had much time to play my cello!


If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you about some new changes I'm planning to make with my blog during winter break. I can't say much right now, since I still haven't decided if I want to change it. However, I have ideas!

Last, but not least, I would tell you about how my cousin and I are wanting to create our own music CD. We have been wanting to record a CD for a long time (since junior high and we're in college now!) We will finish the CD soon (hopefully). We just have been busy! Hopefully, it'll be something we can do during the summer.

So, what have you guys been up to?

Friday, November 15, 2013

Fitness Friday




Happy Friday everyone! This week's workouts have been a little different. I was unable to run my usual 6 miles on Thursday because I slept in an hour late! Crazy. I rarely sleep in during the weekday.

I was also unable to attend bootcamp due to projects and things coming up, so I just went and did my own workout when I was able to.

I really want to get into lifting weights more but I just can't bring myself to the weight room at the gym. It's been a while since I've been there! I did last semester since I had a solid routine to use from Carrie of ThisFitChick. I could start using that routine again as a start but I want something different. Instead, I've been incorporating strength with cardio at a small cardio/weight machine area at the gym. I still use the "heavier" weights but I was able to lift more last semester. Before, I was able to lift the 17.5 lbs (20 at heaviest) dumbbells but now, the heaviest I can go is 15 lbs. I'll start lifting more!

Well, that was my fitness rant.

How did your workouts go this week?

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

My Typical Day

I thrive on routine. I have to have a schedule to get things done.


image from http://www.powellriverminorhockey.com/
Some people may say that life gets monotonous and boring from sticking with a schedule. It means doing the same thing every single day. Where is the spontaneity? 

Well, here's one thing I have to ask. How can one be productive if they don't have a set schedule? It means that you do what you want, when you want. It doesn't necessarily mean getting things done nor really enjoying something if you are always jumping back and forth. 

Having a schedule doesn't mean that you have to always follow it to the T. Life gets in the way and you have to be flexible. However, it is still nice to have something to follow just in case you don't know what to do. 

Here's a sample of my day. 
  • 4 AM: I naturally wake up. I check my phone for the time and then fall back asleep for an hour.
  • 5 AM: My alarm rings. I turn my alarm off, stay in bed for a few minutes and get up, change, and workout. 
  • 6:30 AM: Shower
  • 6:50 AM: Eat Breakfast
  • 7:30ish AM: Commute to school
  • 9 AM: Get to school and do some homework, study or blog. 
  • 10:30 AM- 1: 30 PM: Class
  • 1:30 PM- 2 PM: Lunch
  • 2-4:15 PM: Homework/Study/Blog
  • 4-30-5:30 PM: Bootcamp
  • 5:30-6 PM: Shower
  • 6-7 PM: Homework, eat a snack
  • 7-7:30: Commute home
  • 7:45 PM: Get home, eat dinner
  • 8-10:30 or 11ish PM: Homework, Blog, Study 
Two days of my week goes something like this.
  • 4 AM: I naturally wake up. I check my phone for the time and then fall back asleep for an hour.
  • 5 AM: My alarm rings. I turn my alarm off, stay in bed for a few minutes and get up, change, and workout. 
  • 6:30 AM: Shower
  • 6:50 AM: Eat Breakfast
  • 7:30ish AM: Commute to school
  • 9 AM: Class
  • 12:15 PM: Workout
  • 1:45 PM: Eat lunch
  • 2 PM: Study
  • 3-4:30 PM: Commute to another college, eat a snack
  • 5-9 PM: Night class
  • 9:15-11ish PM: Get home, eat dinner, shower, sleep
My schedule is not set and stone. Sometimes, I hang out with friends. Sometimes, I have to work on group projects so I have to switch my bootcamp time to an earlier workout time. It really all depends! Just be flexible. 

If you have a lot of things to do, having a schedule really keeps you organized. Keeping a to-do list for the day is another good way to be organized. Check things off as you get them done. Be sure to prioritize which things need to be done first and do them in that order. 

Do you guys follow a schedule or do you like spontaneity? 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

You wake up that early? Really?

Do you know how early I wake up? Guess. I dare you to guess.

I'm guessing this is how you guys are when you guys wake up in the morning.





Sorry for the distracting picture.

Have you guys guessed yet? Well, guess what. Wrong! I don't wake up at 6 am. I wake up at 5 am every single weekday.

I'm guessing you guys are wondering why I wake up so early. Well, here are a few reasons why I wake up early (even though people call me crazy for doing it!).


  1. I wake up early to get a workout in. Getting my workout in during the morning makes me feel productive. It really wakes me up. Also, it frees up the rest of my day to do other things. I tend to push back my workouts during the day since I'm usually busy. 
  2. It's really my only "me" time I have except for doing homework. 
  3. I usually have to wake up early anyway since I have to commute to school. My commute is not fun. 
  4. Waking up early means that I have a longer day to get things done! 
  5. I'm posting a 5th one because I don't like the number 4. The 5th reason why I wake up early is due to habit. I've been waking up early for the past 4 years or so. It's hard to break it! 
Now, you guys are probably wondering what my schedule is like. Don't worry. I'll have that post up later on. 

Do you guys prefer waking up early or late? 
When do you guys normally workout? 

Monday, November 11, 2013

Tip of the Week

Do you like croutons in your salad?

Do you like it because it gives your salad an extra crunch?



Well, maybe you should switch it for something else! Croutons aren't the best thing you can add to your salad, especially if you like adding that extra crunch. One thing I like to add are almonds or walnuts. My friend Noelle, says she likes adding apple chips to her salad. It sounds strange but it's really good. It also adds a little sweetness to your salad. It adds more fiber as well. ;)

So, the next time you eat a salad, try to make do without the croutons. Add some apple chips, almonds or walnuts. You won't regret it!

What are your favorite salad add-ins?

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Weekly Goals

Happy Sunday everyone. Here's a quick post of my weekly goals. Before I post it, here's a review of how last weeks goals went.

I did study chemistry. That is what I did most of this past weekend! Unfortunately, I didn't reduce my stress because of it. However, I did get more sleep in, by taking naps. Naps are fine but they just make me feel lazy.

Here are this week's goals.


Well, I guess that's it for now.
Here's a picture of some foods I bought.

I'm becoming obsessed with pasta!
Also, I've been listening to songs from when I was younger. Aly & AJ, Jesse McCartney. Their music is awesome. It brings back memories. Rush, Do you Believe in Magic, and Chemicals React are a few of my favorite songs from Aly & AJ. Beautiful Soul is my favorite from Jesse McCartney.

What have you been obsessed with?
What are your goals for the week?

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Nutrition Panel: Tips on Succeeding to become a Registered Dietitian

I would like to thank the Food and Nutrition (FAN Club)  (especially the president and vice president) for organizing the Nutrition Panel that I was fortunate to attend Thursday night. I really enjoyed all of the Registered Dietitians had to say.



Most of these health care professionals talked about what skills we would need in order to succeed in this career. Here are a few things they said.
  1. Be punctual (they joked around about this a lot). Being punctual shows that you are serious about your job. This topic started because the first speaker said that she learned that punctuality was and is important (she learned the hard way!) 
  2. Be open-minded. You're going to come across many types of people. Be open-minded to what they have to say. 
  3. Learn a second or third language. It really helps with communication with your patients and with others. 
  4. Get experience. Experience is key in dietetics. Volunteer, do internships, take jobs that don't necessarily sound good but are still in the field of nutrition and food. Having the experience makes you grow as a person and gives your more knowledge and experience. That is one of things they look for in dietetic interns as well as jobs! 
  5. Be non-judgmental. This is very important, especially if you want to establish a stable relationship with your patient. They don't want to be judged. They want to be helped. 
  6.  Learn how to use technology well. The use of technology is important. One example is learning how to use Powerpoint. It can help with giving professional presentations! 
  7. Be flexible. You never know what may come up during while you are working. There may be an unexpected emergency. 
  8. Have a desire for knowledge. Dietetics is a new and growing field. Information is always changing due to new information and research. 
Do you guys have any more tips you want to add (it can be about succeeding in any career besides this)? 
Do you find panels/talks helpful and informative? 

Friday, November 8, 2013

Fitness Friday



Happy Friday everyone. How are you guys doing today? I ended up not doing a "long run" on Sunday due to some things that came up, like I said before.

My running has been on average 30 miles a week It is what I'm comfortable with. I also love going to my bootcamp class. It's really challenging. I still felt Tuesday's workout yesterday. We used a lot of weights! I was so sore. I don't feel as sore anymore today.

I attended a nutrition panel at my university yesterday and I really enjoyed it. It's was very informative and I met a few other Registered Dietitians (RDs). It was organized by the Food and Nutrition (FAN) club, which I am part of. Networking is so important!

I guess that's it for now.

How did your workouts go this week?
What's your favorite workout move?
Mine would have to be squats or push-up to side plank. 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

La educación bilingüe

I wrote this article in high school and yes, I wrote it in Spanish. The high school I attended had a large Hispanic population and I felt that if I wrote this article in Spanish, it would catch their attention. I would love to hear your thoughts. Use google translate if you need it translated. 

Caminando por los pasillos de una escuela secundaria, escuché a los estudiantes conversando en español o en chino. Incluso podría ser otro idioma extranjero. El punto es que hay muchos inmigrantes de diferentes países aquí en la escuela. Es lo que hace la escuela culturalmente diversa.

Sin embargo, ¿cómo se integran a estos estudiantes en las clases regulares de inglés? En la escuela primaria, había clases para English Language Learners (ELL) o para estudiantes aprendiendo inglés como segundo lenguaje.  Pero aquí, en la escuela, hay la oficina bilingüe, que se encuentra en el pasillo del consejero. Es aquí donde los estudiantes inmigrantes que no hablan Inglés vienen cuando su conocimiento del idioma Inglés es limitado  . Aquí en la oficina bilingüe , los estudiantes pueden recibir ayuda si necesiten ayuda con su clase de Inglés o quieren mejorar el idioma Inglés. Sin embargo, la escuela no tiene la educación bilingüe. En cambio, tenemos Desarrollo del Idioma Inglés o ELD,. Hasta el 37% de los estudiantes de la escuela han pasado por la ELD.  Es más de un tercio de la escuela.

La sub-directora dice: "Los estudiantes que vienen de otros países, si su inglés es muy limitado o si no hablan inglés en absoluto, los ponen en las clases de ELD, dependiendo de lo que su puntaje en el examen CELDT (California English Language Development Test) o el examen de Idioma Inglés de California Prueba de Desarrollo. Eso los coloca en los niveles correctos. Tenemos un nivel para precipitantes y un nivel intermedio antes de Inglés 9, 10, 11 y 12. "

Las clases de ELD enseñan a los estudiantes el inglés y se preparan para los cursos regulares de inglés. Los estudiantes tienen tutores, los cuales serán en su clase de inglés de 2 horas y traducen el trabajo por ellos de inglés a su lengua materna  cuando es necesario. Por lo tanto, ellos están recibiendo la ayuda que necesitan. Ellos reciben ayuda adicional en la oficina bilingüe.

Lo que es aún más útil es que la Sra., dice, "Tenemos maestros que tienen un BCLAD, una credencial bilingües, que hablan Inglés, además de otro idioma. Ellos han vuelto más educación y son capaces de trabajar con los estudiantes que hablan lenguas diferentes, pero en realidad ahora se cambió la ley. Así que ahora, todos nuestros maestros tienen la certificación."

 Es beneficioso para aquellos que no hablan inglés como su idioma principal cuando un maestro habla más de un idioma. Los profesores se les enseñan cómo dar cabida a los estudiantes ELL, en inglés y hará la transición más fácil para ellos. No habrá un cambio dramático de su lengua materna al inglés . Los maestros que hablan más de un idioma pueden ayudar los estudiantes que no hablan Inglés. Es más fácil para aprender cuando los maestros entienden los estudiantes. Ellos no va a ser tan frustrados cuando aprendiendo el idioma.  

Aunque los inmigrantes tienen ayuda y el apoyo de la ELD, nunca ha sido la educación bilingüe en la escuela secundaria aquí en la escuela. La idea es que, una vez que los estudiantes llegan a este nivel, que ya son bilingües y son competentes en dos idiomas o más. La educación bilingüe es principalmente para los niveles elementales. Ya son  bilingües en el 5 º grado. Ellos ya han transición.  Es cuando la escuela primaria termina. Pero, esto no se aplica a los antiguos inmigrantes que estarían en el grado 10 o 11. ¿Qué pasaría si se quería seguir el avance en su lengua materna junto con aprender inglés? El uso del modelo de la resta es aquí, ya que estos estudiantes a aprender más inglés, pero utilizan menos de su lengua materna. Lo más probable es cada vez menos competente en su lengua materna, ya que hablar más y más inglés. Esto también debe considerar cuando quiere ayudar a los inmigrantes a adaptarse a estar en una nueva escuela.

Sólo hay una escuela bilingüe conocida aquí en nuestra ciudad, la Academia de la Lengua “the Language Academy”. ¿Cómo puede la escuela adaptarse a todos los estudiantes que quieren una educación bilingüe?

La Sra. dice: "A principios de los años 90, hubo una propuesta de que detuvo la educación bilingüe, más o menos en sus pistas menos que los padres firmaron una renuncia cuando solicita que la escuela para continuar con la educación bilingüe y muchos de esos padres lo hicieron y los programas que existen hoy en día es porque los padres lo han solicitado. Los padres tienen que ser muy activos para hacer que esos programas existen. "

En 1998, California aprobó la Proposición 227 de California , eliminando la educación bilingüe La idea detrás de esto era la asimilación de los inmigrantes en la cultura americana. Habría más uso del idioma inglés, y menos los de la lengua primaria. Fue polémico debido a sus vínculos con el racismo, la inmigración y la pobreza. Antes, las escuelas bilingües podrían enseñar inglés y otro idioma 50/50, por lo que los estudiantes puedan leer y escribir en la lengua, así como ser capaz de hablar el idioma. Ahora, las escuelas “chárter” y escuelas privadas son capaces de tener la educación bilingüe, ya que no siguen las leyes de las escuelas públicas. Aquellos que quieran aprender otro idioma o mejoran, pueden asistir a programas de enriquecimiento que encuentran alrededor. Sin embargo, a pesar de que puede beneficiar a los jóvenes, que no beneficia a aquellos que vienen a Estados Unidos en su adolescencia.


Aunque hay muchas maneras de ayudar a los nuevos inmigrantes cuando llegan a la escuela, no puede haber mejoras. La asimilación no es la única solución para ayudar a estos estudiantes a adaptarse al sistema estadounidense. Es posible que todavía quieran mantener a su propia cultura también.

*Escribí este artículo en la escuela secundaria. Creo que es un tema importante que debe ser abordado. He quitado el nombre de la escuela secundaria asistí y no me agrego el nombre de la sub-directora*

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Honey Wheat Bread

Photo courtesy of my friend Noelle, who is in my group. 
I love the smell of freshly baked bread. The aroma just makes my mouth water. Don't you feel that way when you walk into a bakery?

I know I do. That's why I started to get hungry once my group baked our honey wheat bread yesterday. Yes, we made bread in our food preparation (culinary) class. The bread was delicious! It tasted delicious with some honey cinnamon syrup and jam.

I'm making you guy's mouth water now, right? Well, don't worry. You can make this yourself. Our whole kitchen was filled with the smell of all types of bread, including cinnamon rolls! It's quite simple to make bread. Well, it is once you get used to the technique. Me and Noelle did most of the kneading, which is the fun part. It just gets your hands dirty. But, it is worth it. It has a few simple ingredients and you know what's it in it, unlike store bought bread. There are so many things you have to remember when making bread. Those tips will be at the end of this post. For right now, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingedients:
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 package of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • melted butter
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a bread loaf pan. Set aside. 
  2. In a bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Stir in the dry milk, oil, sugar, salt and two cups of the flour. Beat vigorously with a spoon. Stir in an additional 1 cup of flour. Do this until it holds most of the flour and does not look to stick or moist. 
  3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Add in additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from being sticky. This should take about 10 minutes. 
  4. Let it rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered, until double in volume. 
  5. Punch down the dough to redistribute ingredients and expel excess CO2. 
  6. Remove dough from the bowl and shape the dough in a loaf to fit into the loaf pan. 
  7. Brush the surface of the bread with melted butter. 
  8. Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 10-15 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 350 F or the next 30 minutes. 
  9. The bread is done when the finished loaf can be inverted out of its pan and sounds "hallow" when tapped on the underside. 
  10. Enjoy your bread! 
Photo from my class/groupmate, Ka. Thanks for sharing our bread making skills. =)
What each ingredient does in bread making.
  • Bread flour contains more gluten than all-purpose flour. The gluten gives the bread its structure. 
  • Yeast produces CO2 and alcohol during fermentation. CO2 is what leavens the bread (making it grow). Alcohol is evaporated during baking .The temperature of the water should be between 100-115 F when you are re-hydrating the yeast. 
  • Sugar is a sweetener and is a food source for the yeast. However, flour has natural sugars yeast feed on too.
  • Salt controls the growth of the yeast. 
  • Liquid is used for hydration and gluten development. If you are using dairy milk, scald the milk (heat it up). It will kill (denature) the enzymes/proteins that milk has, which can affect the development of gluten. 
  • Fat tenderizes and affects flavor. 
Other fun facts:
  • Kneading the dough allows for gluten formation to occur, giving bread its structure. 
  • The optimal environment for proofing the dough is a humid one. Generally speaking, 80-85 F is best. However, 68-100 F is okay. Avoid over proofing or else the gluten strands will break, causing your dough to fall and lose its structure and volume. 
  • Punching down the dough releases excess CO2 and redistributes the ingredients as well as temperature. You will notice that some places in the dough are warmer than others. 
  • The "oven spring" method of baking is when the bread is baked at a high temperature for the first 10-15 minutes and then lowered 50 F for the remainder of the baking time. The high temperature allows for quick expansion of the bread from the gas (CO2) produced from the yeast before it dies. The lowering of the temperature allows the bread to cook without over baking the outside and under baking the inside. 
Well, I guess that's a quick culinary lesson for you guys! 

Do you guys love bread? 
  • Bread is delicious.
What's your favorite type of bread? 
  • My favorite type is either honey whole wheat bread or cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls. 

Fudgy Meringue Cookies

I love fudgy cookies. Don't you? I love the deep chocolate flavor.
Well, these fudgy meringue cookies are very fudgy and have a lot of chocolate flavor in them If you love chocolate, you will love these cookies. My group made it in class the other day and they were delicious but really rich. You can only eat so many of these. They were a bit dry, so we do suggest adding another egg white if you like them less dry.
These cookies are also low in fat due to no fat being used. The egg yolks are taken away from the egg whites, so, this is a fat free dessert (except for the chocolate chips).
I hope you guys enjoy these cookies. Be sure to have a glass of milk along with these!

 Ingredients:
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray 
  • ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips, divided 
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided 
  • ¼ cup + 1 ½ tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • 1 teaspoons cornstarch 
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature 
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 small pinch cream of tartar 
 Directions:


1.                   Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.                   Coat 1 large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
3.                   Place ¼ cup chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Cook in 15-second intervals until chocolate softens; stir until melted and smooth.
4.                   Cool chocolate to lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Whisk ¼ cup sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch in small bowl to blend.
5.                   Using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature egg white, vanilla, 1 small pinch of salt and cream of tartar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
6.                   Add remaining ½ cup sugar in 4 additions, beating just to blend after each addition.
7.                   Continue to beat until the meringue is thick and glossy like marshmallow crème (about 2 minutes longer).
8.                   Beat in cocoa mixture. Fold in melted chocolate, then the remaining chocolate chips.
9.                   Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
10.                Bake cookies 12-13 minutes on center rack of oven.
11.                When cookies are done, they will appear dry-looking and cracked.
12.                Cool cookies on sheets 5 minutes.
13.                Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.
14.                These are best consumed the same day they are made.



Do you like fudgy cookies?
What kind of cookies do you guys like?

P.S Be on the lookout for the honey wheat bread recipe!