What I want to be when I grow up...

It is that time of year again. Summer is drawing to a close, and another school year is beginning. I thought I would sit down and write an update about what is going on in the school department for me.

For starters, it is going really well! This spring I graduated from community college with an Associates in Science!

I have successfully transferred and will be starting classes at the University of Georgia this fall. I have two years left and will graduate in Spring 2015. Classes start next Tuesday! I am a little nervous about my class load. I am taking 16 credit hours with only Tuesday/Thursday classes which means I will leave my house at 6:40AM, my first class starts at 8AM then I will have 6 classes back to back with only 15 minutes in between until 4:45PM. I know those days will feel like marathons, but I am excited to start this new challenge. It is completely worth it to have only 2 days of classes each week, which means I can keep working on the days I am not at school. I am so thankful for my job, and being able to work has allowed us to be debt free with my education so far! 

My goal after school is to find a job working as a nutritionist/nutrition consultant. I am also really interested in herbal medicine so I have started a distance learning program through Vintage Remedies called the Family Herbalist. The original plan was to finish the family herbalist course and transfer my credits to their Clinical Master Herbalist course and work through that. But I just found out that they have discontinued the Clinical Master Herbalist course to make room for other courses. I was very disappointed. I don't know if the programs they are replacing it with will be a right fit for me, so I guess I will just have to wait and see. I am looking into a few different options and should hopefully have another direction by the end of the year on my herbal training. The purpose of the herbal education (plus 400 hours of clinical experience/working with a mentor and 3 case studies) would allow me to apply for the designation RH (registered herbalist) through the American Herbalists Guild. 

I am also very interested in getting a yoga teacher or personal trainer certification too, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself. :)

You know, there is no licensure for nutritionists. So, even after all this education I have to be careful what I say, and under no circumstances can I 'diagnose' or 'prescribe' anything. But, I am committed to my future clients and I am passionate about getting a thorough education so I am truly serving them to the best of my ability.  Of course I also plan to continue learning and studying for the rest of my life :). You wouldn't believe the long list of things I am interested in studying after I get out of school. Though I try by best to stay focused on present and get the most out of each day I am at University. I know that this season of being in school full-time will be over before I even know it.  

So, that is my update with school :). I will hopefully post more about my classes and how things are going on a regular basis! Thanks for reading!

Homemade Sloppy Joes (no ketchup!)

Normally my husband does not have a lot of input when it comes to menu planning. He is not picky and will eat most everything that I make. Because of that, when he does ask for something specific I do my best to make it happen. It just so happens that he recently asked for sloppy joes, so I made it for dinner the next day. Fortunately, I had everything I needed in the pantry so I didn't even have to go to the store! 

Dinner consisted of sloppy joes on homemade sourdough english muffins, sautéed zucchini, and green beans topped with nutritional yeast. It was a great meal that both of us really enjoyed!

Homemade Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 tsp dried garlic powder (or about 3 cloves fresh garlic)
14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 T brown sugar (I have also used honey)
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Cook ground beef and set aside. Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onion and jalapeño and sauté until tender. Add in ground beef and remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes until sauce has thickened. If sauce is too thick you can add water.