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Recipe: Pasta With Tuna And Bok Choy

It’s ridiculous how quick, easy, cheap, and delicious this recipe is. And by using bok choy, people will think you’ve cooked something fancy!

I used this flavored tuna, but regular tuna would work just fine. You can always squeeze a little lemon juice into it if you want.

I had a coupon!

Start some spaghetti boiling, then fry bok choy, bell pepper, and garlic. I only had 1/2 of a bok choy to use. An entire bok choy would have been much, much better!

Add tuna.

You see why I wish I’d had more bok choy? Wimpy!

Now, doesn’t this look so much better than boring old spaghetti with marinara sauce?

Pasta with Tuna and Bok Choy:

• 1 can or pouch of tuna
• 8oz spaghetti
• 1 bok choy
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 C diced bell pepper
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Pepper
• Sprinkle of onion Salt
• 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon (optional)
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• Parmesan cheese

1. Boil spaghetti
2. While spaghetti is boiling, heat olive oil in a frying pan
3. Add bok choy, garlic, and bell pepper to oil
4. When the ingredients from step 3 are cooked (approx 5 minutes), add tuna
5. Drain spaghetti once preferred doneness is achieved (if you like al dente, more power to you!)
6. Add butter, pepper, italian seasoning, and onion salt to spaghetti
7. Add tuna mixture to spaghetti and, if desired, sprinkle with lemon juice
8. Serve! Top each bowl with Parmesan cheese

Budget Master Bathroom Remodel: An Update

Well, it’s been over a year since Sexy Nerd first started knocking down walls, and our bathroom renovation still isn’t done. It’s close though, and the entire project (including the master bedroom) has only cost about $5,000. We just need to do a little grouting, buy some towels and artwork, and our bathroom will be finished!

Note: It is very difficult to take a good photo inside a bathroom!

Before (yuck!)

After!

We originally painted the walls light blue, but green looks much better!

Eep! There’s a southwestern lizard from Old Town on our toilet! Maybe after Sexy Nerd hangs my mirror, he can hang this artwork.

World Market Italian Soda: Getting Past The Diet "Eh" Factor

Trivia question! What kind of animal is Kitchen Pig?

3…

2…

1…

Did you guess “Kitchen Pig is a PIG”? Well, if you did, you’re absolutely WRONG!

Kitchen Pig is a PARTY ANIMAL!!!

 

Okay, I’ll admit that was pretty lame. I can’t help it though. I’m on a sugar high from drinking World Market Italian Soda. If you sign up for the World Market Explorer Rewards Program, you get a coupon for Buy One/Get One Free Italian Soda!

We bought the regular Pomegranate (delicious!) and the diet Raspberry (eh, it was okay). What’s my recipe for fixing the taste of the diet soda (hey, even with a coupon, it cost me $1.25!)? Mixing the two together took care of the “eh” factor and reduced the calories of the Pomegranate soda.

By the way, how cute is Kitchen Pig, drinking Italian Soda from a silly straw while wearing a party hat? Hella freaking ridiculously cute!

Note: LambAround is not sponsored in any way whatsoever by Cost Plus World Market. If it were, I wouldn’t care about a stupid coupon because all my Italian Soda would be free. Drat!

FreeBirthdayTreats.com

No, this isn’t exactly a “real” blog post, but this site I just found is so cool that I don’t care (especially with my birthday coming up soon)! Just select your state, right-click on each business, and open each site in a new tab. Soon, you’ll have more birthday goodies than you know what to do with! And, even if your birthday is not coming up, many of these companies will send you a welcome offer for signing up!

freebirthdaytreats.com
 
By the way, Sexy Nerd says the “right click/open in new tab” thing is the reason my computer is always soooo slow. Phooey! This is how I like to use the internet – the computer manufacturers need to design for a “200 tabs open” scenario.

Sexy Nerd Quote Of The Day

Sexy Nerd, looking over my shoulder while I’m online: “Did that say ‘pimp my baby’?”

I was looking at pimpthisblog.com. I wonder if I should be concerned about what goes on in Sexy Nerd’s mind.

LambAround Comic Strip #2

Who am I kidding? I can’t wait until Monday to post this, when it’s just sitting on my computer, waiting. Happy Saturday, everyone!

Not Just For Clothes! How To Organize A Closet For Your Life

I’ll start out by admitting that I don’t exactly have a tiny closet. However, I certainly don’t have a ginormous closet either and many of these tips can be applied to a small, non-walk-in closet.

I don’t go into my office every day, especially during the winter, when my office is one of the coldest rooms in the house (and in our house, even the warmest room is pretty darn freezing!) But what does that mean for the to-do pile on my desk and the appointments on my calendar? Well, unless I convert to a nudist lifestyle, (probably not going to happen any time in the near future) my typical day is going to include a few trips to my closet.

Just close the closet door and you won’t have to worry about anyone (ahem, Sexy Nerd…) sneaking up behind you while you’re tweezing your eyebrows or examining your pores in your magnified mirror.

Geez, that isn’t the most glamorous photo, is it? I’m waiting to snazz up this area until after Sexy Nerd hangs the mirror we bought for over the vanity. You know, the one we bought last month? Hanging the mirror would have been an acceptable Valentines Day present.

An over-the-door shoe hanger, which was $10 at Lowes, is great for more than just shoes. I keep all my cosmetics, lotions, hair accessories, and other girly things in it. Whenever we travel, I simply slip it off the door and into my suitcase, so I know I have everything I need!

Hangers on all sides, as well as up and down, maximize space. Lots of light comes in handy on those days when you have no idea what to wear, though I would strongly advise against puting in the same antique Schonbek chandelier. I won it on eBay and had it shipped from Europe. What never crossed my mind? It requires a bayonet lightbulb, which is impossible to find! Hence, my wired in, but not illuminated chandelier.

 

I don’t know why I never thought to put my calendar inside my closet before! I see it before leaving the house each day, which is especially helpful if you like to check things out from the library like I do. And with my laptop on my vanity, if a due date is coming up for a book I’m still enjoying, I can renew online right when I think of it.

It’s so nice having everything taken care of before I even leave my closet in the morning!

LambAround Organizational Tips For Closets

• Include racks for clothes wherever you can, including one rack over another, with shelves
• A vanity or desk next to a dresser provides valuable counter space
• Section your clothes. Long sleeves together, work pants together, etc.
• A clock radio will ensure you don’t run behind schedule
• Include a wall calendar with a pen
• Don’t forget the space on the back of the door
• A walk-in closet is a perfect place for a magnified mirror

The Living/Dining Room Switch Around

The first time we ever saw our house, the previous owners had the downstairs laid out so that you walked into the dining room, then went to the living room, which was across from the kitchen. At least, if you used your imagination, that’s how it was laid out (the previous owners were a little odd).

When we purchased the house, we decided to flip the layout, so that the dining room was across from the kitchen and you entered into the living room. It seemed to make so much more sense! However, as our bathroom renovation is coming to an end (after over a year!), I’m beginning to wonder if the original layout might work better, albeit with a few changes. This idea all started when Sexy Nerd began fancying up our dining room (a bathroom renovation and a dining room renovation at the exact same time, you ask? Sure, why not!) We’ve been trying to create a classy, formal dining room feel. However, since you can see into the living room and the kitchen while at the table, it never feels very formal to me.

The Current Layout (click for larger)

Proposed Layout (click for larger)

Okay, maybe those aren’t exactly the most helpful drawings! Basically, the changes that would me made, other than moving around furniture and light fixtures, would be to build two walls in the upper left corner of what is currently the living room, essentially creating a little, formal living room, perfect for 2, 3, or 4 people (5 would probably be 1 too many!) to sit and talk, with snacks and tea. When you walked in the front door, there would be a large window on your left, providing a peek into this cute new room.

The space that is currently the living room would become a formal dining room. The new formal living room would be at the back of the dining room with french doors and possibly more windows. The living room would move to what is our current dining room. Benefits of the new living room location include being able to watch TV from the kitchen and lots of other things (benefits that I haven’t exactly thought of words for yet. They exist, though!) Inside the little, new living room, there could be curtains, so that you could block all the windows if you wanted more privacy. This room would also make a neat office.

Ignore the fact that I almost never have company over and I’ve certainly never had anyone over for “snacks and tea”. Maybe I would if I had an adorable formal living room to do it in. Ooh, I could call it “The Tea Room”! 

Woman’s Day Magazine Irks Me

I have been a bit peeved with Woman’s Day ever since I subscribed a few months ago. The magazine is marketed as being “written and edited for every woman to live well every day.” Scanning through the pages, you’ll find a variety of recipes, organizational tips, and inspirational stories. There is only one thing that I don’t like about Woman’s Day magazine. Scratch that. There’s one thing that I can’t stand. It’s at the beginning of every issue, casually placed in its own little 1/8 of the page. I had been looking forward to the April issue because there was a new editor, Elizabeth Mayhew. Surely, I thought, she’ll do away with this one, stupid out of place item. What am I talking about? Here’s this month’s thing that ticks me off:

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” 
Psalm 96.1

Are you kidding me, Woman’s Day? I’ve asked around and I’m not the only one who was under the impression that it’s not a religious magazine. If they want to be religious, they should just go all out and do it, rather than pretending to cater to all women while slyly sneaking in their beliefs. I’m all for starting the magazine with an inspirational quote. There are plenty of wonderful, neutral ones to choose from. Mentioning religion in the context of an article would also be fine. Honestly, as long as they continued to provide the same household tips and recipes, I would continue to subscribe. I do, however, feel like that bible verse is somewhere it doesn’t belong.

On a lighter note, one of the tips from the April issue cracked me up. What can you do with a lemon? According to page 12, you can cut a lemon in half, rub it on your armpits, and go out deodorant-free.

Um, thanks, but I’ll stick with my Secret Platinum and save my lemons for my tea!