Luce happiness... Just the beginning!

I love my job. I already love it. We haven't even opened the store yet, but I LOVE it. I am so, so thrilled to be working for such a great company. Seriously. We're local, fresh, welcoming, accepting, fun, and just awesome! I don't want to sound like a walking advertisement (but I'm sure I do sound like one :P), but I'm so excited!!!

(source: Google images)

I have had two days of training so far. In these two days we've greatly gone over the importance of food allergens and respecting people who have them and fulfilling their every dietary need; played with our POS systems/ computers and practiced ringing things up; tried all the appetizers, salads, and some gluten free and vegan foods (!!); learned about the general guidelines to being a server/ host/ and cashier; and most importantly: learned where all our goodies come from and how we prepare them! We get local ingredients as much as possible; all our veggies are freshly cut each day; our breads/ crusts (besides the GF ones) are homemade (focaccia bread will be made every day IN store! How awesome is that?!) as well as our sauces and such... When you look at the menu at first, you think it's pretty expensive for a pizza place. But you can tell why- it's because of all those things I just listed! When you get a $5 pizza, it's gonna taste and look like a $5 pizza. If you get a $20 pizza, it's gonna taste like one! It's worth it if you wand good quality! ;)

(Heh, this is all the garlic we threw our at the Richfield 4th of July parade! source)

So not only is this just a job, it will/ can totally be a career as well! I want to work here foreverrr. Haha, but really. It's great. I can move up in the chain, move up on the ladder- whatever you want to say. I could be a waitress, supervisor, anything! I'm gonna work so hard at it. I'll be starting off as a cashier and a host(ess) and the two most important things to do those jobs are to be friendly and patient. HA, I am great at both those things! And I can be myself while doing it, I don't need any of that fake BS. My customers at Chartwells loved me; I remembered people's orders even after knowing them for 3+ years! I could see them in a non-food service setting and be like, "Hey! You get the cheddar burger combo with no pickle!" and I could tell I totally just made their day because I made them feel special! That's why I love this industry: because you can make people FEEL GOOD. Who doesn't like knowing they could make someone's day with a simple gesture or greeting?

I know a lot of people hate food service and could never work in it. Which is fine; it's not for everyone. I'm just lucky I love it and am pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. ;) I'm just so happy and excited to have a job I know I'm going to love. Not many people can say that about their current jobs! It's my passion though... so I'm lucky to have gotten where I am!

(source: Google image)

Our store's grand opening is July 31st... So if you're in the Minnesota/ Twin Cities area- come on out and support this awesome business and my new job! You won't regret it. :)

source

Just one

DISCLAIMER: This is probably annoying/ winy to some people, so don't read it if you don't like a hint of complaining and/or boyfriend talk! ;)


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Andrew and I always cook(ed) together, because we both love doing it! It's fun to try new recipes since the same ol' thing gets boring after awhile. Now that he's gone though, it's weird cooking for just me. The meals I make usually have several servings to them, and yea I can use the leftovers- but those only last for so long! (Luckily I have roomies who will eat it though!!)

I find myself cooking less and less now since he's not here... Which I actually didn't notice/realize until today. But I really need to start cooking more because it's so much healthier, and cheaper! Like I said in one of my previous posts, I can't wait to have a bigger kitchen to cook in... But only if I get to share it with someone! ;)

I made a butternut squash and black bean enchilada bake tonight that is super tasty and spicy! But it's in a huge 13 x 9 pan. So yea. Lots of food. Haha. I used vegan cheese instead of dairy cheese, and it turned out great! This was only my second time using squash though... I'm still kind of a noob. :P But I totally understand why most college folk don't cook now. When you're busy studying and such, who wants to take a couple hours out of the night to prep, cook, and clean up after a big meal?!

This girl, apparently.

Since it's hard to read on here, here's the recipe link! :)

hehe. just for fun. :)

Awaiting the arrival of Thanksgiving

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year.

Absence really does make the heart fonder. Or whatever that quote is, it's true!

My aunt and uncle have been living in Belize, my boyfriend has a big boy job in Kansas City, MO so he's been gone living there, and my other aunt and cousin are coming home from Chicago... So I get to see them all, plus [most of] the rest of the fam! (And in case you don't already know this, my family is my life!) Oh it's going to be so grand. :D

I have lots of other things to do like... finish my major (and minor) change essay, apply for a scholarship, apply to take the GRE, prepare for lesson plans, figure out paperwork for grad schools, etc... It's been super overwhelming lately, and it really doesn't help that WSU sucks at preparing us for grad school. So I've been having to do research on my own/ asking people who have been through all this to help me out! At least Thanksgiving is my "thing to look forward to", right?

I've been eating super bad lately... But I bought several squashes today, so I'm going to start experimenting with those to prepare for winter produce and eating! It's better to eat foods that are in season. AAAND my mama and I are gonna cook/ bake up a storm when I go home! The lovely lady over at Oh She Glows posted all her last minute vegan Thanksgiving ideas- so I bookmarked that and am pumped to try out some of the recipes on it! (Now I know you're curious, so here's the link! Last Minute Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas) Yum, yum, yum :)

I love fall and winter... They're my favorite seasons, so I'm going to try my best to stay positive and focus on the simple things in life. Hopefully start doing yoga more, etc.

So here's to a refreshing season!!!

[All photos credit of Oh She Glows... From her Thanksgiving post!]

My favorite brand

So as I've mentioned, I am gluten intolerant, almost always vegetarian, and am 90% vegan (mostly because eggs and dairy make me sick anyway)! It hasn't always been easy-peasey to eliminate all these gluten, dairy, meat filled products- lemme tell you. When I first started being g-free, I had no idea what gluten even was or what it was in! Luckily my mom is also g-free, so she knew a thing or two about it. Finally, after a year or so of eliminating it from my diet, I became a compulsive label reader, and can spot ingredients I can't eat in a heartbeat.

Now, being a member of the Scott family, it's kind of a requirement to love cereal. For Christmas each year we each [grandkids aka my sisters, cousins, and me] get a box of cereal as a gift then eat it all weekend with our family. We grew up mowing down on all cereals, all the time, anytime. Then after becoming g-free, I felt like I couldn't eat any of the good cereals that everyone else was eating, and it sucked. :(

While grocery shopping with my madre one day, we came upon this green box of cereal with a jungle animal on it... after a few seconds of figuring out what it is, we saw it was a cereal made by the brand Envirokidz. I immediately fell in love. There are five different kinds of Envirokidz cereals:

Gorilla Munch (similar to Cap'n Crunch)

Koala Crisp (similar to Cocoa Crispies)

Leapin' Lemurs (like Reese's Puffs... Which is Andrew's, My best friend's, and my favorite!! :) )

Amazon Frosted Flakes (similar to Kelloggs Frosted Flakes)

Peanut Butter Panda Puffs (also a favorite of ours!)

So now that you know how amazing the cereals are, here's the best part: 1% of the sales goes to wildlife protection and habitat conservation! On each box there is a type of animal that is endangered or struggling, and it gives information on that animal!

Not only dooes Envirokidz sell cereal, it sells cereal bars as well! Which is are just as tasty. :)

Oh and each product they make has always been gluten free- it says it on each package. ;)

Even if you're not gluten free, you should try some of these products. Andrew loves them!