Happy Pi Day!

I'm the president of our school's Calculus Club, so of course when Pi Day rolled around we had to do something awesome. We had a pie walk, a pie recitation contest, and even a pie-a-teacher in the face event! What makes it even more awesome is that it benefits a special education program in our school district. Our club is going to buy math games using the profit we made from Pi Day t-shirts and raffle tickets from the pie-in-the-face event. We're even planning on going to the classroom and playing the games with them. I'm very excited!

The back of our shirts said "Would you like a slice of pi?"

Sitting at the raffle ticket booth

A pie in the face! I really appreciate all the teachers who volunteered.

Photo credit: Kathryn Fishman-Weaver

I hope your Pi Day was as delicious as mine was :)

Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Okay, maybe my obsession with avocado recipes has gotten a little bit out of hand. I just can't help it--avocados in any form are just so good! But when I mention that I made a "guacamole grilled cheese sandwich" to people, their first reaction is, that sounds gross. But it sounded super delicious to me and it certainly was after I made it. I found the recipe here.

Does this look great or what? It's basically a layering of shredded cheese, spinach, tomato, more cheese, and guacamole that contains onions and tomatoes, all in one big sandwich cooked in a frying pan. It was so good that I finished it in under 5 minutes, no joke! Next time I'm going to try adding meat so it's more filling.

I also learned the merits of toasting bread with olive oil in a pan--it makes it so much more delicious than normal toaster bread!

I hope you're not tired of avocados yet, because I sure am not :)

Avocado Fried Egg Recipe

I found a great recipe for something called "avocado fried egg", and because I love avocados, I couldn't resist trying it. Here's what you need to make this delicious dish, perfect for breakfast:

1 avocado (you really only need enough to make a 1/2" slice of avocado)
1 egg
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Slice your avocado the long way in half, then slice off a 1/2" thick piece.
2. You can keep the skin on or take it off; the website I found this on claims that keeping the skin on keeps the avocado together, but I didn't like the idea of eating it with the skin on.
3. Heat up your frying pan and put a bit of olive oil in it.
4. Place the avocado slice in the pan, then crack the egg onto it so the yolk is contained in the hole for the pit.
5. Cook the egg until the white is completely done, then flip it. You can keep your yolk a bit runny, or cook it through. I had to make sure my yolk was cooked, which is why the dish doesn't look quite that nice.
6. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy this nutritious breakfast option :)

My Favorite Snacks

I am a person who snacks throughout the day and brings food everywhere because I get hungry so often. I often bring a bag of goodies to munch on at school before and after lunch. Here are some of my favorite things to eat between meals.

Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists

I often buy these deliciously sweet and salty pretzels in 36-ounce jars at a time, and I go through them pretty quickly too. They are very filling and easy to carry around.

Raisins, Craisins, and other dried fruits

Great in fiber and without the hassle of undried fruit, dried fruit is easy to carry around and are a healthy alternative to junk food.

 Cream puffs

After thawing these, the cream inside is light and fluffy. I only eat these occasionally, and in small quantities. 

Clementines

These juicy and sweet fruits are great when they're in season. Citrus fruits are my favorite!

Greek yogurt

Sweet, creamy, fruity, and high in protein, this is a great snack and supplement to breakfast. Eat with granola for added fiber.

Comment to share your favorite snacks.

Happy snacking!

Preview: Friends Share Recipes Event!

I'm excited to say that I'm planning a five-day series in which I feature a different recipe that my friends have shared with me every day. These recipes will be simple, easy to make, and most likely snacks or desserts. The series will be posted March 21 to March 25, so be sure to watch out for it. I hope to bring you some great recipes such as mug cakes, two-ingredient pumpkin muffins, and more!

Henna Tattoos

My school does a cool thing every year called Global Village, where students display, perform, or demonstrate aspects of their culture or any culture. It is a week long event that ends in the festival on Friday, and each country sets up a booth with lots of yummy multicultural food! Today was Henna Day.

Henna is a dye that comes from henna trees, and is traditionally used in Arabic countries, India, Africa, and other regions for tattooing in both men and women. Sometimes it is used in wedding traditions or simply as part of social and holiday celebrations.

I got to try applying henna onto people's hands. It was hard at first but the results turned out well! I borrowed some henna and took it home to try on my family.

A simple design with a ring

Just applied

When it's this dry and starts you crack, you can wash it off

Final result!

If you want to try this, you can buy henna in cones from cultural stores or online.

Source: sabanaboutique.net

Search 'henna tattoo patterns' online for ideas.
Happy tattooing! :)

True/False Film Festival

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending and volunteering for the True/False Film Festival, which is becoming a bigger and bigger deal throughout the country. I got to see some amazing films and meet filmmakers, documentary subjects, and musicians. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience I'm glad I had.

Clockwise from left: Q numbers for A Moment of Innocence; Mountain Animation (loved them!) opening for Rich Hill; and the band opening for A Moment of Innocence.

And of course, I absolutely loved volunteering and being a part of the festival. I took tickets for a whole night and saw lots of people come in whom I hadn't seen in a long time.