Month: January 2017

Categories
Daily Dose Reviews

Law Student Reviews: Hello Fresh

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Balancing a schedule is beyond hectic in law school. I imagine it’s similar to actually practicing law. There are deadlines, meetings, prep sessions, after-hours events – the list continues…

What I find particularly challenging is working out and eating well between reading and briefing cases. Since I’ve been sorely lacking in the “workout plan” department, I felt I should pick up the slack on the healthy eating. Because, I can get pretty comfy with Mountain Dews and a granola bar. That’s sorta healthy – right?

Honestly, I will zone out pretty much anything and everyone while I’m reading and prepping for class. If my stomach growls, I usually have a protein bar on hand. That’s the extent of fancy. For this simple reason – I meal prep. Funnily enough, I don’t meal prep the same thing five days in a row. I love leftovers, but not three meals in a row.

So I plan meals for the week and make a few on Sunday. If I forget to prep, my wallet takes a huge hit. Since classes are downtown, I can get virtually anything delivered via Favor, UberEats, or DoorDash; a marvelously quick way to eat through my coffee budget. :[

In an effort to help me balance my life a bit better, I decided to try Hello Fresh
Plus, this week we’re getting back into the GYM! #summergoals

I surprised the Beau [mostly because he paid for it and had no clue until the box arrived]. He seemed pretty excited to open the box, though. HelloFresh sends all the ingredients (aside from Salt, Pepper, and Oil) in one refrigerated package. It sits patiently on your doorstep until you get home to tear it open and exploit its yummy goodness. Um, you know – cook the things. 

I was happy with the packaging. Each meal fits perfectly into rectangular boxes, but the meat is packed separately (for obvious health reasons). The box includes a recipe book, which is usually about 6 steps or less and includes pictures! Super neat.

We started with the Broccoli Beef recipe. What made me chuckle is that I already had nearly all of the ingredients in my pantry for this dish. It’s clearly a family fave! I was happy with the overall turnout, but I think the flavor could have packed a bigger punch – possibly improving the beef seasoning.

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Following the recipe was simple and satisfying. If you are new to the kitchen, or maybe not so comfy with your current chefiness, then HelloFresh is perfect for you! If you’re already adept, then I’d say you should try a box anyhow! I enjoyed the speedy delivery (waited only 3 days for my first box) and the convenience of groceries delivered straight to my home. Sure, Tom Thumb and Sprouts (partnered with Amazon) are providing home delivery options – but the terrible experience with Sprouts has me worried about any other grocery delivery methods.

We will likely only use HelloFresh on a monthly basis, or during weeks when I know my schedule will be off the charts. The Beau can even follow instructions and cook our dinner for a change of pace! Wouldn’t that be scrumptious?

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How do you prep for your busy days?
Let me know!

I hope you have a wondermous week. Be awesome.

Categories
Daily Dose

Brunch is still Legal…I think

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After all these Executive Orders, I’m happy to report on a happier topic.
The Bestie & I tried a new (to us, anyhow) brunch spot in Dallas.

Sissy’s Southern Kitchen is a kitzschy country kitchen on Knox-Henderson. We’ve visited twice and, with a bit of help from family, tried all (but one) recipes on the menu. Since brunch is basically my favorite meal, I believe I found my happiest place in Dallas. Which, let me be clear, is an amazing feat! I mean, this glorious little once-was house, tucked away behind a few trees and their own Valet stand, rivals bookstores and my own kitchen.
Color me impressed.

If you’re ever in Dallas and need to loosen your belt a few notches, stop by Sissy’s. They’ll be more than happy to whip up a lil’ something for you to nosh on.

These squash puppies are accompanied by whipped butter and a house-made jalapeno jam. Honestly, I could deal without the puppies, but this jam needs to be in my life. It is sweet, with a surprising bite of spice and sass that battles taste buds.

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I’d never tried Fried Green Tomatoes – nor have I read the book – but my Mimi said I was missing out. So we just had to order them. Cut to this interesting take on tomatoes landing in front of us. They’re moderately thick tomatoes, evenly sliced, and generously coated in a cornmeal batter; fried to perfection, accompanied by a shrimp remoulade, green peas, and scallions. Did I say, perfection already?

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The short rib hash is basically a pot roast, diced potatoes, and sunny side up eggs. I wanted to be more impressed, but this just was not among my top favorites. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still quite tasty, but this hash is simply not Sissy’s best effort here. This dish left me feeling underwhelmed.

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Do you see all that buttah? Butter is an essential need to this brunch menu and it’s probably why I love Sissy’s so damn much. The bacon arrived sizzling and introduced the waffles quite nicely.

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This. This here. The crab cake mac and cheese has been a Sissy’s special for a few weeks now. I must say, the chef makes a glorious mac and cheese. Don’t believe me, watch the video below. It’ll make your tummy tingly in all the best places.

 

Now, we were pretty full (jeans unbuttoned) by this point. Then the waitress said they made the best chocolate cake in Dallas. The reigning champ, in case you’re wondering, is the Cheesecake Factory’s Linda’s Fudge Cake. I had no choice but to order dessert.

Sadly, they looked better than they tasted. Good, but not nearly impressive enough.

 

I hope you have a chance to brunch here. You’ll thank me for the suggestion.

Categories
Daily Dose Law School

1L: Getting Through Winter Break

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“Law school attracts all kinds of crazy. Yourself included.” – One of my Best Friends

Honestly, she’s not wrong. Law Students are a special breed of student. We get kicked in the teeth every single day, and keep coming back. There is a level of mental anguish that we simply become comfortable operating at, existing moment by moment on the brilliant notion of adding two letters to the end of our name. We are engulfed by a three-year long tunnel, with high hopes of emerging as attorneys.

The sad fact is that we won’t all get to the finish line.
But there’s a sliver of success for you yet – if you’re willing to work.

Most law students appreciate the time off from class, away from the deadlines and ever-flowing series of emails with assignments and required readings. Many of your classmates will take the time off to feel normal again. Taking time to decompress is necessary, but do your best not to throw the entirety of your break away on Blue Bloods episodes or trying to eat your weight in holiday foods. Plant those feet back on solid ground and get to work after some hard-earned rest for surviving finals week.

You need to get out there and make the most of the time you have away from class because nothing feels worse than sitting across from a potential employer and not having any experience to speak of; crickets in an interview are no bueno.

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You should apply to a judicial internship. If you have the time [and can afford not to be paid for six to ten weeks] then you should go for it! My Abuelita  always says “A veces, hay que frijoliarlo.” Which basically translates to – “when times are tough, get by on what little you can – but don’t worry because  it won’t be forever.” I’m telling you this because most legal internships are unpaid. Count yourself among the lucky few if you land a great paid position for the summer. There are scholarships available – so make sure to look into those options as well!

Here are three stellar options for Summer Internships:
1. DAYL
2. JIOP
3. Equal Justice Works

You should also apply to SCHOLARSHIPS! Law school is, as you already know, a weight on both your shoulders and your wallet. Take the time to apply for different types of grants and scholarships in order to ease the cost of attendance. Worst case? You don’t reap the fruit of your labor. But, if you decided to forego the applications altogether – you’d still be left with a full tuition balance to cover. You’ve really got nothing to lose. So get started on those applications!

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Take A Deep Breath & Go Handle Your Business.

Keep up the hard work. I promise – it will pay off!