Friday, March 25, 2011

Aloo-Lobhia

Yesterday I spent an hour trying to figure out what I wanted for dinner.
Bored with the same thing over and over again (rice, beans, pasta) I decided that I felt adventurous and do prepare something I have had a while back.
Black-Eyed Peas and Potatoes
You can find it in a past post dated 1/19/11
I did change it up a bit and instead of white potatoes, I made it with a yam.  It takes a little bit longer to cook but it was equally delicious than what the original recipe called for.

As a BzzAgent I was invited to participate in a COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor review.
I received two different shades and this week I tried Coquette.  It is a nice shad of pink/rose and it stayed on and moisturized through 1 cup of tea, breakfast, lunch and lots of water throughout the morning and early afternoon.
My favorite thing about this new COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor was how nice it looked.  The lip moisturizer did not feel heavy and it was so beautiful on my lips.  It was like lip gloss but better.  It was like I can walk down the red carpet and look faboulous.  It was like I strut my stuff and look good still in my sweats or jeans.  Yeah.  The feel was like orgasmic good.
I have coupons here with me but for those who don't know me PLEASE go to the website COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor and get a $1 off coupon.
LIKE ASAP

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Friday, March 11, 2011

Lent and the loveliness of cheese

Every year I give one more thing for Lent.  One year I didn't open my chocolate drawer.  Another year I turned my nose up when offered candy.  This year is cheese.  For those who don't know me, I love cheese.  Cheese on everything from pasta to rice to toasty bread.  Yes I shouldn't eat the stuff since it makes my stomach ill but if you ever had pesto or a chile relleno you know that it is hard to turn away from that addicting ingredient.  I've had to stop myself and not make pesto yesterday.  On our weekly outing to Pasadena I told the chef to hold the cheese on my spinach enchilada.  It was still good but not as good as with cheese but I know I cut lots of calories and fat from my dish.
Because of my thyroid disease I have to work a little harder than the average person to release of 1/2 pound off the scale.
It should be interesting how I feel after Lent.  Spiritually, physically and mentally.

Now on to a recipe.

I found this recipe on a bag of quinoa.  Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains out there.  1/4 cup of quinoa dry (it triples in size) is 7 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber.

Quinoa Taboule

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup chopped Parsley (you know that green stuff on your plate when you are in a fancy restaurant.  it is, in fact, edible)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint (mine from my kitchen window :-) )
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp. fresh basil (also from my kitchen)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I always have a bottle of the stuff to safe me time)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 white pepper
diced tomatoes as many as your heart desires

toss together all the ingredients.
chill for about an hour.
EAT!

Monday, March 7, 2011

unplugged for 24 hours

So I read on the Huffington Post about taking a tech break for 24 hours.
Often accused of spending too much time online, I decided to take this challenge.
Saturdays we usually just stay home and watch movies or go to the local library or museum for a fun activity.
Saturday was the end of a week long celebration honoring Dr. Seuss so the kids did that while I sat there with a book.
I did not take out my smart phone.
I read and helped.
That was an excruciating hour.
The rest of the day was good.
As the day progressed, I hung out with my girls watching movies and reading.
Not bad at all for 24 hours.
On Sunday, I sat down and downloaded my email and hung out on Facebook for a bit.
Then the weirdest thing happened.
On the way to Kairos I realized that I left my smart phone on my bed.
I didn't panic.  I just shrugged my shoulders and said oh well.

What did I learn during my 24 hours of no Internet?
           1. the Internet does not rule my day
           2. a lot of my time is not wasted on the Internet.  I do not Facebook/Twitter stalk people.  I just feel                                        connected with my family and long-time friends and that is not a bad thing.
           3.  being disconnected to the things outside of my walls (worldly and local news) made me reflect on  what's important to me and my family (sorry Charlie Sheen and Qaddafi).

Will I do this again?
ABSOLUTELY
I might even go beyond 24 hours on a weekend.

Sauteed Yellow Plantains with Parmesan Cheese

4 tbsps olive oil
3 very ripe plantains peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

heat the oil in a skillet.
saute the plantains slices over medium heat until golden brown.
drain on paper towels and sprinkle the cheese on top.

YUM

Friday, March 4, 2011

unplugged

Social experiment!
no smartphone use and no computer for the weekend!
Will tell you how it goes on Monday.
Wish me luck!

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