"If

you find yourself swimming along with all the other fishes, swim the other way. They don’t know where they’re going either."

-via Zen Habits

happy birthday Mom!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful caring Mom.  I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful Mom.  I wish I was in Kansas to celebrate!

hummus

I bought a new computer in January; I am very happy with my laptop overall, but I have been experiencing some driver issues.  This morning, I was finally able to import some long overdue pictures, including the ones below.

I love hummus; for this version, I added in a handful of toasted sesame seeds instead of traditional tahini.

Hummus recipe 

1 can chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly

1/4 c. sesame seed, dry roasted in a pan until slightly golden

salt, to taste

1 large clove of garlic, peeled

1/4 c. olive oil, drizzle to taste

2 T. water, if needed

Combine chickpeas, sesame seeds, and garlic in food processor (or blender), and pulse.  Add in salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of your chickpeas.  Drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency is reached.  Add in a bit of water if a thinner hummus is desired.  A squeeze of lemon juice would be great, also.  Drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired, to serve.

yum.



currently

I found this awesome site, Advice to Sink in Slowly; I love motivational quotes/advice and they have awesome ones paired with great images, some of my favorites:

image here by David Plant

image here by Ben Javens

image here by Mark Agnew

happy friday!

happy birthday Dad!

Today my dad turns 60.  He is the best, most supportive dad.

"can't forget,

we only get what we give."

-the new radicals

This season I am challenging myself to give more; to commit some of my effort to helping others.  By being a kinder driver, donating time/money where it is needed, being more patient everyday, and being more active in my community.  If I want the world to change, I better start with my own actions. 

spring

I had a good restful, melancholy spring break.

Last Monday, Joey's paternal grandfather died;  he was 95 and died peacefully in his sleep.  Rest in peace Melvin Albers. 

birthday pi

yesterday was pi day and Joey's 26th birthday!  we had a weekend full of celebrations and chocolate.  (couples have to be comparably compatible when it comes to their love of chocolate. that, and black licorice.)  Friday I made homemade pudding, so good.  I hid a few gummy worms in it.

I really wasn't planning on baking anything last night after a weekend of celebrating, but Joey had a rough day so I whipped up these brownies and they were so easy, easier than a mix.  And way better.  (I melted the butter, sugar, cocoa, mixture in the microwave and it turned out awesome.) 
I have the day off, my first day off in forever; I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday!

ps my spring break guilty pleasure has been this show.  I don't know what it is with me; I love antique roadshow too.

wooohooo

spring break began at 1:15 today!  this is my first spring break in a few years and although I will be here in Dallas working, it will be terrific to have a week to catch up.  On a side note, I am currently obsessed with ikat fabric, I may have to try some sewing during my break.

this weekend, celebrations will happen, as Joey turns 26!! on Monday.  I am not sure if you know this about me, but 26 is my favorite/lucky number.

also, Saturday is the first White Rock Lake Local market of the season! the 2011 schedule.

on a more serious note, I just (*Fridays are crazy for me till now) heard about the Tsunami and Earthquake in Japan, here is a link on ways to help.

GOOD

I have GOOD as my homepage; it has become my favorite current event source.

breakfast!

I love breakfast; I always make time for a good breakfast. 

Practically every morning, I have the same thing; I mix healthy whole grain cereals, nuts, fruits, and yogurt and it keeps me satisfied until lunch.  I have eliminated sweetened cereals, though, and I find that I crave less sugar throughout the day.

photo via simply breakfast

My current combination is post shredded wheat and bran, uncle sams cereal, raw oats, pecans, a sprinkle of flax meal, a few frozen blueberries, raisins, a dollop of greek yogurt, and low fat milk.  yum!

kombucha

Whenever I am feeling a little under the weather, I drink a Kombucha.  They are a special treat because they are so expensive, and I am so glad they are back on the shelves after a short sabatical due to a Lindsey Lohan scandel.  Have you ever tried one?  They taste a little acidic/funky at first, but now I crave them.  I prefer the effervescent GT Kombucha brand:

cranberry, my favorite

weekend extravaganza

I had a great food-filled weekend; on Friday night, to celebrate the end of a crazy week, I made us mussels with tomatoes, roasted asparagus on the side and a baguette from central market for dipping!  After dinner and a cleaning fest, we walked to this little cafe for dessert and a drink.

Then, I worked on Saturday and my mom arrived at 4!  We went here for dinner and it was pretty good Italian food.  To celebrate my mom's birthday, I made Heidi's Tutti Frutti crumble with poppy seeds and this buttermilk ice cream; such a good combination!  I lightened the ice cream by just using 2% milk and I omitted the eggs; it was still rich enough.

Then, after body step, greek salads, and shopping, we had a nice Sunday dinner at celebration.  Now its back to Chemistry and work, but I feel refreshed after a nice break with my mom.

fat debate

yes yes and yes!  I was just thinking about this topic this morning when I went to get milk; there was no 1% organic (my favorite) so I had an internal debate about fat free and 2%; I went with the 2% because I don't think skim milk is satisfying over my cereal. 

I think that a reasonable amount of fat in our diets is really good for us; not processed fats, but natural fats like avocado, nuts, flaxseeds, olive oil, and even (a little bit) of real butter fat.  I agree that it is the processed sugars and carbs that make us fat.

happy friday

I am so excited to get a break tonight; I have big plans to relax and take a body attack class.  And whip my messy apartment into shape; I am trying to get better at cleaning as I go, but when I am super busy, my apartment suffers.

Also, sometimes I think Seth Godin can read my mind; I was feeling really burned out yesterday and his post this morning could not have had better timing.

chem 2 test 2

done.

artichoke found here

I am loving the pretty fruit and vegetable shoots in the latest Anthropologie catalog. after reading No Impact Man, I was inspired to reduce my paper waste, so I tried this; so far I am still receiving Anthropologie (this one is pretty so I am glad to get it) and J.Crew catalogs, but it may take a while to go into effect (I did it in January).  however, L.L. bean responded within 24 hours and Vera Bradley was quick too.

rabbit rabbit

happy tuesday!
I have chem 2 test 2 tonight; the weather is perfect here today so I took a walk in the sun with my flashcards.

also, yesterday I made my very first kings cake; the kids were not in the mood to cook, so it was a fun challenge. 

on that note, I am planning on making a few cakes this month because there are a lot of very big birthdays: Joey is turning 26 (my niece shares his birthday and is turning 1!) and my mom and dad are both turning 60!

my mom loves poppyseeds, so I am thinking of making Heidi's Tutti-Frutti Crumble, recipe here, with maybe a ricotta ice cream.  she is visiting me this weekend so I will have to think of something good.