Productivity

Today was surprisingly a very productive day. It was quietly productive. One of those days that start out slow and steady and you just keep chugging along and as you pull up the covers and settle in to drink your tea, read a book, write a post for your blog, begin to reflect on the last 24 hours you realize how much you've accomplished.

More cashola

Check it...

the author of the blog recently published a book. it's a decent site though i prefer the ladies who blog about finance. i like to mix up my fashion and finance:
www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com

for the serious investing geeks in the house:
www.seekingalpha.com

Cashola

April is Financial Literacy Month. Not sure of the history behind that one but there you have it. To kick off the month long celebration, I thought it would be beneficial to link to a few financial blogs and websites that I read on a regular basis. I hope you find something of interest.

A twenty something lady in the big city making it happen:
www.budgetingbabe.blogspot.com

A thirty something lady in another big city making it happen:
www.myopenwallet.net

Tons of information on everything from banking to mortgages. A great starter website for your financial questions:
www.bankrate.com



I will post other useful financial tidbits as I come across them in my research or as it pops into my head. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to track down the best answer(s)!

hello stranger

my poor neglected blog...i'm a bad parent.

i have so much to share i don't even know where to begin. so while i sort out the many, many blog posts to come, let's start with one about food.

i was in a local whole foods-esque type place last week. they have a section of prepared foods which I salivate over every time i'm in there because it all looks so good but deep down i know it's a total crap shoot that it will actually taste as good as it looks.

it's like that really hot guy across the room. you want to go talk to him. but you worry that once he opens his mouth all the hotness will vanish. so you're content to just stare at him.

i eyed a beautiful plate of curry chicken salad and decided to take a shot. the nice man behind the counter filled up a small container for me.

once home, i quickly put away my groceries and dove into that chicken salad. lady luck was with me. the taste texture combo was really good. it could have used a bit of a kick as the spice was definitely toned down. all in all it was good enough to inspire me to try it out myself.

today i took advantage of the fantastic weather in the city and walked to the whole foods and picked up the ingredients:

1 chicken breast
fennel
celery
carrot sticks
a container of low fat plain yogurt

first step is to create the yogurt marinade for the chicken breast:
1/2 cup of yogurt
white vinegar
*garlic/ginger/onion paste
paprika
salt

combine all the ingredients above and i know i'm annoying because i didn't give any indication on amounts for anything aside from the yogurt. it's all to taste. as a guideline, i'd say 2 tablespoons of vinegar, at least one heaping tablespoon of the garlic/ginger/onion paste, a pinch of the paprika and a teaspoon of salt. this should provide a mild kick and then you can take it up a notch however you see fit - for instance, i usually end up going heavy on the vinegar.

place the chicken breast in the marinade and marinate for at least 2 hours. overnight is the best.

once done marinating, place the chicken breast in a glass baking dish that has been coated with oil. bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cooked through.

while chicken is marinating or baking (depending on how fast you are), thinly slice the fennel, celery and combine with the carrot sticks.

once chicken comes out of the oven, let it sit for a bit, cut into thin strips, and add the sliced vegetables. mix. enjoy! if needed, you can add a bit more yogurt to the salad.

it's quick and very yummy. better chilled. perfect for the summer (no mayo) and with a bottle of riesling.

*the garlic/ginger/onion paste is a regular occupant in my fridge. nearly every indian recipe i know uses these three ingredients. i use a 1:1:1 ratio. i combine all three and blend until i get a paste like consistency. i store it in a glass container and into the fridge it goes. it's a huge timesaver for me.

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i missed you guys! :-)

question

why is it that in every drama/comedy/dramedy the token asian kid doesn't have an accent but the token indian kid always sounds like a fob?

lesson of the day

don't let someone else determine your worth.

anyone who tells you that you are anything short of priceless doesn't deserve to be in your presence.

ever.

Ow

Got my vaccination today for the trip to India. :-(

I hate needles.

My arm hurts.

I'm a big baby.