Archive for the ‘Holiday’ Category

A or B?

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Thank you all for your sweet comments about my knee injury and well wishes.

I have to be completely honest with you guys and say that it has NOT been easy.   I have two thoughts that are constantly going through my head; a) don’t be a wimp you can so do this… you trained for it, put in 3 months into it so what if you knee hurts take advil and b) its not worth regretting it later.

I have to say the second thought is winning but that doesn’t mean it is an easy decision.   I have been reading online about a meniscus tear, it is VERY commen and not really a big deal, but all the sites that I have read talk about taking care of it sooner then later and too much pressure can result in the knee locking which is definately not good.    Sooo, I have talked to our team leader and I will be traveling with the team, volunteering and hanging out with everyone. sigh!

A few weeks ago we got a package from Bertolli with two of their new sauces that is supposed to hit the stores through foodbuzz tastmaker program.

The two sauces were;

Arrabbiata, a spicy tomato sauce with red peppers, ideal for adding a little extra spice to your favorite meal AND Four Cheese Rosa, a creamy Alfredo blend, with four cheeses and tomatoes for a deliciously unique taste.

Unfortunately though because of our crazy busy sechdule, traveling for my sister’s white coat ceremony, fitbloggin conference and then Raymond being out of town for a week we never got to give them a try.   On Friday night I used the Four Cheese Rosa sauce and the recipe that it came with to make a yummy dinner.

How was your holiday weekend?   We had my favorite 1 year old, Amelia, come and visit :)

Here she is trying to make friends with Sadie

and she compared her cute little hands with Raymonds

We made Deviled eggs, mashed potato, baked beans and seared chicken, and Melissa (Amelia’s mom) brought over a very delicious sqaush caserol :)

Deviled Eggs

Baked Beans

Mashed Potatoes (Extra Garlic-ee ;)  )

and our table

and my plate, I made some brown rice and extra Pinto beans and some salad

I also made chocolate cake from scratch and it is/was by far the worst recipe I have ever made…. the cake made it into trash shortly after a small bite

Off to pack gym bag and get ready for bed… Have a wonderful night all!

~ G

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Posted in Holiday, Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

Still Not Enough

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

I went to bed at 7:30 last night and since couldn’t immediately fall sleep, despite being exhausted, I decided to watch Tuesday’s episode of “The Good Wife” that I had DVRed.    Have you watched “The Good Wife”?   I fell sleep at 8:30 and was disapointed when the alarm went off at 5:45 this morning.   The first thought I had … “I can sleep 12 more hours”.

I am leaving for the Fitbloggin’ Conference in Baltimore tomorrow morning.      I am looking forward to putting a face to all of the wonderful blogs I have been reading, but all of this means I need to pack and get a good night of sleep so I am NOT dragging tomorrow.

Saturday is Norouz (Iranian New Year and first day of Spring) and I had to set up my haft sin tonight.  I didn’t get a chance to make Sabzeh (Sprouts) for my haft sin so on my way home I stopped by the Persian store and picked one up.

Here is our Haft Sin

The candle sticks the mirror and the cloth under neath from all of this is from our Persian Wedding Ceremony

1 – Samanou

2 – Somaq

3 – Senjid

4 – Sir (Garlic)

5 – Sib (Apple)

6 – Serkeh (Vinegar)

7 – Sabzeh (Sprout)

Orange Floating in the Water

Pastries – Rice Cookies

Quran

No gold fish for us, Raymond didn’t let me buy any this year, because they die so quickly he doesn’t like to “murder” the gold fish.  Honestly I am to tired to argue… maybe Sadie would let us use her orange fish?!?

Have a wonderful night!  Looking forward to meeting many of you tomorrow.

~ G

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Posted in Everyday Stuff, Holiday | 25 Comments »

Festival of Fire

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Today is the last Tuesday of the Iranian (Persian) year…. What is the significance? The Eve of the last Wednesday is called “Chaharshanbeh Suri” (Chaharshanbeh = Wednesday & Suri = Fire), which is the Festival of Fire.

The festival of fire is a prelude to the Nowruz festival, which marks the arrival of spring and revival of nature. Bonfires are lit to keep the sun alive till early hours of the morning. The celebration usually starts in the evening, with people making bonfires in the streets and jumping over them.
There is no religious significance attached to Chaharshanbeh Soori and it serves as a cultural festival for Persians, Persian Jews, Muslims, Armenians, Kurds, Turks and Zoroastrians alike. Indeed this celebration, in particular the significant role of fire, is likely to hail from Zoroastrianism.

As we jump over the fire, we say Zardiye man az tou, Sorkhiye to az man, which means   “Your redness (health) is mine; my paleness (pain) is yours.”

Unfortunately since we have moved to Houston I haven’t been able to attened Chaharshanbeh Suri, this was a party/festival that I never missed while I live in Atlanta.  The festivities are usually well organized.   The one in Atlana is usually hosted in Rosewell by the Chattahoochi river, with tons of food and a DJ :)

There are two Chaharshanbe Suri here in Houston tonight….  well it looks like Raymond and I going so I will be posting pictures in my post tomorrow.

You can find the location of Chaharshanbeh Suri in your city (US &Europe) by clicking here.

* * * * * * *

Lack of sleep and traveling this past weekend is catching up with me.  I am miserably tired today.  Last night I told myself I will be in bed no later than 8:30, well that didn’t happen tonight I am really hoping to get into bed really early (hence my hesitation to go out tonight).

I skipped my AM workout so Raymond and I can go for a bike ride in the evening.  So since I was home for breakfast I offered to make Raymond a bowl of oatmeal :)  I got home and was super exhausted and since we had a little bit of drizzle it was enough excuse for me to say…. let’s take today as rest day.

I started my day with 16 oz of Green Juice.   I felt very dehydrated so I drank some coconut water on my way to work.   I had a tangerine and some strawberries for my AM snack.   Lunch was something I had been craving… OATMEAL!

In todays mix

- 1/3 C Scotish Oats
- 1 C Hemp Milk
- 1 tbsp Flax Seed
- 1 tbsp Almond Butter
- 0.5 tbsp Rose Jam
- 1 Banana
- 2 strawberries

The afternoon dragged…. all I could picture was Sadie sleeping my big bed and thinking I wish I was cuddled up with my little munchkin!  Since day dreaming didn’t help I made myself a large cup of tea and ate two dates with some pecans.

Dinner was quick and yummy.   I roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, Okra and small red potatoes and steamed Broccoli and carrots…. I served the veggies with Millet.

This was my first time trying millet… I liked it but I didn’t love it like I love quinoa.

* * * * * * * *

Thank you for your comments about the Kid at Starbucks… from your comments I learned that Starbucks now has Oatmeal… so I looked at their website

Its good to know when traveling and don’t have many options.  But in general though I feel like most of their breakfast cakes are not really a healthy option for an adult let alone for a kid.  I do agree everything in moderation so once in a while treat is fine where as an everyday breakfast at Starbucks probably not a good idea.

You can find nutritional information for everything on Starbucks’s menu here.

~ G

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Posted in Everyday Stuff, Holiday | 27 Comments »

Spring is almost here!

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The temperatures are finally rising here in Houston.  I went out to lunch today and it was 78°F woo hoo :)  But then SPRING is around the corner :) :) To be exact Spring arrives on Saturday March 20th at 1:35 PM EST.   How do I know this?  Because the first day of Spring is the Iranian New Year, which is called Norouz = New Day.   I have done my Spring cleaning and the house is ready, but I still need to do some more preparation for the Haft Seen (Seven S’s) for our Norouz Table.

What is Haft Sin? (from Wikipedia)

“Haft Sîn (Faris: هفت سین) or the seven ‘S’s is a major tradition of Norouz (Norouz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar), the traditional Iranian new year.  The haft sin table includes seven specific items, all starting with the letter S or Sîn (س in the Persian alphabet). The items symbolically correspond to seven creations and holy immortals protecting them. Originally called Haft Chin (هفت چین), the Haft Sin has evolved over time, but has kept its symbolism. Traditionally, families attempt to set as beautiful a Haft Sîn table as they can, as it is not only of traditional and spiritual value, but also noticed by visitors during Norouzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.

The Haft Sin items are:

  1. Sabzeh(سبزه) – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth
  2. Samanu (سمنو)- a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence
  3. Senjed (سنجد)- the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love
  4. Sîr (سیر)- garlic – symbolizing medicine
  5. Sîb (سیب)- apples – symbolizing beauty and health
  6. Somaq (سماق)- sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
  7. Serkeh (سرکه)- vinegar – symbolizing age and patience

While traditionally incorrect, sometimes a missing Sin is exchanged with another item starting with an S. For example:

  • sonbol (سنبل)- the fragrant hyacinth flower (the coming of spring)
  • sekkeh (سکه)- coins (prosperity and wealth)

Other items on the table may include:

  • traditional Iranian pastries such as baghlava (باقلوا), & other sweets
  • “toot” (توت)- (usually white) berries,
  • dried nuts, berries and raisins that is called “Aajeel” (آجیل)
  • lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
  • a mirror
  • decorated eggs, sometimes one for each member of the family (fertility)
  • a bowl with goldfish (life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving)
  • a bowl of water with an orange in it (the earth floating in space)
  • rose water for its cleansing powers
  • A Poetry book, such as the Shahnama or the Divan of Hafez, and/or a holy book such as the Quran “

Source
Caption: A traditional Haft Sin table celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is seen set Wednesday, March 19, 2008, in the State Dining Room of the White House. Nowruz is, in Persian and some other cultures, including Kurdish culture, a family-oriented holiday celebrating the New Year and the coming of spring. The Haft Sin table has seven items symbolizing new life, joy, love, beauty and health, sunrise, patience and garlic to ward off evil. White House photo by Chris Greenberg

~ G

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Posted in Everyday Stuff, Holiday, Tradition | 24 Comments »