Superfood Shamrock Shake! (Dairy-free, vegan, raw)

I've been experimenting with spirulina because it's supposed to be so good for you.  To be honest, I think it tastes terrible.  However, I have come up with a great way to hide the taste in this WAY healthier-than-McDonalds Shamrock Shake!   It gets its green color from spirulina instead of green food coloring.

Superfood Shamrock Shake:
handful of nuts (I used pecans)
handful of pitted dates
1T spirulina powder
5-7 drops of peppermint extract
glass of water (about 2 cups)
2 cups of ice

Blend everything in a blender.  (I like to blend everything except the ice first, and then blend in the ice.)  Seriously, this tastes delicious!   Plus, it's SO much better for you than a Shamrock Shake from McD's.  It has about 350 calories per 16 oz serving and 20 grams of fat.  I know the fat is high (and about the same as the McD's), but it's good fat that comes from nuts, not saturated fat that comes from animals.

Just to compare, what's in a McDonald's Shamrock Shake?  For the 16 oz. size, it's 680 calories and 20 grams of fat.  By the way, the small (12 oz) it's 540 calories and 16 grams of fat; and for the large, it's 840 calories and 24 grams of fat.  Also, check out these ingredients.  (I got this info from McDonald's own site.)

What Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

Allergens: MILK
Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate.

Shamrock Shake Syrup

High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1.

Whipped Cream

Allergens: MILK
Cream, nonfat milk, water, corn syrup, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, mono-and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, beta carotene (color), natural (dairy and vegetable source) and artificial flavor, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) to protect flavor. Whipping Propellant (nitrous oxide).

Maraschino Cherry

Cherries, water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, malic acid, citric acid, natural (plant source) and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), red 40, sulfur dioxide as preservative (contains sulfites).

Woa! How many chemicals are in there?   

2012 Resolutions

I have to say, I LOVE New Year's resolutions!  I know a lot of people who don't like them and never make them, but I really like the idea of starting fresh.  It gives me hope and energy to think that this year will be different.  Even if  I don't keep them, I think it's worth making them.

My New Year's Resolutions of 2012:

1.  I will walk for 30 minutes every morning.

2.  I will switch to a mainly plant-based diet, following this food pyramid.  (I saw 2 documentaries that have led to this one:  "Forks over Knives" and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".  Check them out.)

3.  I will have fresh juice or a green smoothie at least once a day.

4.  I will write to my Bosnian sister on the first of each month.  (I sponsor a Bosnian woman through Women for women.  I always send the money, but I'm ashamed to say I rarely write like I'm supposed to.)

5.  I will be the best mother I can possibly be.

6.  I will spend more time and energy on people, and less time and energy on things.

I also LOVE to read other people's resolutions (so I can steal the good ones).  What are yours?

Chicken meals in a hurry

Okay, so I found this great tip for preparing meals for days from a couple of roasted chickens.  This has made cooking decent meals during the week so much easier and I had to share! 

Step 1:  Get 2 (or more) roasted chickens.  Either roast them yourself or do what I do and get what I call "lazy chicken" already roasted from the supermarket. (Note:  If you do roast them yourself, use Julia Child's recipe.  You will not believe how good it is!  I call it "succulent chicken of awesomeness".)

Step 2:  Cut off the wings, legs, and thighs and freeze them in ziploc bags for future meals.  All you have to do is zap them in the microwave and add some frozen mixed vegetables (I like the California mix), and you'll have a meal.

Step 3:  Cut off the breasts and have some for dinner tonight.  What you don't eat, you can cut up for salads.

Step 4:  Cut up the remaining chicken breasts and get whatever random chicken meat you can get from the carcasses.  Store for future use in salads or soup or whatever.  You can add some chopped celery, grapes, pecans, and a dollop of mayonnaise for a delicious chicken salad!  Eat it with crackers, on salad greens, or in a sandwich.

Step 5:  Make stock with the chicken bones and carcasses.  (I used to think this was hard but it's super easy!)  Put the carcasses in a big pot.  Add the juice of one lemon, carrots, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, pepper corns, and a bay leaf.  Fill with water and boil for an hour.  (The acid in the lemon juice draws the good stuff out of the bones and into the water.)  You can either freeze this stock for future use or make soup the next day.  (Strain and skim first!)  I added some of the cut up chicken meat, zucchini, basil, and leeks for a delicious soup.  I love making soup because you can use whatever vegetables you have around that are about to go bad.

If you do this as soon as you get home from grocery shopping, you'll have several meals ready to go with little prep.  Yay!

Taco Soup!

A coworker of mine drew my attention to Taco Soup because she brought it for lunch once day, and it looked delicious!  Luckily, I found this recipe in my slow-cooker cook book.  (Note:  Don't have a slow-cooker?  You can make this in a regular pot.  I'd brown the meat first, then add the other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or so.)

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
4-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 envelope dry low-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 envelope dry low-sodium Ranch-style dressing mix (Note:  I didn't use this b/c I really don't like all the chemicals I saw listed in the ingredients.  Instead, I made my own Ranch mix by chopping 2 cloves of garlic, 3 green onions, a handful of parsley, and some fresh dill.)
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans low-sodium stewed tomatoes, undrained
16-oz. can kidney beans, undrained (Note:  The recipe says "undrained", but I drain and rinse the beans.)
15-oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
(I add a can of corn.  The recipe doesn't call for it, but I think it tastes nice.)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in large slow cooker.
Cover.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Optional:  To serve, you can top it with crushed corn chips, avocado, cheese, and/or greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)

Serves 8.  290 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving. (without the toppings)

What Can Michael Teach us About Performance?

So, I have the flu this week and to pass the time I'm watching "This is it".  (Michael Jackson's last documentary.)  I hadn't expected to want to show it to my music students, but now I think I will.  There are some things about him and his work ethic I want them to see.

Now, I know I'm not the only one who is super annoyed by the hypocrisy of people over the whole Michael Jackson death thing.  For years, the public perception was that he was a crazy pedophile.  Then, as soon as he died, boom!  Instant genuis/success/idol/etc overnight.  Okay so in his personal life, he was a mess, had too much plastic surgery, and you'd let NEVER let your kids around him.  But---in his professional life, he really was fantastic at what he did.  A true performer. 

What I want my students to learn from Michael Jackson:

• Work Hard - Most shows these days make it look like good performances just happen spontaneously, without rehearsal.  Most kids think that they can just "free-style" it on stage and something good will happen.  I have a hard time convincing them that a good performance take hours of rehearsal.  Well, this documentary shows just how hard and how many hours of work Michael put in behind the scenes.  Say whatever you want about him, but the man was NOT lazy!  He was committed to his work.
• Be Unique - Michael had his own style. In clothes, in dance moves, in music.  He did not look or sound like anyone else!  I don't want my students to imitate other, successful musicians.  I want them to develop their own style.
• Know Your Music - Michael knew his music inside and out.  Every key, tempo, pause, sound effect, etc.  He knew exactly what he wanted to hear and was not afraid to ask for it.
• No Diva Fits - You hear a lot about famous singers having diva fits, but did you ever hear about Michael having one?  This documentary showed him letting people know when things weren't right, but he did it respectfully.  No shouting or anger.  Just "hey, this isn't here and I need it to be.   Fix it."     
• Be Able to Bring It!  - In an age where so much reliance is given to digital editing and things like autotune, it's valuable for a performer to really be able to sing (or play) without electronic help.  Michael sang his shows live and was in tune.  You hear people like Tayler Swift and Justin Beiber sing live, and they're a quarter tone flat!  Also, I bet if Michael were to sing the National Anthem, he would've gotten the words right!
• Be the BEST at What You Do - 'Nuff said.

Again, I would never tell my students to emulate Michael Jackson's personal life, however as far as performance is concerned, they would do well to take note!
 

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!

I love chocolate dipped strawberries!  They are super easy to do and they make an elegant Valentine's Day gift, that is impressive while being inexpensive at the same time.  What's not to like?  Make these for your sweetie on Valentine's Day (or just for yourself), and you will be loved!  :-)

Ingredients:
There are only 2 ingredients neccessary:  chocolate chips and strawberries. 
Directions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Dip the strawberries, then dry on wax paper.  Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes so to harden. 
Important:  make sure the strawberries are completely dry.  I usually wash them the night before so they can dry overnight.  I learned the hard way that if there is any water on the berries at all, it will turn your melted chocolate in to a gloppy mess and you will have ugly, bumpy strawberries. 

Get fancy!
Now, you can get eleborate by using a variety of chocolate chips (I used white and semi-sweet), then dip them into extra goodies (like chopped nuts or cookies) as well.  Here what I did:

White Chocolate Chip Variations:

•        Plain white chocolate
•        Dried coconut flakes
•        Chopped oreos for cookies and cream!  (I used gluten-free oreo-type cookies.  Paul  Newman makes a good one.) 

Dark Chocolate Chip Variations:

•      Plan Dark Chocolate
•      Chopped nuts
•      Chopped candied ginger

Mixed:

• Two-toned
• Marbelized

I bet you can come up with some even better combinations!  What would you dip your strawberry into?

Hot Chocolate for the Lactose Intolerant

The weather is SO cold lately that all I can think about is hot chocolate!  Luckily, I have discovered a totally delicious way to make it without any dairy. 

First of all, I like to use vanilla almond milk.  (I think it tastes better than plain almond, soy, or rice milk.)  Now, you can either buy it OR, you can make your own!  I don't ever buy it any more now that I've discovered how to make it in my Vitamix blender.  Here's how:

Vanilla Almond "Mylk"  (Recipe from Ani's Raw Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup pitted dates
1 vanilla bean (Scrape the insides to loosen the seeds, then throw the bark in too.)
5 cups water
pinch of salt

Directions: 
Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender (I love my Vitamix!) and blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. 


This almond "mylk" will last for a week.  I keep it in a ceramic pitcher in my fridge to use for cereal, tea, or  hot chocolate.  Also, you can use this instead of milk or cream in any recipe. 

Now for the hot chocolate part:
Heat up a mug-full of the almond milk (which ever kind you use) and add 4 spoonfulls of Godiva Dark Hot Chocolate mix.  (Make sure it's DARK.  The milk chocolate kind defeats the whole purpose.)  You will be amazed at how delicious it is!

Interesting fact:  One serving of Godiva Dark Hot Chocolate mix contains 15%  RDA of Iron.  (Says so right on the container.)  Don't you need more iron?  I think you owe it to yourself to make sure you get all the nutrients you need.  You NEED to have some hot chocolate now!  I know I do.  ;-)  

What happens in dance class, stays in dance class.

     This past Thursday was my second Indian dance class.  (We do 1/2 hour of Classical Indian dance and a whole hour of Bollywood-style dance.)  There were 3 new additions to the class:  three boys that I teach!  Ummmm.....awkward!  You should have seen the looks of panic on their faces as I walked up.  They said, "*gasp*  It's Ms. Lyn!", then they huddled together to discuss the situation. 

     Luckily, these are very good boys who do as they are told.  I couldn't have handled it otherwise.  I told them, "Hey guys.  I won't say anything at school if you don't.  It'll be our secret!"  Relief flooded over all their faces.  I can see why.  Do you know how brutal middle school is?  If the other boys found out that they were taking a dance class with FEMALES in the class, including their teacher, they would totally get beaten up.  We're going to treat it like fight club.  The first rule of Bollywood Dance Club is:  you do not talk about Bollywood Dance Club.  The second rule of Bollywood Dance Club is:  you DO NOT talk about Bollywood dance club!

On the plus side, the parents of the 3 boys are now going to join the class as well.  Hooray!  This will make it much less awkward (for me anyway) and more fun.  :-) 

The Crazy White-Chick at the Indian Dance Class 101

Yep.  That would be me.  In case you haven't heard, I LOVE Bollywood movies and I watch a lot of them.  So when I found out that Arya International (the dance company that provides the dancers for many Bollywood movies) was teaching a dance class in my area, I totally went for it!  I have to say, I was pretty nervous before the first class because I thought everyone would look at me funny and wonder, "what's that white girl doing here?"  Last night, however, I went anyway just to see if I would like it.

Well, I did feel a bit uncomfortable at first. Not because of my race, mind you, but because I was the only adult in the class!  (They combined the teenage and adult classes.)  Not only that, the other girls were students at the school where I teach!  Their parents (including dads and brothers) stayed to watch us in our first ever Indian dance class.  How embarrassing!  I almost called it a day, but as soon as I started dancing, I forgot all about them.  As it turns out, I LOVE Indian dancing and I'm actually not too bad at it.  I was happy that I wasn't that person who stumbles and holds up the whole class.  I kept up with those 16-year-olds pretty well, if  I do say do myself! 

We did a half-hour of Classical Indian dance and a whole hour of Bollywood-style dancing.  Barefoot.  I was afraid my feet were going to kill me, but they didn't.  Hooray!  Our teacher is a real Bollywood dancer and had flown over from India.  He has been in several Bollywood movies as a back-up dancer!  I'm SO going to look carefully in the background of some of those movies to see if I see him.  :-)

Anyway, I hope to chronicle my experiences in this blog as I continue to take this dance class.  It's just too much fun not to!  Also, it might  be entertaining for some to read about the old-white chick in the teenage Indian dance class.  I'm starting to think I was Indian in a previous life.  Not that I really believe in reincarnation, mind you.  I just have always REALLY loved Indian culture, even when I was a child.  There's no real reason for me to like it this much. ... or to be SO happy while dancing Indian-style. 

I want to challenge all of you out there to take a class in something you're interesting in even if you feel ridiculous.  It might be worth it!
What do you really love that defies explanation?

Journaling for Mental Health

I have found a tool that has been helping me and I'd like to share it.  Journaling!  It's not a new idea at all but the process and the function were new to me.  I was reading a book about how to access your creativity and the author recommended the following how to:
1.  Write as soon as you get up in the morning, until you fill up 3 pages.
2.  Don't think about what you're writing.  Just write whatever pops up into your head.  The important thing is to not stop until you've filled 3 pages.
3.  Never go back and read what you've written.  The point is to get the negative thoughts OUT.  (Reading it will just put them back in.)
4.  When the notebook is full, throw it out!

What this has done for me:
When I journal in this way, I find that most of the negative "chatter" swirling around in my head goes away.  I also find that I don't need to unload on people.  You know when you just want to complain to someone?  I find I have less of a need to do this when I journal in the mornings.  It's like emptying out what's bothering me onto the pages.
Lately, I have been dealing with fertility issues.  I hadn't realized I was going on and on about it so much until a coworker said to me, "Yes, Lyn, we KNOW!"  after I had made a comment about how much it sucks to not be able to have a child.  I don't want to burden people and I don't want them to get sick of hearing me.  I'm sure it makes me tiresome to be around.  Anyway, the journal is helping me.  I usually feel like I have an elephant on my heart, and this journaling activity lightens the load.

I'd encourage you to try this.  What do you need to unburden yourself of?

Beating the Sunday Blahs

Most people feel like Monday morning begins on Sunday afternoon.  (I know I did!)  Lately, I have been making an effort to turn Sunday afternoons in to a positive time that I look forward to.  Here's my new Sunday routine:
Morning:

• Get up around 8 or so
• have my 1 cup of coffee that I allow myself per week
• have a nice breakfast of eggs and veggie browns
• read a good book for an hour or so (I'm currently reading "The Girl that Kicked the Hornets' nest".)
• around 10, I start cleaning.  I always do the kitchen and bathroom (they are the dirtiest rooms in the house), then I do the floors, laundry, and whatever else I have time for before noon.

Afternoon:

• 12 - go out to eat with my family (hubby, mom, dad, brother)
• go grocery shopping (the best time to go is when you're full!) - also:  don't forget the flowers!
• other housework (Today, I swept off the roof.)
• treat myself to TV, blogging, or facebooking
• make soup for the week's lunches (Last week was chicken soup.  Today, I'm making lentil soup.)

Evening:

• make "special treat" supper.  It's hard to come up with good treats when you can't eat wheat, dairy, or sugar but I've come up with Italian antipasta as something I look forward to.  It makes Sunday evening feel special. ..AND - there's nothing like a clean house and a closet full of clean clothes to make you feel good and ready for the week! 
• hot bath
• read silly book &/or magazines (Silly chick lit.  Nothing heavy.)
• bed at a decent hour

So far, this routine helps me look forward to Sunday afternoons, and helps me to feel good about the upcoming week.  Also, I used to spend Saturdays feeling guilty about not doing the shopping and cleaning.  Now that I know it'll get done Sunday, I can enjoy my Saturdays guilt free!  

 My antipasta plate:  (from bottom, clockwise) - palm hearts, turkey slices, roasted tomato and garlic, artichoke hearts, pepperoni slices, mixed olives, pickled pearl onions, prosciutto and figs.  In the middle - marinated mushrooms and roasted red peppers.  Topped with blanched asparagus (drop in boiling water for a minute.  Works best with skinny asparagus.)  I drizzle a vinaigrette on top, made from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and fresh basil.  Yum!

I almost forgot this week's flowers that I chose as my treat this week:

Irises and Tully Pods.

An Affordable Luxury

I love Calla Lillies!  They are such elegant flowers.  No frills, clean lines, and just beautiful.  I have taken to buying flowers for myself each time I go to the grocery store.  It's a no calorie treat!  I used to buy myself a candy bar or something bad to eat on the way home.  Now, I pick out flowers after I'm done getting everything else on my list. 

This treat won't contribute to my weight and I get to enjoy it all week!   Every time I walk in the kitchen and see them, I feel a burst of happiness.  Worth it!

What's your favorite no-calorie treat?

The DIY Pedicure

After my last post, I feel the need to post about a light and fluffy topic.  Pedicures!  I love a good pedicure, but since my husband and I are both  teachers who don't get paid over the summer (and we won't get paid until the end of this month), I felt like I shouldn't spend the money on something as frivilous as a pedicure.  BUT - my feet were in need of one so I decided to do it myself. 

At first, I really didn't want to but I thought, "if a pedicure costs $35.  I'll save that much if I do it myself.  It's like getting paid.  If someone were to give me $35 to give myself a pedicure, would I do it?  Of course!"

Most of us have what we need for a pedicure around the house.  I had several bottles of nail polish sitting around that I rarely use, and some nail polish remover.  Other than that, you don't need anything special.  I was reading in a magazine that facial exfolients and moisturizers work just as well on feet too!  Here's what I did:

My DIY Pedi:
Step 1:  Take a hot bath and  make sure to keep feet under water to soak.
Step 2:  Exfoliate with whatever you have  on hand.  I used St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
Step 3:  Get rid of dead skin on heels with a pumice stone if you have it.  If not, skip this step and just make sure to exfoliate well in step 1.  (I happen to have a pedicure razor that I bought at Sally's for just a few bucks.  Love it!)
Step 4:  Get out of tub and dry feet.
Step 5:  Moisturize with whatever you have on hand.  I used CVS brand moisturizer.
Step 6:  Remove nail polish (if needed).  Instead of regular nail polish remover, I use Boots Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads.  I get them in England when I go.  I have not found anything similar in this country.  One little pad will remove all of your polish on both feet, it doesn't dry your nails out, and it doesn't smell terrible!  Most nail polish removers give off fumes that give me terrible headaches.  This doesn't.
Step 7:  Apply two coats of polish and one coat of clear topcoat.  I don't know why I was drawn to this unconventional blue, but I was.  I guess I'm in a blue mood! 
Step 8:  Let dry thoroughly and enjoy!

It' not perfect, but my feet feel a lot better and this will hold me over until the paycheck comes in. 

His Name is Khan, and he is NOT a Terrorist

My Name is Khan
All Americans should watch this movie.  Really.  I saw it this weekend and loved it.  Shahrukh Khan plays a character that has Asberger's Sydrome who falls in love with a single mom, Mandira.  Their love is unconventional, but very sweet.  The focus is the love story, but there is the back-drop of 9/11 which happens in the middle of the film  and changes their lives forever.  Many of us have never considered that innocent Muslims who live in America were also victims of 9/11.

Watching this movie has made me more sensitive to some unpleasant things that are going on currently.  Two stand out to me:  (I already had these thoughts before seeing the movie--it just made me think more about them.) 

1.  People are freaking out and trying to prevent a mosque from being built down the street from the ground zero.  Not AT ground zero, mind you; but down the street.  (Also, there is another mosque that already exists that is even closer to the site which nobody mentions.)

2.  Right-wing media idiots are trying to organize "parties" where people burn copies of the Qur'an.

Reasons why we should not prevent a mosque from being built at that site in NY:

1.  It's not AT Ground zero.  It's down the street.

2.  It will not be for "the enemy".  This mosque will be built for AMERICANS who have the misfortune of having the same religion as some very bad men.

3.  This idea that Islam is synonymous with terrorism is dangerous thinking and just isn't true. I have heard people say that Islam is a violent religion and it's something in the religion that promotes bombings, etc.  Well, what about the Northern Irish terrorists who bombed London all those years?  We never said "ooh.  Let's prevent a church from being built anywhere near any of the bomb sites", did we?  Also, Timothy McVeigh was Christian.  Did we knock down churches in the area?  What about all the Catholic priests who molest boys?  Is there something in Catholicism that promotes that?  Of course not!  There are bad people in the world, and they can be of any religion.  Also, no matter what the religion, there are people who will use the ideology to justify bad behavior.  Let's not condemn whole religions here.  Especially in the land that was founded on freedom of religion!

4.  Let us not forget that there were innocent Muslims who died in the Twin Towers along with everyone else.

5.  Yes, the Muslims have "jihad".  Well, Christians have "crusades".  Isn't that pretty much the same thing?  Killing people who don't conform to your beliefs?  The crusades were really bloody, horrible battles.  All done by Christians in a far away land.  The people of that land still associate the word "crusade" with some awful, awful events.

6.  I know Christians today who think it's okay to break the "thou shalt not kill" commandment to go abroad and kill Muslims.  We can go over an kill them, yet they cannot have a peaceful place of worship?  Doesn't this strike you as insane?

7.  Whatever happened to "turn the other cheek" and "love thine enemy"? 


Reasons why we should not have mass public burnings of the Qur'an:

1.  First of all, what would it accomplish?  Really!

2.  We didn't burn bibles everytime an IRA bombing occured in London; nor did we burn bibles when over the Oklahoma City bombing.  Why start burning books now?  I think this whole thing is racism in disguise.

3.  It's only going to make the bad guys hate us even more.  (and by "bad guys" I mean Islamic terrorists.  Not ALL muslims!)

The Rules of Classy-ness

Through reading other people's blog posts, I came across some rules on how to achieve a timeless, classy look.  "Chic", if you will.  Here they are:

1.  The 2 color rule - I'm still not 100% sure what this is, but French women follow this rule when dressing.  Sure, no more than 2 colors, but does this include neutrals and toenail polish?  If anyone knows about his rule, please enlighten me! 

2.  Either wear a necklace OR earrings.  Not both.

3.  Either make-up your eyes OR your lips.  Not both.

Audrey Hepburn followed these rules and, as we all know, she was the epitome of class.  People still try to emulate her simple grace.

Recently, I went to a reunion of sorts and I used these rules.  Here I am, trying to look classy:

I think I followed the 2 color rule by wearing only blue and black, but I did have pink nail polish.  Also, there is more than one shade of blue in the necklace.  Maybe I didn't follow this rule after all!  Can someone PLEASE explain this rule?

I chose to wear a necklace and no earrings.

I chose to make up my lips by wearing red lipstick (something I never do), and no eye make-up. 

What do you think?  Any other ideas on how to be classy out there?

Office Therapy

I recently read the book "Apartment Therapy" by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, and am now working through the suggestions in it.  (I found out about this book b/c one of the blogs I follow had a really great post about it.)  The premise is that you will feel much better about yourself if you get your living space in order.  Also, it's not about being "hoity toity" and having a beautiful house or apartment, but having one that is right for YOU and supports you in your activities.  I have found it very helpful. 

I was skipping around and decided to focus on my office for the past few days because it needs the most help.  Everytime I walk in here, I feel like "ugh"!  Office clutter seems to pile up the fastest, doesn't it?  I had piles of bills from over 10 years ago!  Also, my filing cabinet was crammed full of old stuff and was disorganized so files were piling up on my desk, the floor, etc.

Mr. Gillingham-Ryan suggests color-coding your files so you can see major categories at a glance.  My files are now pink and purple for personal stuff, green for professional stuff, and brown for house stuff.  I am so happy now that there is a place for all the paper clutter that has been covering my desk for years.  Also, I never knew what to keep and what to throw away, so I kept everything!  (You know....just in case.)  The following list in the book helped me greatly:

Keep:                                       For how long:
1.  Personal Letters -                permanently
2.  Tax returns -                        permanently
3.  Credit Card Statements -       7 years
4.  Mortgage Statements -          7 years
5.  Bank Statements -                 7 years
6.  Investment Statements -        7 years
7.  Tax deductible receipts -       7 years
8.  Insurance Policies -              3 years of renewals
9.  Warranties, User's Guides -   Life of Product  (or as long as you own it.)


Do NOT keep:
1.  Personal or holiday cards
2.  Utility bills (unless deductible)
3.  Rent receipts
4.  Nondeductible receipts or bills


Go ahead and declutter that office.  It doesn't take as long as you think it's going to, and you'll be glad you did!

America: Don't be this guy!

I understand iphones are cool and all, but I really hope I never get like all these people I see who are permanently attached to them.  This was taken on a boat trip through the beautiful Killarney Lakes in Ireland.  Surrounded by SO much beauty and this guy never looked up from his iphone!

Greece: The Good, the Bad, and the Amusing

The Good:

I have a whole separate post on the good things about Greece. Here’s a recap: The islands, the food, the color of the ocean, siestas, tavernas, open-air cinemas, sunsets, beautiful flowers, frappes, kids running around at night, etc.

The Bad:
As with every country, you have to take the bad along with the good.  I always feel that an outsider has no right to criticise a country.  After all, if you don't like it, go home!  However, since my mother-in-law lives here, my husband is half-Greek, and I have spent every summer and every other Christmas here for the past 10 years; I feel I have earned the right to mention a few things I don't like.  (If you are Greek, please don't take offense,  I think the good outweighs the bad, and I am the first person to criticise things I don't like about my own country.)  Here are some things I really find hard to take when I come here:

-Athens - NOT my favorite place! It has all the problems of a big city without any of the convenience. I only liked Greece once I got out of Athens. By all means - go to Athens to see all the old stuff (Parthenon, etc.). I was really glad to see all that. The first time. After you’ve seen it all though, Athens is just a big, dirty city.

-Rude people - Admittedly, not all Greeks are rude. I find them to very rude in Athens, but really very friendly once you get outside of Athens.  Once, in Athens, an old Greek lady literally pushed me out of the way saying "op op op op op!"  I think that's the Greek for,"Get out of my way you dumb tourist!  I'm trying to get that taxi!"

- NO ONE waits in line. Ever. When you go anywhere, instead of lining up, the Greeks will push into a chaotic mob and elbow you out of their way. (Little old Greek ladies are the WORST!) I have been conditioned to wait my turn. If you try to do this, you’ll never get anywhere because everyone pushes ahead of you. Once the crowd begins to thin out, then a whole fresh mob of people will push in front of you. I have culture shock over this every time.

-Rules are for someone else - Most Greeks seem to have this mentality. Rules (even traffic rules) are for someone else. We once got totally yelled at by a man who had a red light, but he wanted to run it. We were walking across the street at the time (obeying the signal), and prevented him from doing this. (This is just one, small example. People create traffic lanes where there are no lanes, etc.) I always have underlying anxiety because I feel like anyone could do anything at anytime.

-Speaking of traffic - When driving in Athens, if you don’t go immediately, the person behind you will honk and curse at you. If you do go, then the car on street you just went in front of will honk and curse at you. Either way, you’re screwed.

The Amusing:
(I was going to call this “the ugly”, but I decided to think of it as amusing.)

- There is still smoking inside of buildings. When we went to the bank, (another thing I don’t like: things take FOREVER. Even simple things like going to the bank can take hours.) Anyway, we were at the bank, and the woman at the desk lit up and started smoking! I couldn’t believe it. Okay, though. It was a bank. Fair enough, I guess. What really shocked me was when we visited my mother-in-law in the hospital a few years back when she had a minor operation. People were smoking IN the hospital! Even the doctors and nurses smoked, right in front of the patients! (WTF?)

- Sidewalks are not for walking. Anywhere there is a sidewalk, people have planted trees in the middle of them. They cut holes in the concrete and plant trees in them every few feet. Of course, this makes walking on the sidewalk impossible. So then, everyone walks in the street while the angry drivers honk at everyone to get out of the way. To me, this is crazy.

-Gum - On the trunks of the above mentioned trees, there is tons of gum. Apparently, this is where youngsters put their used gum instead of throwing it away. Yuck.

- Ancient Plumbing - Most places have old plumbing with very narrow pipes. This means that you cannot flush toilet paper. Next to every toilet, they have a small trash can where you’re supposed to put used toilet paper and things you normally would flush. Ick. (This is another thing I find it hard to get used to.)

-Cats - They seem to be everywhere! Apparently, the Greeks won’t put down animals. This is nice in theory, but what do you do when the stray cats take over and there are packs of dogs which terrorize children? Sometimes, putting down strays is for the best.

More Things I Like About Greece

Other things (in addition to the islands) I like about Greece:

1. Food - I know we Americans think we have the best food, but Greece has us beat. I’m not even kidding! Now, I’m not talking about fancy, complicated dishes. Greece has just good, simple food but of the highest quality. I think this is because they haven’t succumbed to factory farming practices the way we have. The fruit and vegetable are the best I’ve ever tasted. They are grown locally and are picked when they are ripe.  Things like peaches and melons are just to die for.  Even broccoli tastes amazing over here!

The best lamb I have ever had has been in Greece. Alex says this is because the animals spend their whole lives eating fresh herbs that grow naturally on the hillsides. (Things like rosemary, oregano, and thyme.) The herbs are thoroughly incorporated into every part of the animal. Who knows if this is the reason, but I can tell you: there is nothing like Greek lamb chops!

Yogurt and honey - both are the thickest ever, and are totally delicious. The honey has the consistency of caramel. I’ve never found any like it outside of Greece. Also, they have different kinds. Today, we bought pine and chestnut honey. I can’t wait to try it!

Greek sweets - Did you know that there are LOTS of different kinds of baklava? Also, other baklava-esce desserts? Sweets are a big part of Greek culture. If you are invited to someone’s house for a meal, don’t bring flowers. Bring sweets! The sweet shops are even open on Sundays (nothing else is) so that people can get a beautifully wrapped box of sweets to bring to Sunday lunch. My favorites include the following:

• baklava (the REAL thing. Not what they call “baklava” in Greek restaurants in America.)
• kaitifi (made with “string” pastry instead of filo. It looks kind of like shredded wheat.)
• ekmek (a Turkish dessert which is kind of like kaitifi with thick, whipped cream on top)
• Chocolate “pasta”, which is a kind of cake which is layered with cream, then coated with a layer of chocolate. Alex’s favorite!
• ice-creams - We all know that the Italians have a the best gelato, but I think some of that know-how must’ve gotten into Greek culture because they have amazing ice-creams over here. 
•  I tried a new dessert this time. I don’t know what the Greek name is but the translation is “honey balls”. They are like donuts, soaked in honey, and topped with chopped nuts and cinnamon. Fantastic!

Frappes - Since it’s usually hot outside, the Greeks have a tradition of drinking cold coffee. They take really finely-ground instant coffee (like a really fine powder) and whip it up with water, sugar, and condensed milk. It makes a wonderfully frothy coffee drink. I think they were doing this long before frappucinos were invented.

2. Tavernas - I also love that you are more connected with the outside when in Greece. When you eat at a Taverna, you sit outside, usually under trees or a trellis. On our last night in Spetses, our table was on the beach, inches away from the water. Awesome! Also, it’s nice that everything you order automatically comes with a glass of ice-cold water. (Even if you order a glass of water, it will come with a glass of water!)

3. Siesta - Everyone takes a siesta from around 2 or so until around 5 or 6 in the evening. The shops close around then and reopen. The cool thing is that everything stays open until after midnight then. I love going to a Taverna at 11 at night and all the children are running around, playing while the adults chat and have a meal and/or a drink. It’s a really nice atmosphere.

4. Open-air cinemas - There are cinemas, which are usually on a roof-top, where you sit outside and watch a movie (on the side of a building or a screen) while the sun goes down. I love it!

5. The amazing turquoise water - When I first saw the ocean in Greece, I thought they must’ve poured turquoise dye into the water. It’s an amazing color! I’ve never been able to capture the color on camera. You just HAVE to come to Greece and see for yourself.

My Favorite Greek Islands

My husband and I just got back yesterday from the islands of Hydra and Spetses.  If you're going to visit some isalnds in Greece, these two are close to Piraeus and are easy to get to.  I've been to other islands like Santorini, Mikonos, Paros, etc., but I find that these two are just as good as (if not better than) any of the more famous ones.  Here goes:

1. The Island of Hydra (pronounced “eethra”) - I have been to several islands, but Hydra is my favorite. It is the only one that does not allow cars on the island. Everything has to be carried by donkey or mule. This makes me feel like I have gone back in time. Also, it has the best swimming. You can jump directly off the rocks into deep, cool, clear water.

There is a café right on the water that I like going to. Here is a picture of some things I love to eat there:

At sunset, you can’t beat a fresh peach juice at Hydronetta bar. They juice the peaches right when you order it. Delicious! Also, I don’t think you can beat this view of the sunset. I know that the island of Mikonos is famous for that strip where you can have a drink and see the sunset, but Hydra is better. When we were on Mikonos, it was just so jam-packed with tourists that you couldn’t even get a seat. Even those who did manage to get a seat were squished and didn’t really look relaxed. (I have heard Mikonos described as “a piece of Panama City that they stuck in Greece”. I agree.) On Hydra, there is always a seat, a relaxing atmosphere, and you don’t have to wait to get service. Plus, the sunset is better because there isn’t as much haze. I never get tired of looking at this view:

2. The Island of Spetses - Very different from Hyrda, but still very nice. Cars and motorbikes are allowed on this island. There is an old harbor which is nice to walk along at sunset. This trip (for the first time), we rented a motorbike and rode around the entire island. I loved this! We found a small, secluded, almost private beach where we stopped for a swim. Awesome! If I were going to live on a Greek island, I’d live on Spetses and visit Hyrda.