Taste of West Village and My Mango Method

Todd and I had dinner at Taste of West Village. The restaurants had servings of food for $1 and the proceeds go to North Texas Food Bank. We had a taco from Taco Diner, a lamb chop from Cru, some nachos from Mi Cocina, and then from Lemmon Bar, we had (together) a grilled cheese (3 cheeses! yum!) with tomato soup, chicken fettucine alfredo, and some mud pie (whipped cream and choclolate shavings on chocolate mousse on chocolate cake-- um, hello). The two of us had a dinner's worth of food for under $15...it was great! And for a good cause. And we listened to some live music and people watched and ran into some church friends. Overall, a super way to enjoy dinner! Sometimes, food that brings you good health isn't all that healthy. Good thing I ate healthy all day long (see below).

Today's work out:
Tonight I went to Janie's yoga class. Oh my I was feelin' it in my legs from yesterday's S.E.T. class with all the stepping and such. I had two risers under my step (on each side), so there was a good distance for my average-length legs to pull myself up onto the step. Yoga is the perfect next day workout. You sweat everywhere, get a killer cardio work out, lengthen your muscles, and tone your arms pronto, and you can be good to your bones. Plus I leave feeling amazing.

New Food from my grocery store trip!
Have you tried Yogi granola crisps? Ok, they sound super healthy, but they are really yummy! (and, yes, they are super healthy - 20 grams of whole grains per serving (1/2 cup) which includes 2 g of fiber, 3 g of protein and only 5 g of sugar). If you are a calorie counter, it has 110 per serving (20 from fat) and 2.5 g of fat (0 unsaturated and 0 trans fat). YUM. I am all about the Mountain Blueberry Flax crisps. It's so crunchy and just sweet enough. It's as if someone cut off the top of a blueberry muffin and made it crispy. I had this with berries this morning for breakfast and again before yoga. Yogi also makes cereal. I bought the walnut spice something or another and had a yummy lunch with blueberries and a mango.

Rina's Method to Eating a Fresh Mango
I grew up eating fresh mangoes, and my favorite way to eat them is like this:
1. Rinse the mango and dry
2. Cut along each side of the mango seed (it's big)
3. On each "half," carefully cut a checkerboard into the peel, without cutting through the peel
4. Fold back and enjoy!
You can spoon out the fruit, cut it out, or just jump in with your teeth. You do it with a watermelon, right? Get to eating then!
ps- you can also, take the peel off of the seed and cut the flesh off or bite into it. It's the best way to have a mango! I love fresh mango above jarred, canned, or mango-flavored anything else.

Fridge Space

I recently reorganized our fridge front space - you know, the magnetic space upon which you adorn the refrigerator with announcements, cut-outs from magazines, invitations, and the occasional note to self. [Our note to self right now is the phone number to a karaoke cab. Oh yes. You can call this cab driver to pick up your party of friends and have full-blown karaoke entertainment while you travel to your destination. How awesome is that? It's on a sticky note on our fridge, just in case we feel a cab ride is necessary and we are itchin' to sing a little Bon Jovi or Jesse's Girl. Two birds with one stone, right?]

So the fridge space is now organized. In general, the top half of the fridge is for announcements, while the bottom half is for invitations. At this moment we have 9 baby announcements, 2 save the dates for weddings, a Valentine's Day postcard, an baby shower invitation, a wedding shower invitation, and a one year old birthday party invitation. And we have a page from my recent Shape magazine about "healthy cheeses." We got 2 baby announcements today, so I had to bump one that is a year old already, as well as a wedding invitation that has passed. There IS a save the date up past their wedding day (different couple) because their photo is so cute. I decided that if there's a photo of our friends on it, it gets more fridge time. Their wedding invite has already been moved to make room for something else. Does anyone else do this, or is it just me? We love the photos of family events! I especially love how it's one piece of real mail that does not seem to have given in to the digital announcement options that we have. Thank you for not announcing on Facebook or through email or an e-card. I mean, not that I don't like the pics and posts on FB, but I love opening mail to see a new little baby and his or her measurements, or a photo of friends who are engaged, or a family photo on a Valentine's card. Plus it's kind of an honor to have made that mail-out list! The least we can do is magnetize it to the fridge for a year.

Today's work out:
Ok, I went to a S.E.T. class at 24 Hour Fitness today. I'm trying to mix in a little strength training with the yoga. I think S.E.T. stands for Strength Endurance Training. For this class, you need a step, a barbell with weights (enough for squats, lunges, and then adjustable for triceps, biceps, & back), light hand weights, heavy hand weights, and a mat for crunches or push-ups. It's a total body sculpting class with cardio. It was 60 minutes and oh, so challenging! I'm glad I went. I can already feel it in my glutes and triceps. Yow.

I also went to Central Market to grocery shop. Todd and I are not the best...ok, we are terrible... grocery shoppers. I don't know what it is...we just don't enjoy it. I usually go, especially in the summers because I don't have that work thing getting even more in the way of something like buying food for us to eat. Jeez, you'd think our priorities would get us to the store. Since shopping at Central Market is somewhat fun, although it is more expensive than some places, it is still LESS expensive for us than eating out. I know. It's a little embarrassing. Bonus today was getting our Fourth Course coupons for Restaurant Week! Yea! I also added a dinner menu to our Google Calendar to help me with groceries and to (maybe) coax us into staying in for dinner rather than eating out. After today's jaunt we now have food for the week, at about the same price as a late night at Abacus for their half-price sushi in the bar. (SO good - 1/2 price after 9 pm, Mon-Fri)
We had meatloaf, potatoes, green beans, guacamole, and bread with olive oil for dinner. We are stuffed! We also have leftover mini-bundt cakes from Marna's bday dinner Saturday night. (Nothing Bundt Cakes - $16.95 for a dozen perfect little treats). Stuffed, I say! We are blessed.

By the way, I bought the boots :)

Katy Trail & a little bit about shoes

I went for a great quick jog on Katy Trail this morning. It was nice! I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the Katy Trail. Thank you, Uptown, for the Katy Trail. It can be stinking hot out and the trail has a considerable amount of shade available for us. Love you, KT!

I jogged the entire time - broken down, that's a walk/easy stretching to the sidewalk, and then jogging to the trail, up to Knox, then a short stop for water, and then jogging until I can see the sidewalk where I started. From there I walk home and wind down, stretch my arms, etc. You know.

I have the Nike ipod shoe system, so my workout results today were:
Distance: 1.91 mi
Time: 21:31
Pace: 11:11 min/mi
Calories 198

My playlist:
Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson (light jog)
Somebody to Love  - Glee Cast Version (keep warming up)
Can't Get Enough of You Baby - Smashmouth (increase intensity)
Paper Planes - M.I.A. (from Slumdog Millionaire) (continue the jog)
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas (increase speed)
Since You Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson (great one to push myself with - she's a great singer to run to)
I like to wind down to My Love - Justin Timberlake or even Candyman by Christina Aguilera

I was planning on doing yoga at noon, but after my shower, I felt that food was more important. I'll make an evening class instead. Yep! Double duty today, since I skipped yesterday. Normally I don't do that, but Vegas pool time is in my near future, so it's crunch time, people.

So, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to buy a new pair of boots.
WHY do I love shoes so much?

I think there's something in the Filipino gene that, when compounded with the XX chromosome pair, causes our brains to believe that shoes are necessary to life. Not just a pair to protect your feet with, but multiple pairs, some of which actually hurt your feet and offer little in the way of cushion...the whole protection thing is then outweighed with the discomfort in order to wear some hot shoes. This is when I say  "you just have to commit." Yes, when I come downstairs wearing a high set of heels, Todd says, "So, you're gonna commit tonight, huh?" And I answer, "Yep, sure am." There's a little non-verbal contract that runs through my head: "I understand the effort I am using to wear these heels. I have done what I can in the way of adding extra comfort with Foot Petals or Dr. Scholl's inserts. I know the approximate time frame for which I will be sitting down and have calculated the sit-down/stand up ratio for the evening. There is no going back. These shoes look awesome, and I look great in them. Time to commit."

Anyway, I have a reasonable balance of heel heights in my closet. Many shoes are perfect shoes for work. I have tile in my room, and tile is no friend to heels when I like to walk around my classroom during the day. In fact, training and workshop days are almost reserved for heels, when I know I'll get to sit down most of the day. As much as I'd love to wear heels to school, some days I know it's not worth the pain. Other days, I "commit" until I can't handle it (about 4th period), and I will change into my backup pair of flats.

So, I'd like to buy a pair of boots for the fall. The question is, where will they go? I have a limited amount of space for my shoes, and boots take up like, 3 or 4 times the space as regular shoes, especially flops or flats. I have said that I won't buy a pair of shoes unless I give away a pair. Wait! I just gave 2 pairs away this past weekend! That still doesn't make room for boots. Boots go in a certain spot in my closet and all boot spots are filled. I will have to rearrange.

Speaking of my closet...we are in a 2 BR condo with decent-sized closets. Todd and I do not share closet space, and his is definitely less packed in than mine. It's no secret that most guys have fewer shoes than girls, so I won't go there. However, when I was getting ready to move in a few years ago, I went through all of my stuff, picking out things to give to Catholic Charities and Goodwill and Salvation Army and the donation box at Albertson's. Todd was joking with me and asked how many pairs of shoes I had. Well, I'd never counted. Who needs to count when you always find yourself telling yourself "yes, I need these shoes" when your at Dillard's, or worse (really, BEST) Nordstrom! I counted. 76. No lie. I'll have to count again, since that is (I'm SURE) not accurate today.

So these boots are at Nordstrom, who is having their best ever sale right now. The Anniversary sale. These are items in for the Fall (this coming Fall) season that are on sale BEFORE the season starts. Once August 2 hits, the prices go back up. I love this sale! And! Nordstrom is the best place to buy shoes! Their customer service is unbeatable. Seriously, they will help you until you have a pair that you're happy with. Not like, Hi, I'm here to help you with shoes, but I mean, really. Helpful. For example, I bought a pair of black wedge espadrille-ish shoes a few years ago that I loved. They had a sling back style with a little button that popped off. I took them to a cobbler who was not helpful at all. They looked at it an flat out said they couldn't do anything for me. Really? For a BUTTON? So I took them to Nordstrom, where they happily gave me a new pair, no questions. Happy me walked out to wear them immediately, when a few weeks later, the button (same one) popped off again. So I took them to Nordstrom where they helped me find another pair very similar to them, that was about $15 more. I didn't want to pay the $15, but they were so cute and so button-free and a little more fancy, and the guy/girl helping was so friendly, that I happily paid $15 for my new cuter, button-free shoes. They are my go-to pair for summer.

OK, here are the shoes. The are over the knee boots, which would be an adventure in boot-wearing for me. I'm not going for the Pretty Woman thigh high boot look. More power to you if you can rock that. These boots look very classy and super fun on p. 4 of the catalog. Not sure if I'd wear them to school, but I'd certainly wear them out! If they don't fit over my huge calves (seriously, I have this problem every fall with tall boots), then I will be sad and will not buy them. Here's to hoping!

Sam Edelman "Sutton" Over the Knee Boot

Eye Glasses by Warby Parker

Check out this website!
Warby Parker is a company started by four guys who are providing a no-nonsense way to buy prescription glasses without breaking the bank. I saw this on Daily Candy months ago and just spent 10 minutes looking for it so that I could work on a new pair before the next school year starts in August. (Mine are about, ohhhhh, 6 years old.)

Here are some highlights: (so exciting! thus the exclamation marks!)
Many frames are $95!
Lenses are FREE!
Shipping is FREE!
You can "try on" frames on the website by uploading your own smiling face! Look--here I am!  :)

You can try on frames at home for FREE! Five styles! Shipping them to you and back to them - FREE!
If you don't know your prescription, they will call your doc to find it.
It only takes 10 days or so to get your order.
If you don't like them when you get them, returns are FREE!
And the BONUS: For every pair you buy, they give a pair to someone! 
Here's an excerpt from their website about it:

"Every time you buy a pair of Warby Parker glasses, we make a donation to a renowned non-profit such as Restoring Vision, which enables them to give a pair of glasses away to someone who otherwise would not have access to glasses and therefore the ability to see and work. In doing so, we help you to give someone the gift of sight."

Yea for the non-20/20 population! We have a place to find some cute, hip, inexpensive eyeglasses. I'm excited for us! I'll put a photo up once I get mine...should be late August/September.

Very cool, Warby Parker!

Vegan?

So we're going to Las Vegas in early August to celebrate birthdays (mine and one of my best friend, Laura's) and an anniversary (our 2 year). We are meeting the Paynes (Laura, Robert, and their sweet baby girl, Avery). Laura's in-laws are meeting them there to help take care of Avery. Anyway, we and the Paynes love Vegas - Laura and I celebrated our 30th birthdays there, so now we're going back for 35. We also love to travel with the Paynes! Traveling is so fun with friends!

Anyway, I am working out a little extra to be ready for our pool cabana at Mandalay Bay Beach. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a work out-aholic or a scale monster (we don't even own a scale- my clothing is my "scale")  but I like to read about being healthy. I love Shape magazine because it talks about real women being healthy. It's motivating, and they have great playlist suggestions and product suggestions. So, I picked up the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Maybe I saw it in my Shape magazine...I can't remember. With yoga, you are supposed to incorporate healthy eating, and this book is a no-nonsense guide to eating really healthy. Within the catchy title are pages that talk about cutting out caffeine. And cutting out sugar. And cutting out alcohol. And how we need carbs. And what amino acids are. And it's pretty funny. So here I am reading it, letting it lead my brain towards knowing a type of healthy. I say "a type" because I know there are many types of healthy out there. Only it led me to a Vegan-type of healthy. Am I ready for this? I'll answer that. I'm not ready for this! So, ok. I know like 1 vegan friend, and I grew up on fish, chicken, beef, ox tail...ox tail! How much more meaty do you get? By the way, Central Market, I need some ox tail for my next Filipino dish, so please order some for me. And if you've never had it, it's like succulent prime rib, and I am not kidding. At least that's what it tastes like at my parents' house.

I was able to finish the book and say, "That was a good perspective to learn about." I did start incorporating a few things from the book already. Buying more organic produce, for example. When I read about all of the toxic stuff that goes into our foods, it's worth it to me to spend a few more cents on organic. Yuk. Seriously. I haven't even seen Food, Inc. yet. I won't even go into the meat industry. I start my day with fruit. I eat more whole grains. Yea! Carbs! I've always eaten them...just saying yea for kicks! :) I drink decaf green tea (iced...it's way too hot for hot beverages) and less coffee. I don't miss coffee yet. We'll see what happens when school starts up again. And I try to pay attention to how foods make me feel. (that's hard...how long do I wait?)

I am not going to preach about this because, really, I don't even know where I stand yet. I'm in a food limbo of sorts. My friend Aleisha is writing about her family's journey to find wholeness. Including foods. I need to read your blog more, Aleisha!

I will say that I'm now OK with being lactose intolerant. I've never said that before. It's pulling at me...just the idea that there is more written and filmed out there that I could explore if I'm ready for it. I've never noticed how much I just didn't WANT to know before. Oh dear, filet steak. I have a new-found appreciation for vegans now. HOW do you do it? I hereby salute you and your will power!

Chicken Adobo

Last night's dinner
I made Chicken Adobo last night. It was my 3rd or 4th time to make it, but this was definitely the best batch so far. It's so easy, and it's delicious. We grew up having "adobo" approximately once a week. It's equivalent to any other chicken dish that you may have had once a week. Mmmm...it is YUMMY. Even my cookbook says, "This Philippine classic has been called the best chicken dish in the world by a number of friends of mine." (How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, 1998) Great book, by the way - we received this as a wedding gift from one of my students. AND, there is a new edition out, plus a vegetarian book, and others that look good.

Here's the recipe from page 377 with some of my own adjustments:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
3 tsp minced garlic (can be chopped)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 or so chicken drumsticks (you can use thighs or the whole chicken; I grew up with the legs)

• Trim the chicken legs.
• Combine the first six ingredients in a covered pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Add the chicken; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes. Turn once or twice. Make sure all of the chicken is MOSTLY under water. Add water if you need to. I added a full cup of water.  
• Prepare a small pan on the stove*, and quickly saute the chicken, about 1 minute per side. Return the chicken to the broth until ready to serve. Serve over steamed rice, and make sure to use the sauce!

*It was raining yesterday, so I just sauteed it on the stove. I actually do not remember my parents grilling or broiling after boiling, but here's the rest of the recipe from my book:


While it is boiling...

• Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler. The fire need not be too hot, but place the rack just 3 or 4 inches from the heat source.
• Remove the chicken and dry it gently with paper towels. Boil the sauce over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 cup; discard the bay leaves and keep the sauce warm. Meanwhile, grill or broil the chicken until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the sauce and white rice.

Now that I think about it, Dad did sometimes grill it. It was called "barbeque." The prep work was just the same as making Adobo. Isn't it funny how we grow up with different ideas about things?

Another note: you can make a smaller batch. Just use less chicken. The 10 drumsticks is enough for dinner for Todd and me, plus leftovers for tonight. Just reheat on the stove or in the microwave!

Also, you may have noticed that this has zero vegetables. We were going to make corn on the cob but didn't because we were pretty full on the guacamole I'd whipped up. Growing up, adobo wasn't ever the only thing served that night. We'd have sinegang (fish stew- so yummy - haven't learned that recipe yet), or some other form of fish that probably included bok choy at the very least, plus 2-3 mangoes peeled and sliced. Make it your own!

Rafting Trip 2010

Rafting Trip 2010



Ok, there it is! I had to try that out. So Animoto can be posted directly onto your blog, to Facebook, and a slew of other social networks. You can create a free account at Animoto.com 
It will let you make free 30-second videos. If you want to create longer videos, it's about $30/year. If you are an educator you can create a free educator account, which includes an account for each student that you teach, as well as the ability to create videos up to 10 minutes long (called an All-Access Pass). Let me know if you want to know more!

More paper!

Check these out! Daily Candy sent this info this morning.

Satsuma Press - one woman who makes letterpress. I'd LOVE to learn how to do that!

Here is Daily Candy's write-up:

MAIL
Satsuma Press
What: One-woman operation pumps out delectable letterpressed paper goods ($5-$50). Botanicals (maple seeds, water lilies) and whimsicals (banner flags, tandem bikes) pop on pure cotton paper.
Why: We’re amazed when one person can do so much so well. (It took a team of fifteen to write this sentence.)
Where: Online at shop.satsumapress.com.

And another cute one:

CORRESPOND
Dear Blank Please Blank
What: A highly addictive forum of short, user-generated letters and quippy salutations addressed to life’s problems.
Why: Prime example, “Dear Twilight fans, thank you for making us look sane and well adjusted. Sincerely, Trekkies.”
Where: Online at dearblankpleaseblank.com.

Thanks, Daily Candy!

On another, completely different note, watch this video I made from our Denver, CO rafting photos. Animoto is a website we use at school. Our students like using it to create video slideshows. The great thing is that Animoto does all of the transitions for you, to the beat of whatever music you choose! Plus it's viewable by a web link (rather than sending a huge file that may or may not get to its destination).

Enjoy!

http://animoto.com/play/1Ef75K9VyoI358ocAREYWw

I wonder if I can embed it....

It's July!

First of all, this is cute: Set Editions
Get 25% off with DCDEALS (Daily Candy, a fun online newsletter with things to do, see, buy, eat, etc)

I LOVE paper. I have always loved stationery, and I've always loved writing to people -- sending cards, sending letters. My cousins and grandmother were my main pen pals. I think it's sad that we send fewer real cards via the real mail. I don't care if it uses more paper. The feeling I get when I open a personal piece of mail is just so great. And I like to send them just as much. I mailed 6 pieces out this morning, as a matter of fact. Send a card to a friend who lives far away! Do it!

Speaking of stationery, here are my two FAVORITE companies. I based my home-made wedding invitations on them.
WileyValentine
Mr. Boddington's Studio
Are they not gorgeous? I haven't used them yet, but one day....


Now...can you BELIEVE it's July?!

Every June I get so excited because the summer is finally here! Since I'm a teacher, this is a time that is much-needed and much-appreciated. It's time to sleep in, work out, stay up late, work another job, travel if you have it in your budget, and really, just take life one day at a time. Usually I teach a couple of weeks of Junior Sailing Camp. This year, I am trying to just BE. I have plenty keeping me busy. Curriculum writing, my Masters. But, oh to have a summer where I get to READ! Prior to June, I hadn't read anything besides textbooks for my Masters. I am happy to announce that I have read several books! In one month! This is fast for me, so I'm excited.

Here's what I've read so far:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Were you like me and read it in gradeschool and really didn't get it, fully? Yeah, so I re-read it and I'm now going to reference it when I teach my students about Einstein. It was cute. You know, it's a good gradeschool science fiction book. And it's a classic.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (image from Google Books)
If you want a book that you cannot put down, here it is. You're welcome. If you are one of my friends who I got to read the Twilight series (you know who you are), here is another series that you just might love and then hate in the morning after you stayed up until 1 or 2 or 3 am reading until you fell asleep. Seriously good.
In fact, my yoga group is reading it for our new book club! I am hosting our first meeting this month!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (image from Google Books)
I couldn't resist. I snuck into the school library to get this off of the shelf and returned it a couple of DAYS later. Yes, it reads so fast because you can't put it down. And I am just BE-ing this summer, so I have the luxury of reading all morning if I want, and I finished it in a couple of days. Teaching is grand sometimes...*happy sigh.* The final installment of this series comes out in August.

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney (image from Amazon.com.)
One of my students gave this book to me during the Book Fair three (yes, 3) years ago after I read selections from The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. What a cool thing that the student was so interested in the topic of a) science fiction, b) infectious disease, and c) reading, that he bought Code Orange for me! I have enough books now to start a personal library of books that the students can borrow. This one I've seen in the hands of many 6th graders, and they love it. I even read reviews by teens online who love it. I didn't love it, but it gets to go on my list of books I've read this summer. Check!

Now, The Hot Zone is a great book! It's very gross. If you like books like Jurassic Park by Michael Crighton, then dig into this one. It's about Ebola and it's sister virus, Marburg. And it's a true story, which makes it even more eerie. Way cool, gross stuff for 6th graders, and they love it when I *beep* out the profanity. I love the innocence of my kids!



















So what to read now? Well, since you're asking:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (image from Amazon.com)
This is good so far! We'll see how it turns out.

You may have noticed that these are all Young Adult fiction, except for The Hot Zone. I'm trying to read what the students are reading, and I will say that The Hunger Games series doesn't feel so "young" when I was reading it. And hey, you made it through the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series, right? (If you haven't read those, go get them...they are fantastic!) After the Jenna Fox book, I'll venture into something not found on the Teen Shelf.

Enjoy the rain, DFW!