Black bean brownie bites from the American Institute for Cancer Research.
These are wonderful! Like a cross between a brownie and a mini muffin, delicately spiced with cinnamon. Perfect with coffee or afternoon tea.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Teacup Wisdom
These words by Cheri Huber always help me put things into perspective:
I have lost my favorite teacup.
I have two choices:
I can have lost my teacup and be miserable.
I can have lost my teacup and be all right.
In either case, the teacup is gone.
I have lost my favorite teacup.
I have two choices:
I can have lost my teacup and be miserable.
I can have lost my teacup and be all right.
In either case, the teacup is gone.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Don't get too comfortable!
"Life is what happens while you're making other plans"
In the past few months it has become increasingly clear that it doesn't matter how intelligent, well-educated, eloquent, good-looking, industrious, or down-trodden you are. None of those things matter in an economic crisis. You can do all the right things and you may still fall victim to the budgetary axe.
What can you do if you find yourself in this situation? You have a right to ask questions, but you may not get straight answers. You can argue that a mistake has been made, while the rest of your co-workers are inventing reasons to explain why you were cut and they are allowed to stay. You can shout about the unfairness of it all, but very few people will listen, and even fewer will take up your cause. You can curl up in a fetal position and whine "why me?" but after a while you're bound to get a cramp.
My colleagues and I know these feelings all too well, having been fired on August 27. We have done everything we could to understand why this has happened to us. We have met numerous times with soulless administrators. We have endured the distance and apathy of our colleagues. We have sometimes retreated into our shells to make sense of it all.
We all do what we need to do to come to terms with misfortune, whether it's a death, a divorce, or the loss of one's job. But eventually you have to move on.
The lesson of this story: Don't get too comfortable. Relish your job, your marriage, your life. Do your best, but always be aware that your circumstances may change. Always have a back-up plan.
Sit down tonight, and answer the question "What would I do if I got fired tomorrow?" And if you are in the uncomfortable position of being unemployed, ask yourself, "What do I have to do to make this situation better?" Life-changing events like these test our mettle, but also open up opportunities that we never dreamed possible.
If you're interested in becoming part of an online community of mutual encouragement, or just want to cheer us on, please leave a message in the comments. We're all in this together!
In the past few months it has become increasingly clear that it doesn't matter how intelligent, well-educated, eloquent, good-looking, industrious, or down-trodden you are. None of those things matter in an economic crisis. You can do all the right things and you may still fall victim to the budgetary axe.
What can you do if you find yourself in this situation? You have a right to ask questions, but you may not get straight answers. You can argue that a mistake has been made, while the rest of your co-workers are inventing reasons to explain why you were cut and they are allowed to stay. You can shout about the unfairness of it all, but very few people will listen, and even fewer will take up your cause. You can curl up in a fetal position and whine "why me?" but after a while you're bound to get a cramp.
My colleagues and I know these feelings all too well, having been fired on August 27. We have done everything we could to understand why this has happened to us. We have met numerous times with soulless administrators. We have endured the distance and apathy of our colleagues. We have sometimes retreated into our shells to make sense of it all.
We all do what we need to do to come to terms with misfortune, whether it's a death, a divorce, or the loss of one's job. But eventually you have to move on.
The lesson of this story: Don't get too comfortable. Relish your job, your marriage, your life. Do your best, but always be aware that your circumstances may change. Always have a back-up plan.
Sit down tonight, and answer the question "What would I do if I got fired tomorrow?" And if you are in the uncomfortable position of being unemployed, ask yourself, "What do I have to do to make this situation better?" Life-changing events like these test our mettle, but also open up opportunities that we never dreamed possible.
If you're interested in becoming part of an online community of mutual encouragement, or just want to cheer us on, please leave a message in the comments. We're all in this together!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Be flexible and ready for anything!
Be flexible and ready for anything! This is my life motto and it serves me well in times of crisis. For example: I am a career academic who is being fired mid-year because of budget cuts. The likelihood of my finding a job teaching Latin, Greek, German or a combination of these languages and cultures in the middle of an academic year is very slim. Rolling with the punches, I've enrolled in the H&R Block tax course so I have that option come January. It's the responsible thing to do, to ensure I remain a contributing member of the community. We'll see what direction my life takes after April 15, but in the meantime you can find me making sense out of 1040 tax forms!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Feel Good Food
I don't know about you, but my comfort food is usually very unhealthy (a box of macaroni and cheese; chocolate donuts). But there's at least one healthy dish I crave to boost my well-being and my creativity:
PH's FENNEL-ORANGE SALAD
One bulb of fresh fennel (should be white, no brown/yellow spots, with plenty of green fronds on top)
One orange
½ a small red onion
Juice of ½ a lemon or to taste
1 tsp of honey or to taste
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Remove the bottom of the fennel bulb which is woody and tough. Cut off the top stalks of the fennel, reserving some of the feathery green fronds to garnish the salad. Slice the fennel bulb into paper thin slices. Slice the red onion also into paper thin slices. Peel the orange with a knife and cut into clean sections, so that only membrane remains left over. Put the fennel slices, onion slices, and orange slices into a bowl, and squeeze the remaining orange juice from the membrane over the vegetables.
In a cup, mix oil, honey and lemon juice until it is emulsified. Pour over the fennel mixture. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with reserved fennel fronds.
Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. Can be refrigerated, but should be served at room temperature.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tips for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between
BREAKFAST: Should include whole grains, fresh fruit, dairy product (milk or yogurt), and water. Add protein (ham, turkey, egg or egg substitute) a couple of times a week.
TIP: I am wild about Chobani Greek yogurt. Unlike most fat free yogurt, it's sweetened with sugar, not Splenda or Aspartame.
SNACK: Dairy (1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup yogurt) or a small handful of nuts, fruit.
TIP: Substitute peanut butter for nuts. Spread on apple halves.
LUNCH: Lean meat and low fat cheese OR soup and whole grain crackers, combined with fresh fruits and/or vegetables (potatoes!), water.
TIP: Soup can be very healthy and filling. Just resist the urge to add salt before you taste it!
Meat portions should be no larger than a deck of cards.
SNACK: Baked tortilla chips and salsa OR veggies and lowfat dip OR trail mix.
TIP: Tortilla chips are considered whole grains! Who knew?!
DINNER: Stirfry (3 oz meat & 1 cup veggies) over brown rice OR 1 cup pasta with sauce OR beans and rice. Balance with fresh fruits and vegetables (potatoes!), skim milk
TIP: Barilla makes Pasta Plus with whole grains, fiber and omega-3. Looks and tastes just like regular pasta but a healthier choice!
SNACK: Frozen fruit bar OR lowfat pudding OR whole grain crackers with cheese.
TIP: Have you tried Edy's Antioxidant Fruit Bars? In pomegranate and acai blueberry!
TIP: I am wild about Chobani Greek yogurt. Unlike most fat free yogurt, it's sweetened with sugar, not Splenda or Aspartame.
SNACK: Dairy (1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup yogurt) or a small handful of nuts, fruit.
TIP: Substitute peanut butter for nuts. Spread on apple halves.
LUNCH: Lean meat and low fat cheese OR soup and whole grain crackers, combined with fresh fruits and/or vegetables (potatoes!), water.
TIP: Soup can be very healthy and filling. Just resist the urge to add salt before you taste it!
Meat portions should be no larger than a deck of cards.
SNACK: Baked tortilla chips and salsa OR veggies and lowfat dip OR trail mix.
TIP: Tortilla chips are considered whole grains! Who knew?!
DINNER: Stirfry (3 oz meat & 1 cup veggies) over brown rice OR 1 cup pasta with sauce OR beans and rice. Balance with fresh fruits and vegetables (potatoes!), skim milk
TIP: Barilla makes Pasta Plus with whole grains, fiber and omega-3. Looks and tastes just like regular pasta but a healthier choice!
SNACK: Frozen fruit bar OR lowfat pudding OR whole grain crackers with cheese.
TIP: Have you tried Edy's Antioxidant Fruit Bars? In pomegranate and acai blueberry!
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