A Breakfast Fix we both like...Finally! - Muesli Bread

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I recently tried the Starbucks protein box for breakfast and really liked the combination. It contained a boiled egg, apples, grapes, two slices of cheese and piece of something called "multigrain muesli bread". It was hearty and had great texture. I wondered if I could make a batch of this bread on the weekend, to last the week, it would allow for breakfast on the go. Usually one of us (between my husband and I), one of us does end up being late and there is no time for a sit down breakfast.

As I dug for recipes, I found that muesli is a cereal concoction! This has to be the holy grail for breakfast. Now muesli I concluded is hard to find and so just substituted muesli in this recipe with the Kashi cereal we usually get and it turned out great.

The 2 cups of Muesli were replaced by 1 cup of Kashi 7 whole grain puffs + 1 cup of Kashi go lean honey almond cereal + handful of this "other cereal" that we don't like and are trying to get rid of somehow. Also threw in some pecans and sunflower seeds.

Kombucha Tea: Bottle love

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One day a colleague asked me to pick a bottle of the "wonder tea" for her as I went to pick my lunch. Even before I tried the tea, I had my eyes on the bottle, simple, elegant and NOT at all "use and throw" worthy!!

1. Kombucha wonder tea bottle: Using a wine cork, I think this is ready for rustic kitchen counter top storage (EVOO) or the bathroom (bath oil, salts)

2. Added rubber bands of different widths to my favorite bottle to make an elegant vase.

3. Added coffee stirrers under the rubber bands to make an ear-ring organizer, the possibilities are endless...

Tip: the sticker does leave behind some nasty glue but olive oil works great to get it off.

i tin CAN - and so CAN you

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So what can you do with the tin cans? Apparently lots of things!

My favorite is to simply use them a pen stand or a flower vase. Simply peeling off the paper label reveals a shiny interior, with undulating rings. Hooray for the industrial look! Or I say - the stainless steel look for less!

Other uses?

>>Seed planting (don't forget to make a drain hole at the bottom). Wont it be super cute to plant tomatoes in a tomato can?

>>Cookie cutter

>>more handy ones at apartment therapy

De:Plastifiy Part 4

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Guess What? I am not the only one thinking about packaging, which has no where to go but the dustbin (usually). Checkout a company called Braswell. They bottle their yummy goodness in jars that can be reused as drinkware! Their secret? - The jars don't have the usual ring on top for a screw type lid! So simple and so effective. I Just started my collection!

Painter's Tape: Love at first use!

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The first time I saw this blue tape being stretched across walls and along trim on HGTV I did not realize what a miracle it is. A simple blue tape can change your life forever!

I bought it for the first time when I decided to spray paint my dresser. The painting experience was horrifying to say the least. The dresser had the absolutely wrong kind of finish for spray painting, and then it got real windy and dust starting blowing all over (I was doing this in an empty parking lot). And to top it all, I ran out of paint three quarters of the way. I ended with an even more hideous looking dresser than I started with.
But,
but,
but,

As I began to peel off the painter's tape, revealing some order in the midst of an irreparable mess, I realized that the day had not gone waste. I had discovered THE PAINTER"S TAPE. Now this blue roll is always present in my DIY kit, not just for painting furniture, but load of other things:

1. Packing: I found this to be great for packing furniture while moving. I padded up edges of furniture with newspaper to prevent chipping, holding packaging in place with the painter's tape. You can rest assured that this tape wont leave behind that nasty glue behind on your furniture!

2. Painting: You can use this tape to paint almost anything- a lamp shade for a custom look, a scarf, cushion covers or your apron!

3. Its great for pest control too. Tape up the areas that you want to spray before spraying. It can serve as a reminder to kids (and to your self) where to stay away from. Peel off when you are done for chemical free floors etc.

4. Use it under double side tape to hang art work. This is great when you don't want to punch holes through your walls or don't want to mess with the walls of your rental!

More on De:Plastifying

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The ongoing quest of deplastification has been fun. Another easy switch has been achieved in the dishwasher soap aisle.

Powder soap in cardboard box VS Gel in plastic bottle!

Although I think in general the gel soap leaves less scum, but I am now habituated to rinsing out dishes before using them. Also watching out for the amount of soap you put in helps fix the problem of scum somewhat.

The thing I plan to try next is power laundry detergent. What I am worried about is scum/flakes on dark colored clothes.

Other items on the line -

1. Floor cleaner

2. Soap for washing dishes by hand (In India we used the ultraaaa powerful- VIM bar soap, it was pretty good actually)

Please do share if you have any ideas!!

De: Plastify Part 2 on Foo.Clo.Ho

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My first guest post on another blog. It talks about switching from liquid soap to bar soap for easy and sustained deplastification! I like how Georgia Natural Gas puts it in their adds - "Make a difference, without feeling a difference"

Foo.clo.ho post located here

A lot of other goodies out there on foo.clo.ho. So enjoy!

Serenbe, GA

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A friend ours here in Atlanta, arranged a weekend trip to Serenbe, a community just south of the city. At a small distance from Atlanta, with many people being former residents of the city, they have created something quite unique, something you could instantly fall in love with. It was amazing how this very new neighborhood reminded me of some of the oldest neighborhoods in the city like Candler park and Inman park- very cozy, very interesting mix of architectural styles and very approachable.

Before I visited Serenbe I always had a question in my head looking at the new suburban developments which are mostly quite banal, directionless and have little sense of delight -"Can we create places to live that will age as beautifully as some of the old neighborhoods?"

I guess the answer is YES!

Just as we got there, we stopped to ask for directions to the inn we were staying at and guess who we ran in to? Steve Nygren! The very person who first envisioned this place! We ran into him several times during the stay and here is the big difference! The people who created this place, live here! We enjoyed the stay thoroughly and is highly recommended to all visitors to Atlanta! Psst..and In case you did not know the HGTV dream give away house for 2012 is here at Serenbe!

Translations : Title song for "Neem ka Ped"

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Used watch "neem ka ped" religiously with my grand father. The show was about a poor farmer -Budhai, who is a bonded laborer for the village landlord. All his life he has been exploited by the "heartless" landlord but Budhai is as loyal as can be. He plants a neem tree in his courtyard when his son is born. The script dwells on analogies between the tree and Budhai's son . Just as the tree shades his courtyard, Budhai feels his son will rescue him from a life of poverty and bondage. His son gets good education and becomes a high official with the government but only to become another version of the landlord, post independence. This song says it all for so many of us.

In this marketplace of noises,
Who will hear my silence?
He listens to what I say,
But does he know what I feel?

Year after year, its the same,
Every road is a long winding search,
but when I finally get there,
something gets lost.

In this marketplace of noises,
Who will hear my silence?

He is my reflection and I am his shadow,
We live together in the same house,
that someone, who is like me,
...But who am I?

In this marketplace of noises,
Who will hear my silence?

My thoughts,
they were talking too fast, about too many things,
Of love and strangers, passion and fools?
I could see it all, as I lay asleep...

In this marketplace of noises,
Who will hear my silence?

Original Lyrics by Nida Fazli
Translated to English by Minu Agarwal

Potato Printing- Screw it

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I had been wanting to try my hand potato printing for a while. Did lots of it in school, and even "diversified" into other veggies like okra/ladyfinger, lotus root etc. Actually the idea was to do a custom print on a scarf. But could not come with a cut of potato that I liked. They were either too simple or did look good in print. Then I remembered an old trick from school days where I used the head of a screw to stamp flowers. And Wallah! I had a cute little custom print. Here a few tips from today's experience if you would like to try it too.
1. Definitely, definitely test your design, paint color and paint consistency.
2. Practice with your stamp (atleast 4-5 times) before printing on the actual fabric.
3. Keep a rag handy and clean the stamp often.

I did a simple repeat of these grey flowers. I plan to buy another color next week (I only had black and white paint at hand today) and introduce the "custom" look.

De-Plastifying

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Dear God, Give us this day our daily doze of plastic, and forgive us our incessant intake!

I feel surrounded! (by plastic)
Its everywhere and lots of places where it need not be. Plastic cup for the morning coffee-to-go, plastic fork and knife for lunch and plastic tray with my frozen dinner! Over packaging, I find is one of the most wasteful packages of this wonder material which pops up every where. Tell me you haven't cut your fingers while trying to extract a set of head phones from the plastic bubble packaging. Even simple benign stuff like potpourri ends up getting encased. Oh why, why why must we be so un-creative and fall pack again and again on plastic?

Fortunately I/You don't have to wait for product designers to wake up. I can take action on my own and today!

Example 1: Potpourri
Just pick some at your next hiking trip instead of the next trip to the department store! Dont want to go out into the wild or worried about substance control? Grow it in your backyard/balcony. Lavender, Rose or go unconventional with died okra pods!
In the pic below I picked some wild flowers and stuck them in a used jam jar... Have fun and dont be plastic vanilla!













VS

IKEA - Hack

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Its hard to be in US and not have an IKEA piece or two in your house. I personally have two words for IKEA- clever and cute! But it could also be - cheap and corny- at times. Yeah yeah you do need to watch out for the $10 side table and $30 desks that would fall apart if a book fell on it. And then there are pieces that you should NOT buy if you are looking for a unique home decor.

Here is what I came up with:

IKEA night stand Rast : $14- this one is a unfinished piece made of solid pine. No worries about this crumbling to bits or getting scratched.
IKEA mirror: $10 (+ some paint to match the rug)- This is a basic piece, trim is very basic and unfinished so it matched the night stand. Also the mirror did not have any distortions (or so I think!)
Marshalls wicker baskets : $3 each
UO Rug : $36 Although UO furniture is usually quite pricy (at-least per my standards), but they have some cool home accessories that can add the zing to other stuff
American Signature Stool: $10

The great American pass time: Home Improvement!

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Old Table from Yard sale: $5
Paints and supplies: $33
Joy of painting: Priceless!

4 Years with Public Transport

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INTRODUCTION

Its liberating, its cheap, it is convenient when it is good, then why is it not popular in US? I finally got a driver's license and ended my 4 year relationship with public transport. The feel of swinging onto the train or hopping into the bus and swiping the "pass" makes me feel part of a system, a city, a place. I am one with the veins of the city.
Evidently though more people enjoy driving from one parking lot to another parking lot instead of going from one place to another.

Chapter 1

PITTSBURG

City Profile: Mostly bus service. Many schools offer free passes to all students- the bus can be a good place to catch upon college gossip/news- even faster than facebook. Indispensable for city's international student population. Relevance to the tax paying population is questionable.

Most fun memory: Going to "Giant Eagle" with room-mates by bus #501 and devouring half the groceries on the bus stop itself.

Worst moment: I was trying to get home after pulling yet another all nighter at 7:00 in the morning in January. Walked out without looking at the bus schedule (fatal error). Missed the bus by a whisker and walked all the way home through 1 foot of snow.

Favourite Activity onboard: Admiring the many beautiful homes and churches, looking out for interesting places and shops to visit.

Secondary jobs:Offers good opportunities to the city's pan handlers.

Chapter 2

NEW YORK

City Profile: Bus, Subway lines, Commuter Rail and the Ferry. Each of these represent different kinds of new yorkers. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I dont know the "Bus" type. They are obscure beings who choose to be stuck in traffic instead of zipping around in the subway. The subway is staple and the alphabets names of the train lines (A,C, M, V...) could be part of your identity- "I am an M train girl" or "Are you a 4,5?". The commuter rail brings in people who like the city only during the daytime and on weekdays. For the rest of the time they retreat into their suburban mansions in New Jersey or Long Island. The staten island ferry, the only ferry I have ridden in and out of the ciy is the definition of charm. It is huge and glides over the water for a silky smooth 20 minute ride to sleepy staten island. Would have loved to buy a sandwich on the weekday for lunch and the just ride the ferry to and back. On board the ferry you are treated to a soft warm blanket of sea breeze, unobstructed sky (a rare thing for new yorkers) and a promise that the madness of the city, stays in the city.

Most Fun Memory: I was at the Fulton St. stop of the A,C line after a long day, waiting to get home. Three floors below the street the station platform is abuzz with drum beats and a haunting tune being played on the saxophone. My train came and went, I waited till they finished playing. The music still lingers in my head and I crave for it.

Worst Moment: Falling asleep and missing my stop!

Favorite Activity onboard: "Profiling"- guilty as charged- I did it. I would focus my attention on a random person on board and try to guess where they would get off, based on what they were doing, how they looked, what they were carrying...

There was a homeless person who lived in the 34th street "PATH" station that my husband and I used to keep a tab on. Never saw the face of this person who lay curled up covered in the blanket surrounded by stuff. My husband suspected he/she was a secret agent.

Also the train is a good place to check out the latest fashion and stuff in stores!- "Oh that's a nice scarf she is wearing, wonder where she got it from?"

Secondary Jobs: There are so many that I probably cannot list them here- souvenirs sold off the platforms, budding musicians, artists, con-artists...

Chapter 3

Atlanta

City Profile: Bus and train. Atlanta being another yet another example of urban sprawl in American cities, buses are the city's best bet. MARTA changed over to the feeder system once the train lines came into operation and it said the the ridership has been on a steady decline ever since (DETERMINANTS OF MARTA RIDERSHIP: HOW GAS PRICES, INCOME, AND RACE AFFECT PUBLIC TRANSIT USE IN ATLANTA:Julia Caroline Thayne) . This report here is an interesting read and I would agree to all that it has to say having used the system, both bus and train, for 1 1/2 years. Its as in-efficient as can be. The bus routes are ridiculously long and winding feeding into a train system that has limited reach! My office is 2 miles from my apartment and it took me 40 minutes to go one way by either train or bus. I could walk the distance in 30 minutes! Even while we lived downtown we had limited access to the city. This lead us (my husband and I) into trying the Zipcar- a car sharing service - and we loved it! It was like we had the keys to the world. Super convenient and it was quite economical till we could buy a car.

Fun Memory: Though it was not fun riding MARTA, I did enjoy the chitter, twitter of other passengers in southern accent ya'll. The bus drivers are quite friendly and would ask if I skipped a day at work!

Favorite Activity onboard: Cooking up stories in my head.... to be continued.

Kites!!

WORD-O-LOGY

Some jems from the good OLD ROORKEE days..

FOKI:
- adjective
1. something of the highest quality, the bestestest
2. out of the ordinary.. well... and foki
e.g. You know... like this was... like... the every other word in every sentence. Its a foki word man!

FOKIYAAP:
- noun
1. Some form of embellishment that makes something foki
2. content in submission that adds no new information

OKS
- noun
1. mental, emotional capability to stand up to competition, the professor or girlfriend

KHOLU
- noun
1. class topper for the year
2. the scapegoat

BAKAR
- noun
1. High intensity exchange of unconnected incidents and gossip between two or more roorkites

BAKAR SANKTRANTI
- noun
1. bakar session lasting more than 24 hours (location and participants remain constant)

LP
- noun
1. privileged permission for females to stay out doors after sunset

GP
- noun
1. ingenious technique of generating 25 sheets from 1

FOLLOWING CONTRIBUTED BY SHRUTI

Tut (pronounced: T-you-t): The assignments in every subject that we took, and the dedicated afti (afternoon) class for solving these..where we invariably slept.

bhasad: crowd, and generally the crowd of commoners

Ganda (noun): used to refer to the unique class of jokes and wisecracks that comes naturally to roorkee junta. Generally the jokes originate for "lateral thinking" but end up in absurdia. The sense of humour to appreciate such jokes is acquired and makes us stand apart :)

Senti Scene: any situation that a person lands himdelf/herself in which brings him/her to the brink of an emotional outrage. Most Roorkee students have experienced this especially during test series and thesis defence. A sure shot recipe to a senti scene is by sleeping eight hours straight when you have a defence presentation in 24 hours and more than half of the work pending ;)

Leaving New York

Leaving New York certainly deserves a post.
SomeTHINGS I will certainly miss....

1. The subway tops the list for me. Finding the train jam packed with people when returning home at 4 am makes the weekend feel limitless.
2. Street/Subway music. iPODS are junk once you get feel the beat of the energy of these enthusiastic gritty new york street musicians. The music always brings a bounce to my walk.
3. Food carts. Where else can you grab a freshly made smoothie when rushing to work, completely on the run.
4. The city has my favorite "Made in India" manhole covers.
5. Its safe. I have never felt stalked or lost no matter what the time is.

Waiting for winter.

Are you SERIOUS!!

On a dreary rainy lonely weekend I found comfort on my couch covered with a shawl, a warm cup of steaming tea in my hand... in May. For a moment I did not want it to bright and sunny. There have been days in the last few weeks that have given the assurance that summer is around the corner. The wait for summer began months ago, but I realize that there is a cozy and comforting side of winter that could be missed. Just something to keep in mind on a hot restless summer afternoon.

Living in New York

Living in New York

New York, New York

I wake up feeling uncomfortably hot. I pull the sheets away as I curse myself yet again for forgetting to close the blinds at night. I twist the blinds shut, cutting out the morning sun and the $3000 a month view to Manhattan. I get back into bed for 5 more minutes of sleep. 20 minutes later I wake and scramble towards the bathroom. 40 minutes later I am out of the door and on the street. The walk to the station is quite pleasant. People are having breakfast on the side walk seating of restaurants, waiting for buses and swarms of them emerging from trains. I head towards mine.

As I wait for my train to World Trade center (WTC), I walk along the platform to get on the coach that is going to be the closest to the exit of the world trade center station. Ofcourse I am not the only one who thought of this and soon a large crowd gathers around me at the end on the platform as the train arrives. This particular coach again is the most crowded. Everyone waits for people to get off and a few people on the train are thoughtful enough to get off just to clear the way even if it is'nt their stop. The mad rush to get in begins now. I am on the edge and I have to make the critical decision of getting on or waiting for the next one. I look at the watch and decide to hang on. With my face pressed against the window pane I look wide eyed at the confused help less person left behind on the platform who had only gotten off to make way for other people getting off. Hmm...I am sure this was the last time he did that.

The the WTC station we all pour out the train like a fluid flowing upwards towards the exit and soon flood all the escalators. There are six of them at WTC about three floors high. That's New Yorks six lane highway for you.

On the street more people join in as we collectively negotiate our way around newspaper vendors, lingering tourists and traffic controllers. The tourists I would say are the most annoying. Can they not just stay in their comfy hotel rooms till the morning rush our is over. Why do they have to be out on the street taking pictures of random buildings and them selves at 8:45 in the morning? Imagine them them strolling around clicking pictures on a six lane highway during the morning rush on your way to work!! And what's worse is they make me feel jealous. Here I am trudging to work with my laptop, and these guys are waiting on a bench for the store to open.

The hours in office are much more peaceful, tucked into my cubicle 27 floors away from the madness of the city. Lunch time is the time to hit the ground reality of the city again and go hunting. I see a falafal cart wonder how much patience people have to get into a queue that already has 25 people in it.The tourist are now armed with shopping bags.

As I step out the office at the end of the day I take a long breath of fresh air in and think about the endless possibilities for the evening; movies, some exotic cuisine or a ride in hot air balloon. I call up my room mate who happens to be just around the corner and we happily rush to the subway station. I see a lady sitting by the sidewalk surrounded by shopping bags and kids.

tagged by neetu the great

8 things I am passionate abt:
1. India(my first love)
2 .My Family and friends [special mention: the latest addition to my family ;) ]
3. Food (including cooking)
4. My work(may sound boring, but I really am)
5. Green living(chemical free living)
6. Eating fresh/healthy
7. Travelling
8. Wearing Sari ooh this was hard.
Whats the next one Neetu??
8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Have a vegetable garden of my own
2. Plant a 100 trees (that would be my legacy)
3. Travel India (ladakh, kerela, live in the lake palace in Udaipur, see Taj Mahal, khajuraho, ajanta caves)
4. Learn Maithili (speaking)
5. Live in India again
6. Watch a cricket match live (I am not so passionate about it anymore but this was my childhood resolution and so I'd like to keep it)
7. Write a book
8. Start a school or support one.
8 things I love abt my friends:
1. They make me laugh till my cheeks hurt.
2. They are all so COOL!!
3. They are really smart people with unique perspectives, passionate and kicking!!
4. They are always there.
5. They are not scared of sharing their mind
6. I am always on a high when I am with them (kyon doston??)
7. With them I can reveal my ganda power
8. I can be myself with them-- confused and silly
8 Things I say often:
1. Kuch nahi ho sakta is desh ka.
2. Awesome/Gajab
3. Tension nai lene ka
4. Yaar TV pe kabhi kuch dhang ka kyon nahi aata hai?
5. Please let me know...(Polite RFI)
6. Kyonki?? saas bhi kabhi....
7. "I am sorry. I forgot" (this should have been the first on the list but I guess I forgot)
8. kaun hai be(knock on the door)