Affirmation:
I will always try to choose
the better and
healthier option.
In our everyday life, let's choose:
Healthy food choices.
Healthy relationships.
Healthy habits and lifestyle.
A healthy disposition.
Happy Wednesday!!! click click click
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Life Lessons From The Movie "Julie & Julia"
"Julie & Julia", a movie based on a blog by Julie Powell who found bliss and inspiration thru Julia Child's life and cooking. This is a true story of two women who heed the calling of cooking and writing which in the process lead them to their successful careers.
I'm personally inspired by the life that Julia Child led. She's one charmed woman who was graceful, wise, laughed a lot inspite of setbacks, had an unwavering perserverance and loved her supportive husband dearly. Julie on the other hand, although I'm not as enamored by her character, is a woman who changed her destiny by following her husband's advice to start a blog in order to document her cooking adventures based on Julia Child's recipes. Who would have thought that would lead her to publishing a book and a movie!?!
Two beautiful women, lots of life lessons to learn from their charmed lives:
It makes a difference when you have a supportive husband. Both Julia and Julie's husbands were pivotal in the success of their endeavors. Their husbands were generous with time, support and ideas and were very good at listening to their wives' rants and raves. I believe that in marriage, you and your partner should know when to step back on the sidelines once in a while just so one can achieve his/her personal goals.
It makes a difference when you have a supportive husband. Both Julia and Julie's husbands were pivotal in the success of their endeavors. Their husbands were generous with time, support and ideas and were very good at listening to their wives' rants and raves. I believe that in marriage, you and your partner should know when to step back on the sidelines once in a while just so one can achieve his/her personal goals.
It also makes a difference when you have a husband who asks "What is it that you really like to do?" In any relationship, it's nice to have someone ask you what you want, what you need and what you love.
In life and cooking, never ever give up. We all know a lot about not giving up when it comes to life in general so I won't go there anymore. But let me emphasize on the cooking part. What I notice most about women who says "I can't cook" is that some of them (take note: some of them, not all) tried cooking but failed so they never tried again. Some women come to me and say "I'm not good at cooking" and I always say, "So what if you're not good with cooking? Just cook, later on it will get better. It doesn't have to be perfect, it only has to be edible."
No one is too old to learn. I never believed in late bloomers. What I believe is that we are entitled to learn and bloom at our own pace and liking. Forget numbers. Forget age. If you find yourself wanting to learn how to draw at age 40, go and just do that. Julia Child started attending cooking lessons at aged 37--amazing, yeah?
Find balance in managing family life and attaining personal goals. Actually, for me, there should always be balance in everything--which is something I always try to attain in my everyday life. But for the purpose of learning a lesson from this movie, let's focus on what Julie Powell forgot to maintain during the time when she had a fight with her husband over her being a self-absorbed bitch just because she had a deadline on her blog--and that is balance. Balance is hard to attain AND maintain but it is a vital value in keeping up with a woman's role as she manages a home and achieve her personal goals as well. It is that value that will keep you grounded and wise when you face setbacks in your goals. It is that value that will make you say, "Hang on a second, this is not worth losing my husband/family for."
Remember to have a sense of humour, laugh a lot. So what if thing are not falling into place right now? Don't get too disappointed too long because tomorrow (or maybe even in a short while), the sun will peek thru your window again. When something goes wrong, just laugh it off. No one is spared from challenges anyway. What makes a difference is how we react and deal with situations.
In life and cooking, never ever give up. We all know a lot about not giving up when it comes to life in general so I won't go there anymore. But let me emphasize on the cooking part. What I notice most about women who says "I can't cook" is that some of them (take note: some of them, not all) tried cooking but failed so they never tried again. Some women come to me and say "I'm not good at cooking" and I always say, "So what if you're not good with cooking? Just cook, later on it will get better. It doesn't have to be perfect, it only has to be edible."
No one is too old to learn. I never believed in late bloomers. What I believe is that we are entitled to learn and bloom at our own pace and liking. Forget numbers. Forget age. If you find yourself wanting to learn how to draw at age 40, go and just do that. Julia Child started attending cooking lessons at aged 37--amazing, yeah?
Find balance in managing family life and attaining personal goals. Actually, for me, there should always be balance in everything--which is something I always try to attain in my everyday life. But for the purpose of learning a lesson from this movie, let's focus on what Julie Powell forgot to maintain during the time when she had a fight with her husband over her being a self-absorbed bitch just because she had a deadline on her blog--and that is balance. Balance is hard to attain AND maintain but it is a vital value in keeping up with a woman's role as she manages a home and achieve her personal goals as well. It is that value that will keep you grounded and wise when you face setbacks in your goals. It is that value that will make you say, "Hang on a second, this is not worth losing my husband/family for."
Remember to have a sense of humour, laugh a lot. So what if thing are not falling into place right now? Don't get too disappointed too long because tomorrow (or maybe even in a short while), the sun will peek thru your window again. When something goes wrong, just laugh it off. No one is spared from challenges anyway. What makes a difference is how we react and deal with situations.
"Julie and Julia", an uplifting and inspiring story. And to end this post, let me leave you with this sweet words of Paul Child to Julia: "You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life."
Friday, February 5, 2010
Recipe: Chili Spaghetti
This is the easiest Spaghetti recipe I've done as I didn't need to prepare any sauces. This also answers the cravings of someone who wants their pasta chili-hot. I had a taste of this during a party and asked my friend on how he did it and boy, it sounded easy--and it is! It had a few ingredients to prepare which always favor someone like me who juggles a home and a career. The best thing is the versatility of this dish as you can add and change the ingredients to whatever you feel like having at the moment or whatever is available in your pantry.
What you need:
Cooked Spaghetti Pasta
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil (or Extra Light Olive Oil)
1 medium-sized onion
5 cloves of garlic
Bacon, sliced
Prosciutto Ham, sliced
3-4 pieces of Red chili, sliced (add more depending on preference)Basil, to taste
Salt, to taste
Parmesan Cheese
What you need to do:
1. Saute Onion and Garlic in Olive Oil.
2. Add in Bacon and Prosciutto Ham. Leave for 5 minutes.
3. Throw in the red Chilis, leave for another 5 minutes
4. Add in the cooked Spaghetti pasta.
5. Sprinkle a dash of Basil and Salt.
6. Mix ingredients and pasta well for a few minutes.
7. Transfer into a serving bowl or platter.
8. Serve with Parmesan Cheese on top.
Tips:
1. For variety, you can change ingredients to tuna, shrimps or vegetables. You can also combine meat and seafood ingredients (i.e. bacon and shrimps) or seafood and vegetables, etc. Very versatile.
2. The original recipe was actually just bacon but since I have Prosciutto Ham in the freezer, I decided to add it in and it brought a bit of smoky flavor to the dish.
3. Take it easy on the red chilis. In order to achieve the right amount of spice, I recommend that you do not throw in all your red chilis in one go. What I did was drop a few slices of chilis when i mixed them with the bacon and prosciutto and when I thought the dish needed more spice, I dropped in a few more during the mixing of the pasta in the end. If you are not a lover of spice, you can eliminate the chili altogether.
Have fun cooking and enjoy!
What you need:
Cooked Spaghetti Pasta
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil (or Extra Light Olive Oil)
1 medium-sized onion
5 cloves of garlic
Bacon, sliced
Prosciutto Ham, sliced
3-4 pieces of Red chili, sliced (add more depending on preference)Basil, to taste
Salt, to taste
Parmesan Cheese
What you need to do:
1. Saute Onion and Garlic in Olive Oil.
2. Add in Bacon and Prosciutto Ham. Leave for 5 minutes.
3. Throw in the red Chilis, leave for another 5 minutes
4. Add in the cooked Spaghetti pasta.
5. Sprinkle a dash of Basil and Salt.
6. Mix ingredients and pasta well for a few minutes.
7. Transfer into a serving bowl or platter.
8. Serve with Parmesan Cheese on top.
Tips:
1. For variety, you can change ingredients to tuna, shrimps or vegetables. You can also combine meat and seafood ingredients (i.e. bacon and shrimps) or seafood and vegetables, etc. Very versatile.
2. The original recipe was actually just bacon but since I have Prosciutto Ham in the freezer, I decided to add it in and it brought a bit of smoky flavor to the dish.
3. Take it easy on the red chilis. In order to achieve the right amount of spice, I recommend that you do not throw in all your red chilis in one go. What I did was drop a few slices of chilis when i mixed them with the bacon and prosciutto and when I thought the dish needed more spice, I dropped in a few more during the mixing of the pasta in the end. If you are not a lover of spice, you can eliminate the chili altogether.
Have fun cooking and enjoy!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Say "I love you" All The Time
Say "I love you" daily, many times.
Especially when you wake up and before you go to sleep.
Say it before you say goodbye on the phone.
Say "Thanks honey, I love you" when you want to express your appreciation to your partner.
Say it even if there's no special reason, even if there's no occasion.
Say it during your most trying times.
Say it in the most unexpected times.
Say it for the rest of your lives together.
Express it verbally as well as in action. We all need to hear that magical phrase--it can heal, soothe, comfort. It reaffirms how we feel at any given moment. So, fill your lives with millions of moments of love by saying: "I love you."
Especially when you wake up and before you go to sleep.
Say it before you say goodbye on the phone.
Say "Thanks honey, I love you" when you want to express your appreciation to your partner.
Say it even if there's no special reason, even if there's no occasion.
Say it during your most trying times.
Say it in the most unexpected times.
Say it for the rest of your lives together.
Never ever, take love for granted.
Express it verbally as well as in action. We all need to hear that magical phrase--it can heal, soothe, comfort. It reaffirms how we feel at any given moment. So, fill your lives with millions of moments of love by saying: "I love you."
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