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Spirited Living

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Every morning when I wake up, I look in the mirror and say, “Today is going to be a good day.” I really do. And you know what, since I’ve been doing this, my days have been pretty good for the most part. Now, I’m not one of those people who believes in the “secret” and the whole concept of saying what you want and then getting it. I believe in knowing what you want and living with intention.

So if what I want is for my day to be good, I know that I have to base my intentions around that. For me, a HUGE part of this is living with spirit. In a way, we each have our own spirit that we bring to the table. Personally, I think I show spirit in the way of my quirkiness. Don’t laugh, but I believe that by showing people my authentic self (a very quirky one at that), I enable them to do so as well. This in turn creates positive energy that feeds the universe. With each passing day, I’m more and more convinced that this is 100% true.

My spirited quirky self is ever present in all facets of my life.

It showed up before my wedding with my grandmother. She’s never in her life worn a dress. Until I insisted…

It was present during a family reunion where I sported a high side ponytail and danced around like it was 1988…

It entertained my family as I pretended to win Miss America while holding my sister’s graduation flowers…

And it almost always comes out when I’m with my Vishnu. In fact, I think my quirky spirit has rubbed off on him. I have a video that serves as the perfect example of this, but I’ve been told not to post it. “Some things are not meant for the blog.” Boo!

Spirited “quirky” living is amazing. It’s helping me and those around me laugh and smile more. And that to me goes beyond having a good day, it leads to a good life.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Mind Dump

written by Parita 13 Comments

1. It’s Friday. Enough said.

2. Certain parts of this week’s Modern Family actually freaked me out a little. A comedy scared me. Only me!

3. I’m going home for a week in November! And yes, I said “I” and not “we.” Vishnu will not be coming. Sad smile His school scheduled comprehensive finals starting the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. SO DUMB!

4. Everyone needs to follow Thought Catalog and Uber Facts on Twitter. Just know this though – your overall productivity will be impacted. Consider yourself warned.

5. This is so me.

6. Vishnu introduced me to Coursera the other night, and because I’m a nerd, I signed up for two classes – Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Introduction to Philosophy. By the way, these classes are FREE! However, there is real coursework involved – readings, papers, etc. I plan on doing the work, but it’s nice to know that there is no real punishment for missing an assignment. Anyway, I’ll let y’all know how it goes as these particular classes aren’t slated to start until early 2013. The only downside is that sometimes courses are cancelled based on the professor’s schedule. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

7. Next Tuesday Vishnu and I are going here for dinner. Woot woot!

8. I am working from home today because the weather is ridiculous. I don’t feel like dealing with wind, rain, and crazy drivers. No thank you! For anyone that lives on the eastern seaboard…be safe! Hurricane Sandy looks like one tough cookie.

9. My favorite someecard…

10. Enjoy the weekend!

Tofu “Meatballs”

written by Parita 14 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that we are a mixed family when it comes to eating preferences. I am a vegetarian while Vishnu is a [white] meat/seafood guy. Sadly for him though, I’m not big into cooking meat at home. Quite honestly, it grosses me out. Plain and simple. He does get his fill with turkey sandwiches, any meals we eat out, and lunches served at school.

But before y’all feel too bad for him, you should know that he eats plenty of delicious (or at least I think so) and protein filled veggie meals. In fact, just today he asked me to make the tofu meatballs from the other night again next week. That’s how I know something is good. And just so y’all know, I have about a 95% success rate when it comes to Vishnu’s taste buds. Not bad!

So I found this recipe while searching for vegetarian meal ideas. It looked easy enough, was something different from our normal dinner eats, and sounded tasty. So I gave it a shot.

It was in fact different and delicious and easy, however the process in getting to all of that was a messy one. Messy and fun I should say! Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

As you can see from the picture above, I used quinoa as the base and topped it all off with some goat cheese. Next time I may use spaghetti squash and mozzarella to change things up a bit. Also, I didn’t have time to make the sauce from scratch, so I used a store bought Bertolli sauce.

And I’m just going to warn all my meat loving friends – the tofu meatballs taste nothing like the real deal. They tasted more like little ricotta veggie burgers. All I have to say is yum.

So without further ado, here’s my version of this great recipe.

Tofu Meatballs
Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper to taste
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce
1 package of extra firm tofu (drained, pressed, and crumbled)
1 large egg
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the sauce – 3/4 of a store bought pasta sauce and 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Add the onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is just starting to look transparent.
3. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the soy sauce and hot sauce. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften up.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the veggies to a blender/food processor. Save the liquid.
6. Add the tofu, egg, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning to the veggie mixture. Blend until combined.
7. Place the tofu mixture in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden.
8. Mix the jar of pasta sauce with the reserved liquid from the veggie mixture over medium heat.
9. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and also spray with a little bit of cooking spray.
*10. Sprinkle flour on a plate. Wet your hands with a little bit of water and scoop out 1 – 2 inch tofu balls.
*11. Roll the balls in the flour.
12. Once ready, transfer balls to skillet and cook on each side for a few minutes or until brown. (You’ll likely have to do two large batches).
13. Place the tofu balls in the sauce and let marinate for 10-15 minutes.

*The messy part of the process.

When ready to serve, spoon some quinoa (or whatever base you choose) on a plate and top with tofu meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle your favorite cheese on top and enjoy!

This recipe definitely got two thumbs up from both me and my meat eating husband! And as an added bonus, these tofu meatballs make great leftovers.

See, I told you guys not to feel too bad for Vishnu!!

If you have any delicious vegetarian recipes you’d like to share, PLEASE do so. I’m always on the lookout for new ones to try.

3 Things I’ve Learned in 3 Months

written by Parita 24 Comments

The other day my mom asked me what I thought of marriage so far. It’s kind of funny because she remembered the fact that it’s been three months since the wedding while Vishnu and I didn’t even talk about it. Vishnu even goes as far as saying that July 4th (our dating anniversary) means more to him than our wedding anniversary because that’s when we actually began our journey together. Cue the awwws…

Anyway, my conversation with my mom got me thinking about the things that I’ve learned in the past three months. Honestly, nothing about Vishnu and being married to him has surprised me…in a “I want to strangle you” kind of way. What has surprised me is that I’ve learned a few things about myself that have me rethinking my entire life….jussssst kidding! Truthfully, I think marriage has changed me a tiny bit and that does make me think a little. All my thinking has led me to this…marriage is a discovery process, where if you’re brave and open, you’ll learn things you never thought to be true or even possible. And if both people are open and willing to learn, develop, and grow TOGETHER, everything will be all good!

So in honor of 3 months of marriage, I’m going to share 3 small things I’ve learned.

1. Marriage has toned down my type A personality. Shocking! While there will always be a part of me that craves structure, organization, and exactness, I am already seeing a shift in my mindset and priorities. For example, I sometimes choose doing nothing (either by myself or with Vishnu) over tidying up the apartment, making the bed, etc. This is big for me because a year or so ago getting things done was more important than just “being.” And sometimes, we all need to be and not do. Like I’ve said before, the dishes will be there tomorrow and so will the laundry…don’t you worry!

2. Vishnu and I are more compatible than we seem. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely have our fair share of differences. But for me, that was very expected. The differences between us seven years ago are still present today, we’ve just learned how accept and in some cases deal with them. Ha! What I’m really talking about is our taste in home décor. I know that sounds dumb, but based on all of our pre-marriage conversations, I really thought this would be one area where we would just clash. Surprisingly…not the case! Our views on furniture, accent pieces, wall décor, etc. have magically aligned for the most part. And when we do disagree, we find a way to compromise and meet in the middle. Hmmm…so that’s what this marriage business is all about!

3. I’ve always been proud of the fact that Vishnu and I are best friends above all – we make each other laugh a lot, we share our thoughts openly, and we allow each other to be individuals. However, over the past three months and more so recently, I’ve learned that the key to our relationship is that we truly adore one another. Again, don’t get me wrong. We also annoy each other to no end sometimes and fight a little here and there, but at the end of the day, I feel so lucky to be married to a man that I’m crazy about. And I know for a fact that Vishnu’s smitten with me as well (he told me so yesterday…in not so many words)! Over all else, we cherish our relationship and feel blessed to be able to spend the rest of our lives loving and annoying one another. Winking smile

No marriage is perfect. In fact, if anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, laugh…and then laugh a little more for me. In reality, marriage is a lot of hard work. But if you’re working hard with the right person, it’ll feel more like a challenging game, one where you’re both playing for the same team!

90 Days

written by Parita 13 Comments

Have you ever worked for someone who is more of a friend than a boss? Well, my boss is that person for me. She’s incredibly wise and open. She’s a strong, intelligent woman but at the same time she’s spiritual and has an enormous amount of self-awareness. In a few short months, she’s left quite an impression on me. Since she travels a lot, I haven’t spent a lot of face to face time with her – our communication runs the gamut of email, telephone, and instant messenger. However, when she is in the office, we talk about a lot of different “life” things. I can tell that she loves sharing the knowledge gained from years of personal “life” experiences. In fact, she wants me to start a young women’s professional group in the Miami area. She even volunteered to be a sponsor! We’ll see…

Anyway, we were talking about bad relationships the other day, and she shared a story about one of her friends from years ago. This friend would go through a rollercoaster of emotion every other day over the guy she was dating – one day she was happy, one day she was sad, one day she was upset. Basically, she didn’t know how she felt and what to do about it.

My boss, being the honest person that she is, didn’t tell her friend that it would be ok, nor did she tell her to breakup with the guy. Instead, she told her to create a 90-day calendar (because important decisions can only be made over an extended period of time). And going forward, for every morning where she felt truly happy to be in the relationship, she was to mark that day with a huge red circle. And for every morning where she felt any other conflicting emotion, she was to mark the day with a big black X. After 90 days, depending on whether her calendar was filled with more circles or X’s, she had a clear idea of what her emotions were telling her.

When my boss finished telling the story, I excitedly thought about how the concept could be applied to any situation in life where you are uncertain – a relationship, a career, etc. From personal experience I know that my thoughts/emotions about certain things vary based on the week. Some weeks are awesome while others are filled with doubt. Luckily for me, the good weeks outnumber the bad, and even during the bad, I’m able to eventually focus on the positive. However, I do remember the times when I had to make big decisions about going back to school, accepting a job that would require me to move around for two years, etc. If only I had this “tool” back then to help me!

I wanted to share this because I’m assuming there are a lot of people out there that are conflicted about a relationship, a job, a major life decision, etc. And those kinds of thoughts/emotions can’t be sorted out in one day, week, or even month. Sometimes it takes time and a 90-day calendar to really put things in perspective.

P.S. Today’s my sister’s birthday! Just wanted to say happy birthday and I love you so much, Aek!!!

What helps you make major decisions/sort out your emotions or thoughts around important things?

Minimoon in Venice

written by Parita 6 Comments

The day after a long weekend is never fun, especially when your weekend consists of minimooning in Venice…Florida that is!

Vishnu and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and go on a little minimoon. Even though we’ve postponed our real honeymoon until next summer due to schedule conflicts, we wanted to go somewhere for a few days and celebrate us. Venice was the perfect pick – not too far, relatively cheap, relaxing, lots of good food, and it’s on the water!

We started our fun adventure on Saturday morning, arriving in Venice around 2:30. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we headed straight for…you guessed it…the beach.

We spent a few hours soaking in the sun and playing in the water. Around 5:30, my stomach started grumbling, so I suggested a pizza place I read about on Yelp called Scamotz Tomato Pies. A lot of the reviewers mentioned that this place has the best pizza with the best crust, so I knew it was worth checking out!

As soon as we sat down, our waitress brought out garlic knots and two different dipping “sauces.” The first was a roasted red pepper mascarpone sauce and the other was a garlic herb butter. The herb butter blew me away – it was sweet, salty and creamy. YUM!

Vishnu and I decided to start our meal with a couple of salads – I went for the traditional house salad and Vishnu opted for a orange parmesan salad. Not only were our salads incredibly fresh, but they came with homemade vinaigrettes.

If I had to pick a winner, I would say Vishnu’s salad won. Both were great, but his was unique – mandarin oranges, pecans, and shaved parmesan.

For the main course, we ordered the roasted vegetable pizza.

So those Yelp reviewers were not kidding when they praised this pizza! The crust was thin, flaky, and incredibly light. And the toppings were fresh, perfectly roasted, and bursting with flavor. The owner even makes his own sun dried tomatoes (the best topping in fact)! I asked for a side of tomato sauce, since this particular pizza came with a garlic butter sauce. I’m so glad I did because it was just the way I like my sauce to be – chunky and herby. [My mouth is watering right now.] I know how cliché all of this sounds – but trust me, this pizza was one of the best I’ve ever had. And you know it’s good because upon taking his first bite, even Vishnu “mmmmed.”

With full bellies, we headed back to the hotel to shower and take a little nap (that was all me!). A few hours later we drove to downtown Venice (a small strip of shops and restaurants) to walk around. Of course, I had to stop in the candy store to take a peak…and buy some dark chocolate almond bark!

After talking to a few people the day before, we decided to spend Sunday at Siesta Key beach in Sarasota. But before beach time came brunch time at Word of Mouth.

Word of Mouth is a cute, old town”ish” café/diner. The food was simple, comforting, and delicious. It really hit the spot!

Vishnu and I shared a blueberry almond scone to start. This thing was delicious and full of fresh blueberries. And the toasted almonds on top complemented the soft biscuit like scone.

For my main meal, I ordered the buckwheat pancakes with walnuts and chocolate chips (hardly needed any syrup!). Vishnu went with the crab and veggie quiche. Both were delicious, however the potatoes stole the show – the flavor was unbelievable!

With full bellies, yet again, we drove to Siesta Key beach for another fun day in the sun! This beach was gorgeous – clear water, soft sand, and just the right amount of people to make feel lively.

Contemplating life

I think Sunday afternoon was my favorite part of the weekend – me and Vishnu hanging out in the ocean with not a care in the world. We need to find a way to make days like this a regular thing!

Later that night, we headed back to downtown Sarasota for dinner. What a cute place – lots of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. I kind of wish we had spent Saturday evening there as well. Next time!

We ended up settling on Drunken Poet Café, a Thai and Japanese restaurant (recommended by our friend Yelp), for dinner. I was in the mood for sushi, and Vishnu wanted something spicy for dinner.

We started with some sweet potato tempura and avocado sushi.

I decided to keep with the theme and went with the vegetable roll and the avocado roll for my main meal. Vishnu ordered the Pad Thai and loved it! Another great meal. We were seriously on a foodie roll during this trip!

After dinner, we walked around for a bit and got some gelato (that went undocumented). Our night ended in an Everybody Loves Raymond marathon – love that show!

Monday morning came sooner then I wanted. After showering and packing, we loaded the car and drove home. The end. Smile

I’m so glad we decided to go away this weekend. It was nice to step away from reality and spend some quality time together – not having to worry about cleaning, laundry, dinner, etc. I highly recommend minimoons, even to those who aren’t newlyweds!

FLL Here I Come

written by Parita 7 Comments

It feels like I’ve been researching my butt off lately about all things Fort Lauderdale and the area we’ll be living in. I know some of you are probably thinking that it would make more sense for me to wait until I move down there to start looking up grocery stores, gyms, malls, etc. If that’s what you’re thinking, you don’t know me! I am a planner through and through. I also have this need to know attitude. Oh and some control issues but whatever.

Based on my research, here’s what I’ve learned about my soon to be new city…

1. Publix, Costco, and Whole Foods are all located in one central area. This will make Sunday afternoon grocery trips a lot easier. Oh adulthood, how you have changed me!

And for weekends where we want to go really crazy, there are a number of fun farmer’s markets relatively close by.

2. I was a little surprised to learn this, but Fort Lauderdale is home to a good amount of healthy restaurants – vegetarian, vegan, raw. Even from my limited personal experience eating out in the area, most every restaurant has delicious vegetarian options available. It’s going to be awesome!

3. Now that I’ve listed a couple of pros, I feel that it’s ok to talk about a con. So, there are no affordable gyms, yoga studios, cycling studios, etc. near our new apartment complex. ZERO. And the word affordable is key here. I can’t afford to pay $25 a class or upwards of $200 for a monthly membership. No way Jose.

However, if I remember correctly, the apartment gym isn’t all that bad – with a decent amount of cardio equipment and free weights. And I really don’t mind workout DVDs, so I should be ok. Jillian and I are going to be BFFs again!

4. This goes without saying, but Fort Lauderdale is located very very close to the ocean!!! I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about this. I’ve always wanted to live near water. Yay!

5. As far as adventure is concerned, we have a few plans up our sleeves! We’d like to make it out to the Everglades sometime soon. Vishnu wants to do a guided tour so we can hang out with the alligators. Me? Not so much, but we’ll see (Vishnu hates it when I say that). We’ve also been talking a lot about water activities. Oh and cruises! Neither of us have ever been on one, and well, as fate would have it, cruise ships can pretty much be found in our backyard!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a handful of things I don’t really like about the city already, but I don’t want to cast too much judgment just yet. I’ll wait until I move down there to do that. Winking smile

Seriously though, I can’t wait to share more about our new life – the ups, the downs, and everything in between. Get ready!

What are some pros and cons of the city you live in?

Spirited Living

Mind Dump

Tofu “Meatballs”

3 Things I’ve Learned in 3 Months

90 Days

Minimoon in Venice

FLL Here I Come

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