10 things that I have realized in my life

I read about the '10 things that I have realized in my life' the other day and thought about compiling my own list. So here you go.

1. Always buy more fruits than you think you need.
2. Never take anything for granted.
3. Do not buy anything (but books and fruit) when you are emotional.
4. Take criticism better than you think you do.
5. Take an unusual class.
6. Go on an unplanned adventure.
7. Save time for error.
8. Save room for fairy tales (they can actually come true, I know).
9. Let people surprise you.
10. Let that person in.

Dinner at home:
Day before yesterday was the only day available for me to cook. I decided to try my luck once again and make curry of pattagobhi (cabbage) with aaloo, matar, tamatar (potatoes, peas and tomatoes). To my sheer surprise, it turned out so tasty that Rohith completely polished it off. 

Aaloo pattagobhi matar ki sabzi

 We ate it with store bought whole wheat, brick overn baked pita bread, as I was not in a mood to make the  rotis/chapaatis. 

Whole wheat pita

I also made the obligatory strawberry and blueberry yogurt to curb the salt and heat from the sabzi.

Very berry yogurt

 This time I tried to add the organic agave nectar that we bought from Marshalls this week. It is more or less  like maple syrup and honey. Tasted alright.

My latest discovery

Rohith surprised me with these mini ice-creams as desserts even after having yogurt with the meal.

My most useful kitchen gadget:

Indispensable now

I can’t believe that all these years, in India, I have worked with the regular kitchen knives all along. With the one above, I can do the same stuff in half the time than earlier. I learned to jullien and chiffonade on my own watching the shows and chefs on the TV and youtube. I cannot tell you the height of confidence that I have working in the kitchen with this thing now.

Last night:

We had company unexpectedly. Rohith was all set to make pasta in marinara sauce, instead we ordered in Chinese. I had the veggie fried rice and Rohith had shrimp and veggies with brown rice. It got so late and we were so hungr that I even forgot to take the pictures of those. 

We got this red wine and served it to our guests, which we got from the farmers’ market at Union Square the other day. They really liked it. I had cranberry (my favorite) juice. 

 However, this white still remains Rohith’s all time favorite.

Workout this morning:

Again I had so little energy that it took me all morning today to gear up for the workout. The thing about working out is that once you have crossed that threshold and convinced yourself to stay on track, it’s a breeze.

Against all odds, this is what I accomplished:

• 12 minutes hot body workout
• 10 minutes full body workout
• 6 pack abs and get rid of those love handles.
• Get rid of those muffin tops
• 10 minutes VS workout.

I did not do the post shower Sun salutation,  as I was starving. 

Brunch this morning:

Was left over with the curry and remaining store bought methi k paranthe. I spread yogurt on crispy paranthas and my friend, Juhi, exclaimed that it looked almost like a margarita pizza slice. LoL!  I was so hungry that I forgot to take the pictures again. 

Weekend ahead:

We have the tax season going on, so Rohith would be tied up in that mostly, therefore we did not plan anything. As luck would have it, the Tristate area has a snow storm warning issued for the weekend and the coming week. I will share the pictures next week and also hope and pray that it is not as severe as they have predicted.  

I hope that all of you in the Tristate region remain safe and warm all along.

I will be rooting for you all xxxx

Questions for the day:

• Do you have something to add to my list of 10 things that you have realized in your life?
• What is the most useful kitchen gadget that is indispensable for you?
• Do you have any favorite brand of wine that you would like to recommend?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot come or comment below.