A Desi Girl

What I made for lunch today--

mango lassi:
Bottom layer: grapes and toasted almonds

then raita, then garbanzo beans, and then the curried chicken

"Desi Girl" is the name of a song in which I have learned some choreography to in my Bollywood dance class. A desi girl is an American born Indian girl. I have decided that I am a pseudo-desi girl. My friend likes to sing "Caucasian girl" instead of Desi girl when we listen to the song.

Anyway, today my delightful Bollywood dance partner in crime came over to practice. I decided I'd make an Indian dish for lunch. I almost made chicken vindaloo as an homage to Outsourced. I found a fantastic recipe on epicurious.com. It was so good, I now want to make Indian food all the time. I bought garlic naan at Trader Joe's, and I made up my own recipe for a mango lassi.

Here is the recipe for the curried chicken, spiced garbanzo beans, and raita: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Chicken-Salad-with-Spiced-Chickpeas-and-Raita-243206

For the mango lassi, I blended mango, mint, nonfat plain greek yogurt, and skim milk. I used about 2 oz of yogurt, between 1/2 and a whole cup of milk, 5 or so mango sliced that Trader Joe's sells pre-cut, and a some mint. I think I should have added more mango.

Pumpkin power bars take 2

I tried this recipe: http://lilveggiepatch.com/2010/08/28/chococolate-pumpkin-protein-bars/

I substituted ground flax seed for protein powder; maple syrup for agave; dried cranberries for prunes.

I was only able to spread the mixture into about half of an 8 x 13 pan; however I cut 9 bars, and I believe the recipe said 8 servings.

I definitely prefer the taste of this power bar to the first version I made. I think it's because this recipe has peanut butter.

I ate one for breakfast this morning along with a baby apple and a glass of milk; it was filling. Delicious and nutritious!

Power bars

This Sunday I will be running my second half marathon in 2010. I will be traveling to San Francisco for the Nike Women's marathon. People who want to participate must enter a lottery. I joined a group with my co-worker. If one member of the group is picked, the entire group is able to participate in the race. I'm not sure which one of us was picked, but we are all running!

The race starts near Union Square, therefore my hotel is also near Union Square. This means I will be in close proximity to one of the best shopping spots in San Francisco. My favorite bath and body store, Lush, will be within walking distance. My point is, I plan on bringing as much food as I can, so I don't have to purchase food. The money I save can go toward a controlled shopping spree in Lush. At least, that's the plan.

I have canned pumpkin to use, so I decided to try this recipe for pumpkin energy bars: http://cycleandstyle.com/2009/10/pumpkin-energy-bars/

I substituted apple sauce for canola oil; cloves and cardamom for pumpkin pie spice (I used pureed pumpkin pie filling); and wheat germ instead of flax seed.

As a power bar, it tastes decent.

I also tried a recipe from a vegan website claiming to have a recipe similar to a Clif bar type of which I've never heard. Here's the recipe: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/10/13/make-these-now/

I wanted to use the dark cocoa powder she recommended, but I did not want to make a trip to the store. I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder. I did not have dates, so I used dried cranberries. Again, they taste descent. I have to set aside my desire for a delicious desert type flavor. I made power bars not cookies.

I'd make them both again. I hope to try a different pumpkin power bar recipe tomorrow.

'Poo success

I finally found a shampoo recipe I adore. Last weekend I attempted to use coconut oil to deep condition my hair. I followed the instructions. My hair was SO greasy. I tried a dandruff fighting homemade shampoo recipe and later on diluted lemon juice to de-grease my hair. The next day it was still greasy, so I used actual shampoo. It was less greasy. Day 3 I used the rest of my dandruff fighting shampoo and regular shampoo plus conditioner. My hair was a mess. Day 4 I try chamomile shampoo and it restores my hair to its silky and soft texture I was used to from comerical shampoo and conditioner.

Here's the link to the recipe (blonde castile soap recipe), plus others (such as a recipe for dark-haired individuals): http://hairrecipes.homestead.com/shampoorecipes.html

I do not think I will ever put coconut oil in my hair, but I continue to enjoy it as a lotion on my legs.

For conditioner, I've been keeping it simple with 1 cup of water with 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

My Hippie Path

Recently, I have begun to make my own granola, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and moisturizer. Here's a peek at my process to guide you in your journey, if you so choose.

1. Granola
Last year I once had a conversation via text message with a friend lamenting that we should make our own granola bars to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). We never did make any of our own granola bars.

For Christmas, however, I received a homemade batch of granola. It was fabulous: delicious, nutritious, and sans HFCS. I'm not a huge fan of cereal, but I became hooked on granola. It was filling and tasty, a combination I have yet to find in boxed cereals. I've been making my own ever since. I just made batch #5 the other day.

Granola, apparently, is the gateway drug to DIY projects.

2. Shampoo and Conditioner
My friend mentioned a recipe for making one's own shampoo and conditioner. I tried it for a week. Shampoo = 1 cup water with 1 TB of baking soda; Conditioner = 1 cup water with 1 TB apple cider vinegar. I had the ingredients, so I did it. It cleaned my hair, but the combination of the altered texture of my hair and dumping water on my head in the shower was discouraging. So I googled herbal shampoo recipes. I found a recipe for Green tea shampoo, I added my own lime juice to duplicate my Kiss My Face Green tea and lime shampoo. It's not quite the same. I use castile soap, so I have suds even though it is still a thin liquid. I made an egg yolk conditioner that is similair to dumping water on my hair, but I can tolerate it.
Here are the websites I used:
http://www.yoga4beginners.org/green-tea/shampoo.html
The website recommends a strong cup of green tea. I added 3 tea bags to 1 cup of water. I still do not know if that is strong enough. Yesterday, I may have noticed dandruff in my hair, so I'm fairly certain I will be googling for new additions. I store the shampoo in the fridge, but I'm not sure if it's necessary.

http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/home_made_shampoo_and_conditioner_recipes
I use the egg conditioner. This definitely requires refrigeration.

A word of advice regarding DIY shampoo and conditioner. The texture of my hair has changed. It is still soft but not silky like commercial shampoo and conditioner made it feel. It does, however, appear to be thicker and moldable. I am getting a haircut this Saturday and will discuss my new habit with my hairstylist.

A bit of a how-to with the conditioner, I use it on the ends of my hair, avoiding the scalp in the front. I use to use it on the entire portion of my head but found the hair near my bangs on my scalp looked greasy. I drench the hair in front of my face midway down and then put a little bit on the back of my head to soften the hair.

3. Facial products
A few days ago, I made my very own face wash and moisturizer. I'm already a fan. I made a honey facial wash and an aloe vera moisturizer. Aloe vera is perfect for my acne-ridden skin to reduce the redness. I'm hopeful for some clear skin sans prescription pills. We shall see.

I discovered this blog, and I'm a huge fan.
Honey face wash: http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2008/07/homemade-honey-facial-cleanser.html
Moisturizer: http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2008/01/damn-plastic-bags-homemade-moisturiser.html

4. What's next?
I looked into making my own body lotion and several people recommend coconut oil. No mixing there. Here's an article about coconut oil: http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
I haven't fact-checked anything, but it makes coconut oil sound miraculous.

My next project is making my own toothpaste: http://www.towards-sustainability.com/2007/05/homemade-toothpaste-dishwashing-liquid.html