SCAN your Computer. ASAP.

Always SCAN your computer. And defragment the hard drive to avoid slow performance.

I always thought that I was pretty safe having McAfee membership (free, provided by Comcast), but unfortunately it wasn't quite the case.

My father recommended that I use Sytem Mechanic Professional 7 (it comes with Kaspersky Anti-Hacker virus protection), so I installed them and I did a thorough scan of my computer to find that I have 18 Trojan virus in my computer (soon, they're disinfected and deleted).

Their website is http://www.iolo.com

Therefore, my advice as a beginner, have more than one virus protection ready, so that you can rotate the usage of them. You'll never know what you can find in your computer when you think you're safe. Also, scan your computer religiously especially if you have internet connection.

Have a good day everyone!

Tracy

American Idol*Yawn*

Michael and I used to love watching American Idol (http://www.americanidol.com) because of it's just the "right" time. Football season is over, NBA is not quite onto the playoff round, and there's nothing else to really look forward to on TV.

And to his glee, he has been able to choose the correct winner(s) from Carrie Underwood to Taylor Hicks.

I don't know why this year feels different. Oh I know. It's that dude (Michael Jackson-look-alike) called Sanjaya! I can't understand why he's still there. He's just HORRIBLE. I know he sounded just 'OK' during the preliminary round, but COME ON. He CAN'T SING! He seems to relish the attention he's getting toward his hairdo too. This is NOT American HAIR Idol.

American Idol has always been an advertising machine, this is maybe why the fans are so eager to subconsciously destroy it, because who can actually market Sanjaya IF he won the contest? But I always thought (or hoped) that at least, the winners have some sort of singing talent (and most of them are great singers and performers). That's the only consolation for watching this commercial-induced show. This year, it seems like it's going to be taken away from me.

We better find another show to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday evening.

To distract myself, I started viewing NFL Live on ESPN.

Ja Marcus Russel (QB for LSU) was first draft pick and the Raiders took him. He's going to do great there. He's like Shaq in football. Michael was hoping that Dolphins will pick him up after chucking Joey Harrington--Ducks Alumni--(UNFAIR decision in my humble opinion because if they're giving Culpepper another chance, why can't they give one to Joey? He only lost badly that ONE last game--albeit was a pretty important game, although, keep in mind, their division was so tough, we all knew that it's very little chance they can go to the playoff).

Guess who the Browns sign? Brady Quinn! (Most overrated QB of Notre Dame) I found this very amusing indeed. With his luck, he'll probably end up to be another Joey Harrington (keep in mind that Joey, unlike Quinn, was NOT overrated when he was a Duck, he was a great QB). There's a 90% chance that Quinn will end up washed up.

What's happening to Joey, well, no one signs him, so tough luck for him. Hopefully he saved up some money or at least would be able to utilize his diploma, because he'll be soon entering the workforce like the rest of us, humble humdrum citizens...

Taste Test

Last Saturday, I had the chance to go do some organic grocery shopping, purchasing organic salad, vanilla creme cookies, cereal, pasta, peanut butter to do a taste comparison between them and the ordinary brand.

The organic products were purchased at Safeway and it's their new organic brand (fortunately, they gave away coupons so it made it friendlier for the purse).

Here's the result:
1) O's vanilla creme cookies---compared to Oreos cookies
Price-wise, both cookies are similar (although I ended up paying $1 less for the organic brand, thanks to the coupon). To my surprise, the taste is VERY SIMILAR. Tasty. Tasty. So if you'd want to start "green," I'd probably suggest trying the cookies first. :)
2) O's multi-grain fruit flavored cereal---compared to Kellog's
Although the price is comparable (without coupon), unfortunately, the O's brand is definitely not as tasty as the Kellog's sugar-infused one. Sure, the O cereal is supposedly healthier for you, but it has a really unusual taste to them, a little gritty, although the texture is fine. I really think they need to improve on the taste arena.
3) O's wheat-based multi-grain pasta---compared to ordinary pasta (Barillo's)
Okay. Again, the organic ones are still behind on the taste despite that it's healthier. Tip: Boil the wheat pasta longer than ordinary pasta to get to the al dente stage. The taste of wheat pasta is different, unusual, but still very much edible.
4) O's peanut butter---compared to Jiffy's
Hands down to Jiffy's. I still can't get used to organic peanut butter for the life of me. The oil still bothers me very much.
5) O's salad---compared to ordinary salad
This is a no-brainer, for those who haven't tried organic produce, they should definitely try. With organic salad, you notice the freshness and crispness of the taste. It's just a really really good salad.

Well, that's about it for now. I will definitely keep on trying out new organic products as they come out on the market, with consideration to our budget (--with coupons and such) until we find stuffs that the whole family love and enjoy (ex: vanilla creme cookies!!).

Have a good day everyone!

Love,
Tracy

Monday Bloody Monday

After about 6 weeks, they release the result of Anna Nicole Smith's autopsy.

Is it such a surprise that she OD'ed on prescription med?

I dislike talking bad about the dead, though, so I'd rather not discuss about her on my blog. It's very fascinating how Courtv and CNN are covering this with such fervor. The demands of advertisers and ratings are more important than what's really news, I guess. Although I can't really blame them because most of us (including myself) are mostly fascinated by this type of news :p

I'm just miffed because I'm so bored with it. It's just dragging on and on and on...I'm so tired of looking at people claiming profusely to be "friends" with her, and spewing out weird crap about her life. Eek. The lady's dead, cut it out, it's tragic, but it's also life, you move on.

By the way, this is the funniest thing, I just got a new cell from Cricket (www.mycricket.com) last month and I decided to pay online, and instead of being a reasonable consumer, I didn't write my confirmation code only to find when I went to access my account, it's listed as unpaid.

So I freaked out. I called the customer service number, so ready to be all defensive and angry (I mean, if you have dealt with customer service people over the phone--whether you're trying to buy a product, arrange payments, etc--90% of the time, they're underpaid, untrained, and quite impolite or uncaring).

I have to admit I can be combative over the phone, I have a bit of accent to my voice, and for some reasons I believe that people are not respecting me as much therefore, I'm more than ready to attack verbally when spoken to impolitely.

It's a guy answering the phone and I was cursing my luck because it's usually with a male rep I get more defensive and combative. He spoke with an accent as well (curiously enough) and tried to assure me that the payment would really be in the system within 48 hours although he couldn't find it on the system yet, so that I didn't have to worry.

Then he asked, "What time is it there?" I was confused, what is he talking about, it was around noon, so I just told him the time and he said, "Oh, it's 3 in the morning over here." I ended up asking him where he was. It turned out he was in Manila, Phillipines. It was awesome, because I came from Southeast Asia as well and we ended up talking about our families, about relocating, and such.

So we ended up the phone conversation really well and for once in my life, I don't get mad at the phone rep. I guess the lesson is to not get mad before calling a phone rep, because they may just be cool or someone who have lots of similarities as you do.

I'll be back soon...must...put Chris to bed...It may be impossible because the elephant lady living above us is making SO MUCH NOISE.

Sunday was Sunday

God, Oregon's weather is the worst. It's literally one minute it's raining and the next is sunny.

We went to see a house from the ad I saw at http://www.craigslist.org it's a pretty small house but in a very quiet neighborhood. Michael thought it'll be worth it although we might have to end up spending more than an extra 200 bucks a month, as long as he's got a place to work on his faithful "Old Yellow" (His beloved '72 Chevy).

Then we decided to have breakfast at Sharis. It was lovely. Chris behaved himself very well and he enjoyed trying to eat and drink all by himself, sometimes it's hard to believe that he's actually growing up. In 3 months, he'll be 2 years old. He's as tall as a 3 years old though, so it's a little weird because he can't speak as well and was still very excited for just about everything he saw and touched.

He's being a ham too, afterward, feeding the ducks with our leftover toast and pancakes (the restaurant was located by a pond seemingly inhabited by dozens or more of ducks, geese, and seagulls--I have no idea why the seagulls were there but they just were). Then I caught him playing with ducks' crap (I swore, I didn't catch on until it was too late--it was nasty gooey greenish stuff) and trying to hug a little girl while he was covered with it. (It was pretty funny because this girl just ran screaming while Chris was completely unaware that girls don't like to be near ducks's crap let alone be hugged by someone covered with it--let's hope that's not what his future love life will be)

Speaking of love life, Michelle and Daniel, have you heard of skype (http://www.skype.net)? Or are you guys using it already? It's free long-distance, you see. You just need to have a headphone, microphone, and download the program for free then voila! It's like one of those digital phone thingies (like vonage or comcast thing). Note: I'm not trying to endorse skype, I use it to speak to my bro who's in Vancouver BC, so do my parents.

Alrighty then, see you later alligator.

Love,
Tracy

Check This One Out :)

Well, for those of you who don't know my background, I happened to major in advertisement in college (University of Oregon) and hoped to be a copywriter (until fate stepped in and we produced my dear boy Christopher).

Nonetheless, after I graduated, it was pretty difficult to find local advertising agencies, the ones that are interested in hiring or even offering business. And it was pretty much a "depends on who you know" or "word-of-mouth" world for me (aspiring employee) and for those who own their own business (I know this because my dad owned his own business). But it seems that things have changed completely in the past few years, and for the better.

What an awesome progress. :)

For example, take a look at this impressive link: http://www.londonadvertisingdirectory.com/
There are at least selected 900 different links in this website in over 50 categories. So prospective customers can rest easy knowing that the agencies featured are top-notch. I personally think that this website is brilliant because of the easy access and great amount selections it gives the locals and everyone in the world who have access to computer/internet and are interested in utilizing the London market for their business. Not to mention that London's advertising agencies and co. are not an exclusive world of their own, instead, they're open for the public, which is very appropriate.

Http://www.londonadvertisingdirectory.com is also easy to maneuver for some who are not very affluent in Internet world just yet. So why not take a look and see, I did and so far I've been pleased with the cool websites of advertising agencies featured in http://www.londonadvertisingdirectory.com/ Some of them even offering job opportunities (too bad I can't relocate to London) !

I just hope that one day I'll come across a Portland's advertising agencies directory.

P.S. For my lovely UK reader, Ms. Michelle, maybe you can get one of those companies listed in this website to get your fiancee Daniel printing out wedding invitation ;) We need to spread out the good words, y'see. :)

That's it for now, have a good day everyone.

Tracy

Hoo Hum

Michael's not home yet because he's paying a parking ticket. It's 8 PM now.

Like typical guy, he decided to just wander around for hours trying to find the Police station (according to the damn ticket, that's where he's supposed to go) until finally I had to ring him. And yep. I think the term for this ...is... he is ... LOST.

I googled the map for him (http://www.google.com) and he's actually in the right direction, it's just that he's not certain if the building is the correct one.

Speaking of parking ticket, that's what he got because he parked his Chevy truck (with expired tag--he's not renewed it yet at that time) up front by the side of the street. After only having purchased it for 48 hours, some cops wrote him the ticket and put it by the windshield...at 1:20 AM.

Who actually went out that late in the wee hours, drabby rainy eve and check out a car tag. See, it's blatant classism (the term he fondly uses--since this is an old Chevy, they just assume that they have to check it out--the tag). Do cops in this city have nothing better to do than write parking ticket? We get charged $40.

Plus, there's a law in this state that new owner of vehicle can have 72 hours before renewing the old tag. We can fight this ticket but it's also easier to just pay and fight later (if we don't pay within 14 days, the ticket becomes $80).

I have to give a shoutout at Michelle. Thanks for all your comments, luv. It's greatly appreciated, if I'm not mistaken, you HAVE YOUR OWN BLOG. SO SHARE, goshdarnit. SHARE. :)

TGIF

Tracy

Very GOOD Article from Organic.org

Making the effort to buy organic products is a healthy choice, but it can have an undeniable impact on our budgets. To save you time, energy, and money, we offer the following tips for buying organic on a budget:

Comparison Shop. You may be able to find less-expensive alternatives at different stores. Many major chains are coming out with their own organic brands, such as O Organics™ at Safeway and ShopRite Organics at ShopRite.

Cook More. The more convenient the food is, the more expensive it is. For example, buying an organic frozen dinner may save you time in the same way a conventional frozen dinner would, but it costs quite a bit more than its nonorganic counterpart and much more than a homemade meal. Buy organic items that are lower in price (such as produce), and make your own dishes from scratch.

Stock Up. Stock up on your favorite items when they go on sale. Or try something new that is on sale or is priced well, and you may find a new favorite!

Buy in Bulk. Buying in bulk will keep costs down. Look for many pantry staples often available in bulk, such as beans, legumes, rice, flour, nuts, chocolate chips, and much more. Many local co-ops have extensive organic bulk sections.

Organic Coupons. Keep an eye out in the Sunday paper and grocery circulars for coupons and, again, stock up to take best advantage of the savings!

Shop in Season. Shop farm stands and farmers’ markets for the freshest, most-delicious produce while supporting local farmers. Purchasing in season produce from your grocer may also keep costs down.

Be Selective. Decide to only purchase organic milk and produce. See the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen” for the most-contaminated produce and tailor your decisions based on these.

Eat With Friends. Last but not least, make it fun! Choose some like-minded friends and get together to each prepare an organic dish—a great way to add variety to your organic diet while keeping your own purchases down. Get together for a weekend potluck—or, during the week, arrange a food swap to minimize cooking and maximize eating organically.

--------------
As a self-proclaimed Ms Frugal, it's really hard to go organic because it does cause a dent in your household budget, as much as I don't want to admit it. Therefore, I always ALWAYS follow the advice of buying things in bulk, clipping coupons and do lots of comparison shopping, and always ask for tips from fellow frugals if there's a discount coming up, when and where.

In my humble opinion, going green is still pretty difficult although many stores are catching up with the trend. But it's NEVER impossible. So don't be discouraged and just remember that you are what you eat.

The FAMILY recipe

We're having steelhead for dinner. For those who don't know what a steelhead is, it's a fish (if not mistaken, part of trout's family). Michael's dad loves fishing and it's our fish share.

So, of course, Michael will be cooking for dinner, in honor of that, I'll include his famous recipe:

Michael's "LESS THAN 30 MINUTES Fish Dinner"

Ingredients:

Butter
Worchestershire sauce
Lemon juice
Lemon pepper seasoning
(Well, everyone has different amount of sauce to fit their taste bud, hence we're totally leaving the measurement up to everyone who wants to try this recipe)

Meat:

Fish
(We usually cook steelhead with this recipe)

Melt butter, mix worchestershire, lemon juice. Baste the fish of choice with this mix (butter, lemon joice, worchestershire). Season lemon pepper seasoning over fish liberally, cook over medium high heat on BBQ-er for approximately 7-9 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat (If skin is on the fish, cook the skinned part first, then when you flip it over, scrap/peel the skin off--unless you want to eat the fish skin... then by all mean...KEEP IT). Both sides receive the same amount of basting and seasoning. (P.S. Watch out for the grill fire)

As for side dish, we usually steam vegetables (mushrooms, green peppers, onion, broccoli, etc), seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper, or if you'd like, you can add carb, such as organic brown rice (remember: the ratio of rice to water 1:2)

Alrighty now. I hope y'all enjoy, and I have to go now, because Chris is a-calling. (He's my boss, you see)

Tracy

CONGRATZ

Yayy, today is like awesome, just find out my long-time old e-pal, Michelle is engaged to Daniel.

I'm sooo happy to say that CONGRATULATIONS. Gosh, your luv story is just beautiful, 3 1/2 years and going strong despite the distance.

I hope you two are very happy together, forever!!!

Love,

Tracy

Rants about Condo situation

I hate condo's life.

Yes, having an upstair neighbour sure sucks (there's no nicer way to put it), especially when she has 3 children (well, only 1 stays with her, the rest visit during weekend) and all children think it's okay to jump up and down, bounce stuffs off on the floor and scream at the top of their lung.
Sure, Christopher has his days when he screams (out of glee most of the time) out loud marveling at the power of his voice, but Michael and I are very considerate in making him be QUIET.

He totally understands when we say "shhh," and he'll imitate by putting his forefinger in front of his mouth and mums "ssssssss." Cute picture, right? Well, the whole point is we know to be considerate while Ms upstair's neighbour just loves stomping on the floor and lets the kids run around crazy jumping up and down well into 10 o'clock at night.

Another thing is parking space. There are 18 units in this complex, and only 27 parking space. So naturally, everyone is assigned 1 covered parking space, and only on unique circumstances that you get 2. But 2 being the MAXIMUM. Well someone has to explain to me why there are 3 condos that each have 3 parking spaces--let's count..OH, 9 parking spaces taken while they only should be getting 1 each, which makes it...3 the maximum (no, they didn't get any authorization to park there--they just took the space!). That pisses me off to no end.

We have 2 cars and Michael often has to park his car OUT on the street because he's considerate and following the rules. I guess I'm just annoyed because I don't want Michael's car to be parked outside way too long.

I guess we'll play like the others. We'll just park wherever we want to. We'll see how it goes...

Sincerely,

P.O. Tracy

My Sweet Fix

Okay,

Although I usually try to stick to a certain type of diet (I'm still trying --not hard enough-- to lose 'baby' weight), I do indulge and lately, I have these 2 gold-medal FINDS:

1) Starbucks' Cinnamon Dolce Latte (with sugar free syrup)

Thanks to this magazine, Shape, I decided to try this new "light treat" and to my sweet, happy surprise, what a decadent treat it was!

I was surprised to find out that it's only 90 calories and 0 fat (I did confirm with the barista to use skim milk) because it was just so decadent with just the right amount of sweetness. You can really taste the flavor of cinnamon and caramel (for those of you who don't think cinnamon belongs in coffee drinks, you really must rethink your policy since I was one of you, until now).

That just cures my sweet tooth and it's worth the OCCASSIONAL $3.30
(I ordered a Grande).

2) Hershey's Special Dark (mildly sweet chocolate)

This one is favorite to both Michael and I. First of all, it's a HEALTHY treat. Hard to believe that it actually contains MORE amount of antioxidants than 2 cups of green tea. And it's really really good chocolate. It's rich, delicious, mildly sweet and not bitter at all!

I bought one at Walmart for $1.68. This is the dream chocolate come true. I manage to add more antioxidants in Michael's diet and cure his sweet tooth at once!

Check this dark chocolate out at http://www.hersheysdark.com


Alrighty, that's it for now. Good night all!

Gray Day

This hasn't been such a great day. I learned that a fellow blogger whose work I've been following for a few years is dying of lung cancer although she's not a smoker. And no, I'm NOT a right wing conservative like she is. I may disagree with some of the things she says, but I very much appreciate and admire her honesty, her willingness to stand for what she really believes in.

Here's a her blog address:

http://cathyseipp.journalspace.com/

She was a great lady, a great writer and most of all, a great mom. My prayers go out for her and her family.


Tracy

Random Thought

Mood: HAPPY!!! DUCKS is in the SWEET 16!!! Whooooohoooo!!!!!!!!

Michael and Chris have gone to bed. I'm half-watching Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, it's a pretty funny movie although I prefer the book. I always prefer books to movies because books allow me to personalize my imagination regarding time, place, characters and etc.

This is totally random, but if any of you want to try the MILD-way of self tanning, try Jergen's Natural Glow moisturizing cream.

I've been using the new one for a week. This is the one with the firming action (A few weeks back, I received a coupon of $1 off to try this product, and during the same time, they're having this on sale too last week!).

The moisturizer/tanner is very effective to my surprise, and I didn't turn orange (well, a few years back I actually tried a self-tanning cream, and to my horror, my legs turned as orange as a carrot). The tan is quite apparent on first day, and on second and third day, you'll definitely notice the darker tone. Michael actually commented on it (surprise, surprise! He usually hardly notices anything). You do have to apply it as evenly as you can because it may turn streaky (although hardly noticeable).

As for the firming action, I really don't know yet. I'm always hopeful that it may work. Tsk. I can't really tell the difference just yet. The negative thing about it is that I don't particularly enjoy the scent. It's fragrant, but there's that unusual hint of 'tanner" lotion. This is all subjective perception, I'm sure that someone may find the fragrance to be really nice.

Does it work well as a moisturizer? Yes, very much so. My legs and arms are very smooth thanks to it. But I'm going to moderate the usage of this lovely cream because I'm trying not to get any darker. :)

Before I go, I should share a wonderful link:

http://www.localharvest.org

Since springtime is here, it's lovely to go outside for a stroll and check out your neighborhood farmer's market on the weekend. I promise, you'll have a fun time.

Toodlez!

Mother Fearest

Do you remember that phrase your parents like to say when they either punish or scold you?

"Just wait until you're a parent yourself..."

Geez, I used to think, when I become a parent, I'll totally be the complete opposite than my parents. I'll be this cool mom whom the children really love to hang out with. Unlike my parents. Yes yes. When I hit teenage years, I was against any type of family outing deeming them BORING. I always thought that I'll be less strict, less a pain in the b**t than mine were.

Now that I'm one. Reality set in.

You really become your parents although you swear up and down you won't become them. At one point, I kept thinking that Chris may grow up hating my guts because I wouldn't let him stay out after 8 or 9 on a weekday. I'll always have the gnawing paranoia that if Chris were late to call in, that he'll be in an accident, or some punk beat him up and so on and such and such (sure, it sounds really absurd, but my paranoia says: it can always happen!!!). Or he'll hate me because I thought he's too young to start dating (as an ex-girl-teenager myself, I can just see how his future gf's parents will think of him!). Or he'll think I'm a weirdo because I won't let him eat McD's "happy meal" (I strive to get him to eat healthy and develop a good eating habit when he grows up, idealistic, sure, why not). And so on and so forth.

I suppose that my parents were saying "no" to me for all the right reasons. They just want to protect me from harm, it's not because they're "uptight" or "strict," it's all because they love me and didn't want me to make wrong decisions or pay for the unwise action I might take.

What I want Chris to know is that his parents aren't perfect. After all, we all have some sort of baggage we're still dealing with, quirks that are embedded deeply into our habits. He just needs to realize that with age, what we have is that lessons, useful ones, to pass on to him all for the purpose of making him live a purposeful, healthful, happy life. The trick is how to let him know this without diminishing his respect (and tiny dose of fear) for us? I think I'll find out later.

I guess from time to time, especially when he's of an adult age, I will have to stand back and bite my tongue and hope to God that he'll be wise enough to remember what we've passed on to him, to learn from his mistakes (which he'll make along the way) and discover ways to not repeat them.

Speaking of passing on tradition...When I think about it, now I know where I got my frugal ways...My mom!!! Ha! There's another thing I inherit from her, living healthy.

My mom was the one who pushed me to get rid of the generic baby jars and start to learn to cook real food for Chris. She was the one who showed me the art of pureeing and make sure that all the ingredients are fresh because this is what she says: "You are what you eat." Maybe because of all those good hearty food he's gotten, in his 21 months life, Chris's become a really strong boy. He could walk perfectly when he's 9 months old (he started when he's 7), he's alert, happy, active.

He only has gotten the cold twice! (It's not even too serious, just a sniffle, and a little fever) Even our pediatrician was quite amazed because he's gotten so many parents complaining about the flu season and how their children got sick very often seasonally.

I'm real fortunate to have our parents to be involved in our lives. Chris totally adores and loves them. He lights up each time they're around. I got this tiny suspicions that he favors his grandparents more than Michael and me.

I digress though. I see that Chris is stirring. He's about done with his nap, so it's time to play again...Adieu for now!

Love,
Tracy

Happy St. Patrick's

Anyone in the mood for green beer? :)

Today is just the most perfect day for lounging around. After the thin fog in the morning, the sun finally set in. I opened up the house around 12 to let the cool breeze in.

I wonder what to do today since I don't drink...well, there's nothing else to do...but...bake!

I'm sure that no one will mind my sharing this delectable recipe to celebrate the glorious St. Patrick's day.

The Vegan Chocolate Cake To Live For
courtesy: Sara Snow from Discovery Health

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 cup light organic cane sugar
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup pure maple syrup, Grade A Dark Amber
*2 cups chocolate or vanilla soymilk* (see tips)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Position one rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Oil the sides and bottoms of two 9 x 3-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper cut to fit. Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the pastry flour, white flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the strainer. Tap the strainer against the palm of your hand to sift the ingredients.

Stir with a wire whisk to distribute the ingredients. Whisk the oil, maple syrup, soymilk, vanilla and almond extracts and vinegar in a separate medium bowl until well blended. Pour into the dry mixture and stir with a wire whisk until the batter is smooth. This batter is meant to be thin; don't worry.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Tap the pans lightly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are set, the sides have started to pull away from the pan, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.

Cool the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife between the cake and inside of the pan, and invert each layer onto a rack. Remove the pans and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Invert again topside up on a rack to cool completely.

To protect the layers from cracking or breaking, slide a cardboard circle (or another flat surface) under each one. Wrap the layers with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold before filling and frosting.

Assemble the cake

While a cake-decorating turntable is nice to have, it is not essential for this cake. To assemble the cake, place one of the layers bottom-side up on a serving plate. Tuck strips of parchment or waxed paper under the outside edge of the cake to catch any frosting that drips.

Use an icing spatula to spread about 1 1/2 cups of the cream frosting on the layer. (If the layer is uneven, spread more cream on the thinner areas.) Set the second layer on it topside up, and press down lightly. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the frosting on top of the cake covering one section at a time. Push excess frosting off the top onto the sides adding more frosting as needed to cover the sides. Smooth or swirl the frosting as you like.

The cake is ready to serve immediately, but can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the cake, wiping the blade as needed after each slice.

*Tips & Variations:1 1/2 cups of rice milk can replace the 2 cups of soymilk.*


The recipe seems a little long and complicated, but it's WORTH it. A healthful, delicious chocolate cake...the combination just can't be beat. And Chris totally loves this cake, which really motivates me to bake it more often. Although it's not always good to feed your kids chocolate cake, but from time to time, you can relax and indulge. Especially when the cake is oh-so-good for you.

Cheerio!

TGIF

TGIF!

What a gloriously sunny day.

Chris and I spent the whole day outside relaxing, basking in the sun. If you must know, Chris just turned 21 months old yesterday. Bless his little heart. He's just so excited to be out and about after being mostly couped up in the house most of the Winter. He even ended up learning to sweep the porch. My mom thinks he'll be a good worker one day. I can just imagine: "Son, take out the trash...mow the lawn...wash the car...!" I can't wait for those days!

Okay. Now back to business of frugality...

I got my Save-A-Lot ad, they just opened a few months ago a few blocks away from our house. And for those who love a really great deal, a 5-lbs-red potatoes is only $ .88. That's awesome, not to mention, a 10-lbs-leg quarter of a chicken is only $2.50. Seriously! For a place that doesn't require you to pay membership fee, it's pretty good. I don't know about this week, but last week they have the 73% lean ground beef for $ .99 per-lbs. I didn't get any though, because I'm trying to eat very leaner (93%) and healthier.

Nearby the Save-A-Lot, a new Safeway opened last week. Speaking of Safeway, did you see that cute and whimsical commercial on TV? The one with Mom, Dad and Baby with their "ingredients" written on their tees?

They're coming out with all this organic brand: O (I can't wait until their baby brand finally arrives!). And lucky me, I've received a coupon book in the mail. For those who don't necessarily get these coupon books, having a Safeway membership card is a good option. It's free to sign up and you can get some of their savings.

One of the first thing I want to try is O Peanut butter (the creamy one), to compare to the one I got from Winco (Adams's). I ended up not liking it because it's oily. Although, surprisingly enough, Michael (Mr. Picky) said," What's wrong with it? It tastes like peanut butter." Chris doesn't seem to have a problem with that one too. Then again, he's a pretty easygoing boy. I wonder if my pallate has been spoiled by ordinary peanut butter.

I digress...

I may also try their O cereal. I like Kashi's brand (the one with berries especially). I haven't been able to compare it with another organic brand; so far, what I've noticed as a gradual green person, organic brand cereal has more textures, it's also crunchier although there's not necessarily a promise of crunchiness.

Since this is Friday and most people like to eat out, for you health nuts, I will share another useful link:

http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/site/

There's nothing wrong with being frugal and health conscious, is it?

Enjoy your weekend!

Tracy

If You Like Dining Out...

Try this site:

http://www.restaurant.com

A friend of mine (shoutout to Joyce) shared that awesome website with me. She loves dining out and trying out new cuisines for a good deal.

My top 2 choices from that website:

1) Sorabel Korean BBQ Sushi
Michael's taken me a few times to this place. It's like our anniversary thing. We LOVE the food! It's healthful and fresh. You just know from crispness of the lettuce, the scent of mint and parsley. For those who are concerned about "fat," guess what...you'll be the one grilling it! So not only it's super fun, but you'll also know what you're putting in your food. And the service is great. Everyone there seems like family; so it feels cozy. There's a karaoke bar/lounge next door to the restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn't get to use the coupon from the restaurant.com when we're there.

2) Montego Bay Authentic Jamaican Cuisine
The jerk chicken is to die for!!! If you like trying out new food, this is totally the place to go to. The place is cozy and whimsical. If you have some bohemian soul in you, you'll fall in love immediately. They have live music on the weekends. Because of the coziness of the place, it's always good to go for early dinner so that you don't get caught up with the crowd.

Anyway, just browse through the site, see if you like any restaurants in them. Be adventurous, be a foodie...for a bargain!

Sincerely,
Tracy

Meet the Players

Being that this is my first post and all, I just like to say 'hi' to everyone and explain what's going down. First of all, I'll try share useful information about products, discounts, good deals, recipes, tips, etc with whomever reading this.

Secondly, there'll be 3 constant people being discussed in this blog: Mom (me), Dad (Michael), and Baby (Chris). We're a family that's really trying to live healthier lives, going 'green,' but of course without blowing up the budget. Like most household, we have to stick to a pretty strict budget to make it on a one-income household.

Well here's a little bit about us if you're so inclined to know...

Dad
*loves vintage/classic cars, loves sun, works real hard, meat-potatoes-kind of guy, thinks going green is weird*
Secret mission: to fix up his new acquired 1972 Chevy truck and paint it yellow by summer or the end of spring, may keep the truck although has promised to immediately sell it for profit...

Mom
*loves writing, browsing the internet, kissing baby, walking outside, napping, cooking and eating*
Secret mission: gradually get the whole family to go green, get healthier and fit, save money, get the best deal on EVERYTHING!

Baby
*loves to play, laugh, plays trick on people, dance and talk*
Secret mission: figure out how to open those pesky child-proofed cabinets and get more of mom's attention without pretending to get an "owie."

I hope it's to your satisfaction. Nice to meet you, and bye bye for now.

Love,
Tracy