Garbanzo Beans

When's the last time you said "Garbanzo Beans?"

I'll bet you can't remember.

Let's say it together...

"Garbanzo Beans....Garbanzo Beans...."

Now, say it with a fun accent...perhaps French or Italian....ready? GO!!!

"Garbanzo Beans...Garbanzo Beans..."

Wasn't that fun?

Not only is it fun to SAY "Garbanzo Beans" they are also really good for you!

This might be hard to believe, but I, the original junk food junkie, have been eating large quantities of Garbanzo Beans lately.

My husband turned me onto them and if you bake them in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes they make a delicious healthy snack.

Here are some more Garbanzo Bean facts:

Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas are the most widely consumed legume in the world. Originating in the Middle East, they have a firm texture with a flavor somewhere between chestnuts and walnuts. Garbanzo beans are usually pale yellow in color. In India there are red, black, and brown chickpeas.

Chick pea and garbanzo bean are 2 names for the same thing (Cicer arietinum) a member of the Pea family (Fabaceae). They are also called ceci (Italy), Egyptian pea, gram, Kichererbse (Germany), and revithia (Greece).

Garbanzo is the name used in Spanish speaking countries. The English name chickpea comes from the French chiche, which comes from the Latin cicer.

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans have 361 calories per 100g, and are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, calcium and iron.

So, go buy yourself a big old bag of Garbanzo Beans and enjoy a yummy snack that is fun to say, delicious to eat, and oh so healthy.

This post was brought to your buy the World Garbanzo Bean Growers Association.

A tennis post (with a little bit of bitchy thrown in)

Those of you readers who participate in USTA tennis may or may not know that the new ratings came out this week. This year was quite a shocker for many of us in the tennis world.

There was a huge surge of people who got bumped up a notch and the clubs are buzzing.

Seriously.

I keep expecting Jeff Probst to walk out to start tribal council.

The e-mails are flying, my phone is ringing, and secret lunch meetings are being arranged.

All the team captains are trying to secure the best players. There is a lot of whispering going on.

Last year I played on a team full of amazingly nice women. The only catch was, I could only play singles.

One of my best friends called me and made me an offer I feel I can't refuse. She said if I go back to her team, (which I played on years ago) I can play doubles with two of my favorite doubles partners (who I happen to be good friends with) and play singles too. She's co-captain of the team, so she said I can help her make the lineups for each match. If this is true, it's awesome.

The hard part? Saying goodbye to my old team, full of really sweet ladies, where I am low man on the totem pole into a perfect situation for me, but with a team captain who is not well liked in the ladies tennis world.

Did you follow that?

Tennis is easy.

Tennis politics? THAT will kill you.

An educational post...

Something for everyone...AKA "The Look for Less"

I thought I'd hold off on posting until Monday, but since it's almost Black Friday, I had to give you some shopping info.

First off, Preppy Player directed my attention to this J. Crew Long Boyfriend Blazer and the minute I saw it, I loved it. At $215 I thought I'd wait until Christmas and get it as a gift. (Although J. Crew is having a 20% off sale this weekend, so you can get it for $175.)

But then, I saw this...

...at Ann Taylor Loft. The Bi-Stretch wool blazer for $128. This blazer is almost IDENTICAL to the J. Crew one. The only difference I saw was the thin belt that came with it, which I hated, so I threw it away. The day I bought this Loft was having a 30% off sale, so I snagged this baby for less than $90. (Sorry the picture is so small, it's all I could get.)

Next up, jewelry. I have been eyeing up this Anthroplogie Stormy Sea necklace for quite some time. My friend Jenny has it in the Sea Foam version. (No longer available) and I love the way it looks on her.

Then I saw NieNie wearing it on The Today Show and I had to have it. I went into Anthropologie and tried on the latest version in this cream color. Bummer. It looked stupid on me. Some people remove a couple of stones from the ends and they say that can make a difference. You might try that.

What I did find was this necklace. The Anthroplogie Radiant Necklace. It comes in this gorgeous berry color, and an awesome pale slate blue.

It was so hard to decide, but since I could only get one, I went with the slate. It was on sale for $28, on-line it's still $48, so I guess I got lucky!!

I might go back for the berry in a few weeks.

So there you have it. If you are out and about this shopping weekend, take a trip to Ann Taylor Loft, J. Crew and Anthropologie. Compare and contrast these items, and then let me know how it all turned out for you.

In return, I hope you will let me in on any of your latest fashion finds.

We fashionistas need to look out for eachother! (Yeah, that's right, I called myself a fashionista...you got a problem with that?)

You knew I had to do it!!

It's that time of year again. The time to take a moment to give thanks for all our blessings.

So, without further ado, here are some things I'm thankful for, some profound, and some shallow as can be!!

1. My beautiful daughters who I love more than words can ever express.

2. My amazing husband who I don't always appreciate enough. (And is hopefully sitting somewhere thinking about how damn lucky he is that he has me!) Thank goodness we came into each others' lives. We both put up with a lot, but in the end, we both know we will always be there for each other and we've had a ton of fun along the way. (Yeah, I know CORNY!!)

3. Discovering the flatiron and hair straightening products. After I had children my hair took on some strange twists and turns. Many days I would let it air dry and walk around with big pieces sticking up to and fro. (Pun intended.) Since my awakening, I now sport smooth, frizz free locks. Thank you sweet Lord.

4. Tennis. Thank goodness I got back into it 6 years ago. I love everything about it, and if I come back in another life I want to be a child who picks up a racket at the age of 2 and trains non stop at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Don't tell me that it's not good for kids. It's my reincarnation and that's what I want!!!

5. My blog friends. I love that I have so many people who I can turn to make me laugh, give me fashion advice, debate politics with and who give me a peek into their lives each and every day. Isn't it amazing that people from so many different backgrounds and parts of the world can get together everyday for a little visit? So much fun.

6. The last things I'll mention are some goodies that I can't live without:, my "Mother's Little Helpers," Diet Coke, the Keurig coffee maker and my friend Kate's amazing peanut brittle. Each one is such a pick me up for me, when I need a boost and they're all legal.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Catch you on Monday.

Growing Up and Hating It....

Here is the story you've all been waiting for.

My daughter and the girls in her 5th grade class were paraded to the nurse's office on Tuesday for "The Talk."

You know what I'm talking about. Anyone who went to public school remembers the moment in 5th or 6th grade, when the boys got sent to the gym and the girl's headed to the nurse and they all learned "the facts of life."

The boys were educated about wet dreams and the girls learn about breast buds and periods.

When I was a youngster we received the book "Growing Up and Liking It." See the cover above? That is the EXACT cover of the book I had. My friends and I used to pull it out every once in awhile for laughs.

Someday I'll tell you some of my goofy adolescent stories. We were very inappropriate.

We also got a sample belt and pad the size of a Sealy Posturepedic mattress. They came in a little blue box. Freaky.

Anyway, my daughter's nurse added a little twist to the period talk that I never experienced.

A tampon demonstration.

Before you scream, or call protective services, she didn't actually show them how a tampon REALLY works. What she did do, unknowingly, is to cement in the girls' minds that they want to use pads. FOREVER.

She took out a tampon, removed in from the applicator, stuck it under running water and showed the girls how it E-X-P-A-N-D-S and absorbs moisture.

They were informed that if they laughed or snickered they would be ejected from the demonstration.

Wow. What a challenge that must have been.

The minute my daughter got into my minivan after school, she informed me that she is AFRAID of getting her period. I guess the vision of a tampon the size of a cow's udder sitting in her privates was a bit shocking.

Great job Nursey.

In a couple of years it will be time for the birth control talk.

Maybe she can show them a video of a woman experiencing natural childbirth. Or better yet, maybe she can attach a condom to the faucet to show them how much liquid THAT holds.

And they better not laugh.

Tampons, condoms and wet sheets are serious business.

And don't you forget it.

OMG!! I almost forgot I have a blog...

Between my stomach bug on Sunday, and my bout with Bronchitis on Tuesday, I have seriously shirked my responsibilities as an active blogger.

With that in mind, I will now write a post. Before I do, I'd like to ask for your assistance. I don't make any money, or receive freebies for writing, but what I do get in return for my efforts is the wisdom and advice passed on to me by my blog fiends.

I wish I could take each and every one of you on a shopping excursion to find my Christmas gift, but since I can't, the next best thing is a virtual shopping trip.

You're going to have to use your imagination. Imagine you and I meeting at The Grove, in Shrewsbury, NJ. First off we hit the Starbucks. I will get a Venti Vanilla Rooibos and I will buy you the piping hot beverage of your choice.

We will proceed to catch up on each other's lives. When we he have finished our $7 cups of steaming hot yumminess, we will proceed over to the Coach store, where my friend works, to pick out a bag, which she will purchase for me at 50% off.

So many choices!!! Which do I get?

The very basic Kristin zip top tote in black???

















The Audrey in gunmetal?














Or perhaps the Maggie in plum?











Here is the front runner...the textured metallic Claire. What do you think?






Maybe you hate all my choices and you sway me in another direction.

No matter what, I know you have GREAT taste and will help me make the right decision.

Next time: I promise to entertain you with a story about "THE TALK" my 5th grader and the girls in her class had with the school nurse.