Melbourne foodies

So I have been in Australia now for almost 2 weeks. I love it here, especially in Melbourne where I have spent some time catching up with friends and family and just relaxing. We have also spent much of this time together over fabulous meals. We had a wonderful brekkie (breakfast) at a local spot in St. Kilda on Fitzroy st called Banff. I ordered the eggs florentine with a side of fresh avacado. It was so great I ordered the same thing the very next time we had the chance to go there for sunday brunch. We had a great Greek meal the other night (did you know Australia has the largest population of Greeks aside from Greece itself!) filled with grilled and buttered pita bread and dips, dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices), lamb souvlaki and roasted veggies. Thinking about this fabulous meal makes me want to go back tonight. But nothing is better than the Australian burger that I snagged a few bites off from my boyfriend while we where in Sydney by the harbor. An Aussie burger is a beef patty with a fried egg, beetroot slice, lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese. I cannot even begin to tell how I savored those few messy bites I took! Everthing was fresh and made to order right by the water on what is called The Rocks alongside the Sydney harbor. Because I am not able to handle full burgers all in one sitting I opted for a freshly made fruit and veggie juice in the open air market just up the road. It had carrot, celery, pineapple, watermelon, green apple and orange. It was filling and refreshing and on the hot day by the water just right!

I'm off now for a day of vintage shopping with Dan on Chapel St in Melbourne. But before we go we are grabbing a cup of coffe (flat white to be exact) at the local bakery hotspot on Fitzroy right by Banff and the Medina hotel. I cant think of the name now but I will post it for a later date. The coffee is amazing and reminds me of stumptown coffee which I have a small love affair with in NYC. YUM!

Tricks or treats?...always treats for me

ok so its Halloween, the official candy holiday. I could really go for something sweet right now as I prepare to head out in this horrible weather (how was it 70 degrees earlier and now its pouring rain?) A cupcake would be divine, but I have to remind myself that I will be in warm Australia (and maybe see a few beaches while I'm there) in 2 weeks! So after dinner I had a few peanut butter puffins (amazingly addictive cereal) and some flaxseed hemp granola with almond milk. It was just enough sweet to satisfy my craving. I figured I was truly dehydrated so I also poured myself a mug of hot water (best way to hydrate the body and kill sweet tooths!) Now its off the couch and into my fav go to outfit: black denim, black boots, and a black shirt of some sort...its raining and I cant be bothered. I'd rather stay home and eat cupcakes but that dream has long been killed! Happy Halloween!

Australia = salads

Ok so I just got the word that I will be traveling to Australia in a mere 3 weeks. Its nice and cold here in NY, great for covering up with knits, long sleeves and boots. However, in Australia they are entering the summer season so that means ahhhh gotta get back in action and really focus on the gym membership and adding more salads back into my diet. Dont get me wrong I love salads and I dont think of them as torture or punishment. They can be soooo delicious and satisfying if done the right way. I add beans for fiber and protein, fresh veggies like peas, peppers, mushrooms (great for boosting vit D the happy vitamin!) and red onions. I toss in some tempeh or tofu if I am making it a meal and not a side dish. I love making my own honey balsamic vingerette to top it all off! The possibilities are endless and it looks like for the next 3 weeks I better add more of these great salads into my daily routine! 

back in action

OK I know its been a long time since my last post. The wrist is almost 100% healed so I am very thankful for that. I can tell you that over the last few months of trying to be an active person running my business and juggling all that life throws your way (all with a broken wrist) had a huge effect on my eating patterns! I just came back from 3 weeks overseas on tour with my bf (he is a singer) and it was so hard to stay on the healthy path. But I did manage to make it to the various gyms and or fitness rooms in the hotels a total of 4 times! That made me feel like I was getting back to some type of routine. It was hard to resist a biscuit with my afternoon cups of tea and dessert after dinner (esp sticky toffee pudding). But thankfully there was a Wholefoods market when we stayed in London so a few days out of the 3 weeks I was able to make very healthy choices of mixed salads and fresh fruit, yogurt and granola. Needless to say life on the road is thrilling, draining and hard work. Making smarter eating choices and working out definitely made it a lot easier to handle. Now that I am back in the states and no longer in a cast, its back to the farmers market and yoga classes. I have never been so excited! Happy eating and remember to make the healthiest choices you can, that way no matter what life throws your way you will be that much more prepared to handle it!

cooking with one left hand

So I have not been blogging lately for a few reasons: been busy with work and traveling and I broke my right wrist! As a righty that means a complete road block in my daily life! I have so many wonderful eating and food experiences I want to share and hopefully in a few weeks I will be more capable to do so. For now eating is a lot harder with my left hand but not impossible. I have made 2 omletes for my boyfriend and I continue to try and do as much as I can for myself (with a cast past my elbow its not much). This has really forced me to slow down even more and appreciate life and everything we take for granted. I know have to rely on my friends and family more and that can be a blessing and a curse! Independence is a very wonderful thing, but it is also very great to know that at the end of the hard days you have a few people that will always be there to help you out, even if its to open the peanut butter jar!

sUmMeR cLeaNse...

So it has been getting very humid and hot lately in NY. This makes me crave cool refreshing drinks, and lots of them. What a great way to get hydrated and give your body a lil cleanse in the process. Here are some of my favorite choices: Iced Mint tea with a fresh squeeze of lime or lemon, chilled coconut water (my all time go to drink of choice), and a sweet fresh fruit smoothie (pineapple mint, mango peach banana, etc). You can never go wrong with any of these choices. My sister and I walked along side the FDR this morning and right when I got in the door I downed some Zico coconut water. If I could have that stuff on tap, I would be one happy (and hydrated) gal. Oh and since we are on the topic of summer cleanse, I will share some great safe for cleansing snacks. I just made some kale chips! A-m-A-z-I-n-G! So easy to make too. Get some fresh organic kale wash it and dry it and spread it on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 375, drizzle the kale with extra virgin olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy the crisp kale strips! yummy and super healthy, a great way to get your greens in and also satisfy that snack need! ENJOY 

Fresh Start...

I am tired and still coming down from being jet-lagged. Trying to handle the days pressures and stress can be a lot when your not feeling your best. So this morning I decided to try my  best at getting a good start. I made myself some steel cut oatmeal (yes the one that takes about 25 min to cook) with sliced bananas sprinkled with fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon. I chopped some walnuts up and added those on top too. It satisfies me like no other breakfast can. I feel healthy and full and ready to take on this day! I may have woke up tired and semi stressed from all that is going on in my life(running my own business, traveling, being in a serious relationship that is long distance at the moment), but eating well definitely makes me feel a lot better about life and my position in it. I am enjoying my life and all that comes along with it. For today I am choosing to handle stress with nourishing food choices and not the sweets and sugary comforts I usually reach for. I'm taking it one day at a time. That's all anyone can really do ;)

spicy ginger

Today I feel very accomplished and organized and on top of things. This is not always the case with me (I tend to lean more towards the procrastinating side) so I am sitting here feeling very proud of myself. I notice that when I am feeling great about things it reflects in my eating patterns. Its almost like I don't want to ruin anything great that I have done by eating something "bad" for me. So keeping with my "good" eating day, for dessert tonight I am enjoying a nice hot cup of spicy ginger tea with a lil bit of raw honey swirled in. This is instead of eating something loaded with sugar and carbs like a cupcake (omg just typing the word makes me salivate). Ok, so I am sure that if I happened to have cupcakes in my apartment I would have nibbled at one along with my tea but let's not go there. For now I am just feeling very proud and excited about my life and where everything is going and better yet where it is already at. So I feel like that should carry over through all aspects of my life. When I am feeling good I only want to put amazing fresh and healthy food into my body. After all, we are what we eat. 

Tasty Travels

I have been quite busy in the last week... sorry for not posting anything new (Emma)! But I am back in NY and ready to get back at it. Over the last week I was in London, Vienna and Copenhagen! I am jet-lagged as I stare at this computer screen fighting off the impulse to go to sleep (if I sleep now I will wake up at 3 am bright eyed but cranky)! I traveled to all of these fabulous locations to be with my boyfriend while he was away on business (he writes songs and sings em) and I like to think I was there on some business of my own sorts too. I ate wonderful meals and over the next few entries I will share them with you! That was very hard work I tell ya. My emotions were all over the place this last week as well. I was overwhelmed by joy and excitement, then very tired, then a spot of laziness came mixed with a hint of insecurity. And the list goes on... and on. When my eyes don't feel like they should be shut for the next 8-10 hours I will divulge all the fine details of my tasty travels! Sweet dreams for now.

Keste=HEAVEN

    I will never eat another bite of pizza in New York unless I am doing so at Keste. I had my first Keste experience  last night. I am still in utter awe over the multitude of fresh, rich and satiating flavors that danced on my tongue bite by bite.  It was perfection! My cousin, sister and myself couldn't help but smile and laugh through out the entire meal. This food truly nourishes the soul. It was made with such care, passion and love that with every mouthful my insides somehow brightened and I was transported to such a joyous place that I couldn't contain myself! I had to tell one of the partners of Keste, Rosario, how lovely and amazing the food was. As soon as he came to our table to see how everything was I lost it! I was so overwhelmed with what can only be described as a "food high" that all i could do was smile and say how it was the best pizza i have ever had in all of my life. And today I still stand by that sentiment. I ordered the Pizza del Papa, it had a butternut squash cream sauce with red and yellow peppers, smoked mozzarella, artichokes and basil. PERFECTION. I will definitely be making trips to Keste in the west village on a regular basis. Everyone that comes to NY or better yet lives here NEEDS to experience this eating delight. Its a friendly and warm atmosphere...with a great staff and wonderful dessert too! 

Keste 

271 Bleecker st

NYC

It's time to shake it up!

There is nothing more refreshing than a nice fresh fruit smoothie on a warm summer day. I personally love pineapple and mint smoothies with a lil crushed ice to make it cool and refreshing. You can never go wrong with the classic banana & strawberry combo...but try and mix it up with some blueberries or fresh champagne mangoes (mmmm)! For an alternative to those prepackaged protein smoothies try a scrumptious banana, almond and peanut butter shake. Add a tiny bit of non fat strained greek yogurt (FAGE is my personal fav) for a boost of extra protein. This way you stay away from all the protein powders with ingredients that can't be pronounced (yuck) and they taste like sidewalk chalk anyway, who wants to drink that? Keep it real and fresh. That's a pretty good motto to live by ;) So mix it up and have fun. It's finally summer, as soon as this rainy patch passes I'm sure there will be lots of blazing hot sunshine to soak up and sip on ice cold treats. Speaking of cold treats, I know frozen margaritas don't count as smoothies, but a girl can dream (at least they are blended!).  

Cornbread, La sa tom and good conversation

     Started the morning with some hot water (its one of the basic remedies for hydration according to ayurveda, an ancient Indian science of eating and overall lifestyle) and grilled cornbread with raspberry jam a tiny bit of butter. Still being held in the prickly grasp of PMS, I continued to go back for seconds of the cast iron grilled cornbread! I felt a lil statisfied/embarrassed at my own ability to not control my hand welding the knife ever so gently across the loaf of cornbread, so I decided to clean my apartment. You know to stay busy and not continue to eat when I knew I really wasn't hungry, bored maybe but not hungry. And after I had finished my cleaning I realized it was now time for me to get ready for my lunch date with my girlfriend! We try to meet up regularly for lunch and today our schedules finally agree. I am on the train now headed to union square to meet at the Saigon Grille for lunch. Its one of my favorite spots for lunch, they do a mean lunch special of la sa tom soup. I'm salavating here on the 6 train just knowing I'm mere minutes away from this delicious treat...

 Ok so the soup was good, but the company was even better! :) gotta love good gal pals, they are hard to come by.

Milky Tea...the perfect cuppa

     I am reading one of the most creative books I have ever come across titled The Goddess Experience. The author Gisele Scanlon always mentions how she enjoys a cup of milky tea. I too enjoy a nice cup of sweet milky tea (preferably with a sweet baked good too) So this morning I made a nice cup of spiced chai milky tea in honor of my love for this fabulous book. She has traveled the globe asking people what makes them happy? Then she makes a sort of artistic guidebook based on all her interviews and interactions with the people she has meet. She tells you where to get one off items from the perfect shoe to the perfect macaroon in Paris, London, New York and Ireland. You really have to go and get a copy to appreciate it fully. Until then go make yourself a cuppa as she calls it! You wont be disappointed.

Bikram Yoga....Om Shanti

      So I finally made it to my Bikram yoga class this afternoon. The teacher was kick ass and made me feel like I was part of the NFL! (ok side note this teacher actually does coach the NY Giants in Bikram so that is probably where I get that feeling from) I feel so proud of myself for making it to class even though the weather is less than desirable (cue the rain and humidity). Believe it or not I do not feel the insane need to eat everything that I come into contact with today, despite the PMS! (sorry a lil too much info) So right now I am sipping my green tea and feeling pretty good about things. I had a great conversation with my older sister (LOVE HER!) and I feel like today I feed my bod in all the rights ways...a bit of food, a bit of activity, and a whole lotta love! Namaste 

Peanut Butter Cups

         So today was another day filled with cravings. I started out the day with wonderful steel cut oatmeal with slices of fresh bananas and chopped walnuts sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. This breakfast is truly one of my all time favs! Then I went to lunch with a friend and had a pesto panini, not too bad so far. As soon as I finished lunch an overwhelming feeling of "feed me something sweet" ran through my mind. We then decided to split a molten chocolate cake with ice cream and strawberries. The cake was semi burnt so I was turned off after a few bites. Time passes as we walk around the upper westside (me in search of my next snack, him looking for the perfect sneaker). Then I remember that I said I would make him some homemade peanut butter cups because the generic ones he bought earlier are basically crap filled with chemicals. 

Project time: run to the market and buy freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter. I have chocolate waffers at home that I can melt and tiny muffin papers too. So I got down to business and made my own! Deeeeelicious! look at my yummmy treats...

SugAr bLUes...

 So its approaching that time of the month and all i want is SUGAR. (preferably in some form of a carbohydrate) Why are we cursed with this plague of unruly hormones coupled with the intense feeling of needing to empty all cabinets and the fridge in one night? No matter how well and balanced i have been eating during the weeks leading up to this point, I collapse under pressure those nights and end up sabotaging my otherwise healthy eating habits. what's up? Am I alone on this one??

Mood: Miffed

    How do you protect someone's heart when you know you have absolutely no control? You can give them advice and be their shoulder to cry on, but you cannot change their circumstances. It sucks. No amount of comfort food can solve this ailment. I'm not even going to try! So instead I'm on my way to the farmers market for fruit and veg. I've been researching Ayurveda (the ancient Indian way of eating in accordance to ones body type) and I am well on my way to formulating a 3 and 5 day cleanse based on the Ayurvedic principles and recipes. So off to the farmers market at Union Square to get my supplies. :)

A bit of bad news, a lot of cake

So, got some bad news this morning (not going there) came home from work and tried a bit of what I like to call "scream therapy." Didn't ease my worries (never really does but i thought i would give it a go) so I began to experience what I can only describe as a minor panic attack. I tried to turn my frantic energy into something useful but the need to self medicate was overwhelming. My drug of choice: FOOD! Raided kitchen and found some homemade day old blueberry cake. Looked liked it would ease some pain...and it did just that (for just about 5 min). Did my best not to ravage the last few spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream, for now I am ok, worries eased with those few sweet mouthfuls of blueberry cake....mmmmm...