And now a word from somebody else

Just got back last night from New York – another super inspiring weekend at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Once I have time to let it all soak in I can't wait to share with you all some of the things I learned from Sally Fallon. (Are any of you already into raw milk?) Aside from school, I also had a great meal with an old friend at Gusto Organics near Union Square. It wasn't cheap, but the beef was grass-fed and the beet-parsnip soup was delicious.

Alas, I haven't even had time to unpack and it's already Monday and back to work. So here's a video I'm sharing with you until I get to writing a full post of my own! I'm a big fan of Mark Bittman already because of his cookbook How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Enjoy!

There's no place like home, especially for meals

Lately I've been a bit of a gypsy going back and forth to New York for my weekends of school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. It's ironic that during these weekends I'm forced to eat some of my least healthy meals, often while riding on a long bus ride! Not exactly the loving home cooking that is recommended...

Sometimes I do a really good job of finding real food. Sometimes I cave to whatever is available. The way I see it, every meal is an experiment. Here are some of my very scientific discoveries!

Pictured above, top left:
This was a surprisingly good Harvest Rice Bowl from Au Bon Pain that I ate on the bus ride down to New York. Have you been to Au Bon Pain? As food court food goes, Au Bon is one of my favorites. There are a few vegetarian options and this salmon curry rice bowl had brown rice and no dairy of any kind. Pretty sweet.
Meal grade: B

Pictured above, top right:
This meal I'm very proud of. Using Yelp.com (a fab resource) I hunted down the tiny Green Symphony market and found myself amidst a buffet of all natural dinner choices. All the ingredients were listed, making choosing easy. I went with some kale, beansprouts, chickpeas, and a turkey meat hawaiian meatball. Random! But it was a great meal costing only $5.50.
Meal Grade: A

Pictured above, bottom left:
I've written about Souen before so just let me reiterate how much I enjoy their food! The thing about eating a macrobiotic meal is that you know you are going to get an excellent variety of real, whole food. In this case I went with their Planet Platter and a side of pickles. No fear of scary sugar/fat laden sauces or anything that would upset my stomach. Score!
Meal Grade: A+

Picture above, bottom right:
Ok, ok. I had this awhile ago but I need to confess. During the holidays the only place open at the highway rest stop was McDonalds. I was curious about this Big N' Tasty burger...seemed like a stab at a slightly healthier burger option. Turns out they just stick an extra large piece of lettuce on it. Way to go, Mickey D's!
Meal Grade: D


When you travel, how do you handle food on the go?

Harmony on a NYC dinner plate

I've been meaning to write about my trip to New York a few weekends ago, and maybe now is the perfect time since most blogs are all about sweet potatoes and turkey basting today. While we all prepare for Thanksgiving, here's something I was thankful for: An awesome, healthy meal in the middle of NYC at about $8/plate.

So let me back up. I went down to New York because I'm obsessed with something called Journey Dance, or maybe some of you have heard of a version simply called Yoga Dance. It's a chakra-shaking dance party that admittedly sounds awfully weird, but whatever, I love it. How often do you get to dance like mad – minus an impending hangover, late night out, or a wedding DJ? Anyway, I went to New York for a Journey Dance workshop at the Jivamukti School and it was a lot of fun. Although honestly a lot of girls there seemed to be aspiring dancers who may have confused this workshop with an audition. But at any rate, right around the corner from Jivamukti, Max and I found a sweet macrobiotic restaurant called Souen.

Pictured up top is the vegetarian meal I got: Chestnut Polenta with winter veggies. And below is a picture of Max with his hardcore macrobiotic plate, all perfectly balanced (the menu said) for a temperate climate.


This place was the real deal, with kanten desserts and grain coffee. And to top it off, the prices were swell. $13 for my special, and $8 for Max's plate. I heart Boston, but no restaurant like this would survive here. Souen has been around since 1971 and the place was packed with people young and old.

Now enough of this restaurant talk, we all have homemade goods to whip up. So get to it and have a happy Thanksgiving!

The promise of obesity sparkling in his eyes

I usually have a sense of humor that borders on sick and obscene, but the Heart Attack Grill is treading a little to heavily on my sense of right and wrong. The menu offering doesn't bother me more than any hamburger joint. And the sexy nurses don't bother me, not even the complimentary wheelchair rides to your car. It's just the idea that people would purposely promote and actually create...HEART ATTACKS. There's even a zipper club for people who, I suppose, have the telltale zipper scar from open heart surgery.

I have an idea for a restaurant. It's called Kill Your Kids Grill. You come in and order and then I shoot your kid in the head. HA HA Funny!

America kind of grosses me out sometimes.

What a bride eats

In short, whatever she wants. That's pretty much all I have to say in way of defense of the last few weeks. I haven't had any time to post to this blog but it doesn't much matter because all I've been eating is crap. There isn't much to say except that it will all be over soon – the wedding is this weekend! What I've learned is that a big disruption in routine can really put a cramp in a healthy lifestyle.

Since I grew up Catholic I know the value of a good confession. Here goes:
In the past two weeks I've consumed at least two bags of Terra chips, three dark chocolate bars, one bag of oatmeal cookies, lots of Oreos, an eggplant parmesan dinner, pizza, pizza, pizza, and waffle fries.

One big shout out goes to UpStairs on the Square, the location of our ceremony and reception. They've been more than accommodating and our meal selection will include a completely delicious stone-fruit salad, vegan risotto entree option, and vegan chocolate chip cookies as part of the dessert table. It will be a reintroduction to this type of goodness, which I definitely need.

Happy to say that as soon as I'm back on a normal schedule, I'll have a brand new 14 cup Cuisinart to blend up some homemade sprouted hummus or maybe a nice nut butter! And...a husband to share it with.

Showering In Your Underpants

This is something that apparently can happen when you are so tired you simply forget you're still wearing your underpants until you get around to washing your bum. You think "hey, something doesn't feel right" and then you think "hmmm oh well" and then maybe you finally look down and get a good laugh at your sorry, tired self.

This was me yesterday evening. After a few 12 hour days working and taking classes at the Yoga Journal conference I was just exhausted. If you are into yoga, check out when the conference is coming to a city near you. And if you aren't into yoga, there is a beginner track to get you going.

One thing that has really stuck out to me is the range of people at the conference. You've got turban-wearing bearded men, aerobic instructor blondes, metrosexual city guys, desperate housewife types, etc., you name it. And since I'm working the registration desk I'm getting a lot of questions about the area, especially where to eat. And not ONE SINGLE person has asked about vegetarian or vegan options. Or any mention of meal preferences at all. I'm really, really surprised. Maybe I've just not run into the veg crowd yet. But I thought the place would be swarming with folks looking for tempeh. Instead I see lots of folks walking around with Dunkin Donuts coffees and eating foodcourt sandwiches. No judgments, I'm just surprised.

So to the imaginary people I was expecting to talk to, here are some places to grab a plant-based, whole food bite to eat in Boston's Back Bay:
Trident on Newbury St. often has vegan options. The Other Side Cafe on Newbury St. has vegetarian, vegan and even raw vegan meals. Tossed is a salad place in the Prudential and if you are careful about making your own salad, you can top it with olive oil and fresh lemon juice and choose from fresh veggies and nuts galore.

That's all. I gotta get me some sleep. 1 more day of the conference to go and clearly I need all the rest I can get.

Six Saturday Sins and The Winner is

The milkshake. Wait, I'll back up. I've been off dairy and white flour products for a year. Off sugar and meat for about 6 months. I've been making valiant attempts to eat organic produce and avoid alkaloid-ridden nightshade vegetables. All in the name of health, mostly. Saving the planet maybe a little too.

But all my efforts did not keep away my yearly sinus infection. After 2 weeks of living in a congested, antibioticized daze I deserved a reward. Yes, that's it! Something to congratulate myself on finally feeling better. Something comforting and indulgent. Suddenly an undeniable image appeared in my mind: Bartley's Burgers. The smell that wafts down Mass Ave and lures pedestrians in off the street reached me, two towns away. In my mind I knew this was the reward I deserved so very much.

So we went. We ordered! I am an American! I deserve this. I sank my teeth into that burger and pulled away and unsatisfying bite of mostly bun. I tried again, teeth grazing the beef. I pushed away thoughts of feedlots, stun guns, and methane. The burger was...ok. I couldn't enjoy it. The fries were ok too. The satisfaction just wasn't there. The taste didn't draw me in and drive me to consume every last bite like I remembered.

But then, there was the milkshake, of which I drank down to the bottom of the glass with glee. After months of limited dairy and sugar, it was pure heaven. Delicious. And worth every sip. Until 20 minutes later when I was staggering around Harvard Square, my blood sugar exhausted. But in that moment...the milkshake definitely, definitely won.

Saving on gas and electric, and sticks

One guy a billion years ago rubbed two sticks together and created fire. Ever since, his discovery has been right next to the wheel in terms of importance to the human population.

But the Raw Food movement thinks healthier eating is all about ditching fire and the whole notion of cooking. According to Gabriel Cousen's Conscious Eating, cooked food loses 80% of its natural energy. Eating food raw means that you'll consume all important live enzymes and detoxify your system that is probably full of putrefied meats and environmental toxins.

Sounds insane to most of us, but in an effort to eat less processed food I can see how raw food is the least processed of all. And maybe while we're at it we can learn a new kitchen trick or two. Even if you don't have a dehydrator or juicer there are raw food recipes you can try. Alissa Cohen's new raw food restaurant, Grezzo, has recently opened in Boston's North End. Here's a simple recipe from her website:

Mock Salmon Pate
2 cups walnuts
2 stalks celery
1 large red bell pepper
1 large scallion
½ -1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serving suggestions: This can be served on a plate as is, over a salad, rolled up in a green leaf or spread on crackers.

TJ Scallywaggle's

So far this is the only vegan restaurant I've seen in Boston that isn't Asian food. Check it out!