Eat Live Spin

Happy Hump Day

2011-10-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

Some funny memories of teaching... made me laugh on this rainy day!

Puppies Not for Sale!

2011-07-07T08:43:00.000-04:00

I was shocked to read this!
I will leave with a picture of my puppy...

I'm Baaaack

2011-06-18T13:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the long break. Working for an UES all girls school can be exhausting plus I have been making pretty lame dinners. Today's post is short...

Today while shopping at Whole Foods and the Union Square Farmers Market I was struck with a simple sandwich inspiration. I picked up some whole wheat bread, peanut butter, strawberry jam, and some raspberries....

Here's what I came up with...

The fresh raspberries were pretty great. I plan to try making peanut butter sandwiches with all kinds of fresh fruit this summer... peaches, strawberries, etc. I think this is a fabulous way to cut down on the processed sugar in fruit spreads.

In other news I am growing a little garden on my balcony. I have three types of tomatoes (all have little green tomatoes!), basil, oregano, mint, thyme, and rosemary. It's pretty great not to have to buy herbs anymore... MONEY SAVER!

Vegan For a Week: Day 1

2011-02-07T11:08:00.003-05:00

Today's post is going to be a little different... I am going to write my meal plan in the morning and then fill in the pictures and comments at the end of the day.

Breakfast: Iced Latte made with Almond Milk and a banana
Snack: Almond Butter

Lunch: Sandwich with avocado, tomato, basil and an orange
Snack: Edamame

Dinner: Vegan tortellini with vegan pesto (bought from Whole Foods) and possibly a salad or a small bowl of my vegan veggie chili.
Dessert: Chocolate chip cookie pre-made unbaked (Whole Foods)

Revised Vegetarian Chili

2011-02-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

Vegetarian Chili

1/2 a jalapeno, 2 peppers (red, yellow or orange), a spoon of crushed garlic and 1/2 a large onion. Chopped and sauteed in a large pot for 5-8 minutes with olive oil.

Add a teaspoon of cumin and 2-3 tablespoons of chili power. Stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 zucchini, a package of organic frozen corn, and a can of diced tomatoes with juice. Cover pot and simmer until zucchini is semi-soft.

Add can of rinsed organic kidney beans and a small handful of dark chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cover and simmer for a few more minutes.

Enjoy.

Joining Morgan's Vegan Challenge

2011-02-04T10:56:00.001-05:00

I am joining Morgan in her 7 Day Vegan Challenge. So... I started doing a little research. Since I am already a vegetarian all I have to do is make some minor tweaks to my diet. The two things I know I am going have trouble with is... cheese (cheddar and parm) and my morning latte. I talked to Charrow who is an amazing barista and artist at Joe Coffee and she said I can bring my own almond milk...

I learned that sugar is normally filtered using charred cow bones... not vegan. I found vegan marshmallows... by Dandies. I also will have to start really looking closely at labels for hidden animal products.

Any vegan recipes you wanna share?

The Oprah Vegan Challenge

2011-01-31T09:40:00.002-05:00

Ok... I normally don't watch Oprah. BUT tomorrow she and all her staffers are going vegan for one week. She is having Michael Pollan as a guest! So I will DVR Oprah and I might try to go vegan for a week. This shouldn't be a stretch since I am already a vegetarian... how will I give up my morning latte?

Grapefruit for breakfast... vegan

Swagger Wagon

2011-01-30T21:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Husband,
I know you like mini vans... and you are trying to make me like them too. But I can't do it. We don't have kids, just two dogs and I am not sure we should get a mini van just to hold your ice hockey or wind surfing gear. I do think this video is super funny.

Sorry.

XOXO

Hey ya!

2011-01-20T06:11:00.002-05:00

I will be back to blogging soon....

Gone to the Dogs

2010-12-15T16:37:00.002-05:00

When it snows Dakota likes to stick her entire head into snow piles... this is weird I admit.

Then after we come back inside she positions herself on her favorite chair...

And falls asleep... kinda creepy that the whites of her eyes show when she is in a deep sleep.

For a snack I had some dried seaweed and Halls Defense (for my sore throat).

Later I am going to dive into this book... eye opening... makes me more aware of the food I eat, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Everyone should read this book! It talks about the affects of food on our brains and how the big corporate companies use that science to draw us in and eat bad foods, everything thing is about fat, salt and sugar. And did you know that many companies don't even use real butter anymore, they use fake butter flavor... one pound of fake chemical butter makes up for over ten pounds of the real stuff...

My new favorite... brown... tomato.

I was feeling a little bit bored so I had some fun feeding Dakota from a fork, she's so proper. Xander seems a little sad that he can't have any since he has a bad stomach.

Roasting peppers for dinner tonight... just not sure what to do with them.

Where the Wild Things Are.

2010-12-14T22:08:00.001-05:00

Woke up this morning with three dogs that are no longer sick and over 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground. Dakota was acting a little skittish... and here's why...

BOBCAT tracks!!!! Right in the driveway.

Next order of business was Lenox Coffee... HOT latte please! Sat near a window and did about an hour of work.

Sick Dogs

2010-12-07T17:34:00.000-05:00

It all started at 2AM when Dakota had an upset tummy... then Xander... then Monty (my parents dog). So I was up all night walking them, which is REALLY scary up here in the woods. Every noise I heard I thought was a bear... or bobcat... or any carnivorous animal. Today was much of the same... I think I have walked all three dogs at least 30 times. I did however get out to get a latte and a Patagonia jacket from Arcadian.

Source

Love it so far... Plus it is much needed for the numerous amounts of dog walking I have to do... hopefully they will all feel better by tomorrow! Off to walk the dogs... again.

It's Snowing... and Snowing...

2010-12-06T14:28:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh... wild turkeys! On my way out to coffee this morning I had to stop short in order NOT to hit these 4 turkeys! They are HUGE.

After coffee I drove to a town called Housatanic, MA to buy Baba Louie's famous pizza crust... I stumbled on these cool buildings in town.

I also stopped at a market for some fresh veggies.

And now I am sipping tea by the big window in the kitchen hoping it will warm me up...

Sourdough Pizza!

2010-12-05T20:07:00.000-05:00

As promised... pizza for dinner. I used Baba Louis' pizza crust (a famous restaurant in the Berkshires), Rao's marinara sauce, peppers I roasted earlier today, fresh mozzarella, and a sprinkle of parm. Came out perfect.

For dessert... fage 0%, agave, walnuts and pom seeds.

Vacation Time

2010-12-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

Hello Folks,

Greetings from Lenox, MA. I am spending the next two and a half weeks at my parents house when they are traveling. I woke up this morning relaxed with two dogs and a cat snuggled up next to me. I looked out the window and to my surprise it was snowing. I walked the dogs and headed to Lenox Coffee House for a HOT latte.

Now I am sitting around the house drinking tea out of my favorite mug contemplating making pizza for dinner...

See I Told You So...

2010-11-30T15:09:00.001-05:00

Dear Husband,

Remember when I told you that you MUST put the toilet seat down before you flush the toilet? Well... here is why...

p.s. It is your turn to clean the bathroom.

XOXO

Walkin' here and there

2010-11-24T10:15:00.001-05:00

I had a great day yesterday! I walked to and from the West Village to Bryant Park. I went there to buy some specialty knives (I will post a review and pictures AFTER Thanksgiving).

Here are some pictures from my walk...

An awesome building I saw on my walk!

What the shopping booths look like at Bryant Park

I wasn't hungry so I didn't get anything here... but I would have!

Ice Skating!

A giant cupcake... kinda scary, but captivating.

What I walked into when I came home... he's such a guy.

Let the cooking/baking begin! (for today... 2 lasagnas, 1 spinach and 1 zucchini, 2 banana breads with dark chocolate chips... for tomorrow... 2 large pots of butternut squash and leek risotto... ALL VEGETARIAN!!!)

Stained Red

2010-11-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I de-seeded 2 pomegranates. I filled up one of my pots with cold water and cut the poms into quarters. Then I got to work... it took about 45 minutes! And when I was done I had tons of seeds and a stained cutting board... it will be forever pink. The sad thing is that today I finished all those poms... pom overload.

On another note... Scott's is making a Tube-Free toilet paper! That tube was just wasted resources. Check out their website... here.

I am off to a spin sweat session at FlyWheel.

Kiwi!

2010-11-11T14:44:00.001-05:00

A kiwi a day.... or 10. Yesterday, I bought two bags of kiwi each with 6 kiwi's. Now I am down to 2... I have a problem. I LOVE kiwi's, I love their skin, I love their seeds... their color and size...

This is a picture of Dakota after she and the hubby went on a 3 mile run during his lunch break... lucky dog.

Side Note: Last night I watched "The Biggest Loser," which I DVRed. So yes I like the show... however I have an intense dislike for Jillian Michaels! I USED to like her... but I have seen commercials promoting her DIET PILLS. This is not cool Jillian, NOT cool. I watch the show and yell at the T.V. every time I see her.

Thanksgiving Dish Trial

2010-11-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

This Thanksgiving I am bringing a risotto dish... this has never been done before on Josh's side of the family... so it has to be good!

Butternut squash and leek risotto

1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil

a dash of cinnamon
7 cups culinary vegetable stock
one container of sliced small portabello mushrooms3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place squash on large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast until tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Bring stock to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep stock warm.

In a saute pan cook mushrooms in a little EVOO and sea salt until tender.

Heat 2(or more) tablespoons oil in another heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft but not brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup hot stock; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes longer. At some point during the stirring process... add some cinnamon to the rice... I probably put about 1-2 tablespoons. Add roasted squash, cream, Parmesan cheese and sage; stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

PERFECTION!!!!

The Snuggie has Gone to the Dogs!

2010-11-01T18:52:00.000-04:00

Did they really make this???

This mornings breakfast was Fage 0%, agave and poms! They only thing that was missing was walnuts... but the school I was working in today is nut and seed free. I see so many nut allergies in children these days... how come it seems there weren't as many nut allergies when I was growing up in the 80's?

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:09:00.000-04:00

A Shoe Car

2010-10-28T11:46:00.000-04:00

Apparently Marshalls is open in Chelsea. I saw this funny way of advertising on my way home from Kate's spin class! Personally I would be embarrassed driving around in this thing!

Pedaling While You Spin

2010-10-27T08:14:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, after being sick ALL last week, I decided to take back to back spin classes at FlyWheel with Aleah. I am so sore today! I plan to download a yoga routine on iTunes and do that later this morning. Yesterday after class I began to wonder how I can make my cycling (spinning) more effective, and here is what I found...

"Advanced-beginning spinners: Practice constant pedal pressure. Use a smooth, round stroke — pedal in circles. This sounds funny, but at second look makes sense. Most beginning cyclists pedal up and down rather than around. Another way to think of this is to visualize a horizontal line at the top and bottom of the pedal stroke. This will make your strokes round instead of vertical, with a top and bottom, and will recruit more leg muscle.

Pay attention to your hips, whether in the saddle or out: Keep your hips solid, stable. Your legs should be doing the work, not your torso. The effort in the torso is reserved for balance.

Reminder: Keep your shoulders loose; keep your weight off your wrists." (www.davedraper.com)

I am off to the Farmer's Market in Union Square and then back home to make baked apples for a late breakfast!

DIY- Yogurt Drink

2010-10-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

Do-It-Yourself Yogurt Drink... after drinking some store bought yogurt drinks I decided to make my own. I took 2/3's of a cup of Fage 0%, 1/4th cup of fat free milk, a dash of pumpkin pie spice, 2 squirts of agave, and 1/4 of a cup of pumpkin. Mix together and enjoy. I used Whole Foods brand of canned pumpkin called Farmer's Market... NOT as good as Libby's! Also I didn't put my mix in the blender so it wasn't as smooth. I wouldn't say this was the best. Next time I will not use Greek yogurt and maybe I will use vanilla soy milk... we shall see. Overall it was a yummy experiment.

Fun with shadows. Dakota and Xander trying to make the most of the sun pouring through the window today.