Boston
Feeling tired? Sluggish? Stuck in a rut? When you change your food, your life automatically changes with it. It has to – your food literally becomes the tissues of your body and brain. Are you ready to walk into fall feeling confident, energized and focused?
It all starts here!
This September, give yourself a fresh start with my 21 Day Detox. We will gently clean our bodies and minds from the inside out using real, whole, delicious food and simple lifestyle suggestions. Don’t worry, this is definitely not about fasting or spending a lot of money on herbs.
Within the first week or two, you will notice positive changes in your body, energy levels, moods and mental clarity. Emphasis will be placed on nourishing, detoxifying whole foods. In addition, we’ll shift away from foods that are typically difficult to digest, allergenic or addictive. By the end of 21 days, you will have generated momentum to continue living in a clean body! Best of all, you will have the support of the group as you go through this transformation.
From past participants:
I’m on medication to bring down my blood pressure since diet and exercise didn’t seem to be doing anything previously. I took my BP this morning for the first time on the Detox, and it’s the lowest I have ever seen it – a very healthy reading. I guess I wasn’t expecting this to make such a big, positive difference in my life. -P.B.
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July 21st, 2010 | Boston, detoxify | 10 Comments »
This summer I’m facilitating a wellness program at Equinox gym in downtown Boston. It’s remarkable how many people from so many walks of life have similar confusion about what to eat. Last week, there was a lot of talk about carbs. I realized, huh, it’s been awhile since I talked about this!
A quickie refresher:
A whole grain has 3 parts:
1. Bran (fiber, vitamins)
2. Germ (vitamins, antioxidants)
3. Endosperm (carbohydrates)
A refined grain is a whole grain that has been polished down to remove the bran and germ, leaving behind just the carbs. This, my friends, is one small step away from being sugar. And eating refined grains acts quite a big like sugar – they give you initial energy, you end up hungry soon after, and they can be quite addictive! Think white bread, bagels, white rice.
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July 19th, 2010 | Boston, frugal living, groceries, macrobiotics, recipe, vegetarian, whole grains | 11 Comments »
Have you ever traveled to a place where the water wasn’t safe to drink? Well, residents of Eastern Massachusetts didn’t have to go anywhere for the past few days to get that cultural experience.
A water main break caused this big ol’ problem and a boil water order was mandated by the state. Boil my water? All of it? WHAT? First of all, I received this news via Twitter, which apparently is my news source of choice – found out Michael Jackson died that way too. Seriously, why watch TV?
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May 4th, 2010 | beverage, Boston, detoxify, public health | 8 Comments »
When the mind says ” You can’t have a Cadbury egg until you finish the bag of hint of lime tostitos” you know it’s time for a cleanse.
Ahh, truer words have never been spoken. This is a quote from one of my friends on facebook – I saw it today and it spoke to me. Here’s why:
I spend pretty much all day every day giving advice on how to eat well. Get more greens, cut out sugar, kick the caffeine habit, etc. The problem is that I am also a human being. As such, I enjoy cadbury eggs and hint of lime tostitos as much as the next person.
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April 6th, 2010 | Boston, detoxify, spring, Sugar | 18 Comments »
“So,” you ask, “How did you decide to join the most upscale gym in Boston?”
I reply, “Do you mean Sportsclub/LA? The one in the same building as the Ritz Carlton?”
You say (with a bit of a hurumphh in your voice) “Yes, that’s the one.”
Well, let me explain. As many of you know, I was laid off from my fulltime job in advertising awhile back. And instead of scrambling to find another one, I decided to pursue my part time gig (and fulltime passion) of health and wellness.
Sure, I was concerned about money. Filing for that first unemployment check is a big hit to the ego. But luckily with savings and with income generated from my private health counseling clients, things were going to be ok.
Sweet!
Enter Alden. Alden is a friend of mine from yoga training. I said, “Hey Alden, haven’t seen you in awhile.” She said, “Oh well you know what, I just joined the Sportsclub/LA, you should come take a yoga class with me there! I have a free pass for guests.”
To which I replied, “Heck yeah!”
But inside I was thinking, “Boy Alden, you must make a lot of money to afford such a fancy gym…” Jealousy. Judging. Comparing. These feelings all came up. What can I say? I’m human.
So, I found myself walking past the Ritz Carlton and into SCLA, wishing that perhaps my workout clothes were a bit more posh. I gave a sideways glance to the other person in the elevator and thought…wow, I wonder what THAT guy does for a living.
When I got inside I saw no diamond studded treadmills or anything like that. But. It is a very, very nice gym. I’ve belonged to gyms that make you feel you need a shower just by walking into the room. Icky. But I’ve never belonged to a gym where I actually felt happy to be there, surrounded by big windows overlooking the Boston Common, pleasant people and plenty of space. They have an entire second floor dedicated to Mind-Body classes. This is where I headed for yoga, noting along the way the free herbal tea bar and individual yoga rooms for private practice.
And after class, I saw the locker rooms were stocked with cottonballs, tissues, razors, plastic bags for wet clothes, hairdryers, hairspray, deodorant and combs. Did I mention the steam room? Oh, it was heaven. They have a steam room, a sauna and a pool. But I’m a steam room kind of gal myself.
Long story short, I remembered that part of my job as a health counselor is convincing people to prioritize their health. Often I speak with people who would like to start a 6 month health counseling program but feel like they can’t afford it. I understand. I felt like I could not afford this gym. No way, no how.
But…it was just awesome. So I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I figured, being laid off meant I would finally have time to fully utilize a gym membership. I’d belonged to other gyms that cost $60/month and I never went. That’s a waste of money. What if I spent more, but loved it, and used it all the time? Hmmmm.
Ha! So I joined. If only to prove a point – that health is worth investing in.
I don’t have cable TV. I ride the city bus. I shop with a strict budget in mind. And I use the library. If I want to enjoy my workouts…that seemed like the right place to splurge.
Now of course, I don’t know all of your personal finance situations but I hope that sharing my story will underscore how vehemently I believe in prioritizing health. Maybe it means spending less on clothes and more on organic produce. Or spending less time watching TV and more time walking for exercise.
I’m very happy to offer a free pass to Sportsclub/LA to 4 lucky winners! I have 2 passes good only at the Boston location, and 2 passes good in either New York, Miami, Washington DC or San Franciso. If you would like to spend a day at a Sportsclub/LA near you, please leave a comment below and answer the question:
How do you prioritize your health? (AND what city will you use your pass in?)
For additional chances to win, do one or more of the following and let me know in the comments.
1. Sign up for my newsletter
2. Sign up for my RSS feed
3. Link to this contest from your blog
4. Follow me on Twitter
Winners must provide a US address for the free pass to be mailed to. Contest ends October 10, 2009.
September 23rd, 2009 | Boston, happiness, New York, try new things | 17 Comments »
We don’t have cable. And for the most part I don’t care except I really love watching cooking shows on the Food Network. Sometimes at the gym I watch ‘em while I’m on the elliptical.
Anyway, this idea of food as entertainment has been coming up a lot lately. The Food Network is just an example. Another example is “Oh, haven’t seen you in awhile, why don’t we meet up for dinner?”
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sharing a love of food, or sharing a meal. In fact, it’s a wonderful way to connect with people! But I have been to dinners where there is more eating than talking. And half of the talking has to do with the meal. I have been in situations, especially living in Boston, where social activity revolves around going to the newest restaurants and spending way too much on fancy drinks and dinner specials. Again, these aren’t bad things.
But it makes me wonder…when did food become entertainment?
Certainly our ancestors did not hunt and gather as a cute way to spend a Thursday evening. It was work! Stressful work at that! Chasing after a wild boar…now that’s a bit different than me settling into my chic tapas bar seat and ordering another sangria.
And before the industrial age, women in particular spent hours churning butter and baking bread just so the family could eat. Was that something they’d have wanted to watch on TV? Probably not because they didn’t have time to watch TV. They had to go wash clothes in the river or something. Yikes! So, it seems like the relative ease with which we obtain food has changed the way we relate to eating. For the better? Worse? I’m not sure, probably both.
So I have a question for all of you. How do you entertain yourself and spend time with friends/family in a way that DOESN’T revolve around food?
Food is wonderful, meals are a blessing, but surely there are OTHER ways to spend time together? Yes? No? One really big reason that this topic comes up in my life is because every time I hang out with friends it can mean dropping $100 on dinner and drinks. I really enjoy when we do other things together, for a change of pace and also to give my wallet a break. Maybe it’s the recession but now more than ever I feel it’s time to think outside the box!
Here are some ideas I have for non-food related activities:
Karaoke. Just do it! Go to a bar that has karaoke night or get a set to use at home with the kids. Super fun.
Lawn games rule. Everyone loves horseshoes, bocce, maybe croquet! Invest in a set and you’ll have years of people coming over to play.
Learn something. Sure, why not? Always wanted to tap dance? Learn to sew? Do yoga? There are lots of inexpensive classes available. And it’s way more fun to go with a friend.
Put on your strolling shoes. Walking is a free way to get exercise, meet up with friends and breathe some fresh air. I mean, even if you are just going to walk to the shop for ice cream…why not drive halfway there and walk the rest of the way?
Take in some culture. There are always these free exhibits going on that I never go to. Isn’t that silly? Make a date and go see the paintings hanging in your local museum, coffee shop or library. Take advantage of all the great events happening for free in your town. Like…duh!
Buy Park Place. I mean, who doesn’t love Monopoly? Enough said.
So what do you think? Are we just a teensy wee bit obsessed with artisanal olive oil and blooming onions in this country or what? What do you like to do with friends that doesn’t revolve around feeding your face?
August 27th, 2009 | Boston, frugal living, happiness, try new things | 19 Comments »
This weekend was really something else. It started Saturday morning at 4:45am. Why so early, you ask? Well, based on the weekend bus schedule, this was the only way to make it to Boston’s South End for my call time.
Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?
The shoot Saturday morning is for a documentary called Lemonade. It’s about people who were laid off from jobs in advertising and went on to do something new and awesome. Even though it meant skipping a day of school at IIN, I knew this was the perfect way to come full circle and celebrate the changes in my career. (However, I was super sad to miss Deepak Chopra at IIN!)
Here’s a photo from the shoot…those are my little feet visible from under the screen:
After the shoot, Max and I went to brunch before I had to leave for New York and try to catch the remainder of my class weekend. But something happened…first of all it was gorgeous and sunny…second of all after going through a nervous morning on camera I really wanted a bloody mary! By the time we ate on the patio at Stephi’s on Tremont and had drinks, I was feeling awesome. And there was no way I wanted to spend the rest of the day on the bus!
So I didn’t! Instead, Max and I strolled around Boston and took a nap in the Public Garden as the swan boats drifted by. We did a little shopping on Newbury St. and finally came home and watched Pineapple Express. Ahhhhhhhh… sometimes you just have to do what feels right, y’know?
What’s it like for you to break the rules and do what feels right?
Anyway, today was more about cleaning and grocery shopping and I decided to try baking something delicious and healthy. After pouring over a few cookbooks, I came up with these fantastic muffins. With very little sugar, these are a snack I can feel good about. (They were inspired by Veganomicon’s Jelly Donut Cupcakes. But these use a banana batter that isn’t vegan at all!
The idea was that a dollop of jelly on top of the batter would sink in during cooking, leaving a jelly-filled treat. Here’s what they looked like before baking:
After baking, some of the jelly did in fact sink into place. Kind of cool, but I preferred the way the other muffins looked (pictured above) when the jelly just sunk halfway. See, when it did the jelly donut thing it just didn’t come out so pretty:
And then for some of them, it was just a hot mess:
So ultimately I’d say, use jelly that isn’t too dense. Or maybe just use the parts without big fruit chunks. This way the jelly will just settle on top. And of course, the quality of the jelly will determine the sugar content of this recipe. You could find some nice naturally sweetened jelly, or use whatever you have on hand.
Banana Strawberry Jelly Muffins
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup whole-milk, plain organic yogurt
2 eggs
2 Tbl. coconut oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Strawberry jelly
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using silicone bakeware, no need to grease the pan. Otherwise, you could grease and use paper cupcake liners if you like.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a big bowl.
3. In blender (or whisk in a bowl) combine bananas, yogurt, eggs, oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and mix until just blended.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Do not overfill, keep batter below the top edge.
4. Carefully place a heaping teaspoon of jelly on top of each muffin. I learned that neatness counts.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on racks.
July 12th, 2009 | baking, Boston, happiness, recipe | 16 Comments »
What did you do on Saturday? I got up early to pack bags with kitchen tools and a cooler full of veggies. Then Max and I carried everything down to the bus stop. The we realized we’d missed the bus. (This is typical) Imagine it: the two of us on the corner carrying a 14-cup food processor, a Breville juicer, and about 5 tons of collard greens.
So we waited it out for the next shiny ride and took it to Grand in Union Square for my Veggies are Grand raw food tasting event!
It was two hours full of meeting cool folks while preparing 5 different raw food recipes. This was in tribute to summer and the Union Square Farmers Market, which happens every Saturday from 9-1. Super fun to see all of you who came out and said hi!
As promised, here are the recipes so you can recreate these easy, inexpensive raw dishes at home. One requires a juicer, the others are done best in a food processor but a blender can also work. And if you have neither, just go to town on it with a knife and cutting board and mix up with a spoon. It’s all good.
These recipes are adapted from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen and Living on Live Food.
Spinach Avocado Soup
1 big handful spinach
1 avocado
1 handful fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup water
Blend until smooth.
Tomato Basil Soup
4 tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. sea salt
fresh basil, sliced fine for garnish
Blend everything except basil, which is for garnish. Duh.
Plant Blood
1 cucumber
2 stalk celery
1 apple
1 lemon, peeled
1 large handful kale
1 large handful collards
1 large handful spinach
1 large handful (insert leafy green thing here)
Put everything through juicer.
Cheezy Italian Herb Wraps
2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1 lemon, juiced
1 bunch dill
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup water or as needed
Blend in food processor to create ‘cheese’ and set aside
1 head collard greens
1 tomato, sliced
Fresh full basil leaves
Slice thick stem away from collard leaves so you end up with two halves of the leaf. Wrap a spoonful of ‘cheese’ up in the wrap along with some tomato and basil.
1 head collard greens
Sundried Tomato Hummus Wraps
2 cups zucchini, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup tahini
1 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbl. basil leaves
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
pinch paprika
Blend together in food processor until pretty smooth. Wrap in collard leaves, as in previous recipe.
So, Saturday ended by carrying home all our equipment, doing a ton of dishes, and then falling onto the couch to relax and watch Little Britain on Netflix. Have you ever seen that show? Hilarious!
Enjoy the recipes and I promise that my next post won’t be about raw foods – time for something different bc I’ve been going off on this raw thing for awhile. Promise!
June 21st, 2009 | Boston, Farmers Market, raw foods, recipe, vegan | 13 Comments »
For months I’ve turned green with envy at those of you who have brilliant farmers markets practically year-round. Ours have just begun recently in the Boston area and this year I have my own table at the local market. Cool, huh?
I’ll tell you the coolest part – all the different people. At the market in the middle of the day I see kids with their pregnant moms, older folks going for a stroll, recently graduated college seniors who haven’t started work yet, local business people…it’s really very nice. I give out recipes that use fresh produce and talk to people about health counseling. As the crowd gets bigger each week, I’m planning to give some free yoga classes too! But right now I think people are just starting to remember about going to the market because it’s early in the season.
Anyway, the other coolest part of the market is obviously the fresh produce! I love just sitting there all day next to it. The farmers were kind enough to donate some items for my table display, and then before I packed up to leave I bought a few bags of goodies to make for dinner.
I had an interesting conversation with one woman who was lamenting that none of the farmers were organic this year. We talked a little about local vs. organic but she seemed set on only buying organic. I later asked one of the farmers about it and they assured me that they used no chemicals or pesticides but simply were not certified organic because of the expense! USDA organic certification isn’t free, so lots of smaller farms don’t think it’s worth it. Lesson learned – talk to your local farmers and ask about their farming techniques. Next week if I see that woman I’m going to tell her to go ask some questions!
It’s been really cold up here the past week, so when I finally got my chance to hit the produce stalls, the fresh basil and tomatoes spoke to me and said, “Make sooooooouuuup” So I did. I had never made tomato soup before and I kind of just made it up as I went along. It came out really yummy! Try this recipe but use what you have on hand…I think it’d be difficult to go wrong.
Farmers Market Tomato Soup
3 tomatoes, halved
2 whole cloves garlic
4 Tbl. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 handful fresh basil, finely chopped
s+p
Use 3 Tbl. olive oil to coat tomatoes and garlic. Place on sheet in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, chop onions and celery. In a soup pot, heat remaining 1 Tbl. oil and saute onions with salt until soft and golden. Add celery and cook a few more minutes. Pour broth into pot and add cloves, parsley, s+p. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
When tomatoes are done and garlic is starting to turn golden, add to soup. Continue simmering another 10 minutes or so. Using an immersion blender to blend into soup as smooth or chunky as you like. Top with fresh basil.
Have you ever made tomato soup before? What’s your favorite recipe?
This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.
June 12th, 2009 | Boston, Farmers Market, organic, recipe, vegan, vegetarian | 22 Comments »
As a continuing shout-out to farmers growing sustainable food, I’d like to share that:
#1 Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the Medford, MA Farmer’s Market where I’m lucky enough to have my own table this year! I got to mingle with the locals and spread the Real Food love. In coming weeks I think I’m even going to get the chance to teach yoga for a midday class, right in Medford Square at the market. Sweet, huh?
#2 I also earned myself a magnificent farmer’s tan while sitting at the market. Oops.
#3 Today I’m heading down to NYC for another weekend at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and when I get there I’m heading straight for the Union Square Farmer’s Market.
And #4, today I have a recipe for you that I made using fresh goose eggs from a farm in Western Massachusetts. (But you can use chicken eggs!) This is a great way to use up any herbs you have leftover from other recipes, or maybe fresh gorgeous herbs from your garden (lucky you!)
No-flip omelette with loadsa herbs
1 goose egg (Or 2 chicken eggs, preferably from pastured, local chickens)
1 Tbl. water or milk
2 big handfuls of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, etc.)
1 Tbl. organic butter
S+P, to taste
1. In bowl, whisk egg with water or milk. Heat butter in small pan over medium heat. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid for this pan.
2. Coat pan with melted butter, then add egg. Evenly distribute 1 handful of herbs across the top. Add S+P.
3. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bottom of egg is somewhat firm. Using spatula, lift edge and allow uncooked egg to run underneath.
4. When only a small pool of uncooked egg remains on top, cover with lid to finish cooking. Before serving, top with the other handful of fresh herbs and more S+P.
This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!
June 5th, 2009 | Boston, Farmers Market, farming, New York, nutrition school, quick and easy, recipe | 20 Comments »
