KEEPIN' IT GREEN...

30 Day Challenge!

Inspired my one of my Pilates & Blogging heroes, Lisa Johnson, and her 30 Day Challenge, I have decided to do one of my own.

At first I had a hard time deciding what I was going to do... I don't really like the idea of giving something up. That mentality has never worked for me. It only makes me want said thing even more. So I thought, what's the opposite of giving up?
Adding in!
I had my answer... For the next 30 Days (and hopefully a lot longer) I will make sure to have SOMETHING GREEN with every meal. In truth, I am already pretty good at this for 1, even 2 meals a day. But every meal will be an interesting challenge...

One way I plan to keep this promise to myself is by making Green Drinks in the morning. Greens aren't the easiest things to add to breakfast, but I have found that drinking them is so easy and tasty!!

Here is the Green Drink Recipe I am loving at the moment:

Big bunch of Kale or spinach leaves- I'm not going to tell you how many to put in, because it's up to you. I will say this: Imagine it is on your plate and you are eating it with dinner. How much would you eat as an adequate serving?
Big handful of parsley- adds some snap!
1 green apple peeled, cored and chopped
Handful red grapes- Blueberries are another good option.
1 banana
Juice of 1 lemon
Water- How much depends on how thick you want the drink. I like mine to be more like Juice so I add quite a bit.
Splash of Soy milk- optional, but I like the texture it gives.

Throw it all in a blender (or use your emersion blender like me) and viola...Yummy Green goodness- which I promise tastes AMAZING!

*This recipe makes 2, so you can have one now and one later, OR share (Jay is on board and really loving the green drinks).

Eventually I want to start experimenting with other green things/veggies to add in to my drinks, so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Being as it has never been my style to share everything I eat or drink here on this blog, I am not going to be documenting my every green meal. I will however be keeping you all updated on my progress (I'm thinking once a week) and sharing yummy green recipes I come across.

Also, feel free to share in the green goodness and join me on my Keepin' it Green 30 Day challenge!

LEAN BODY LOVES...

My KitchenAid Immersion Blender

A few months ago our food processor (which was a hand me down from my mother-in-law) finally went kaput, so we set out to Bed Bath and Beyond to get another one. Originally we (I) wanted to get a mini blue one to match our (my) beautiful blue stand up mixer, but we instead came home with this magic little appliance and here's why:

-It's 3 devices in 1! Not only it is a blender, but also a food processor and a whisk. What can I say, I love getting more for my money.

-It's small and easy to store- fits right on the counter.

-It's easy to clean- And along these lines, eliminates the giant mess of transferring soups into the blender or food processor to puree.

-You can make a million (slight exaggeration for effect) things with it!

Here are just a few of my favorite things to make with my Immersion Blender & it's attachments:

-Walnut Canellini Bean Dip-

1 15oz can cannellini beans drained & rinsed
1/2 cup walnuts
2-3 cloves garlic
Fresh parsley to taste (small handful)
Fresh basil to taste (6-10 leaves)
Juice of 1 lemon (approx 3 Tbl)
2 Tbl olive oil
Salt & Pepper

(Throw everything in the food processor and blend until smooth)

-Green Smoothies-

(a new phenomenon for me which I will expound upon in more detail soon)

-Whipped Cream-

-Mashed Potatoes (sweet or regular)-

(which I made on Thanksgiving)

-Frothy (Soy) Milk for my morning cuppa Joe-

-Pesto-

-Fresh Salsa-

-Split Pea, Lentil or Tomato Basil Soup-

If you like being in the kitchen, and haven't discovered the joys of the immersion blender then you are surely missing out!

*Cannellini dip recipe courtesy of Linda Turek.*

** As always, the opinions on this blog are mine and mine alone, and everything I endorse is out of my own genuine love of it.**

LEAN BODY LOVES...

Because I LOVED writing my Valentines Day post so much, and also in an effort to get back to doing some weekly segments- Remember my LIFE ESSENTIALS??- I am starting a new series called:


Once a week I will talk about something I am loving at the moment- products, websites, classes, recipes, TV shows, etc. I thought about just bringing back Life Essentials, but somehow the title seemed too serious. These Loves aren't essential to my existence, just things that make me smile and I hope will make you smile too!

This week, LEAN BODY LOVES...


At the risk of sounding totally crazy, I am borderline obsessed with Jessica Seinfeld (yes that Seinfeld) & her website doitdelicious.com. Here's why:

The Recipes

First and foremost, she cooks amazingly flavorful, healthy, and simple (as in quick & easy not unrefined) food. She also provides nutritional info, helpful hints, a list of tools you need and ideas for what to serve with the dish to make it a meal. Here are 2 veggie recipes that I am loving right now :

Parmesan Kale Chips

Broccoli with Golden Raisins and Garlic

Her first cookbook was about sneaking veggies into meals for kids, but the truth is, sometimes ADULTS need to be tricked too. In fact, I whipped up some of these Kale Chips on a night we were having a friend over for dinner who is notorious for his dislike of most things green (much to the chagrin of his vegetarian fiancee). He tried a chip to be polite, and promptly said "Wait, I actually LIKE these!" as he went back for more. And just like that, another leafy green success story!

The Kitchen Guides

Learn how to stock you kitchen, shop for & store your food, and decifer labels to be a more intelligent consumer. Love it! I took the Well Stocked Kitchen list with me to the store right away.

The Videos

The idea for Do it Delicious was born out of Jessica wanting to help her friend Ally learn to cook. She started making videos for her to show her how simple it can be to make good healthy meals. So, in addition to step by step instructions & photos, there are videos for some recipes. The videos are great because, if you are a visual learner like me, it's easier to see someone actually cooking than to read a recipe and figure out what your are supposed to do. Plus, she doesn't take herself too seriously and has a good time, which make the meals seem even easier. I am going to be making this Peppercorn Steak VERY soon!

Jessica's Blog

It's not only entertaining and personable, but informative as well. This post on being an EATIE is one of my favorites... probably because I am one.

So if you are: busy and on the go/trying to get the family to eat more veggies/ trying to eat more veggies yourself/ afraid of your kitchen & cooking/ excited about your kitchen & cooking/ looking for new recipes/ or just an EATIE like me... check out Do it Delicious!

**All the opinions on this blog are mine and mine alone, and everything I endorse is out of my own true love of that product.**

All photos courtesy of Do it Delicious.

IN HONOR OF VALENTINES DAY...

I have compiled a list of 14 things I am loving right now, in no particular order (except for maybe #1).

Being Married to Jay

This really goes without saying, but I wake up every day feeling so lucky to have found my soul mate, and to get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Charlie

He is a crazy, freestyle jumping, booger-faced, snuggle bug, lick monster... and I couldn't love him more!

These Babies

**Just in case you were wondering, the sonogram is not mine, and seeing how it is not my news I shall keep the identity of the belly anonymous. :)

Pilates on 5th

I am "back in school" at Pilates Academy International doing some continuing education and certifications. I have had the opportunity to work with some truly amazing instructors and am feeling very inspired. I am definitely not too cool for school!

My "Girls"

In my opinion, every girl needs girls. I am so fortunate to have some amazing ones in my life: my Mama, sisters, friends I have known for years, and now new friends (who I am super excited about turning into "friends I have known for years"). Here's to you, ladies... Thanks for being there!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

This is miracle stuff! Try it and you will thank me.

Modern Family & Parenthood

Maybe I love these shows so much because they both remind me of my own family- who I miss like crazy- quirky and fun with a whole lotta HEART.

Joel Gott Red Zinfandel

Yum.

Eataly

AKA: Heaven. I can't get all the way into it, because you will be here reading for hours. What I will say is this: Go to Manzo, sit at the bar and have the Beef Carpaccio and the Pappardelle. When you are finished, grab a glass of wine for the road (BECAUSE YOU CAN!) and walk around shopping for pasta, olive oil, kitchen gadgets, etc. as you sip. Like I said... Heaven.

No-bake Cookies

**Note: not my cookies, but similar looking

I have seriously become obsessed lately. I have made batch after batch trying to perfect the recipe, and I do believe I have done it! The beauty is, there is no added sugar- obviously there are ingredients that already have sugar in them.
Makes a small batch of 8-10 cookies:
3 heaping tablespoons of creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons of milk
(I used soy milk)
3 BLUE Lindt Truffle Balls (I know this sounds nuts and a little OCD. You can obviously just use chocolate chips, but we found them to be too bitter and strong for our taste...Trust me on this)
1/4 C oatmeal
1/4 C coconut flakes
Heat Peanut Butter, Chocolate and milk in a saucepan until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir in oats and coconut and then remove from heat. Use a tablespoon to form into balls and place on a plate. Cool in fridge for at least 15 min. Enjoy!

My All-clad Pan

All pans are NOT created equal. Jay bought this beauty for me for Christmas and it was love at first sight! I still can't bare to put it away, so it sits out on the stove top to be admired. This is my favorite recipe to make in it right now. Get your own here.

Mumford and Sons

I dare you to listen to Little Lion Man and not love this band. Their performance on last night's Grammy Awards was amazing and totally confirmed my love for them, and made me really want to see them live!

Callen Lorde

This amazing clinic in NYC saved my life! Well, my teeth anyway... and my wallet for that matter. If you live in NYC and don' t have dental insurance, this is your place. They give treatment on a sliding scale based on your income, so what was going to cost me $9,000.00 at a Madison Ave Dentist, cost me under $1,000.00 at Callen Lorde AND I loved my dentist! So stop putting off that cleaning you know you are overdue for...

Colorado

It's where I grew up and where my family is. I love NY, but I am very proud of my Colorado roots. Seriously, just look at it. If you haven't been... GO!

And of course, YOU for reading my blog! Happy Valentines Day!

CAN YOU BAKE A PIE??

YES I CAN!
One of the things I have been wanting to cross off my Life List, is going apple picking in New York, and then making an apple pie... after 6 years of living here, I have finally done it! Jay just got a motorcycle(!), so I hopped on the back with a backpack to bring home the goods, and off we went.
It was, literally, the perfect weekend for a ride. The sun was shining, and the leaves were at their peak- the colors were amazing! I maintain that the best way to see the fall foliage is on the back of a motorcycle. It was so nice to get out of the city for a day and get some fresh air. Check me out playing Biker Chick:


We ended up about 75 miles north of the city at Fishkill Farms.


The PERFECT apple:




They give you a big bag and you can fill it for $20! We (ok I) may have gotten a little carried away...


Note to self- 20lbs of apples is kinda heavy- especially on the back of a motorcycle.
But we made it home and I got to work!
Prior to this I had made 2 pies in my life, both pumpkin for Thanksgiving, and I was super happy with the Martha Stewart crust or- if you are fancy- Pate Brisee recipe I used, so that's the first place I went. Martha has never let me down when it comes to baked goods...
For the filling, I found her Classic Apple Pie Recipe, which I modified a little: I did a traditional top instead of the leaf cutouts, and I eliminated the egg wash (egg yolk and heavy cream), and used a little water on top instead.
I also used a technique I found on this video (still Martha) for the bottom crust. Instead of rolling out the bottom crust you press it in the pie pan a little at a time. It cuts the dough rolling in 1/2, plus it makes an awesomely rustic and thick bottom. I will do pies like this from now on. **I didn't use the recipe from the video, so feel free to just skip ahead to the crust pressing part.


The first one was so good (And we had enough apples for 4 pies), I decided to make another one!
This time I got a little fancy and went for some leaves.

I found a star cookie cutter from Christmas and turned it into leaves by making the veins. Worked like a charm! I could feel myself channeling Martha!


Of course we didn't get any after it was baked because we were just too excited to eat it. I am sure there will be many more pies in our future, though... and many more Pilates workouts to counteract that butter crust!

I HAVE FOUND FOOD HEAVEN...

and it is Joseph Leonard.
Jay and I happened upon this West Village gem quite by accident a couple of months ago. We just had drinks there then, but last week we finally went back for dinner, and I am already dreaming of going back...
Everything about this place is PERFECT as far as I am concerned. There is even a chefs counter you can sit at and watch the magic happen! We almost sat there, but it was a little warm, so we opted for stools at the bar (in fact, the exact spot in the pic below), but near to the chefs counter so we could still watch a little. ;)

The decor is amazing! Check out all the mirrors... Plus there's this:

I was in love right away... Thank God the food lived up to the decor (nothing worse than awesome atmosphere and not so awesome food).
I love sitting at the bar! We had an awesome bartender who was super helpful with the menu and the WINE LIST. It was hot, so we knew we wanted something white and refreshing. They didn't have our usual go to Marlborough Sauvigon Blanc, so we were a little unsure. He recommended a Muscadet... New wine to add to the love list for sure! So now that the evening was off on the right foot, we were ready for food.
We started with oysters on the half shell and octopus. Oysters are my FAVORITE, so that was a no-brainer. Jay and fell in love with Octopus when we were on our honeymoon in Positano, Italy, so there were some huge shoes to fill. The chef nailed it! I am still getting used to the whole taking pictures thing, so I didn't get a pick of it. But seriously, trust me and try it.

I DO have a pic of the pan roasted chicken I had for my entree...

It was served with golden beets, spinach and a spicy-onion relish.
I'm telling, there is nothing better than perfectly cooked chicken... lucky for me I found the recipe online on the Village Voice Blog. Score!
Jay had a New York strip steak with fingerling potatoes and a jalapeno relish.
Our bartender also sent us a complimentary side of "summer stuffing." What's that you say?? Stuffing in the summer? That's crazy...
Crazy good!

And as if that wasn't enough... then came dessert. Oh the dessert... We definitely felt like splurging so we each got our own! I had the salted caramel pudding.

There really aren't words to describe it's goodness. It was topped with whip cream and crumbled sugar cookies... need I say more? Jay had Carrot Cake.

I only had a bite (or two) because I was very busy with my pudding, but it was delicious! Both were a perfect ending to a perfect meal!
What it all boils down to is, Joseph Leonard is my kind of place.
Amazing fresh and seasonal ingredients+ awesome decor+ super friendly and knowledgeable staff+ a VERY handsome dinner date= Heaven!

food photos:serious eats NY
interior photos:Sam Horine

NYC IS HOT, HOT, HOT...

and I have a cold! Ugh.
The only comfort of a summer cold is how awesome icy treats feel sliding down a sore throat, so it seemed like the perfect time to let you all in on my new favorite frozen treat.

BANANA SOFT SERV!

This is some I made yesterday

I found this gem of a "recipe" on Choosing Raw on a post entitled "This Post Will Change Your Life." I had to try it! I use the term recipe loosely, because literally all you do is stick 2-3 cut up bananas in the freezer- I put them in a tupperware- for a few hours and then throw them in the food processor. Process for a about 5 minutes and I kid you not you will have super creamy banana soft serve! It has to be a processor, not a blender, otherwise you'll just have a banana smoothie.
Once you have the base you can mix it up with melted dark chocolate, chocolate chips or peanut butter (Jay's favorite). I kinda just like it plain though.
This definitely fits into a Lean Body Lifestyle... It's a great way to enjoy a sweet frozen treat without the guilt.
IT'S BANANAS!
Sorry for the pun... I think my husband is wearing off on me. Enjoy!