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I ♥: (new + improved) Blender Bottle Sportmixer

9 Feb
Mixing up green drinks or protein shakes, it’s important to have a good, BPA-free shaker bottle.  (And now that I drink protein shakes in the morning, I use a shaker bottle on a daily basis.)  We used to have the classic version of the Blender Bottle, which worked fine but had little nooks and crannies around the spout that made it difficult to clean thoroughly.  The bottle always began to smell weird, no matter how you washed it, and I really hated drinking from it.  The new and improved Blender Bottle Sportmixer, however, is great!  The spout is designed in such a way that cleaning is easy; you can just rinse it after most drinks, not put it through the dishwasher.  It also comes in a variety of colors, and, as with the classic style, it is BPA-free.  I still never use the “Blenderball” that comes with the bottle, but I am very happy with my new shaker bottle.  (Bottles come in 20-oz and 28-oz sizes.)  If you are looking to purchase a shaker bottle, and are considering the Blender Bottle brand, definitely go with the Sportmixer style over the classic!

Tera’s Whey Protein Shake

9 Feb

3D_ORG_Choc_Can1000I am not a morning person, and so I tend to skip breakfast during the work week.  David frowns upon this habit, especially as he has read somewhere that one should eat within 45-minutes of waking up to kick start one’s metabolism.  And so I have started to drink a protein shake in the morning.  Initially, I tried a protein shake that was plant/veg-based with pea protein, but I didn’t react to it very well (my stomach felt funny).   Wanting a protein shake that’s low in sugar but still tasty, I tried Tera’s Whey — and their shakes are good!  I don’t do anything fancy with the shakes (e.g. blend them with anything), but the shakes are tasty enough and definitely makes for a quick “breakfast.”  For every serving, the shake contains 20-21g of protein and 5g of carbohydrates (3g sugars).  I have the chocolate flavor as well as the pomegranate cranberry — the cool thing about the pomegranate cranberry is that it is made of goat whey (you don’t see that often), while the chocolate one is organic and fair trade.  It’s nothing fancy, but it’s simple, tastes great, and now David is happy.  If you’re looking for high-protein, low-sugar, gluten-free protein shakes, do check out Tera’s Whey (they sell single serving packets, too, so you can try a flavor before committing to it in the full-size version).

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Detox Complete!

1 Feb

And so we have completed our 5-day detox!

A pleasant surprise for me on this detox: the second and third days of the cleanse, which in the past were very difficult, full of cravings and headaches, weren’t so bad!  Although feeling a little wan (conserving energy) and hungry, with minor headaches here and there, the liquid-only days passed less agonizingly than before.   The biggest challenge turned out to be dinner time — since eating dinner together is such a big part of our everyday life, it was very strange to have separate regimens for 5 days.

Anyway, all finished, detoxed and cleansed!

Now onto planning the menu for Superbowl Sunday… x

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5-day Liver Detox

29 Jan

Sometimes you just have to throw yourself into a cleanse.   David and I have been talking about doing a cleanse ever since we returned to New York from Stockholm… almost a year ago.  Life just kind of plugged along, something always came up, or we always found some reason why not.  But at some point you just have to jump right in and get it done.  And so, finally, here we are.

David and I have done a few cleanses in the past few years, all with Dr. Schulze’s detox programs.  Lasting only 5 days, the detox is designed to be manageable for a working/busy/real person.   There are 3 levels –  beginner, intermediate, or advanced — depending on how much change you’re willing to make in your diet for those 5 days.  We’ve always done the “advanced” program, during which you eat raw fruit and vegetable on the first and fifth day, and only diluted fruit/vegetable juices on the second, third, and fourth days.  On all days you take herbal tinctures, tea, and a liver flush drink to flush out toxins, as well as a green drink for supplements and you drink a lot of water.

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I ♥: Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drink

5 Dec

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I love all-natural fizzy beverages without/very little sugar and low (or without) calories.  When we lived in Stockholm, I went crazy over their wide variety of sparkling water flavors.  My recent favorite fizzy beverage treat is Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drink.  It contains 4 strains of live probiotics and is low calorie, gluten free, lactose/dairy free, made with certified organic ingredients and is vegan, too!  My favorite flavors are the Coconut, Mango Coconut, and the Strawberry Acai Coconut, which have the least amount of sugars (the Coconut one has the least).  The drinks are similar to konbucha, but without such a strong “fermented” taste (I think).  I have only seen Kevita at Whole Foods so far, and they are priced around konbucha prices ($3+) so they are not cheap.  But they are delicious and refreshing, and satisfies my sweet craving during the day.  If you see Kevita and are interested, give it a try!

Sole “Pie”

23 Sep

Every so often, I see local, wild-caught sole on sale at Whole Foods.  Sole can be tricky to cook, because it can be rather bland without frying or adding a lot of fat.  This Sole “Pie” is a neat and delicious way to eat sole baked — basically, it’s Asian-style eggplant caponata sandwiched between two layers of sole.  Chinese eggplants work best for this dish, because their skin is thin and cook quite easily without having to sweat the eggplants beforehand.

Here’s how:

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A (Lil’) Garden Grows Over Brooklyn

29 Jul

Our garden has expanded into 2 long planters and 2 smaller ones.  We are growing: 4 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplants, shishito peppers, sage, thyme, 2 types of basil (regular and “lettuce” basil), and a shiso plant.  They are doing quite well and have given our balcony a lush, green look.  We love our little garden!

Our first harvest was a lovely little tomato (which we ate with our bun-less burgers):

Currently, there are 2 Japanese eggplants growing very nicely.  We may eat them by the end of this week!

Our urban petit jardin overlooking Brooklyn — it’s giving us great joy so far this summer!

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Our Petit Jardin

28 May

This weekend, David and I finally began a little garden on our balcony!  We planted 3 types of heirloom tomatoes, a Japanese eggplant, German thyme, and basil.  We are excited to grow our own vegetables!

Having been inspired by our first planter, we think we will get one more — we plan on adding to our vegetable roster shishito peppers, shiso leaves, sage, and another type of basil (Japanese “lettuce” basil).

Here’s hoping for a plentiful summer!

Returning SOON!

30 Apr

Long time, no blog — it’s been a busy April!  We’ve been on vacation that has included our friends’ wedding in which I was a bridesmaid, and, as usual, plenty of delicious eating!  I will be back and blogging food the end of this week, however, so please stay tuned!

Love + good eating x x x x

I ♥: Mario Batali Arrabbiata Sauce

24 Mar

Mario Batali’s arrabbiata sauce is by far our favorite, go-to pre-made tomato sauce.  All natural, no preservatives, no added sugar.  And the sauce is actually spicy — as arrabbiata sauces should be — unlike many other arrabbiata sauces we’ve tried.  I am a huge fan of Mario Batali’s restaurants, and my appreciation for Mario has now extended to his tomato sauce.

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