frozen summer treats

Last week when the health nut (aka my g-ma) was staying with us, she asked if I would like to go shopping. Now, you should know, that I love to shop, whether it's finding the perfect dress, wall hanging, mascara, or summer squash, but aside from groceries, I don't do it that often. My busy schedule and tight wallet just don't allow for it. So, I obviously said yes :).

We went to Bloomingdale's, the location of the best "ladies who lunch" café, La Provence, and the scrumptious frozen yogurt bar, Forty Carrots. It had been more than a year since my last frozen treat so I was incredibly excited, then... disappointed.

Not right away, of course. The (huge) small-sized cup was tart and divine, it tasted better than I had even remembered! However, as we left, I felt it. My body did not like frozen yogurt anymore. You see, I, unintentionally, haven't been eating dairy for in the past month and a half.

As I focused on whole, unprocessed, clean vegetables and fruits, a diet that was more raw food-based , I stopped having my morning yogurt, afternoon café con leche, dinner with fromage. I did so without any deprivation, only noticing when I figured out why the lactose in the frozen yogurt was making me sick. And my new habit, or lack there of, may not be such a bad thing.

Did you know that red meat and dairy are responsible for nearly half of all greenhouse gas emissions from food for an average U.S. household? Eek. I'm not officially swearing off dairy, and gosh, even though I sometimes refer to myself as a vegetarian, I do eat fish and have a bite of steak once in a blue moon, but, as I've said before, every little choice makes a big difference.

Let's be serious, cookie dough'nt you want some? Oh wait, that's Coldstone. I miss it already ;)

(Edited to Add): Oh my gosh! Girls! I bought the wrong "ice-cream"... VeggieGirl, I don't like too eat much soy either, and Christina, I meant to buy the coconut milk version! This one must have been placed with the other new coconut flavors by mistake and I didn't even notice :(. It just goes to show you: even those who consider themselves health-conscious and observant need to carefully check labels.

the betty crocker route

As I've mentioned before, my summer internships have wrapped up. I feel as though I've learned and experienced so much through two amazing opportunities at both Fitness magazine and Modelinia. Please trust me when I say that the two platforms are run by an wonderfully talented and hardworking individuals that I am so happy to know. So, in my appreciation, I baked.

For Modelinia I made "soft and chewy" Oatmeal Cookies,

bursting with the "rich sweet-tart flavors of dark chocolate, almonds, and cranberries."

They were a hit! The President even said that they should have added baking to my responsibilities ;).

As for Fitness, I whipped up some Whole Wheat Banana Berry Muffins,

with a sweet banana base chock full of fresh blueberries and toasted almonds.

I don't have any staff feedback quite yet, since I'm bringing them in tomorrow for my thank you lunch with my boss, but I'll keep you posted. The tiny taste I had was yummy :).

Both recipes are from the new Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health cookbook that should be available this November. Speaking of, I'm hoping to visit the venue behind this masterpiece and many others this year as it's only a short drive from my university and I'll definitely let you know when I do! In the mean time, an optimistic push from the MTA and me: "Act as if it were impossible to fail."

two to tango, uno to yoga

Good morning sleeping beauties! How is everyone feeling today? Happy I hope. I just read a study that revealed that optimistic women have lower rates of heart disease or mortality by any cause than those that are pessimistic. Yet another reason to smile, right?

Smiling’s my favorite. When I was about eight years old I went with my grandparents to Friendly’s for gooey grilled cheese and a Reese’s pieces sundae. As we followed our waitress to be seated I remember passing an older woman dining alone. She looked up at me and, although I can’t recall if I noticed the sadness in her eyes, I smiled. Well, it ran more deeply than I could have imagined, and within minutes she was standing at our table. “Thank you sweetheart,” she told me warmly, “I really needed that today.” And that was that, she was gone, and I’ve forever been amazed at how the smallest acts of genuine kindness are received ever since.

Life isn’t perfect and our day-to-day ups and downs certainly aren’t either but the less negativity in the world, the better. It’s the least we can do for ourselves and for the sake of others.

Sometimes I really surprise myself with how philosophical I sound ;). I was reminded about the experience this past Sunday when I went to my grandparent’s apartment in Mt. Kisco for dinner. It was so nice, just my grandmother and I catching up and thoroughly enjoying beautiful food.

I absolutely loved the salad, and I was lucky in that she made extra for me to bring to work the next day. And I finished this container fantastic spinach hummus. Oh my deliciousness.

As you can see, we had quite the colorful and healthful spread and I helped myself to a little bit of everything. Okay, maybe I did go back for seconds and thirds of the salad ;)

I swear everything tastes better when it’s presented in such an aesthetically pleasing way!

Later on we sat in the living room where my grandmother finally put up this photograph. My uncle travels for work and during the time I was in Ecuador, he, my aunt, my cousins, and my grandma stayed in Buenos Aires. She purchased it there in La Boca neighborhood… I would have done the same if they had been cheaper so I’m glad to have a piece of Argentina somewhere.

I also was checking out oldies. To the right is a Christmas picture of my siblings and I that we gave to them as a gift but I didn’t recognize the one on the left. Turns out that my grandfather just brought it home from their house in Florida last time they went and it’s the first time I saw it. Ah, wedding pictures, I'm such a romantic lush.

In other news, look what came in the mail for me recently! Yoga is yummy, especially when you’re practicing with a sunshiny girl like Polly. I’ve done both practices so far (15/30 minutes) and adore them both. I very highly recommend the DVD if you’re at all interested in guidance for at-home yoga practice. Happy thoughts darlings, and have a great day! More exciting happenings to come.