Don't Call it a Juice Cleanse.

Though I'm intrigued by many areas of holistic and "alternative medicine" (etc.), I'm pretty suspicious of fasting, cleansing, and [non-drug-related] detoxing.  Most of the time, these three things seem to be crash diets in disguise, and I'm not fond of dieting, either.  It may not be accurate or fair, but I will admit to jumping to the conclusion that many people doing cleanses secretly just want to lose 5-10 lbs.  I do think fasting is interesting as a spiritual discipline and/or form of protest (and sometimes necessary before medical tests*), but I hope I never convince myself to fast, cleanse, or detox to lose weight. 
 
Call it laziness if you want -- I certainly don't find myself to be disciplined enough to stick to a strict plan when it comes to food -- but I'm also not interested in regimented eating.  I eat basically what I want to eat (and can afford to eat) and I rarely feel guilty.  It's not because I'm not vain or insecure, either, and it's certainly not because I eat only healthy foods (as you can see on this site). If you want to, you can say I'm "just jealous" of the people who drop 6 pounds on "the Lemonade Diet" and feel super-energetic on day 4 (or whatever).

As far as "detoxing" goes, I trust my body to process what I eat and I know it will do a better job if I eat more things that are unprocessed and natural. Doctors seem to agree.  I have no doubt that it is good to eat in a mindful way, but I find it easier to swallow (so to speak) the idea that the best sort of "cleanse" one could do would involve eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains.  I haven't read anything that convinces me that it is necessary to fast or cleanse on a regular basis.

All this said (and said and said), I was given (not by the company, but by an unafilliated friend) a BluePrintJuice cleanse drink and BluePrintBar.  And since I am happy to snack on food created for "cleansing" if it means I get a blog post out of it, I tried them both.

The drink? "Yellow Lemon Water Cayenne Agave."  You know, something about the inclusion of the word "yellow" on the packaging throws me off a little.  "Yellow" is not a food.  It makes me think of artificial coloring.  Not sure why they'd include "yellow" in the name. Are there other colors of lemons? Anyway, it didn't taste bad.  I liked the small amount of spice.  The lemon is pretty palatable, like lemonade, and I prefer its slight tartness to overly sweet commercial lemonades.  BluePrint's cleanse program has been described on a lot of other blogs, and most reviewers have described this as one of the better flavors of juice in the program.

The bar? "Cherry Orange Almond Date."  I was prepared to dislike this, as I do not trust "health food bars." I typically assume something "raw, vegan, wheat free, gluten free, soy free, and kosher" will be tasteless and/or terrible, but it was quite good!  The cherry flavor was the strongest, and it was bright and fresh.  Almond and orange both came through well, and balanced the cherry.  I didn't taste the dates as much, but they lent a pleasantly thick sort of texture to the bar.  I like that it doesn't contain any sweeteners, sulphur, or preservatives.



My verdict?  I won't be "cleansing" my system via an expensive program of pre-bottled (but otherwise unprocessed) cold-press juices any time soon, and I don't think I'm much healthier for having eaten the bar (though the packaging tells me that cherry "contains melatonin, which helps regulate sleep patterns, prevents memory loss, and delays the aging process"), but I'd snack on either item again.  Score one for fad diets!




*I always eat a doughnut after my annual physical, to apologize to my stomach for the pre-checkup emptiness.

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Not Pictured: 1 Slice of Dean and DeLuca Iced Lemon Bread

(photo by Dan)

Eaten before and after Infant CPR and Safety class at Birth Day Presence.

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Snowy Breakfasts

(photo by Dan)

We had a blizzard a few weeks ago.  I miss it (which I realize is because I could stay inside, safe and warm and dry).  Our lazy, snowy, post-holiday mornings made for some excellent breakfast opportunities.



Ruby red grapefruit (no sugar needed) and jalapeno-cheddar bagel with cream cheese.  Thanks, Dan, for shoveling and stamping through the snow to the store to get the provisions!





"American Pancakes" from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess and homemade cranberry curd (loosely based on a recipe in the same book).

Here's a tip: if you make more batter than you need, cook up all the pancakes anyway and freeze or refrigerate them.  Throw the leftovers in the toaster to heat and eat when you feel like it.  Pancake batter doesn't keep well, but cooked pancakes do.

Let it snow, breakfast-lovers!

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"Give me my usual!"

Okay, so they don't actually know me at the local Le Pain Quotidien.  But if they did, they'd know I want a mint lemonade and a (giant) brownie.

May I also take a moment to name-drop and say that it was (the inspiring) Bob Woodruff's amazing wife, Lee, who introduced me to these brownies?

Thanks, Lee!

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Somewhat Blurry, Boring Photo Essay: I Manage Not To Buy Anything at the Renegade Craft Fair, But, Man! If That Purse Had Been Affordable...

Apologies for taking all of these with my phone.  And that they're not great shots in terms of composition or subject, either.  But I was afraid to get too close to anything in the booths.  I would rather save than spend.  Mainly, I just wanted to give the girl with the lemonade stand some props.  Good idea, little girl!

Not pictured: Amazing cinnamon cherry-cheese babka roll from the nearby farmer's market and fresh mango bought at the edge of the track/soccer field. 

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Inside this food blog is a fashion blog just dying to get out...

Today, I found myself matching my beverage to my outfit.

Unfortunately, Mello Yello is not as good as I remembered.  For example, it's no Squirt.  So, let's just pretend this post was about my outfit.


Nail Polish on fingers - "Black Pearl" by Savina (Nordstrom Rack)
Bag - Poppie (DSW)
Shirt - BDG (Urban Outfitters)
Skirt - Floreat (Anthropologie)
Sandals - J. Crew (bought several years ago and absolutely trashed)
Nail Polish on toes - "Shock Me" by Savina (Nordstrom Rack)

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New kid on the block

I found a new (to me) beverage while looking for mango juice (on behalf of my coworker Ian) at a Duane Reade drug store in Manhattan.  It's called Hansen's Natural Cane Soda.  The flavor "Mandarin Lime" appealed to me, as did the large can size.

It was sweet and cold and good, with a little candy tangy-ness.  I will definitely drink it again.

I'm not saying Rob isn't a "Really Good" guy.

I'm just saying "Rob's Really Good Lemonade" is more "good" than "really."


[Edited to add: It's good enough that you might disagree and add that "really" right back in. I wanted it to be more tart, but I speak for no one but myself.]

Secretly diet, and I don't like secrets.

Diet drinks should be required be law to announce their diet-ness in type larger than the brand name. I don't like being tricked.

My kind of retail therapy.

Friday was hard. This turned out to be just what I needed.

Mmmm....street soda.

We found unopened grapefruit Jarritos by the curb. Almost as good as Squirt!

An Unnecessary Adventure

[I know today should be Poetry Tuesday, but this is an emergency post!]

When the laundry man came to pick up this week's load, the batch of cookies in the oven (Cocoa Snowflakes) had 5 minutes left to bake. I checked the timer and paused the DVD of Miracle on 34th Street.

Moving quickly downstairs with our bag of dirty clothes, I closed the apartment door behind me (so the cat wouldn't get out). In my hurry, I had not taken anything with me -- no keys, no wallet, no phone. And when I heard the door click shut, I thought, "Oh. I hope the apartment door's not locked. That would be bad."

It was. Locked. And bad.

Dan was scheduled to be at soccer for another 1-2 hours. The cookies had 3 minutes left to bake. The downstairs neighbor was in the shower (I could hear it running) and didn't have keys or share a window. I could get on the fire escape from the downstairs apartment, if I waited for the shower to end (and allowed a decent interval for the shower-er to get dressed), but I was 90% sure our windows were all locked. I keep them that way so no one can get into our apartment from the fire escape.

These thoughts zooming through my head, I gave the laundry man the laundry and double-checked my apartment door. Still locked. Friends who hold on to a spare set of keys for us live nearby, but I had no shoes. I thought about shouting after the laundry man and asking him for a ride to the spare key holders' home. All options seemed terribly embarrassing.

I had to do it.

I pulled out my messy "baking" ponytail (I hadn't showered yet) hoping the hair might fall in such a way that it would hide my identity), unlocked the building's front door from the inside (in case I had to come back with no keys, as I didn't even know if our friends would be in), and ran 4 blocks barefoot to their house, feeling -- and probably looking -- like a crazy person (uncombed hair, no shoes or socks, dirty glasses, etc.). I rang the doorbell forcefully -- twice. I was hoping someone would be home, but not irretrievably asleep.

After that second ring, the door was opened. Rescued, I breathlessly, briefly explained my situation. I was promptly loaned sneakers and given my spare keys, at which point I ran/walked home, breathing hard, stopping only to explain to my next-door neighbor what had happened (apparently, I frightened his wife when I ran by on my trip out, unshod and shouting something about my apartment).

With the spare keys, I re-entered my home. The apartment smelled like cocoa and orange. The oven timer was blinking 00:00. The cat (and Miracle on 34th Street) waited patiently.

My feet are cold. My lungs hurt. My eyes are watering. My dear friends were rudely awakened. But the cookies may still be edible. They're cooling now.

And that is what matters.

Two True

I really enjoy the Sprecher root beer served at neighborhood bar and burger joint, Mother's.

This Thanksgiving, though I skipped the Diet Root Beer in the cooler, I got a chance to try two more Sprecher flavors - Orange Dream and Cream Soda.

The cream soda was my favorite of the two, as it was both smooth and strong, but the orange had a definite je ne sais quoi, tightly orange and creamy-dreamy at the same time. These two are perhaps not as classic as the root beer, but they're clearly important steeds in Sprecher's stable.

Deluxe-ify My Love.

For the second time in my life (and the past year), I have visited a "real" Chick-fil-A. Both times have been in Pennsylvania, as the only C-f-A in New York State is an "express" with limited selections (just original sandwich, nuggets, and fries).

My in-laws, who are not particularly fond of fast food restaurants, agreed to lunch with me at a standalone Pittsburgh Chick-fil-A during our visit. I was overjoyed. Should I be embarassed that I found myself chanting "Chick-fil-A, Chick-fil-A, Chick-fil-A!" in the parking lot while clapping my hands? Granted, I chanted this quietly, but I did chant.

I chose a Deluxe sandwich (like the original, but with the addition of fresh-tasting lettuce and tomato) with Buffalo and Chick-fil-A sauce, a slice of lemon meringue pie (topped with 'Nilla Wafers), and an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea).

It's still my favorite fast food chicken sandwich; that's for sure. The bun seemed especially buttery, as if to greet me. The chicken was moist and the lettuce crisp. The pie's meringue was light and its filling sweet. My beverage suited perfectly.

As a bonus, Dan and his parents seemed to enjoy their meals, too. This was their very first C-f-A experience and I was happy to hear them speak positively of it later. Dan even went back for a second sandwich, so I think he's in my corner. Frankly, I would have accepted "tolerable" as a reaction. I just don't want my family and my best friend in fast food to be in a fight.

In Love with Lemon Cake

Thanks to Susan, I enjoyed a slice of lemon cake from Our Daily Bread, which she found the Union Square Farmers Market yesterday. Dense and smooth with an easily loosened crumb, it was something like lemon pound cake baked in a bundt pan and topped with a lemon glaze. Flavors swung from sharp and sour to sweet and mild in a perfect pendulum arc.

The fax we didn't throw away.

Agnes and Eva's Tasty Goods opened nine weeks ago on 13th Street, between 2nd and 3rd avenues. I don't often make my way to that block during my searches for lunch in Union Square.

When I finally did get way over there yesterday, it was because someone had faxed "a thousand" (so the woman behind the counter told me) menus to area offices. Ours was one of those offices.

We receive a lot of junky faxes, as well as menus shoved under our door (which I enjoy immediately shoving back), but Wendi, our Admin Queen, usually tosses them into the recycling bin immediately. This menu caught her eye, though, and she kept it. Moreover, she kept it on her desk, where I spotted it. And that banal chain of events led me to Agnes and Eva's.

It is a cute establishment, a few steps down from the street. It was nearly empty at 2:30 pm, with ample space for people to sit and eat or drink -- with friends, books, laptops, or their thoughts. The place was a casual cross between a coffee shop and a cafe, with a reasonably priced menu and excellent, super-tart, pulpy lemonade. My drink and an order of baked-to-order three cheese macaroni and cheese cost pennies under $10, which is good for the neighborhood. The service was friendly and swift (I had called ahead, as the macaroni takes 15-20 minutes).

I think I'll return to Agnes and Eva's to try a dessert and a chai latte, or to enjoy a sandwich with a bottle of MASH Water (which I've never had). It's good to have another lunch option near Union Square, and it's nice to have a little bit of luck with an unbidden fax.

Key Lime Try

Notes:

--spotted a new Ben & Jerry's flavor: Key Lime Pie.
--wish it were more citrus-sour and refreshing.
--a little heavy on the meringue and crust flavors.
--woulda, shoulda, coulda been a sorbet.

Poetry Tuesday: Too little, Too Late.

So you think you can keep
Last night in. I smell it seeping out of pores.
I hear it creeping from your innards' doors.
I sense your liver's like a weeping sore.
Tic Tacs are not quite lies, but
They cannot save your hide.

To most of your neighbors, you are rotting flesh.
They're sliding in their seats, backing away on feet,
And peeling out tout suite from all that heat --
That death spinning 'round your breath's hot meat.
Tic Tacs are little guys, but
It's nice you've tried.

There's always time for pie.

On Sunday, Shannon made a key lime pie. There were also strawberries. On Sunday night, I did what I do best -- I put everything on a plate (with extra graham cracker crust) and ate it all.

Out on a limb

I can't say I've been looking forward to trying this one. I'm feeling suspicious and apprehensive. The only words in English on this package are "Orange Jelly Candy" on one side, "Made in Hong Kong" on a second side (along with characters that look like Chinese), and "51 Smith 51" on another side, which might be an address or the name of a company. I'm not sure quite what I'm in for...





With a York Peppermint Pattie standing by in case of emergency, I rip the package open. Immediately, I smell an orange tang. Inside, the column-shaped candy had been broken into two pieces, but at some point they fused together again. I pop the whole thing in my mouth.

It is at once sweet and powdery. The flavor definitely is that of orange powdered drink mix. As I suck on it, it becomes sweeter and more sickly. The texture feels slick and pebbled under my tongue, but not hard. I bite down a bit and find a jellied firmness. As I chew, everything starts to stick to my molars. I'm not really enjoying this.

It doesn't really feel like this candy will ever disintegrate in saliva. I feel I could chew on it for hours, except that it doesn't taste good enough to do so. I don't have any desire to chew on it until it is gone.

I don't finish it. It is warm from my mouth and slippery and doesn't look or feel edible. Where's the value in a snack like this? I feel almost philosophical about this. Who considers such an experience a treat...and why?

Thank goodness for my Peppermint Pattie chaser.