Berry Good!

Kate first turned me on to Brookside's enrobed goodies by bringing a pouch of dark-chocolate-covered goji berries to a welterweight championship viewing at my house.

Lest you get the wrong impression, I don't particularly enjoy boxing -- but, as it turns out, I DO enjoy chocolate-covered goji berries!  I also sought out the brand's pomegranate and açaí with blueberries (not pictured).  The pomegranate were slightly disappointing; I wish Brookside had captured the juicy crunch and tart, fresh flavor of pomegranate seeds, but they didn't.

I enjoyed my taste of the açaí/blueberry chocolates (a gift from Angela), but they didn't measure up to the goji, which remain my favorite.



Something about the bright chewiness of that berry meshes best with the dark chocolate they've used.

They're a little more expensive than I like to see, if I can be candid, but officially delicious.

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Not just for kids

[Seatbelt Carriage Satchel by Harveys; Uniqlo Boyfriend Jeans; We Who See Pleated Canvas Booties from Urban Outfitters.]

We toured a local pediatricians' office last week and made sure to take home a couple of the Yummy Earth organic lollipops from the reception desk.  The doctor who spoke to us said that they used to give out sugar-free suckers, but that they'd decided that organic ones with real sugar were a better, healthier idea.

Tastier, too, I'm sure.  Mine ("Strawberry Smash") was tart and sweet at the same time.  Delicious!

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I passed!

...my GD screening, that is. If you're curious, I got a 107, and anything greater than or equal to 140 would have required further testing.

I rewarded myself this morning by spreading honey on my peanut butter toast. I also put the two slices together so I could eat them as a sandwich, which is neither here nor there.

And I may or may not have had a secret number of cornflake cookies yesterday, a few hours after the test.

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Poetry Tuesday: In the Zone

[Naked Protein Zone Mango Juice Smoothie]

Fruit That Will Not Punch

Whey weighs grainy,
GMO? No.
Mango breaks past in a whisper,
A soft hand fluttering open.
Three fingers cannot make a fist.

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My problems have problems. But not big problems.

What should one do when her vitamin regimen is messing with her meals/snacking schedule? I've been tossed on these horns for the past week or so.

Want to read the medium-length (i.e. could be longer OR shorter, but is neither), medium-boring version? Here you go:

I made up my mind to start taking a magnesium supplement daily. So far I have been unable to work it into my schedule.

Often, I don't eat anything that qualifies as "breakfast" at home. I don't leave myself enough time between waking up and leaving the house. If I'm doing a morning shift, I try to be at work between 8:30 and 9am, and I eat breakfast there.

As it turns out, magnesium needs to be taken on an empty stomach, or with Vitamin C, so my plan has been to take my magnesium pill with a (hydrated) packet's-worth of Emergen-C as soon as I get to work (I could take the pill at home, I suppose, but it seems unlikely I would remember to do that). Then, in theory, I'd wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating breakfast at 9:30 or 10am. Though this begs a question: How long does my stomach have to remain empty (except for the magnesium) in order for it to "count" as empty while the pill is being ingested?

In practice, since "as soon as I get to work" is not only when I like to eat breakfast, but also the quietest time of day in the office, when I put breakfast off until after taking my magnesium, I often get busy with other things and forget or don't have time to ever come back to eat my Peanut Butter Puffins (or other cereal "Flavor of the Week) until it's 11am, and too close to lunchtime for me to back up to breakfast.

OR I eat something and put off taking the magnesium, but then I never know when my stomach qualifies as "empty" again, and I'm loathe to take the supplement incorrectly.

OR I neither eat, nor take the vitamin pill, and just stew in my own indecisive juices.

OR, like the morning pictured above, I finally remember to take the magnesium around 10 am, and then at 11am feel like it's too close to noon for "breakfast," so just eat a handful of dry Peanut Butter Puffins at my desk. Dissatisfying.

At the heart of this dilemma is probably the fact that I didn't consult my doctor before starting to take magnesium (she did recommend a multi-vitamin and calcium, which I also take, along with fish oil caplets, but all of those things can be taken with food). If I had actually talked to the doctor about it, her advice probably would have helped me sort out the timing of things.

What is "an empty stomach," anyway? I mean, how long of a buffer of time on either side of my magnesium do I need to have not eaten?

I could have worse issues. I realize this.

C.I. knows broccoli.

I recently let my years-long subscription to Cooks Illustrated expire, but I've kept the back issues I own. Not only do they contain several recipes I use over and over again (for example, I swear by their carrot cake), but there are many I haven't tried yet and still mean to.

The other night, I pulled out the issue from January of 2008 in order to try their method of roasting broccoli.

And -- perfection! The broccoli florets (which I did not cut according to their instructions, as I misunderstood those instructions) roasted for about 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven, after having been tossed with olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. sugar (I had 1 1/2 lbs broccoli). Then, after roasting, I tossed the hot broccoli with a heated mixture of olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and oregano. Cooks Illustrated meant for me to have olives in there, too, but I didn't feel like shopping for another ingredient.

Oh, golly, I gobbled this up. I can't wait to have broccoli again.


[If you're an online member of CI, find the recipe here.]

It's not just about the knitting.

Another knitting night, another awesome meal.

Kara and Jen W. (yes, another "Jenny") have really upped the ante. We used to sort of snack sporadically while crafting. Now we're eating fully-formed, healthy meals.








This time, at Jen's house, we had risotto-stuffed peppers, a spicy quinoa salad, a beet and greens salad, the softest ginger cookies, and lemon sandwich cookies (the last made by Jenny G.). I hardly even wanted to knit.




p.s. Bob is welcome at knitting night any time.

Poetry Tuesday: Yoga and...Samosa Wrap

Though I bend
You do not bend,
Tortilla you are
Stiffer than my hips.
Microwaved, even.


[The newly certified Kara started a Sunday afternoon yoga class in the neighborhood. $10! It's so challenging and that is awesome. After the first class, I ate this.]

Alexander and...Almonds OR "Am I (un)doing this right?"

Maybe it's the alliteration, but I was really in the mood for almonds after my Alexander Technique group class. Here comes another one of my NYC Yoga Passbook experience posts:

Pass 3: Two classes in the Alexander Technique (1 attended so far) through ACAT (The American Center for the Alexander Technique), Union Square. The first class is a group introductory class, free with or without the pass. The second class allowed through the passbook offer will be a one-on-one session with a certified teacher. Rebecca from ACAT says, "let folks know to bring their coupon to the group demonstration. We are prepared to assign private lesson teachers at the event."
Date(s): 2/1
Instructor(s): Lisa Lutton, with hands-on assistance from Jane Tomkiewicz and Elizabeth Reid.
Thoughts: Even without the passbook, you can attend this class for free on the first Monday of each month. But that didn't make it seem like less of a value to me, when all was said and done. I appreciate that the passbook informed me about the session, which I otherwise wouldn't have known about.
I entered ACAT's space on 14th Street with a slight timidity, but eventually found myself feeling there hung a certain golden glow over the evening. The room warmed up, and so did I. Lisa Lutton (who also teaches in private practice on the upper west side) had a special air of calm authority about her, without seeming at all authoritarian. Need I say her posture was lovely? After Elizabeth welcomed us and introduced her, Lisa gave us an introduction to a few ideas behind the intentional, thoughtful movement that the Technique seeks and why it is efficient and desirable. We watched her demonstrate with her own body, and then with volunteers, the physical possibilities when one thinks "forward" and "up" while sitting, rising, standing, and even running.
Our small class (only six non-teachers/non-trainees were in attendance) then broke into 3 groups of two, each with a teacher, to practice a bit more focused upright and table work. I still feel like The Alexander Technique approaches "magical" when one first experiences it, due to how infinitesimal and almost "accidental" adjustments seem (though, of course, they're no accidents), but I am also convinced of its utility. I was in Lisa's small group, and she offered both verbal and kinesthetic/physical feedback while working with us. Something clicked for me on the table as she spoke about "undoing" and "doing less" with our bodies. I could feel progress when I occasionally managed to harness the "thinking without trying" she described. Who knew I needed to think about making my ribs go "mushy" to release inhibiting tension?
At the end of even such limited one-on-one work, and after a surprising but not at all upsetting tear rolled down my face (isn't it interesting how an emotional response can sneak up on one during new forms of physical movement?), I felt more stretched and buoyant for a few minutes, before sinking back into my poor posture and bad physical habits. I tried to think and un-do and allow my body to do less all the way home on the subway, and it felt good even though I have barely scratched the surface of "right."
I know it would take work to progress and retrain my body, but the effects of Alexander felt very real to me after this class. I'm interested in doing more work in the Technique, and will be looking into the "volunteer student" program ACAT offers to support its teacher trainees.
Post-Workout Comestibles: A handful of almonds felt right.
Total passbook classes/Goal: 4/40

The eternal question.

How many flights of stairs does it take me to get to the center of a date?


Date generously supplied by my coworker Ian.

Pilates and...Radishes.

I'm lucky in that I don't exactly struggle with my weight. This does not mean I'm always happy with my body (curse you, media, you cults of youth and celebrity!!), but I have to be honest and admit that the issue is predominantly in my head. Sometimes I don't feel as thin as I'd like to, and I'm certainly not the beanpole I was until high school, but I'm a reasonable weight for my height. The Wii Fit balance board appreciates my BMI, my doctor is fine with what the scale reports, and everything seems to be holding steady.

That said, you may have noticed that I eat a fair amount of junk. I have a sweet tooth AND a savory tongue. I like salt and brine and sugar and peanut butter and fruit and vegetables and butter and . . . oh, almost anything. I also have certain couch-potato tendencies, a job that allows me to sit much of the day, and a number of sedentary hobbies (including writing these blog posts). So, in several respects, I could be a lot healthier. And fitter. And stronger.

My doctor asks me every year at my annual checkup if I am getting 30-45 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week. She also mentioned once that she would like me to be a bit more flexible. Every year, I say I'm working on it. This is true. However, this year I am working on it much more seriously than I ever have before. I made myself a promise early this winter that I would aim to build healthier exercise habits (and not focus on whether or not I lose a few pounds of fat). I am interested in muscle and strength and endurance and less neck/back pain.

To this end, I purchased a 2010 New York City Yoga Passbook. For about $80 (the cost of 4-6 classes without the passbook), I received a book containing hundreds of coupons good for free classes in yoga, Pilates, the Alexander Technique, and more. This month, I began to use these coupons, which expire at the end of the year. It's my goal to take at least 40 classes over the course of 2010, in addition to doing other "fitness-y" activities.

I thought that I might as well post a quick summary of each place I visit here, in case you're either (1) interested in trying the passbook out for yourself (Chicago, Houston, and LA also offer them through the website) or (2) someone in NYC who is looking for more information on local studios, teachers, and classes.

And, of course, to keep things snack-related (or, at the very least, snack-adjacent), I'll let you know what I'm eating after each workout. Let's see if working out inspires healthier snacking post-exercise.

I'll begin with the two passes I've used since the beginning of January.

Pass 1: Two Pilates classes (Basic Mat) at Core Pilates NYC (Union Square)
Date(s): 1/13; 1/27
Instructor(s): Jo D'Agostino (for both classes)
Thoughts: I liked this Pilates teacher and her classes. She had a good energy and could speak quickly, explaining the moves thoroughly as we were doing them, which made the breathing patterns easier to follow. The first class was better than the second, but I'm not sure why. The flow seemed a little interrupted in the second class; perhaps it was me.
Core Pilates is a tiny place, but it's clean and modern. The woman working behind the desk was friendly and helpful on my visits. This is a studio and class I'd return to, especially given how conveniently located it is, just two blocks from the Union Square/14th Street subway station.
Post-Workout Comestibles: Radish salad (made by Dan) after the first class; chocolate milk, pita chips, and then an arepas dinner (made by Melanie) after the second.
Total/Goal: 2/40

Pass 2: One private lesson in the Alexander Technique
Date(s): 1/18
Thoughts: I knew next to nothing about Alexander before this lesson, but it's been recommended to me as a method that is good for posture and the spine, as well as rehabilitation. It's not really exercise, but I felt like it easily qualified as "fitness."
The Alexander Technique is something that's as much about thinking and focus as it is about doing anything. For example, we spent several minutes while I was lying on my back on a massage table during which the teacher coached me as I tried to, per his instructions, mentally "wave goodbye" to my first and second toes while thinking into my other three toes -- all this in order to un-sickle my feet.
The Technique felt a bit mysterious and frustratingly "magical" sometimes, but the teacher assured me we were making progress. I plan to take another class or two from other teachers to compare.
Post-Workout Comestibles: Chips and salsa at Papacitos', and then fish tacos. I was ravenous!
Total/Goal: 3/40

By the way, I am also taking a 90-minute yoga class taught by Laura, a friend of mine. She's offering the class almost weekly in my neighborhood, so it's very convenient. She's also a great teacher for all levels. I'm a yoga beginner, and this is the first time I've felt comfortable in a yoga class.

You know what's odd? While in a pose during the most recent class, I actually found myself thinking, "I don't need very much food to live! My appetite is gone! This is the start of a whole new relationship with food!" This turned out not to be true once the exercise high had worn off. After that week's session, I drank a chocolate milk and ate a banana, the combination of activity and refueling feeling just right [Chocolate milk never seems so luxurious as it does after exercise. Apparently it's a great post-workout snack].

My point is, just for a second there, this blog seemed doomed in the face of my fleeting spiritual enlightenment and quest for health. What's next?!

Poetry Tuesday: How Green is My Banana?

Oh my my my, no green bananas
Ah! My heart is green, my legs and hands
Are under-ripe and thick with starch Oh
Smoothie like my tongue, it slides
So slides so. Vitamin and win!
I'm E! I'm me! I'm multi me!
T(w)o calicum-um-um it's time.
It's breakfast time. It's newly mine.
It's me. I'm morning fruity me,
Banana green and free.

Lunch Club Round-Up: Week four

Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, last week was a four-day work-week at our office. It was for this reason (and also because Jeremy hurt his back) that just four of us (rather than five) got together, under Jane's direction, to observe another Lunch Club series. Here's what we made and ate:





Tuesday - Greta
(I found the orange in my purse)
Full disclosure: I did not eat any cornbread because I got full.







Wednesday - David G.





Thursday - Me
(salad recipe here)







Friday - Jane

This evening of exercise and high-calorie eating made possible by the TSA.

How tragic for Vincent that he couldn't fly home to Kansas with this jar of Sundae's Best (Jean's Java) hot fudge sauce in his carry-on luggage.

How awesome for us.



Thanks to Vincent's sauce-ditching, Ben and Dan and I were able to enjoy an impromptu evening of Wii Fit games and banana splits. Having 4 kinds of nuts in the house (pecans, walnuts, peanuts -- I know, they're technically a legume, and almonds) only made it more exciting.

Active! Delicious!

I'm dreaming of a green New Year's...

Dear airline companies,

Please lower the prices of tickets to Miami so that I can spend a few days in Florida eating avocados (with hot sauce) as they fall off the tree. This habit is expensive up north.

With love,
Jennette

Reunited, and it CHEESE so good (this pun isn't working).

'Tis the season for cheese grits and vitamins (multi-, calcium, and fish oil) and cranberry juice and Martha Stewart Living's holiday issue.

I once made cheese grits myself, with a recipe from Paula Deen, but she calls for so much cheese (24 oz) that I discovered I actually have a limit to how much cheese I can eat in a dish. I wouldn't have guessed it, but her mixture is super-saturated and then some. "Too much cheese," I was surprised to hear myself shout.

The cheese grits pictured above are a better balance 'tween cheese and "grit." I picked them up from Whole Foods in Union Square, where they have returned as a selection on the breakfast bar (they were missing for a time). A little salt and pepper make them quite good.

If that Whole Foods would just reinstall their smoothie counter, this store and I might become close friends again. Still, these creamy, mild cheese grits are a kind gesture.

Still Life on Video

I am experimenting with using more video on this site. The fact that most food doesn't move shouldn't stop me, right?

Right?

It MIGHT be love.

I think I have a new favorite Clif bar. This despite the fact that I've never been able to figure out whether I really like them or not.

Take Two.

I've described the failure I had when I went down the healthy-rice-krispies-treat route. I got tricked by a recipe and ended up with frozen beauties which did not travel well (even a few steps from the freezer).

On a hunch, however, I bought some full-fat Greek yogurt on my way to work one morning, dropped two of the marshmallow-free cripsies inside, and ate it all up for breakfast.

The Greek yogurt, crispy brown rice cereal, sesame seeds, honey, and dried fruit blended together in a charming way. I'm so glad these healthy "cupcakes" are not going to go to waste.

A Snack for the Seedy.

I needed breakfast that I could take on the train. I wanted a plain, old granola bar, but I found myself in some sort of "fancy" grocery store that was putting on airs. No plain, old granola bars to be found. Just weirdo, expensive "energy bars" and "health bars" and such.

The least offensive (taking into account packaging and ingredients) looked like the Bumble Bar "organic energy" bar. I am always suspicious of things that are both gluten free and vegan, and it wasn't cheap, but I bought two and hoped for the best.

The first was the original flavor "with mixed nuts." It was heavy on the seeds. In fact, it looked like pressed bird food. Not so nutty. Not so much flavor. But it didn't taste too bad. There were layers of seeds held together by a slightly sweet, slightly sticky food glue (honey?).

The second type was called "Awesome Apricot." What do you know?! More nutty bird seed. Though it had dried fruit and a more interesting texture (due to the fruit and to larger nut pieces), it didn't taste much like apricot. It, too, was a little sticky. Much water was needed to wash the thing down.

Clearly, more expensive energy bars are not the answer. Come back, good ol' granola! We miss you!