Things I’m Loving: The New Year’s Resolution Edition

\ by

Do you ever feel like you’re constantly behind in life?

Who am I kidding? We all feel that way most of the time. The older you get, the more responsibilities you have, and the more responsibilities you have, the more you need to be what they call an “adult” and prioritize, AND the more your prioritize certain things, the more other things go on the back burner and become the “I’ll get back to that when I have the time” things. Such is life.

I’m fairly certain that the last time I didn’t feel behind was in 6th grade where the most stressful thing on my agenda was choreographing my Bryan Adams lip synching skit for the talent show. (Yes, that happened. It was a “dramatic interpretation of the hit ballad “Everything I Do, I Do it for You,” and I absolutely received a standing ovation).

Anyway, here we are in the second week of January, and I have yet to get started on formulating my New Year’s Resolutions. I realize that resolutions aren’t for everyone, but, if you haven’t noticed from some of my posts, my life has been a bit out of sorts for the last few months. I could definitely use an excuse to start getting my s*** together.

Alas, I find myself behind. I’m not ready to put the pen to the paper yet, so instead, I’ve been packing my Pinterest board with healthy recipes, workouts, organizational ideas and other items that will help me be a better “me” in 2014.

According to a Harris Poll, here are the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Americans:

Resolutions

None of these resolutions are too surprising, and I myself identify with each and every one of them, except for #1 and #7. In fact, I’m sure they’ll be on my list in some shape or form. So, in the spirit of the most common resolutions, this “Things I’m Loving” Edition is dedicated to items geared towards helping us out in these ever-popular self-improvement categories. Get ready to “Pin” away!

Let’s start with my favorite resolution of all…. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Things I'm Loving \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

How not to Kill Restaurant Patrons and Other Lessons Learned From Culinary Geniuses

\ by

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and got to enjoy the fall weather as much as I did (if you live in climates that actually HAVE fall). As the leaves of the mountains change color and thousands of colorful trees flank the river, fall is the time of the year that the Hudson Valley shines. I was lucky enough to show it off to some pretty special visitors: my brother and his wife.

For their birthdays, we bought them a weekend at Buttermilk Falls Inn, a gorgeous bed and breakfast in Milton hidden among 75 acres of endless tress and ponds. City friends, if you’re looking for a getaway from all the hustle and bustle, this is your place! We ate some very delicious food, walked over the Hudson River and even got to show them some of our fave HV hot spots.

IMG_5556

I don’t think we could have asked for a better day, and it was fun to show them around my new home.

But enough about my weekend. Let’s talk about Celebrity Cruises Healthy Living Panel at Rouge Tomate in NYC. As I mentioned on Friday, I was lucky enough to be invited to this breakfast panel, moderated by editor-in-chief of Food and Wine magazine, Dana Cowin, where 4 brilliant minds in the culinary industry (including Food Network’s Chopped judge Marc Murphy) discussed healthy food trends.

P1030677

Celebrity Cruises has partnered with SPE Certified to expand its healthy dining options with scientifically-grounded, third-party validation of their merits. More on this later.

Don’t let  the word “panel” fool you into thinking that this event was boring. As we noshed on delectable cuisine prepared by Rouge Tomate, we listened to 30 minutes of lively discussion from everything to sustainable food preparation, to yes, how NOT to kill restaurant patrons.

Here are the top 5 things I learned from these culinary geniuses:

1. Killing Restaurant Patrons is Bad PR: 

I hope you gathered from my headline that I was being dramatic, but in all seriousness, this has actually become a real concern for restaurant owners and chefs? Why? Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in food allergies amongst both adults and children. Chefs need only worry about “the Big 8” food allergens: cow’s milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts (for example, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. These foods account for 90% of food allergies and can cause life-threatening  anaphylaxis.

Does anyone remember the Sex and the City scene where Carrie claims to be allergic to parsley to make sure it doesn’t end up in her sauce?

Screen Shot 2013-10-14 at 7.45.17 AM

Continue Reading →

Posted in: Healthy Living Events, tips \ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Sinfully Sweet Sugar Cereal Recipe

\ by

 Boy, do I have a treat for you today!

Fruity Pebble Feature

I mentioned on Monday that my friend Molly and I cooked up some delicious Fruity Pebble Pancakes while she was in town, and today, as promised, I have the pancake AND glaze recipe for you.

Prepare to be indulged.

But first, let’s stir up a little controversy on the beautiful Friday morning with this question: Why is sugar cereal food enemy #1 for most mothers of young children.

I present to you public enemy #1.

I present to you public enemy #1.

Moms, please help me understand. You see, when I compare the number of sugar grams per serving of cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Fruity Pebbles (two of my favorites) to, say, everyone’s preferred brand of greek yogurt, guess what food has more per serving…You guessed it: greek yogurt! 5 more grams in fact.

Granted, greek yogurt packs a mean protein punch alongside the extra sugar, but still. Why is there such a movement against feeding children sugar cereal?

I won’t argue that there are more nutritious items to serve your child for breakfast every day, but still, do these cereals really need to be avoided like the plague?

Perhaps I’m so “emotionally charged” on this particular issue is because of my personal experience with it…

Continue Reading →

Posted in: Recipes \ Tagged: , , , , , ,