7 Days of FREE Yoga

If you live in NY or CA you are in luck this week. YogaWorks yoga studios are promoting a Free 7 day trial membership. They are offering unlimited yoga classes for new members only- but it expires tomorrow.

Click here to sign up!

Get Out & About

The weather is starting to warm up and the bunnies are peeking out of their rabbit holes, Spring is here :) Since I was holed up in my apartment the entire winter the 50 degree weather feels like an old friend. Jason and I have been running around this past week, trying to find a new apartment and get a jump start on Spring cleaning. But to be honest, the last thing I want to do is stay inside and clean. So, I decided to make a list of fun, healthy activities I'm gong to start Monday AM.

Before I can bust out my favorite pair of flip-flops, I am in serious need of a spa mani/pedi. I won't be seen in public with nasty toes or flaky skin. If you live in NYC, check out the following places:
Spa Butterfly on 44th between Lex and 3rd ave
New York Nails on 55th between 6th and 7th

For lunch I'm off to a healthy eatery, such as:
Candle Cafe on 75th and 3rd
Press 195 on Bell Blvd in Bayside, Queens

Since I don't want to be inside, I'm going to avoid the gym and get my exercise in elsewhere.
Yoga outdoors. Just head out to your backyard or local park with your mat and get your vinyasa on!

Dinner al fresco.
There are too many to name, but my neighborhood has several restaurants with outdoor seating.

1+1+1= SPRING

Peeps  +

Outdoor Parties  +

Weddings  =

= SPRING!

Behind All of The Makeup

Recently I got a chance to watch The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a documentary about her life through the 'eyes' of Tammy Faye Bakker. I don't know if any of you got a chance to see her son's documentary that used to air on the Sundance Channel, One Punk Under God, but it was a great little series. It followed his life and you got to see Tammy Faye during her last years. Both give you a great insight into their past and see how the downfall of Jim Bakker affected their way of thinking and their take on religion.

What struck me most about the Bakker scandal was that after all was said and done, their religious community wouldn't take them back, wouldn't forgive them. They were ostracized by their community and eventually Jim was sentenced to jail. Tammy Faye and their kids were left to deal with the media and the fact that they were alone in this. Mind you, I don't approve or think that what the Bakkers did was right, fair, or just, BUT I do believe in forgiveness. I am often heard saying "I forgive, but I might not forget". Which can be considered one of my faults, but I truly am a big believer in forgiveness. Forgiveness unto oneself and forgiveness to others. And at the end of the day it makes me feel good.
 
Tammy Faye had a long fight with cancer and lost out in 2007. Behind all of the makeup, I think she had a very forgiving, open, and genuine spirit.

Book Review: The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo

Spring has sprung (finally) and I spent the entire weekend relaxing on a hammock reading my new fave book The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, the first book in a 3 part trilogy. My friend Lynn recommended it to me last week and I quickly picked it up at Barnes & Noble. I am a big fan of mysteries and thrillers and this is right up my alley. The author, Stieg Larsson, handed in all three book manuscripts but unfortunately passed away before they were ever published.

Synopsis
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

One critic described it as 'mesmerizing' and I agree. Well worth the read! Lucky for me it's going to start raining this week and there's nothing like reading a good book under a covered patio while it pours.  

weheartit.com

Hungover Rover?

St. Patty's Day in NY is one of the biggest celebrations of the year, next to New Years. You'll find a slew of characters walking the streets of not only NYC but Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Everyone piles into their local pub until the wee hours of the night (or until a fight breaks out).

So the day after brings the inevitable hangover. Several pints of Guinness followed by nasty shots of green stuff will give you a fine one! Here is my remedy that is definitely not a cure-all, but helps enough to allow me to get out of bed, into the shower, and then on the couch.

H20. Start with a Smart Water and then chug-a-lug a pitcher of Crystal Light (decaf only).

 

Bacon/Ham, Egg, and Cheese w/ OJ. This seems to be a cure-all for every bad morning!
Pix spotted on TasteSpotting.com

This is a KEY ingredient in my remedy- Earth Theraputics Cucumber Eye Pads.

Aussie Style

Put on your best Ozzie accent and throw some shrimps on the barbie whilst perusing a fab new clothing website from Oz called Ruby Love Joy. If you've ever met an Aussie, you'll know they have a carefree and whimsical attitude. It's this bohemian style that shines through in Ruby Love Joy's outfits.

Their store is based in Mooloolaba, Australia which I got to visit on my holiday last year. Mooloolaba (if you think you are saying it right, you probably aren't!) is a wonderful little seaside vacation town north of Brisbane.  Ruby Love Joy's store is a perfect fit since their clothing and jewelry evoke a relaxing, take it easy feeling.

They ship internationally so log on and get ready for the summer!

Coffee Table Chests

Living in tight quarters forces you to become creative when it comes to decorating. My living room (if that's what you can call it) is becoming cluttered with stuff- blankets, magazines, books, frames. I was looking online the other day and came across a bunch of coffee tables that double as storage units. This is a perfect way for me to de-clutter and add a little something to our space. Which one do you like?

Buck Creek Furnishings on etsy.com $210.

JcPenney 's Pyramid Coffee Table $179

Crate&Barrel's Hunter Trunk $499

Miss The Winter?

I woke up this morning and was in a baking mood. I thought how about my banana bread! My girlfriends birthday was a couple days ago so I decided to make her a loaf and another for myself. While the bread was baking away in the oven, I turned on my TV and scanned through my DVR. To my delight I had taped Frosty the Snowman so I decided to click that on and burn a cinnamon candle I picked up during the holidays. It felt like Christmas all over again! I know it sounds silly, considering I've been praying for the winter to end, but now I kind of miss it. For dinner I am making a holiday inspired meal- pepper crusted filet mignon with roasted potatoes.

Hospitable Guests

As you know, I love to travel. There are times when Jason and I visit and we stay with family and friends. I believe that when you are staying at someone's house for a weekend or a week you should make yourself as hospitable as you can, since your hosts are kind enough to put you up for your stay. Usually hospitality refers to the responsibility of the host but I think it can go both ways.

I have a list of rules or do's and dont's when it comes to hosting or being hosted by guests. One of our rules is to buy or pitch in for groceries. Often we have different tastes than our hosts/guests or are in need of our morning OJ or afternoon tea. There's nothing more annoying than having guests over and come Monday morning to find there's no bread left for your toast or that someone ate the 2 bags of chips you just bought. When Jason and I were in Florida visiting my brother last week one of the first things we did was head to the grocery store. We made a list of items everyone wanted and bought some extra goodies for the weekend. The groceries were for all to eat and we didn't even get through most of it.To me, this is just a small thank you to your guests for letting you stay over for a period of time.

my hungry monkey

 

1+1+1= Banana Bread Love

Bananas

 + Non Fat Plain Yogurt  

+ Nutella  

 = Banana Bread

Banana Bread w/ Nutella!

How gooood does that sound? I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light and added my own little delicious twist.

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp  baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3-4 mashed ripe bananas

1/3 cup plain fat free yogurt (I like greek yogurt)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Nutella

Cooking spray

Wax paper

Preheat oven to 350

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Put butter and sugar in a large bowl & beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until mixed. Cut wax paper to fit an 8 x 4 loaf pan, leaving more on the sides to help you pull out the bread when it is done. Then spray waxed pan with cooking spray. Pour ingredients into loaf pan.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan and then pull out with wax paper.

Add 1 Tbsp of Nutella in a small bowl and microwave till softened. Cut yourself a piece of bread and spread Nutella on top.

Heaven :) Add fresh berries for extra yumminess.

Last Minute Take-Off

This past weekend Jason and I were all set to go to Vermont, a vacation we had planned for months with our friends Heather and Danny. I've been stuck in our apartment for the past 5 months feeling icky and was soooo looking forward to getting out of here. But, as luck would have it, we were blessed with another huge snow storm in NY. Due to the foot of snow settling on the ground we decided it would not be in our best interest to drive 4+ hours up to Vermont in a crazy storm.

Suddenly I felt the walls coming in and was determined NOT to spend another winter storm stuck in our shoe box apartment. So I decided at the last minute, and I mean the last minute, that we should hop on a plane and take off to Florida to visit my brother and his family. This hasty decision was made last Thursday @ 6pm. I got us 2 tickets to Florida set to take off at 9:30 pm that night. I loaded a suitcase up with random clothes, picked my husband up from work, and headed to JFK. Luckily the plane left on time and we landed safely. All in the name of vacation.

And how lovely it was! We had a wonderful time visiting my brother, his wife, and my 7 month yr old nephew Chase. We took loads of pictures, played in the sand with Chase, watched dolphins swim by us, and drank our morning coffee in the sun. They live on the beach so waking up to waves crashing and the sun shining was just what the doctor ordered.

To those who got stuck in the storm, I hope you made the best of it and got to enjoy the snow (unlike my bf Melisa who's power is STILL out).

Pix of Jason & Chase on the beach :)