Have a Taste of Intimacy and Romance on New Years' Eve

Until not so long ago, going out on New Year’s Eve, was like winning the lottery – almost nonexistent. The kids were still young, and finding a babysitter was like finding the winning ticket.

 Every mid- December I would contact every female age 15-65, and try to ask, beg, or manipulate someone to stay with my kids.

One year I decided to beat the system: I notified the hubby that we are going to a top notch restaurant, and he should dress appropriately. On the big night, I put on a skimpy LBD, perfume and jewelry and found my husband waiting in his suit looking again like a groom. I invited him to enter our dining room, where candles, flowers, a nice tablecloth and beautiful tableware were awaiting..
 Yes my friends, I made a New year cocktail party for hubby and myself!   Bye-bye begging, Adios bribing babysitters. I went into the kitchen and made some great tasty small things to greet the New Year with style. And you know what? It was romantic, and I celebrated the beginning of the new year with the person I love the most.

Sometimes in life we simply can’t go big and celebrate the way we fantasize. Life gets in the way. It’s important then to think out of the box and find a way to have a special moment in mundane situations. If you don’t have time to cook something?  Simply buy cheese, nuts, olives, crackers and wine, dress nicely and make the effort. I bet you that your significant other and you will not mind that you are by yourself.

I think that welcoming the new year without  some type of luscious chocolate is impossible, so here is Debby Puentee’s recipe for espresso crème brulee. it's sweet, yet grown up, creamy and crunchy at the same time. Somewhat like the coming year with all it's flavors and life itself. Happy New Year to you all!

Espresso Crème Brulee

2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp instant espresso powder

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

6 egg yolks

3 tbsps sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar (for topping)

chocolate-covered espresso beans for garnish

 

1) Heat oven 300°F

 2) In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and espresso powder to a simmer. Do not boil!!!

Whisk to help dissolve the espresso granules.

3) Remove from heat and add the chocolate

while the cream is still hot. Mix until smooth and set aside.

4) In a large bowl, whisk the

egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla together. Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the egg

mixture, whisking to combine. Strain through a sieve. Ladle the custard into six cups

(custard cups, tea cups, ramekins, you name it) and place in a water bath. The way to do it:

5) Boil water in a kettle and when the oven is ready, set roasting pan with custard filled

ramekins on the oven rack and carefully pour the hot water into the pan. Take care

not to let the water splash up and into the custard  Bake until the custard is set, but still jiggles in the middle. This takes

about 40 to 50 minutes.
6)Remove the pan from the oven and let the

custards cool IN THE WATER BATH. Remove from water bath and refrigerate for at

least two hours.

 

7)Before serving, sprinkle a couple of

teaspoons of sugar over each custard and either torch it with a propane torch until the

sugar bubbles and caramelizes.

 

Amada Restaurant: The Art of Tapas

 

A romantic getaway to Atlantic City landed us in an excellent restaurant of one of the best chefs in the United States.

 Jose Garces, won Iron Chef America after defeating chef Jehangir Mehta . A year before, he defeated Bobby Flay as a challenger in an episode that was featuring melon, and this is when I vowed to one day eat this chef’s food. You can imagine how delighted I was to see his restaurant while planning a weekend that included all play and no shame at all.
 Amada, in the Revel hotel, is also the name of Garces’ first restaurant that he opened in Philly in 2005. It’s a Tapas style restaurant.
 We entered this beautiful place, and were seated in a private and romantic “cabana”. While examining the menu I saw that one can choose tapas from the huge selection, but chef Garces also offers his own recommended selection. In a case like such, I always opt to having chef’s recommendation. The reason behind it being that I want to eat what chef is proud of. I also chose to pair with wines that were recommended with these dishes. I was really tempted to try the Sangria ( They have three types: red, white and rose’) but I chose the wine pairing.
This was the beginning of a culinary journey that embarked us on a taste, texture, aesthetic adventure. Tapas are small plates and we kept getting these palette teasers to our  table. From Aged Manchego cheese with thinly sliced apple and lavender honey to Serrano ham to flat bread with shrimp, chorizo and garbanzo beans puree as beginners. We continued with Spanish octopus and potato confit, Spicy potatoes, and unbelievably sweet scallops. The jewel in the crown was the Iberian pork , that is only served in three restaurants in the U. S. I am not a big pork eater, simply because I didn’t grow on pork. This pork, which is what Kobe is for beef, was succulent and could easily compete with any steak in any upscale restaurant. It was accompanied with a fragrant mushroom risotto with truffle oil. I cannot begin to describe to you how it introduced us to new flavors. We don’t get to eat a lot in restaurants and say: wow! This was something new but we did and it was fabulous. I don’t remember which desert was served. It was after that pork, that’s all I can tell you. We came out of the restaurant feeling great, and didn’t even blink at the check, which is about $100 per person.

I recommend it with all my heart. This chef is very accurate in the way that he presents flavors to his diners, and that makes the experience a truly great one.

על השולחן בעשר דקות. איך זה בשבילכם?

הערב הייתי במצב של אפיסת כוחות מהולה באפתיה קלה...
אבל ארוחת ערב היתה חייבת להיות על השולחן כשהחבר'ה חוזרים מהפעילויות.
מה עוד שרציתי אוכל שיהיה עם ויטמינים לאזן את הזבל שנאכל בבית הספר...
היו לי אפס רעיונות, לא זכרתי להפשיר שום דבר . בקיצור, בעיה.
הצצתי במקרר וראיתי קופסה של עלי תרד שהתעלמתי ממנה כבר כמעט שבוע.
ראיתי גם גבינה מלוחה. בהשראת מתכון של חברה.
נורה נדלקה מעל ראשי! יש
פסטה ברוטב תרד . לקח בדיוק 10 דקות והילדים והבעל מאד אהבו.

בבלנדר לערבל:
2 כוסות תרד
1/2 כוס שמן זית
כפית מלח
שן שום אחת או שתים לפי הטעם

להכין את הפסטה החביבה עליכם - אני הכנתי ספגטי

לסנן ולערבב עם הרוטב. להוסיף גבינת פטה ששברתם לחתיכות, רצוי צרפתית.

תהנו חברים

What To Eat- Part One

A few months back I told you about my new year’s resolution: to eat and live healthier.I promised you to research and give you the details about what could be reliable changes in our nutrition. I was sure that a week later, maximum two, I'll be able to write and tell you all about what to eat. Little did I know that I committed myself to reading a lot of studies about nutrition, and trying some of them so I can see how they affect me. I also had to let all this information sink in so I can find the theme/s that are in common. And here went by 6 months…

I would like to keep my promise to you. I’d like to share some of the methods that impressed me the most, tell you about new researches in nutrition- some of them are that largest and longest that were ever  held in the world and thus groundbreaking.
I think that I will dedicate each post for one method. That way you might be able to read about them and maybe try them out. I do not promise to tell you everything about each method.  My goal is to evoke your curiosity and maybe have you tell yourself if it makes sense to you or not.

I am not following any of these methods to the letter. I tried to derive from each one of them what made sense to me and what I thought that I can do in my own life.After I will tell you about these methods, I'll share with you what I am doing, what I am shooting for.I would love to hear from you if you have anything do comment, ask, or share.

When I started my journey (way before I even understood that I am embarking on one) I stumbled upon a book that later I found out was part of a method. The name of this book is: Green For Life by Victoria Butenko. To learn more about Butenko and her family: http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
The importance of this book to me was that it it asked the question: What are human beings supposed to eat and hjow do we know it? Lets face it, we completely lost our natural instincts to just know what we should eat. We are the consumers of whatever we are told is good for us by parties with economic interests and by other confused humans with good intentions. What are we really supposed to eat? How much? How much of each nutrient?
Yes, we have science on our side, but shouldn’t we just know what’s good for us like every other animal knows? And if science is that great in this aspect, why do we still suffer from chronic diseases such as cholesterol, diabetes, not so shiny hair, not so strong nails when we hit our fifties? Yes, we live today until we’re almost a hundred years old, but in what condition? I am not so keen on sitting at the age of hundred on a wheelchair with some tubes coming out of me, thank you very much!
The author of the book, was just as confused as me. She decided to take a look at the diet of an animal that is genetically the closest one to humans, and compare it to what we eat. Certain African chimpanzees are 94% close to us genetically and their diet consists of: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, green leaf, and some bark. Butenko was amazed by the amount of dark leafy greens that they ate, and by the way they chewed their food to a paste consistency. These observations led her to conclude that the human diet should consist of raw greens, fruit and vegetables. In order to mimic the paste texture, she created green smoothies with lots of green leafs such as spinach, kale, lettuce and mixed them with some fruit or vegetables so they will be fit to our modern taste. She is the “mother” of all green juices that even Whole Foods is selling today. Later, I found out that she was influenced by Dr. Ann Wigmore. Dr. Wigmore treated patients for 40 years and found out through experience that eating raw plants has an extraordinary effect on her patients’ health. You can read more about her: http://annwigmore.org/

Main pointers of these two methods combined:

1)      Green leafs are the most important diet change of all!- They are described as super foods, and one should eat as much as possible of them with emphasize on variety. Victoria Butenko sees them as a separate food group from vegetables. The green leafy vegetables should be eaten with fruit. In nature, you see that the chimpanzees roll fruit in leafs and eat them this way. The leafs help the fruit to be digested. More than that, Greens are a great source of protein that is easy to digest. Each leaf is a source of a single amino acid and therefore we should eat different kinds of greens. Greens also have lots of fiber and as such they help in digestion by absorbing poisons from our body and removing them out of it.
Regular western diet recommends 10 gram of fiber daily. Mrs Butenko recommends 70 grams daily. Sounds like too much? Chimpanzees eat an astonishing amount of 300 grams daily and they eat much less garbage than someone on a western diet, right?
Greens elevate the level of alkalinity in the body. Many studies tie high acidity to a array of illnesses among them cancer.
The big problem is that we are required to eat at least 2 pounds of leafs daily and that is how the green smoothies and the green juices come in to the picture- you can put a large amount of greens in them and just drink.
2)      Dr. Ann Wigmore based her diet not only on green juices but on wheat grass juice in particular. Wheat grass has the most amino acids and a lot of vitamins and if you drink a small amount of it, it counts as your daily amount of greens and vegetables. It’s supposed to be a superb cleaner of the digestive system which by her observation was the source of many serious illnesses when it doesn’t function as it should.It's really a magical plant and you can read about it: http://www.foodalive.org/articles/wheatgrass.htm
I drank it and It tastes horrible! It’s very acidic and when you start drinking it, you should drink one ounce.You can also mix it with other fruit.Even though it’s not tasty and never will be, it s so good for us that  I recommend having it whenever you can put your hands on this green!
3)      In a nutshell: Eat raw, eat plant based, sprout your grains, drink green juices and feel great.
4)      This method also puts emphasis on the connection between looking younger and healthier to what you eat.The claim is that when you eat raw only, you get rid real quickly of swelling, allergies, bad breath. It might be easy to laugh about this idea but to me it made a gut feeling sense:
Sure! My food affects my looks. Victoria Butenko even goes further and describes cases of people whose grey her changed back to dark hair, and she explains why pre mature aging is connected to eating too much animal protein.- An interesting concept in the age of no carb /protein is king diets.

That's it, boys and girls. You do not have to agree with Butenko and Wigmore's conclusions but you have to agree that their questions are valid. I wish you from the bottom of my heart to "have a wonderful think"!

Stockton Farmer's Market in NJ- A Nice Weekend Day Trip

I am a huge lover of farmer’s markets, and I try to check them out whenever I have a chance. I love buying produce from the people who actually make it; I love talking to them and seeing if they are proud in what they are selling or indifferent. I make a decision to buy or not partly by that factor. I love of course finding the seasonal, sustainable, organic, free range, grass grazing food- words that should make everyone happy. But I also love people’s creativity and what they make and sell with so much care and pride.

That is how I got into the car with my family and went all the way to Stockton Farmers Market in West NJ. It’s a year round market that operates indoors during the winter. http://stocktonfarmmarket.com/

From the outside it looked slightly disappointing: I thought that I got into a small store but once we got inside, we found a much bigger space that had so many wonderful farms, and vendors participating. Since my whole family shares the curiosity of trying new food we got to try a large variety.

We started off buying some local French feta cheese, and Califon Tomme, a semi soft raw mixed cheese that was aged in a cave for 3 months.

Then we spotted the Mexican stand El Mariachi.  Being back from a vacation in Mexico recently my kids were ecstatic. One quesadilla was immediately devoured, and then a vegetable tamale- excellent! I also bought an aromatic and dark mole sauce and I am planning to cook some chicken in it.

As we were sitting there my carnivore husband spotted the acclaimed Mighty Quinn BBQ where they sell mini sliders with fatty goodness. He bought a sample of each offering: Smoked brisket, pulled pork. We were unanimous that the smoked brisket was heavenly. If you want to read more about them: http://www.brooklynflea.com/2011/11/16/featured-vendor%E2%80%94mighty-quinns/

We also had a Mexican hot chocolate with ice cream in it from Half Pint Kitchens- One cup was too much for all four of us- that is how rich it was but it’s delicious. Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and cold ice cream- how bad can that be???

At this point we were a bit tired from all the tasting but then we spotted two more wonderful vendors.

One is the Tunisian guy from Mediterranean Delicacies from whom we purchased red mixed Zaatar- a mix of Zaatar, Sumac, and Fennel, Roasted sesame seeds, Anise, Coriander, Cumin and salt. It’s delicious on the feta cheese and on bread with olive oil which we of course bought from him because who can resist a man who tells you that his family has an olive grove in Tunisia and they bring it from there?

The second was oh so charming! Simple Living 101 http://simpleliving101.net/- This guy makes home-made jams, pot de crème, and cute red velvet cakes in these beautiful jars…  My son had one taste of the vanilla pot de  crème and knew it had to be his.

It was a fun day; we tried many things and met passionate and nice vendors. Highly recommended.

New Strategy of Survival: Weekly Meals Plan Ahead

I love to plan ahead. This is why I am almost embarrassed to admit: I never planned ahead our family meals. Every week I'd to go to the market and pretty much think about future meals while looking at the products. Problem was that once I got back home exhausted from the shopping, standing on line at the cashier’s register and arranging it, I completely forgot the wonderful meals that I invented.  Come Monday, and I am scratching my head what to make for my picky family.

Not anymore! After a few friends told me that they are planning ahead, I decided to give it a try.
I drew a tablet and started to put in lunch and dinner meals. One meal being lighter than the other.
The reason I plan these two meals is that you cannot imagine how many times I had only one meal prepared, and found myself getting them a take out for the other.
It took some thinking but after about 15 minutes I was done and went shopping accordingly.
I have to tell you that two days passed and my children and husband don’t know exactly what happened but they are extremely happy. More than that, I am happy.  I don’t mind cooking; I justmind coming up every day with a new somethin’.
Here are some advantages to planning ahead:
You can utilize leftovers smartly. If your kids are like mine, they don’t want to eat what they had yesterday. But I outsmart them by cutting the chicken leftovers, mixing with rice, adding a vegetable or a spice and voila! A new meal.  With this kind of planning, I can find a creative way ahead of time and not depend on my creativity de- jour.
You can balance the family’s meals. I can check if my kids are getting all the fruit, vegetables, proteins and grains that they need.
You can diet easier. By thinking about you meals ahead at of time when you are not hungry, you can make better choices also for yourself. Make meals that make you happy too, and ask yourself if you have a leafy green a day, if there is a variety of vegetables, if you are using lean protein, having fish at least once a week and all these question you will never ask when you are tired or hungry and want immediate satisfaction. Buy accordingly and the whole family will benefit.
You can raise your children’s awareness to balanced meals. Go over the weekly plan with them. Ask for suggestions; explain why you chose those foods. If they are going to school chances are they had health classes and they know the basics of balanced meals. It will be nice for them to see how you use these considerations in everyday life. Maybe when college days will come, they will order a salad instead of these fatty salami sandwiches and avoid those dreaded freshmen 15 extra pounds.

If you are curious to know what is on my first ever weekly menu. here is a sample:

Last Wednesday:  vegetable dumplings for lunch/ Israeli salad with schnitzel.
Yesterday: Roasted broccoli with some parmesan shavings+ pasta/ dinner: Stir fry chicken and all of my leftover vegetables- carrots, the broccoli from lunch, mushrooms, cabbage etc’.
Today: They will get veal shanks because it’s part of a dinner I am cooking, roasted vegetables, and a Panini with salad for dinner.
Tomorrow: Mini meatballs w spinach and Sapgetti/ shakshuka (eggs in tomato sauce), salad, yogurt

As you see, I am playing with frozen items (such as the excellent dumplings), leftovers, and easy solutions such as Panini to make life easier and quicker without giving up flavor and health.

Iron Side- The Beauty of Cooking With a Cast Iron Skillet

Many years ago a kitchen wasn’t a kitchen without a cast iron skillet. Then, suddenly, these wonderful tools were replaced by aluminum, and other more modern cooking solutions.

I love cast iron skillets. And cast iron pots. And cast iron Dutch ovens. They are cheap ($30 a pot), easy to use and the results you get on the stove and in the oven is incomparable to any other pot. Plus, they will survive after you- that’s how durable it is, and I know a few people who have their grandmother’s skillet and they claim that the best results are achieved in grandma’s pot.

So why is it not as popular as it should be? I think that people today don’t have the patience that cast iron requires: It needs seasoning. You can’t just throw it into the dishwasher. But in fact it’s really easy to prepare a cast iron skillet for a long relationship and maintain it.
When you first get the skillet, pot, griddle you will need to season it. Seasoning means that you have to smear it with oil and put it in a 350F oven for one hour. After that first time, you are good to go.
Iron and water do not go together well, so when you want to clean the skillet after you used it, you can rinse it quickly with soap and water and immediately dry it and coat it with a bit of oil.
The traditional way is to throw into the skillet kosher salt and let it absorb the oil, wipe it and then coat it with oil. You have to smear a very small amount of oil every time after you use the skillet.
If you didn’t dry the skillet well and it developed rust, scrub it with steel wool and re season again.
It will be good as new.
Here are a few facts:
Although everything from Dutch ovens to cactus-shaped cornbread pans comes in cast iron, nothing is more versatile than a basic skillet. Either a 10- or 12-inch will do.
There's only one thing you shouldn't attempt in cast-iron cookware: boiling water, which will cause the pan to rust.
Cast iron takes longer to warm than other surfaces but retains heat remarkably well and diffuses it evenly.
Cast iron remains hot long after you remove it from the stove. As a reminder to be careful, drape a thick towel or a mitt over the handle.
Cooking in cast iron increases the iron content in food. The longer the food is in contact with the skillet, the more it absorbs.
Since you can bake, deep fry, sauté in a cast iron skillet I am giving you only 2 of my favorite  recipes to enjoy and will give more in future posts:

 Pan seared rib eye steak:

1 boneless rib eye, 1½ inch thick. Room temperature- Take it out about an hour before you want to cook but no more than 2 hours!
 Kosher Salt, black pepper
Canola oil to coat
Place the skillet (10-12 inches) in the oven. Heat the oven to 500F. When it reached temperature,
remove and place on the stove on high heat. Lightly coat the steak with oil on both sides and season generously with salt and black pepper. Immediately place the steak on the hot dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. After 30 seconds turn to other side and cook again without moving 30 seconds.
Place the skillet immediately into the oven for 2 minutes. Then flip and bake for another 2 minutes.
(This time is for medium rare. If you want medium- give 3 minutes on each side.).
Remove the steak from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 2 minutes.

Cast iron skillet corn bread

1 1/4 cups coarsely cornmeal                    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup whole milk                                     3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk                                             1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten                                   1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted                 2 teaspoons baking powder

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk and eggs.  Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the skillet later on.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

Rosted Pepper Pesto Sauce That Will Save The Day Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Today I am super busy, I have tons of work and on top of it, I am preparing the brine for the turkey, and
all sorts of make- ahead arrangements for the big T Day.
But let's not forget that dinner has to be on the table tonight because unfortunately my family believes in eating daily. (Did you ever think how wonderful would it be if we ate once a week?)
Out of desper came what I will "modestly" say is just a tad less than a stroke of genius:
I took a jar of roasted peppers, grated some Grana Padano cheese- the cheaper version of Parmesan- but you can use Parmesan, pine nuts, 1 clove of garlic, and a bit of olive oil, and threw all that into the handy dandy food processor. In a matter of 3 minutes I have a whole jar (the empty one from the peppers)
full of delicious pasta sauce.
And you can also use it for a dip- mixed with yogurt, eggplant Parmesan- for a different kind of red sauce.
How is it for 3 minutes work????

S Is For Smoothie

My close friends know:  I am a big smoothie fan. Here’s why.

1.You can put in it fruit and/or vegetables, which counts as a big part of your necessary 6 serving daily intake.
2.You can add vitamins and fiberto make it even healthier. That is. if your doctor allows it and it doesn't interfere with other medication you're taking.
3.It’s texture suggests that if you are not a great chewer (like me), it absorbs well in your body.
4.It takes 4 minutes to make, including the clean up.

In no way am I saying that a smoothie will fill you for the whole day.  It will probably  make you feel good for about 2-3 hours in the beginning. But if you will drink the potion every day, you will feel gradually, after about 3 weeks or so. then it can replace breakfast. Or  not. In any case, you did your body a huge favor.

So smoothie it is.  For the next 3 weeks, as I wake up and try to figure out who’s who and what's what, I shall put the blender to work.

There are a few smoothie recipes that I like; each one is for a different reason. Some of them are my

recipes and some are not. Here are two.

Green smoothie: Considered to be very healthy, and is surprisingly tasty.  Scientists claim that we are missing on the amount of greens that we are consuming daily. Also, even if we’re eating a nice salad, we are not chewing it well enough into the paste- like texture, needed for a good absorption. Did I mention that chimpanzees, our genetically (almost) close relatives never have cancer? Or that Greeks, who include mustard greens in their daily diet, live until they’re 100 years old???

1 bunch of spinach, washed
¼ pine apple
1 banana
1 cup water
Buzz until smooth. Drink, and feel healthier by the minute. You already consumed 3 servings of
Your daily fruit and veggies.

 Anti oxidant your body with this berry- licious smoothie: This smoothie has Ester-C, which isVitamin C in a way that protects your stomach, and Psylium Husks- fiber addition. It comes with Berries, especially Blueberries which are great anti oxidant agents. are rich in fiber and vitamin c and have tons of manganese which converts protein and carbs into energy.

 ½ cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
½ cup orange juice
2Tbs maple syrup or  raw honey
Powder of 3 capsules of Ester C vitamin
½ tsp Psylium husks
Cup of ice
Use the ice cursher in your blender to buzz for a minute.

Although I love smoothies because of their fiber, don't forget also to juice juice juice whenever you can. You consume that way much more vegetables than you would anyother way, plus it's so tasty!
Apple(I prefer Fuji)
1 celery head
1 spinach bunch
1/2 Romain lettuce
1 lemon, peeled

It's such a great drink!

A Wonderful Tool For Losing Weight

Hi all,

I registered today on this website, and loved it so much that I am sharing.
My personal trainer (don't get excited, it was a one time gig) recommended it to me. She said that some of her clients, who did not succeed in losing weight for a long time, used it and it worked for them.
You register on-line, and write your age, height and weight plus your weight loss goals and level of activity. In a matter of seconds, it caculates how many calories you need daily. But that's not all. It has a diary where you can record every food you eat, including the brand name. When you put the food in, it will break down it's nutritional value to calories, carbs, proteins, and fats. it will let you know how much you have left of each category for the rest of the day.
What you actually get, is an honest picture of what you eat daily, and where are your weakensses. My trainer told me that since she suffers from a certain desease, she found out that she ate too little. When she increased her carb intake, she lost weight!
I can tell you that from one day of recording I can learn that I eat food which is too high in protein (24 grams) and fat (some of it surprised me that it has protein in it- such as rice), and too low in carbs.
It also has a cute way to keep your water in take in check.
www.myfitnesspal.com

Water Front

We all know that we have to drink at least 8 cups of water, including me. As you read in my last post,I drink only a third of this recommended amount.Coming out of the assumption that I am pretty sane (I checked, for real), why am I not running around with a bottle of water during cool days and not only summer days?

In an attempt to make the change, I went to find out why is it so important to drink water. Not coffee, not soda, not anything else.

Did you know that about of 75 per cent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration? Pretty scary statistics for a developed country that has available water through every tap.Are you tired during the day? Suffer from short-term memory loss? Have trouble reading this? You might be one of these 75%.

Apparently, out body relies on water as a base of almost all of it’s functions, from creating saliva to removing waste from it, and being the number one detox agent.I knew all that, but I didn’t know it decreases the chance for colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and in new studies, breast cancer.

Well, I am not in the business of scaring myself, and call me vain, but the most convincing arguments for me will always be the ones that are connected to diet and staying young…
When I say young, think grape vs. raisin, fresh vs. wrinkles- you got the picture. Water is the number one medicine to ensure longevity, and since it “drives” the food out of your body, guess what happens when you consume the needed amount of water.

OK. I got it. 8-10 cups of water is good for us. Now how do I get to drink this amount???

My friend T says she runs everywhere with a full bottle of water. The fact that it’s in front of her, makes it easy for her to remember to drink. I tried to put 2 liters of water in front of me, but the bottles looked at me and I looked at them. Do I have a problem with commitment??

Seriously, I think that the problem of sticking to a water regime or any other, for that matter is coming from another place. Laziness? Self- destruction? Lack of discipline? Or maybe just not believing that good things are so easy to get?

Theories of change say that you need 90 days in order to turn a change into a new habbit, so in the next 3 months, I am planning to take water with me, order only water at restaurants, drink a cup of water when I wake up and a cup of water before I go to sleep. Is anyone joining me?

Diary Shmiary

In my last post, I felt energetic and committed to write everything that went into my mouth, and measure it against the general rules I decided will bring me to better health. In order to get into a proper mood, I went and bought myself the most beautiful diary to promote inspiration
I recorded for a week everything that went into my mouth. I have to say that it’s a very disillusioning and humbling experience. Those handfuls of pretzels that seemed not so much are actually 20 when you count them...
I will also say that I am humiliated, defeated and sad to announce that if it was a test in the university, I would miserably fail. Luckily, it's only my good health we are talking about.
So ta da, the results:
1) I drink about 3 cups of water daily. That means, I am missing 6-8 cups from my goal of 10 cups a day.
2) I drank almost every day lemon juice but I did not drink it first thing in the morning.
3) Alkaline food- A big topic that we will discuss very soon. I can say that I tried very much to eat less red meat, which means I ate it once this week, which was a week with a lot of eating outside
with chances to eat even more. I made an effort to eat more fish than usual. Does canned tuna count??? I wonder...
4) I ate some vegetables and fruit but did not eat too many greens. I also can’t say those were a big part of my food though. Need a change there too.
5) Sugar? I didn’t sweeten my drinks however I ate a piece(or two or three) of cake.
I could go on and on, but you get the picture: There’s a gap or a distance between where I want to be, and where I actually am in the area of nutrition and health.
The truth is actually hiding between the lines of what I wrote in that diary. I always wanted to be this woman who radiates health. One of those that when you look at her, you know she eats well and takes good care of herself. I think it also means to me, that this kind of person loves herself enough to embrace the fact, that she deserves the best in life and in food:  The freshest ingredient, the healthiest choices that are also scrumptious. The food, that when you look at it, bursts with colors and energy. Doesn’t it mean that this woman will take the best produce on the shelf of life?

Rulles Of (Healthy Eating) Engagement

Once I decided on eating healthier, it was only a matter of time for me to try to make sense of all the material I have been reading about nutrition.

Don't you think it's the weirdest thing in the world that every animal on the planet knows instinctively what it should or shouldn't eat except humans? The smartest creature on Earth begins to sound more and more stupid.

I took three main approaches:

Let's look at what chimpanzees eat because they are the closest to us genetically (97%).

Let’s see what scientist say about food preventing illnesses and being your “real age”.

Let’s use some common sense and try to listen to my gut, see how I feel after eating or not eating certain foods.

It was quite confusing but here’s what I came up with:

1)      Drink a lot of water – 10 -12 cups daily would be great. 8 would be sufficient.

2)      Have lemon juice in the morning. And no: coffee, tea, juice and soda do not count.

3)      Eat alkaline food as much as you can, and eat acidic food as little as possible.

Some of the foods considered to be alkaline might surprise you because you would perceive them as acidic, such as lemon. This is the most important diet doctors give people who had cancer.

4)      Eat a lot of greens, vegetables and fruit. Chew well!

5)      Eat whole grains. If you can sprout them, you will do your body a nutritional favor.

6)      Reduce your red meat intake; Eat fish at least twice a week.

7)      I am not sure about my attitude towards milk products yet. Such a huge debate!

Is cow milk which was intended for her calf good for adult us or not? I am leaving it in the air right now. Let’s say I have almond milk and regular milk in my fridge right now.

8)      Sugar? Nope. Splenda etc’? Even worse. Let’s stick with maple syrup, honey, and no thank you, I take mine without anything.

In order to measure myself against those rules, and see what needs improvement, I will record anything I put in my mouth for a week. Please join me when I reveal my results. I’ll be more than happy if any of you would write a diary too, and share.

The family corner:

For my family, I am not that ambitious. If I will be able to have them eat food they love and I know is healthier, I’ll be happy. As I go along the way, I’ll share the recipes I have experimented on that got their seal of approval.

New Year, New Decisions

As many of you know, last week was the Jewish New Year. Ususally people tend to make their new year resolutions on January, which is a depressing and cold month, totally unfit for big decision making.
So this year, yours truly decided to go with the Jewish calendar,  make one Rosh Hashana decision and try to stick to it.
I won't exhaust you with the process, let's jut say that white smoke was seen only after I committed to making this year healthier.
I am trying to change my family's (and my own) eating repertoire and make us healthier food, introduce new ingredients, read a lot about cutting-edge research of nutrition, and use some common sense.
I will test the food on myself and my family, and see what the results will be. The winning recipes will be shared with you.
I am not going to cheat, at least not without admitting I did.
You are invited to follow my journey, comment, encourage and give nutritional info you gathered along the way.

So off we go!    

What Makes a Great Barbeque?

 As any other suburban resident I have been to many barbeques. Most of them are now forgotten but some of them remain in my memory.

What makes a BBQ stand out and become an extraordinary experience?

The company, of course. As my friend told me just yesterday, choosing the right combination of guests is an art form. They should all have motivation to talk to each other and make a conversation that goes mostly around the table and not in small groups. When everybody is chatting happily, you know it's a success.

The decor- It doesn't have to be fancy, but guests appreciate effort and aesthetics when they see it. It sets the mood to: I see you invested in me, so I'll invest my best effort to be a great guest at this event.

The drinks: From non- alcohol fruity drinks to pitchers with alcoholic mixtures, the name of the game is colorful and seasonal. Pull out the cooling cucumber, mint and watermelon or go with raspberries and peaches.

The food- Think about your guests when you choose the menu. Do your guests care about weight gain? If the answer is yes, include vegetables and light protein such as chicken and fish in the menu.

If they are young and hungry, go ahead and pull off your best burgers, and don't forget the french fries to keep those lonely burgers company. I also find that we all have our repertoire of things that we grill, and that every BBQ we grill those same foods and bore the hell out of our guests. Variety is the name of the game. You don't need to alter everything but change something. Make your guests wonder on their way to you what delicious food they are going to eat this time.

My favorite imaginary BBQ has a lot of Mediterranean influences. There has to be a long table filled with lots of food and the feast has to take hours. If there is a meal with guests that I consider a failure, it's the one where the food is laid on the table, everyone is eating quickly, and in about 40 minutes everyone is full and ready for desert. Not on my watch! Imagine lots of small plates filled with colorful, seasonal dips, spreads, cheeses, vegetables with foccacia, pita bread and crackers to accompany them.

Think antipasti or tapas and you'll get the picture. Low-percentage alcohol is poured in glasses or fruit smoothies to the healthier of us.

After everyone is a bit happier, not crazy-hungry but not full yet, we start with the grilling. The aromas are in the air, the conversation is bubbly and in comes a second wave of grilled vegetables, salads, couscous, and potatoes. The meat is ready, and since a lot of thought was put in fitting it to the guests, everybody is happy.

Also it doesn't hurt to surprise them with a new marinade, sauce, kind of meat, anything that will just give the affair a little zing of the unexpected. The conversation comes in bursts and we have a one hour pause. Now we are ready to consider the last course.

Last but not least: Ice coffee, mint tea and cold watermelon, and fruit salad. I love cakes but when you had so much to eat I feel that fruit is the way to go.

Everybody is now glowing with sugar fix but not feeling guilty because it's just cold fruit.

they say goodbye and I go on feeling that friends are amazing to have and host.

My next post will be all about BBQ food, and how to make it unforgettable. Join me and get some recipes to creat your own vision of an enjoyable barbeque.

Exhibition in DC and Mario Batali's vegetable garden are opening soon!

     I don't know about you, but I always am looking for something new to see or do. That's why I am so happy when I cans hare with you upcoming summer events. They are of course, connected to food and people.

     The summer is bringing with it another option of outdoor exploration at the NYC Botanical

Gardens. Chef Mario Batali is celebrating today beginning of gardening season with students from the Bronx.Together, they are going to plant his favorite vegetables. I wonder, will Basil be one of them...?

Aug. 27 to September 25 you will be able to visit the gardens and see for yourself.

http://www.cityspoonful.com/mario-batali-garden-to-take-root/

     On Friday, June 10 The National Archive in DC is opening a new exhibit:

What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? About the government effect on the American diet.

It's a very interesting exhibit with a lot of stories about the people or the reason behind the change in policy.

Check out :

What made canned meat, ketchup and candy so dangerous at the time of the Industrial Revolution?

Or

What did President Lyndon Johnson serve at White House State dinners?

How can Donuts improve Moral? And more!

Open through January 3^rd 2012.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-75.html

Top Food Trucks In New Jersey

     

     In my last blog I felt that I showed too much love to the Big Apple, and ignored completely the food truck scene in New Jersey. One has to show some loyalty, so I decided to let you in on what I know is out there.

     The majority of NJ gourmet mobile food trucks are around Hoboken and Jersey City. It's no wonder because these locations have a city environment: many people are passing by, there are lots of office buildings around, and a young crowd is out and about.

     Then, Surprisingly, one can also find a food truck in a remote place such as a farm in western Morris county, where a graduate from CIA decided to set his truck at the farm driveway, cook with fresh farm produce and gained a lot of success. I am talking about Hot Box truck- at Mini Mac Farm in Long Valley (Morris county). Farm to table in it's purest meaning. Memorial Day through Labor Day. http://www.hotboxfoodtruck.com/ Run!!!!

     Another remote example that got a lot of attention is Chow Haul Truck- Long Branch and West Long Branch beaches. I went crazy for their meatloaf that was baked in muffin tins. http://www.chowhaultruck.com/ , http://twitter.com/chowhaultruck

Nomad Pizza- Authentic wood burning Napoli style pizza. They appear in food festivals mainly.

http://www.nomadpizzaco.com/ I am mentioning them because they are unique.

I didn't forget about the Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark trucks. They are easy to get to, and have great interesting chow:

Cinnamon Snail- Hoboken and farmer markets, Organic vegan food such as grilled tofu in chipotle rub over arugula with lime vinaigrette. The food is interesting, organic and healthy for you. What more can you ask of a food truck? http://twitter.com/veganlunchtruck

Le Petit Temptation- Sinatra Drive Hoboken. Dessert truck with crème brule, pralines and more. Weekends only.

Louisiana Spice Truck- Grove Street PATH Station, Jersey City. You can eat Jambalaya and other kaijoun favorites. Weekdays only. http://www.louisianaspicetruck.com/

Krave- Jersey City. Korean BBQ. Let me tell you- They serve you a soft tortilla with short ribs, sesame chicken or pork, monterey jack and kimchi- very good!

Quick But Authentic (QBA)- This truck operates in NYC but also at Exchange Place, Jersey City.

Taco Truck- Exchange Place, Jersey City. It's much more than a taco place. I loved their chorizo con papas. It's chorizo with potato and crema. http://thetacotruck.com/

They serve great Cuban sandwiches, empanadas and more. http://www.qbacubankitchen.com/

Taqueria Authentica- Newark near Gateway Center and also at Monclair and Summit farmer markets. and also farmer markets. This guy serves great authentic tacos. http://www.taqueriaauthentica.com/

Great Food Trucks in NYC

     Now that the weather is starting to be more reasonable, we can satisfy our crave to go outside and have some fun.

     For someone who lives in NJ, it means first of all to leave to NYC... It's just a joke, don't get all righteous on me, but seriously, don't we all just love a great day in the city?

     As a foodie, I like to go after my taste buds. They will sometimes bring me to the Chelsea market, or to the Upper West side bookstore that specializes in cook books, or that chocolatier that I absolutely adore. Always, there will be something, and that's the beauty of this diverse, crazy place.

     One of the best things to do is a food crawl that involves gourmet food trucks. It's a great trend: People who are passionate about cooking, some of them chefs who simply didn't have enough funds to open a restaurant, get this truck and start to create amazing food.

     Most of them use social media, Twitter and Facebook, to let customers know where they are. That is the new way to advertise with no cost.

     The scene is constantly changing, so please let me know if you try a new truck and you like it.

Here is the list of the ones I tried in NYC and liked:

Rickshaw Dumpling Cart- Great Chinese dumplings with versions varying from chicken and Thai basil, to pork and Chinese chive, and edamame.

http://www.twitter.com/rickshawtruck , http://www.rickshawdumplins.com/

Wafels and Dinges – If you are in the mood for Belgian sweets such as a Belgian wafel, a special spread that taste like crushed teddy grahams or fresh strawberry and whipped cream- that's your truck!

http://www.waflesanddinges.com/

Calexico Carne Asada- They serve upscale Cal- Mex food. Have locations in Brooklyn and NYC on Wooster St. & Prince St.

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck – I loved the chocolate ice cream with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/biggayicecream

or http://www.biggayicecreamtruck.com/ for locations.

Cupcake Stop- This is the cupcake wet dream! They are handmade with great flavor. I love the Lemon Lemon one. http://www.cupcakestop.com/ and also in twitter: http//:twitter.com/cupcakestop

Papa Perrone- It's a Pizza truck with original pizza toppings on 55 St. Between Madison & Park^. They also are famous for their rice ball. http://www.papaperrone.com/

NYC Cravings – Taiwanese food. Great dumplings that are worth the visit. Midtown to downtown.

Location varies, http://www.nyccravings.com/ , http://twitter.com/NYCCravingss

El Peluche- Dominican food, especially the chimichuri, a hamburger. 10^th Ave/20^th St.

Go Burger- They have burgers from sirloin, short ribs, brisket (my favorite), Cobe hot dogs and great sides. Very recommended. South Street, Seaport, pier 17 http://www.goburger.com/ , http://twitter.com/goburger

Patty's tacos- she is in two locations: Union Square & 14^th St. at night and during the day on Lexington bet 85^th & 86th. It's Mexican authentic cuisine with great Mexican soda.

Schnitzel & Things- Austrian cuisine. http://twitter.com/schnitzeltruck , http://www.schnitzelandthings.com/