What are the latest and greatest health-related products? How can I spice up my ho-hum workout? Are the new nutritious food products and health-focused restaurants worth my money? If you're asking any of these questions you've found the right spot!Note: While I'm a journalist with a Bachelor's degree in kinesiology and am a Certified Health Education Specialist, I don't replace the guidance/counseling that comes from a good chat with your doctor or dietitian. For more information, feel free to contact me at karlaswalsh@gmail.com!
Healthful Bites
I stopped in at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art yesterday after receiving an invite to the event and seeing it discussed in several city papers earlier this week. How could I not, once I heard that everyone in attendance would take home a free jar of Peanut Butter & Company PB and better yet, that jar would be matched by one jar donated to the Food Bank for New York City?!
While at the “museum,” I snapped a few photos of some of my favorite pieces of peanut butter art on display. A few more details about the artsy and funny meals above (and even a nutrition-minded, option or two, although many are better for looking at than tasting):
- Pizzelle Perfect: Pizzelle waffle cookies layered with peanut butter and topped with berries
- Nuts for the Beach: White bread with peanut butter, tiny crabs, seaweed, brown sugar “sand” and starfruit starfish
- Starry Sandwich: An artfully cut honey peanut butter on toasted brioche, topped with starfruit
- Don’t Be Afraid: An inside-out PB&J of sorts—with the J outside. Arachibutyrophobia (spelled out in Alpha-Bits) means “a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth,” according to Dictionary.com.
- Peanuptual Agreement: White bread, smooth peanut butter, vanilla buttercream icing and sprinkles
- You Say Tomato: Red and green tomatoes sandwiched between peanut butter-coated sourdough
- Sandwich Artist: A PB&J palette with strawberry jam, apricot preserves, mint jelly and smooth, chocolate and spicy peanut butter
Here’s a fun peanut quiz full of tidbits I learned at the event and in the “literature” distributed. Answers will be listed at the end of the post…so don’t peek ahead! ;)
- How many peanut farmers were elected to the U.S. presidency?
- True or false: More people prefer crunchy peanut butter than smooth.
- To create one 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, how many nuts would you need?
- Do more people put on the peanut butter or the jelly on first when crafting a PB&J?
To up the ante on the Healthful Bites 200th Post giveaway (wait, you mean you haven’t entered yet? Go now! You have until Friday.) the winner will not only get a 6-pack of workout DVDs, but will also receive the jar of Old Fashioned Smooth peanut butter.
Finally, the trivia answers!
- Two. Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jefferson.
- True. Sixty percent of people opt for crunchy PB, when given the choice.
- 747 nuts!
- Ninety-six percent smear on the PB before the J.
What’s the greatest peanut butter creation you’ve ever made?
As evidenced by the packed New York City streets—well, even more packed than usual—the city that never sleeps also never stops being a great tourist destination! In case you can’t make it this season, I took an active walking day around town (that’s my fitness-y angle ;) ) to capture snapshots of the festive decorations. So even if you’re not fighting the crowds near the Rockefeller Center tree, or its equally lovely, but overshadowed cousin at Bryant Park, you can experience the lights and a bit of the atmosphere of NYC at Christmastime.
What screams “holidays” to you? For me, it’s the lovely sparkling lights!
Yesterday, I joined a few of my e-pals for lunch at a Manhattan organic restaurant, GustOrganics—finally meeting the amazing people I chat with on Twitter or speak with on their blogs!
The conversation flowed as well as the water does at a get-together of healthy living bloggers. ;) We discussed our own fitness plans, the proposed changes to the Weight Watchers plan (two of the tweeters actually attend the same Weight Watchers meetings!), the current season of The Biggest Loser, as well as all of the fantastic day jobs among the group!
When it came time to order, I, and several of my dining pals, opted for the whole-wheat grilled veggie pizza. The crust itself was grilled too! It was almost like a sliced veggie salad topped with oregano, on top of a grilled flatbread smothered in tomato sauce. Delish!
And how neat is it that they serve the pizza on a wooden plank?
Group shot! Margo (Brooklyn Fit Chick), Alison (Foster Fitness), Sheryl (Bitch Cakes), Rob (Fit City) and Sarah (behind the camera and below in the lovely orange jacket!).
As we were getting ready to leave and enjoy the Indian summer weather, we planned to gather again soon—next time for a group workout! So if you’re around the NYC area, stay tuned and I will let you know when that is organized. It is sure to be a blast!
Have you ever met your “web” friends in person? Was it a great experience (like mine yesterday) or not-so-much?
As mentioned in my last post, my sisters and a couple of their pals were in town this past weekend! Between walking all around town and chatting up a storm, we had a few little adventures. I finally remembered to tote my camera along with me, so I chronicled some of the fun via pictures!
One of the evenings, we went to the musical/rock opera American Idiot, based off of the Green Day album by the same name. Very different from the majority of other Broadway shows I have seen, but pretty enjoyable! I’m already jamming to the soundtrack on my iPod ;)
The next day for brunch, I took my guests to a new (to me) restaurant in the East Village called The Organic Grill. You could probably guess what I ordered if you took a peek at the menu—the Vegan Blueberry “Slamcakes!” Mmm…And look at all that was hiding underneath:
(Please disregard the blur.) Chock-full-o-berries. Delicious, hearty whole grains and antioxidant-packed fruit!
My sister Sarah opted for the frittata, which includes (besides eggs of course) potatoes, soy sausage, onions, red peppers and cheese.
As you can see, we were also quite thirsty after walking around the city quite a bit. Water refills please!
Sarah and her buddies Lynn and Meghan showing some love!
Later, we moved along to one of the biggest tourist-y things to do when in NYC: A Double Decker bus tour. Just don’t tell my fellow New Yorkers! Still, I thought it would be informative for this semi-new city dweller. We saw some neat things along the way that we may not have come across on our own…
This display in the West Village, called Tiles for America, pays tribute to the victims of 9/11. School children decorated and displayed one tile for each person lost that day.
Our unique vantage point from under the Manhattan Bridge. Poor guy, always overshadowed by it’s Brooklyn brother!
And a quick snapshot of the lesser-seen part of the Empire State Building. Brings to mind a little Jay-Z, no?
Later, we grabbed dinner at Pulino’s, a wood-fired pizza place with a local sourcing focus. The chef calls his work “pizza for the people.” Pulino’s decor was so rustic and fun!
A glimpse of the distressed picnic tables and the menu.
I‘m no big drinker, but the bottles are a cool, colorful touch!
I shared the marinara pizza (tomato, garlic, oregano) with Meghan. So tasty—and the crispy crust was done to perfection!
Here’s a tip for dining at wood-fire or coal oven pizza restaurants: The chefs often top your pie off with a generous pour of olive oil. If you prefer to skip it, just ask! They’re generally very accommodating.
The family group shot with Sarah (left) and Amy. Thanks for coming ladies! Hope you had a good time.
Now the question is, who’s coming to visit next? :D
Am I just a total child of the ’80s, or did you catch that Madonna reference?
Just popping in to say sorry I’ve been so M.I.A. lately. I’ve been booked with all sorts of exciting things, and have also spent the past few days preparing for some special visitors this weekend—my sisters and a couple of their pals! Since I’m going to be busy hosting and having a blast, I won’t be posting (although at the pace I’m going, that’s probably not a huge shocker to anyone)! :D
I hope to be back next week with some highlights of our fun this weekend, which will likely include some delicious eats. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few links to my recent stories that have appeared over at my other favorite site: FitnessMagazine.com!
- Earbuds that actually stay put. No joke. Find out about the unique winners here!
- Anyone who knows me knows that I love my workout songs. Vote for your favorites of 2010 in this poll.
- Ever wanted to know how a U.S. Open champ stays fit? Read on to learn how Belgium’s Justine Henin keeps in tip-top form, even when injured.
What relaxing and rejuvenating plans do you have for the weekend? I’ll be hanging out with these lovely ladies!
Sorry I chopped you off Sarah!
P.S.: Shout out to one of my best pals Jenn, who officially becomes Mrs. Krenn this weekend!! So exciting :)
On Thursday after work, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Danielle for dinner at SoHo’s Souen restaurant. Danielle and I first met while we both interned at Fitness last summer, and more recently reunited as roomies at Fitbloggin’! She is now keeping busy with a fantastic internship at a unique company and she always has great stories to share. So was the food at Souen, a macrobiotic restaurant, as good as the company?
We’ll get to that soon, but first: what does macrobiotic mean?
In Greek, macrobiotic literally translates to big/long life. The plan emphasizes eating natural and mainly plant-based foods and being in-tune with the environment. Proponents claim that eating this way will better align your body and spirit with nature—thus leading to extra years, fewer illnesses and greater happiness. Organic and seasonal foods are encouraged whenever possible and the eating local craze seems to jive pretty well with the macrobiotic philosophy.
Macrobiotic “dietary guidelines” recommend vegetables at every meal, whole grains, fruit juices without added sugars, non-meat protein sources such as beans or tofu and certain teas.
When it came time to order, Danielle and I had a “great minds think alike” moment! We both decided on the Macro Plate and opted to split an order of Gluten Free Cornbread as well.
I think the orange bits are carrots, and the dressing/dip is tahini.
The Macro plate came with the legume of the day, black-eyed peas—which weren’t quite as rockin’ as the band, but close! ;) Steamed greens, carrots, broccoli, kabocha squash and hijiki seaweed represented the vegetable family. And the meal was rounded out with about a cup of brown rice.
Now the verdict: the cornbread dish was a little disappointing. Danielle and I agreed that the texture was nice, but the taste was not like any cornbread I had ever had before. It was slightly nutty in flavor and not nearly as sweet as most cornbreads that I am used to. The slices were cooked well, with a soft inside and slightly crunchy crust. But the consistency couldn’t mask the fact that the cornbread wasn’t extremely tasty, in my opinion. (And the tahini wasn’t too hot either).
It’s not all bad news at Souen, however! The Macro Plate was quite delish. The black-eyed peas were the perfect savory and smooth accompaniment to the just al dente (you can use that term for more than pasta, right?) brown rice. I loved how the vegetables were very simply steamed so that they retained their amazing taste and texture. Some restaurants say “steamed” when they really “saute” or cook in plenty of oil, so I give kudos to places that really steam when they say they are! This dish confirmed the fact that I am not a fan of seaweed at all. But now I know for the future! It’s always good to expand your horizons—if for nothing else than to have a story to share :)
Overall, the prices at Souen were very affordable and the atmosphere was very zen. I will likely return to try some of their more adventurous offerings or daily specials.
From the looks of the menu and my review, would you be interested in joining me? What do you think of the macrobiotic concept?
Hi friends! Please bear with me while I take the next week off from blogging. As my amazing friend Jenn has taught me, sometimes it’s more important to live life rather than write about living it! The next few days will be filled with furnishing my apartment (get ready Ikea), touring my new neighborhood as well as working (and getting Internet in my apartment—only six more days!) All of the walking and lugging around big bags will surely be a good workout :)
Since today’s post is technically good for you eats-themed, I would adore your advice about stocking my kitchen. Currently, I am making due with one skillet pan, one sauce pan, a hand blender and the usual set of plates, cups, bowls and silverware. But I know I need to stock up on more equipment so that cooking at home is simple, accessible and fun. Although grocery shopping in NYC certainly causes sticker shock, it’s almost always more affordable to dine at home than out on the town. So do tell: what kitchen tools can you not live without?
(Image from Food Network Blog)
OK, so my kitchen isn’t quite as expansive as this one, but it’s not bad…
And while we’re at it, I’m dying to know what quick, healthful bites you have been creating in your own kitchens lately. I’m anxious to try out some new recipes to go along with my new digs. The catch: I won’t have a ton of time to prep these dishes. Please share in the comments links or recipes for your latest and tastiest eats. My experimentation with your suggestions may be chronicled on a later post!
Have a fabulous week everyone and see you next week for what’s sure to be an exciting fresh restaurant review. (Hey, I didn’t say I’d cook at home every meal ;) )
This weekend, I decided to compile restaurant reviews from my last blog, Health and the City, for the latest good for you eats post. Last summer, I used Health and the City to chronicle my time in the concrete jungle interning at Fitness Magazine. So why am I aggregating these on Healthful Bites, you ask? I’m packing for a move back to NYC because I’m starting my new full-time job at Fitness on Wednesday!
Despite the stress of packing, finding a place to live and moving away from family, I’m very excited to start a new chapter in my life! I hope to keep blogging here on a regular basis. But please bear with me if I need to take a hiatus if things get hectic ;)
In past posts, we’ve discussed eating well at restaurants. Now, here are my top ten picks for New York City dining establishments that I have been able to visit so far. I’m sure this list will change plenty in the coming months…but it’s a start and a good way to share my better-for-you picks that city visitors may want to hit up!
FYI: None of these restaurants have given me meals or paid me to say this (although now that I know that they’re all great, I wouldn’t say “no” to another meal ;) ). So you can believe that I am feeding you the straight scoop!
1. Quantum Leap: A go-to joint for vegetarians and vegans, Quantum Leap has killer brunch (my fave: whole wheat vegan apple cinnamon pancakes with fresh fruit)!
A delish veggie burger (Quantum Leap’s specialty!) and salad.
2. Pump Energy Food: “Clean, healthy food” to fuel your healthy lifestyle. Plus, Pump serves scrumptious Only 8 frozen yogurt for dessert!
3. Better Burger NYC: Fast food flavor and dishes without the grease. Baked fries, vegetarian chili and a very environmentally-friendly store keep many returning!
(Image from Grace Notes)
Bakes fries from Better Burger NYC.
4. Healthalicious: Nutritious options, with no additives or preservatives, for all meals of the day. The asparagus, mushroom and zucchini ravioli with marinara sure was tasty!
5.Eva’s Health Food: A huge menu, student discount, beautiful location and eclectic crowd (bodybuilders frequent Eva’s, since it has an attached supplement shop) make Eva’s the place to be for an affordable meal near Washington Square Park.
6. Cosi: Not a New York-only restaurant, but Cosi is an excellent choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner (mmm…wood oven baked bread). Most locations have Wi-Fi and are study-friendly and nutrition information is posted right on the menu boards!
7. Viva Herbal Pizza: Vegetarian and vegan slices on inventive crusts (spelt, cornmeal, whole wheat, wheat free) at affordable prices. One slice and a salad surely makes a meal :)
8. The Lite Choice: All-natural, kosher, low calorie and low fat soft serve in a variety of flavors. If they offer a flavor, you can request that they make it for you at any time in one minute!
(Image from Dori’s Shiny Blog)
TLC soft serve ready for your toppings of choice!
9. Chickpea: Focuses on high quality ingredients without unnecessary added fats, displayed well with the baked falafel. Warm whole wheat pitas and several varieties of flavored hummus will please those who love slightly “Americanized” Middle Eastern food.
10. Recharge: Many lean meat options for you carnivores out there—bison or ostrich anyone? Plus, a “cheat day” menu in case you dine with anti-health food diners.
If you’ve visited New York, what is your favorite restaurant there and why? If you haven’t would you like to visit any of these if you do venture to NYC in the future?
