as someone who struggled for years and years with an eating disorder, but has now found relative peace, i feel as though there's value in sharing a bit of what i like to put into my body. (if for no other reason than to reveal that there isn't a low-fat, diet food in sight, and even eating all the egg-yolks and cheese i can muster still allows me to have a healthy and happy relationship with what i look like)...
1. i'm not a big fruit person, but for cherries. i love them. and i love that, for the most part, we respect their growing season. for the most part you won't see them in the markets outside the warm summer months. as a child i'd eat as many as i could possibly stand during july and august, not much has changed.
2. i am a snacker. so cherries and pickles and small finger foods are my special purview. there is a stand at the farmer's markets here in ny--divine brine--that makes different sorts of pickles. while i'm not usually a pickle person their sour version is extremely good for our systems. the sour pickles have the right kind of acids that help balance out crappy over-processed foods. and they're loaded with probiotics to boot.
3. i go through phases with food. right now i'm having a love affair with eggs. i cook them in a little bit of butter, add in cheese and for en extra kick, pickled jalepenos. they are, without a doubt, a good start for the day.
4. and then there's grilled cheese which i've been having a love affair with for going on half-a-year now. spelt bread and cheddar cheese (and jalepenos between).
5. i've been experimenting with less sugar these days. these little dark chocolate coconut cookie bites aren't cheap, but they pack a punch. they feel decadent and sweet and each one has only 1g of sugar, which if you think is anything go take a look at how many grams of sugar are in a low-fat, fat-free yogurt (or even a larabar) and then we'll talk.
6. before i moved i promised myself in this new place i would get a latte maker for the kitchen (or as someone once pointed out to me, an espresso maker. thing is though, i use it for lattes, so let's call it that). i found a really reasonably priced one on amazon and knew that i'd make up the cost of it in just about two months considering how often i bought lattes out and about. i can't tell you how happy this contraption makes me. i wake up, turn it on, and then i go about my routine. it takes a little bit of effort to make my beloved coffee drink and i appreciate that. i also appreciate that i can have it any time of the day and it's insta-comfort. i have a beautiful girlfriend who had an eating disorder of her own and from what i can tell she overcame it by cooking dinner as much as possible and drinking wine every time she did so--enjoyment and process. well, i've tried to adopt this attitude myself, but i think if there's been just one thing that has helped me heal, it's a latte. i like the comfort it provides. but more than that it delivers calcium and good fats, and it's the perfect place for me to get some cinnamon into my daily routine (jam packed with stuff that's good for the body). plus, there's no sugar but what's naturally occurring in the milk.
WHAT I'M LISTENING TO// brian john appleby
in ahhh music
...
in quotes
Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. | Brian Andreas
WHERE TO EAT IN NYC// vinegar hill house {vinegar hill, brooklyn}
last night, on a whim (and the recommendation of a GQ article), my friend kim and i trekked from my home in caroll gardens to another small brooklyn neighborhood: vinegar hill.
(full disclosure: before last night i didn't even know vinegar hill existed). what's in vinegar hill, brooklyn? well, while i can't answer that question fully because lord, if i know, i can say: cobble stone streets and a lovely, lovely restaurant named vinegar hill house.
already, i know this is a place that i will return to again and again. it is, in many ways, in the middle of nowhere. the street it's on feels empty and deserted and cozy all at once. the food is, oh man...something else...simple and elegant. and there's a backyard garden. (i'm always in search of a good backyard garden). all evening i just kept saying, i'm so happy.
go for the meat and cheese plate and stay because you've been transported to a world you don't often find in new york city. don't be afraid to speak to those at the neighboring tables and know you might have to wait for a table (but it's definitely worth it).
what: vinegar hill house
where: vinegar hill, brooklyn
phone: 718-522-1018
advice: if you're leaving from the restaurant late at night don't hesitate to call for a car service. the restaurant is a bit removed from public transport and sometimes it's worth those ten extra dollars for a cab.
IN NEW YORK// {carroll gardens, brooklyn}
in my manhattan
there's a culture here that i'm quickly learning about: stoop sales and sidewalk shops and the practice of just-leaving-stuff-on-the-sidewalk-for-anyone-to-take.
the friday i moved to caroll gardens i, and two of my dearest girlfriends (who i now owe quite a bit to), drove in a uhaul truck the length of manhattan. once we arrived on the narrow street i now call home (roughly...oh... four hours later than expected) i ran upstairs to use my bathroom for the first time while these two ladies (deeply, deeply indebted i am to them--i many have grossly underestimated the situation) took everything out of the truck and placed it on the sidewalk (down the street from my building). i was unusually embarrassed by having all of my stuff right out there on display, but seeing as how i had gotten us into this very trying and difficult situation with no literal manpower in sight, i didn't have much of a leg to stand on. so we ferried the stuff from that corner of the sidewalk to the front of the building, and then up the three flights of steps to the fourth floor.
only later in the evening, after some wine and food, did ashlea allow kim to reveal that she, upon returning to the corner after a drop-off-trip, had found an older woman ferreting through my things. (keep in mind, there's a huge precedent here for people just leaving stuff on the sidewalk for other to take. a precedent--a culture--that at the time we were not aware of). no, no, this is my stuff, i'm moving in kim declared, running towards her. oh, i thought it seemed like a lot of nice stuff to just give away. these manila envelopes, in particular, they're very nice, very expensive.
of all the things, the woman was after my envelopes. (lady, i got 'em at office depot).
with the move done and the manila-envelope-crisis averted this culture of sidewalk sales and barters and giveaways is one of the things i can now say with great confidence that i love most about living here.
well, that and the lattes i now make in my kitchen.
and then there's the front yards.
and the back yards.
and the trees on every corner.
more than just every corner, actually. there are trees everywhere.
and i am a happy girl.
(you all tired of me talking about it, yet?)