L.O.V.E. Fast, continued..

The day begins with a quote:

"Love is the doorway thru which the human soul passes from selfishness to service and from solitude to kinship with all mankind." –Unknown

LOVE Fast Day 2:

9am - Energy Elixir

9am - Fresh squeezed Grapefruit/Orange Juice

11am - Green Vibrance

1pm - Sweet Sesame Smoothie: (Black sesame, dates, walnuts, coconut water, & vanilla)

4pm - Spinach Gazpacho Soup Blend: (Tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, spinach, coconut, lime juice, garlic, parsley, basil, olive oil). This was amazing and tasted like I was drinking guacamole!

6pm - Caesar Sea Palm Salad: (Arame, sea palm, red pepper, miso, agave, water, sesame oil, lemon, & ginger)

8pm - Coconut Mylk 16 oz.

I went to yoga on this day, and I walked out of the class feeling soo wonderful.


LOVE Fast Day 3:

9am - Energy Elixir

9am - Fresh Squeezed Apple Juice... yummmy! (Freshly picked straight from the orchard!)

11am - Green Vibrance: (I am not used to the bitter kick in the mouth flavor)

1pm - Mint Chip Smoothie: (Coconut meat, vanilla, spearmint, agave, cacao). This is one of the most treat-like things I have had this week! It tasted like a chocolate chip milk shake.

Fun Chocolate fact: It's not all bad! It has tons of stuff in it like bliss chemicals, antioxidants, anti-stress neurotransmitters, anti-depressant amino acids, and other goodies!

4pm - Popeye Soup: (green vibrance, basil, cucumber, spinach, avocado, celery). The skin of cucumber is very beneficial!

6pm - Caesar Dulse Salad: (Romaine lettuce, dulse, scallion, black sesame, nama shoyu) FYI: Romaine lettuce has an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C and others!

8pm - Coconut Mylk. I am not starting to crave this and I think I will incorporate it in my diet from now on.

LOVE Fast Day 4

9am - Energy Elixir

9am - Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

11am - Green Vibrance

1pm - Blueberry Spirulina Smoothie: (blueberry, banana, spirulina, coconut water, & coconut oil). Blueberries are amazing, I eat them every day! Spirulina is rich in iron, magnesium and trace minerals.

4pm - Thai Lemongrass Soup: (Avocado, yellow bell pepper, salt, pepper, coconut mylk, basil, & lemongrass). The lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. How Nice. I have never had lemon grass, it has a very distinct and interesting flavor.

6pm - Beet Salad: (beets, agave, scallions, cucumber, tahini, dill, & lemon juice). If you have payed some attention to my blog you would have found that I am a beet fanatic! Some argue that beets taste like dirt.. I beg to differ!

8pm - Tasty Tasty Coconut Mylk

Yoga in the evening, I can't wait! I can feel any negative energy leaving my body and it is fantastic.

The All Star

I have looked up to my brother all my life.. and always will. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me, and it just made my day:

Travis: you are TRUE VALUE

He has always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and he has demonstrated this through his passion for sports, music, language and appreciating the little things in life. Hopefully he knows how important he is to me.

Changes

Changes are coming, very soon!!! :)

L.O.V.E. Fast

Countless times I have slowly walked by Organic Avenue, a tiny store on Stanton and Ludlow, peering in with curiosity. I finally decided to make my way in, survey all the products-from organic clothing to raw nuts and body creams-and I decided to inquire about the L.O.V.E. fast: Live Organic Vegan Experience. I was sold after hearing about it from the enthusiastic sales associate, and it is something I have wanted to try for some time now.

The program is five days long and I pick up my fresh food every morning. Although it may seem like a week of deprivation and mild starvation, it is actually a LOT of food. Most of it is 16 oz. juices, smoothies, soups and salads and the point is to detoxify and cleanse your body. I'm learning through this program that we hold emotions in the body, and in every cell we hold memory. The liver holds anger, the kidneys hold fear, the gallbladder holds grief. When we cleanse, these emotions can have the opportunity to be released. The body is an amazing miracle, and is always going towards healing.

LOVE Fast Day 1:

8am - Energy Elixir, E3-Live. It tasted kind of like an algae or wheatgrass shot, it wasn't too bad.

9am - Fresh Pressed Pear Juice. Yummmm is all I have to say.

11am - Fresh Pressed Green Vibrance. (Collards, kale, chard, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, apple & lemon). Bitter tasting, and a bit hard to choke down!

1pm - Goji Berry Smoothie. (Strawberries, banana, goji berries, apple juice, & coconut oil). It was really tasty! Very thick and very filling. I love the texture of goji berries, and they are one of the highest anti-oxidant fruits available.

4pm - Cucumber Mint Soup. (Coconut meat and water, cucumber juice, avocado, garlic, & mint).

The cold soup was light and refreshing, but the aftertaste was as if I had eaten an entire raw clove of garlic! (I probably did)!

6pm - Kale Dulse Salad. (Kale, dulse, olives, red bell pepper, lemon, ginger, pine nuts, nama shoyu, & olive oil).

8pm - Coconut Mylk. (Coconut meat, coconut water, vanilla). This was a very interesting way to end the day. It was creamy and thick, dessert-like, very filling and high in calories; however, coconut is full of enzymes and minerals, including iodine which is good for the thyroid gland. It is supposed to have positive effects on metabolism, provide a defense against parasites and cleanses blood. Who knew?

At the end of the first day, I felt very full and had an enormous headache. One of the symptoms of cleansing is that you can feel the toxins releasing from your body. So, I considered these side effects to be normal, and went right to sleep!

Ah, Epistrophy

When you're thinking of a simple, cute and satisfying spot to spend an early evening, Epistrophy is the perfect place! This an adorable little wine bar in Nolita offers a great menu and a romantic experience. The exposed brick walls, rustic furniture, dim lighting, jazzy music, and large open windows make you feel like you are in a little cafe on a quiet street in Rome. I enjoyed smoked salmon over arugula with thinly sliced apples, parmigiano cheese and lemon dressing. I will be going back this Friday to try more delightful dishes and split a few bottles of wine with Grant, it should be lovely!

Ten Bells

As if Orchard st. and Broome st. wasn't already my favorite intersection in the city, another recent addition has tickled my fancy: Ten Bells wine bar. The outside may not look like much, but once inside, there is an excellent vibe and a happening crowd.

The bottle of red that my friends and I shared was the perfect balance of fruity and dry, and the menu was written in chalk all along the walls of the tiny place, offering a variety of fancy little tapas. My friends and I decided to "tapas hop" that night, and Ten Bells on the L.E.S. was the perfect place to start!

Simply Satisfying

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite foods is... salad! Salads are healthy and so easy to throw together. It is also fun to play around with presentation. The above salad is a creation that my friend and I re-created in Brooklyn one night, after sharing a lovely brunch at Cafe Gitane in Soho. The salad includes cooked green lentils, avocado, walnuts, dried cranberries and goat cheese, laid over a bead of green lettuce, topped with smoked salmon and home made balsamic vinegarette. Simply Satisfying!

The above salad I made for my room mate. I washed and boiled the beets, which was a messy yet fun experiment. The lentils were boiled with carrots and garlic. I added chopped walnuts for a slight crunch, and drizzled a dressing of Dijon Mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.


This salad is a new summer fave! It was juicy watermelon, yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced cucumber, toasted pine nuts, and chopped fresh mint. This salad doesn't even need dressing, or a little drizzle of lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper could do the trick. I put a fresh sprig of mint in my water to add a little extra flavor and to go with the salad. Fresh, light and delicious!

This one was actually all of my random produce all tossed together. Somehow, that always works for me just fine! I have been really into eating raw this summer, while ingredients are fresh, in season, and provide tasty outcomes that require little preparation.

My Talented Friend

It is so refreshing to see people using the talents they've been blessed with. My friend Morgan is an amazing photographer who has the unique ability to capture so many shades of life. Her work shows the delicate emotional connection between human beings, and her use of vibrant color and light is also lovely. I am so proud of her.

Please visit her site if the mood strikes you, or if you ever need a great photographer in Indiana.

http://www.morganmattersphotography.com/

Job, Apartment, Boyfriend

They say that almost every young lady living in New York City is looking for one of three things: a job, an apartment or a boyfriend. I used to laugh at this concept, not now I am actually starting to agree. It is almost impossible to get all your ducks in a line in this crazy city. I have been wearing a fake smile and throwing private pity parties with for myself for too many days. It's time to replace that "miserable members only" sign and invite the positive influences back into my life.

Only in NYC

It is common on the streets of New York City to see people happily strolling down the streets walking their dogs. Yesterday, I saw a man walking his bird. He had it on a leash as it fluttered up through the air and perched gracefully on his finger. At least it wasn't one of those crazy pigeons!

Kind Heart

My boyfriend is one of the most supportive, considerate and amazing people I know.

Summer Jam

The song that's rocking at the top of my iPod playist right now is Street Fighting Man by the Rolling Stones! It's the perfect song to blast loud with open windows and cruise down the highway, which is exactly what my brother did when he picked me up from the airport and sang it at the top of his lungs. Music makes me so happy!

Power of Prayer

"And He went on a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed...."
-Matthew 26:39

I love this quote. Connecting on a spiritual level has gotten me out of many sticky situations, and for that I am very grateful. How different would our world be if more people were able to discover this power?

Shift Your Thinking

Here is a bit of something I read in Body + Soul magazine that I think is a good goal for this month:

"Sometimes the prescription for health and happiness can sound - and feel - like a litany of things to avoid: never skip a workout, never eat on the run, never make a mistake, never overindulge. But your best life amounts to more than the things you don't do. Whether it's improving your health, building a career, or strenghthening your relationships, try to see the journey not as a minefield of potential missteps, but as a series of opportunities to explore. Each moment brings yet another chance to realign with what matters to you most."

-Terri Trespicio

Maybe I should try not to be such a perfectionist.

Hey, World!

I'm pumped!
Tomorrow I am flying home to be with my amazing family and boyfriend for the 4th of July weekend! This could not have come at a better time.

Inner Strength
I have had to breathe and re-boot a lot this week. It has been a rough couple of days.

Advice
When someone goes out of their way with a genuine concern for your well-being and offers a fresh new perspective on any situation, you should swallow your pride and listen!

Food on the Brain
Tonight I plan on making the most delicious salad: Beets, avocado, chickpeas, carrots, hearts of palm, toasted pine nuts, and dijon vinegarette. My 4pm snack is not doing me justice!

Celebration!
Two of my very good friends just got new jobs, time to celebrate! We are going to go for drinks at a brand new wine bar in my neighborhood, Ten Bells. (Right across from BabyCakes... uh oh!)

New Trends
I've been working with the Merchandising and Design team at my company, and there are some rad fashion ideas we are bringing up to the Buyers. Some of them tickle my fancy!
90s Neon colors, Gold metallic stripes, "Spicey Ethnic" prints... Bring 'em on!

Snooooze...
I could NOT get up this morning. You would think that a 10:00 bedtime would make me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the am! Ready for vacation and sleeping until my little heart's content!