Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Smoothie, Movie


  • Today's smoothie: coconut juice, banana, pear, Earthbound's Power Greens, strawberry, maca.  Forgot the tumeric.  I think I'll be okay.



  • Es muy importante!  There will be a free screening of "Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret" on Thursday, October 23 at 6:30pm.  It will be held at the Madison Theater at Molloy College, Public Square Building, 1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Center, NY.  If you care to join me, visit http://www.tugg.com/events/11123 to arrange your free tickets.
http://cowspiracy.com

Monday, September 29, 2014

Beautifully Gorgeous Eats


  • Recalculating the brain and bod.  5K to 10K.  Going slower to go further.
  • Here are some beautifully gorgeous eats from the past few days:

I parboiled some purple potatoes, and then stewed them with lentils . . . so good.



I cooked and pureed a turnip and parsnip . . . 
 . . . which I ate with oven roasted zucchini, tofu and tomatoes.  There was not an ounce of oil to be seen . . . or eaten.


Bronx Hustle

It was a beautiful run.  I toured a neighborhood that I never would have visited had I not done the Hunts Point Hustle 5K this past Saturday.  And truthfully, if I had a small bank roll, I would totally invest in this neighborhood.

We started in the absolutely gorgeous Hunts Point Riverside Park.  The finish line was at Barretto Point Park, another beautiful spot.  Who knew?





Between the two was a lot of asphalt and a lot of warehouses.  There was very little protecting us from the sun and the heat.  I just kept moving, saying "good morning" to everyone I passed, mostly cops and warehouse workers.

My course time was 43:50.  According to Nike+, we ran further than 3.1 miles.  Who's right?  Who cares.  My body is very happy, and much stronger.




Thursday, September 25, 2014

Racing 'N Training

A reminder:
  • I'm running a 5K in the Bronx on Saturday.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop by.  The race starts at 10am at the Hunts Point Riverside Park.  I should cross the finish line 35-40 minutes later at Barretto Point Park.  Drop by if you're in the neighborhood.  Afterward there will be a festival with free food, music, fitness activities and lots of stuff for the kids to do.
I'm graduating . . . to the 10K distance.  Come out.  Support.  Cheer.  Run.  Walk:
Here's how my training has been going.  I was so sick the past two weeks, I forgot to weigh myself.  Not that it matters, since that's not why I'm doing all of this:







Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A Little Here and There

http://www.freemanbeauty.com

  • Slurping down a delicious baby spinach, strawberry, coconut juice smoothie with turmeric and cinnamon.  It is oh so good, a perfect dinner.
  • Come to think of it, I don't really eat dinner.  I don't eat any standard meals.  I just eat something small whenever I'm hungry. 
  • I currently have a cucumber, melon and ginseng peel-off masque on my face.
  • I am currently simmering some homemade veggie stock.
  • Bought some organic maca powder today.  Typically I buy Navitas, however, this time around I went with TerrAmazon.
Maca is an herbaceous plant native to the high Andean Mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It is one of the only food plants in the world able to thrive at such a high altitude. Maca, and more specifically the root of the plant, has a long history as a superfood.  Maca also provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and sterols.

Monday, September 22, 2014

My Rosh Hashanah Thoughts



This is such an interesting time of year for me, and quite complex.  I love the feeling of the air as it chills, and the humidity drops.  Fall in New York presents me with some of my favorite colors.  And I absolutely love leaves crunching under my feet as I walk.

Yet with the approach of four major Jewish holidays, I am touched by the notion of how many lives, memories, thoughts, ideas and aspirations we misplace over such a short span of time.  Rosh Hashanah for me is a time to stop, reassess, and contemplate.


  • STOP - Regardless of where I will be, I will not be at work.  I shall spend my day living outside of my daily primary responsibility.  I learned a valuable lesson last year, that you can spend a time of traditions outside of the place you've come to accept as your home.  I consider it growth, and an expansion of possibilities
  • REASSESS - A year ago, during Rosh Hashanah, I was involved in a 14 day vegan challenge.  Since then I have started this blog, made my vegan diet permanent, fallen in love with running, and started studying meditation.  A year ago, none of this was a part of a grand plan.  I simply aspired to make myself healthier
  • CONTEMPLATE - It feels as if my life has unfolded quite naturally after having made a few basic decisions.  I have inspired myself to just keep going.  My plan is to return to school to become a physical trainer.  You can refer to it as a career change if you wish.  I feel as if I am continuing down a chosen path, and I look forward to watching the scenery change.  I would love to work with kids, and see what I can do about the childhood obesity epidemic in this country.
I have been blessed with this gift of Rosh Hashanah.  I am presented with this time to renew, refresh, cleanse, rekindle, replenish, rejuvenate and rebuild . . . and of course, continue to reclaim.  And remember Dad, Jay and Mom, who I lost separately during this time of year.

I hope you'll continue to read, as I share my progression.  L'shanah tova and namaste to you all.


Thursday, September 18, 2014

Just a Drop

JUST A DROP
a meditation

I take long, slow, deep breaths.  I have entered the sacred space, where the worries of life can not enter.  I envision myself to be a tiny crystal drop of water traveling through space.  I drift upon the winds as I descend to the earth.  I am clear, pure and simple.  Time neither exists nor has started.  In the distance I see our blue planet, our Earth.  It tugs at my heart.  I allow myself to be drawn to it.  I excel towards it and see its heavenly beauty. I am filled with the vision of an ocean below.  For a moment I feel as if I am going to lose my identity in this vast ocean.  I am reassured by a feeling that this is an experience, which I will treasure forever.  I focus only on the ocean.  I relax and splash down into the expanse.

I am calm and still.  I remain conscious, and my experience has enlarged to include this entire ocean.  I notice that I can feel the waves rushing about the surface, as well as the dark stillness of my new depth.

I lap up against the shore.  The sense of silent power fills me.  I am safe and calm.  I am the ocean.  Time begins.  Days pass.  My awareness continues to grow.  Everything is a part of me, and I am a part of everything.  This ocean is the love in all things, and the love inside of me, and it is this love which makes me so much more than just a drop in the ocean.  I explore that love.  I expand my love into the perceptions of all living things in the ocean.  I watch as all life evolves in the ocean, and grows, and progresses.

I spend some time exploring this level of my consciousness.  It is my real self which I am becoming.

This is the starting point of my next meditation.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

My Body Is Craving Greens



  • I have returned from illness.  I swear to you that I haven't been this sick since college.  There was one semester when drinking, all nighters, managing the men's hockey team in some of the coldest rinks in North America, and Buffalo winters joined forces in my body so badly that I had to drop two classes and incomplete two others.
  • And tomorrow, I return to running after a 7 day absence.  I have missed my running shoes so much.  I have missed being out there.
  • And after a week of binge eating vegan comfort food (yes, such a thing exists) my body is craving fresh vegetables.  I stopped at a farmers market today in downtown Brooklyn, moments after being dismissed from jury duty.  Kale.  Cucumber.  Zucchini.  Parsnip.  Turnip.  Why didn't I buy some of those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.  I'm realizing this as I type.
  • OH!  And by the way, I stopped by Organic Avenue last night after work.  I literally got there 2 minutes before they closed.  As a result they were completely out of both their Dragon's Breath and turmeric shots.  So I went for it and got a whole 14oz Medicinal Green juice, based on a recommendation from a running sole sister.  And of course I couldn't resist gabbing a Rockin' Raw Cinnabun.  It is just a perfectly sized vegan treat, and the flavor is beyond comprehension.  You can check out Rockin' Raw's restaurant at: 171 Sullivan Street in New York City.  
  • G'night everyone.  Stay as healthy as you can.  It is so important.
From: http://www.grownyc.org


I know I know.  But what can I say.  When you're sick in bed, and you feel like your dead, just heat and eat.    And so I did.  From: http://healthiswealthfoods.com

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Listening to My Body

I believe that when we get sick, it is partially a sign from G-D, or Mother Nature, our lives, the mystical forces of the universe, or insert personal belief here, telling us to just slow down.  Work and social plans can wait.  That you haven't been getting enough sleep.

And as much as it's killing frustrating me, I am choosing to accept the fact that it is okay to take a few days off of running.  I have jury duty this week and I'm working at night.  I can't tell you the next day or time I'll be able to train.  And I so want to deliver a great time at my next race, so I can graduate to a 10K in October.

But I believe that taking this time to listen to my body, is what I need to do right now.

Here is my running progress from the past few weeks:
(You may need to enlarge it on your screen to see it better.  I had to take a screen shot.)




Friday, September 12, 2014

Health and Wellness Beliefs


  • My first doctor in Brooklyn was an antibiotic pusher.  It used to drive my former roommate Kyle, of blessed memory, crazy.  It bothered him to watch me come home with a standard prescription after each office visit.  Truthfully, I had gone without health insurance for so long, that I was willing to say "yes" to any doctor.
  • I was granted a part in a show last week.  It was the most mind blowing experience, and I know for certain that I am a much different as a result of participating.
  • The morning after we closed, however, I woke up with a scratchy throat.  By the time Wednesday night rolled around, I had to leave work early.  I could neither breathe nor swallow.  With each gulp of water I took, my nostrils sucked in.  I have no other way to describe this condition.  I proceeded to over-the-counter-over-medicate myself.  This is so unlike me.  But there's that bell of fear that goes off inside, what if I can't go to work tomorrow?!?!?!
  • When my left ear was clogged this morning, I knew it was time to go to the doctor.  And if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I absolutely LOVE my doctor.  From the moment I met her, after our first conversation, I knew that we truly understood each other.  She told me to take Claritin D, prescribed some cough medicine.  She suggest nasal spray, which I told her was out of the question.  I told her about the horrible nose bleeds I used to get when I was a kid, so that particular body part is off limits.  And then she charged me with a weekend of bed rest.  Agreed.  Don't prescribe anything that will make me good enough to go to work.  Bed rest means that I am taking an active part in making myself better.
  • This is the second time in recent memory where I've known for certain that I had found the right doctor.  In seeking guidance after a period of some pretty intense trauma, I randomly found medical help.  When I walked into this doctor's office, the first thing she asked me is what I do for exercise.  At the time, I was a pretty voracious rollerblader.  As a cyclist, she got truly excited and we immediately got into a conversation about safety gear.  Okay, I knew this was a doctor I could trust.  Okay, let's discuss my trauma, shall we?  
  • This is the kind of physical trainer I am going to be.  And I love being able to learn from like minded women in the medical profession.



Vegan Shop-Up

The truth is, I've never been to the Brooklyn Vegan Shop-Up.  Every month I put it on my calendar, and every month either work or races intervene.  But I will make it there one day soon.

There are times that I am out with friends and I'm the only "pain in the ass" vegan at the table.  Not that I care since I eat what I choose to eat.  I also shocked when a fast food delivery car passes me on the street.  I can't possibly be the only one who has seen Forks Over Knives.  But then again, at the present moment, I am solely trying to better my life.  I'm not looking to evangelize fruits and vegetables, nor convert anyone.  That is what I am returning to school in January for.

For now, I am simply thrilled that the Vegan Shop-Up exists in my home Borough.


Endless Summer Shopping List!

Here you go! A sneak peek at the goods to grab at tomorrow’s Vegan Shop-Up!
  • Lagusta’s Luscious  – Go mad for chocolate with S’mores Bars, Toffee, Peppermint Patties, Apple Caramels, Thyme-Lemon Caramels, Turtle Bars, Strawberry Bark, Fig & Fennel Bark, and Smoky Corn Bars!
  • Kitty Jones – Score some fun for your feline! Catnip Mice, Kicking Sticks, Cat Scratchers, Kitty Teepees, Kitty Grass, Throw pillows, and more!
  • Monks Meats – Tamale time! Feast on homemade spicy tamales served with Gustavo’s red and green salsas!
  • Grape Cat - Shopping at its finest! Belts from The Vegan Collection, Vaute Couture Sweatshirts, and Fall Purses and Wallets from Matt & Nat!
  • Brooklyn Rose Vegan Bakery – Catch the brand new Gluten-Free Chocolate Maple Pecan Whoopie Pie! Plus Choc Spice Cookies and Mini Cupcakes with Soy-Free Frosting!
  • Little Choc Apothecary – Holy Crepe! Gluten-Free sweet and savory Crepes like Mushroom Spinach and Sage, Homemade Seitan Cucumber and Cheesy Garlic Hummus, Peach Jam & Almond, and Lemon & Sugar. Plus, Fig Walnut Cacao Nib Cookies and B12 Brownies!
  • Spanky’s Kitchen – First time vendors! Enjoy Espresso Fudge Brownies, Walnut Fudge Brownies, Oatmeal Raisin Blondies, Choc Chip Cookies, Blondies, and more!
  • Sweet Maresa – Stock up on the famous S’macaron, Halvah Macarons, White Peach Frangipane Pastries, Rock Scramble Cookies, and so much more!
  • Meow Meow Tweet – Be the first to grab the new Fall/Winter Cinnamon Coffee Soap, and Frankincense & Flowers Body Oil! Lush!
AND, don’t forget other favorites like Yeah Dawg, Cinnamon Snail, Alchemy Creamery, Tamerlaine Farm, Freakin’ Vegan, and Chai Mookie! Find the full event details in the post below, and the FULL VENDOR LIST HERE!
Vegan Shop-Up is NYC’s first and only all-vegan market, and it’s only once a month(well, in Brooklyn)! And all during the best vegan bar’s happy hour!
Vegans, Non-Vegans, Prospective Vegans, Family of Vegans, Friends of Vegans, Fans of Vegans, WE’LL SEE U THERE!
All Shopped-Up,
VSU
Saturday, September 13th12- 6pmPine Box Rock Shop12 Grattan St.Bushwick, BkFREE!
21+

    Thursday, September 11, 2014

    Delish to the Max


    Well . . . what can I say . . . greetings from sick bay . . . again.  Yes, this is my second time in two weeks.  My nostrils were so clogged last night, that I couldn't swallow.  Luckily, in this apartment you'll find an incredible assortment of tea, and everything you need to make a good smoothie.  I have been nursing my way back to health.  A good friend of mine has suggested that hugging and working very closely with a cast of 200 , as I did last week, can weaken an immune system.  I think said friend is right.  In addition, I don't really know what burning a candle at both ends truly means, but I know that I've been doing it.

    Now for Delish 1, 2, 3 & 4

    I swear to you that bought these frozen vegan treats because I want to use one of the sticks to attempt to straighten out a finger that I broke two years ago.  Poor me.

    http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/?gclid=CIXF55qD2sACFQto7AodgXgAcA

    This is an Alvarado Street Bakery toasted sprouted bagel with hummus.
    http://www.alvaradostreetbakery.com
    The flavor was beyond comprehension.  This was the edamame and fennel soup from Peacefood Cafe.

    http://www.peacefoodcafe.com
    And this was sent to me by the Vegan Restaurant Hub: 10 Vegan Burgers You Must Try, http://munchyy.com/best-vegan-burger-recipes/

    Tuesday, September 9, 2014

    2014 Hunts Point Hustle

    Join me for:
    MY NEXT RACE


    Saturday, September 27, 2014 at 10 AM

    Race start: Hunts Point Riverside Park
    Race end/festival: Barretto Point Park

    This 5K run/walk begins at Hunts Point Riverside Park in the South Bronx and travels through Hunts Point to Barretto Point Park

    The Hunts Point Hustle is Sustainable South Bronx’s premier fundraising and community event. It’s more than just a race: it connects runners and walkers with the South Bronx Greenway, a network of green streets, bike lanes, and waterfront parks.

    This 5K run/walk begins at Hunts Point Riverside Park in the Bronx and travels through the South Bronx to Barretto Point Park. At Barretto Park, there will be a festival with free food, music, fitness activities, kids’ activities, a raffle, and more!

    People of all ages are encouraged to attend!



    Register by visiting this link:


    Why You Want to Listen to Rich Roll's Podcasts

    In his own words, here is Rich Roll's introduction to this week's podcast . . . 

    I'm on a mission.  And this mission is simple.  It's to help you live and be better.  Well, that's pretty vague.  I get it.  I know.  This is not an exact science people.  It's not reductionist either.  Transformation can't be pinpointed to certain things in isolation like shortcuts or life hacks.  There's plenty of other podcasts and blogs out there for you if that's what you're into.  I'm talking about total transformation, and transformation by it's very definition is a messy thing.  It's not linear.  There's no equation or algorithm.  There's no one size fits all, miracle yellow brick road.  The biggest variable in this whole thing . . . is you.

    Because change, improvement, self betterment, transformation, growth, these things are not necessarily things for those who need it.  It's much more for those who want it.  It requires strength.  It requires faith, commitment.  You've got to be comfortable in discomfort.  You've got to be comfortable in not knowing what the results of these efforts are going to be.

    And you know, I only have so much control over this process, when it come's to working with other people, which I do a lot.  And that's a long way of saying I have no control.  But what I can do is try to provide some guideposts.  And that's really what this show is all about:  long form, in-depth conversations with people who are not just interesting and accomplished people, not just forward thinking, paradigm breaking, expanded personalities with all sorts of things to break our collective consciousnesses here on Earth.  But, like today's guest, people who themselves transformed because talking story, as they say in Hawaii, is powerful stuff.

    In my experience, it is through direct relationship experience that we can connect with the underlying tools and principles that can assist us.  They can not only inspire us, but elucidate some truths about who we all are at our core.  Truths that can be translated by laser vibration that can send you on your own unique path: uncover and unlock and unleash your best and most authentic self.

    There's only one way to learn, to really illuminate our lives.  And that is to jump.

    http://www.mindbodygreen.com

    Listen to this week's Rich Roll podcast at:


    RRP #103: Preston Smiles – It’s Your Job To Be The Dopest Version of You


    http://www.prestonsmiles.com

    Monday, September 8, 2014

    Creation, Meditation, and Revelation

    TODAY'S CREATION:
    Oven roasted tofu and spinach with organic tomato sauce

    YESTERDAY'S MEDITATION:
    (May we reach for the Sicilian and Bohemian in each of us)

    To me, music and meditation are linked.  As a seeker, music is my entrance into my meditation lifestyle, and is intertwined with how I now regularly approach my higher self.  Music is the language of my soul.  As I ready to meditate, I listen to music of the heart.

    My meditation goal is to journey the path of my heart, to release my lower nature, and expand my divine nature.  I seek uplifting music for my meditation, allowing creativity to flow from within.  I enter the composition of this music.  I feel myself connected, and expanding with the music.  I feel a wave flowing into my heart as I flow into the music.

    I feel the music in this moment.  It vibrates on a spiritual level in my heart, in love, and peace, and joy.  I contemplate these feelings.  I expand and reflect on these moments in the music.  I listen for messages from the intuition of my heart.

    I focus and increase my determination, and I act in the revelations of my heart.





    Sunday, September 7, 2014

    The Narrows and the Squash

    Want to get inspired?  Volunteer to work a race at http://www.nycruns.com

    • I didn't run the past two days, and I really missed it.
    • BUT I have been dancing my ass off on stage.
    • Didn't know I could dance on stage?  Me neither.
    • I did volunteer to work the Narrows Half Marathon.  What a bunch of incredible athletes, every single one of them.
    • Yesterday I ate an entire package of Rising Moon Organics, Butternut Squash Ravioli.  Wooooha they were good.
    No worries about the expiration date.  I pulled this image off of the internet.




    Saturday, September 6, 2014

    Separation Meditation


    Havdalah

    "Havdalah" is a Hebrew word, which means "separation."  It is the name of a service, which symbolically marks the end of the sabbath, and brings in the new week.  Here is my havdalah meditation:

    I am sitting on the edge of a cliff.  It is just before dawn.  It is a warm summer morning.  I am surrounded by stillness and silence.  The waves below are sparkling.  A warm breeze skims the ocean, travels up the face of the cliff and into my heart.  This air is the feeling of peace.

    I focus towards the horizon and notice the first purples and crimsons of early dawn.  It spills out across the sky.  I begin to receive the feeling of sunrise, peace, future, warmth, innocence.

    The sunrise continues to change, purples to crimsons, crimsons to oranges.  The feeling of sunrise intensifies.  It soars across the vastness.  The sky above and behind me is being overwhelmed by the wandering hues of the morning dawn.  It fills the air like a fragrance.  I breathe and sunrise enters.  The crescendo builds.  The first ray of sun explodes straight into my heart, filling me with an electric charge, peace and love.  I feel as if I were to stretch my arms, I would grow wings.  I will be able to soar down over that ocean.

    And so . . . I do.

    I stand and stretch my arms and lean ever so gently onto that breeze.  I find myself becoming lighter and lighter.  At this moment, one single toe is the only thing connecting me to the earth.  A moment later, I am gently lifted off.

    I let go and glide down the face of the cliff.  I soar inches above the ocean.  I dip a wing tip into the water.  I splash sparkling water, which sparkles a rainbow across the sky.