Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happiest 2 0 1 6


"Dare 
to live the life 
you have 
dreamed for yourself.
Go forward 
and 
make your dreams come true."

ralph waldo emerson

image via Jennifer Lake


Friday, June 26, 2015

Caroline De Maigret. Beautiful. Stylish. French.

SHE’S BEAUTIFUL, STYLISH AND VERY, VERY FRENCH, 

SHE’S ALSO LANCĂ”ME’S PARISIAN MUSE AND CO-AUTHOR OF 

HOW TO BE PARISIAN WHEREVER YOU ARE 



Don't be afraid of being sexy.                                           

Why are British women scared of the word "sexy"? Parisians, we put our sexiness in our make-up and hair. We don't dress sexily, we don't expose cleavage. There's something in the game. Of course it depends which man you want to attract. One thing that makes me feel sexy is to wear a lot of mascara. Brown mascara during the day because it's softer, and then darker at night. That's very French.

Embrace your flaws

Some people seem to put their fantasy of 'the ideal woman' onto the Parisian woman, while the Parisian woman doesn't have an ideal. Maybe the key is to let go and be ok with who you are rather than fantasising about perfection. You can't be perfect. You will only end up always frustrated in life. I have a big nose and that's ok. As long as I'm ok with it, people won't see it as a bad thing. I'll balance it with more eye make-up! Play with who you are. I like that about Parisian women.
Source: Voque UK

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

What 9 Health Food Editors Actually eat.



WHAT 9 HEALTH EDITORS ACTUALLY EAT

A.K.A. WHAT'S IN THEIR VITAMIX, WHERE THEY BUY THEIR KALE AND WHETHER THEY LIVE OFF OF SEAMLESS, TOO.

Green juicing, vitamin IV drips, pre-meal diet lollipops (yeah, that’s a real thing). Name the newest, craziest health trend and chances are they’ve tried it first. Really, how else would you have heard about it? We know what you’re thinking: thank god those brave, editor souls did it all for us. Yeah, us too. And since we know they’ve put their sweat, appetites and tears into finding out what really works, we had to know what’s actually in their kitchen. As in, what do the editors at Cosmopolitan, ELLEMarie Claire, and more, throw in their Vitamix, where do they stock up on kale et al., and what do they drink besides coffee to, you know, stay hydrated? We got this.
On where she does her grocery shopping:
"Trader Joe’s. I honestly think I might starve without it. But I also dip into Fairway and Whole Foods fairly often."
On the recipe app she uses to make meals (or not):
I’ve used Blue Apron, but even the simplest of instructions stumped me. This was absolutely no reflection on Blue Apron, by the way, but rather on my own culinary ineptitude.
On the craziest fitness or health fad she's ever tried for a story:
"More than I can count. But the craziest was definitely the Master Cleanse. It was very difficult. I made it to day three, but felt sick—and somehow lost a total of 0 pounds."
On staying hydrated:
"I am a water guzzler. I also drink a lot of herbal tea and green juice. And yes, I always request the aisle seat on a plane."
On her go-to restaurants and shops for healthy food & supplements in New York:
"I love Westerly Market on 8th Ave. — the staff are super helpful with the supplements, and there’s a great juice bar in the back. I also frequent Juice Generation virtually every day (to the point where I feel like it's bankrupting me, but that kale salad never gets old). The fact that both of these places are within a three-block radius of Hearst Tower is probably indicative that I need to broaden my horizons a little…"
On grocery shopping and working out in one go:
"Lately I’ve been going to the Westside Market for groceries—they have a great selection of produce and prepared foods. Plus, carrying all of my bags up five flights of stairs to my apartment counts as an extra workout."
On how test driving new health trends is all part of the job:
"Part of the job involves testing out the latest fitness gear, workout clothes, and classes—and it’s so much fun. I’ve tested a machine that promises toned inner thighs in the hallways at the office, zoomed through Central Park on the ElliptiGO (an elliptical-meets-bike), and I’ve put my coworkers (most willing) through a killer squat challenge."
On her go-to restaurants for smoothies, juices & supplements in New York:
"For post-workout fuel I love Juice Generation’s acai bowls and the Thrive smoothie at Blossom Du Jour (I’m still trying to perfect my own at-home creation). For a delicious frozen treat during the summer, I head to Chloe’s Soft Serve Fruit in Union Square."
On shopping for her groceries (or not):
"What’s that? Living in the Lower East Side, it’s delivery central. But when I’m good, I’ll go to Whole Foods and stock up on Mediterranean type of snacks."
On IV drips, colonics, and more crazy health trends she's tried:
"I tried IV vitamin drips a long time ago when I worked at Jane magazine. That felt a little extreme. Funny that they’re back in style. Similarly insane was my first (and last) colonic back in the day when they were first having a moment, but now I think a lot of people get them. Yikes!
On going from juice to water for hydration:
"I was an early adopter of green juices and coconut water and was batty over them. Especially the coconut thing kind of started on the Bikram circuit. Then I started to realize I was adding a lot of calories to my day, so I am strictly a water girl again."
On her favorite places to get healthy eats in New York:
"There is a shop by my office called Westerly Natural Market and it’s amazing, like a super health food deli and it has a juice bar in the back. I get charcoal pills there, bedtime tea, that kind of stuff. For food, I live near a restaurant called Dimes. The dishes are insanely delicious but all healthy and wholesome and just totally perfect. It’s tiny and trendy though, so good luck getting a table!"
On where she does her produce shopping:
"A Whole Foods just opened two blocks from my apartment—alleluia! Before then my neighborhood was a bit of a health-food desert."
On how Plated saves the hassle of prepping meals:
"My boyfriend and I sometimes order Plated. They send you the ingredients but you do the cooking. I like that you can pick your proteins (he’s not big on red meat) and the dishes tend to be pretty light and nutritious. I especially love that the ingredients are pre-measured for you—half the hassle of cooking is prepping everything!"
On trying out (and assigning) the craziest health fads:
"As an editor, I tend to assign out a lot of my stories to (very brave) writers. I’ve had fabulous freelancers try colonics and co-ed naked yoga, oil pulling and Soylent (a nutritional powder that boasts it’s the end of eating). I try a ton of fitness classes that are, at best, awesome, at worst, silly, but the most extreme thing I’ve probably ever tried is a 3-day juice cleanse—and many women would say that’s nothing."
On how water cures all (in her opinion):
"Old fashioned H2O. I keep a Bkr water bottle at my desk and refill it at least 6 times a day. IMHO, water is the best way to keep you feeling great and looking young. (Any bodily issue—acne? aches? fatigue?—my first solve is more water.)"
On forgoing supplements and where she gets good eats:
"I’m not big on supplements—I believe that typically people can get all the necessary vitamins and minerals through a produce-forward diet of whole foods. Little Beet Table is my new favorite restaurant for healthy fare. I am on the go a ton, though, so I often grab pre-made meals from Juice Press or The Juice Shop. There’s also a health food store near my apartment called Elm Health that’s my go-to if I can’t (or don’t want to) make a full trip to Whole Foods. I also miss Green Symphony, a hole-in-the-wall salad and juice bar (the watercress salad and Chunky Monkey smoothie were beloved) near my old office."
On where she does the majority of your grocery shopping:
"Trader Joe's (when I go), Fairway (when I have it delivered)."
On winning at life with grocery apps:
"I've tried Plated and really enjoyed the meals, but my new thing is Instacart. I can decide what I want to make for dinner that morning and have the groceries I need delivered by the time I'm home from work. It makes me feel like I'm winning at life when I don't have to resort to takeout."
On the craziest health fad she tried for a story:
"Last year, several O Magazine staffers did a juice cleanse as part of a wellness package. It was hilarious. We were all cranky, but, hey, misery loves company!"
On how she stays hydrated:
"Water!"
On her go-to restaurants for healthy food & supplements in New York:
"Hale & Hearty is my go-to for healthy lunches, and I'll stop into Juice Generation if I want a smoothie (though they have tasty little kale salads there, too)."
On where she does her healthy food shopping:
"I use FreshDirect most of the time. But I go to Union Market for fish and one-off items when I’m making a last-minute recipe. The new Whole Foods in Brooklyn is pretty fantastic, so sometimes on weekends I’ll go with my husband and kids and we’ll do a big shopping trip, then have lunch on their outdoor roof deck. I’ll also make a big Costco trip for stuff like frozen strawberries for morning smoothies, and cashews for snacking, of months."
On the game-changer meal services she loves:
"I tried Sakara my first week back in the office after maternity leave and am totally obsessed with their food. Clean eating and beyond delicious. I’d do a few days of it every time life gets extra busy! My husband and I love to cook, but [Editor-in-chief of SELF] Joyce gave us a couple of weeks of Blue Apron delivery as a baby present when I had George a couple of months ago and we’ve continued to use it every few weeks. It’s a great break from grocery shopping and menu-deciding, plus the meals are so good. I also recently tried Maple, the new healthy-ish meal delivery service. It’s going to be a game-changer for me on a crazy day at the office, and I can’t wait for them to deliver to Brooklyn so I have a healthy dinner delivery option at home."
On the craziest health trend she's every tried for a story:
"I did a first-person story for Runner’s World years ago where I went to a hypnotist a couple of times a week in the hopes of improving my running pace. It worked!"
On how the liquids that keep her hydrated:
"I like flat water for straight up workout hydration, out of my monogrammed Camelback waterbottle that we featured in the magazine. When I’m sipping water at home or work, I like it fizzy and will add lemon or lime to it. Every once in a while I’ll have a green juice. Smoothies are my go-to for breakfast, I usually put in a big spoonful of almond butter and then mix it with almond milk and whatever frozen fruit I have in the freezer plus a banana. And I keep trying to get into tea but I still drink a lot of coffee in the morning. I’ve tried cutting back, but with a 2-month-old, I find the ritual of sipping it bleary-eyed at 5am too tough to part with."
On her go-to restaurants and shops for healthy food & supplements in New York:
"I love Fat Radish for a delicious dinner where I can eat clean without forcing my companions to. Juice Press and Sweet Greens are perfect for a healthy lunch meeting. I go to Whole Foods or Union Market for healthy snacks and great produce."
On where she does her health food shopping:
"The Brooklyn Whole Foods—or as my brother calls it, Whole Paycheck."
On going DIY and not via app:
"I mean, I’ve done Blue Apron, and once tried The Fresh Diet, but I like to cook so I’m more DIY."
On  the craziest fitness or health fad she's ever tried for a story:"For a Marie Claire article, I ate only seven foods for seven days: Asian pears, grapefruit, asparagus, spinach, white fish, turkey, and quinoa. I was so moody and everyone at work wanted to kill me. Then I segued into the less restrictive Virgin Diet. I love J.J. Virgin; she’s so smart and gives a great interview. I’ve also tried tons of kooky classes and gadgets (Shake Weight, MBT rocker-sole sneakers), and once raced Formula 1, which is an insane workout."
On starting her mornings with smoothies and sparkling water throughout the day:
"Most mornings I make a breakfast smoothie in my Nutri Ninja with unsweetened chocolate almond milk, spinach, frozen cherries, chia seeds, and Sun Warrior Blend Raw Vegan Chocolate protein powder. I don’t do any artificial sweeteners, so when I want something bubbly I go for La Croix Sparkling Water in Peach Pear or Hint Fizz Peach. And at night, I like a cup of Numi Organic Moroccan Mint tea.:
On her go-to restaurants for healthy food & supplements in New York:"My boyfriend is gluten-free, lactose intolerant, and has a corn allergy, so I’ve had to find new places to eat out in the city. We like Little Beet, Hu Kitchen, and One Lucky Duck. And I pick up my protein powder and some specialty snacks like Theo Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate bars, unsweetened dried mango, and baked lentil chips at Westerly Natural Market on 54th St. & 8th Ave. Shopping there is an incentive to eat healthy so you can be slim enough to squeeze through their crazy claustrophobic aisles."
On where she finds her life's necessities: 
"There’s a market one block from my apartment where I buy Pellegrino, Kevita, cold brew coffee, baby carrots, and natural beauty products."
On snacking and dining out:
"I’ve tried meal order services, but I prefer snacking throughout the day and going out for a big dinner after work."
On have pre-meal candy (it's not what you think):
"I tried the Hoodia Power-Pop diet. It involves beginning each meal with a diet lollipop, which I did at the office. Imagine mixing Claritin D with a Trenta Americano and you’ve got Power Pops."
On staying hydrated (and caffeinated):"I have to force myself to drink water because I hate it. I’ve learned to like sparkling water, but mostly I drink coffee."
On food by finger swipe:
"My obituary will probably read: Death by Seamless. But between work, training, and racing, it’s getting harder and harder to cook regularly."
On never doing health fads:
"I don’t do fads, especially nutrition-related fads because I’m a girl who needs to eat—my body does not deal with low blood sugar well. But I have done a race in the Marathon Mountain Bike National Championship (40 miles and 6,000+ feet of elevation gain) with very little MTB experience. It was one of the most terrifying and rewarding experiences of my life. Shout out to Rebecca Rusch, a.k.a The Queen of Pain, who essentially taught me to ride up and down mountains over the course of four days."
On staying hydrated:
"I only really drink water. And coffee. Always coffee. Probably too much coffee."
On doing it all at home:
"If I want healthy food I make it myself. And by make it myself, I mean volunteer to wash the dishes while my husband makes it because he’s a much better cook than I am. I try to save money on food so I can spend more on bike races. I also make my own green juices at home in our Vitamix—that way I don’t lose all the fiber!"

Found via The Coveteur.

How to Arrange the Perfect Coffee Table.


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Gypsy.




I'm a gypsy at heart.

"less is more"

is great when it comes to make-up,

but for jewelry

I say, pile it on.





Tuesday, April 14, 2015

clean from the inside out and a few other tips.


For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in eating healthy.
At one time, that meant low-fat, and vegetarian. I thought even if you ate ice cream, 
as long as it was low-fat, it was healthy. Same for soy-based products, 
if I wasn't eating 'real' meat, just soy sausage, soy hotdogs, soy bologna, etc., 
I was eating healthy.

But all of that changed about a year ago, when I decided that I really wanted to learn
about the idea of not just eating low-fat, but healthy, like really, really healthy.
So began a quest to read all I could get my hands on about truly eating for good health 
{inside and out}.

I am still learning so much, I doubt I'll ever really know it all, but what I have learned has been amazing, and with just a few tweaks to my already 'healthy' diet, 
I have seen, and am feeling a huge difference in my skin and overall health.

First off, buy organic, if at all possible, it really isn't that much more
expensive, and it is hugely important. Secondly, especially, if you can't find organic,
wash your fruits and vegetables.
I use a plant-based, non-toxic, biodegradable wash that comes in a sprayer 
{available at health food stores}. I spray everything in a colander, then rinse till the water runs clear. 
If you have little ones, it's a great lesson to teach them. 
They'll love washing the fruit. I wash all my produce, everything but berries and lettuce{s}, and then put in the fridge, 
so they're clean when I'm ready to use them 
and so no one else eats them thinking they're already clean. 
My son still doesn't get why it's necessary to wash an apple before you eat it. 
But I do, so I'd prefer he eats it clean. He won't wash it, so I do.



Speaking of cleaning all those goodies, I
 also try to plan ahead for the week. 
I eat a ton of vegetables and fruits
so I make a list every Friday or Saturday, buy most of the produce 
on Sunday or Monday, 
clean it and store it so it's ready to make lots of juices and smoothies.
That way I always have what I need to throw together my daily green drink, 
as well as all the other plant-based meals and snacks I make.
It's a fun practice to get into, and once you do, I promise you'll be hooked.

When the sweet tooth hits me hard, like yesterday after a delicious, 
super spicy Indian lunch with my daughter, I make a pitaya bowl or an 
acai bowl, like the one above. 
I buy the Pitaya Plus Smoothie Packs or the Sambazon Acai packs, 
keep them in the freezer, 
and just add a banana, some frozen fruit, 
a bit of coconut water or filtered water
and top with organic granola to make these beautiful and nutritious bowls. 


I also love to make fresh pesto every week. 
It's so easy, and my daughter eats it
with everything. You can use pine nuts or walnuts, even almonds. 

Buy your nuts raw, not roasted, and never salted. Roasting removes the nutrients and nuts are so awesome for you, I just love to taste the real raw thing.

Don't worry about good fats, like nuts, coconut, olive, nut and coconut oils, or avocados. I eat them every day and I've actually lost weight. As long as you're eating 'healthy', and you have the good fats in moderation, good fats are not bad. Fake fats are, though.

All of these ingredients I can find at our local health food grocery store, some times
the regular grocery store has a great health food aisle and organic produce, sometimes not,
I guess it just depends on the store. Having said that, I always look for non-GMO and purchase those items much as possible, especially tofu or soy-based products. Soy and corn are the most genetically modified foods, so it's super important to try to find the clean products.

I truly believe that 
you are what you eat
so I educate myself and eat the best I can, as often as I can.

Here are some of my current favorite online resources: 







{Editor's Note: beware, all of these blogs have so much excellent information, beautiful recipes, and intriquing links galore, so only check them out if you are hungry, like I always am, to learn about healthy eating, and to eat, of course}.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Casual Date Night.

Friday Night. Date Night. Casual.


Linen tee from Gap, I love it so much, 
I bought it in grey, white, and black. Belt is from Banana Republic
The jeans, were from Gap, they didn't fit well, so they're going back. 

Current favorites in jeans are 
J Brand {skinny}, 
Madewell {high-riser, skinny skinny}, 
Lucky Brand {I have many different styles, they always fit great}, and 
American Eagle {really low rise, super skinny}. 
It's the rock chic in me, I guess, I love the fit, 
even though low-rise is so last year, they don't even carry a low-rise any more. 
I like them for tooling around town, weekdays on errands. 
I'm just careful bending down to read labels at the grocery store 
{plumber's crack, hahaha}.


Dolce Vita 4" Wedges. Essie Peach Daiquiri toes.




First stop, dinner; 
roasted brussels sprouts, harissa cauliflower and zucchini, 
quinoa with pea shoot salad, and kale superfood salad.
So good and good for you.


Next stop, gourmet grocery for a slice of Pineapple Passionfruit Cake,
which we shared later, in bed, watching Bloodlines. 


Love this guy so much. XO



See the stone in his hand? He picks one up every time we're at the beach.
All our gardens have beach stones that he found. 
Nature lover. 
Be still my heart.


Tulips! It's Spring!







Friday, April 3, 2015


A funny thing happened today...
I checked my blog...
this poor, neglected space...that I used to nourish
but now, just think about, rarely, guiltily, from time-to-time. 

Guess what, to my surprise...even though I have all but abandoned this space...some {many} of you are still stopping by...I am totally shocked at the number of page views...it's crazy, and I feel bad, so I thought I'd try, not promise, but, try, to give it a little love...really, just because 1). it's great therapy, 2). once I get back into it, I really love sharing, and 3). I'm a pleaser, and I feel like I've been letting you all down.

So, today's post is about clean eating, smoothies, juices, 
organic, raw, fiber-focused, vegetarian, sometimes vegan, eating. 

I am a huge believer in "you are what you eat" and, also "you are what you drink".

Having said that, I'm not perfect, but I am hungry...hungry to learn as much as I can about eating the cleanest, healthiest food and drink I can {within reason, that's where the not perfect comes in}.

Realistically, I know I'll never give up sugar...talking serious cookie addict right here, but, I can try to save it for special occasions {which to me is date night, which for me is almost every night, oh well, I'm trying}. I also know that vegan is not going to work for me...I love cheese..there I said it, yogurt, too...namely Pink Berry, oh and gelato. I do eat vegan a lot. I am not vegan, though. I also can't seem to stay away from fruit, although 'they' say vegetables are much better..fruit is so sweet, 
and I love sweet. 

The list goes on, but all in all, I consider myself a super healthy person, not a fanatic, although I admire those people so much, but a really dedicated healthy girl. I don't drink alcohol, well, a glass of wine once a month when the stress gets too intense, or when my mother-in-law is in town {she likes to have a drinking buddy}, and I've switched to organic coffee, but now, I'm thinking about giving it up all together, so I'm weaning myself, slowly off it...hopefully by next week, I'll be on the warm water with lemon and cayenne morning routine sans coffee.

I hope I can share some healthy recipes and some of the knowledge I've been learning here with you...I like to think of myself as a future nutritionist, in the mean time, I have acquired a library full of books I can't get enough of...so, here are just a few that are currently on my nightstand:

Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward 
{totally, totally love this book}
The Everyday Supermodel by Molly Sims 
{really great information, and really easy to read, I adopted a lot from this book}
Gwyneth Paltrow It's All Good by G.Paltrow 
{I really love this one, too, such great information}
Best Green Drinks Ever by Katrine van Wky 
{awesome recipes, tons of really cool information, crazy good book}
The New Health Rules by Dr. Frank Lipman 
{a quick read, good reference, but a bit extreme for me}
Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr
{really great, tons to read, again, a bit restrictive for me, 
but I like it just the same, it's inspired me to make some really great changes, 
and I refer to it often}

After writing these notes today, I realize I have so much I'd like to share with you all, 
so I'll try to drop in again soon.

Thanks for looking, I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.



Oh, and here's to good health! Cheers!