hira: EATaly

whats a girl to do when there are no Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or My Organic Markets around? If you're anything like me, you go to EATALY. Like everything else that is slightly amusing, i am obsessed. everywhere you turn, there are rows and rows of the days best produce, hanging racks of fish and meat, baskets of fruit and shelves of balsamic and olive oil. Nestled in between the rows of cheeses and sweets, there are several places one can sit and eat, each bar concentrating on either pasta, meat, dolce, etc.

today, i'll let some photos tell you a story. im on my way to a calcio (soccccer JUVENTUS) match :)

elyssa: midnight muffins

it was a great day.

i ran into my teenage idol - scott speedman - as he was jay-walking across the street from my house. i've seen like 5 A-list celebs in 2 days and i'm stuck on scott..

hey-ay camera phone

AND i passed the part of the bar exam that i took in august!

after an exhausting kickbox + yoga combo, i came home, plopped on the couch, and realized i really really wanted a muffin. i assessed the feeling: 'hmm. a muffin? really? this is new in elyssa world'. after verifying the legitimacy of the craving, i proceeded to make my muffin(s). i figured it was better than scrounging around the kitchen and eating something i didn't want to eat.

revelation: ad hoc baking works. my theory is that people are either natural cooks or bakers. people that are bakers, cook like they bake - lots of measuring and very precise. cooks - on the other hand - usually can't bake to save their lives. i thought this was me - until i started allowing myself to bake creatively. i feel like the world was keeping this secret of imperfect baking from me. conspiracy theory?

i found a food network recipe for orange muffins and went about making it my own. inspired by angela's approach to experimental baking, i cut the recipe in half (preventative measures). substituted earth balance for butter. almond milk for the milk. turbinado for regular sugar and whole wheat for regular flour. lastly, i tried my first flax egg replacement (courtesy of the fitnessista) - 1 tablespoon milled flax seed + 3 tablespoons water. oh and cinnamon goes in everything these days.

fluffy. orangey. aromatic. comforting.

as you can see - this week, i'm going easy on myself. i'm eating muffins in the middle of the night for goodness sake. why? because the last few weeks have been rough. adjusting to life away from the mountain always is. i've been putting incredible stress on my body and my mind ever since i returned to toronto - and now i'm working on a little inner peace.

listen now: try a little tenderness

inspiration du jour: sookie st. james, gilmore girls. i want to be her when i grow up.

hira: carbed-out

current location: torino, italia--semester abroad

is there such a thing? i'm starting my second week in italia and i have to say--they eat A LOT of breads, pastas, and cheese. obviously, its soo delicious but geeez, put a carrot stick in my mouth that isn't covered in olive oil. fortunately, there are multiple outdoor markets going on every day from 8am - 1pm, featuring local vendors with a plethora of colorful vegetables and fruits, wheels of cheese and all kinds of breads. the best thing about shopping for food and cooking in my tiny apartment is that i can go every day or every other day, pick up small amounts of fish and bread and produce instead of a bushel of apples or an entire loaf of bread. just the perfect amount.

don't worry dear--all in moderation. we've been creating lovely meals with amici including:

on sunday, a group of us decided to take a train to a nearby town called Asti for the famous festival delle sagre, a foodie and wine lover's paradise. following my usual paradoxical personality, while i don't really care for large parties and drunken fiascos, i do enjoy wandering around various vendors and sampling local specialties. something about very genuine energy is mesmerizing. it pulls you in, makes you taste life.

savoring moments with new friends and indulging in gelato. yes, i walked all the from porta nuova, way down via roma and over to via garibaldi to visit my favorite gelaterria GROM--when a friend pointed out there was a GROM location right in front of my face.

and every day, i look out my balcony to find this:

yes, a shirtless man singing a variety of american acoustic songs, inclusing jason mraz and jack johnson. he's quite entertaining, waves back at me, and lets me take awkward pictures.

new challenges: use my outdoor running times to explore more of the city, take advantage of my balcony for some daily yoga. (you're welcome for introducing you to yoga darling--i share only the things that are closest to me). daily salads. obviously, i have to balance all of the gelati.

elyssa: getting back on track

location: toronto

week in review:

toronto is bustling with limos and escalades. paparazzi and celebutantes. the whole city comes alive for two weeks every september to host the second most important film festival in the world (second only to cannes). as rail thin women in designer gowns traipse up and down my street, it would be easy to entertain thoughts of inadequacy, but i am forever comforted by my newfound (if struggling) focus on health, not weight.

i'm rethinking the notion of the 1 week challenge. clean week was a disaster on many levels. while my intentions were good - i did end up feeling deprived - and that as we know - can only lead to bad places. i threw clean week to the wind on friday and indulged in a day on the town with the boy and his sister. we had thai, and chocolates, and sushi. oh my. everything tasted so good.

there were some delightful clean meals at home (the problem wasn't what i ate - but the quantities and mood with which i approached my food)..

turmeric eggplant and spinach

butternut squash with apples, topped with earth balance

the best thing about clean week? i'm now on 10 consecutive days of yoga. some days at the gym. some days at home. some 2 hrs. some only 20 mins. i am happy that my practices are showing increased skill, but most importantly - i am happy that i practice everyday not because i feel compelled or forced, but because i genuinely crave a bit of yoga in my day. it is because i love yoga so much that it always naturally finds a slot in my routine - and for this, my dear, i thank you. you gave me yoga.

new challenges:

the food part of clean week went a bit iffy, but my body is feeling rested and renewed. today i got back on track with my exercise and felt better than ever. as i return full time to school, the goal is to exercise vigorously without going overboard. the latter part being the key. i have to remember that when i push myself too far, i will inevitably be too tired the next day to exercise properly, resulting in disaster. moderation: it's an art.

- take more precautions to avoid overtraining (like no weights on consecutive days)

- keep up the yoga

- incorporate HITT (high intensity interval training) into days when i don't want to slug away at the elliptical for 40 mins

- push myself to moderate naturally (avoid obsessive calorie counting)

lastly, this week i've learned the importance of respecting what my body craves. i want to take the time to identify what it is that my body really wants - i.e. i'm thinking of cake, i must need carbs, seek healthy carbs, instead of devouring a random slice of cake. today i craved pb and banana - and i gave myself just that, with a bit o' pumpkin and cinnamon, on a sandwich thin. it kept me happy for a long time..

current obsessions:

celeb spotting. watching old episodes of the OC. baking the perfect vegan orange cake. planning an anniversary dinner to share with le boy.

hira: i enjoy long walks on the (beach) promenade.

today, i enjoyed an extra long walk by the river po that runs along valentino park. my roommate, regina from puebla, mexico, joined me for an adventure that took us to the greenest parts of torino, italia. my study abroad program, USAC (University Study Abroad Consortium) largely consists of American students, with some international students from Latin America and Europe thrown in for good measure. I have classes with students from Mexico, Serbia, Hungary and France---naturally, you know me well and have probably guessed that i have mostly been hanging with the international students/'foreigners'---although I am probably the foreigner in this case...I have never been much of a pub crawler, and so i choose to spend my nights having beautiful dinners with strangers and new friends, walking along the river and taking photos as the light changes, ever so slightly, to create the most wondrous scenery. i have been

struggling a bit with my OCD behavior--always feeling like i NEED to be doing something 'productive'. not allowing myself to just be. to breathe in the river scent. to follow that road that appears as if it will go nowhere. to climb those stairs that wind up to a hidden overlook. well, tonight i have been just...sitting. walking. sitting. walking.

perching. photographing. eating.

allow events to change you. you have to be willing to grow. growth is different from something that happens to you. you produce it. you live it. the prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

slow down.

ask stupid questions. growth is fueled by desire and innocence. assess the answer, not the question. imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.

think with your mind. forget technology. creativity is not device-dependent.

still eating that gelato. i should maybe stop that. soon! it doesn't help that i live next to this particular gelaterria. fate?

oh yeah, i did actually mange to get an italian cell phone...it took me over a week, but it just didn't seem that necessary, ya know?