elyssa: popcorn and coconuts

location: toronto

nothing grieves me more than looking back at all the years that i forbade myself the pleasure of a good grilled cheese. cheesy sandwiches are associated with my carefree youth. with days spent together on the mountain hovering over the george foreman (the only kitchen appliance we could properly operate). when i first turned to healthy living, i stopped indulging. grilled cheese lay abandoned in my youth. little did i know that there was more than cheapo mozarella (packaged in creepy cellophane inserts) between those 2 slices of bread. there was guilt. and fear. and insecurity.

no more.

i'm bringing grilled cheese back.

goat gouda. wheat-free chia bread. a touch of basil.

grape tomatos add a finishing touch.

an inadvertent heart!

reclaiming a long-forsaken favorite food has prompted a flurry of retrospective culinary projects.

one morning, i awoke with a sudden craving for homestyle biscuits (just like the pillsbury package - but far healthier!)

another day, all i wanted was baked beans (you know the ones in a can? nast)

fresh pinto beans. couple dollops of pumpkin & maple syrup.

with the spirit of reclaiming the past, came celebrations of the future. the boy turned 25! of course, food took center stage.

for his special birthday dinner:

'cream' of broccoli soup (vegan)

quinoa with mandarin oranges, pecans, and cranberries (inspired by angela)

...and lastly, organic lamb burgers!

the boy approved.

toiling away in my tiny kitchen, i had a profound revelation. i was assessing the seeming contradiction in the vegan broccoli soup nestled side by side the meaty hunks of lamb. lamb, like all meat products, is a rarity in my house - and yet, i adore it. now, perhaps more than ever do i appreciate a good piece of organic, protein-filled meat. i credit my 90% vegan lifestyle for deepening my love for food - and specifically, for the kinds of food that stem from the life of another being.

the more i 'pretend' to be vegan, the more i find myself increasingly satisfied with this way of life. living in the trend-ridden society that we do certainly helps - considering veganism is a fashion du jour; however, i really do see and feel the benefits of animal-fee choices.

every day i make new discoveries and embrace new substitutions. for instances, who knew creamy broccoli soup could be made with tofu?!

blend silken tofu:

and mix with pureed broccoli/onions. true, the tofu looks far from appetizing in blended form - but the soup was so delicious i was successfully able to feed it to an avowed tofu hater, without him being any the wiser :) while i'll never be the girl that serves tofurky or does a meatless thanksgiving (sacrilege!), on a daily basis - for me, vegan is the way to go.

of course, birthday festivities mean baking! vegan baking! i made an enormous batch of mama pea's dough balls (a blog world sensation). euff. simply divine.

plus, these absolutely amazing coconut-milk cupcakes:

hilarity ensued in the form of a popcorn + coconut themed party.

organic popcorn!

real coconuts!

the coconut water went into the rum punch, and the meat was baked and handed out in chunks to the party people. strange, yet a crowd-pleaser nonetheless.

new goals:

i have less than i month left of this semester - and the pressure is on. oddly enough, i've never looked forward to returning to the mountain more than this. i am so excited! i long for christmas at home. for the spacious kitchen and clean woodsy air. for chocolates and tea downtown. for presents! because of this, i've decided to go home early and complete my schoolwork from there. for now, the task at hand is to make it to dec 10.

per our annual tradition, my family will be spending thanksgiving with me here in canada. here is what i hope to accomplish by the time they arrive:

- pick some new and creative thanksgiving recipes (that won't frighten the palates of our more gastronomically timid guests)

- keep plugging away at these papers (the whole foods cafe is my new favorite study spot - plenty of room, coffee, snacks!)

- start a new workout challenge (discovered on healthy tipping point): two hundred squats and two hundred situps —> a 6 week program that gradually builds you up to being able to do 200 consecutive squats and situps respectively. sounds admirable and doable. hopefully should only require 10 minutes or so in the morning.

current obsessions:

breaking out the christmas music. mushrooms and more mushrooms. starbucks joy tea. figuring out the future.

hira: new neighborhoods and rediscovering discovering.

current location: la scuola--post conversation session with some italian students.

in accordance with my newfound rules to get myself out of this rut, i have been spending as little time in my apartment as possible...despite the cold weather and darkness. it instantly lifts my mood to get out and walk new streets, old streets, discovering new things and new people.

daniele showed me parts of his neighborhood a few days ago--apertivo at a new place, dawan bar. while we waited, he showed me a bar a few streets down that was so funky--decorated well with flags, random photos, and a disheveled arrangement of tables. i liked it so much that i went back the next day with my roommate summer--this time, being sure to document it so you can see how different it was:

a funky bar--unique lighting fixtures, excellent music, and diverse seating options

food that comes with your drink of choice--breads, pastas, vegetables, salamis--all delicious

summer. our seats by the window--complete with zebra tables and magenta-boxed seats

evening walks down via po to piazza vittorio are, if possible, even prettier these nights--dozens of light fixtures and decoration spattered across the streets, lighting up the beautiful churches along the road.

my weekends start here on thursday afternoon--with no class on friday, i like to spend the first half of my fridays going to the grocery store, the gym, and doing other miscellaneous errands (errr, i still have to go get my glasses fixed. talk about lazy). the gym that i joined is called Jumping Jack--upon simona's suggestion, summer and i got month-by-month memberships for the remainder of our time in italy. i finally remembered to bring my camera to the gym, and thankfully, there were not that many people there on an early friday afternoon--so i didn't feel like too creepy snapping photos of the facilities:

standing at the bus stop--typical of my days. almost too typical.

madama cristina--i never, ever see girls out in public while wearing their workout clothes--they always change at the gym. how cumbersome. quite similar to your law school situation--its only slightly awkward.

my grand selection of cardio equipment--two ellipticals and three treadmills.

some stray resistance bands

weight machines. clearly this gym is male-dominated, judging from the weights to cardio machine ratio

this is the selection of free weights for the women, placed upstairs in the group exercise room for use during fitness classes. makes our mountain YMCA seem like celebrity-status.

shots of our group exercise room: good lighting. colorful walls. unfortunately no classes like yoga and kickboxing--but they have body pump, body shape, GAG (glutes, abs, and something else that begins with a 'G')

well. im off to la cena. buon weekend :)

hira: back to basics

current location: torino, italia. chugging water. really.

your week in the city looks fabulous--candles 79 sounds so familiar. proud (but not surprised in the least) that you went to a vegan restaurant and didn't feel like you were missing out. you look lovely.

i'm trying to recall the last week--what i have been doing, with whom i have been, places i've seen. it frightens me that it all seems like one long night at Murphy's. i guess i've been frequenting the usual places along vittorio emanuele a little too often this past week or so--while i've met some amazing people from italy, norway, ireland---i can't help but feel a bit sloppy.

what a horrid word.

steps i will take to revive the very reasons for coming to torino:

1. long walks. the weather is not that bad. the leaves are colorful. and air is crisp.

2. rediscover the joy in cooking for myself. slowly.

3. practice my italian with my friends, even if they want to practice their english. go to the states.

4. shop. shoes. (this is important, not so much for the product, but for the act that involves wandering. i like to wander).

current obsessions: mushrooms, sauteed with balsamic, garlic and onion. plated with a rustic guacamole--simple, filling lunches. shawls in place of jackets during fall transition.

grateful that i have friends who share a love of traveling and learning--thinking of you often, and living your adventures as well as mine. egypt, guatemala, austria, italia.

for the weekend: hiking. parks. gardens. lots of yoga.

elyssa: five days in new york city

location: back in canada

i took fall reading week as an opportunity to head down to nyc. eat good food. drink good coffee. keep good company. and lastly, get in some good studying. the eating, drinking, and frolicking most definitely happened. the studying? not so much.

i got rained out. rain can be a serious morale killer. especially when every single book you're carrying gets drenched. and even more so, when you're standing on the street drenched down to your undergarments. thrilling, let me assure you..

i took the dismal weather as a sign from the heavens to shut the books and take the time to regroup. my days consisted of long walks alone through crowded streets and empty parks, with stops at hidden bookstores and many a starbucks.

outside looked like this:

inside, however, looked like this:

whole foods became my refuge. i went 3 times! traipsing through the beautiful columbus circle location and checking out all the goodies not found on canadian shelves immediately lifted my spirits.

indian food from the hot bar!

a mini fall cupcake!

seasonal lara bars!

honey roasted peanut butter!

blood orange chocolate!

i was in heaven. with food in my belly, even the grim outdoors became beautiful. lincoln center looked gorgeous in the twilight downpour.

with a change in mood, came a change in weather. sure enough, sunny skies for the remainder of my stay!

i started off one morning with yoga near bryant park at yoga to the people - an amazing, donation based yoga company with studios across the country. after walking 60+ blocks the day before, yoga was absolutely necessary..

yoga was my only formal exercise for the trip - but walking all day left my limbs feeling like they'd clocked several hours at the gym.

an emergency slim pret provided much needed energy on occasion..

some street nuts gave me the stamina for another 20 blocks or so..

long days left me craving a late night dinner of tofu and veggies at the zen palate..

and on my last day (joined by my mom!) - we walked a monumental 75 blocks and 12 avenues. darting through marathon runners gearing up for the big day (new york marathon - 45,000 runners!!)

our destination: candle 79. dare i say it?

candle 79 is my new favorite nyc restaurant.

and its vegan. oh my.

butternut squash wild mushroom crepe with beet salad and polenta fries.

antioxidant potion - sparkling water. concord grapes. blueberries. lemon. mint. ginger. agave.

freebie baby muffin.

tea and agave.

new goals:

now it's back to school and to the books for a grueling 3 more weeks. new york put me in a holiday state of mind..

christmas windows!

christmas cups!

..even with christmas on its way, the goal du jour is to stay focused. eat healthy. keep gymming and yogaing my way to sanity. study with purpose.

for the first time in forever i haven't been sick in months. must be the yoga. i shall keep yogaing.

i have the boy's birthday festivities and then thanksgiving around the corner. will be devising a bit of a clean week in anticipation of all the holiday frenzy. more on that soon.

current obsessions:

my new anthro turtle cardigan (dont judge, i love turtles). dreaming up thanksgiving dishes. christmas lights.

with love.