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Life in NY/Life in LA

The Best Healthy $10 Meal in NYC

I love food.  It’s the reason I became a dietitian.  Leaving NYC has made me miss many of the foods that I used to take for granted (like this post about my precious NYC Whole Wheat Fig Bars).  I’m lucky that Jay brings home bagels when he goes to NY but there are quite a few foods that just don’t travel well and while I was in NY a few weeks ago I tried to avail myself of some of the things I love.

Dojo West NYCMy favorite healthy meal in all of NYC is not a high-end establishment but it’s a place that nearly every NYU student knows well.  It’s Dojo on West 4th and Mercer.  Dojo has a long history in NYC and used to have two locations (Dojo East on St. Mark’s closed) but now has only one.  This location has sentimental value to me.  If you’re a New Yorker, you might know that years ago this used to be the site of the ice cream parlor Swensen’s – one of the places I went after my HS Senior Prom.

Even after the restaurant changed over to Dojo, an Asian-inspired, inexpensive healthy restaurant.  I’ve been a fan.  Every single friend I have has likely met me at Dojo for lunch because it is my favorite place on earth to eat a healthy meal for under $10.

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By |May 17th, 2013|2 Comments
  • Girly girl,

3 Simple Ways To Enjoy Being A Girl

Girly girl,

I think every girl had this jewelry box Image: zhouxuan12345678.

After my emotionally heavy post on Friday about the other side of Mother’s Day, I’m lightening up a bit today.  I’m not the girliest of girls.  I don’t conform to many of the girly stereotypes – I don’t live to shop, I can’t stand pink,  I rarely buy make-up and wear it maybe 4 times a year but every now and then I enjoy being reminded that I am indeed, female.

When my friend Mr. Pasadena arranged a date a complimentary blow-out at the Dry Bar in Pasadena for Rachel of Glassofwin.com and me a few weeks ago, it made me want to sing, “I Feel Pretty” out loud (almost)!

It was so uncharacteristic for me that I figured that it might be fun to share 3 easy ways to enjoy being a girl.

 

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By |May 13th, 2013|3 Comments

A New Yorker's Favorite Snack

I’ve been back from NYC for over two weeks now and I’m embarrassed that I’ve barely written a lick about my trip and the wonderful time I had seeing friends and enjoying the city that is home in my heart.  Let’s face it, Los Angeles is a fabulous city as well but there are somethings that you can only get in NYC – like the $1 packet of 3 whole wheat fig bars, my favorite snack in the world.

fig newtons, NYC, healthy snack, whole wheat fig bars, bodega treats

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By |April 29th, 2013|6 Comments
  • Dancinerate, Ilyse Baker, Equinox Sports Club, Fitness Class While Recovering from Injury

Dancinerate – A Fitness Class While Recovering From Injury

Dancinerate posterI’ve been exploring fitness options while healing from my back injury.  When I was invited to attend a Dancinerate class at Equinox Sports Club in West LA with dance and fitness expert Ilyse Baker, I decided to be daring and try it.

I love to exercise and I love music but I can’t dance.  Long ago I used to go to clubs – and do the New Wave step and rock – but I am very uncoordinated.  Hence, being injured numerous times.

The extent of my dancing is more “Popcorn” by Hot Butter (as a child) and the “Electric Slide” (during the drunk college years) than anything requiring ability.  I’m lucky that I had Carolyn from ThisTalkAintCheap.com with me.  Together, we won a contest at the #HATES event in January. I knew she’d be good support if I literally broke a leg in class.

Ilyse didn’t look like the typical tall and breakably thin dancer – she was short (like me!) and muscular and I found that inspiring.

Dancinerate studio

Ilyse was a fun and a skilled teacher – she made the routine easy enough for a klutz like me to follow (most of the time) by breaking down the routines and repeating the moves multiple times.  She also named the moves catchy things like “put on your jacket” or “drive the car” to make the workout fun and accessible.

I loved that my recent earworm “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (I’m slow on current music) was one of the songs in class as well.

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By |April 26th, 2013|2 Comments

LA is not a Culinary Wasteland

Nearly 9 months of living in California and I’m still missing the food from NYC.  California has the weather but there’s no place on earth with better bagels and pizza than New York (my suitcase full of bagels from last week’s trip will vouch for that).  However, I think I might have found one place in Los Angeles (so far) that makes me not miss the culinary world of New York quite so much – ink.

ink. is the first signature restaurant of Michael Voltaggio, winner of Season 6 of Bravo’s Top Chef (above in the restaurant’s open kitchen – not my photo but he was in kitchen the night we dined).  I’ll be honest, I didn’t watch Season 6 of Top Chef so I didn’t know who Voltaggio was but after obsessively reading restaurant reviews for a place to bring Jay for his birthday, I knew ink. was the place. […]

By |April 12th, 2013|2 Comments
  • NYC

Scenes from NYC

Because this is clearly only something you’d see (on the highway) in NYC that I had to snap and share:

NYC

 

Having a great time in NYC and will have fitness and culinary tales to tell once I return!

By |April 8th, 2013|0 Comments