A New Lisa on Life

Day 14!

2014-03-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks - A short update on Day 14! I've been slowly adding a few protein-rich foods, and some foods I missed the most - Greek Yogurt, Eggs, a thawed piece of banana bread from my freezer. I'm feeling good, and feeling a little more liberal and in control and designing something that works for me. More to come, and only 4 days until my cruise!

A is for Avocado

2014-03-07T09:51:00.003-08:00

Hi Friends- Day 12! I made it. I'm writing to alert you of a nationwide avocado shortage, driven by the droughts in California. 40% less production!

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/avocado-shortage-causing-pain-guac-article-1.1713254

Day 12 has arrived. I've started to reintroduce a few foods - yesterday was plain greek yogurt. Still adhering to my 85% guidance so not feeling too guilty. 4 more hours of work. Hope I can get through it!

TGIF!
Lisa

Wheat Belly, Biscuit Bum

2014-03-04T09:22:00.002-08:00

Hi Friends-

Happy FAT Tuesday and Happy Vegan Day 9!

I am shifting gears a bit with this one, on the recommendation of a few friends. I was asking, "What Kind of Bread Should I Eat?" and one of our running group coaches exclaimed, "NONE!" Then he asked me if I had read Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis.

No, I told him, though I was familiar with it, because of the delicious looking Everything Bagel on the cover (seriously that is one amazing book cover, don't you think?).

I downloaded Wheat Belly on my Kindle over the weekend. I'm only about 25% through, so it's a bit premature to write a full review, but it's very interesting so far. A few hot points.

Doctor Davis sets up his case with an interesting observation: He feels like he sees overweight triathletes and runners all the time. People who run five miles a day. Everyone is running. Yet everyone, in his estimation, is still fat. Why? They're not downing ho-hos and Big Gulps. But they're still, like really, really fat.

Gluten is the enemy. Or said differently, wheat (wheat is the culprit because he says most of us aren't consuming copious amounts of barley or rye or other gluten containing grains). And it's mostly because we've genetically modified it to get higher yield on smaller plots of land so it doesn't resemble the healthy stuff our ancestors grubbed on, but instead some sort of nasty mutation, which, I might add, tastes light and fluffy and delish or sweet and grainy or however you, the ravenous consumer, wants it.

The book is pretty heavy on the science, so I'm slogging through it. I love that he isn't afraid to be sciencey and hasn't dumbed this down.

I do feel a little depressed though, to be honest. This shit is killing us. We are getting diabetes, celiac disease, cancer - it's, to borrow a lil slang, CRAY CRAY.

Is ignorance bliss? Is there ANYTHING that's okay to eat? If it's genetically modified wheat today, what is it tomorrow? Hopefully as I read more the book will walk me off the ledge... more to come. Lisa P!

Vegan Chipotle Goes National!

2014-03-03T07:04:00.003-08:00

Hi Friends! My friend Lucia shared with me the exciting news that Chipotle's vegan offering is going national. It's a tofu called Sofritas. Very progressive of them. Looks darn good, too. Photo courtesy of Chipotle.

I used a tool on Chipotle's site to determine nutrition information, and here's what I found (chart: soft flour tacos and does not include rice):

Good to know that I don't always have to eat a salad, or slave over a hot stove all day, or spend hours with a cutting board chopping vegetables for hours..

Lentils, Potatoes, Spinach - and Day 8!

2014-03-03T06:31:00.002-08:00

Happy Monday! Today Begins Day 8!

I found a great blog with great recipes over the weekend - fun to take a look and realize it's a girl about my age who is studying nutrition and just trying to be healthy. A very grassroots, one person, one day at a time!

http://www.girlmakesfood.com/slow-cooker-lentils-vegan/

Just to share that it hasn't been all wine and roses, I did have 3 challenges over the weekend: 1) brunch 2) variety and 3) the scale.

1) Brunch. When 6 beautiful girlfriends sit around a table and plow into omelets and breakfast burritos and turkey panini, and dump frothy thick milk into their coffee, I had pangs not of hunger but pure jealousy! I miss eggs the most. I suppose I could eat egg beaters (will have to check) but those seem fake and not whole, so while they *may* be vegan, you trade one thing (animal derived) for another (loaded with chemicals and unnatural things). Grr.

2) Variety. For the first week I had no problems with variety - stir-frys, tofu, every fruit known to man, great salads with nuts and seeds. But this weekend I was like, uh, okay, what's next. See above for one good solve. I also made a stir fry with sweet potatoes that blew my mind. This is going to take dedicated research, creative menu planning, and trial and error with cooking (later post on an entire bag of quinoa that I burnt forthcoming).

3) The Scale. The scale moved exactly one half of one pound this week. I underestimated the power of the number on the scale as a "reward" for the hard work of a lifestyle change. I underestimated that I like and rely on quantifiable results (numbers) to judge if something is "working." So I may need to adjust a little. Less grazing. Less liberal use of olive oil. Fewer giant man-handfuls of cashews. I am realizing that it is technically feasible to have a vegan diet full of sugar, empty carbs, chemicals, fake foods, heck even Oreo cookies are Vegan!

Thanks for reading and sharing the journey! Lisa P

Mango! And About Last Night...

2014-03-03T05:56:00.001-08:00

Whole Foods Frozen Mango

Hi Friends!

It's Friday at 3:25 pm - I'm two meetings away from the weekend, and almost 5 days into the vegan challenge. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling well, eating well, not starving, not a raving lunatic, not hating life, and not completely sapped of energy. I wouldn't say it's all butterflies and rainbows - no transcendental experience, but so far, so good!

They Don't Call it "Seitan" for Nothing...!

2014-02-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

Day 3, 3:54pm. Still going strong. Last night I made a tasty vegetable stir fry with a meat substitute called seitan. Offcial wikipedia definition:

Wheat gluten, also called seitan (Japanese: セイタン), wheat meat, mock duck, gluten meat, or simply gluten, is a food made from gluten, the main protein of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten.

Still too early to tell, but I'm generally feeling groovy and a bit more energetic. Can't tell if it's a placebo effect, psychological, or if it's truly a physiological change. I will say that I woke up really early (5:30!!!) and was ready to GO GO GO this AM. I still just looked around on my iPad and didn't actually do any productive activity with that time, but still. That was a first. Waking up naturally when it's still dark. WOWZA!

Tonight I'm going to a nice Cincinnati Asian restaurant called Green Papaya with my good friend Sherrie. I think they'll have a quite a few veggie and tofu dishes from which to choose. Not sure about the oil/MSG/cat remains, but again, can't be too perfect about these things.

Is Diet Coke Vegan? And other questions to ponder...

2014-02-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!

Well it's Day 2, 4:44 pm, and I'm going relatively strong all things considered. I've eaten through my amply packed lunch pail (hummus, pepper slices, more fruit than a farmers market, cashews, a nice hearty salad, dates) so I think it's time to call it a day before I make a decision I regret. My greatest temptation thus far has been the giant fresh beautiful plain M&M jar in the big boss's office. Oh the color, the shape, the chocolately goodnesss, sugary candy shell...come to mama!

I searched whether Diet Coke is Vegan and I got mixed responses. I am going to try to hold out on fake food as much as I can, but I won't beat myself up if I decide to indulge once or twice. Remember, 85%

It's too early to tell whether I feel better or have more energy. Tonight will be an exciting challenge. Tuesday's are my only free night after work (see yesterday's post re: masochism), which will give me time to prep and cook (veggie stir fry with tempeh - more on what tempeh is later...), frozen mango for dessert. The challenge will be that I'm home for several hours, left to my own devices. It's too cold still to take a walk outside. I will call my friends, paint my nails, brush my teeth, hook myself up with some rad vegan blogs, and hopefully crash early.

Vegan Challenge - Get Ready. Get Set. Go!

2014-02-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! Today, February 24, 2014, begins day 1 of my vegan experiment. Here I am to the left with Organic Raw Kombucha, "Living food for the Living Body." Also known as a fancy drink with a cool label that sells for close to $4 a pop at Whole Foods.

Here are my medically unsupervised, do-not-try-this-at-home rules and conditions:

Phase I: Monday, February 24, 2014-March 14, 2014 (19 days). Sounds arbitrary, but my mom and I leave for a sunny beautiful Caribbean vacation on March 15. Holla!

Rules: 85% Plant Based. Whole foods vs. fake. Black coffee. 46 grams of protein per day. Red wine is A-OK! Journal and/or blog daily with food diary. Pack breakfast and lunch. Leave nothing to chance. Nuts. Lots of nuts.

Why I'm Doing This:

1. Masochism: I like big bold audacious challenges. In fact I'm not 100% content or happy unless I have something like this going on.

2. Jumping on the Bandwagon: A few people at my gym (Studio S in Cincinnati), including the owner, the inspiring amazing magnificent Susie, have taken their versions of this challenge and are loving it and reporting back with results of more energy, general awesomeness, and lots of Instagram posts of pineapples. Yum!

3. Beating a horrifically cold, wet, depressing winter. I have WebMD'd myself to death and decided, again medically unsupervised, that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). We only have a few weeks to go until the time changes and all is well in the world again, so I want to use this to count down the days.

4. More Energy. I am a healthy 31 year old with a relatively stressful and competitive corporate job, and I found myself completely zonking out at work by 3pm, even if I slept 9 hours the night before. Yeah, that can't happen. I have coworkers with 4 young kids who are up all night and they are doing just fine, but here I am falling asleep on myself.

5. Faster Running. I am a very slow runner (like 11 minute/mile slow) and I'd like to get faster. I know the best way to do this is running more and putting in the miles, but if a diet change can help too, bring it on!

6. The "If I can do it, so can you" mentality to maybe inspire someone. I grew up eating ravioli and chicken parm and meatball subs and pizza like an Italian-American champion. I love hearty heavy food. This ain't gonna be easy, but if I can do it....

7. Making Intentional Choices. Regaining some sense of control vs. the complete powerlessness in the face of stale conference room leftovers. Being more intentional vs. eating the first available food on my kitchen counter as soon as walk in the door, with my coat and boots still on. I mean, come on that's just gross. I want to taste food again rather than inhaling it. Savor. Enjoy. Discover new flavors (hums to self, "I'm just mad about saffron...").

8. Because I need a hobby and experiment and challenge outside of work so I don't eat breathe and live Procter & Gamble. Sometimes distractions are good, right? I sell soap for my day job, and sometimes I approach it with such obsessiveness and intensity that I'm like, "I can't direct all this gusto to one little sandbox." See also, masochism. A former CEO of P&G once said, "The company will take as much time as you will give it." So I'm taking it back!

9. Bathing Suit Season. Okay this reminds me of Richard Simmons aerobics and 1980's style thong leotards, but you get it. It would be great to drop a few pounds (she says casually, as if that's easy), but I'm not limiting portions or being obsessive. Weight loss would be a freakin' great fringe benefit, but the other 8 things listed above are much more important. Plus I think it's just a healthier approach for me (see also masochism, obsessiveness)

10. Luxury - Because I Can. I have the time and means to do this. In the past, I have felt like a lot of the fru-fru Whole Foods health stuff is the luxury of the 1%. I've felt like it's inaccessible. Must be nice to be them. I am a woman of the people! I eat burgers! I am from Youngstown Ohio! There are no Vegans in Youngstown! People have eaten meat and cheese and gross processed stuff for years and despite the diabetes and morbid obesity, we are generally living longer and doing just fine! These are excuses. I have finally made peace with the fact that I can spend $80 at Whole Foods and the world won't fall apart, and neither will my bank account. And I won't lose my Y-town street cred. And I hated the fru fru people out of jealousy. I secretly wanted to be like them. If you can't beat em, join em!

I'll leave you with this, from the label of my fine Kombucha drink. "If you limit yourself with limiting beliefs, you're going to live a limited life in a limited world." - Sunita Sukhraj

2014 Awaits...

2014-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

I consider today, January 6, 2014, the realest, truest first day of the New Year because 1) It's a Monday, the beginning of a week, and 2) I'm back at the office, working, instead of laying on the couch eating bacon, drinking warm mimosas, and napping approximately once every three hours .

Oh 2014, how I at once anticipated and dreaded your arrival! It's negative 2 degrees in Cincinnati - a shock to the system to signal the beginning of something ephemeral new and great. I can't wait for it to unravel! For now, however, I'm off to send a few more work emails, and ignore my mild headache from Prosecco withdrawal. Happy 2014 - may it be the best one yet! xoxo Lisa

Good Bye To All That

2011-09-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wind and thunderstorms have hit Cincinnati on this last Thursday evening in September. It is the first time I've written whilst back on Midwest soil. I'm jamming out to The White Stripes, reading Vogue's October issue (cover features Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe), and eating previously frozen leftover sloppy joe mix (ah, the life of glamour).

I am making no grand announcement that I am back to writing, as I don't trust myself to keep up with it regularly (how's that for managing expectations?). Truthfully I was about ready to call it a night, but then I looked up and the clock on my oven read 7:32 pm. Woof.

So here I am world, or, eh, all approximately 17 of you who have taken a look at this in the past, a past when life consisted of fabulous restaurants and artisinal cockatils and all things hip and current and alive!

I'm reminded of Joan Didion's essay "Good Bye to All That." Joan was 28 when she left New York as well (albeit in 1967). You can read the essay here http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~zkurmus/html/didion.html. It's too beautiful and brave in its whole to pluck out just a quote or two. Gosh, I'd love to meet her. Ironically, she (according to Wikipedia, at least) lives on 71st st. Sigh...

Instead of pity partying, I live vicariously through urban friends Facebook posts, including this one posted 6 minutes ago by my 22 year-old cousin Gina who lives in Boston and started her first grown up job this June. She writes, "Mandarin. Martinis. Marvelous.," and posts a corresponding sepia-tinted instagram photo with three statuesque, staged martinis. Young and cute in wonderful in the true full-of-wonder sense of the word.

Max Fish

2011-03-06T12:53:00.001-08:00

The famous bar next door to my apartment was featured in the New Yorker last week. Here's a clip with the owner.

Miike Snow

2010-10-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, the two "ii's" are intentional. Aimee and I went to Terminal 5 on Thursday to see this Swedish dance pop trio (I think it's a trio, should fact check) perform live. The only kinda/sorta issue with this type of thing is the average age of the crowd. Two examples of conversations I overheard:

"Sarah, don't worry, you're gonna definitity get into NYU"
"Dude, my dad came home one day after school, burst into my bedroom unannounced and was like, 'Travis, are you doing meth?'"

Oh fun!

A Typical Saturday Night in Brooklyn....

2010-10-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sorcha and Jamin were in town Saturday, and I joined them at a friend's in Brooklyn for a seemingly innocent chicken dinner. After dinner, the guys just couldn't help but dance. :)

French Vogue Editor Carine Roitfeld

2010-10-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Vogue Paris just celebrated its 90th Anniversary with a "Eyes Wide Shut" themed party most aptly described as OFF DA HOOK! I was interested in learning more about French Vogue's editor for the past 7 years, Carine Roitfeld, and found this CNN video. Super!

MIA

2010-03-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Eeek - sorry I have been MIA on the blog! I'm having way too much fun on late night conference calls with China (dripping dripping dripping with sarcasm). Since we've last connected (!), I spent a few days at my dad's with Grace, had a wonderful visit with Gina and Brendan, hung out with Carlee's sister Whitney and her mom, and celebrated Erika's birthday at Brooklyn Bowl (I bowled a 79!). Brooklyn Brewery pints, burgers, cupcakes, a live band, a likely median age of 24... lots of skinny girls and cigarettes and boys with beards and Elvis Costello glasses... loving it. Hmm, what else, a faux-Passover seder, a sticky-floored St. Patrick's day at "The Perfect Pint," really really good challenging conversations with folks at Trinity Grace, and passing out at 8pm on nights in between, feeling a little (okay a lot) out of control with no method to the madness. But that's okay for now... :) I think. Right?!

Needing Spring.

2010-02-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

When I was 18, I wrote a poem called Needing Spring that I shared with Carlee and probably no one else. Nine years later, I'm experiencing a similar sentiment. My apartment needs a good-scrubbing. So do my finances. And my closet, let's not even go there.

I would also like to download a few songs like:
I Want to Love You Madly
Lookin Out My Back Door

On the finance front, Suze Orman is here giving sound financial advice:
http://www.oprah.com/money/Suze-Ormans-Spring-Cleaning-Overhaul-Your-Files-And-Finances/1. My biggest problem is that I don't remember any of the usernames and passwords and pins to any of this crap. Fidelity? Chase? Yeep!

I also signed up for a free account with Mint.com that does pie charts of your spending habits. Um, let's just say I have a brunch and sushi addiction. I'm glad vodka shows up as "Miscellaneous." Less guilt.

I made my mom stay on the phone with me for two hours while I filled three bags full of "Unacceptable Clothing for My Fabulous New York Life." I plan to schlep it to the Housing Works thriftshop on Crosby St.

As a reward, I would like to invest in a pretty spring plaid top. The one pictured here is $118 which makes me cringe - I don't think I could ever do it. But I want to. Yes, I do.

Feeling better already!

Saturdays Surf NYC

2010-02-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

A surf shop and coffee shop on Crosby St between Grand & Broome. Undoubtedly one of the hippest blocks in New York. How neat! They have a garden in the back. Add it to the list of places I will take you. xoxoxo.

PS - It's 42 Degrees and sunny today! I need to get thee outside and explore.

Freemans: A "Rugged Clandestine Colonial American Tavern"

2010-02-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Freemans is a restaurant that also has a separate barber shop and sporting club bearing the same name. The owners (or website copywriters, same difference) describe it as a Rugged Clandestine Colonial American Tavern, which I love because, though seemingly ridiculous, it's oddly accurate. I love this trend... "Pioneer Woman" meets lower Manhattan.

Four months and a dozen brunches in, Freemans has been my favorite. I love their location (in an alley off of Rivington, a few minutes away from my apartment) ambiance (taxidermy on the walls, whiskey in the drinks - yes even at 1pm, beards on the boys), and 'rustic' food (poached eggs with butternut squash and mushroom hash - HELLO!).

As always, the best part is the company, and hanging out with Whitney was the best!

Here's a link to their site http://freemansrestaurant.com/Restaurant.html (also where I got the photo). Check out their sporting club's collection and dedication to custom men's tailoring and unique items like "shackets" - a cross between a shirt and jacket. They've got a lot of great ideas... I just love it. Can't wait to go for dinner when you're in town!

New Friends!

2010-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

This is me with two new friends, Stella and Carolyn. Stella is from New Mexico and Carolyn is from Minnesota. They are friends of Sorcha, and live in New Haven, Connecticut. Yay for kind and wonderful people with interesting stories. And for dimly lit bars and good photographers. Makes everything so much more beautiful, doesn't it? I'm rocking my signature "glasses in the hair" look.

A Quote, for Posterity's Sake

2010-02-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

"But we're not satisfied with what we ourselves have learned about the world and ourselves. We're always waiting for a stranger to come and tell us something more. And 'something more' means 'the rest of it' and that's what we need most; we miss it. So go ahead, stranger! Tell her what she herself is...her life, her years, her great appenditures of self, what of herself is honey and what is gall on her tongue, the hunger she has, and the hunger she sees." Elio Vittorini

Elio Vittorini (1908-1966) was a Sicilian novelist. Carlee sent me this... I thought there would be something theraputic in typing the words. I love the boldness, the aggression of the taunt, the dare - "So go ahead stranger!" Attempt what we know is impossible. What we hope is impossible. I think the change from "We" to "her" is interesting... takes "us" out of it. Her, she, is weaker. I also love that there are no descriptive, concrete nouns until 'honey' and 'gall.' I think it makes them all the more powerful. Can't you taste it?
Dude, I want a PhD in literature. Sigh.

The hunger she has, and the hunger she sees.........

Happy Chinese New Year!!

2010-02-13T10:04:00.001-08:00

Check out this :60 spot from Gillette, Shanghai. I love intermixing of holidays and cultures - so cheesy! So wonderful! I am going to try to go to Chinatown tomorrow (I live 5 min away, really no excuse).. I've heard it's INSANE.

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxoxoxox

So Close, Yet So Far Away...

2010-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Four short blocks from my apartment (in fact, a storefront that I walk by EVERY DAY) ... less than 24 hours ago... Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose and friends played a 17 song set on Bowery to kick off New York fashion week. Wowza!

As if I weren't addicted to the internet enough already, this has heightened my obsession with searching for amazing things going on right outside my door. There is this underground WORLD out there.. ah! Let me in! I want in! How weird is that? How immature is that? Silly at best. Pathetic at worst? I don't know. I want to say, "You know, I really didn't feel like going...it was so cold, but they (they = fabulous, yet down to earth and genuinely good and kind people) really twisted my arm." I guess that's the fascination of rock stars and groupies and scenes and back stages. We want in. Everyone wants in somewhere, I guess.

Total Aside: Do you have a favorite Guns N' Roses memory? Sweet Child was playing on Y-103 when my mom got in the good ole Pontiac Grand Prix and drove away from Boardman High School after my graduation ceremony. June, 2001 baby!

Photo from Gothamist. Link here http://gothamist.com/2010/02/12/axl.php

Love the Job You're In Day

2010-02-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Almost every day I get emails from a woman named Paola who lives in Rome and writes up analyses of competitive advertising in Italy for a project I'm working on. I have never met her, but I would like to one day. She is probably hard-working and fabulously Italian with a great leather bag.

Below is an advertisement from Caudalie, a French skincare brand with a focus on nature. I think the creative execution is very "Ides of March" don't you? Et tu, brute?

Here is Paola's translation:
Here is the story of a matrioska.
In the grape-vine there are shootes.
In the shootes there is Resveratrolo.
In Resveratrolo there is the power to prolong cells life of 160%*.
End of the story: a never end youth.
Vinexpert, volumizes,relaxes, firms
* Sinclair DA, small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature, 2003
Ask for suggestion and free sampla to your pharmacist or by phone # 80044292424 ( free cal from fix line, from monday to friday, from 9 to 6).

Well, you have sold me! Let me fish around for some euros in the bottom of my (not Italian leather) bag.

These types of little things make me smile - sometimes I have to look at the silliness that I sometimes take SO seriously. "In the grape-vine there are shootes." I think I may email Paola and thank her for delivering these delightful messages to my inbox each and every day.

Snowstorm, Wine, Facebook, Marie Claire - Am I a Cliche?

2010-02-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

An Evening in the Life During the Blizzard of 2010...

Drinking: Valle Dell'Acate Il Frappato 100% Frappato Red Wine (Thank you Luba and September Wines & Spirits on the corner)
Eating: Eggs and toast
Reading: Marie Claire Feb 2010 article "How Kissing David Duchovny Rescued My Sex Life"
Wearing: Hoodie, Boxers, Slippers
Surfing: Facebook, Interactive New Testament Book of Romans
Feeling: Slightly deranged, cabin fevered
Needing: Inspiration. Less blizzard. More sunshine.
Wanting: To go to JCrew.com and buy one of everything sherbert colored.
Listening: Pat Benetar, "Love is a Battlefield"