Food

Another month is almost over….slow down, time, SLOW DOWN! It is now Spring Break for us, which means, the end of the school year is around the corner and HELLO SUMMER. Until then, here is what I am currently loving this month! Take a look, here is March 2019.

An easy series to watch in a weekend about a crazy lady and murders and crimes. Dark but not too scary as it is narrated in a witty and upbeat way. And you can’t stop watching because you want to know all the weird things that happen.

The only problem with Bad Blood is that once you pick it up, you will not be able to put it down. Fascinating, riveting, twisted and oh so good. A great book to read on the plane or on the beach. Or any night you don’t want to sleep! A must read.

I discovered this song from the NYTimes article “The 25 Songs That Matter Right Now.” I can’t stop listening to it — love it oh so much. The beat, the lyrics, everything. It is part club mix and part Flamenco, making it a great song to listen at ANY point in the day.

This French moisturizing body wash softens, soothes, and protects the skin while cleansing with a creamy, soap-free foam. It is naturally blue and contains no dyes and is formulated without parabens. God bless French Beauty products.

My good friend who has the most beautiful skin you’ve ever seen in your life told me about this product and said that she could see changes in her skin immediately. Since I want to have my skin look like hers, I had to get this retinol cream. You use it at night before your moisturizer and it makes all the difference.

So there you have it, my top 5 current loves. Do share what you are loving this month — I always love to hear!

Every week, I find myself at the counter of Epicerie Bouloud to pick up my favorite sandwich in the world. Aside from cucumbers and granola (my other go-to foods), I could eat this sandwich EVERY MEAL OF EVERY DAY and be happy as a clam. Not only does it remind me of Paris, but it satisfies all my taste buds — butter, ham, cheese, bread — THANK YOU, GOD.

BIG! You can split this….or you can eat it all for yourself! (Like I do!)

I am (once again) on a Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook kick. Everything in her new cookbook (The Clean Plate) is delicious and a current go-to. These turkey burgers are so easy, super delicious, and a hit with everyone (such as me, myself, and I).

I was recently introduced to 8Greens, a tablet that goes in to water full of vitamins and minerals. Made from 8 different types of greens (hence the name), it is a super easy and tasty way to get all your daily greens in just 8 ounces of water. Reluctant at first, I was scared by the “greenness” and that it would taste like chalk or celery….. Shockingly, this magical little tablet is incredibly delicious, not sweet, and easy to drink. And now I am a believer — and everyday, I look forward to my little fizzy green drink from 8Greens!

I discovered that it is the little things that make a big difference in my life. So when my mom gave me reusable silicone bags for Hannukah, I was thrilled. These fun, colorful, ever so practical, and healthy alternative to plastic food storage bags are a great addition to my kitchen. Not only do I feel like I am helping the environment (even in a very small way) but they are an extra pop of color in my day that makes me smile. Stasher bags come in all different sizes and colors and can be used for more than just food!

I always love Gwyneth Paltrow cookbooks as they are simple, easy, healthy, and delicious. So when she came out with her newest book, The Clean Plate, a couple weeks ago, I was so excited to try out all the different recipes. And sure enough, everything I make from it is a WIN and I love them all. Randomly this past weekend when it was Arctic temperatures outside and there was nothing to do besides be cooped up and freezing, I decided to make the black rice pudding from her book. It was suuuuuper easy and extremely tasty. I plan to eat it as a dessert or as a hearty winter breakfast or both.

Recommended by a friend to watch, I saw this movie before we went to see “Free Solo” — another exhilarating and amazing film that I highly recommend. I loved everything about “The Dawn Wall” — and the message of how you don’t know anything is impossible until you try to make it possible. Tommy Caldwell is inspiring, strong, talented and a serious bad a$$. Since watching “The Dawn Wall,” I have read every article about Tommy and listened to every podcast that he has been in. Incredibly addicting and mesmerizing.

So before we get *totally* back to regular posts, I want to show pictures of our first week over Winter Break in Sunriver, Oregon. For the loyal readers, you know that Sunriver is a place that I have gone to my whole life, and as a result is truly a special spot. Not only is it gorgeous, but I have loads of fun memories of skiing, relaxing, and family time with the whole Proskurowski Family. I love that I get to share this place with my kids now, and that they get to experience the beauty and perfection of Winter Wonderland in Oregon. Take a look at the pictures!

We were fortunate enough to overlap with my brother and his kids (unfortunately, my sister in law had to work) for a couple of days. The kids love each other deeply…cousin love is REAL.

It is exactly what it sounds like it would be: peanut butter stuffed dates. And basically, you just stuff peanut butter in to a date and VOILA you have the perfect bite sized dessert. Of course, to make it even better, you add some chocolate and sea salt. So simple, so easy, and oh so delicious.

This week, I went to Austin, Texas with a friend from New York to visit two other dear friends that live there. We left on Monday post kids drop off and then returned back to NYC for pick up Wednesday. It was a quick trip but so good to get away and see friends I have not seen in a long time. We did nothing special or extraordinary other than spend quality time together with loads of nachos and tequila. I told them that all I really wanted to do was eat as many nachos as possible — and literally, that is what we did. We came home with both our bellies and hearts full. Worth the travel and logistical planning just to be with friends I don’t get to see enough of. Here are pictures of all the nachos I ate!

Margarita #1. We got off the plane and went straight to lunch….and margaritas.

I feel incredibly fortunate that a lot of creative and inspiring friends come from my hometown, Eugene, Oregon. Not sure if it was the water we drank growing up or the liberal hippy air; but somehow most Eugenians happen to be extremely talented. Kaspar Heinrici, a friend from middle school and high school just happens to be one of those people. Not only is he extremely fun, charming, interesting, and smart; but he is also artistic, talented, and motivated. When he has an idea, he gets it done. Kaspar is married (go figure) to the coolest, most beautiful, sincere, smart, introspective, and talented Native New Yorker, Ali Filippelli. Kaspar and Ali have spent the past 18 months traveling and seeing the world — their stories and pictures are remarkable and it has been incredibly inspiring to follow their travels. I was able to sit down with them and discuss their traveling — please read! A must!

I have not been into cooking recently — not sure what it is, but I just don’t feel like being in the kitchen and cooking. I have been tired from marathon training (and here I go with another marathon next month), the start and craze of school, and September life is just busy…..I guess I don’t even feel that into food these days — I just want to consume some calories and then be done. But that doesn’t stop me from buying new cookbooks. Here are my current three favorite new ones!

Cookbooks might be retro and outdated, but they are almost like coffee table books — just beautiful and easy to flip through.

Almost October, so that means there is only 1 and a half months before it becomes Winter in NYC. Fall is a very short lived season and there is so much to do between now and then! Here is what I want to do this Fall:

We still have green leaves on the trees, but sooner rather than later, the colors will change and then the Park will be orange / yellow hues…

Back in the early 2010’s, we used to spend our weekends driving out to Red Hook (in Brooklyn) to grocery shop at Fairway, gaze at the Statue of Liberty, eat cookies at Baked, and pretend like we lived in the outer boroughs/suburbs. We were religious about this weekend ritual and tried to keep it up as long as we could. But then Fresh Direct (and a second child) came along, which made it impossible to drive 30 minutes just to grocery shop. This past weekend, we decided to go back. And now I can’t wait to go back and make it a monthly ritual — Red Hook is a special and unique neighborhood and I just love it so much. The highlight was our brunch at Brooklyn Crab. I want to have a big blow out party there. The food is delicious, the views are great, and it just screams FUN PARTY.

I have always been a Peanut Butter Princess, devouring spoonfuls of peanut butter by the gallons. Especially during marathon training, I crave the richness and fattiness of peanut butter, almond butter and any nut butter even more. So when I came across “Chai Cashew Butter” in the new Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow cookbook, I knew that it was something I was going to fall in love with. And sure enough, once I made it, I could not stop eating it. It is rich, full of protein and good fats, sweet and filling. The perfect snack before a run, or to keep me going on a given day. Creamy, smooth, and tasty. A must eat and a must make!

Final product. I could sell this on the street and people would line up for it — that good!

Non plastic water bottles have become increasingly more and more popular, and each year, a different company seems to lead in popularity. bkr bottles, klean kanteen, nalgenes — all different brands that have been super popular in the past years. And this year, Hydro Flasks are everywhere. Made in Bend, Oregon, I knew I was going to love them (as I love all Oregon products / people / places) and sure enough, love at first sight. These water bottles are by far the best.

Now that I am back to NYC, I am all about fast, easy dinners. I like simple, delicious, and healthy meals that do not require much thought but are still tasty and good for you. So when I came across Haven’s Kitchen Sauces on Fresh Direct, I jumped especially because my friend Katie Carey, happens to be the brains and beauty behind these delicious sauces! Can you believe how small this world is? TINY! And can you believe how amazing these sauces are? INCREDIBLE.

So good. So good. So good. Worth repeating and eating more and more and more of them.

Many cities across the States have started to ban plastic straws. In a lot of places on the West Coast, restaurants and bars do not serve drinks with plastic stirs or straws, and soon we will see this happen across the East Coast as well.

In general, plastic straws are wasteful garbage. And therefore people are searching for alternatives. Paper straws get soggy and wet, metal straws distort the taste of the drink, and therefore silicone straws are becoming more and more popular.

Today is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year (Shana Tova!) Since I have the tendency to be bad at holidays (across all of our religions), this year, I decided I want to be more festive, and threw together a last minute holiday dinner with friends (4 Jewish-Catholic/Christian families… go figure!). One of the main traditional Jewish dishes is Noodle Kugel, something that is very Jewish but not something I ever grew up eating. I was looking for recipes on the internet when I decided to contact one of my old-time friends who I met when we were on a Teen Tour of Israel together. And sure enough, Heidi-ho got in contact with her mother (who just happens to be a chef!) and immediately sent over her go-to Sweet Noodle Kugel. Although it has been decades since I last saw Patty Padawer (can we talk about the awesomeness of her name), I remember her delicious food fondly. Talk about helpful — she saved the day — thank you SO much, Patty!

So excited!! Shalene Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky and their second cookbook! Some of my all time favorite recipes are from their first cookbook, so I am super happy to find new favorites in this one, too.