Month: January 2018

A Moment To Reflect

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I got the worst kind of call last night – from someone very dear to me to tell me she was faced with the most difficult decision – to put her beloved Yorkie to sleep. A 2.5 pound beauty she’d had for 14 years. His sudden illness – while driving back from a trip to San Francisco over the weekend to visit her family – tearing her world apart. I can still hear her gut-wrenching cry over the phone last night, asking for the best course of action, when she knew deep down she had to make the worst of decisions. She’d been up for over 20 hours since Sunday afternoon at the Pet Hospital 50 miles from her home, hopeful that her forever pup would pull through… So forgive me for taking a few days to figure out how to help her cope.

Health & Beauty: Healthy Blood Pressure

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It used to be health concerns were only for those over a certain age, but not anymore – health issues are hot topics for anyone at any age. I found out recently a person who is in her 30’s has to worry about high blood pressure and just the other day, a co-worker was rushed to the emergency over high blood pressure. Which got me thinking of finding solutions to maintain a healthy blood pressure in the most natural way possible. I’m not a doctor, but I am optimistic that watching what you eat plays a major role in your health. So if certain foods can help keep the blood pressure down, than by all means, I will abide.  

Boutique Hotel Pick – Soho House – New York, Istanbul, Chicago

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I sort of slowed down with my hotel picks over the holidays but I’m starting to get the itch to travel again – as I said many times before, if I could do it full time, I would without a second thought. But for now, traveling is spread across the year. But believe me the dreaming hasn’t stopped, where one day I can simply travel. Here’s a hotel pick – Soho House – New York, Istanbul, and Chicago, perfect decor, elegance, and charm are what come to mind for these home away from home hotels. And the history behind each building is something wonderful to read as well.  

Lifestyle: Healthy Food Swaps For A Better You

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Well this year started out not so well in terms of watching what I eat or intake actually. Because although I watch what I eat no matter at home or out, I have to now watch which food pairings work best for me or my metabolism to function properly And no this is not really age related. It’s more how a person’s body works since we know being overweight is something many folks struggle with. I’ve learned in the last year or so that, even if you diet, you may not lose the weight you hope because it comes down to individual metabolism and/or digestive processing. So if a diet works for one person, it may not do so well for another. I always go back to researching how I can eat healthy, and eat the right foods, not only to lose or maintain my weight, but also feel healthy in the belly.  There are many places that can help individuals obtain their goals, and  then there are the self-help sites online that can help …

Food: Let Them Eat Cake…

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Better yet, let me eat cake. Especially this one with hints of lemon-lime in the recipe based on the chef, is one baked good paired with a perfectly brewed cup of tea. I mean why not get a slow start this morning and simply indulge. l i m e , y o g h u r t & o l i v e o i l c a k e INGREDIENTS | wet 1 cup whole full fat greek yoghurt 1/3 cup of olive oil 1 cup caster sugar zest of one lime 1/4 cup lime juice 2 eggs INGREDIENTS | dry 1 3/4 cups of sifted plain flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt [more]

Health And Beauty: Super Healthy Smoothies

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I have a severe weakness for smoothies and do my best to veer from the pop-up smoothy places all about the city for fear of getting myself in a sugar-overload addiction. But, once in a while, I want to indulge – at home mostly – being super careful with the combination of fruits and veggies to swirl/pulse together to create a smoothy that suits my health quirks. Another but – if you have nothing to worry about and love smoothies as much as I do – then here’s a site that offers up 20 variations to try: And this is the one I can actually feel good about trying: 1 banana, sliced ¾ c (6 oz) vanilla yogurt (I will switch it up with almond milk – no yogurt for me) 1 Tbsp honey ½ tsp freshly grated ginger

Travel: Ancient Caves In Montreal

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I think the most fascinating thing about travel is the idea that there is possibly another world under the one we live and travel in. It’s certainly the case in the middle east, Europe, Asia and some places in the U.S. – But recently a discovery was made in Montreal – one of my favorite cities in the world – and the network of ancient caves discovered under this fair city. But if underground doesn’t interest you much, then consider adding the amazing overground destination to your list of places to see this year. Preferably late Spring through Autumn. Take a tour or walk leisurely around the city to discover the rich history, and the blend of the old and new.

Food: How To Buy Eggs

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When I visited a friend in England last March, she had her dozen eggs in a small cage-like container on the counter in the kitchen and when she offered to make me breakfast, I cringed at the idea of eggs being stored outside the refrigerator – like we do in the states.  There is a reason for that I learned when I got back home,  why we store eggs in refrigerators and Europeans don’t. So, for the longest while after I got back, I couldn’t figure out what carton are eggs are the best to buy in the states? And if you happen to be concerned like myself, then read on or scan the bullet points below. Because it is always good to learn something new everyday. 😉 Kosher As long as they’re not cracked, almost all chicken eggs are kosher. Only broken eggs or eggs with blood spots aren’t kosher, and you’d probably notice that anyway. Free-Range, Cage-Free, Pastured Conventional egg-laying hens live in battery cages: cramped mesh cells that prevent hens from ever stretching …

Films and Books Or Books To Film

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Films and Books are a few of my hobbies. I mean that’s probably the case for most people. Either books or films or books and films. What I love the most is seeing folks reading an actual book now, and I don’t know about you but I feel as thought the kindle and all have sort of become a thing of the past? Or maybe folks are reading more on their smart phones which I call mini-computers now. Anyway, there are two topics I wrote here and here which I want to share with all of you – and that is a list of under-the-radar films released in 2017 which would be fun to catch up on, if you haven’t seen the films in the theater when they came out.   And the other is a list of books that are a solid read, which are also being considered for film. So my question to you is, have you seen any of the films, or read the books and which do you recommend and why?

Food: Dinner Tonight – Cuban Chicken in Avocado Salsa

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After every successful meal, my family asks what we are having for dinner the following night. And my answer is always – I don’t know yet. And then I get to work and search online for ideas, or variations for the norm. Chicken is something we either hate or love in our household and adding a creative recipe to the meat has become challenging. So naturally I found this amazing recipe and guess what we are having for dinner? INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated 1/4 cup fresh chopped oregano 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons orange zest + orange juice zest + juice of 1 lime kosher salt and pepper 1 sweet onion, sliced 2 russet potatoes, cut into wedges 1 bell pepper sliced 1 small orange, sliced CITRUS AVOCADO SALSA 1 avocado, diced 1 orange, diced 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped juice from 1 lime pinch of flaky sea salt {more}