Let's Blend

Here are a few smoothie recipes from Shira that are guaranteed to satisfy your hunger and your taste buds.  X JH

Nutty

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (as you know, I like Almond Breeze)

1 cup kale

2 Tbsp of honey almond butter (Justin’s squeeze packets are great here)

Naner

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup kale

½ medium banana

It’s true.  I’ve fallen madly in love with my blender.  She’s proven to be worth every penny, and every sq. inch of my limited kitchen counter space.  Blending makes it so easy for me to get my daily servings of veggies, and doesn’t sacrifice fiber in the process (unlike juicing).  Hope you like my two favorite green smoothie recipes (both under 300 cals).

xSL

This One Time I Thought About My Dreams

You know that moment in your life when you realize the only person who is holding you back from accomplishing your dreams is yourself? You take a deep breath and look around you. You have to sit there and decide if you want to make yourself happy. Give up the masochism. But what if we don't have it in ourselves to accomplish our dreams? What if we can't work hard enough? What if no matter how hard we work, we just can't do it?

The only thing scary about being happy is that you are choosing to no longer be unhappy. That's the thing about following your dreams. 

Soy Milk VS. Almond Milk

In the battle between soy milk and almond milk we are often left wondering which product is best to add to our coffee, cereal, smoothie etc. Finding the right "milk" option is as important to your health as finding the right ankle boots that don't cut you off. We decided to ask Shira the pro's and con's of each product. Here is the skinny on these milk substitutes:

Soy milk:

Pros: low-cal, complete source of protein, can help lower heart disease risk + cholesterol

Cons: high amounts of dietary soy have been linked to hormone imbalances + breast cancer + mineral deficiencies, many processed soy products are genetically modified (boo), soy milk is often sweetened (i.e. not weight-maintenance friendly), often contains Carrageenan (a natural food additive, and potential GI irritant)

Almond milk:

Pros: low-cal, contains omega 3’s (healthy fat) + vitamin E (antioxidant), unsweetened almond milk is readily available

Cons: almond milk is not a complete protein (so you can’t substitute directly for animal/soy protein), often contains Carrageenan

My advice: Unsweetened almond milk for the win.  As far as soy, I recommend sticking to edamame (hello, sushi essential)

For more healthy eating tips follow Shira on Twitter @shira_rd or Facebook 

This One Time I Tried to Use a Guy to Get Over Another Guy

I’d be silly not to admit I wasn't looking to fill a void. I’d be silly not to admit I wasn't looking at him. He had this style about him that was unique. It was a cross between John F. Kennedy and one of the members of Vampire Weekend. I remember he always wore really great jeans. You know those jeans that are not too fitted but just the right amount of tight? You can tell a lot about a person by their jeans. He carried himself in a mysterious way. He spoke with confidence but his eyes gave off a kind of sadness that I latched on to. I was intrigued by his mannerisms. He was the first Jewish boy I ever kissed. When I met him he was young. When I met him I was heartbroken.

 

Safari Party

Let's get real and talk about how much we love wild animals and how much we love going to the zoo. I for one, am thrilled at any opportunity to gaze into an elephants eyes and admire the long neck of a giraffe. Most of us can't go to the zoo everyday, unless you are a zookeeper, but we can keep the zoo with us in the form of clothing. Which is why I am thrilled to wear any sort of safari scene on my body. One should note that wearing pictures of animals on your clothing will probably lead to multiple dates and/or proposals. Check out my favorite animal pieces from Ted Baker, Carven, Kenzo X JH

Eating at The Airport -- Because We Don't Always Crave a Big Mac

You know that moment in life when you're rushing through the airport and your body is so hungry that your stomach is literally eating itself? You're left with no other choice but to consume processed junk because, well, you are hungry! I've been there and done that multiple times. Keeping with my goals of healthy eating and trying to avoid processed foods, I decided to ask my good friend Shira Lenchewski, nutritionist extraordinaire, the best tips for healthy airport eating. Because traveling doesn't have to disrupt your wellness efforts…it just requires a little extra planning. X JH

Here are Shira's tips to surviving the trenches of the airport dining halls- 

For the most part, airport food is so overpriced, over-processed, and underwhelming, that you should try to avoid it at all costs. Instead, the night before your flight, head to your local market and pick up a container of mixed berries and salad bar goodies (i.e. steamed broccoli, seaweed salad, brown rice, cherry tomatoes).  

As far as filling in the gaps mid-air, try and pack a bunch of clean snacks in your carry-on and checked luggage.  My go-to’s are typically: almonds or squeeze packs of natural nut butter (Justin’s has a variety of options), clean popcorn (like Skinny Pop), and a couple squares of dark chocolate.  

*** PS: SFO’s terminal 2 is a major exception to the airport rule.  SFO is actually the first of its kind to offer “farm-to-flight” cuisine, sourcing exclusively from local, healthy vendors.  Pretty cool, right?

For more healthy eating tips follow me on twitter @shira_rd or Facebook 

x SL 

Color Yourself

I am coming to terms with the fact that my hair is a the gem of a mood ring and my body is just a piece of metal of which holds my color changing locks. BLONDE, PINK, RED and many hours spent in this sink has led everyone in my life to ask the question, "Why?" Well friends, just like the braces you had in 8th grade hair color isn't permanent. It's the best way to update your image while also bringing out a different side of your personality. Thanks to Nicky at Marie Robinson for creating my new red hue. x JH

This One Time I Went to a Funeral

There is only truth in death. Life is a fabrication of what we think happened and what really happened. People fill their minds with elaborate ideas of their side of the story. In each person’s brain are stories filled with untruths. People don’t want to remember the truth. Humans as a species hate acceptance. We would rather dig deep in our psyche and create ideas and lullabies of how we personally think things come about. But they’re never really that way, are they? If we actually accepted things, people would have to take responsibility. Responsibility for their actions. Responsibility for their life. In today’s society we run from responsibility. Everyone wants to be a kid for as long as possible. We don’t want to leave our parents nest. We want to hold onto the warmth of our dreams and not accept the possibility that they won’t come true. Through our untruths we create a thought in our mind of how we think we are living, but one day we have to realize we aren’t really living that way.