I was real excited to take my pimped out bike for a spin, so I rode it down to the gym. Guess what wasn’t there when I finished working out! I had it locked up, I have no idea how they pulled that one off in full daylight on a busy street? I don’t know what the thief looks like, but imagine something similar to the picture I am posting here. Let me know if you see someone resembling the photo. Welcome to New York huh? Have I told you how refreshing walking is?

It really is quite funny, I barely paid $100 for my bike, and left it out in the rain, so it’s rusty. I paid more than the bike is worth to ship it up here, and just pimped it out with a basket, comfy seat, and street tires. I feel like that teenager who buys a cheap car, and tricks it out with spoilers and a killer sound system (I need to look in to a sound system). I am digging riding it though, so I guess it’s worth it. I really do encourage you to jump on a bike, it’s great exercise, and a blast.

I read this article in the newspaper this morning about the benefits of cooking, and how it seems to be a lost art. My new website will be addressing that with most of the recipes having less than 10 ingredients and taking 30 minutes or less. I usually don’t cook dinner for myself because I am cooking for someone else. I am not cooking for private clients now, but have been testing recipes, and it really is easier than you think getting dinner on the table, and since they are all healthy recipes, I have even lost some weight without really trying. The main benefit in cooking your own food is that you know what you are putting in your body. I know I was getting leery of the food I was ordering. Restaurants have to make money, so it is safe to say they have to cut corners, and who knows exactly what you are eating? At least when you cook for yourself, you have the options of organic, local, etc. I know I am going to be cooking more dinners (now I just need to find someone to do the dishes). Click here for the article, it really is an interesting read.

I shipped my bicycle up here last month, and have been cruising around on it since then. I was stuck in Fort Lauderdale between boat jobs several years ago, and got around only by bike. I forgot how much fun it is. I think it is only me and the restaurant delivery guys in my neighborhood, which is a shame, because you really get a sense of your surroundings on a bike. I have an s.u.v. sitting in the driveway in Charlotte that I don’t need anymore because I no longer cater, or cook for private clients. I tried to sell it, but I owe more than it’s worth, so not sure what I am going to do with it. I certainly don’t miss it, and definitely don’t need it here. My bike, and the subway, and I’m good to go.

So how are you going to spend your tax rebate? Mine is already gone! I bought a domain name (man, those are getting expensive if you want a decent one), and decided to pay someone to input my recipes in to the new website. The bugs finally got fixed in the weight loss area, so I was able to start adding recipes, well, I had over 130 to add in that part of the site, and my eyes started glazing over after just a few. I know that doesn’t surprise anyone who knows me, since I can’t sit still for those tedious projects, money well spent to me, and hey, I’m helping the economy!

I subscribed to a best of youtube podcast where they send random videos to my ipod, that’s how I found the “food court musical” that I wrote about. This one is as simple as they get, I have no idea why I find this amusing?  I had the video on my site, but the code was messing with explore, so now you have to click here to see it.

I was grabbing a latte with a friend last week and was surprised that Starbucks had the calorie count for most of its offerings. Turns out chain restaurants have to start posting nutrition info. in New York now. I think it’s great. I was going to have the small piece of low fat coffee cake, until I saw it had almost 500 calories! (but it was low in fat). When I did a consultation with Judy last year, I remember being shocked at how many hidden calories I was consuming. Everyone should keep a food journal for a few days, we will have a simple one to download on the new website (yeah, still a few weeks away). Judy’s article this week relates to this, good stuff! Thanks Judy.

Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

By: Judy Fischer, RD, LDN, CDE
When I initially meet with a client, many of them wonder why they cannot lose weight as they get older.  Typically, they blame slow metabolism-how your body burns energy as calories- as the major culprit.  Over time, they discover that it is the “little bites” and mindless eating and drinking during the day that gets in the way of their success more so than their metabolism.  However, it is true that every decade as we age our metabolism may slow down by 3-4% after the age of 30 primarily due to lost muscle mass and gaining more fat.  The truth is that most of us are over fueled and under active.  Think about walking to the local Starbucks and burning 100 calories but consuming a 500 calorie Frappuccino!  A bite here and a bite there adds up.  Do any of these little bites happen to you?

Bite 1:    For breakfast you pour yourself a 1/2c of granola.  Milk is left in the bottom of the bowl, so you consume an additional ¼ cup of cereal.
(Extra 90 calories)

Bite 2:    You are bored at 3pm and open the pantry just to see what you have on hand.  You eye the jar of nuts and grab a handful.
(Extra 200 calories)

Bite 3:     To help relax, you now drink an 8 oz glass of wine before dinner.  Sometimes you grab a few Triscuits to snack with the wine.
(Extra 260 calories)

These little bites add up to 558 calories!  If you form this habit 3 days a week for a year you will have gained 25 pounds and have no idea why!  Try these tips to be more mindful of your food intake:

·    Avoid eating from the bag and portion out your food on a plate
·    Enjoy your meals instead of multitasking such as eating dinner and working on the computer
·    Consider establishing “no food zones” in your house to avoid triggered eating such as watching TV and mindless snacking
·    Prepare less food.  Studies show the more we have on our plate, the more calories we consume.
·    Consider keeping a food journal to discover some of these mystery calories that are adding up.

I really love street food. I found this cart in my neighborhood, and it was outstanding! I could live off of this stuff. Turns out they were a finalist in an annual contest called the Vendy Awards, that crowns the best food carts in N.Y. Check out the video on the site. I now have a new mission (try all of the carts). I just ate my Shawarma, and I think I’m hungry again.

The berry season will be upon us before we know it, and I recently had a request for this recipe. I would also search this site for “apple dessert”, as that is similar, just as easy, and less expensive this time of the year. Either way you will be impressed with how easy it is to get an amazing dessert to the table. I love to make fancy desserts, but these homey desserts are by far my favorite (served warm with vanilla ice cream). We had blackberry bushes growing in our back yard growing up, and my mom would always take advantage of them. I still remember the cuts on my hand trying to reach that big juicy blackberry out of reach. I wrote this recipe like you were assembling furniture.

Berry Crisp

Serves 6-8

Part 1

4 cups mixed berries

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Flour

Part 2

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, soft

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix part 1 and put in a 9 inch pan. Mix part 2 and put on top of part 1. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until browned and bubbly.