fifty shades of green

This winter -- my juicer -- after several months of collecting dust -- has finally been seeing a lot of action. 

Weekend mornings, post bacon and eggs, have been replete with the happy hum of my juiceman 400 - churning out colorful fruit filled concoctions...mostly orange, apple, berry, carrot based infusions with the odd grapefruit, pineapple or mango thrown in the mix.  

wonderful way to knock out your daily serving of fruit-- combat the tsunami sized wave of influenza sweeping the nation (vitamin C!) -- and get a little taste of summer in the dredges of January's arctic chill. 

Been preeeettty pleased with the majority of my results -- although, in all honesty, it's kind of hard to muck up mango + raspberries or strawberries + pineapple  -- it's kind of like peanut butter plus chocolate or melted butter and garlic -- fool proof. 

As I've begun clicking around pinterest for suggestions on other yummy juice blends - I've started reading lots about the benefits of green juicing. Apparently the stuff is chock full of  buzz words (and things) like vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids--plus it keeps you skinny! gives you a clear, glowing complexion! keeps cancer at bay! And....it FIGHTS FREE RADICALS!!!! Whatever that actually means....

So I've decided to expand my juicing repetoire, take it to the next level and get my green on. Bit of a challenge for me as liquified leaves don't exactly induce cravings...nevertheless i figure i'll start slowly, sneak the spinach in little by little and work my way up to be a hardcore swiss chard loving, parsley popping, broccoli blending fool! Below is my adventure in green juicing....take one:

MY MIX: 

cucumbers

celery

spinach

green apples

blueberries

kiwis

I poured it over crushed ice and squeezed  in a very much needed wedge of lime....and although it was still a little on the leafy side for my liking...all in all, it was a good first attempt. next time i think some pineapple or grapes to sweeten the mix and take the edge off....or perhaps some agave swirled in....

Side Note -- guess the greenery went to my head -- because I also decided to make the following -- reaffirmed that avocado makes most everything better. enjoy!

Avocanana Bread

INGREENIENTS

• ⅓ cup
  old-fashioned oats
  1 cup all purpose flour
  1 tsp. baking powder
  1 tsp. baking soda
  ½ tsp. salt
  1 tsp. cinnamon (i used 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 pumpkin pie spice)
  1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, pit removed
  ¼ cup canola oil (i went with 1/8 cup veg oil)
  1 cup (packed) brown sugar
  2 eggs
  2 very ripe bananas (i used 2 1/2 bananas )
  ½ cup chopped walnuts (i left these out)
  ¼ cup buttermilk (i used 1/4 oikos vanilla greek yogurt)

the hot and healthy bachelor i'd like to fork (and spoon for that matter)

i know you are expecting me to start rattling off an it list spattered with the likes of  matt bomer, chris hemsworth, chace crawford, bradley cooper, david beckham (damn you, posh spice)...I could go on...

regrettably the combination i am drooling over this week has less to do with chiseled jaw lines, soulful eyes, devlish smiles or washboard abs.....rather it's all about the Bragg's baby.

i'm talking about life alive's hot and healthy bachelor -- a sexy mix of ooey gooey melted cheddar, hard boiled eggs,  flavorful broccoli flowers, deep dark greens, and Braggs -- either nestled in a soft whole-wheat tortilla or served as a bowl. I generally go for the bowl option, add avocado and some extra cheese and call it a day! It is divine.

i am a lover of healthy, whole, fresh food...I'm a big fan of cauliflower and broccoli and kale. I can get into (well marinated) tofu. I even like things such as lima beans and brussel sprouts (especially those served at sel de la terre - back bay - which are lovingly covered with smoked bacon and parmesan,mmmm)....

but, i am also, a sucker for taste...in short, I am not of the bean curd chewing, spirulina sipping, kombucha swilling, wheat grass shooting, vegan-cheese eating variety. Nothing wrong with any of these things -- they just don't do it for me. nope.

so, i'm always pleased to find truly healthy food options that also taste good and don't break the bank. Enter life alive  in central square -- which serves up delicious, wholesome, affordable concoctions in a bustling, sunlight filled little corner cafe. at feeding times it does tend to get busy -- but service is pleasant and surprisingly fast -- and i've never had a problem finding a place to sit. plus it's good people watching and there's the added bonus that they serve beer (limited selection of the local/organic varietals)...Also for those of us (and by that I mean you) jonesing for a mug of blended lawn clippings -- they are also proud purveyors of vats on vats on vats of WG (more on my adventures in green juicing soon).

other reasons to love this place are the divine freshly blended juices (i like the thrive alive), the cool succulent window garden and the cleverly named menu items which include among others:

the feisty child, the adventurer, the lover, the crunchy hippie

also - just a couple of door's down - is 1369 coffee house if  you need a little dessert. 

which i always do!

my homemade attempt a tasty healthy bowl of goodness. red quinoa, sweet potato, kidney beans, green beans, avocado, salsa and cheese.

“Good food is very often, even most often, simple food.” 

― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

blue monday

Well, well, well here it is 2013....

This morning, as I enjoyed a gentle wake up and slow cup of coffee -- courtesy of a much needed three day weekend (MLK!)--- I flipped on the news and was told, amidst the inaugural flurry, that today, the third Monday of the new year is apparently called BLUE Monday -- womp womp womp - the day of the year when people report being the most miserable....lovely!

Allegedly today is born of a nasty combination: financial woes, frigid temperatures, and failure. Yay.

•  one part holiday debt   
•  one part ice, snow and serious lack of daylight
•  one part broken resolutions

I guess it's the point in January when many of us have already broken, forgotten or simply not lived up to the new years resolutions set (most likely in a champagne fueled haze...) just a couple of weeks back. 

Me?  I'm three weeks passed due on setting any resolutions for this, my 27th year of life...good start...sigh... just haven't been totally sure what I want to accomplish or what I want to focus on...

Anywho -  I've decided to get down too it. Spoiler alert -- there isn't too much originality in my goal setting...get in the best shape of my life (seriously!), eat better, cook more, travel (and travel, and travel, and travel) be more creative, save money, write, solve world hunger (tell no one)...

in an effort to avoid the pitfall of my own blue monday three weeks from now (a depressing moment which would coincide nicely with the availability of mass quantities of russell stover chocolate samplers.....)  -- I am attempting a resolution multi-task. 

So, here it is. I'll cook, I'll bake, I'll juice, I'll explore the cambridge culinary scene, I'll drink, I'll eat, I'll write about it....

In truth it won't be my first attempt dabbling in the blogosphere -- but inspired by a few good friends who are already writing on a fairly regular basis (see max and coco, mustard stains, lovelustandlunch) I am giving it another go. wish me luck. 

stay tuned for the season opener --  my first (non-intro) post: the hot and healthy bachelor i like to fork (and spoon for that matter)

final musing on this blue monday. After watching the inaugural happenings -- i've decided it should be re-branded: jay-z blue monday (true story -HOVA actually trademarked a shade of blue -- so i may owe royalties of sorts...). It's a good looking color -- plus I was feeling rather inspired after watching Mrs. Jay-Z's rendition of the star spangled banner. she knocked it out of the district --truly talented, absolutely gorgeous, insane body, seemingly happy life...

ladies be pimps too...go and brush your shoulders off