My Lunch Date with Joy Bauer, plus a Summer Slim-Down Challenge

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining author-extraordinaire and nutritionist for the Today Show, Joy Bauer, for lunch.  A handful of her website's partners and other health/food bloggers were invited to Nios, a restaurant that's located within The Muse (a Kimpton Hotel property), to celebrate the launch of her completely revised and updated book, Joy Bauer's Food Cures. 

In her latest edition of Food Cures, Joy brings readers up to date on the most current science regarding nutrition and diet, and how everyday foods can help prevent, treat, and sometimes even cure common health concerns.  Joy goes the extra mile by providing menus, grocery lists, and recipes for nearly twenty popular conditions, including the most delicious remedies for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, combating migraines and insomnia, boosting memory, enhancing mood, and much more!

Since Joy was responsible for creating the deliciously light choices behind Kimpton Hotels' In Room Dining menus, it was only fitting that she select the array of dishes, specifically designed to beautify skin and hair - boost mood and energy, for our luncheon:

• Cocktail: Pomegranate Prosecco
• Appetizer: Clams "Casino" & Mussels "Rockefeller"  almonds, spinach, cantaloupe and bell pepper relish, guava cubes
• Entree: Green Tea and Rosemary Spiced Arctic Char  lentil and carrot puree, broccolini, cherry tomato confit, leek coulis
• Dessert: Espresso and Chocolate Mousse  berries, cocoa nibs

Throughout every course, Joy addressed the audience and explained nearly every ingredient's key nutritional role in each dish.  Although I was only able to stay for the appetizer course, I was thrilled to have learned that my beautifully re-constructed plate of Clams "Casino" and Mussels "Rockefeller" was rich in vitamins, nutrients and, most importantly, flavor.

Even though I had to scoot out on the earlier side of the luncheon, I was able to walk away having met the incredible woman and mentor that I'm proud to say I have the honor of working with (I'm pinching myself as I'm typing this.  No joke.).

Joy Bauer and yours trulyAnd, speaking of health, I wanted to share an exciting challenge to kick off the final two-weeks of summer: I Heart Summer Slim Down.  This two-week plan begins TODAY and includes a combination of exercise and eating tips.  Just think: by Labor Day, you could be a couple of inches and pounds smaller!  Hey, I just signed up, why don't you?

~~~

Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

The Lunch Belle partners with TODAY SHOW nutritionist, Joy Bauer - plus, a reader contest!

Dear readers,

I have some really exciting news to share!  A couple of weeks ago, I was approached by the Joy Bauer website team - the online home of the TODAY SHOW nutritionist and best selling author, Joy Bauer - asking if I'd be interested in a possible partnership/collaboration!  As you can imagine, my hands were shaking with excitement and my heart was racing.  I was familiar with Joy Bauer prior to receiving this flattering offer but, to be honest, I'd never had the chance to catch Joy on the TODAY SHOW.  Why?  Because I've always had to be at work at or before 7:30am...and we all know that the TODAY SHOW doesn't air until 7am, when I'm already en route to the office.  I do work in finance, after all, people. 

So, before responding "yes, of course!" immediately, I wanted to learn even more about the country's most famous nutritionist, Joy Bauer.  Here are some factoids that I just can't help but brag about:

Joy is the...

• Nutrition and health expert for the TODAY SHOW
• Nutrition expert and contributing editor to PARADE magazine
• Columnist to Women's Day magazine
• Yahoo.com's nutrition expert
• Author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, including: Your Inner Skinny, Joy Bauer's Food Cures
• Nutritionist for the NYC Ballet and American Ballet Theatre
• Associate faculty member at Columbia University

Impressive resume and credentials, no?  I can't tell you how flattered I am that Joy Bauer's team asked me to become affiliated with them.  Whew! 

Obviously, I agreed to partner with JoyBauer.com and, because of my overwhelming enthusiasm, the team shipped me two of Joy's most popular books: Joy Bauer's Food Cures, and Slim & Scrumptious.  After having received and briefly skimmed through each, one thing is congruent in both books: Joy's nutritional and weight-loss methods are realistic, cost-effective, and uncomplicated - as are her recipes, which are free of artificial sweeteners, ingredients, and exotic, "healthy" crap.     

On that note, I couldn't not "share the wealth" with you, my dear readers.  So, I've decided that we're a little bit overdue for a contest, don't you think?  I'm offering not one, but *both* of the brand new books that I just received - Joy Bauer's Food Cures and Slim & Scrumptious - to the first person who responds correctly to the following question:

• True or false: Ounce for ounce, sardines contain as much heart-healthy omega-3 fat as salmon.

Think you know the correct answer?  Hey, you've got a 50/50 chance!  Leave your response in the "comments" field of this post.  Best of luck to you!

~~~

Until we eat again...let's get healthy together!

The Lunch Belle

Confessions of a junkfoodie

Dear readers,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I hope that you've had a pleasant week, thus far.  Believe it or not, we're expecting highs in the 60's - for the first time in 2011 - both today and tomorrow in NYC.  And to top that off?  Not a drop of rain forecasted...at least not until Saturday.

I want to apologize for having gone M.I.A over the past week & a half, or so.  I hate to be inconsistent, especially with posting, but I recently enrolled in 6-week nutritional course.  No, I'm not trying to change career paths or become a part-time dietician - I'm taking this course completely for myself.  Ever since I moved away from home twelve years ago, my diet - and by the word "diet," I'm not talking about a weight loss plan - has, for the most part, been completely imbalanced and lacking in key nutrients.  

This got me thinking: how could I, a food writer - restaurant reviewer - and someone who loves to cook, secretly hone the eating habits of a college freshman?  I grew up in a household with parents who valued a healthy, active lifestyle and refrained, for the most part, from exposing my sister and I to sugary cereals, soda pop, candy, fried savory snacks, etc.  Family meals were always balanced and very delicious.  That was, of course, until I went to university.  Among smoking and drinking, I added junk food to my grocery cart of rebellious habits while shopping at the 18 and Over Super Market.    

• In the twelve years since I've lived away from home, half of those have been spent with roommates.  From the outside looking in, I suppose that everyone assumes that roommates cook together and share everything.  Well, that's not true.  Each person, at least in my experience, had their own cabinet/shelf and section of the refrigerator that was stocked with their food.  Wars would erupt if someone's box of cereal would magically deplete or if their 6-pack of soda would poof in to a 4-pack of soda overnight.  And hey, I get it.  Don't touch my sh*t! 
• The issues that I had with preparing meals while living with roommates were due to my own neuroses: cleanliness - I always felt like I had to rinse a bowl/pan before preparing anything because if I hadn't washed it again (this was mainly in NYC, when we did not have a dishwasher), then it wasn't as clean; time - I wanted to cook my meals as quickly as possible so that I did not have to share the kitchen at the same time as my roommates, especially in NYC, where the physical space was so small.  This lead me to buying frozen dinners, ramen noodles, or blowing money on take-out.
• In the six years that I have not had roommates, not too much has changed.  While I'm less concerned about cleanliness and time, I am conflicted about how to prepare a meal for me, myself, and I.  Plus, many of the foods that I do enjoy are exotic, so I know that recipes would call for ingredients that, quite possibly, I would only use once.  And I find it hard to justify purchasing an expensive bottle of such and such spice for one given dish.
• So these days, when I have a "night off" - free of a restaurant review, wine club, dinner w/ a friend, etc. - you'll either find me grabbing a $1 slice of pizza, making a quesadilla at home, ordering take-out, or figuring out some way to justify making a dinner out of a pint of ice cream. 
• Treating my body like this may have been cute when I was 19 but, *newsflash*, I'm 30!  I can't get away with this crap anymore. 

Here is what I have learned about myself, thus far:

• I love to cook.  For other people.  Just not for myself, necessarily.
• My daily food intake is completely off-kilter.  I have gone weeks, sometimes, without a fresh piece of produce.  No joke.  This is absolutely humiliating for me to admit, since there are fruit & vegetable vendors on virtually every street corner in NYC.  I don't have an excuse! 
• A pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream does not constitute as a meal. 
• Bad habits can take form so easily.  I cannot believe that I've been a junkfoodie for over a decade!  What am I trying to prove and who am I trying to prove it to?    

This is what I would like to work on, going forward:

• Include more fruits, vegetables, and proteins in my diet.
• Moderation, moderation, moderation.
• Don't be afraid to try new things. 

Look, I haven't - or will not - become some psycho health-nut.  I can guaran-damn-tee you that.  However, I am going to try to be more mindful of what I put in to my body.  Plus, I did not want you all to think that I went AWOL - SOS - MIA - or went on sabbatical.  I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere. 

And there you have it, the latest in La Vida Lunch Belle.

~~~

Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

Resolutions vs. reality

Dear readers,

If you're anything like me then, over the past 1.5 - 2 months, you've been stuffing your face (literally, with turkey's partner in crime) with everything from daily Starbucks' Eggnog Latte runs and the holiday cookies in your office, to all of the sweet 'n savories in between (honey-baked ham, warm artichoke dip, chips & salsa, mulled wine, pecan pie, chocolates, macaroni & cheese, green bean casserole, biscuits, fully-loaded breakfast burritos, bacon, fish-bowl sized margaritas, cheese enchiladas, chile con queso, holiday party hors d'oeuvres, sopapillas, greasy beef tacos, BBQ, steak, fully-loaded baked potatoes...shall I continue?  Nah, you get the point.).  Whew! 

And, here we are, on the cusp of New Year's Eve - looking back, reflecting upon 2010 and wondering, "How can I make 2011 my best year yet?"  Come Saturday, and the first few weeks that follow, local gyms will be bursting at the seam with new members eager to make their weight loss and exercise goals a reality.  I can't help but wonder, while strolling past a New York Sports Club or Equinox, how long the average resolution lasts.  Two weeks?  One month?  If I walk past the same gym-at the same time-in exactly one month from Saturday, will I see more vacant elliptical machines and treadmills?  For argument's sake, let's say I do.  My question is, how can we make our resolutions last longer?  

Among the laundry list of goals that I have set for myself, one of the most important is, like everyone else on the planet, to get healthy.  This encompasses many aspects because, aside from losing weight, I'd like to focus on eating more natural foods, exercising, and taking time out for myself.  I spend so much time and energy on, well, basically everyone but me.  Does that mean I hope to become more selfish?  Perhaps.

Recently, my sister successfully completed 21-days on the "Clean Program," and another friend of mine is considering the Blue Print Cleanse.  Having heard the word "cleanse" so often that I want to scream, I decided to do a bit of research.  "Would I be an ideal 'cleanse' candidate?" I wondered.  Low and behold, I came across Bon Apetit's version.  "How hard could a gourmet food magazine's cleanse be?" I chuckled. 

For any of you out there that have similar health goals + a full-time job + a life spent living paycheck to paycheck, I want you to have a look at Bon Apetit's Food Lovers Cleanse.  Go ahead, read through the recipes and their fancy ingredients.  Now, be honest and ask yourself: Do I have the time and/or funds available to make each meal for two consecutive weeks? 

Well, do you?

For those of you who live anywhere other than New York City or Los Angeles, where in the hell are you going to procure such ingredients as "Pomegranate Molasses?"  If you said "the internet," then I'll commend your answer.  But, if you order these exotic products online, are you willing to wait the extra week or two to receive them?  What about having to pay the exorbitant shipping fees?

Well, are you?

If so, then I am jealous of your time and money.  For the rest of us schmucks, I suppose that our only answer lies in losing weight the old-fashioned way.  It's going to be grueling for me to have to eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of a cream cheese-schmeared bagel - grilled fish and veggies for dinner instead of pizza - and opt-out of that second glass of wine at happy hour, but enough is enough.  It's high time for me to regain control without regaining the weight.   After all, nothing good in life comes easy.

And with that, dear readers, I wish you the happiest New Year.  May 2011, truly, be our best yet!  Until next year...

~

Read it & eat...and best of luck with those resolutions!

The Lunch Belle

Trick or treat, the joke's on me: help a bed-ridden sista' out!

Dear readers,

Greetings from...my couch.  For some strange reason - unbeknownst to me - the powers that be did not want me celebrating Halloween last year (I came down with a horrible bout of bronchitis) and, unfortunately, have chosen the same fate for this year's upcoming holiday. 

In an effort to better myself and get back in to the exercise game, I signed up for classes on Tuesday evenings with the NY Road Runners.  To make a long story short: while I was doing my homework for week #2 (by "homework," I'm referring to going for runs outside of class), I landed incorrectly on my right foot and slightly twisted me knee.  But, being the over-achieving fool that I am, I persevered throughout my run.  And though I took the next day "off,"  I was back at it, again, last Friday.  I ran three laps before realizing that my knee was in pain, and decided to complete my homework by speed-walking.  The better part of Friday evening was spent at a charity gala - in heels - with a very limited amount of time sitting (Who sits at a cocktail party, anyways??).  On Saturday, I wobbled over to Tipsy Parson for a brunch date, went grocery shopping, and made some homemade matzo ball soup.  On Sunday, while going downstairs to fetch my laundry, I took a little spill, mistaking two steps for one.  By nightfall, I could barely walk.

After receiving the results of the MRI that I had taken on Tuesday evening, my doctor told me that I had a "stress fracture" (a.k.a. a break).  "You will need to stay off of that leg, young lady," he lectured.  "But doc," I squealed, "I'm supposed to go to Hong Kong next Friday and there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I'm going to miss this trip!" 

So here I am - on my couch - getting around on crutches.  In true NYC fashion, there's a dude that's going to come to my apartment, hopefully today or tomorrow, and measure my right leg for a walking-brace, so that I don't have to resort to a Hover-Round.  Thank god my injury doesn't require surgery and, better yet, I've been cleared to go on my trip to Asia!   

...and while we're on the topic of Asia, I was wondering if any of you have been to Hong Kong or Macao.  If so, I'd love, more than anything, for you to share some of your favorite experiences including, but not limited to: sight-seeing, shopping, dim sum, etiquette, bars/nightlife, dim sum, restaurants, general tips, dim sum, etc. 

~

Read it & eat...and help a bed-ridden sista' out!

The Lunch Belle   

Not-so-Hatsuhana (hot-soo-hana)

In anticipation of my 30th birthday, I decided a couple of months ago that it was time to quit smoking.  Again.  For good.  I've nixed the habit on two prior occasions with the help of Chantix, the blue "miracle pill."  Unfortunately, the cigarettes always seemed to have a way of seducing me back.  The excuses/justifications that I made for succombing to the cancer-sticks were ridiculous.  Here are some of my favorites:

• "I'm only gonna smoke from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  I can't not smoke in the Hamptons - or on my patio - or while drinking outdoors - or, or, or..."
• "Once I lose the weight, then I will quit smoking."
• "...but the hedge fund is shutting its doors and I may be out of a job!"

And so, here I am, again: smoke-free and out of control.  Instead of lighting-up, I find myself snacking.  Constantly. 

So yesterday at work, I decided against ordering Ah Chihuahua's "Lunch Enchiladas Plate," and opted for sushi, instead.  Although Hatsuhana's minimum for delivery was $15, I figured that it would be worth it.  After all, the reviews that I had read were positive + the other sushi restaurants on www.delivery.com did not sound too authentic or appetizing. 

Roughly 45-minutes after placing my lunch order online, I received a phone call from the messenger center of my office building alerting me that my food delivery had arrived.  For $16.60 + a tip of $1.40 for the delivery-boy, I received a house salad + one spicy-tuna roll.  As the doors to the elevator shut on my way back to the 7th floor, I looked down in to my lunch bag.  "What the fcuk?"  I gasped, not realizing that there were two other people behind me. 

When I returned to my desk, I removed the contents from my lunch bag.  The spicy-tuna roll was no larger than the length of my index finger + it had not been cut in to slices.  Was I supposed to eat it burrito-style?  The salad, on the other hand, was a huge portion of iceberg lettuce greens that had been topped with some mealy cucumber and about three individual pieces of julienned carrot.  Yawn.

While the spicy-tuna roll was good - note: not earth-shattering - it was tiny, and I felt completely ripped-off.  I'm no sushi expert, but spending almost $20 on this meal felt like I was the victim of a robbery.  Plus, I've had better "house salads" for free on Continental Airlines!

The bottom line/point of this post is: eating healthy is expensive and, for the most part, tasteless.  Here's some "food for thought": if you only had $1, would you buy two bananas or a burger from the McDonald's Dollar Menu?  That's what I thought.  Now, go ahead; ask yourself why our country is in the midst of an obesity crisis...