Delectable Dhosas

I did not win the lottery. (**##$@@$!)

However, I did enjoy a yummy lunch at Hampton Chutney (note: the dhosas are gluten-free!), and I was accidentally served a large iced soy chai from Joe's after paying for a small.

I also stumbled across Organic Avenue, a little shop of organic, vegan, and often gluten-free yumminess. (Warning: pricey!)

All in all, a very pleasant morning!

Now on to run some errands and take care of odds and ends, including learning how to work my new digital camera so as to post beautiful pictures in future posts!

xoxo,
Marisa

Mega Millions and How to Make Your Own Luck

Okay, I confess. A few hours ago I bought a lottery ticket. And although my chances of winning the Mega Millions lottery are infinitesimally small, I'm still glad I did it.

But since the luck of the draw is entirely out of my hands and yours, perhaps we'll both benefit from remembering that we can create other opportunities for luck in our lives - opportunities far more likely to benefit us than buying a lottery ticket. I'm brought back to these tips from Rebecca Webber's article in Psychology Today:

1. See serendipity everywhere.

2. Prime yourself for chance.

"Serendipity smiles upon people who have a more relaxed approach to life. They have clarified their long-term goals but don't worry too much about the details. Rather than aiming to become the top cardiac surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, they vow to be a doctor who helps save lives. Once they've pinpointed the ultimate destination, they believe there are many different ways to get there. This requires openness to life's surprising twists and turns as well as cognitive and behavioral flexibility.

An open person heads to the dog park thinking he might encounter a potential new friend, business partner, or romantic interest. A closed person sees only dog owners. "Don't classify people and situations in advance," advises Wiseman. "Wait until you know what's in front of you."

3. Think lucky. 

For example, if you think this way about errands:
"I need to hit the dry cleaner, the bank, and the grocery store. I should be home in time for the game."

Try this approach instead:
"I have to get these things done, but I'm not going to rush because I don't really know what to expect or whom I'll meet. It will be interesting to see how it works out."

If you think this way about business meetings:
"I'm meeting up with this person to do a deal, not thinking of them as a friend or a potential partner."

Try this approach instead:
"I'll accept a meeting with anyone, anytime, because you never know where it might lead—even if it's five years down the road."

_________________________________________

On that note, have a nice and serendipitous weekend!  I'll be enjoying a leisurely run in Central Park this evening.

...and checking my lotto numbers.  :-)

A Belated Birthday Treat

YUM!

Last night my friend Betsy steered me into her new favorite place, 16 Handles. We wolfed down a couple cake batter and cookies-and-cream frozen yogurts with peanut butter and chocolate sauce galore. If I was going to abandon my blood type diet for a night, this was definitely the way to go!

I'm still trying to decide if the blood type diet is worth keeping up. I haven't felt any more energetic or healthy than I'm accustomed to feeling, though it's only been two weeks. The toughest part is staying gluten-free, but I'll try to to power through for another two weeks and then re-evaluate. For me it may be better simply to aim to eat as much real, unprocessed food as possible - especially veggies and lean protein - and to minimize everything else without cutting out wheat entirely, which seems pretty drastic and has proved difficult.

Chocolate News

Image from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/the-chocolate-diet/

I was so in the mood to blog today that it's the first thing I'm doing! (Minus breakfast, showering, getting to work, brewing green tea, eating chocolate...)

Chocolate!

The New York Times has re-affirmed something that all of us chocolate lovers have already known for a long time: chocolate is good for you!  Specifically, they cite a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine which suggests that regular consumption of chocolate is correlated with weight loss. In other words, not only do the positive benefits of chocolate on metabolic processes offset the calories, they actually facilitate weight loss: "The people who ate chocolate the most frequently, despite eating more calories and exercising no differently from those who ate the least chocolate, tended to have lower B.M.I.’s. There was a difference of roughly five to seven pounds between subjects who ate five servings of chocolate a week and those who ate none."

YES!

I've been nibbling on Lindt (85% cocoa), but I'd love to find something more compliant with my new blood type diet. Keeping an eye out for something sweetened with agave rather than sugar...

And I will soon be experimenting with Chocolate-Covered Katie's homemade Nutella! As soon as I (or one of my cooking-inclined roommates) buy(s) a Cuisinart, I'll be ready to try this low-calorie, low-sugar, gluten-free recipe that she swears is absolutely delicious!  I can't wait.

And I'll be trying her three-ingredient chocolate bars too, so stay tuned!

Spring in Riverside Park

Happy Friday and happy spring!

"Progress occurs when we beat ourselves up a little less every day."

Meditating My Way Through an MRI

image from glowellness.wordpress.com

A couple nights ago I received an MRI of my right wrist. I would be lying if I said I'd been dreading it, since in fact I get somewhat excited at the prospect of medical interventions, especially non-intrusive ones. And indeed it was totally fine, particularly since I didn't have to get an injection beforehand. (Needles are not really my strong point. No pun intended.)

Anyway, the technician was very nice and must have warned me about fifteen times that the machine would be noisy and that I would have to remain very still. Neither of those aspects turned out particularly problematic.

The thing is, when you find yourself in that machine with its noise completely engulfing you, there's something almost euphoric about it. You can almost sense yourself merging with the sound altogether, and in fact there are magnetic waves passing through you at every moment. Dare I say the experience is almost...spiritual?

Fleeting, inchoate thoughts of gratitude floated through my mind: namely, that I was lucky to live in an age so advanced that this monstrous, blustering device could, in the span of twenty minutes, provide an accurate, pain-free, and harmless assessment of the inner workings of my wrist.

I tried not to let the noise or the rush of thoughts overcome me, and envisioned my mind as an open, empty space.

 Less than twenty-four hours later, my doctor called. There was nothing terribly wrong with my wrist, he said, but a small dorsal ganglion (cyst) that I'll probably need to be treated for. Incidentally, it's common in young women. Go figure! I'll let you know how meditating during the aspiration goes.

MACROBAR Organic Almond Butter with Carob

image from VitaSisters.com

Yum!

I stumbled across this in a grocery store and had to buy one since it was gluten-free, organic, and yummy-sounding.  Ingredients: organic brown rice syrup, organic almond butter, organic puffed brown rice, organic carob powder, organic coconut oil.

Unfortunately, I realized after checking Dr. D'Adamo's food lists that as an O+ non-secretor I'm probably not supposed to consume rice syrup, so I might have to nix these bars. But they're also a little high in calories and sugar and rather low in protein, so I might not have kept them around long anyway. Nonetheless, a delicious snack.

Happy first day of spring :-)

Best Chai in New York City

I found it! It's brewed at a place called The Bean near Union Square, right across the street from Strand. They use David Rio chai, and you can drink it hot or iced with regular, soy, or almond milk. They pride themselves on their Dirty Chai (with a shot of espresso), which I didn't try, not being a coffee person myself. My iced soy chai was refreshing and sweet!

Kir Royal Hibiscus tea

Took a long stroll outside yesterday since it was a beautiful spring day, and I stumbled into Spices and Tease. I ordered iced "Kir Royal Hibiscus" tea, and it was delicious. With hibiscus, blueberries, papaya, raspberry, strawberries, and rose petals, how could it not be good?

Blue Frog Chocolates bar

My new favorite chocolate bar is this Blue Frog Chocolates bar, 71% cacao. My dad somehow procured three of these and immediately thought of me. He made a note to his secretary to send them separately so that I would receive three, not one, delectable surprises in the mail, preferably spaced apart by a week. This proposition must have struck her as pure idiocy because I received them all in one box and was, of course, quite thrilled.

Sorry the photo is rather truncated; not sure why Instagram insists on cropping!

Chai Latte

Anyone who knows me well knows I love chai lattes. I've tried making them myself, but they never seem to come out right. The balance of spice, milk, and honey (or any sweetener of choice) is a delicate one, and my $10 milk frother doesn't seem to be up to the challenge. Perhaps one day I'll give it another go, but for now I'm content to let Oren's and Joe's brew my chais.

What most of us think of as chai is really "chai masala latte," spiced tea with milk (chai = tea; masala = mixed/spiced; latte = milk). "Chai" itself is really just a generic term for tea in the Indian subcontinent. The chai lattes sold in the West today derive their inspiration from this original, simple beverage but deviate from it quite a bit and are usually over-sweetened, in my opinion.

Oren's brews its own chai from scratch, mixing tea, cardamom, cinnamon, anise, peppercorn, and cloves (or some variation on that theme). I order it with soy milk and honey.

If your only option is Starbucks, I'd recommend ordering it with less of the chai mix than they normally use, cutting back on sweetness and calories. Also consider asking them to make it without water--tastes infinitely better when it's just milk and chai.

Enjoy!

Fragrance therapy

Moseyed into Sephora today during my lunch break and spritzed on "Light Blue" by Dolce & Gabbana. Delightful! Ingredients listed are Sicilian citron, bluebell, Granny Smith apple, jasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose, cedar wood, amber, and musk.
Light, fresh, and romantic...a summery scent that makes me think of sailing. Perfect mid-day pick-me up!

Note to boyfriend: *wink*  :-)

Some verses in honor of women

Know the masculine yet stay true to the feminine.
Be empty like a valley,
where water gathers to form a stream.
Gather Natural Goodness,
until you are like a little child again. 

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 


As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, "Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted."

The Book of Esther




Happy Purim and International Women's Day!

Fitting, isn't it, that they should fall on the same day?

City-dwellers: 13 Reasons Not To Live Alone

The Internet is aflutter with reports on the growing trend of city-dwellers choosing to live alone.

Nothing wrong with that. But as a young professional in New York City, I have enjoyed the many benefits of sharing an apartment with others, usually peers. Here are just a few:

1. Expanding social and professional networks

2. Almost always having company available - good for my typically introverted self!

3. Meeting a potential romantic interest through a roommate - happened to me a year ago - we're still going strong!

4. Free food - Isn't it swell when a roommate goes on a diet and you inherit her frozen ice cream sandwiches?

5. Following a positive role model - Two of my roommates are very health and exercise-savvy; they serve as great role models for me, and the example they set helps me make positive health choices.

6. Learning about new opportunities - A former roommate turned me on to a cheap yoga pass that allowed me to take classes at 12 different yoga studios for one month. Not bad!

7. Being the social animal that you are - Humans are social animals - period. You can always go into your room and close the door, and there will always be times when everyone else is out. But it's healthy to have available a constant stream of social interactions.

8. Softening your rough edges - (Significant others are great for this, but so are roommates.)

9. Built-in cooking instruction - You could be lucky enough to share an apartment with people who love to cook and want to help you learn.

10. Laughing more - I don't know about you, but I laugh more when I'm around people.

11. Opportunities to give and grow  - Compassion and the chance to give to others are, I think, key to happiness. That can take the form of running an errand for a roommate, listening to him talk about his day at work, or lending her your hair dryer. All of it will make you feel good.

12. Learning about a neighborhood gem or good take-out (How else would you have known?)

13. Saving money - It's usually cheaper, or at least more cost-effective, to rent a room in a 3-bedroom than to rent a studio or 1-bedroom.

It is said that if you go to a monastery for a retreat or period of study and ask to be assigned a volunteer post away from people, you will be given the opposite. The monks know, and I am learning, that those of a solitary nature would do well to force themselves to interact with others.

Consider subletting a room in an apartment with friends of friends or even with complete strangers, provided you can meet them or at least learn in advance about their lives and habits. It helps, of course, to live with respectful, responsible roommates with whom you have at least a few interests in common.

Learn from your roommates and try to cultivate their best habits.  It just might make you a better, happier person.

New York Times: when ramping up running mileage, 10% isn't the cap

Thank you, New York Times. You published this almost a year ago, but I'm very happy to discover it now: when ramping up mileage, the 10% rule is bogus: runners needn't constrain their mileage to 10% increases a week.

Personally, I'm still going to play it conservatively most of the time, particularly if I'm recovering from an injury. But it's nice to know that if I'm nearing the end of a great run, I don't necessarily have to cut it short.

Happy running :-)

Happiness Is a Serious Problem

As an apparent subscriber to TorahCafe (how on earth did they find me?), I receive weekly emails with entertaining and informative video clips on a slew of topics, generally related to Judaism or spirituality in some way. Last week I found "Happiness Is a Serious Problem" in my inbox: a video of a lecture by Dennis Prager, whose name I recognized from an assigned reading on the syllabus for the "Happiness" seminar I took (and loved!) in college.

Underlying his talk is the principle that a) it is a moral obligation, both to self and others, to be happy, and b) one must act happy in order to be happy, for happiness is a choice, not a happenstance.

Incidentally, the etymology of "happy" and "happenstance" is "happ," Old Norse for "good luck." Happiness was originally conceived of as a sensation that a person experienced if one was lucky; Prager, therefore, is really striking at the root of the concept of happiness itself, arguing that the sensation of happiness is one we can--and must--choose to undergo and embody, not one we experience only when fortune befalls us.

In a way, his take on happiness resonates with Zen Buddhism, for he rejects the idea that our mood should be like the Dow Jones, rising and falling in accordance with the arrival or departure of fortune. (Fortuna, in mythology, is the goddess of fortune; if you were lucky, she would bless you with her presence.)

In short, Prager says we must choose to be happy. His speech is lively, humorous, and frank, and serves as an excellent reminder for all of us not to let the whims of Fortune dictate our state of being.