Food(less) Journey

What is it about chocolate that makes things seem so much cheerier? Oh right its that phenylethylamine which mimics the feelings of love in the human body.... and the caffeine of course. Isn't science great? After a stress-filled weekend I was ready for some chocolate today, but Im all about responsible snacking so, I decided on some banana - based ice cream. Not to be confused with banana flavored ice cream. Entirely different creature. Depending on the flavors used, the mix ends up not tasting like bananas at all. And yes I hear you scoffing and murmering about how it is 20 degrees outside and with the wind chill it feels like its 0 degrees. Trust me. It's worth it. So go grab some thick socks and a blanket to wrap up in and get to it! Light some candles for some radiant heat and close the blinds so you can't see the snow. Added bonus: Shivering burns calories! Pomegranate and/or Chocolate Soft Serve . ~Take 2 frozen bananas and blend...

Why do I forget how much I love cooking and how much it relaxes me? One of the major stressors in many of our lives is that we don't have complete control over situations affecting us How can you cook away the pounds? Well, the act of chopping and cooking is a calorie burning activity. And if you are like me and store things in tha basement pantry you add stair climbing to the act of prepping and cooking a meal. And if you are cooking on the fly like I usually do you will have to climb the stairs multiple times to get more ingredients from said pantry. So, what did i make? I know you are simply dying to know... I made a stir fry of fresh napa cabbage, fresh mushrooms, quinoa, and frozen onions. The cabbage and mushrooms i purchased at Soergels....I a m officially in love with Napa cabbage! Its smell is a lot more subtle but the flavor just as delicious as regular cabage. Very delicious! Also, cannelini beans with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach..summery delicious with a co...

Another relaxation tool that beats stress and keeps my hands busy is jewelry making. Crafts that involve your hands can distract you from stressors. More importantly they can keep your hands busy so that you cannot put food into your mouth with them. Although I have heard that people who are desperate for a nosh will eat without their hands... How odd... No offense... Okay actually I dont care if that offends you because 1) that is quite odd 2) there are some things you should never do with your feet when you have hands 3) because i said so. But I digress... I know you are just chomping at the bit to see what I've made. Okay maybe you arent but im going to show you anyway so... The bottom three bracelets were made using a weaving technique that I may or may not show you how to do in a future post. Depends on how generous Im feeling when I do or dont get around to typing that posting... Did I mention I also sell do-it-yourself jewelry making kits? Call me! Seriously!

In my attempts to reduce my stress load I have rediscovered one of my favorite de-stressors: relaxing with a hot cup of tea. Ive read wonderful things about the relaxing benefits of Earl Grey tea spiked with Bergamot. I have to admit I'm a bit of a tea snob. I like to be able to see the composition of the tea in the bag. I find it thrilling to look in the tea bag and see bits of dried orange and lemongrass. This, of course, can do terrible things to ones wallet. So, in the interest of pinching pennies (sounds gruesome for those poor pennies) I considered the lower costing teas. To be perfectly honest I was not hopeful when I selected this tea. But for a change the tea that cost the least ($2.99) was surprisingly good (Mind you i was shopping at Whole Foods and its pretty hard to buy an awful product there). Bigelow Tea has a wonderful quality to its taste even though it is not a whole leaf tea. And as I was perusing the tea boxes I noticed that it is one of the few teas that has ac...