New Year, New Recipe!

In the last few months, I've (re)discovered two great loves of my life.

1) Cooking
2) Card Making

Briefly on card making, I've recently opened an Etsy Store called CityPaperie. This little venture blends my love for the art of handwritten notes with my extreme enjoyment of paper crafts! My lovely mother sent all of my old scrapbooking supplies (and some of hers too!) to Brooklyn.  If it's an evening or weekend, I'm probably making or at least thinking of cards. On Etsy? Follow me!

Now onto cooking! I just made what is quite possibly one of my favorite soups ever - I call it Spicy Sweet Potato Soup! I didn't measure or plan before making this soup, so work with me here. :)

Ingredients:
1 large loose carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, mashed
1/2 bunch of fresh collard greens, chopped
1/2 parsnip, chopped
10-12 cherry tomatos
1/2 cup salsa
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of water
2 splashes of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 splash of olive oil
Garlic powder
Tony Chachere's seasoning
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
First, chop carrot, garlic, collard greens and parsnips.  Heat a splash of olive oil over the stove.  Then, toss in chopped carrot and parsnip.  Season with a bit of garlic powder and Tony Chachere's. Let carrots and parsnip soften in olive oil for 5 or so minutes.  Then, pour in veggie broth.  Add in chopped collard greens and chopped garlic.  Let simmer for a minute or two.  Then, add in mashed sweet potatoes to the mix.  This will thicken the mixture.  Next, add in cherry tomatoes and 2 splashes of Apple Cider Vinegar. Add in seasoning whenever you wish (garlic powder, Tony's, ground pepper). Lastly, add in at least 1/2 cup of salsa.  Let simmer over low heat for 1.5-2 hours. For best results, let soup sit overnight to let seasonings and flavors marry.

Last step - ENJOY!

A little slice of normal

I'm sitting at Starbucks in Greenwich, Connecticut.

My thoughts on this place: I feel like I'm on vacation. 

Slower pace does the body, heart and head good.  Lizzie works in this charming little town now, and I've been dying to visit, so we decided that I'd tag along today.  We hopped in a cab bright and early this morning (after one - or two- too many glasses of wine yesterday evening...OOPS), and then took the Metro North to Greenwich. What a delightful way to commute.  I can't say that I missed the packed subway cars oozing with the scent of armpits, old food and pee (okay...maybe a little bit!). In any case, the comfy seats and personal space were enjoyable and delightful surprises. You know you've arrived in Greenwich when the first thing you see is a Lexus dealership.

We ate a delicious breakfast at Meli Melo.  I use the term breakfast loosely. I had curried cauliflower soup, a green juice and a butter/sugar crepe.  Strange combo, but it works! I went to NYSC for a quick workout after that and I've been shopping ever since.  Not buying much, just browsing. :)

It's a good day. I'm a little sleepy, but it's good to see grass, trees and say "good morning" to people on the street.

And the best part is I will be back in the vibrant, eclectic NYC in just a few hours - best of all possible worlds. I get a little retreat for the day, and then will jump back into the crazy in a bit.  And that's how I like it I've decided.

Where does time go?

It's been quite some time since I've had quality time with Tea & Treats...June, in fact.

I've missed blogging for certain!  Since that time I've started a new job (that I absolutely love!), turned 25, gotten back into yoga, taken a few day trips outside of the city, and more.  It's been a busy, wild, hectic, but rewarding and enjoyable couple of months.  My life is in a good place.

I joined a vegetarian, gluten free lunch club at work.  Yesterday was my first time to cook for the other members. I made a healthy Tomato, Basil, Cheddar soup (healthy version, of course) and Lizzie's mom's famous salad (though my version is never quite as delicious as hers!).  I found the soup recipe on Pinterest as I do with all other foodie inspiration! The salad recipe isn't something I can share - I'm sworn to secrecy! :)  Check out my Vegan/Vegetarian Eats board though.  There's so much yummy stuff that I cannot wait to make including baked pickles. YUM.

One other interesting note - I've started drinking green smoothies in the morning.  I just started this week, but I have to say that this has been a very positive change for me.  I use about 50% vegetables, 50% fruit as nourishment, then water and ice to make it an actual smoothie. I use swiss chard, arugula, spinach and cucumber normally as veggies.  The fruit I change up daily.  My favorite combination of fruit is mango, strawberries and banana - it's honestly delicious once you can get past the green coloring of the concoction.  I always, always add chia seed (my magical ingredient in all my prepared meals) to keep me full. My skin hasn't looked better in a while and I stay full for hours!

I hope you all have been having an enjoyable summer, but just remember, protect your skin and eyes.  Don't forget sunscreen and protective sunglasses.  Off soapbox now!

A Day "Off"

Have you ever had this thought:  Where does the day go?  Specifically, have you ever felt this sentiment about a supposed day OFF? I certainly have!  I feel like each day I have a day off, I actually don't get much down time, which is what I crave and really need. So, I decided to do a little experiment.  Granted this experiment added more work to my day, but it was important and relevant work. So what did I do? I recorded every last thing I did on my Saturday off.  


This helped me to quantify my day, to break it down until parts, so I can see how much I do (or don't do) in a day.  Here's what my Saturday off looked like:

8:15: Wake up (yes, I know it's early)
8:30: Shower
8:45: Make coffee (necessary)
8:47:  Start the laundry
9:15: Finish round one of laundry and drink coffee
9:17: Got distracted from coffee. Play on Facebook and blog
10:05: Refocus on coffee. It's now cold.  Make a trip to the microwave to warm it up. 
10:06: Watch episode of Girls and eat breakfast, an english muffin and a banana
10:35: Follow tired puppy into bed and snuggle. Do some blog work
11:45: Stop resting, start spot cleaning kitchen
12:00: Second cup of coffee and get dressed for the day
1:00: Take Mollie on a walk
1:03: Starts raining - JOY. Buy bully sticks so I have a plastic bag to avoid liquid damaged phone
1:40: Walk completes. Dog didn't pee. Awesome! (Cue sarcasm)
1:45: Leave for lunch with Lizzie in midtown
1:56: Cash checks from work. Yay food money!
2:05: Eat at Energy Kitchen with Lizzie. Veggie burger and baked fries. All under 500 calories! 
2:06: Record Energy Kitchen in a mental note as new favorite quick lunch spot.
2:35: Look at overpriced clothing at Gap. That maxi skirt will eventually go on sale (right?)
2:55: Depart from lunch and head to Fashion District buy pearls for my mom
3:15 Have visited three bead stores. Super overwhelming. Language barriers all over the place.
3:40: Find successful pearls and leave. Breathe a huge sign of relief
3:50: Arrive at Staples to shipping pearls.
3:59: Jump on the 7 to go home and let Mollie out/feed her, but not before...
4:20: ...stopping at Troost for a pick me up iced coffee. I need it.
4:30: Pick up mollie and begin walk. Yes, it starts raining again. No, she doesnt pee.
4:32: Buy new dog toy at the local pet store
5:02: Walk complete. Arrive home and feed Mollie
5:03: Relax for a bit. Catch up on a few emails, play on Pinterest
5:45: Leave for dinner at Ryu with friends
6:02: Walk in circles because I can't find Ryu
6:12: Finally arrive at Ryu. I was in front of it all along. Silly me!
6:45: EAT and drink all night until....
1:30: 4th meal at Papacitos. I was so hungry.
2:00: SLEEP. Day off ends!


Overall, I'd say this was a great day off. Keeping track of what I did helped me to see that, though most of these actions were fun and enjoyable, I don't do much lounging. Maybe that's the missing ingredient. 

Cheap Therapy: Me Time

Since I entered the workforce full time about 6 months ago, I've been finding it tough to dedicate the amount of time per week to blogging that I want to. For me, blogging is an outlet, a release. For others it may be playing music, cleaning (WHY?) or what-have-you. But for me, blogging is my time to be creative and my time for me.

This blog is important to me, so letting it slip away into the "project of the past" category isn't an option. So, I got a little idea from Bethenny Frankel. She recently wrote her new novel on her blackberry, so why can't I write my blog posts on my iPhone?!? You're right-there's no reason I can't. So, as I write this I'm sitting on the train headed to work. Every morning, I'm either writing a post or brainstorming future ideas. It's a lovely, refreshing way to start my morning. Just me, my iPhone, my creativity, and my coffee. And sometimes screaming children, armpit smell, and strangers reading over my shoulder...but who's keeping track, right? :) It's all part of the experience! In fact, what's around me is just as influential as my already-there thoughts.

So I have a question for you to ponder. When and where are you most creative? For me, I'm finding I'm creative on the train. Great meal ideas, blog topics, wardrobe choices all come to me on the train.

Here are some other times when I'm most inventive...

- when listening to a particularly connective song
- after a good yoga workout or run
- when I smile a lot
- after I'm complimented
- after a great conversation
- after a great bargain hunting session
- after attempting and subsequently enjoying a new recipe

So, I'd encourage you - even if for only a few minutes a day - to indulge in a little "you time" in your creative spot - whatever that may be. Ive got to say...it makes me feel more purposeful, grounded and whole to use my time wisely.

I think of it as an investment.

Happy Friday!