Pom Pom

My favorite blog contributor (and dear friend), Katie, is here to take it away! Katie always has gems, treasures and stories to share with us, and we are all so lucky to have her contribute to this blog. I always learn so much from her — bits and pieces I never knew I needed to know — thank you so much, Katie! Read more to find out all about pomegranates! Promise you will learn so much!

 

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The White Moustache Date Yogurt

I am fully 100% addicted to The White Moustache Date yogurt. It is unlike anything I have ever tried and I will climb mountains, swim across oceans, run hundreds of miles — anything — to get to this yogurt.  Made in Hudson Valley, NY, this yogurt is made with love, care, and exceptional quality ingredients — you can tell both in the cost of the jar ($6.50 per jar) and taste. It is far superior to generic brand yogurt bought in the grocery store — and is worth every penny.

 

I always am in shock when I spent $20 on three jars of yogurt — but then when I taste it, I am so happy. It is worth it.

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Mah-Ze-Dhar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I have been a fan of Mah-Ze-Dhar bakery since I was introduced by a friend in 2013. A lot has changed since then, including a new brick-and-mortar store downtown in NYC and one in DC, as well as some new delicious baked good products. Recently, I received their newsletter and was intrigued by their chocolate chip cookie dough — you freeze this huge log of dough that is over 24 cookies, and then bake them as you need. I instantly bought it because I looooove chocolate chip cookies. I froze it for a rainy day (or in this case, a grey and slow Sunday) and then wam bam thank you ma’am, cut, baked, and voila! So easy, and so delicious!

 

Directions — so simple.

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Carrot Ginger Dressing

My kids take a really amazing (virtual) cooking class after school one day a week, where they cook dinner for the family. Although I am heavily involved in every aspect of the class, we all enjoy it thoroughly. I learn SO much and love all the food we have made thus far. This past week, we made ramen AND a carrot ginger dressing to go over iceberg lettuce. I loved the carrot ginger dressing so much that I basically drank it like water…..and am already on the second batch!

 

Ingredients:

 

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Asian Cucumber Salad

Crunchy, refreshing, tasty, light, and nutty. So good, so good. The salad is great on its own, or combined with other Asian flavors. The creator of this salad, my-sister-from-another-mister, likes to add this with her miso salmon, rice, and scallions. I love it alone or with anything. And even better — it takes only a couple of minutes to make!

 

Mini cucumbers are delicious plain, but even better with this sesame asian dressing.

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Juicer

To change things up, I bought a juicer and now, I can’t stop. CANNOT stop. Literally, I dream about juicing and look forward to it first thing in the morning. Because it is somewhat of a pain to clean, I make two batches in the morning — a morning juice and an afternoon juice — and that way, I only have to clean the monster of equipment once. Even though it is bulky, I highly recommend getting this juicer — so easy. In the morning, I have been making a ginger, lemon juice — sometimes adding an apple and a carrot. I love it because you feel the ginger go down your throat and it just feels HEALTHY.

 

I bought 5 pounds of ginger and it lasted just over a week — yep, a lot of ginger. So much, that I actually googled “how much ginger is too much” just in case I was over consuming ginger….but I think I am good so far….

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Knead Love Bakery

A friend of a friend makes the most delicious, dense, European style, filling, and healthy gluten-free bread. Like many things cool and hip, the bread from Knead Love Bakery is handmade in Brooklyn. First started as a ‘joy project’ (perfect term), Sarah now bakes bread daily that can be shipped nationally. All the breads are gluten free, nutrient dense and baked in a “high vibe” way. I recently received my first shipment — sesame and wildcard tumeric — and I can’t wait for future orders and trying out all the varieties and flavors.

 

I even love the packaging — how could I not — neon pink hearts? So cool.

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Key Lime Pie

In the ultimate grocery ordering fail, I ended up with 13 pounds of key limes. Granted, this would be a win if I were having a tequila and taco party (oh please, doesn’t that sound so dreamy????) but since there is no party to be had, I have LOTS AND LOTS of key limes to use! So I went searching on the good ‘ol internet and found this recipe for a key lime pie — thank you Bon Appetit!!!

 

HAPPY!!!!

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Gjelina Warm Date Cake

A month ago when I was in Los Angeles to run the marathon, I dined at Gjelina not once but twice. It quickly became my favorite restaurant with the most scrumptious veggies, pizzas, sides and desserts. Immediately upon returning to NYC, I bought the Gjelina cookbook. This past weekend, I decided to make the warm date cake and HOLY SHMOLY HOT DAMN this cake is amazing. It is sweet, moist, and oh so delicious. I highly recommend this cake and can’t wait to eat it all up (and to make it again shortly thereafter).

 

Ingredients:

 

 

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Coolhaus Ice Cream

Hands down, my favorite ice cream of all time is Coolhaus Banana Foster. Decadent, rich, creamy and oh so delicious — it tastes exactly like Banana Foster (my all time favorite dessert) but in ice cream form. Then I found out, *ALL* of the flavors Coolhaus makes are incredible, and that you can’t go wrong. Right now, I am especially fond of their ice cream sandwiches aka “sammies“. And believe it or not, they have dairy free sandwich options so vegans and lactose-intolerant people can still enjoy these scrumptious desserts.

 

You should see my freezer — I like to hoard ice cream. But we also eat a lot of it — 4 pints, 2 boxes of Ice Cream bars, and multiple sandwiches PER WEEK.

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Green Pancakes

I realize that blogs are a dying breed and have been replaced by instagram, tik tok, snapchat, twitter, etc….That said, I still read two blogs on a daily basis and I love them dearly. I dropped most other blogs when I realized most of their content was sponsored or no longer of interest. But I am thankful for Cup of Jo and Cupcakes and Cashmere that continually publishes authentic, honest, beautiful, helpful, and interesting content. Earlier this week, I found a post on Cup of Jo about green pancakes and I knew immediately that I had to make them. So glad I did because they are DELICIOUS. So whatever you are doing right now, stop, and make the green pancakes. Thank you, Cup of Jo!

 

Ingredients:

 

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Park Lane Pantry Granola

A self proclaimed snob (and expert) on granola, I recently sampled Park Lane Pantry, and I can’t get enough! Wholesome, delicious, nutritious. And on top of that, the back story of how the granola was created is truly inspiring — read about Elaine here and how she decided to create her own granola after her experience with cancer.

 

Granola perfection. Small batch

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Paleo Style Muesli

My favorite breakfast of all times is muesli. Whenever I go out to breakfast (usually when on vacation), I will never NOT order muesli (aka will always order). In hopes to eat a tad bit healthier at the start of the New Year, I made paleo muesli every day while on break. Instead of oatmeal based, this muesli is coconut based. Very delicious and easy to make — the key is the Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Style Muesli.

 

Grain free. You just add this with some fruit, cover it with milk, place in fridge and wait until the morning and VOILA, delicious muesli with less carbs.

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Zesty Z Popcorn

I am a grazer and am constantly snacking and eat nonstop. My new favorite go-to snack is Zesty Z popcorn. It is flavored popcorn with the perfect amount of flavor and zest. Kind of like a healthy cheeto, but not cheese…but once you start, you cannot stop!

 

Big bag! Big flavor! It is air-popped Mediterranean Popcorn and comes in three different flavors — my favorite being thyme and herbs.  The popcorn has 47 calories per cup, 1g sugar, 2g of protein, and is both gluten free and Non-GMO. So it’s a healthy option for snacking and tastes delicious too!

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Corn Bread

This past weekend (sadly) felt like Winter….so time to hibernate and cook. And that is exactly what we did. On Saturday night, we made chili, veggies and CORN BREAD. Years ago at our annual Sonoma trip, one of our friends made the most delicious and moist corn bread you have ever tasted. So that was the recipe I used — and it was just as good as I remember. Thank you, Katie Daly! Mind you — it is NOT healthy, but it is #WorthIt.

 

Ingredients:

 

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Nami Nori

If you live in NYC, you have to RUN right now to Nami Nori, the newest Japanese restaurant in the West Village. Only one month old, it was created by three ex-employees from Masa (whose tasting menu costs $595 per person!!!!). This new restaurant is casual elegant with accessible prices specializing in Temaki (hand rolls). Absolutely everything about this restaurant is perfection: the zen Japanese vibe, the appetizers, the temaki, the desserts, the staff, everything! So if you live in NYC, make a reservation and GO! And if you don’t live in NYC, it is an excuse to come in to the city and eat!

 

The appetizers: FRIES, spicy tuna on crispy rice, shishito peppers, and nori chips (oh my god, the best).

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Sister’s Fruit Company

While in my happy place this summer (the grocery stores of Oregon), I bought some apple (and pear) chips that turned out to be the most delicious snacks I have ever eaten. Sister’s Fruit Company. Made by a small family company in Oregon, these all natural fruit chips are made out of USDA Grade A Pacific Northwest fruit, that are sliced and dried in an all natural process. The chips just have a touch of pure cane sugar but are not overly sweet. You can eat them on cereal or oatmeal, but I tend to eat them just straight out of the bag. The kids are also huge fans and we can polish off a bag in one sitting. Mainly sold on the west coast, you can also buy online (thank you, internet).

 

All of the flavors are good — you can’t go wrong! Except for once you start, you cannot stop.

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Dehydrated Peaches

Earlier this week, we went peach picking (one of my favorite pastimes in Oregon….  fun, beautiful, and super inexpensive. WIN WIN all around). In 20 minutes, we gathered 35 pounds of delicious and perfect peaches. As much as I love peaches, that is a WHOLE lot of peaches to eat….especially since they go bad very quickly. So within minutes, I made two crisps (a little bit of oatmeal, a little bit of butter, a little bit of sugar and VOILA).  But there was still 30 plus pounds left….so we decided to dehydrate them and they are oh so good.

 

Me and my partner in crime. She weighs just slightly more than the peaches.

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Cilantro Jalapeno Vegan Pesto

The other day, my mom made the most incredible pesto — the typical basil, pine nut, parmesan combination. It was so delicious, I found excuses to eat it (chip, carrot, spoon, you name it). But because everyone KNOWS how to make pesto, I decided to find a more creative (and cost effective) vegan pesto. Instead of pine nuts and parmesan, hellloooo cashews. Instead of basil, welcome cilantro and jalapeno. It is green, healthy, and has just a minor kick to it (next time, I want to add more jalapeno). Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

 

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Rise Brewing Oat Milk

I live for my hot brewed coffee every morning — and I can’t imagine life without it. But every so often, I want an iced coffee mid day. Not only for the extra oomph and caffeine boost, but also for the flavor. Nothing is as good as coffee (except maybe tequila). I recently found this bottled iced coffee made with oat milk — it’s like all my dreams come true! Rise Brewing Oat Milk Latte –a dessert in a can! Oh so delicious.

 

Slender, petite, and the right size.

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