Day Two Easy Love

On to Day Two. I woke up feeling ok. Nothing out of the ordinary.  On the menu today was:

1 Aloe Vera elixir. this was absolutely disgusting. Yuck! I'm glad it was just a shot and not a full bottle of juice. According to Organic Avenue, "Aloe vera juice is known to help to detoxify the body and cleanse the colon."  If they say so.

2 Pear Juice.  This was sooooo good. Absolutely delicious, I felt great after drinking it.  The fiber in it really helped move things along (ahem) soon after drinking it. 

3 Veggie Vibe. Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Beet, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Lemon, Ginger, Parsley.  Delicious, light and tangy. It was also very filling and that's a good thing.  I only drank about 3/4 of the juice as I just did not have room for more liquid.

Side note: although there is no tomato in it, I think with a little bit of vodka it would make a really great bloody mary ... that is a bit sacrilegious, no?  To be thinking of cocktails while doing a cleanse. Sigh.

4  Arugula Sprout Salad.  This was amazing. I loved it even more than the Caesar salad I had the first day.  The salad is topped with little balls of something  called "carrot cheese."  I swear - they tasted just like a goat cheese. Yum!

5 Sunflower Falafel.  This was very yummy, but I felt stuffed and could only finish half of it. Which left me pretty amazed, because I am a big eater. 

About an hour or two after having the falafel I went to a Physique 57 class.  I felt good, but no crazy wave of energy until after class was over.  I walked out of class feeling great.  I had so much energy I felt like I could go dancing or take a Zumba class.  I felt amazing.  The down side is that the energy surge lasted until way past midnight. That could be a combination of working out in the evening and eating such nutritious foods.

6 Chocolate Mousse. Cacao, Almond.  I like chocolate, but I am not a serious chocolate lover.  I like it in small doses. This was very tasty and tasted like dark chocolate, but I only ate half of it.

7 Coconut Mylk. Coconut meat and coconut water.  Holy moly was this good.  So fresh, so filling, so creamy and so freaking delicious. I happen to love coconut so this was a real treat for me. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water.  It's on the menu for day three, so I am super excited to have it again.

I felt great on Day Two.  No headaches, no light headed feelings.  I am amazed that I could have so much energy without drinking any caffeine and with eating such small portions.  Woo hoo!! On to Day Three.

Day One Easy Love

In my efforts to focus on nutrition in 2012, I started a 5 day raw foods/juice cleanse yesterday - it's the Easy Love cleanse from Organic Avenue.  The way it works: each morning for the next five days Organic Avenue will deliver all the foods and juices I will need for the day.  At night I leave the empty juice bottles outside my apartment door and the delivery person from Organic Avenue will take them when he or she drops off my next delivery.

There are 7 "meals" for each day and the meals consist of juices, elixirs and raw foods.

I opened my apartment door and found this waiting for me at 8am:

Everything was well packaged and clearly labeled. 

Here is a group shot of all the goodies:

The night before my first delivery I received an email from Organic Avenue with instructions and nutritional information about each item.  My mantra for the day is to be "I am happy, I am joyous, I am free."

Throughout the day, I am to think about this: "The only thing you have to remember is how fortunate you are." Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I like that there is a spiritual/emotional side to this cleanse. 

On to my review of each item!  Each item is to be consumed in order and the order is explained in Organic Avenue's email the night before.

#1  The chlorophyll elixir. 

I drank this like a shot and it tasted like grass. Not terribly unpleasant, but a little gag inducing for first thing in the morning.  It is very (very) dark green.  

Here is the empty bottle so you can compare the two.

Within a few minutes of drinking this, I felt very alert.  As though I had taken a shot of espresso instead. I was very worried that I would not be able to function in the morning without coffee and had considered that if need be, I would go ahead and have coffee during this cleanse.  I am happy to report, it was not necessary today.  According to Organic Avenue, "chlorophyll has the power to regenerate and cleanse your body at molecular and cellular levels. It's known to help fight infection, heal wounds, and promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Chlorophyll consumption also increases the number of red blood cells, thus improving how the body absorbs and uses oxygen." Who knew?

#2  Master Tonic: alkaline water, lemon agave syrup and cayenne.  I think this is similar to the lemonade/cayenne tonic that people drink on the master cleanse.  This was just ok.  I think on a really hot day, this would be delicious ice-cold. But since we are facing an arctic cold front right now, I did not want to drink anything that was ice cold, so I let it stand at room temperature for a while before finishing it.  

According to Organic Avenue, "purified alkaline water hydrates cells, lemon rinses organs, spicy cayenne burns out toxins." The tonic itself is spicy and tangy.  Don't let these little jars fool you - they hold a substantial amount of liquid (16 ounces to be exact).

#3 Carrot juice.  This was eye opening and absolutely delicious.  This juice was earthy and slightly sweet.  Within minutes of drinking this, I felt a slight buzz.  Maybe it's all the nutrients in carrot juice, but I felt really great.   I started getting hungry soon thereafter and it was a good thing that my first solid food was up next.

#4  Caesar Palm Salad: Olive Oil, Miso, Sea Palm, Scallion, Sesame Seed, Seaweed. This did not look very appetizing to me, but I was getting so hungry I did not care.  Boy was I wrong - this salad was delicious! The dressing was savory and the salad has these crunchy things (you can see them in that small container on the lower right side of the salad box) that are soooo good.  They add a nice touch of flavor and crunch to the salad.  Once I ate the salad, my hunger pangs went away.

#5 Lasagna: Tomato, Olive Oil, Zucchini, Basil, Pine Nuts, Sun Dried Tomato, Oregano, Walnut, Cabbage, Bell Pepper, yellow squash.  Very good!  Very flavorful and had some good texture to it - I let it stand at room temperature for about an hour before eating.

About an hour and a half after having the lasagna, I went to a Physique 57 class.  I had heard from others on similar cleanses that they did not notice much of a difference in energy levels when exercising and so I was expecting the same.  The first half of the class, I did not notice much of a difference.  And then during the second half of class I got a great wave of energy.  The class was still tough, but I was able to really power my way through the ab work and planks.

#6 Chia Seed Tapioca Vanilla: brazil nuts, Chia Seed.  I happen to love tapioca pudding, so I enjoyed this treat.  It wasn't too sweet and had a nutty taste to it. It was good, but not exceptional. 

#7 Cashew Hemp Mylk: Alkaline Water, Dates, Irish Moss, Cashew, Hemp Seeds, Himalayan Salt.  This was the most filling of all the juices I had today. It was creamy, slightly gritty and a bit sweet.  I really enjoyed it and it filled me up.  I did not got to bed hungry. 

End of day thoughts:  I feel good.  No prolonged hunger pangs.  No headaches.  I have good energy. I think I had about 2,000 calories today - which helped me work out as usual. I'm excited for day two!

Reset Button

New year, new goals. 

Fitness and Nutrition.  A year and a half ago I tore a small muscle and the meniscus in my right knee.  The recovery process was long and painful.  Last October I discovered Physique 57 and have been going to classes about 5 times a week. I love Physique 57.  Love it!  I have never felt better and I plan to continue in 2012, but I also need to add some focus to nutrition.  So next week I will be doing a 5 day raw foods/juice cleanse via Organic Avenue.  I'm nervous and excited at the same time.  I think it will be a good way to reset the button on food & nutrition.  I will post here about my experiences.

Travel.  I want to travel more in 2012.  I already have a week long trip scheduled in July to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  I cannot wait!  I want to plan long weekend trips out of town and one big vacation 2012. 

Fitness Retreat.  I want to go on a fitness or nutrition retreat in 2012. I did a yoga retreat in August 2010 and was amazed at how good I felt after only 3 days of vegetarian food, yoga and meditation.  I'd like to do something similar again in 2012 at minimal cost to me.

Career.  I will figure out the next step in my career in 2012.  This is one area that I need a lot of guidance with because I honestly don't know what the best next step should be.  I'm asking for guidance and advice regarding my career.  I am happy now - nothing to complain about in that department - but it's time for me to start planning what comes next.

Social Activties.  I will plan many more social activities in 2012.  I am in a rut and always end up doing the same things: dinner dates, brunch dates and movie dates.  Time to shake things up!  I'm asking for help in this department, if anyone can recommend activities in NYC, please let me know.  I'm not afraid of attending things solo, either. 

Hobbies. I will update this blog with more frequency in 2012. I will educate myself more on interior design and will post more photos I took myself.   Especially since I just bought a fancy new camera - the Canon G12!! 

Charity.  I am down on my knees grateful to life and to all the people that have helped me along the way.  Down on my knees grateful.  I have the financial freedom to pursue my goals and that's a luxury not many people can enjoy in our current economy.  I will be more charitable in 2012.

It's gonna be a good year!

Glorious Shoes

Switching gears a little, let's talk about shoes.  I loves high heels.  I have been wearing high heels since I was a freshman in high school (back then it was 2 inch kitten heels) but now I rock the big girl shoes.  Some recent purchases that I absolutely love and recommend:

YSL Tribute Sandals

These beauties are 5 1/2 inches high, but they have a 1 1/2 inch platform so it feels like a 4 inch heel.  I promise you, they are comfortable!! And so incredibly sexy.  I have them in two colors.

First: A nude, vanilla color that make your legs look a mile long.  These shoes in the nude color work with just about anything and look especially hot with a DVF wrap dress. The shape and height make them very sexy, but the color tones them down for everyday use. 

Second: my second pair are grey patent leather (I could not find a stock photo, so here they are on me).

I wore the grey ones out to dinner a lot over the summer.  Once I got over that initial fear of the height, I was always super comfortable in them.  I think they have a disco 70's feel to them (in a good, Bianca Jagger kind of way).

YSL tribute sandals will automatically lift your seat and give your thighs an incredible shape.  Good for hot dates, dancing for your boyfriend, brunch with the girls and shopping in high end department stores (those BG sales clerks ALWAYS look at your shoes).  Fun, fun, fun!!

A note on sizing: I find YSL shoes do not run as small as other designer shoes. So while I am normally a size 9, in YSL I am a 9.5 (but in Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik I am a 10). 

Cole Haan Violet Air 90 

I also have these Cole Haan Violet Air 90 Pumps in red patent leather:

These pumps have Nike Air technology in the sole making them incredibly comfortable - despite the 3 3/4 inches high heel.  Cole Haan frequently has sales and I scored these beauties for over 50% off the retail price. Yes!  The red patent leather looks amazing paired with denim and with camel colored pencil skirts.  They don't show a lot of toe cleavage, just a little glimpse, which I like.  Too much toe cleavage looks kinda porny to me.  These shoes comes in lots of colors and leathers and I highly recommend them for comfort, style and quality.

I think these shoes run true to size - my usual size 9 fit perfectly! 

Frye

On the other side of the spectrum are these amazing boots from The Frye Company:  the Amelia boot in cognac:

These are truly the most comfortable pair of boots I have ever worn.  They look great with everything - dresses, skirts and jeans.  They have a beautiful patina and the leather is incredibly high quality.  Love them!!  I once paired these with an orange pencil skirt, beige sweater and a tan leather skinny belt on a bloated, yucky day when I had no motivation to dress up. And yet I still looked presentable.

The shaft of the boot is very generous - making them easy to wear with skinny jeans, even for a full calf girl like me.

This post is all about jumping back into blogging, which I miss. My photography is severely limited, but what the hey! Let's do this. Take two. 

Jenny from the Block

Veranda magazine recently featured Jennifer Lopez's home on its pages.  I have to say, I was a bit surprised by the house.  It is a beautiful home, but I somehow expected her house to be a bit trendier, more glamorous.  That said, I do love the blues and grays used throughout:

 

I absolutely adore this staircase coupled with the lunette sofa.  I love the curves in this space - so feminine and elegant.

The living room is very elegant and soft, but a touch - cold?  Perhaps it's just the effect of staging the room to photograph it, but it lacks warmth in my view.

I love this dining nook!  I love the round table and white upholstered chairs.  I want that light fixture - it's so simple, elegant and brings old world charm to the space.  How awesome are those blue cabinets.  Love this room!

I don't know a lot about kitchens, but aesthetically speaking - this kitchen is perfect in my eyes. I love the black stove and the blue cabinets!

The one thing I found very J-Lo in the house was this:  

A pink gown set in the corner of a guest bedroom.  Swoon!!  So girly and chic.

Sexy Time

I am happy with the living room in my apartment, but my bedroom is not quite there yet.  The problem originates with the fact that I bought bedroom furniture with an eye for function and not style.  Ideally, it should be both.  You want something that serves its purpose but is also a reflection of how you want the room to look & feel.

I want my bedroom to feel warm and sexy. I found some inspiration at Elle Decor (of course! I love that magazine).

This bedroom feels tropical sexy to me, but only in an ideal world where I have a live-in house keeper.  Because that much white requires a lot of care.  I suppose that's what lends the room sexiness - it's breezy, yet luxurious.

 

What I love about this room is the combination of the very bright yellow with the stark metallics.  It feels very fresh and sophisticated.  The browns add warmth to the space.  It is a very NYC bedroom.

This room is very cozy, it does have a snooze factor to it (not the good kind of snooze), but the fireplace outweighs any blandness.  A roaring fire by the bed is the ultimate sexy.

I love, love, love this bedroom.  It is so young, fresh and colorful. The green tufted sofa adds some soft luxury to the room and the charcoal artwork adds a nice touch of edginess. I love the monogramming on the bedding.

How awesome is this room?  A bit over the top, yes; but a gigantic mirror as a headboard =  much sexiness. I love the bright red comfort and touch of zebra print on the bed.  I am not sure what's the thing at the top of the mirror.  It could be a projector or a lamp... hmmm.  I am also digging the nude artwork.  ;-)

{Images via Elle Decor}

So much inspiration and so limited by budget.  *Sigh*

Amor

It is the week before Valentine's Day - the cheesy, manufactured holiday of Hallmark, florists and jewelers the world over.

But in honor of love and the color pink, I found a few rooms that help shed some much needed warmth on the stark and ugly day that is Valentine's (bear with me, I am single):

I love that pink sofa!!  Love it.  And the curve of the windows made taller by the curtains hung from the ceiling.  Que romantico.

I love how the pink tones in the rug soften the room without making it too feminine.  Que classico.

What is it about crystal, black accents and pops of pink that feels so girly and so sexy?  Que delicioso. 

 {images via High Gloss Magazine}

I personally think a pink cashmere throw brings love to any room.  Que femenino.

{Image via Lonny Magazine}