New Post Series: Weekly Wants

Book/ Curling Iron/ Satchel/ Necklace/ Towel/ Moose Head

I'm starting a weekly series called "Weekly Wants" where I'll be sharing my items on my never ending wish list. What are you currently lusting after?

It's All Good

I love cookbooks. There is something almost "zen" for me when I sit down and thumb through big, beautiful glossy pages of a new one. If I had to list calming activities, flipping through a cookbook or three would be high on my list. Every now and then I come across a special cookbook that really inspires me, and that is exactly what happened when I picked up It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow. It's All Good was born out of Gwyneth's need to clear out her system, heal, and reset (something I'm pretty sure many of us need to do). With the help of Julia Turshen, they created a collection of healthy comfort food recipes but without sugar, fat, and gluten. 

No sugar, fat, or gluten? Bare with me for a moment. While I am intrigued by people who willingly give up those three lovelies I just listed, until I develop an intolerance or allergy to them, I am most likely never giving them up fully. What I would like to do is cut back on all three. I am trying to figure out what works best for me and my body, but that means a lot of trial and error on my part. The golden rule of "all things in moderation" seems to be the key, but for me (a carb-o-holic) how do I moderate a fresh baguette or a side of truffle fries? Sometimes the answer for me is to have none at all, or just on special occasions. 

Anyway back to Gwyneth. The book is broken down into many sections listed by meal or ingredient group, followed by a great weekly menu section with different goals in mind (think detox week, or family-friendly week). The pictures in the book are stunning and drool-worthy even for "Millet Falafel" (I used to feed my parakeet millet when I was six so pardon me if initially I was not chomping at the bit to eat a mouth full of bird seed). What I took away from this cookbook was the concept of truly clean eating and how easy it can be to implement it into my diet. Am I going gluten-free? No. Am I giving up butter? Heck no. Can I cut back on both those things? The answer is yes I can, and I can do it without feeling deprived. I am excited to try some of these recipes out, but I am actually really looking forward to cleaning up my diet. Weird. 

Below are two recipes from It's All Good that I'll be making ASAP!

Chicken Burgers, Thai Style

• 1 pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely minced
• 2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, very finely minced
• 1 teaspoon very finely minced red chili 
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, grapeseed, or safflower oil)

Thoroughly mix the chicken with the garlic, cilantro, shallots, red chili, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into 4 burgers, each about ¾ inch thick.Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Rub each burger on both sides with a bit of the safflower oil and grill for about 8 minutes on the first side and another 5 minutes on the second, or until nicely marked and firm to the touch.

Carrots with Black Sesame + Ginger

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil       
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger 
• 4 large carrots cut into matchsticks (4 cups)
• Coarse sea salt
• A couple of drops of hot toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over high heat. Add the ginger and cook, stirring it into the oil, until it becomes fragrant, just 30 seconds or so. Add the carrots and stir to combine them with the gingery oil. Add a big pinch of salt and ¼ cup of water and turn the heat down to medium-high. Cook until the carrots just begin to soften and the water evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds and serve.

Summer Reading

Summer is officially here which means countless hours laying out and reading. I get most of my reading done in the summer, and rather than scrambling to find a book to quick download before the weekend I thought I would compile a list now. 

Call me a traitor, but I can't read much chick lit anymore so it can be challenging to find recommendations I would actually be interested in. I'll admit it other than the "50 Shades Series" and all the books from the writer of "Gone Girl" not much has been able to hold my attention in terms of story line.  Does that mean only really messed up thrillers and smut holds my attention? Am I a creep? Maybe. Probably not though. My tastes and preferences are evolving, and unfortunately I'm growing up. I set a goal to broaden my genre horizons by including nonfiction in the mix just to see what I was really missing out on. I'm always up for new recommendations so please feel free to share!

1. The Glass Castle - Gossip columnist Jeanette Walls dishes the dirt on her own troubled youth in this remarkable story of survival against overwhelming odds. The child of charismatic vagabonds who left their offspring to raise themselves, Walls spent decades hiding an excruciating childhood filled with poverty and shocking neglect. But this is no pity party. What shines through on every page of this beautifully written family memoir is Walls's love for her deeply flawed parents and her recollection of occasionally wonderful times.

2. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - The plan that Cheryl Strayed hatched wasn't just naïve or foolish; it seemed almost suicidal: Without hiking or even backpack experience, this callow 26-year-old set out to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,663-mile wilderness route from the Mexican border to Canada, across nine mountain ranges and three states. This solo project had been born less from a passion for nature than a deep sense of desperation.

3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

4. Defending Jacob - Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber is blindsided when his teenage son, Jacob, is charged with murder. Jacob insists he is innocent, and Andy believes him. But as the trial intensifies, damning facts and shocking revelations surface.

 5. Bossypants - Fey's entertaining memoir shows that strangeness has been her constant companion. Fey's stories about her childhood in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania are only appetizers for LOL forays into her college disasters, honeymoon catastrophes, and Saturday Night Live shenanigans. Most funny read of the month; the best possible weekend update.

6. The Happiness Project - { Currently Reading } In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

7. Dare Me - The raw passions of girlhood are brought to life in this taut, unflinching exploration of friendship, ambition, and power.

8. The Night Circus - The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing.

9. Beautiful Disaster - The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.