Juice it up! :: Juicing Fruits and Vegetables

Resolutions have been made to do better with the New Year. Exercise. Eat healthier. Have adventures. Save more. The possible lists go on and on and on.

cucumber, celery, carrot, orange, ginger

Juicing is big on a lot of personal lists. Juicing and Juice Cleanses are the new buzzed about favorites for improving health and losing weight.

Juicing has been around for ages. Think Jack LaLanne, "The Godfather of Fitness", who extolled the versions of juicing for decades. Jack might have been on to something; he lived a long and vibrant life.

Guessing (not a nutritionist or health expert) that spending a weekend or so doing a cleanse is probably helpful and healthful - intaking low calorie, nutrient rich liquids to clean out the digestive system and maybe lose some pounds.

The waning days of winter, mean warm weather and less clothes soon...finally, so time to tone up and shed that winter layer. Snow is on the ground but spring is in the air. Can hear birds chirping.

Juicing can be an integral part of everyday eating. A nutritious juice can replace a meal or be an energy boosting healthy snack. 

Breville Juice Fountain Plus

After a bit of research, purchased the Breville Juice Fountain Plus because of great reviews and its easy clean up. Tips: Save plastic shopping bags and line expeller bin for even quicker clean up. Scrub fruits and vegetables or wash well so you can use skin when appropriate.

Ginger makes it awesome

A favorite combo is cucumber, celery, carrot, orange and ginger. In general, cucumber and celery make a really good base that blends well with almost any mix of fruits and veggies. Also, like to add ginger often to a range of juice mixtures.

Gotta get those leafy greens into the mix too.

Sweet Greens

Tips: Roll up a few leaves and scrunch into a ball. A little squeeze of lemon brightens the juice.
                              

Kale or Collards  
Pineapple
Celery
Cucumber
Ginger
Lemon

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge
photos:wbj

Vote - November 6, 2012

LIFESTYLE:

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Unstuff Your Fridge: Eat Better, Faster

LIFESTYLE:

photo: cooking lounge

Andrew Mellen is a professional organizer, speaker and the best-selling author of Unstuff Your Life!, with numerous appearances on national TV. 

Cooking Lounge invited Andrew to write a post centered on the kitchen, after seeing pictures on his website of a super organized kitchen. 

Sure if you cook a lot this sort of order may be hard to maintain but it's a definite benchmark that can be adapted to suit your lifestyle. The refrigerator is the heart of the kitchen. An organized fridge will help you cook faster and quite possibly eat better.

 

FREE Give-Away:

 Cooking Lounge will give-away 2 copies of Unstuff Your Life! to the 50th and 100th person In the continental United States to re-pin on Pinterest the Unstuff Your Life! book cover from this Cooking Lounge post or from our Pinterest page. The winners will get a shout out on Cooking Lounge.  

Like Cooking Lounge on Facebook and follow on Twitter so we can offer more goodies more often.

(a disclaimer below).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

by Andrew Mellen 

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, maybe the path to organization for a man is through his refrigerator?

Either way, it’s clear that a cluttered fridge is a reflection of a cluttered life.
 
You may argue that, like Vegas, what happens in your fridge stays in your fridge, but to keep piling on the metaphors, that dog won’t hunt.

As a professional organizer for over 16 years, I can assure you that your fridge is a microcosm of your life. Chances are, it contains many fresh, healthy ingredients that are easily accessible. But like life, without regular investigation, you’re also likely to be holding onto moldy, unprocessed and hidden—but not quite forgotten—things that never tasted good in the first place.

Just like taking a personal inventory helps keep you at the top of your game, so does rooting around in the fridge to eliminate anything that stinks—figuratively and literally.

And fortunately, the best way to maintain order in your fridge is the same way to maintain order in your life: use my Organizational Triangle^®.

The beauty of the triangle is the simplicity of its three legs: One Home For Everything; Like With Like; and Something In, Something Out. There’s nothing else to remember.

One Home For Everything means just that—everything has one home and only one home.

That means, the condiments have a home. So do the veggies, the meat, the soft drinks, the alcohol, even the leftovers.

In this worldview, indeed, the cheese does stand alone. Almost.

The second leg of the triangle, Like With Like, means that ALL of the cheese stands alone, not just the blue cheese.

By grouping all the condiments together, all the dairy, all the veggies, etc. you’ll be able to find one of your fourteen different mustards just by looking in one place.

Create a dedicated area just for the leftovers and when it’s time for a snack, there’s no wasting time moving the pudding or the pickles out of the way.

Something In, Something Out is all about reaching stuff equilibrium. Once you have enough of everything that serves you, and in this case, that is nutritious and that you like to eat, you’re not in the market shopping for more just because it’s on sale. You want to use up what’s already there before you pick up more. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is, it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it.

Note that all food that is good for you has an expiration date. The best food typically doesn’t have one printed on it—in those cases, the date is determined by Mother Nature and the efficiency of your refrigerator.  

And if you want to impress your friends, lovers, partners and spouses?

Clean the fridge and wait for their expression the next time you send them into it to retrieve something. You’ll experience a new level of respect and admiration that you didn’t think possible.

So here’s my simple technique for cleaning and organizing your fridge in less time than it takes to do a load of laundry.

First remove everything from the fridge. If you have a cooler, store the food it in temporarily. If you don’t have a cooler, work fast.

Wipe down all the shelves and inside any bins or drawers. Wipe around the seal, removing any stains, mold, mildew or spilled food.

Now, just like in real estate, think location, location, location. What do you typically eat? What do you reach for most often? Those should be the easiest things to get to.

If you love cheese, corral it all together in the cheese drawer or find a container that is large enough to hold it all and place that in a prominent place.

Ditto, if you’re a big sandwich person, you could create a fixins station front and center.

The fridge is an appliance that is all about convenience. Use it to get the most out of it instead of letting randomness overtake you.

Gather all your mustards, ketchup, mayo, pickles, relish and the like and find one area large enough for all of these things to be near each other. Then within that area, group all mustards together, all mayos, all other sauces—anytime you’re looking to dress up a dish, any condiment will be easily found.

Use your vegetable drawer to keep all your fresh veggies together; likewise the fruit drawer.

Once you have created ‘homes’ within the fridge for each type of food you eat, it’s time to load the fridge back up.

If you find that you’ve under- or overestimated how much room some kinds of food take to store, try swapping the drawer to one large enough to accommodate all the versions of whatever the type of food you’re making room for.

And while the above will set up the process for you, the real secret is in maintaining the process.

Fortunately, this isn’t rocket science. Take something out, put it back where it came from. It doesn’t take any more time to put the tomatoes back in the veggie drawer than it does to just plop them on the first open space you see when you open the door.

Here are a couple of pictures of organized fridges to hopefully motivate you rather than shame you!

Flickr_Deanna Piercy_The Well-Groomed Hippie

Flickr_bitchcakesny

Good luck and happy Father’s Day!

Disclaimer: Must be 18 or older to participate. Prizes may not be exchanged or substituted. Winners may not sell or transfer the right to receive the prize. Prizes unclaimed by 30 days after announcement will be given away to next on the list for re-pins. All participants agree to the use of their entry and/or name without any compensation.By accepting a prize, the winners agree to release and hold harmless Cooking Lounge (the founder/editor/producer) from any injuries, losses or damages or any related in any way of sustained in connection with the acceptance, use or misuse of any prize awarded. In the event of a dispute, all decisions made by Cooking Lounge are final and binding.Contest rules are subject to change at any time during the duration of the contest.Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law.By entering the contestant agrees to be bound by these rules.

Spring NYC

Even hectic, gritty Midtown New York City is refreshing in spring.

New post soon. In the mean time, go outside, shake off winter, till some soil, and relish the season.

Spring Midtown NYC photo:wbj

Enjoy,

Cooking Lounge

Dallas - Fire Pits, Cocktails and Beef

FOOD + LIFESTYLE:

Photo: Flickr - HeidiLore

 In December, Cooking Lounge checked-out a freezing cold Dallas. Dallas was a week of surprises. 

Jumped right in with Lee Harvey's. Found great reviews on Yelp. Picnic tables and a large fire pit greet you in the huge front yard beer garden. Was hungry for some charred Texas beef and wanted to check-out an authentic locals' spot. Phoned Lee Harvey's before leaving BUT got there as the kitchen closed at 10pm. The bar staff was sooo no problem; we got ya!  Fries were finished. The oil was dumped. But, the grill was still HOT. Got a perfectly charred-to-a-crunch, juicy pink medium rare Angus burger with thick cut bacon and a smoked jalapeno on the side. Topped off with a Texas Lonestar beer.

The sweet introduction kept getting better.  Sitting next to me at Lee Harvey's was well noted chef, Katherine Clapner of Dude, Sweet Chocolate. She gave the 411 on Dallas restaurants (see list below). Katherine did even more; she steered us (...we followed, winding through side streets filled with low slung, shootgun buildings and warehouses) to The Cedars Social.

Welcome to Dallas.

The Cedars Social was an instant home away from home. Unpretentious, comfy with a nod to mid century and reclaimed urban design. The menu is seasonal and local comfort food, kicked up mega notches. Ex NFL Linebacker and Super Bowl veteran, Brian Williams, an owner of the gastro den, was gracious and welcoming. He suggested The Cedars Social award-winning Old Fashioned, a balanced mix of bourbon, sours and sweet floral flavors, for a twist on the classic cocktail. Mixologist and owner Michael Martensen created an extensive drinks list of carefully crafted cocktails that curates vintage recipes, going back to the 1850's.

A few days later had dinner at Cedars Social. Sampled and shared small plates. The beet salad with red, yellow and candy striped beets with strips of speck and greens was an all-star. Much of the featured produce comes from Tom Spicer's FM 1410, organic, urban garden. Tom Spicer is legend in Dallas food circles. Cedars Social's lamb chops were simply grilled with herbs and so succulent and so good. Went caveman, fingers and all. The beef short rib tacos were not tex-mex authentic, too NY foodie; but, the beef was braised to melt in your mouth perfection. The menu is adventurous and changes often. The atmosphere is the icing. Walled-in outdoor seating with fire pits (fire pits are everywhere in Dallas), candle lit dining area, with industrial mid century pieces scattered throughout, and a library nook for more private cocktails and small plates with a group. Low key, sexy and sophisticated with some of the best music mixes I have heard anywhere.

Dallas is spread out but it never seems to take more than 15-20 minutes to drive to places in the city.

Uptown along McKinney is chocked full of bars and restaurants with glitz, sheen and valet parking. Kept hearing from Texans - Dallas is going to be the new L.A. Okay. Huuum is that because of the reboot of the "Dallas" TV series? Or Kardashians and their camera crews popping up? The Uptown place that a cross section of people recommended was Sfuzzi. Sfuzzi has several different feels - red walls and plush banquets, lots of alcoves, bistro seating, and a covered outdoor dining area with...yes, fire pits. The music was very Top 40 ho-hum and thumping. There is no real dance floor but folks were shaking it anyway. The place attracts a fairly diverse and slick crowd.

Knox-Henderson dates back to the 1920's and exudes laid back, old Dallas charm. Lots of restaurants and shops on leafy, verdant streets. Missed out on Victor Tango's. Heard several raves about the food. Suggest going early since Victor Tango's seems to close whenever they want. The Candleroom is a "progressive urban lounge" that brings a sequined, nightlife pulse to Knox-Henderson. One of those places where you need to be a member or know someone.

Deep Ellum is a story of Blues, Nightlife, Gentrification and Downturn. Music venues, bars and restaurants line the dark, quiet streets. Deep Ellum's heydays stretched from Blind Lemon Jefferson to locals' the Butthole Surfers to BIG indie and alternative bands. Deep Ellum hit its peak in the 90's and gradually declined while maintaining a mythic bohemian allure. In the shadows, you can imagine - people huddled, waiting to get into a show, folks scoring and hustling, and Punks reveling in the seamy facets that shaped Deep Ellum.

 Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff is home to Dude Sweet, Chocolate. Katherine Clapner was so cool on arrival; had to stop by before returning to New York. The shop is more like an artist studio/lab than a kitchen. The combos and treatments of chocolate was a wow moment. The dark-haired rockabillyesque woman at the counter was a sommelier of chocolate...poetic and encyclopedic. Picked up a new concoction, FM 1410 Toffee that's made with marfa tomato jam, smoked jalapeno and soft fudge like dark chocolate. The flavor is subtle and rich with a hint of smoke and heat with little crunchy, salty, crystals in the confection.


For the last night in Dallas, was set on having some Texas style barbecue. Many of the places people talked up make trendy, world class food, which was great to experience in Dallas. Total disservice to the state if Cooking Lounge did not eat some beef brisket at a down home kinda place. Stumbled upon Lockhart in Bishop Arts. No plates,  No sauce, dig in. Smoked meat served up in butcher paper. Beef brisket is the taste of Texas. When Texans say barbecue they mean smoke house brisket. The ribs, the chicken and everything else are supporting cast. Kreuz Market is the in house specialty sausage. The smokey and meaty Original sausage is from a 100 year old recipe with a secret mix of pork, herbs and spices. The Kreuz Market jalapeno sausage is meaty and spicy with sharp aged cheddar to boot. And, the baked beans way good, studded with meat in thick sweet sauce, not to be missed.

 Blew me away that Lockhart features Texas Pete, the North Carolina hot sauce I grew up with in Southeastern Virginia.

Met the Lockhart Pitmaster, Tim McLaughlin. He schooled us on the East Texas roots of Lockhart. Before leaving, Tim showed us a funny sign on the kitchen door.


Big shout out to my friend, Carlos, for the invite to Dallas, to help wrap up a project. Dallas was unexpectedly cool and subtly hip.

Downtown Dallas has a chance to create a fresh, vibrant, 24/7 urban living hub filled with the Arts, nightlife and good food.

List of Recommended Dallas Restaurants
All Good
Bistro 31
Bolsa
Campo
Cane Russo 
Cindy's Deli
Eno's Pizza
Hattie's

Lucia
Oddfellows
Smoke
Stephan Pyles
Sweet Georgia Brown
Wingfield's Breakfast and Burgers
(btw some cool websites too)

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

Holidays Recipe - Mashed Celeriac, Parsnip, and Potato

FOOD + LIFESTYLE:

photo: wbj

The Holidays are a great time of the year to make this crowd-pleasing, rustic root vegetable mash featuring often overlooked and misunderstood, celeriac (commonly known as celery root in US).

In this Cooking Lounge Holidays Recipe, the potatoes provide volume and a familiar flavor base, the parsnip adds sweet, creamy, earthy goodness. The celeriac sends the mash over-the-top with hints of herbaceousness and celery along with hearty texture. The flavors and textures in the Mashed Celeriac, Parsnip and Potato stand out yet meld beautifully with butter and cream. 

photo: wbj + Nina Masuda

photo: wbj      

photo: wbj

At Cooking Lounge, the focus is simple ideas for better living; so, recipes are more of a guide than a how-to. As you get to know more about food, flavors, pairings, growing seasons, and simple techniques, you will be able to create amazing meals that work for you.

Mashed Celeraic, Parsnip and Potato 
2 lbs of new potatoes
1 lb parsnip
1 large bulb Celeraic (celery root) approximate wt 12 ounces - 1lb.
1 stick of butter
1 cup of half and half or cream
salt
pepper
fresh parsley

To slow oxidation, I put aside a large bowl with cold water and salt for the cut root vegetables to soak. Some recipes suggest lemon and water for the celeraic. The point is keep the ingredients from turning brown.

Celeraic is a tough skinned, ungainly bulb. I used Mastrad's Elios Y Vegetable Peeler for minimal loss of flesh. Also, the handle felt ergonomic so no cramping up when peeling lots of food. After peeling the celeraic, dice and drop in bowl of water until time to cook. Make the cubes of vegetables about 1 inch each so cooking times will be about the same. Continue with parsnip, peel, slice and dice, then add to bowl of water. Next the potatoes. Depending on the variety and taste preference, the potatoes can be skin on. The skin left on for this version.

Drain and rinse the root vegetables. Add to large pot of water with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cook on low until tender (fork pierces with ease).

Drain cooked celeraic, parsnip and potato; add to large bowl. Mash and stir until blended. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of half and half. Mix. Add remaining butter, half and half. Mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more half and half if desired. Remember this is a rustic mash so it WILL NOT be like a puree.

Return mixture to large pot and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to pan. Place in a serving dish, top with rough chopped parsley. Mashed Celeraic, Parsnip and Potato are ready to serve. If you have more time, you can stud the top with butter and bake in a 350 oven until the top is golden brown. Mastrad's Orka silicone pot holder came in handy taking the mash out of the oven and; in a pinch, the Orka silicone pot holder worked as a trivet). You can even prepare Mashed Celeraic, Parsnip and Potato a day or so in advance; just heat and brown. Yummmm!

This post features products from innovative, international kitchenware brand, Mastrad. Mastrad sent a few items for Cooking Lounge to review. Not paid for the review. All opinions are solely Cooking Lounge. (BRANDS send more stuff. More to play with in the kitchen and more props.)

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

Interview_Margo Patisserie Cafe_Almond Croissant

FOOD:
Flaky, buttery croissants are a hard to find french staple, done properly, even in New York City. 
Margo Patisserie is a cozy cafe tucked away at the corner of Driggs & Fillmore Place, in uber locale of the moment, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Margo Patisserie is unpretentious, laid-back and authentic with selections from sweet to savory, along with outdoor seating and free wifi. Margo Patisserie caught my attention when I needed a quick afternoon bite. I went for a coffee and pain au chocolat (which was excellent) but kept staring at an empty row, flecked with pasty flakes, that had held almond croissants. Ummmm, almond croissants - not too sweet, moist, filling and rich. A few weeks later, I stopped and tried the almond croissant...one of the best ever. Supporting small, artisanal food businesses is good for the taste buds. Here's a video we shot with the owner, Margo, about making almond croissants at Margo Patisserie Cafe. The music is Tres Tres Chic from Mocean Worker. Have a look.

video:wbj

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

More NYC men are cooking at home -- and impressing the ladies, too - NYPOST.com

More NYC men are cooking at home -- and impressing the ladies, too - NYPOST.com
Been saying this for years.

Fennel, Orange, Olive and Mint Salad

It's been a while since I posted.  I made this dish for a friend's brick oven pizza party in late spring.  Give this a try for a cook-out, potluck or an easy meal for you.
FOOD:
Fennel, oranges and olives tossed in sherry vinaigrette with mint is a refreshing summer salad popping with bright flavors.  I think this salad works with seafood to grilled meats to artisanal pizza; and, with some finessing (toss with_______) can be a really nice, mediterranean inspired entree.  
Adjust the main ingredients to fit your taste and add your favorite oil based dressing.

photos:wbj

Here's what I did. 
Trimmed 2 bulbs of fennel.  Sliced fennel lengthwise.  Cut off the bottom so the bulb easily separates. Pick your favorite seedless orange (approx 6).  Slice off the top and bottom so ends are flat. This makes it easier to separate into segments.  Peel removing as much of the pith as possible.  Divide into segments.  Toss in pitted olives ( I used katamala, approx 8 oz) and chopped fresh mint. The host of the party had a crazy selection of oil and vinegars.  I went with a combo of vintage sherry vinegar (Gran Capirete 50 year old) and with a newer, more acidic sherry vinegar from the same maker and virgin olive oil with a little salt and pepper.  Done!  Served the Fennel, Orange, Olive and Mint Salad on a bed of baby arugula for color, extra bite and as a filler to stretch the salad.
LIFESTYLE:
Periodically, Cooking Lounge will have Lifestyle posts, advice or links from Larry Betz on health and fitness.  Yeah, you know so you can eat more and eat better.
Larry Betz, CSCS, has over 30 years of training experience, from gymnastics to a variety of martial arts and weight training. Larry is a certified expert on overall health, strength and conditioning after study with some of the top coaches in the world. 
Some of his certifications include: CSCS (Certified Strength Conditioning Specialist), Exercise Science from The Swedish Institute of Health Science, Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, NSCA-CPT, Titlist Performance Institute (golf fitness instructor).  Check back soon for links and more.
MUSIC:
Step-up your game; keep your music FRESH.  
Here are some links.  Find your summer jams.

http://www.discobelle.net/
http://pitchfork.com/
http://prettymuchamazing.com/
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

What's in the Fridge?, Spinach Potato Pancakes aka Latkes

FOOD/LIFESTYLE:

“What’s in the fridge?” is a common question when you want to eat but have no real plan.  Often you open the refrigerator, and glaze over with a million miles stare at the assortment of condiments, take-out and leftover bits.  Open and slam a few cabinets. Then you decide, there is nothing to eat.  Wrong!  Put down the phone, save some money, and cook.

So Cooking Lounge is starting a new posting called...that’s right What’s in the Fridge?.

The jump-off idea is to get you thinking about what works together, how to use what you got and make the most of your food $$$.  
Note: Hope you read the previous post (Top 10 Easy Cooking Tips) and have some basics on hand.
Spinach Potato Pancakes aka Latkes

Used what was on-hand so no etched in stone way to make this.  This is a guide.  Tailor it to you.
Spinach Potato Pancakes aka Latkes are savory, filling, easy to make and keep well in the fridge.  They go from brunch to supper with simple additions.  Serving suggestions: for a variation on Eggs Florentine, top with a sunny side up or poached egg; tasty plain from stove to plate as a snack; nice with sour cream and a little smoked salmon or even salmon roe; a hearty late night meal when topped with leftover chicken in a cream sauce.

1lb (approx) thawed and drained frozen spinach.  This was the last of a large bag of spinach in the freezer.  Drained means squeeze all the water out of the spinanch.

11/2 cup mashed potatoes (a dinner leftover). Roasted potatoes will work too as long as you chop them up well.  Even instant potatoes will work if you MUST.

3 eggs

1/2 cup grated hard cheese.  Pretty much any cheese will work except maybe soft cheeses like brie.  But you can try that too if that is what is in the fridge.  Have some fun.  Experiment.
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup milk.  May need less or more depending on potatoes used.

sauted garlic (on low heat till soft not browned)

sauted onions

salt 
pepper

olive oil or vegetable oil
Combine potatoes, flour, chopped sauted onions, smashed sauted garlic and cheese in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs; add milk; pour into the large bowl of potatoes etc;  throw in the spinach.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir until all ingredients are combined into a chunky batter.
Heat a large skillet or griddle with a little oil.  Vegetable oil is fine for this.
I used an ice cream scoop to measure batter portions.  Use a spatula to flatten and flip.  Cook each side until golden brown.
Yields approximately 10 large, thick, spinach potato pancakes.
Here's a video impression of the process.

video:wbj
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge.

Top 10 Easy Cooking Tips

                               Spring, Awright!              photo wbj

FOOD/LIFESTYLE:
Lately, several people (yo! Gordon, was listening) have told me they would cook more and eat healthier, if they had a guide.  Once you wrap your head around 'no need for a big production' and understand the basics, cooking a good meal is simple.  In New York City, people expect and accept near empty fridges. 

Eating in means calling out.  With subtle lifestyle adjustments, you can chow fresh food and feel full and satisfied.  Plus, you will save a chunk of change.  That's money for drinks later.  Go out; it's Spring.

Here's the Cooking Lounge Top 10 for Easy Cooking.

Top 10 Easy Cooking Tips

1. Olive Oil
2. Butter
3. Sea Salt and Black Peppercorns (buy a grinder)
4. Brown Rice, whole grains or other good carbohydrates (fiber, fiber, fiber)
5. Pasta
6. Garlic
7. Onions
8. Quality Herbs and Spices (buy a pre-filled spice rack)
9. Fresh produce (salad greens, tomato, zucchini, green beans, kale, spinach, whatever you eat or is convenient or is in SEASON).  Seasonal produce tends to be fresher, more local.
10. Fresh chicken, beef, pork, seafood (or a meat substitute if a vege... protein is the point)

With the above items on hand a 30-minute meal is within reach.  
Let's be real.  This is doable.  You can pick-up a meat or a veg on the way home from work, or stock up on items over the weekend.  Plus, there are companies like Fresh Direct that will deliver in a lot of metropolitan areas.  If you travel a bit or have an unpredictable schedule, buy high quality frozen vegetables and stick the meat or seafood in the freezer (in serving portions - so it's grab, thaw, cook). 

The bottom-line is have it in the house; so, you can cook a quick, easy, healthy, meal.
Suggest you cook a batch of brown rice in advance when you have a little downtime because brown rice can take 45 minutes or so. Or get the quick cook version (not my usual choice).  With the cooked brown rice on hand, all you need to do is microwave or reheat with a little water and a touch of oil or butter in pan.  Quinoa is a great side dish that is making its way onto more US plates.  Pasta is a no brainer and fast.  Add whole-wheat pasta to your choices for a change.  

Now, all you have to do is saute, broil or bake your meat or seafood.  Make a salad.  Wilt some spinach with slivers of garlic and squeeze lemon over it.  Saute green beans and toss with strips of red peppers. Broil some zucchini brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs.  

Snap.  Done.  Minimal mess. Minimal fuss.  Minimal cost.  Give this a try!

Garden of Eden is one of my favorite food places in the New York City area.  They import a wide range of specialty foods; so if you look around, you will find bargains.  Check out the Garden of Eden with shelves and aisles ladened with goodness.  

Oh and as I have noted before, I am not a health or food expert; so, it is best to check with you doctor prior to making significant lifestyle changes.

MUSIC:

Spare beauty and a dark resonance haunts The xx's music.  The single "Crystalised" topped the UK charts in 2009.  I listened to several tracks on the debut release "xx" plus some Rough Trade bonus tracks.  "Heart Skipped a Beat" is my favorite at the moment.  Thought of the soulful, engrossing pull of Portishead on "Dummy" while listening to The xx.   "VCR" is the  latest single, released in January 2010.  Here's the video.

Enjoy!

Cooking Lounge

GQ Cooks Eat + Drink: GQ.com, 10 essential tips

LIFESTYLE:
Knowing how to cook warms hearts, stomachs and beds.  It's no secret women love a guy who knows his way around a kitchen.  Skilled hands are useful.  Eating is sensual.  
The GQ Cooks article/slideshow caught my eye.  Contains lots of helpful, practical information.  

GQ Cooks 10 essential tips, techniques, and secrets that every man should know.

Link: GQ Cooks Eat + Drink: GQ.com

Enjoy!

Cooking Lounge