A case of the Monday's

I am going to put this out there with the hopes that having done so will give me even more reason to stay on track. As of Monday I am making a greater effort to cut out the crap. I have to be honest, I have been on a bit of bender since around thanksgiving. Don't worry I am not going full fledged macrobiotic or anything. I will still be eating poultry, eggs, yogurt, goats cheese and the occasional steak along with the obvious staples; grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. I am doing this not only for myself but also hopefully with my boyfriend. I am figuring that if I make more effort to cook and eat this way on a regular basis maybe he will too? He knows it would be a good idea since fried and fatty foods aren't exactly playing nice with his gallbladder these days. Either way, I have had my fill and am I ready to get off the sugar train, with or without him. Wish me luck and of course I will be posting any tasty new recipes I come across. All of that said.... I am very much looking forward to lunch at Blue Hill tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited that it's not Monday yet!

Current favorite sandwich in NYC

Alidoro
105 Sullivan St.
Monday-Saturday
11:30am-5:30pm (though by that time of day they usually don't have any bread left)

Home of Italian specialty sandwiches. Don't bother to ask for anything else, anything extra or any modifications. What you see is what you get and boy is it good! They are usually swamped during lunch hours so I suggest getting there around 3pm-ish. All the ingredients are really fresh and while your sandwich might be a little bit more expensive they are quite large and can easily be for two people.

MENU

NOT Just Veggies

Do you ever find that a whole day goes by and not a single fruit or vegetable has passed your lips? And when you were a kid didn't you always want to be an astronaut?
Just Tomatoes, Etc.! solves the first question and temporarily satiates the second. This company dehydrates, packages and sells pretty much any fruit or vegetable you can think of . My favorite is HOT JUST VEGGIES, it's the same veggie mix as above but with jalapeno added. Keep a tub in your drawer at work and save your quarters for laundry, not for the vending machine.

GET YOURS

lip smackin'

I live for this stuff. Seriously you could be a total numbnut when it comes to cooking and still pull out a dish that will taste so good you'll surprise yourself!
I put it in soups, grains, marinades, salad dressings, dips, and use as a dry rub on fish and meat.
You can literally use it on just about anything. It's also great because its all natural, no fat, no MSG, no calories, and most importantly low in sodium.
GET YOURS

just...

I am aware of the fact that we are in a "financial crisis". It seems charities are and will continue to suffer due to the fact that no one wants to spend an extra cent these days.
Even still I have decided to make this the year that I make monthly donations to the things that are important to me. If you only donate five dollars a month to one charity it's better than nothing and you are helping something or someone somewhere. Here are two food related charities I think are important.

Whole Planet Foundation
I am all for eating locally and supporting our own neighborhood farmers but lets be honest, we do not only buy what is local and in season every time we do our grocery shopping. The micro loans are offered to the poorest of the poor, with a focus on women, wanting to finance self-employment projects that will generate income. 100% of your donation goes to the mirco lending programing.

Help the Honey Bees
For some reason our honey bees are disappearing.
People this is not good. You really would be surprised to learn how important bees are in the pollination of our fruits and vegetables. We need them to do their job. Should they disappear entirely I am sure scientists will find a way to artificially pollinate our plants, however, I imagine this would raise the cost of our produce not to mention it's just not what nature intended.

I have also found two websites that can help assist you in finding and donating to charities. One is called Charity Navigator and the other is called Network for Good.
Charity Navigator is a guide to help donors make intelligent charitable giving decisions. Offers financial ratings of thousands of American nonprofit organizations and charities.
Network for Good allows you to keep all your donations organized and under one roof so to speak. For a small fee or percentage they take care of making any distributions to the organizations of your choice whether they're a one time or a monthly donation.

JUNK MAIL = WASTEFUL SPENDING
Best stated by Charity Navigator...
Spreading your money among multiple organizations not only results in your mail box filling up with more appeals, it also diminishes the possibility of any of those groups bringing about substantive change as each charity is wasting a large percentage of your gift on fund raising and overhead expenses.

Other charities I like....
PRASAD www.prasad.org
KIVA www.kiva.org
WWF www.worldwildlife.org
HUMANE SOCIETY www.hsus.org
HEIFER www.heifer.org
CANCER RESEARCH www.cancerresearch.org