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During my dtox juice cleanse* in Atlanta, I obviously wasn’t drinking ANY coffee. The thought of not having a cup was terrifying because I like not only the taste but also the caffeine getting my body moving in the early hours of the morning. Who doesn’t? So before the cleanse, Shannon (owner of dtox) suggested I try her Pu-erh latte to help me make the transition. (Pu-erh is an aged tea with a decent dose of caffeine and notable health benefits. The older it is the better it gets.)
To make her latte, Shannon steeps The Art of Tea Cocao Coconut Pu-erh and then tops it off with her fresh almond milk frothed with a Capresso frother.
When I tell you this combo tastes better than a real latte, I’m exaggerating. Neither is “better” than the other. But one IS “better” for you and happens to taste unbelievably delicious. In fact, I loved the Pu-erh so much I shunned our Breveille espresso maker and fresh ground Intelligencia beans during the cleanse and then for a month afterwards! I made Shannon’s blend every morning instead. I will say though, somehow hers is better…
Don’t get me wrong, my obedience was facilitated by the fact that the best cappuccino was either made my traveling BF or a 20 minute drive from our home in Atlanta. When I returned to Houston and I could hit up Boomtown Coffee 5 minutes from my mom’s house, it was my first stop. But! I only did it once :)
As I person who enjoyed two to three cups of coffee a day, I really thought I was becoming addicted to it. But when I made the switch to only one Pu-erh a day, I didn’t get crazy headaches or feel more sluggish than normal. I was totally fine. What I realized is that I was using coffee as a crutch because I just like drinking good coffee….and hate drinking water. However, we all know that anything in excess is bad for our bodies. While debate is still out on whether coffee is “bad” for our health because it has proven benefits, I’m sure we can agree the stuff that most people put into their coffee is crap (dairy, soy milk, processed almond milk, syrups, etc). So now I enjoy tea in the morning and at least a gallon of water a day. I can’t say I feel different, but I don’t feel bad or like I’m missing out on anything. Of course I splurge on an occasional cappuccino or latte from time to time, just not two a day like I used to. If you’re wondering what shops serve up the best capps and lattes, I’ll give you a little list of my favorites should you be in one of my “home towns.” NYC
LA
HOUSTON
ATLANTA
OTHER CITIES
(*More on dtox juice and new cleanses soon!) Photo: Latte from Alfred Coffee, new “Ace Hotel” like coffee shop on Melrose Place in West Hollywood. They use Stumptown beans and have baristas who know how to serve them up right!
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After a 3 day juice cleanse, eating vegan 2 days before and after, and abstaining from bread, dairy, coffee, and sweets for the duration, I feel great! Apples taste as sweet a cake now.
I’m going to ride the clean eating, nothing processed, sugar-free wave a long as I can. Cutting out dairy is hard because I rely on yogurt for protein often….and I miss the taste of a cappuccino but thankfully not the caffeine. It was a pleasant surprise to discover I’m not addicted to caffeine. I will admit I splurged on wedding cake last night and it was DELICIOUS, but I don’t feel like I need more. The only thing processed I’ll ingest is in my wine glass. Unfortunately white wine tastes too sweet so I opt for red, a healthier choice anyway. A this point, one glass is enough to get me tipsy so I’ll be a cheap date for a while.
After practicing what I preach in the article regarding water, I’m also fully hydrated for the first time in my life. I can’t say it makes me feel any different overall, but the water is very filling and surprisingly satisfying after a meal.
More on the cleanse, sugar, and my new coffee substitute when I return.
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I don’t know if it’s because I’m being silly or not, but I wont’t eat “deli meat” anymore. Like Boar’s Head, for example. I just don’t trust it. First of all, no animal I know comes in a perfect “ball,” and secondly, whatever they use to preserve it in the fridge will preserve it in my body (or that’s my thinking anyway). Instead I usually buy “in-house” roasted meat at either Whole Foods, Central Market, or anywhere else that does it.
These days since we grill on The Big Green Egg so much, I buy a half turkey breast and cook that up to eat for the rest of week. It tastes SOOO much better and there is no denying it’s fresh.
Here’s what you do:
As far as cost goes, a half breast will run me about $9 at Trader Joe’s, which is about 1.15 pounds of fresh grocery store meat. I can’t say if I get MORE meat, but it tastes better and lasts me all week.
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When I was growing up, my mom was rarely in the kitchen. The woman hates to cook! So when she did light up the oven, I knew baked chicken would be on the table within the hour. Her concept was so simple I had forgotten about it until now. I guess I saw it as a cop out while I have been trying to work my way through Bon Appetit recipes and impress my BF.
But sometimes I just don’t have the time (or patience) to go through a lengthy process. One night last week when I was scrambling to put something on the table, Mom’s old faithful baked chicken came to mind. I took out two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, covered them marinara sauce and baked those babies for about 3o minutes. Voila, a delicious dinner. Two nights later I did the same thing with Goode Company BBQ sauce. Same dish, different flavor, new dinner :)
You can pull this off with ANY sauce, soup, or spread you want. Mom loved doing it with Campbell’s mushroom soup. I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t work honestly.
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I myself have said and hear from others countless times, “I’m not eating so I can go out to [fill in indulgent restaurant here] tonight.” Well, even though it sounds good and the numbers even out, famine now doesn’t mean you can or should feast later for several reasons:
So how can you help yourself if you want to indulge??? My nutritionist Hilary King has some suggestions for you!
Basically, if you maintain a healthy and balanced diet, train your body to burn fat, and limit simple sugars, you can splurge without starving yourself or feeling guilty.
Tweet this! As I’m preparing for my own little get-together, I have to pick a list of dishes to make. Below is a list of everything I’ve been considering. Some are old favorites, others I just found.
The most popular recipe I’ve ever posted is one of them: Baked Avocado Fries. Unfortunately you can’t make these ahead of time, but the rest of them you can.
As for the meat we’ll probably just do a beer can chicken and burgers on The Egg.
Or I could just bring home Goode Company BBQ, the best in Houston, and definitely on my top 10 of all time…That would be so easy…and special…hmmm….
Hope you have a fun Super Bowl sunday. If you make something amazing I hope you’ll come back and share the recipe in the comments so we can use it for summer parties!
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You know what I love about eating out in San Francisco: the chefs make fresh food taste exceptional without having to over-dress it. And they welcome you to enjoy it in a dark, beautifully rustic restaurant where you can get cozy with your date. There you eat bites instead of devour plates of food.
On my recent trip to the Bay, the “Northern California Cuisine” delivered yet again…at EVERY restaurant I visited. Apparently the term “California Cuisine” has become trite so “they” have made a move to distinguish themselves from the rest of the state. As they should. LA food doesn’t hold a candle to what you’ll find upstate. Northern California cuisine is truly distinct in its freshness, innovation, and complexity.
One need only to pick up a menu to discover the trends that will soon be sweeping fine dining. The popular menu items this season: pickled vegetables, chicory salads, dungeness crab, egg, black cod, rabbit, and olive cake.
Last time I visited brussels sprouts were all the rage so I expect we will see one of these steal the show in our local restaurants.
I have yet to try hundreds of the greats in SF, but the ones I have blew my mind. Should you visit, I’d reccommend any of the following:
If you’re a local, please share your favorites in the comments below!
(Photos from dinner at Bar Agricole)
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