Month: July 2015

Boston Public Market: It’s Open!

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cider vinegar bottles at Boston Public MarketYesterday, I went on a food blogger tour and got a preview of Boston Public Market. I had the best time!

Today, Boston Public Market is officially open for business! More than 37 vendors are located at this permanent indoor market at the corner of Hanover Street and Congress Street.

It’s actually in the same building with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and is easy to get to by taking the T to Haymarket.

We are very lucky to have this market in Boston. It’s the only one of its kind in the whole country! Here’s a little more information about the market.

The Boston Public Market is a permanent, year-round, self-sustaining market featuring fresh, locally sourced food brought directly to and from the diverse people that make up Massachusetts and New England. At the Boston Public Market, farmers, fishermen, and food producers from Massachusetts and throughout New England offer the public a year-round source of fresh, local food and an opportunity to taste, buy, and understand what our region has to offer. The market houses over 35 vendors selling locally produced items such as farm-fresh produce, meat and poultry, eggs, milk and cheese, fish and shellfish, bread and baked goods, flowers, and an assortment of specialty and prepared foods.

The Boston Public Market is the only locally sourced market of its kind in the United States. Everything sold at the Market is produced or originates in New England. The Market is a civic resource, educating the public about food sources, nutrition, and preparation.

Getting Your Falafel Fix In Boston: Pita

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Picture of the front door, signage and street of Pita, a restaurant located in the South End area of Boston, that sells falafel.I love falafel far more than it loves me. Hummus is one of my favorite things to spread on a sandwich or use as a dip for a chip.

Chickpeas can do a number on my stomach, but I can’t resist them or foods made with them. So I have to eat them in moderation. Considering the health benefits and my love for them, it’s a shame that I cannot eat chickpeas to my heart’s content. But alas, it cannot be so.

So when I decide to treat myself to some falafel and more, I have found a place that gets it right every time: Pita.

While working in the Financial District, I used to go just around the corner from my building to Pita on Summer Street.

This week, I was meeting someone for lunch and she suggested we go to Pita on Albany Street in the South End. It’s right on the corner of Union Park Street and there is a cute little park across the street.

You can sit and look at the nice plants and flowers, while enjoying eating your meal outdoors in this lovely summer weather.

Colorful close up picture of daisies growing outside, from the park where I ate my falafel.There is metered parking in the area, if you are driving. So bring a few quarters. But be careful. I drove down Albany Street from Mass. Ave. and was not sure of the exact location.

If you are driving in that direction, turn around before you get to the corner of Union Park. If you don’t, you can get swept up in traffic.

I should have taken the left at the light to make the loop around to get back on Albany. Instead I ended up back on the Expressway! Not fun! At least I didn’t end up on the Pike!

Anyway, the food at Pita is delicious and reasonably priced. For lunch, I ordered a small side of tabouli, which is a very generous portion. I added two falafel to that and I was all set for my meal.

The one down side was the Moroccan mint tea, which was just okay. Not sure that I’d order it again. Other places where I have ordered it, you get a vary large portion and it is very minty and sweet. This was neither.

I tried taking a picture of my meal, but it was so sunny and there was such a glare that I couldn’t even see to take it. Anyway, I highly recommend Pita and know that I’ll be going again!

Can your inner child come out and play?

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giant chess pieces in park to playRemember when you were a kid and your friends would randomly stop by your house and ask if you could come out and play? And you would. Just go out and play.

At least I did. It was such a simple thing. No coordinating schedules. We’d let our parents know and off we’d go.

Riding our bikes. Swinging on the swings. Climbing on the jungle gym. Running around. Playing hopscotch. Jumping rope. Sliding down the slide. Swimming in the pool. And so much more.

It was just fun and simple and I must admit that my inner child misses being able to go play. I’m not the only one, because it seems that more of us adults are taking time out to feed that playful and creative side of ourselves.

After a tough day at work, a co-worker and I were talking about plans for the evening. She was going to buy some art supplies and paint with her boyfriend at home. Not painting the house or the walls. But painting on a canvas just for the heck of it. To unwind at the end of the day with some creativity.

The next day I was so curious about how it went. They had a lot of fun and she took some pictures on her phone that she shared with me. They looked great!

Many businesses now offer places where you can go and paint and craft in groups, as I wrote about a few years ago. But you have to pay and that can be a luxury that some of us cannot afford too often. I thought it was brilliant to just set up paints and have fun painting at home. I used to love doing that at school and at home after school when I was a kid. I plan to do this myself and maybe try it with some friends.

Apparently now adult coloring books are the rage. They are flying off the shelves and becoming best sellers. Jacksonville.com reported on the trend recently.

“We cannot print them fast enough,” said Amy Yodanis, Quarto’s head of marketing. “We are getting orders of 60,000 at one time from some of our biggest retailers.”

There are coloring clubs and coloring contests. Parade magazine devoted a Sunday cover to the trend. Dover plans a national coloring book day on Aug. 2.

“People are stressed and anxious all the time,” said Jeannine Dillon, Quarto’s publisher. “Coloring is a way to calm down and unwind at the end of the day.”

The coloring books sound pretty fun to me and I wonder how many people will be coloring on August 2nd to celebrate national coloring book day.

Not everyone is into coloring or painting. Just like when we were kids. Different people like different things.  Some friends of mine went to tennis camp this past weekend, as they have done each year for several years. There are cooking camps and writing vacations. There are yoga summer camps too.

In light of this new back to childhood trend, it makes sense that a new long-lost Dr. Seuss book is being released.

What Pet Should I Get goes on sale this Tuesday, July 28th. I’m sure lots of grown-ups will be reading along to find out the answer to the question.

 

Live Your Dreams: Lupita Nyong’o Shares 7 Things You Must Do

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Lupita Nyong'o on how to live your dreamsAbout a year ago, I learned that Lupita Nyong’o would be speaking at The Massachusetts Conference For Women.

The conference usually sells out and tickets go fast, so I bought my ticket right away. From seeing Lupita in 12 Years a Slave and winning the Oscar, to her many appearances on talk shows, wowing everyone with her stunning looks and spot-on fashion sense, she was a star outshining them all.

But it wasn’t just her looks and acting talent. Her poise and elegance never failed and she doled out many words of wisdom. After all, she’s a Yale School of Drama graduate.

The conference wasn’t until December. But time flies. And before I knew it, I was there. Lupita was down to earth, emotional and honest. She cried during her speech, because she is so grateful for her life and what she has dreamed up into reality.

She shared how to live your dreams with seven tips. This post should have gone up back in December, but things happened. So it’s a bit late. But I think this is an important post. One that I can look back on, because the time is always right to live your dreams.

Based on the notes that I took at the conference, this is what she recommends. I think it’s great advice and hope you do too!

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1.  Tell Yourself What You Love To Yourself.

Before you can have what you want, you have to admit to yourself what it is that you really want. Even though it may seem silly or impossible. She talked about how she always knew she wanted to be an actress, but it seemed ridiculous to say to herself that she wanted to “make pretend” for a living.

2.  Have 4 Stretcher Bearers.

You need at least four people who will help you and “carry you” when you can’t do it yourself. When you are feeling down and ready to give up, you need people who know how important your dream is and will help you to keep going.

3.  Remember Where You Come From.

Part of what she said was that in our lives, we have been inspired by certain things all along. Certain stories, books and people who resonated with us along the way. At the time, they may not have seemed particularly relevant to our lives, but there was some spark. Remember that part of who you are that was inspired.

4. Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Writing Goals Down.

One of the things that she wrote down was that she wanted to do films with meaning and spend a week in New Orleans. Soon after, she was filming 12 Years a Slave just outside New Orleans.

5.  Breathe. Meditate. Pray. Be Still Within Your Soul.

6.  Always Allow Failure To Be An Option.

7.  Step Forward. Repeat.

 

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Screenshot: Lupita Nyong’o on Instagram

So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Desserts: A Taste Test

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So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen DessertsSoooo, this taste test. It wasn’t planned. But I found myself trying several flavors of So Delicious Dairy Free frozen desserts over the weekend and decided to blog it. Because why not?

I visited a few stores and kept noticing an ever expanding array of So Delicious Dairy Free products. I had no idea this brand included so many varieties of frozen treats! I definitely plan to try more. Especially with the weather heating up over the past few days. It hit 90 degrees in the Boston area for the first time this summer!

A few years ago, I had eliminated a great deal of dairy from my diet. First eliminating milk, then trying dairy free cheeses and making my own dairy free ice cream.

Since yesterday was National Ice Cream Day, I had ice cream on my mind. But recently I’ve realized that I’ve added a lot of dairy back into my diet. I love it, but feel like I need to dial it back a bit.

Since I don’t eat most meat, much of my protein comes from cheese and yogurt. I bought some dairy free cultured, but haven’t tried it yet. So let’s get to the taste test.

The first of the frozen desserts that I tried was the Creamy Cashew Cashew Milk. Hands down it was my favorite. Cashews are one of my favorite nuts. The texture and taste were perfect. I will definitely buy this again and try more of the cashew milk products.

Next up, the Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk. The texture wasn’t as creamy as I would like and the flavor was kind of bland. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

The last that I tried was the Vanilla Almond Milk. The texture was very good, but again, the flavor was kind of bland. I think I’d try this product line again, but in a different flavor. The butter pecan looks like a good one.

So there you have it! If you’re looking for some dairy free frozen treats, you can definitely find one that you like. Just sample a few.

Happy Monday to you and stay cool!

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