Good health is important.
For me good health includes:
- Drinking tea
- Keeping my nighttime eating light
- Eating lots of fats
- Taking rest days when I need them
- Eating a mostly vegetarian diet
- Yoga
- Walking for health
- Being with friends
- Hugs
It also includes frequenting Good Health Cafe. Here are some of the things that we have gotten on recent treks to the ever popular restaurant. (Thank you so much Gaby for introducing it to me! And now I have taken Coco there too. Links: Gaby’s meetup; Coco’s visit.)
When Coco visited, we went for brunch (this was this past Saturday). I got an omelette (whole eggs please) with seasonal vegetables. The vegetables included kabocha squash (!) which made my day. There were also zucchini and carrots; I cannot remember anything else though. It came with a side salad and that amazing carrot-ginger dressing. I need to recreate it; Coco did so I will use her recipe. In addition to the dressing, I also used ketchup. (My ketchup recipe here.)
Note: Technically neither eggs nor tomatoes are macrobiotic, but for me being macrobiotic means being balanced. I do consider this a macrobiotic meal because it is dairy-free and organic and I ate it mindfully.
The weekend before last, Bobby and I also went there for brunch. We are creatures of habit; we like what we like and sometimes trying new places can be disappointing. I opted for the roasted vegetable salad (again, starring my favorite ingredient: kabocha squash) with grilled tofu and again that amazing carrot-ginger dressing. They brought the dressing on the side in a bowl and I ate so much of it. I think I actually had too much because my stomach did not feel so great after that. Eating 1/2 cup+ of an oil-based dressing will do that to you! Lesson learned. I think that I actually eat more dressing when I get it on the side, which sort of defeats the purpose. What are your thoughts on this?
Bobby got the vegetarian sausage link breakfast which came with a choice of scrambled tofu or scrambled eggs – he chose tofu. It also came with roasted potatoes, grilled mushrooms and onions, and a small salad.
And here is a closeup of a dinner side salad. I forget what night this was from but I know I haven’t posted it yet. I really like their appetizer salads; they are big enough, topped with delicious shredded carrots and cabbage, and come with the ubiquitous carrot-ginger dressing.
If I ever start cooking again I would love to cook like this.
When eating out ends up costing about the same as cooking in, I tend to eat out. In New York it can be expensive to cook for yourself, and there are so many healthy restaurant options here for me. And speaking of healthy options, I will give you a teaser about a new restaurant I tried during my birthday week that I will post about soon…
It’s Japanese, macrobiotic, and on the upper west side. Any guesses? I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the name.
Quick Yoga Update
Wednesday was the last day of my 30 Days of Yoga challenge. I noticed significant improvements in my practice, my body (arms), and in my life. Going forward I will not be doing yoga every day (and I did miss a few days during the challenge) but I will make sure to go to a few classes weekly.
1. i love whole eggs, the yolks are my fave part!
2. do you not cook at home because of busy schedules or a tiny kitchen? just curious since i barely eat out ever! but it’s a $ thing for me
@Melissa: Mostly because of busy schedules/being really tired from work and not wanting to cook/groceries are nearly as expensive as eating out. My kitchen is tiny but I don’t actually mind it 🙂
If I had the Good Health Cafe near me I wouldn’t cook either! It looks healthy and delicious. I don’t really have many healthy options for eating out around me. 3 of 4 restaurants are Tex/Mex and the only vegetables to be found are in the salsa.
Well, I’m a college student, so good health means:
1. Getting enough sleep
2. Eating balanced meals
3. Not too much sugar!
4. Time to relax (sadly lacking)
5. Tea!
And I love kabocha! It’s great that some restaurants are serving them.
I would definitely eat out more if it was convenient and if it worked out about the same, cost-wise. Everything is so spread out in California so getting to a good restaurant isn’t always easy.
For me, good health means:
Sleeping well
Yoga
Walking in the morning (it’s my time to clear my head)
Talking to my husband about EVERYTHING (if I don’t, little things fester and become big things)
Getting enough calories
Massages
🙂
I am the exact opposite, I always want to try new places, and my husband is like “why can’t we go there – we know its good!”
Kobacha – you are one lucky girl! Can you find that year round, or is there a particular season for it?
Have a great weekend Maggie!
@Biz: These restaurants serve it year round! I am not sure how they always get it. I guess they get it in Chinatown but I don’t like going there for groceries – it’s too hard to find stuff that’s fresh.
I miss good health cafe! I need to go back and try more things. My cooking is very similar to this place, just simple good quality food. I hate when restaurants try and do too much to make the food enjoyable for the standard American tastebuds, people need to re-learn what real food tastes like. And THAT is what I think good health is when it comes to eating, real food, balance, and enjoyment. Not any set of strict rules just because it happened to work for someone else. Someone else might feel fine after that much oil, I on the other hand, completely understand that if I have that much oil at once….well, let’s just say it doesn’t remain in me for long :X
Exercise is good because you need to move your body and because it strengthens you to be able to enjoy other aspects of life, but it’s not good every day or if your body/ and or mind do not feel up to it.
I basically just try to make sure I’m content with whatever it is I’m currently doing, happy with the food I’m eating, happy and satisfied when I’m done, well rested when I wake up in the morning, and energized when I exercise or do yoga. And of course the acceptance that I will not be perfect all the time 🙂
Is the restaurant called Ozu? It looks like it 🙂 It is one of my all time favorite restaurants in NYC!!!
@Maria: YES!
Yay 🙂 Looking forward to reading your post about it!