Life Hacks (in hope of making your day just a little better/easier) (I like work tip #1 – haha, just kidding. The “free stuff” hacks are all good ideas.)
Love this outfit. And the haircut! I am so so tempted to chop all mine off. I’m trying to grow it out but it’s getting so annoying 🙁 How do you stay motivated to grow long hair? And to do something with it each day instead of pulling it into a ponytail?
The most recent restaurant Cobb I had was at Yo In Yo Out. It’s a cute little French place on the upper upper east side (100th Street) that boasts an awesome menu and some truly delicious cappuccinos to boot. Their salad is Cobb Salad “A Ma Lacon” – it has a marinated chicken salad, bacon, eggs, blue cheese, tomatoes, and cucumber over organic mesclun with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzle. I had them hold the balsamic (I’m not a fan; shocker I know!) and sub out the blue cheese and add avocado instead. The dressing is their house dressing and it’s made with olive oil, red wine, raspberries, and some other stuff. It was light and fresh but still a little creamy.
UPDATE: Yo In Yo Out has since closed.
I also recently had a vegetarian Cobb salad at Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch. You know – I keep trying to enjoy this restaurant, but it’s just not that great. The salad tried but just didn’t cut it. The vegan ranch dressing was a small tragedy.
Here is how I make my own Cobb variation at home: cook up several slices of bacon, then fry some mushrooms and onions in the bacon fat with some garlic powder. To the salad (romaine lettuce base), add the bacon, sauteed veggies, half of an avocado, tomatoes, and top with some sesame seeds. For dressing I used Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch (sent free for me to review).
For dessert I took the rest of the avocado and mashed it with peanut butter, NuNaturals Erythritol Crystals*, and topped it with some more sesame seeds. I call this “dessert guacamole”.
This is a low-calorie, low-fat dessert that’s very voluminous. Unlike many of the low-calorie/fat/sugar options out there, this dish is completely natural and easy to make in your own home kitchen.
I used to be a big fan of the lite ice cream fad. Unfortunately those ice creams still have lots of sugar and if I have too much, I break out. And anyway, I’d prefer a McD’s cone over fake ice cream any day. But one day I was home and didn’t feel like running out for a cone, and didn’t want a sugary dessert, so I made this. It even has a decent amount of protein.
De-Lite-Ful Tofu Pudding AKA Vegan and No Sugar Tasti Delite!
Have you ever made tofu pudding? Do you like tofu?
I’m not a huge tofu person, but I eat it occasionally.
P.S. I made that bowl the pudding is in.
P.P.S. I’m attending/participating in a Twitter party tonight with @SteviaInTheRaw – it’s tonight, Tuesday, May 24th at 8:00pm ET/ 5:00pm PT. Feel free to follow along if you want! Should be pretty fun. And if you’re not following me on Twitter, this is me: @TheSaladGirl. Maybe “see” you tonight 🙂
21 Habits of Happy People. This list includes, “choose friends wisely”, “learn continuously”, “forgive”, and “mind your own business”. Fun!
What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life. I did not have one… the result: “You grew up to be financially independent, level-headed, unspoiled, and still just a little bit resentful whenever you walk by American Girl Place.” (True!)
If you have any suggestions for places to see or visit in France, please comment below! I have found some things already, but I would love to hear more from people who have been there recently, or especially people that live there.
The last (and only) time I was in Paris I was 7 years old. It was November of 1993. We stayed with our family friends who were lucky enough to get relocated to France for work. We did a week in Paris and a week with them (near Normandie I believe?).
Note: all photos from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.
Paris Trip Ideas
1. Saumur. “The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon,Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc. which produce some of France’s finest wines.” – Wikipedia. It’s about 3-4 hours away from Paris. Definitely going here. Beautiful chateau in Saumur:
2. Tours. Between Paris and Saumur. It’s also known for its wines. This is their town hall (!):
3. The Louvre. I remember going here when I was 7. I brought back a picture book about Monet and the waterlilies called Linnea in Monet’s Garden. I read that book countless times! I wonder if it’s still at my parents’.
(Book pic from Amazon.)
4. Notre Dame. A gorgeous cathedral. It happens to be famous for its gargoyles. Gargoyles also make me nostalgic. Ha – growing up we had these gargoyle replicas and they had tons of wax on them (I don’t remember if they were candleholders or if they were victims of my brother’s and my drip-wax-on-everything antics.)
5. Les Catacombes. An underground ossuary in Paris (“an urn for the bones of the dead” – the root of this word is os, which means bone – like osteoporosis, or ossify). I find bones fascinating, and only slightly creepy.
6. The food. I’m sure we will eat lots of delicious things.
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What are your tips for things to do/see/eat in France/Paris?
P.S. If you missed it this other day, click here to see what I’m using to brush up on my French. (It’s working.)
