Thursday, March 31, 2011

ULTRA recap

As I mentioned, I was away on miami beach this weekend for Ultra music festival... wow i completely lost touch with the rest of the world and got lost in the music. Great times and great family. Here are some videos of my FAVORITE sets. I did take some video and pics myself but they're not as great as these (I was having too much fun to avidly use my camera lol)
heard royksopp as i was sitting on a grassy hill feeling the breeze right from the bay behind us <3
wow armin... a state of trance episode 500 (took. me. away...)
ATB opening with a classic <3

and last but not least, the most EPIC closing set i've EVER heard... the chemical brothers

they're so epic i had to post several videos. WOW... Ultra music festival did it again!
me in the Carl cox tent!

Pico de yummo

soooo sorry I haven't blogged in a while I stayed on the beach this past weekend for ULTRA! and with no internet from thursday-monday. I returned to a busy school week and back to an empty fridge but, yesterday I whipped up my favorite recipe of pico de gallo that I got from a friend a few years ago
just mix together:
  • 6 plum tomatoes (seeded and diced)
  • 1 avocado (diced)
  • 2 green onions (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
oh, and those tostitos artisan roasted garlic and black bean chips are to DIE for. Not to mention they're 100% whole grain ingredients. natural and delicious =]

this weekend I will be posting my new favorite finds.. stay tuned


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Skin saving foods


I haven't been blogging much lately since i've been pretty busy with school, so i'm definitely trying to post more. With that said, here are some of the best foods to eat that promote healthy, radiant, and clear skin! (according to Web MD)

Nuts & seeds: 
Essential fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes, which is not only what act as barriers to harmful things but also as the passageway for nutrients to cross in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell," says Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, a nutritionist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

Because it is the cell membrane that also holds water in, the stronger that barrier is the better your cells can hold moisture. And that means plumper, younger looking skin.
Also, says Heller, the same inflammatory process that can harm our arteries and cause heart disease can harm skin cells. Essential fatty acids can offer protection to both.
 The best-known essential fatty acids are omega 3 and omega 6, which must be in balance for good health (and good skin). Though we all seem to get enough omega 6, Heller says many people lack omega 3s. Fish, walnut, and flax seed oil are among the best sources


Black berries & Blue berries:
The common link between these four foods is their high antioxidant content. In a study recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, these four fruits weighed in with the highest "total antioxidant capacity" of any food. The benefits of these foods for healthy skin are plentiful.
"Free radicals -- like the kind formed from sun exposure -- damage the membrane of skin cells, potentially allowing damage to the DNA of that cell," says Heller. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in these fruits can protect the cell, she says, so there is less chance for damage.
"When you help protect the cells from damage and disintegration, you also guard against premature aging. In this respect, these fruits may very well help keep your skin younger looking longer," says Heller.
According to the new study, other fruits and vegetables with a "high antioxidant capacity" include artichokes, beans (the study cited black, red, and pinto), prunes, and pecans.

Low Fat yogurt:
One the most important components of skin health is vitamin A. One of the best places to get it is low-fat dairy products. In fact, experts say that the health of our skin cells is dependent on dietary vitamin A.
Nutrition expert Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, says it's doubly important to eat A-rich dairy foods if you have either diabetes or a thyroid condition.
"Many people who have these problems can't convert the beta carotene to vitamin A, which is the form found in many foods that we normally associate with this vitamin, such as carrots," says Lipski, the founder and Director of InnovativeHealing.com and the author of Digestive Wellness.
The A in dairy products, she says is "true A," so everyone's skin can use it.
Lipski says low-fat yogurt is not only high in vitamin A, but also acidophilus, the "live" bacteria that is good for intestinal health. Turns out, it may also have an impact on the skin.
"Anything that helps keep digestion normal, any live bacteria or enzymes, is also going to be reflected in healthy-looking skin," says Lipski.





Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Amazin' Asian

I went to apply at whole foods today (fingers crossed) and I stood infront of this enticing vegetable display. Each of these organic veggies was neatly stacked and thoroughly sprayed* with mist to keep them moist. They were so crisp and fresh I had to get some. So in addition to my regular veggie choices, I got some Bok Choy, assorted crunchy legumes, and cabbage to create a nice asian salad. I was more than pleased with the simplicity and flavors I made. Although Bok Choy and the legume mix have a very strong earthy flavor, the sweet soy dressing I made off set it perfectly. You'll need:

  • Bok Choy (about 3 stalks)
  • Cabbage (about 4 pieces)
  • wasabi peas
  • crunchy legume mix (any pre cooked mix works)
Dressing
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
Just break off the leafy green part of the Bok Choy, chop, and then chop the cabbage. Add as much of the legumes and peas as you'd like. I used about 1/4 cup of each. Also, for a less intense flavor of wasabi peas: just crush the peas with a mallet for a powder-like consistency. Just whisk together the dressing ingredients, pour over salad mixture and serve.


To make the most of the Bok Choy, I took the white part of the stalk, chopped it, then added it to my veggie fried rice recipe. (check older posts!) The two went perfect together. 

Bok Choy has a leathery texture and earthy flavor.
One cup of shredded bok choy is high in vitamin A, giving you 60 percent of your DV, and vitamin C, from which you get 50 percent of your DV. The same serving of bok choy is lower in the minerals calcium and iron, giving you 8 and 4 percent of your DV, respectively. The Centers for Science in the Public Interest rates bok choy among other vegetable "superstars," partly due to the vegetable's rich vitamin K and beta-carotene content. A cup of raw, shredded bok choy contains 31.9 mcg vitamin K and 1,877 mcg beta-carotene.

Monday, March 7, 2011

It's that time of year again


I CAN'T WAIT FOR ASOT-500 WITH ARMIN VAN BUURNEN, SANDER VAN DOORN, KASKADE, AND OTHERS: LOCO DICE, ERIC MORILLO, DADA LIFE, FEDDE LE GRANDE, BAG RAIDERS AND SOOOO MUCH MORE! :D :D :D
here's what's been on my playlist this week (hoping i'll be hearing these at ULTRA'11)

Veggie Pizza

Pizza is really easy and worth it to make at home from scratch. All you need to do is go to the bakery section of the grocery store and ask for pizza dough (which is really just bread dough) and they usually sell it by the pound- which usually makes about two 7" pizzas. You can add any amount of whichever ingredients you like, it's very flexible. For this veggie pizza i used
  • Bertolli tomato & basil sauce
  • spinach leaves
  • fresh tomatoes
  • green pepper
  • black olives
  • white onion
  • fresh mozzarella

It's definitely worth it to get fresh ingredients, you can really taste the difference. So, after you let the dough rise (at room temp) for a couple hours, spread it out till it's about 1/2" thick. Place the toppings as you like and finishes the edges of the crust with some olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 24 minutes.  

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Cheers to Chobani

This all natural fat-free, cholesterol-free, geletin-free, organic yogurt is so healthy and wholesome. It's a great source of live cultures (any yogurt is) which enables your small intestines to fight off and control any bad bacteria. Chobani has non-fat, low-fat, and regular greek yogurt products. The non-fat yogurt comes in these 10 delicious flavors:
black cherry
lemon
pomegranate
blueberry
strawberry
raspberry
honey
peach
vanilla
and plain

=]