Foodie Friday: Must-Eat Spots in NYC

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It's Friday, yay!

Actually, it's summer for me - so every day is the weekend! Ah, summer when you're a student. It's the best, I'm seriously going to miss it when I'm a working adult with a year-round job. But in the interim, I'm going to enjoy the seasonality of my 'career' and the slower, more relaxed pace of the summer months.

This year, I'm in NYC for the summer! I've only been here for a little under two weeks, but I've already eaten my way around the city. My camera has been on the fritz, so I'll use pictures from around the web for this post - but these are all places (and yummy foods) that I've tried myself over these past two weeks and can whole-heartedly recommend!

While this is a list of the highlights from the past two weeks (not a comprehensive list of everywhere that I've eaten, just a best-of to cover all the must-eats) it's definitely not a list of all of the worthwhile places in NYC. There are so many eateries in this city that you could probably eat out at a different place for every single meal every day and still require several years to try them all!

Anyway, here are the ones that I suggest putting on your to-eat list (in no particular order).

1) Dig Inn

Dig Inn was a real favorite last year, when I worked at an ice cream shop in Union Square and needed somewhere quick and reasonably priced to eat.

Not my tray, but I've had many similar ones (though with the chicken swapped out for tofu, beans, etc. depending on the day).

The quality is great, the portions generous, the service quick, the food relatively fresh, and the vegetarian options are plentiful! There's also an emphasis on healthy, sustainable food that I really appreciate.

2) Whole Foods

I don't know if it's just me, but the prepared foods sections in NYC Whole Foods seem better than anywhere else! The sushi is always fresh, the potatoes always crispy, the vegetarian pizza always warm, and the salad bar always stocked with plentiful fun toppings!

I especially enjoy their veggie burgers, falafels, and trying out the various fun grains they have - the wheatberry, quinoa, couscous, and various other grain dishes never fail to satisfy!

3) Maoz Vegetarian

Maoz Vegetarian is as convenient (and almost as easy to find) as any other fast food chain in NYC. I really hope they expand to Boston (and Greensboro!) because the business model is great and the food is tasty!

Sure, the falafel are deep fried - but they come with unlimited toppings from their salad bar and sweet potato fries are an option. It's delicious, convenient, speedy, and budget friendly!

4) Tasti D'Lite

I don't know what it is about their frozen treats, but they're just so yummy! Along with Red Mango, they're one of my favorite desserts.

That's an old photo from a trip to Tasti D'Lite with my mom and little sister two years ago. Mine was (obviously) the biggest cup with the blondie and fruits. Yum!

5) Organic Avenue

Nothing remains to be said, but YUM.

I still have a long summer ahead of me (although it will probably pass too quickly!) so here are some places that I would still really love to try out!

1) Chloe's Fresh Fruit Co

Okay, so I have been to Chloe's Soft Serve Fruit Co. before. 

But I don't have any pictures! Their creations are always so stunning, and so delicious, that I just need to get some good photos for the blog. Besides, it's definitely been far too long. And you can never have too much soft serve in the summer, especially with such yummy toppings as chocolate, granola, and fruit.

2) Peacefood Cafe

I really want to try Peacefood Cafe's vegetable sushi and the various vegetable dishes they have.

They even serve kabocha! Need I say more? I'm obviously already sold.

3) Chobani

I've obviously eaten Chobani often (as in: all the time - love) but I haven't been to their cafe. I think it's so cool that they have one and it sounds just like my kind of eatery!

The combos (especially the sweet ones) all sound amazing!

But why are all the best eateries in SoHo? Sort of random, no?

4) Rawlicious

I stopped by Rawlicious before they opened early last summer, but haven't been back since.

Their brownies and raw sushi both sound amazing!

5) Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Oh. My. Gosh.

Their sundaes all look to die for and their ice cream is vegan - so I can eat more of it without upsetting my lactose-sensitive stomach!

Where are your favorite places to eat in NYC?

Have you been to any of the places I want to try?

What's your favorite kind of food to eat out? I really love desserts out - especially ice cream/froyo sundaes! And yogurt parfaits, a.k.a. why I need to get to Chobani SoHo ASAP.

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ohso Yummy!

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Probiotics are all the rage - they're the healthy bacteria found in yogurt that can help your natural gut bacteria do its job, keeping your tummy happy! I love yogurt, but not everyone does. So isn't it great that you can get probiotics from chocolate, too?

Most chocolate does not contain probiotics, before you get too excited. This isn't an excuse to run to the cornershop and stock up on Reese's (though you really don't need a justification for that - the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is enough).

It turns out that the Brits have more than just super cool accents to offer - they have some pretty great snacking ideas! ohso is a brand of chocolate that currently comes in two varieties, plain and chocolate orange, of 53% Belgian chocolate with over a billion healthy, gut-friendly bacteria per little 72 calorie bar!



Such a small treat fits into any daily diet and it's also gluten-free, wheat-free, nut-free, and dairy-free. Those with allergies and special diets can enjoy the bars as much as anyone else!

The bars are really cute.



They're like a normal chocolate bar, but shrunk down to a fraction of its size! For scale, here's the bar next to a regular pen.



If you like munchkins just because they're mini-doughnuts, or cupcakes just because they're mini-cakes, you'll really like these.

But that's not reason enough for me to like these. I like them because they're creamy, sweet (but not excessively so), and melt in your mouth - absolute chocolate bliss. Though both bars are dark chocolate, 53% is still quite mild and even those who are new to dark chocolate, or tend to prefer milk chocolate, can enjoy these bars.

My favorite is definitely the chocolate orange variety, though I enjoyed both a lot.



The orange flavor is, again, strong enough but not excessive. The chocolate is creamy and smooth and the tartness of the orange cuts the sweet, creamy chocolate is a delightful way.



It's rich and indulgent and definitely one of the yummier ways to keep your gut healthy!

Have you heard of ohso chocolate?

What's your favorite kind of chocolate?

What is your favorite food movie? Examples include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ratatouille, etc.

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Pantene Relaxed & Natural Hair Care for African American Women!

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I'm a mixed girl with mixed girl hair and it's definitely been a journey to learn how to deal with my hair. 

When I was in elementary school, I struggled to figure out how to keep it knot-free without too many tears. 

When I was in middle school, I struggled to figure out how to keep it from doing the whole upside-down yield-sign thing. I wore braids for two years in a row, just because I couldn't figure out any other hairstyle that looked reasonably presentable and didn't take two hours each morning.

Not me, but the hair is pretty much spot-on

In high school, I continued to battle the inevitable inverted yield sign and wore a granny bun for way too many years (my mom and big sister still groan whenever I do any sort of bun, now, for fear that I'll start another 5-year bad hairstyle streak). 

By college, I had finally learned out how to (more or less) tame my unruly mixed girl hair, at least some of the time. But there's still always room for improvement and part of that is definitely learning what products to use.

Pantene, the world's number one hair care brand, has two collections of hair care products that are designed just for African American women! There's the Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural collection for girls with natural hair and the Pantene Pro-V Truly Relaxed collection for girls with relaxed (chemically straightened) hair.

Since African American women (and mixed girls, like me!) with natural hair tend to have a tight curl pattern, it can be tough for the scalp's natural sebum to moisturize the hair. The result? That oh-so-flattering inverted yield sign of dry, frizzy disaster. 

The Pro-V formula promises deep cleansing without stripping away natural moisture, like harsher shampoo and conditioners can, helping keep our hair shiny and looking good. At $4.99 per bottle (for both the shampoo and conditioner) it's an affordable option for those of us who aren't willing to drop $30+ on salon-priced products.

I couldn't wait to try the Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural shampoo and conditioner! 

My before:

That's from the side/back. I'm not Cousin Itt of the Adams Family.

Time for to try it out!

Because this?

Could definitely use some work.

They sent me several different products to try - I didn't realize how much the line extended beyond just shampoo and conditioner!

There's shampoo, conditioner, co-wash cleansing conditioner, shine serum with argan oil, and a styling custard. 

Yay! Enough to establish a whole hair routine. 

The shampoo and conditioner were thick and creamy, and they smelled really good. I enjoyed using them, unlike other products for African American women, that tend to smell weird or extremely cocoa butter-y. 

I towel dried my hair, combed it, scrunched the styling custard through it, and headed off for my day as usual. 

It rained, it blew, and the elements did their best to make my hair a bird's nest. For all that, I would say it held up pretty well!

Not bad for the end of such a crazy day! I'll definitely keep using these products. I also like how soft my hair felt!

What shampoo do you use?

How often do you shampoo/condition?

What products are in your hair routine?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Wallaby's Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt - Review and Giveaway!

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It feels like ages since I've last had a giveaway, doesn't it? To make up for lost time, today's giveaway is super awesome and there will be three winners!

Why is this giveaway so super awesome? Because it's of ohmygoshridiculouslydelicious Greek yogurt!

I've reviewed Wallaby Organic Yogurt in the past, but I've only recently had the chance to try their new line of nonfat Greek yogurt.

Wallaby Organic Yogurt has been making really great lowfat yogurt and really great lowfat Greek yogurt for a while now. I've always liked how they kept the fruit flavoring and the plain yogurt separate in their Greek yogurt cups (the regular low fat yogurt cups are all mixed up) as it's more DIY and fun that way!



I prefer swirling the fruit preserves in only partially and this setup allows me to do that. I think it tastes better that way, because that helps maintain the integrity of the individual flavors of the yogurt and the topping!

Anyway, Wallaby Organic Yogurt came out with a new line of nonfat Greek yogurts a few months ago, to complement their line of low fat Greek yogurts.

Inspired by their travels and always free of artificial ingredients, their products are all the sort of great, whole food that you can feel good about putting into your body.

Just like the low fat Greek yogurts, their nonfat Greek yogurts are smooth, creamy, and delicious! They also come with the fruit topping separate and come in lemon, mixed berries, peach, raspberry, and plain flavors.

Of all the flavors, the lemon is my favorite flavored yogurt (it strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart, without erring on the side of saccharine - a lot of flavored yogurts do, which I find makes them less appealing for breakfast).

But I'm a plain yogurt girl through-and-through, so the plain flavor was my absolute favorite! I loved pairing it with granola, dried fruits, and peanut butter for a breakfast or snack that keeps me going (Greek yogurt has great protein content)!

The nonfat plain greek yogurt, with coconut sugar, vanilla protein powder, and cinnamon stirred under - yum!

While their other products, including their blended, Australian-style low fat yogurts, their low fat Greek yogurts, and their sour cream, are available at a variety of shops, the nonfat Greek yogurts are available exclusively at Whole Foods stores.

Okay, so now for the part of the post that you guys are most excited about: the giveaway!

The folks at Wallaby Organic Yogurt have been extremely generous and are offering to send five (5) VIP coupons each, redeemable for free 5.3 or 6oz Greek yogurts (they're good for both the low fat and nonfat Greek yogurts) to not one, not two, but three lucky Living, Learning, Eating readers!

If you're based in the US, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win - the odds are triple as good in your favor as usual!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Recipe: No Fail Lemon Meringue Pie

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Pie is one of those things that I've wanted to try to make for a few years, but have always been a bit too intimidated to make.



Correction: I've been too intimidated to try making homemade pie crust and didn't feel like just making the filling. It just wouldn't be the same.

Anyway, now that I'm 20 years old and a full-fledged young adult, I figured that it's high time that I master pie. I've mastered bread, cookies, muffins, and pretty much any other baked treats. Pie? No problem!

And it really wasn't with this recipe. I love that the crust didn't need to be chilled, as so many of them do, because I get in baking frenzies and want to bake right then, not prep a bunch of stuff and bake later.

No Fail Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes 8 large slices

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/8 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons water 

Filling:

1 can condensed milk

3 eggs 

Juice of 2 large lemons

Zest of 1 large lemon

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

A few drops yellow food coloring (optional, it will taste the same without it, if you want to make the pie more natural)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Cut the butter into the flour, until you have approximately pea-sized clumps.

3) Mix the water in with a fork (you may need slightly less or slightly more) until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to finish mixing with your hands, but don't knead or overmix.

4) Sprinkle flour on the waxy side of a sheet of wax paper.

5) Transfer the dough to the wax paper, sprinkle flour over the dough.

6) Cover the dough with another sheet of wax paper.

7) Roll out the pie crust to an even 12" circle. 

8) Peel off the top sheet of wax paper. 

9) Slide the pie crust round into a greased pie pan. 

10) Prick all over with a fork.

11) Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden.

DON'T WALK AWAY AND GET CAUGHT UP ON THE MINDY PROJECT. This is when you need to work on the filling!!

12) Separate the eggs, with the egg whites in a small mixing bowl and the yolks in a medium bowl.

13) Add the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and optional food coloring to the yolk, mix them together for a few minutes until well-blended and thickened.

14) Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks.

15) Mix the sugar and vanilla extract into the egg whites and beat some more, until you can form shiny stiff peaks (but trust me, don't try to the form peaks until you turn the mixer off. It's a mess you don't want to clean up). 

16) Pull the pie crust out of the oven. Let cool for ten minutes.

17) Pour the lemon and condensed milk mixture into the pie shell.

18) Spread the beaten egg whites gently over the lemon filling with a spatula. If you want to be aesthetically awesome, you can try pressing the spatula in lightly and lifting lightly at intervals to make the pretty peaks people associate with lemon meringue pie. Or if you're a beginner, like me, you can just smooth it into an even layer. 

19) Heat oven to 375F.

20) Bake for 15 minutes or so, until golden brown.

21) Remove from oven and resist the temptation to slice until it has cooled a bit. You can stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes to get it extra firm.

22) Slice into 8 large slices. Enjoy!

23) If you don't eat the pie on the porch (attracting the neighbors and making you the most beloved member of the neighborhood for the afternoon) there might be leftovers. Be sure to refrigerate them, since the recipe has eggs!

What recipe are you known for?

What's your favorite kind of pie? Mine is pecan pie, hands down, served warm with vanilla ice cream! I've never tried a chocolate pecan pie, but it sounds delicious.

Do you like your neighbors?

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Savvy Traveler Tips!

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I absolutely love, love, loooooooove traveling.

Like, real lurrrve, y'all.

My answer to the question of going anywhere, especially somewhere new?

I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit, so I consider myself a bit of a seasoned traveler by now. Not much can fluster me and I almost always have a great time on the trip, not just when I arrive at the destination. 

After all, if you spend two days of a two week trip traveling, that's a bit over 14% of your vacation. You ought to enjoy it!

I've never been one of those people who viewed the destination as the goal. Ever since my days of Rugrats in Paris (remember the airplane scene? Too fun) I've always had almost as much fun on the journey.

But I can't help but notice that not everyone feels that way. There are the travelers who take half a year to get through TSA, the travelers whose screaming toddlers test the limits of their vocal chords each and every time, the travelers whose adorable heels stop feeling so cute by the second stopover, and the travelers who are B.O.R.E.D. for hours on end. 

But with my savvy traveler tips, everyone can have as awesome a time as me!

What can I say? Traveling is one of my many superpowers. Right up there with exceptional humility.

First, any savvy traveler knows that a successful trip starts way before the first day of the trip. If you've done no prep by then, you've probably already blown your chances of travel nirvana.

Don't pack like you're homeless.

You know that place where you live? It'll still be there when you get back. So there is no reason to try to pack your life into your suitcases. Remember: the less you pack, the happier you'll be.

If you're allergic to everything or completely inflexible with your diet, don't expect airlines to be your betch.

You can't honestly expect Delta to cater to your gluten free-dairy free-paleo-reduced sugar-whole foods-pescatarian-green and purple foods only diet. If your diet is weird, restrictive, from a different time era, or fraught with dislikes and intolerances, pack your own frickin' food. 

Ideally, you can make do and enjoy what else is out there while your traveling. But if you refuse to eat what most others do, then don't be disappointed when the stewardess won't whip up a batch of protein pancakes for you and the hotel kitchen won't let you come down to prepare your oatmeal your way. They have to cater to the masses and have to focus on food safety and pleasing the majority.

How they feel about your specific diet?

Plan some entertainment.

Especially if you're traveling with kids, this is a non-negotiable. Whether it's books (not advisable if you get motion sick), coloring pages, a few game ideas, an audiobook (a great option if you do get motion sick, but still want some entertainment) or (best) some movies on an iPad, entertainment makes travel really fun. 

Shorter flights tend not to have movies and sometimes the movie selections on longer flights aren't that great (though I tend to enjoy them) so you can rent movies ahead of time through iTunes and play them on your iPad inflight (even without wifi!) for up to 24 hours post-rental. Awesome!

Oh, and if you get motion sick? I highly recommend Dramamine. Seriously, just take it. Neither you nor your fellow passengers should have to tough out the consequences if you don't. 

Use your fifth grade reading skills.

Seriously, if you're not a frequent traveler you really ought to take a few minutes to check out the TSA website. Regulations have changed over the past few years and knowing that you can't fly with your jar of peanut butter and favorite perfume in your carry-on will save you some heartbreak, the TSA officers a hassle, and your fellow travelers some time as you go through security. 

The best part? Their rules aren't even written in Latin, but in clear-as-day simple English, with snazzy infographics to help with clarity.

No excuses, people!

What are your savvy traveler tips?

What are your travel pet peeves?

Do you enjoy traveling itself, or is the destination what makes it worth it for you?

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Survey Time

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I saw this survey over at Better With Sprinkles and it looked like a lot of fun. Since I haven't done a survey in a while, I've decided to make this post really light-hearted and fun.

List time!

5 Things I’ve Eaten Lately:

1. Frozen Girl Scout Cookies. Does anyone else like buying way too many, so that you can pull a box out of the freezer sometime randomly in the year and be like 'YAY, GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!'

If you think Thin Mints are better than Caramel Delites, we can't be friends.

Just kidding (kind of).

2. Greek yogurt. I'm still obsessed. I don't think I'll ever get over my obsession. 

I eat a lot of non-vegan things (I'm definitely not vegan), but that's the one that makes me go 'no waaaay would I ever give up dairy.'

3. Apples. When do I ever not eat apples? I'm kind of obsessed with those, too, they're too delicious to be real. And yet they are.

Mind = blown.

4) Random chocolate bakes and microwave cakes, especially frosted with more chocolate.

5. Chocolate. To follow from the above item, I have been all over chocolate lately. Yummy? Yes. And an excellent jolt of caffeine, which may partly explain why the chocolate kick got really intense over finals.

Or just that chocolate beats chem, any day.

5 Favorite Summer Treats:

1. Ice cream/frozen yogurt. 

Massive Scoops = AWESOME.

Wait, hold on - that's an all-year-round favorite.

2. Watermelon. I like it really chilled (near frozen) and it's even better on the beach!

3. Barbequed vegetarian bratwurst. There's nothing that screams German summer more than grilling bratwurst!

My condiments of choice are mustard and curry ketchup (it's a thing, I promise, and quite popular in Germany). 

4. Tofu Dogs. I don't know why, but somehow oblong soy protein is a summer food for me. 

Yum, it's been too long!

5. Random salads. Like the one above with the tofu dog! I don't eat salads as much during the rest of the year, but crisp, fresh salads are awesome in the heat of the summer. Followed by ice cream, of course!

5 Places I Want to Live Someday:

1. New York City - and yay, I'm living here again this summer!

Only in New York

2. Somewhere in Germany. I spent 3 months living there a while over a year ago and I just really love the culture! Being so close to my extended family would also be nice.

3. Los Angeles. Sunshine, palm trees, and Hollywood - what else could an aspiring actress want? I hope to move there after graduation! Which is still a while for me, but at least this year's finals are over :P

4. London. Again, it would be fun to be closer to extended family. And between the awesome accents, fabulous fashion, and streets full of history, what's not to love?

Um...so how long do I have to live there to get one of those snazzy accents myself?

5. Paris. I've never actually been to Paris, so I don't know if I actually ever want to live there (maybe not) but I'd definitely love to visit sometime!

It sounds amazing.

Do you like combining flavors, or keeping foods separate? I used to keep all of my foods separate as a kid, but in the past few years I've started loving complex flavors more and more. Now I barely ever eat just one flavor at once!

What's your favorite summer treat?

What's one place where you want to live, but haven't lived yet?

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