Whole Foods has saved my life on many an occasion. Whether I've been feeling ill and in need of some good herbal tonics, feeling like I need a bit of perk-up and wandering the aisles looking for anything that looks healthy and interesting (raw flax seed treats, perhaps? it's better than it sounds), or feeling like doing good for myself and stocking up on products I love: organic produce, pure cranberry juice, organic wine, raw cheeses, seaweed salad & sushi, raw kombucha, grain coffee, triple leaf tea, and any and all pure & natural beauty products. If its good and good for you -- Whole Foods has it.  *No, I do not work for Whole Foods...just feeling and spreading the love!

I was very spoiled when I lived in Los Angeles to have Whole Foods only two blocks from my lovely West Hollywood home. Now, living in NYC, I've got to travel a bit farther but I still make the trip and its always worth it. The place just makes me happy.

On a recent trip I picked up this amazing little item called the Blender Bottle. It is a plastic cup (12oz) that has a wire whisk ball inside to help when mixing up a protein shake or blended drink of some sort. I've been mixing up my cranberry juice/psyllium husk/water mixtures twice a day as well delicious protein drinks. That little ball inside works its magic and mixes everything together brilliantly. I'm taking it on the road with me!

Aside from a few essentials I also grabbed this mesh produce bag. I buy a lot of fresh produce and I often feel guilty for using so many of those clear little bags to put it all in. If possible I reuse them or at the very least find a bin that collects used plastic bags.  But I think I've found a solution with this reusable produce bag. Loving it! 

 

I love a good vegetarian meal and even better - a vegan meal. There is just something about eating so clean, organic, and animal free that makes me feel good and healthy. Tonight I went to my favorite vegan restaurant in Los Angeles called Real Food Daily. This place is the best. It is the place to go for delicious vegan food. RFD goes so far beyond "alfalfa sprouts and a plate of mashed yeast"; their food is creative, inspired and delicious. From burritos to lasagna to chocolate pudding to beer and wine this place delivers on the "oh my goodness that is soooo good" front. 

www.realfood.com

http://www.facebook.com/RealFoodDaily

From RealFoodDaily website:

"Ann Gentry has spent the past twenty-five years striving to raise the standard of vegetarian cooking in this country. Ann is the creator, founder and operating owner of Real Food Daily, the only restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves a 100 percent vegetarian (vegan) menu using foods grown exclusively with organic farming methods.Bon Appétit magazine declared “Ann Gentry, the creator of Real Food Daily has taken two different California trends – vegetarian foods, and the organic seasonal cooking popularized by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse – and come up with a cuisine that is as interesting and delicious as it is healthful.” 

For me there is nothing quite like a good yoga class. It stretches me, sweats me, strengthens me and de-stresses me. Its tough to beat that. One day, hopefully soon, I will commit to doing yoga every day. Ah, how great will I feel then?!

Since I've been in LA and not getting in as much walking and stair climbing as my New York life entails, I decided I needed to get in some more exercise while I'm here. So, I decided to dig up an old free pass I'd gotten several years ago from Yoga Works. I worked on a show back then called Celebrity Fit Club and produced a workout segment called 'Holistic Hideaway'. I brought in a woman who invented a Yoga Swing in which you are basically inverted from a rather shifty metal frame whilst hanging from a wide strap (seriously, google it), a lady who read tongues (seriously, google it) and these two lovely yogis from Yoga Works who led 'partner yoga'. It was a delight. And the yogis gave me these free passes to their studio and a really great mat. 

So, today I finally used that free pass, which lasts a month, and it was great. It was just what I needed in fact. Thank you, Yoga Works. 

This was my first time walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It sounds like such a daunting undertaking - walking across a bridge - but its quite simple really. There is a walking path and it takes less than an hour. Plus the view is stunning. All of Manhattan and Brooklyn, Governor's Island and the Statue of Liberty is all there and so close it seems you could touch it all. It was also great to see the new Brooklyn Bridge Park on the Brooklyn side finally open and packed with Saturday afternoon lounging. The park was created to further expand the green space in the city and to reclaim abandoned piers, lots and docks that lined the coast of the East River. Delightful and inspiring.