Dog Toys

My dog Hugo loves his Cheekey Squeaky toys. Seems every other dog in the city and beyond does too, because they have been out of stock since last year. I was able to get one that is back for a limited time which I am happy about, and I think Hugo will be happy about too. Mr. Orange Rat will be arriving soon to hang out with Mr. Green Monster and Mr. Pink. Hopefully one day Mr. Big Red Rooster will be on sale for a limited time - until then we can only dream.............

Food Food and More Food

I love food. I love to read about it - and try to abstain from it at the same time. Food, as much as I love it, does not agree with my thighs. That is why I try to eat as healthy as possible. My new favorite dish is garlic string beans with marinated portobello mushrooms. Actually the portobello mushrooms are a new addition to the beans. It is a light dish that doesn't require a lot of ingredients or time.

Garlic String Beans

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups beans - cut into inch long beans
2 cloves of garlic chopped (more garlic can be added if you are a fan of it like me)
1 cup of water
2 teaspoons vegetable broth
1 steam of rosemary
some pepper
2 pinches of salt
a squeeze of 1/4 lemon

in a pan take oil - beans - garlic and rosemary and saute beans and garlic for about 3 minutes
once they are sauted take remaining ingredients and cook until water is gone

For the Portabello Mushroom

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of brown mustard

whip all ingredients together and marinate portobello mushroom for about 20 minutes
after it is marinated slice and cook until soft

add to stringbeans and viola - a simple tasty low fat meal

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER LIKE FRESH TOMATOES FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary

This past Friday my sister and I went up to the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in Willow, NY (right near Woodstock). If you are not familiar with the Farm it is a safe haven for rescued animals that were to be used for slaughter. They have a variety of goats, cows, pigs, hens, ducks, turkeys and the like. This farm and the people that work and run it are amazing!!! Having gone up in the past on a Saturday, my sister and I were not aware that the farm is only open to the public on the weekend. Well being the wonderful people that they are, we were invited to come and socialize with the goats and hang out as the staff went about doing their farm chores. Petting goats is great but my sister and I felt that we needed to help out and when asked we were told that they could use some extra hands cleaning out the barn. Working along side Julie and Amber the barn was cleaned in no time and I never saw such a happy group of goats! It really made us feel good knowing that we did something positive for the animals.

Make sure you check out the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary website - make a donation, take a trip one weekend - and remember - don't harm animals they have feelings and wouldn't harm you.

www.woodstockfas.org

Yoga Search .... The Finale

So Sunday I went to Yoga Tonic here in Sunnyside Queens. Their website looked inviting enough and when I yelped them, I read nothing but great things, so I decided to give it a shot. I was greeted by my instructor Jin who was very warm and welcoming.

The class only consisted of me Jin and two other students, which worked out nicely even though in general I like to have a bit more students in a class. The asanas flowed smoothly and Jin was helpful in making sure our alignment was correct. While in corpse pose JIn came around and gave each student a wonderful head massage which just sealed the deal for me.

I plan on going back to Yoga Tonic to see what the other teachers have to offer and take another one of Jin's classes.

Yoga Tonic has a special new student deal - $45 for the month. Along with Yoga they also have a variety of other classes, so check out their website.

www.myyogatonic.com

Queens Treat

Where else in the city can you get an over flowing Coconut ice for only a dollar?? Only in queens my friend.

Sailing Takes Me Away

So it finally feels like summer is upon us after a month of rain and chilly weather and what better way to spend an afternoon or evening but going for a sail along the Hudson River. My good Friends Ed and Regina run a charter business right here at the 72nd Street Boat Basin. Check out their website www.abaconyachtcharter.com for rates and information. I don't know a nicer couple than Ed and Regina to go sailing with and if that doesn't grab your attention - their furry masscot Ollie will be on hand to make sure your trip is a fun one!!

Yoga Search

So I am still looking for that happy medium when it comes to another yoga studio. Last week I tried World Yoga Center. I thought that I found my alternative yoga studio at last. That was not the case. Now while I do believe I like the vibe there - very organic - I felt the teacher was too much of a comedian. Now while I do think that yoga should not be so serious - I don't think that a joke has to be made at every other move. I didn't feel very challenged in this class. The class size was large - so large that I was literally face to face with my front neighbor as we did cobra pose - hello neighbor. Not a comfortable feeling for either one of us - but yoga is not about comfort all the time is it? Now as I was disappointed with this class it wasn't horrible, it just wasn't for me. Next stop is Yogatonic in Sunnyside Queens - once again I have high hopes - it's what keeps me going.

I want to give a special shot out to Big Spirit Yoga for reading my blog and directing me to perhaps a more challenging class - I am up to the challenge and haven't written you off yet. I think your studio has a lot to offer and I am interested in seeing where it goes.


www.worldyogacenter.com
www.goyoga.ws

Yoga

I am searching for a new yoga studio to go to during the week. Right now I go to Go Yoga in brooklyn, but am only able to get there on Sunday. So far I have tried two yoga studios and each one of them was ok, but I would not go running back to them. The first was Fierce Club and while the class itself was a great workout - i didn't get a very organic feel to it. It seemed more of a gimmick class and I like my yoga to be simple yet a challenge. The next stop was Big Spirit Yoga in Sunnyside queens. This class was more organic, but yet a bit to slow for my taste and small as it was only me and another student. Now I wouldn't run to this class afterwork but I could see myself going to a class on a Saturday morning. If you want to check out either Fierce Club or Big Spirit Yoga their websites are posted below:

www.goyoga.com
www.bigspirityoga.com
www.fierceclub.com

NAMASATE