toast and quotes.

As I jumped into the elevator this morning I heard someone getting out giving his friend some advice.

“The secret to weightloss is cutting carbs.”

The girl replied, “I just can’t do that.”

I wanted to scream “You don’t have to!”

Instead, I went upstairs to make french toast, one of the best pre-run meals in my opinion. I was incredibly lucky to have a mother who made french toast for breakfast often and well into high school. This morning, I decided to try a recipe from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch (written by those tough-love vegans). Collecting cookbooks is the easy part, but actually cooking most of the recipes is a true task. There are quite a few books piling up on my amazon wishlist.

Instead of posting a recipe that is not created by moi, I searched via web for a way of sharing it with you. Strangely enough, I found it on the Ellen recipe database, and here it is: Pecan Crusted French Toast.

Although the photograph doesn’t serve them justice, they were really delicious. The tough part was trying to get the chopped pecans to stick to the dipped bread, and I almost have failed to do so. Next time, as in tomorrow, I will use the leftover almond milk mixture but dip the bread into a shallow bowl of shredded coconut.

Returning back to the topic I started with, I think that quick fixes for fitness and weight loss are quite silly if you resort to eating poorly after a brief stint with a diet. Instead, it is really important to be motivated by eating healthy and to look for inspiration for working out and keeping fit. Here are a few quotes that get my legs running:

“Running is one of the best solutions to a clear mind.”

-sasha azevedo

“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”

-steve prefontaine

Lastly, since this post is already pretty scattered. I will leave you with some of my favored writing resources:

These collections of feature articles range from The Atlantic Monthly to GQ.

The Elements of Style is a classic given to me by my aunt. It really helps with all issues from grammar to principles of composition. In Jeffrey Steingarten’s, The Man Who Ate Everything, he brings you along in his journey to become the food editor for Vogue.

The images in my edition of The Elements of Style are beautiful.

Shoes will be the topic of discussion tomorrow. Happy Monday.

real men bake quiche.

This entire post is dedicated to my lovely father, whom I photographed above. Recently, he has been inspired to take photographs of his own culinary skills. Being an artist himself, I have no lack in faith that he could probably take more beautiful photos than I. It is no secret in our family that he loves pie and he has been known to insist on baking a pie in the summer heat. However, we have a mutual affinity with quiche. Last time I saw my father in Manhattan, he brought up a memory he had of me saying I had the best quiche ever in Amsterdam. It was true and the secret ingredient was pine nuts. It is embarrassing to admit, but the stunning counter top in this photograph made me homesick. You have to admit, this quiche looks mighty tasty.

I have gone the summer without eggs or dairy, but I know that this lifestyle choice will not last forever. I have complete respect for all those who choose to eat vegan, and I try to as much as possible but will never call myself one. I love food too much to not try new things with family and friends. Nevertheless, you will never hear of me eating any red meat or poultry. My food philosophy is to savor flavor and fuel my body the best I can.

I have been a busy little bee this last week and my posting has been semi shoddy. Two reasons (excuses?) are that 1) I was uninspired after a mandoline accident involving my thumb and 2) my old digital camera has broken.

In the meantime, I will try to share some favorite fashion images, running workouts, and recipes I am trying this week.