Questions

Do you count calories?

I actually do count calories, and that is part of the reason why I started this blog. I wanted instead of focusing on numbers, to focus on how food looks, tastes, and feels. About a month ago, I vowed to stop using Mypyramid Tracker to count every calorie I put in my body and instead I have been taking pictures of my food and meditating on how it makes me feel. Since then, I have been so much happier about the things I have been putting in my mouth! I still estimate calories in my head, and eat about 1600 calories most days, and have a goal of getting to between 1600-1800 daily.

Please feel free to leave the following intrusive question unanswered. Since you do count calories, and you aim for about 1600-1800 a day, would you mind to divulge your height and weight? Maybe also build type and how often you workout (b/c we all know that numbers like ht. and wt. aren’t the whole story!)

Not an obtrusive question whatsoever- I know that this sort of information can be quite helpful.  I am 5′6” and about 125 pounds with a very curvy build (D cup bra!).  My excercise routine is basically walking- I walk uphill 45 minutes to work each morning and then back home from work for another 45 minutes.  Occasionally on weekends I’ll go to the gym with my fiance.   Really, when you don’t drive and live in a part of DC that doesn’t have a metro, you really don’t need a gym!  I will also note that this amount of excercise is a significant decrease from my former routine, which was about 2 or 3 hours of walking after work every day- too much!  I want to walk enough to be healthy and slim, but not so much I am weak and exhausted all the time.  I am learning!

It sounds like you have a super busy schedule- how do you prepare so many salads?  What type and how do you buy your lettuce?

Regarding my salads- I will admit, each night I must spend close to 15 minutes chopping vegetables for my salads.  It does take a long time.  However, because my apt. is so small, I tend not to cook tons (if I use the stove, the food gets everywhere- I can’t wait to move into an apartment bigger than a shoe box!).  So fifteen minutes to prepare most my dinner is not too bad at all.  However, I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve- first of all, I never use greens that need to be washed.  Usually, it is a combination of collard greens and spinach (which you can buy bagged, shredded, and triple-washed), and iceberg lettuce and cabbage (which you don’t have to wash- just quickly chop!).  The collards, cabbage, and iceberg will also last you forever in the fridge, so the only thing I really buy on a weekly basis is the bagged spinach.  I love this policy because the variety of greens gives me so many vitamins and fiber (well maybe not the iceberg…but it provides a great crunch!) and the diversity of colors and textures lends some real interest to the salad.  I tend to buy cucumbers, radishes, carrots, onions, corn-on-thecob, green onions, and mushrooms to supplelement these salads.  Most of these things can keep for weeks in the fridge (except the mushrooms and cucs, but I eat tons of those).  If I had the storage space or proper tupperware, I would probably try to prepare my salads a couple at a time.  And PS, bagged lettuce isn’t that great, and frankly, it is a rip off.  Try bagged collards- they are so delicious!

Do you find vegetarian meals filling?

Truthfully, I don’t find any one thing filling at all- not even meat or cheese!  I find the only way that I am really satisfied after a meal (and I am mostly a vegetarian) is if it includes protein, whole grain carbs, fat, and produce (preferably both fruit and vegetables).  I find I need a spectrum of tastes, flavors, textures, and nutrients to feel like I have properly fed myself.  So pasta or salad or dessert on its own will never leave my tummy happy.  However, pasta with chickpeas, a side salad, and a piece of fruit will leave me happy and energized for hours!

I’m going to be in DC next month for a mini-vacation of my own. do you have any good restaurant recommendations or absolute must-do activities? i’ve been to DC many times already so we’ve hit most of the “big” museums and sights, but if you can think of anything special or more out-of-the ordinary, let me know!

I feel so lucky to live in Washington- it is the perfect place for 20 somethings.  It has the friendliness and networking opportunities of a town combined with the culture and activities of a big city.  Fabulous!  First, let’s start with sites.  I won’t go on and on about the Smithsonian, the White House, or the Capitol, since those are givens (esp. the National Gallery- do not miss this!), so let me list my other favorites.

1.  Smaller museums in DC- esp. Dumbarton Oaks, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Corcoran, The Phillips Collection, and Anderson House.

2.  Washington National Cathedral, for the most beautiful example of Gothic architecture on the continent.  The best thing to do is visit here and then walk down Massachusetts Avenue aka Embassy Row (about 3 miles) to the museums and fun in Dupont Circle.

3.  Hanging out in Georgetown- great shopping and fun people watching.  Also ideal for college students going out- there are kids everywhere!

4.  Eastern Market- a fabulous place for visitors to check out the beautiful neighborhood of Capitol Hill, sample some incredibly fresh seafood, and buy some really cool gifts!

Here are my favorite restaurants:

Bisto Lepic- if you want a very classy, quiet meal in a small French restaurant with traditional recipes, great wine, and beautiful ambience. In Northern Georgetown.

Matchbox- if you want a hip atmosphere downtown with a variety of options (especially pizza), great people watching, and fun mixed drinks.

Billy Martin’s (my personal favorite)- casual, traditional American fare in an historic Georgetown townhouse. This restaruant opened the day that Prohibition was repealed and has great food, amazing prices, and best of all, perfect, Washingtonian ambience. This was the Kennedy’s very favorite restaurant- JFK even proposed to Jackie O here!